//------------------------------//
// Chapter 34: The Part Where They Kill You 
// Story: Caverns & Cutie Marks: High School, High Stakes 
// by TheColtTrio 
//------------------------------//

The group scattered, fanning themselves out to make it hard for the Hydra to keep all of them in sight at once, let alone focus on more than one or two at a time. Each head would swing every which way, trying to keep track of the various attacks and movements of the now larger and more dangerous group facing it. The Pink Scaled head however, left the attacking to the other heads as it was trying to quietly re-establish its control over Just Duty. It had also noticed something else leftover from the trap it had laid earlier to protect themselves. It just needed the fight to creep on long enough to slip in through the gates they had left unbarred and unguarded.
“Let us hope you are successful in the short amount of time we have left,” whispered the orange spined head.
“Hey! I don’t care how many heads you have, only the heroes are allowed to have secret whispered battle plans in the middle of a battle!” Rainbow Dash shouted, her bow flinging arrows at the two heads.
“Let us see you whisper anything when your lungs ar-” The orange spined head was cut off as a cannonball of streamers and confetti bashed into its cheek.
“The guys have already stretched the rating as far as it can go, don’t ruin it now!” Pinkie shouted, firing off another round from her party cannon.
Light Patch stood in front of Wits End, blocking blows as the mint-colored teen returned the favor. “Speaking of whispered battleplans, I hope you or Sunset have something because I’m running on empty.”
“And I’m running by!” Pinkie interrupted as she did as she said.
“This is a battle of attrition that we are likely to lose,” Rarity said. “Perhaps we could spend more time beating this thing instead of chatting?”
“Why not use the super weapon?” Purple Heart suggested.
“The what now?” Sunset asked.
“We have a super weapon? Since when?” Rainbow Dash snapped. “And why haven’t we used it earlier?!”
“Cuz Fluttershy isn’t a frontline fighter?” Purple Heart offered, firing off a barrage of kicks.
The girls looked at the purple teen with confusion. “Care to explain that?” Sunset prompted.
Purple Heart groaned and pointed. “Hydra. Beast.” He pointed at Fluttershy. “Fluttershy. Stare. Capisce?”
“I don’t think that will work,” Fluttershy said from where she hid behind Sunset. “It has too many eyes to look at.”
Purple Heart pursed his lips. “Welp, that’s my plan borked,” he declared. “You have thirty seconds to think of something before I just One-Punch Man this thing. So start thinking.” He then darted behind a rock and set about powering up his gauntlet for one colossal strike.
“Wait!” Wits shouted, swapping places with Light Patch to summon an Oaken Shield for a moment of respite. “Just this once, don’t smash! We have no way to tell what’ll happen to the parts of the world that’ve been overwritten when this guy goes down!” He paused. “These guys? This guys? These gu-” He was cut off by a lavender horn piercing through his barrier. “Back! Back, you savage!”
“He’s right!” Twilight called, hiding behind a rocky outcropping to search her bag for more flasks. “Without the Hydra, the changes it’s made already will likely become permanent. Even with the Power of Friendship, I don’t think we can fix that once this is over.”
“And I thought friendship fixed everything,” Holdfast droned from a position of relative safety behind one of the larger stalagmites.”
Wits appeared next to him, avoiding another pillar of flame. “If you’re not helping, then shaddup old man!”
Applejack spared a glance over her shoulder as she tried to hold down one of the Hydra’s heads. “Hey, Purple Heart? Think ya can wake up your demon lil’ brother? We need all the help we can geeeEEAAAH!” She trailed off as the Hydra overpowered her, bucking her off its neck and into the path of Rainbow Dash. The pair collided and pinwheeled towards the ground.
“Better plan coming up!” Purple Heart called, cancelling his power up. He dashed out of cover and dove to catch Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
“Yo, Bael!” he called, placing both girls on terra firma and marching over to where the pint-sized demon lay on the ground. “Up and at ‘em sonny boy! We gotta banish Bavmorda to the Nether Realm!” He grabbed Bael and hauled the limp boy to his feet. “Wakey wakey!” Purple knocked Bael on the crown of his head and shook the boy.
“Huh!? What the carp in a biscuit!” The boy rubbed at his pulsing scalp. “I was having a wonderful dream about girls and boo-”
“NOPE!” Purple Heart decided, slapping a hand over Bael’s mouth. “Listen you little bleep, we are gonna get rid of that thing with all haste and you’re gonna help me, got it?”
Bael nodded, rolling his eyes. Purple released the boy and clenched a fist wreathed in purple light whereas green sparks arced from Bael’s fingertips. “Ready when you are!” they called to Wits and Twilight.
Twilight sighed. “This is getting out of hand…”
Wits nodded. “Now there are two of them. How’d you wanna handle this?”
“Split them up?” Twilight replied, hefting a couple of flasks. “Tangleweed and Oaken Shields?”
“You got it.” The pair of them gave a silent nod, and fired off their respective abilities. The combination of alchemical tangles and magical vines formed tall, solid walls, separating the six heads of the Hydra into relatively narrow corridors. “Pick a target,” Wits shouted to the group, “and keep hitting them until it stops being funny!”
“Aye sah!” Purple Heart declared. “I got Red Eyes!”
“I’ll take Blue Tusks!” Bael called. The pair thundered forward, skirting around lunging heads and powdered debris. Their intended targets hung back, glaring hatefully at the approaching boys. Purple Heart slid under one of the striking heads and planted himself with is back to the Hydra. Bael wasted no time in leaping at the purple teen’s head only to be caught and hurled at Blue Tusks’ eyes with impressive speed. The head cried in rage and pain upon being hit and shook from side to side to dislodge Bael who had latched on to its forehead and proceeded to poke each eye over and over. Red Eyes snaked its head towards Purple Heart, ramming into the teen. With a grunt, Purple Heart caught the forehead in his hands and hefted the head above himself only to snap it back down to the ground, sending the neck undulating like a wave back to the Hydra’s body.
“NEXT UP PLEASE!” Purple Heart roared, running with the head back to the body as Bael hammered Blue Tusks down to meet him. The pair collided, knocking the heads against each other and promptly rendered them unconscious.
“Of course those two are enjoying this fight,” Rarity remarked, glancing in the direction of Purple Heart’s shout before she turned back to focus on her own battle.
“Don’t worry Rarity, between me and Applejack-” Rainbow said, only to be interrupted.
“Applejack and I,” Pinkie corrected, her head appearing out of one of the thick vine walls before disappearing just as fast.
“Between the two of us,” Rainbow started again, “I bet we could show that walking bruise up and beat our head and three others just as efficiently.”
“Ah’m more worried about dealing with the head we have right now. So if’n you could focus on it, Rainbow, ah’d appreciate it,” Applejack grunted as she yanked on her lasso, slamming the head it was wrapped around into the ground.
“I second Applejack. Let us focus on the task at hand. We shall do one thing and do it well. Then, and only then, shall we move on. Like a surgeon,” Rarity said, pouring power into summoning a swarm of needles larger than she’d ever summoned before. The head’s violet fins flattened against its neck as its eyes shrank in fear.
“Cutting for the very first time?” Wits asked, squaring off with the lavender horned head.
“Do you have a reference for everything?” Sunset Shimmer asked.
“Almost everything, yes.”
“Do you ever find that causes any issues?” Twilight followed up, taking a place next to the two teens.
“I heard that one guy asked for less references at one point,” Wits mused. “He’s gotta be disappointed.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.” She snapped her fingers, summoning a flame the size of a softball. “Twilight?”
“Right.” The purple teen hurled a pair of flasks filled with a dark grey liquid towards the Hydra’s head, which splattered their contents on the ground around and behind its jaw. “Light it up!”
“Hah!” Sunset hurled the fireball, striking the point where the two pools of liquid met. Instantly, they burst into flames, forming a wall of fire between the lavender horned head and the rest of its body. “Make it count, Wits!”
“No pressure, huh?” Wits took a few steps back, judged his distance, and took off at a run towards the Hydra. Once a few feet away, he coiled his legs and leaped onto its face, grasping hold of its scales with one hand as he formed a fist with his other. “Jan…” He brought his fist back, and swung at the Hydra. “Ken…”
At the last moment, he slowed his blow and extended one finger, gently touching the Hydra’s head with one finger. “Sleep,” he said, his eyes glowing with the pale glow of Guiding Sunlight.
The lavender horned head’s eyes rolled back into its skull, and it dropped to the ground. After a moment, a soft snore could be heard. “Victory by boop,” Wits said with a grin.
“You and your sleep spell,” Purple Heart grumbled from his seat upon Red Eyes’ unconscious head. “So, who gets the last two?” He eyed the yet to be defeated Hydra Heads. Pink Scales twisted around Orange Spines, the pair staring apprehensively at their adversaries below.
“Dibs on the orange one!” Pinkie exclaimed. “‘Shy, ‘Fast, gimme a hand here?”
“What?” Fluttershy found herself suddenly dragged by the collar towards the orange spined head, which was moving back into position. “What are you doi-” Her words devolved into a terrified shriek as she was flung into the air.
“I don’t thi-” Holdfast was cut off by the pink-haired party professional grabbing him by the collar. “Unhoof me, you maniac!”
“Boy, you sure do pitch those right across the plate, huh?” Pinkie swung the former professor around her, letting go after two rotations to send him stumbling away, falling backwards just in front of the Hydra’s head.
Holdfast, flat on his back, looked up as the head’s spine flared in excitement. “I don’t suppose I could interest you in a change of heart on my part?”
“If nothing else,” the orange spined head growled, “you will make an adequate last meal.” Its mouth opened, jaw unhinging as it’s forked tongue snaked towards the prone man.
“Cover your ears!” Pinkie slid in front of the Hydra’s open mouth, party cannon primed and ready. “For those about to rock!” She pulled the cannon’s cord, firing a mass of confetti, streamers, and assorted rubber poultry into the gaping maw. “Tag for a tactical Flutter-strike!”
What had been distant screaming got louder as Fluttershy completed her arc, and sailed back to earth on a collision course with the extremely confused orange head. The girl landed with a squeak, grabbing onto a pair of spines directly in front of its eyes. With a hiss, the Hydra’s head spat out the party supplies. “Get off, you little-”
“KNOCK IT OFF!” Fluttershy locked eyes with the head, fixing it with what would be considered on others a death stare. “I’ve had enough with all of this fighting and yelling and flying and growling, so you can just SIT. DOWN.”
The head hesitated, spines folding back like a cat’s ears after being sprayed. After a moment, its neck lowered, ending with its chin gently resting against the ground.
Fluttershy breathed out in a huff, feeling the stone beneath her feet. “Good,” she said, never taking her eyes off of the Hydra. “Now. STAY.”
Just Duty glanced at the wall of vines he’d heard Fluttershy's shout come from behind. “Never knew she had it in her.”
“It’s the quiet ones you gotta watch out for. Speaking of which...” Light Patch paused, motioning towards the pink scaled head which had only dodged their attacks.
“Right, this would be easier if I knew how to use this,” Just Duty said hefting his hammer. “How do you want to do this?”
Light Patch pointed at himself. “Anvil-” then pointed at Just Duty, “-hammer. I set it up and you knock it out,” Light Patch said before shouting as he charged at the pink scaled head. He jumped at the head and gave a quick half hearted swing forcing the head to dodge towards one of the walls. The teen pivoted in the air to throw a wild attack at the pink scaled head’s neck which missed as it thudded into the ground. The head’s eyes squinted at the impact.
Just Duty rushed forward and put all of his power into an overhead swing that went wild and slammed into the ground next to the head whose eyes opened glowing as pink as its scales.
“You missed,” it said looking up at Just Duty “Now it’s my turn. Our time as puppeteer and puppet may be over, but don’t worry. I found a whole host of new marionettes,” it said just as Light Patch dropped to his knees.
“What happened?” Just Duty said rushing over to guard Light Patch.
“Sunset was right.” Light Patch said, trying to steady his breathing. “This must have been the head mind controlling you and now it’s trying to control the nine… ten. Us teens with attitude. And we left it the perfect avenue open to allow it an easy victory.”
“So I’ll just flatten its head a little,” Just Duty said.
“Can you hit it?” the grey teen asked, looking up and trying to act glib despite the sweat rolling down his face.
Just Duty gripped his hammer a moment before dropping ii. “Probably not. The Hydra knew how to use the hammer, not me. It was in control in those- Oh… That might work,” Just Duty said before holding his hands to his head. “I think I have a plan. I hate it but I have one. You hold it off as long as you can from your friends and I’ll try to salvage that link it had to me to figuratively hit it while it’s not looking.”
The grey skinned teen just held a thumbs up while he mostly focused on sucking in breath and keeping the Hydra’s head from taking his over.
Just Duty focused on his leftover magic, trying to grasp at it and use it to salvage the remains of the link he could feel lingering in his head. It failed to work. He calmed himself down, focused, and tried again. This time the magic worked and he felt the link open and immediately pictured himself sailing through the air to strike the Hydra like his favorite superhero.
“Not bad. But you’re not nearly as accomplished as I am,” the pink scaled head replied before turning to look at the grey skinned teen. “And do not think that your bastion will hold. You’re tired, weak, depleted. Wouldn’t you prefer rest rather than the struggle you will only lose?”
“I will not let the Creep flood another world, people are counting on me,” Light Patch murmurd through his clenched teeth, completely lost in the mind scape he’d been using to hold the Hydra back.
“I think we’re going to need more help here!” Just Duty shouted, unable to move as he focused himself on distracting the Hydra and keeping it from overpowering the link.
“Well,” Bael sighed, hopping off his perch on the head with Blue Tusks, “if I must, I must.”
“You’re not Mary Poppins!” Pinkie cried irritably, popping balloon after balloon on the Orange Spines.
Bael rolled his eyes and strolled over to Just Duty. “Need a little help there, old man?”
“Just help, you brat,” the aged police officer ground out.
Bael huffed irritably and flicked his wrist, sending a cascade of green lightning arcing across the Pink Scaled head. With a roar, the head recoiled, its neck seizing up as sparks danced across its scales. Pink Scales flailed, crashing through the walls separating it from its fellow heads and in turn rousing them from whatever stupor they lay in.
“Greaaaat!” Sunset drawled loudly. “Now we’re back to stage one!”
“This isn’t even it’s final fo-” Purple Heart squawked in surprise as Red Eyes awoke and flung him away, eyes gleaming with rage and power.
“You insufferable children have stood in our way for too long!” the Hydra snarled.
“It’s his fault!” Rainbow cried, pointing at Bael.
“Getting tired of being called a child,” Wits muttered. “We need a new plan.”
Twilight winced, holding her hand to the side of her head. “And fast. I think it’s trying to get back into our heads.”
“We wouldn’t have had this problem,” Sunset called, “if you had let me close the link in the first place!”
“Link…” Wits paused for a moment, staring at Light Patch and Just Duty. “The link works both ways. The link works both ways!”
Just Duty raised an eyebrow at the mint-colored teen. “Your friend’s not the brightest,” he said to Light Patch, “in spite of going to Crystal Prep.”
“No, he’s right,” Twilight agreed. “If the mental link goes both ways, it means we can influence the Hydra as well! We just need enough power to break through its mental blocks.” She winced again. “The same way it’s trying to do to us.”
“We don’t have that kind of power!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “The entire group’s set up to fight this thing head on!”
Wits shook his head. “We do have that kind of power. It’s just a pain in the rear to deal with.” He jerked a thumb at Bael. “We gotta Doc Brown it.”
“In case you suffered brain damage from it,” Bael said with a sneer, “trying that before turned you into a light show. I don’t think you wanna try it again without putting some more ranks in HP.”
“We’ve already got that covered. We just need to pick up some power converters.” Wits turned to Purple Heart with a half-hearted grin. “Hello, power converters.”
The purple teen stared at his friend for a full second. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“It’s not the dumbest thing he’s come up with,” Sunset said. “Light Patch proved that the Hydra’s power can be redirected. All you’d have to do it take Bael’s power and send it to him and Just Duty.” 
“And do what?” Purple Heart exclaimed.
“Rewrite the world back to normal?” Applejack offered. “Once that’s done, we can always beat it the old-fashioned way. You can do your One Punch Whatever and we’ll be right as rain.”
Purple Heart stared at the rest of the group for a moment. “I want you all the know,” he said eventually, “that this is a terrible plan and I hate it.”
“When do we ever have good plans?” Wits asked. “Now go get electrocuted by your brother and mentally send it to the old policeman.”
“It comes again!” Light Patch half shouted. “The head’s trying to establish the connection again! It… it comes in waves, but we push it back,” Light Patch finished, losing himself in another mental construct to hold the Hydra back.
Purple Heart’s eyes narrowed and he looked at Bael. “You charge Just Duty,” he ordered, “I’ll charge Light.”
Bael gave a cheeky salute and stepped over to the officer. “Aye, sah,” he replied, lifting his hand to rest on Just Duty’s back. “On your count.” Purple Heart nodded. He gripped Light’s shoulder.
“Three.”
Power coalesced around the two of them, one green and one purple.
“Two.”
The power raced to bunch at the contact points on Just Duty and Light Patch.
“One.”
It flowed into the pair and the cave trembled.
“Now.”
For a few moments, nothing appeared to be happening. Those not actively involved in the plan were ready to call it off, but soon noticed the pink scaled Hydra head begin to shudder. Suddenly, it cried out in pain and, seconds later, it and the other heads all slumped to the floor and its body slumped to the ground.
“Bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you?” Just Duty wryly remarked. “Keep it there. I’m going to see about fixing the world,” Just Duty told the grey teen still kneeling on the ground next to him.
“The beast shall not be allowed to rise and threaten the galaxy again. As a Kiith Somtaaw, you can be assured of that,” Light Patch replied.
“Right,” Just Duty responded before turning back to the Hydra. He closed his eyes and focused on the Hydra and the powers it used to change the world. After a moment, he found the power and, not knowing how to use it, simply began to think about the world as it once had been. The magic began to work from there. He then drew on the connection Light Patch had to the girls from this world and their memories of the world to strengthen his mental image, and forced that into the magic as well.
The cavern shook sporadically. Ever so often, one of the Hydra’s heads would struggle, only to fall to the ground again when Light Patch’s closed eyes focused on it. Finally, Just Duty sighed. “I think that should do it. All that’s left now is to send this thing home.”
“An excellent idea,” Wits drawled. “How exactly are we supposed to do that? Good wishes and pixie dust?”
“I think I can be of assistance here,” Holdfast replied.
Wits raised an eyebrow. “What, are you gonna lecture them until they run away?’
“Ah hah. Ah hah. Very funny.” Holdfast turned to face the mint-colored teen. “When Discord sent me here, he left a contingency spell tied into my connection with this world’s counterpart. Something he could activate in case I… shall we say, went rogue.”
“Wait,” Twilight interrupted, “so you’re possessing Professor Holdfast?”
“Please focus. The spell is a cross-dimensional transportation spell designed to bring me back to its source of origin. I my case, this would be Discord’s little sub-plane of Chaos. With some modification, this spell could be used on the Hydra to send it back to the same realm as Roania.”
“And how do we take a contingency spell that’s already affecting you and cast it on the Hydra?” Wits asked.
“We can’t.” Holdfast hesitated for a moment. “But during one of his many rants, Discord explained that the spell technically counts as one in my ‘spellbook’, despite the fact that I myself cannot use it. I do truly hate to say this, but you could use your powers as a Mimic to imitate that spell and cast it that way.”
Wits frowned. “But that would require cooperating with you,” he said, giving voice to Holdfast’s implied objections.
“Hence why I hate saying it.”
“I would recommend that you go with that plan,” Light Patch replied, looking over his shoulder as a small rivulet of blood leaked from his nose. “It’s rallying and starting to put up a fight.”
Wits End sighed, shook his head, and sighed again. “Alright, fine. Come on, old man. Everyone else is getting over their hang-ups. Let’s join the club.” He held out an open hand. “Truce?”
Holdfast looked down at the offered hand, a sneer forming on his face. “A temporary truce,” he clarified, grasping the teen’s hand with his own. “Just get this over with.”
With a grin, Wits sent his magic through their touch; his blue-green energy searching out the pale white orb that housed Holdfast’s power. “Then let’s jam,” the teen said, turning to face the Hydra.
Wits took a deep breath, focusing the power of Holdfast’s spell on the Hydra. Finally, he spoke.
“Yeet.”
One of the Hydra’s heads opened an eye, the red orb glinting in the light of the magic in use. Slowly, its iris shrunk to a pinpoint as the spell formed, and its other heads awoke to their peril. A massive portal, black as the void of space yet shining with a light like that of moonlight off the water, and as large as the Hydra itself seemed to phase into existence behind it. Black tendrils of nothingness reached out from the portal’s edge, wrapping gently around the Hydra’s necks and limbs. It struggled futilely, moving easily but never breaking free of the portal’s grip as it was lifted from the ground. Each mouth opened, but whether to scream, plead, or curse, they were all silenced as they passed the threshold of the portal.
There was no trace of the Hydra left. Everyone watched the portal in silence for a short eternity as if unsure that it truly was done, and like they were expecting it to emerge from the portal for one last attempt. Finally, the expectation passed, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Purple Heart and Bael let go of Light and Just Duty and sat heavily on the ground in exhaustion, something everyone shared. “So where's the victory music? The theme of triumph?” the purple skinned teen asked, a small smile breaking through the weariness on his face. His words prompted the others to smile.
“I think I have a trombone in here somewhere. I just gotta...” Pinkie trailed off, both hands searching through her hair.
“I would offer the use of my phone, but I think I dropped it somewhere,” Twilight replied, giving a weak chuckle.
“Yes, yes, that’s all very well and good,” Holdfast grumbled. In a flash, he slapped Wits End’s hand away. “The truce is over,” the villain replied to the glare the teen sent his way. The rest of the group chuckled at the sudden spat the two started. Their attention was pulled from the pair when the sound of footsteps reached them and a brighter source of light than what was present in the caverns despite all sources having gone with the Hydra. They all looked up to find Coltson at the head of a small group.
“We noticed things started to return to normal, so we thought we’d see if there was anything we could do to help,” he said, cutting off the questions he knew were coming.
Sidetrack appeared behind him. “He was worried about all of you and it was eating him alive not bein-” She was cut off from her sentence by Coltson’s hand covering her mouth.
“Seriously though, is there anything I can do to help? how about clo-”
“Asprin and sushi.” Light Patch moaned from where he was on the ground, holding his head.
“Sorry, what was that?” Coltson asked, stepping closer to stand over the prone teen.
Light Patch grabbed Coltson’s suit and hauled himself to his feet to look Coltson in the face. “I said you can get me a fuuuhh...” The grey skinned teen was distracted by the water pattern of light that shone onto the man’s face. “What's with the? Shouldn’t that have closed by now?” he said, turning to face the portal. His question prompted the rest of the group to face it.
“What did you screw up this tim-” Sunset began to gripe before Light Patch suddenly flopped forward.
“It’s pulling me in!” the teen shouted in fear, trying to grab something. Just Duty sprinted over and managed to catch the teen’s hands then slammed his warhammer handle first into the ground to try holding them in place. Once the teen’s hands were both on the hammer, Duty stood  free of the pull from the portal and put his weight on the hammer to sink it further to the ground.
“Why is it effecting him and not you?” Rainbow shouted, having run over to help hold the grey skinned teen in place.
“I’m not sur-” The sudden increase in strength of the portal’s pull overpowered the hammer’s handle and with a crack, it snapped. The sudden jerk caused Rainbow Dash to lose her grip. Light scrabbled for purchase on the ground as he was dragged back. Just Duty dove towards the teen again and managed to get a hold, but was still sliding towards the portal. “I need help! I can’t hold him in place and the closer he gets the harder it pulls!” Just Duty shouted.
Purple Heart stood, feeling the pull of the portal. Letting his body go slack, he drifted over to Just Duty and Light Patch. Grabbing the latter by the arm, he dug in his heels and snapped out a hand to catch Bael as the young teen ‘wheee’d’ by.
“What the hell is going on?!” Purple Heart roared.
“The spell must still sense that there are foreign entities here that don’t belong,” Twilight explained, rushing forward to support the flailing males. Holdfast and Wits sailed by them, fighting helplessly against the portal’s pull. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew over to catch them, struggling to keep the two males from being pulled in.
Holdfast’s grip on Fluttershy tightened. “This is not good!” he shouted. “The spell was only supposed to target the Hydra! There’s no way for us to tell where we would end up!”
Sunset gave a squeak of surprise as she slid across the floor. Her eyes widened in realization and fear.
“It’s pulling me too!” she cried.
“FURY!” Purple Heart bellowed,shifting his grip on Light Patch and Bael to one arm as he reached out to catch Sunset. “Will this thing run outta juice any time soon!? Or do we gotta close the Iris!?”
“It might keep going until everything not native is gone!” Wits called back. “The rest of us could end up flying right through a star, or bounce too close to a super-” He was cut off by the pull intensifying on him, bringing both him and Rainbow Dash dangerously close to the portal. “We need to get rid of its targets!”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Sunset comes from another world, same as the rest of you!”
Wits paused for a moment, looking back at the portal. “With a terrible plan, as always! Sorry ‘bout this!” The teen twisted out of Rainbow’s grip, kicking off of her to half jump, half fall and grab onto Holdfast. “Truce’s back on, buddy!” he shouted, reaching out with his magic again.
Sunset Shimmer, still in Purple Heart’s grip, could feel the portal’s pull strengthening with every second. Her mind raced with possibilities as to where she would go if she fell in. The game world? Equestria? Or some space between dimensions, like trash left at the side of the road? Regardless, the combined pull of all of them was beginning to prove overwhelming, even for the superpowered teen. “Purple Heart, you-”
A small, swirling blackness seemed to emerge from her chest, quickly growing to a few feet across. Sunset had just enough time to open her mouth , but before her scream could begin she was pulled bodily into the miniature portal. A moment later, the shimmering darkness collapsed on itself and vanished.
Purple Heart stared at his now empty hand. “Waddafrack? Where’d she go?!”
“Where she belongs: Equestria!” Wits replied. “Second verse, same as the first but smaller! Just hang on, and I’ll-”
Fluttershy whined, straining against the pull the portal had on both Holdfast and now Wits. “I... I can’t-” Her grip slipped, suddenly leaving her holding empty air.
Holdfast stared at the rapidly receding rest of the cave. “What?”
Wits End, still holding on to the white-haired professor’s leg, looked back at the approaching portal. “Oh fu-” The two crossed the threshold, and vanished.
With three of the six entities the portal was targeting down, its power focused on the remaining trio. With a jerk that caused Purple Heart to lose the solid footing he’d established, the pull on him and the two he was holding onto increased to near unbearable levels. “Now would be a very good time to put that rope to use, Applejack!” the purple teen shouted.
Just Duty quickly moved in front of the three and dug his heels into the ground and tried to help hold them in place, but just as he was starting to push back to gain some distance back, Purple Heart’s feet slipped forward. The loss of footing forced him to lean backwards because of how Just Duty was bracing him, also causing Applejack’s lasso to miss the purple teen. This gave the portal’s pull the leverage it needed and Purple Heart completely lost his footing. He slid back, knocking Just Duty over and tangling him up with the three of them, dragging him along with them as the portal finally pulled them in.
With a pop as the last one disappeared through the portal, it closed itself and flooded the cave with shadow aside from the small amount of light Coltson and his team were generating. Coltson stood looking at the dark spot where the portal had been before finally uttering the only words that seemed to form.
“Damn it.”