//------------------------------// // Chapter 25 - Oroboro // Story: SunLight Sliders: Infinite // by Amber Spark //------------------------------// Sunset stared at the two teams. Skylark, Amblejoy, and Serena would deal with the Crystal Heart, while herself, Twilight, Twily, and Spike would deal with the barrier. “Any other questions?” Spike stretched. “So we got the easy job, right? Go up to the barrier and wait for them to break it, then pop all the stuff into the container.” “It should be easy.” Sunset’s eyes met Twily’s for a moment, then she looked away. “Well, we’ll have to climb a bunch of stairs first. The closest point is at the very top of the Crystal Palace. So I guess that part might suck.” A nervous chuckle spread throughout the room. Twilight didn’t react at all. Sunset bit her lip, then shook her head. “Right. We can get to the Crystal Empire from here with group teleportation, no talisman required.” Twily tapped a hoof against the ground. “Sunset, have you actually been back to the Crystal Empire recently?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “No, why?” “Of course.” Twily let out a long sigh. “It’s changed a bit in the past couple years. Guess you’ll see when we get there." That was ominous. Oh well. No sense stalling any longer. The horns of five unicorns lit up in concert, surrounding each of them in a swirling vortex of energy before the world vanished in a jolt. They appeared with a pop, on the street directly in front of the Crystal Palace. Dark, purple light bathed the streets, emanating from the massive sphere of energy floating above the city, where it had for years. The first thing Sunset noticed was how run-down everything looked. There weren’t any other ponies around, windows were broken, and doors were hanging off their hinges. Twily stepped forward, eyes focused above them to where her brother lay at the heart of everything. Purple light reflected in her eyes, and she grit her teeth. “The city has mostly been abandoned. Nobody wants to live in the shadow of… that. Cadance still maintains the Crystal Heart, protected in an underground bunker, with a small support staff. As for the few people that have stayed, well…” A skitter of something clattered in the street behind them, and everyone spun to catch a tail vanishing behind a nearby building. “They call themselves the Order of the Midnight Star.” Twily gestured vaguely. "They might give us a little bit of trouble.” Sunset smacked herself in the face with a hoof. “Of course there’s a creepy cult.” Spike shrugged. “Ponies who feel lost and directionless grab onto whatever they can. Certainly not the weirdest thing I’ve seen them get obsessed about. “It’s pretty,” Twilight said, her voice flat and her eyes affixed to the Midnight Star. A fresh pang of guilt ripped through Sunset, and she took a deep breath. “It sure is. Don’t worry, Sparky. It’ll all be better soon, I promise.” Skylark glanced over at Twily. “We’ll be off to the Crystal Heart, then. Luckily, we told Cadance we were coming, otherwise this would be a rather awkward reunion.” Without further dawdling, Skylark, Amblejoy, and Serena galloped off, leaving the four of them alone. “Right.” Sunset started up the steps towards the Crystal Palace. “Let’s get this over with.” The Midnight Star above was uncomfortably warm, and sweat trickled down Sunset’s flanks as they traversed the empty streets. Despite the lack of ponies around, she could still feel eyes on her, and catch the occasional flutter of movement. When they finally reached the doors to the palace, they found two cloaked and hooded ponies standing guard. Twily leaned in close. “You ready for a fight?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t it be me asking that question? You were the one who always wanted to talk first.” “Yeah, well, these ponies are crazy. They can’t be reasoned with.” “Mmmhmm.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Watch me.” Sunset stepped into the open, approaching the guards and waving a hoof. “Hi there!” Both guards shifted to face her. They were silent for several long moments before one spoke. “What brings you to the Midnight Palace?” Easy. Sunset glanced upwards, affecting an expression of awe and wonder. “We are but a group of humble travelers, set out on a pilgrimage to bask in the glory of the Midnight Star. May we make the climb to pay our respects?" More silence, then the guards leaned in close, speaking to each other in harsh whispers. After a minute of deliberation, they turned back. “Very well. I will accompany you to the top. The Midnight Star will humble you.” “Ooh, I can’t wait,” drawled Sunset. She glanced over at Twily, winked, and sauntered into the palace with the rest of them in tow. Twily scowled at her, but otherwise said nothing. Sunset led the way, step after aching step up the spiraling staircase. Two stories up, Spike complained about his short legs, and scrambled up onto Twilight’s back instead. Their new cultist friend followed from the rear, keeping a close eye on them. Twiliy fell into step beside Sunset, and her horn flickered in an all too familiar pattern of blinking lights. Nostalgia washing through her, Sunset matched the pattern, and their hoofsteps grew a little duller around them. “I’m surprised you still remember this spell,” Sunset said, her words for Twily’s ears alone. “I still remember the combination on my bike lock from when I was four. And comparatively, I’ve used this spell way more often. Hard to forget.” Sunset smiled, and saw Twily smiling too. For a brief moment, something passed between them. It quickly faded, and Twily’s face fell. “So what did you want to talk about?” “Sunset…” Twily sighed, and pushed forward a little harder. “Do you really think that this will fix everything? That even if we save my brother, things will just be… okay?” Sunset grimaced. “No. But I’m getting tired of running away. If I can actually help Shining Armor, if I can save Sparky… Then, I don’t know. At least maybe some parts of the multiverse won’t be worse thanks to my existence. At this point, if I can get things back to a nice, comfortable neutral, then I’ll take it.” Twily glanced back at Twilight as well. “You care about her a lot, don’t you?” “Yeah, I guess.” Sunset rubbed at the back of her head, her cheeks coloring. “I care about you too, you know.” Twily sucked in a breath through her teeth. “Sunset, we—” “Not like that!” Sunset interrupted, waving a hoof. “I mean, yes, kind of like that. But I mean I get it. You’ve moved on. I accept that. I mean like… I care about… Twilight. As a whole. Call it universal constants or destiny or whatever. Maybe I don’t really even have a choice in the matter. But I still care. And she deserves way better than what’s happened to her. She deserves better than me.” “I see.” Twily stared at her for a long time, before nodding. “I hope you can find happiness someday, Sunset.” The rest of the climb continued in silence, and maybe fifteen minutes later they finally crested the top of the tower. The heat here was far more oppressive, and several cultists waited at the top. “Brother!” One of the cultists shouted. “Who are these interlopers?” The cultist who had led them up here stepped forward. “They are not interlopers, but pilgrims, seeking to bask in the glory of the Midnight Star!” Sunset glanced at Twily, who nodded. “Actually, yeah, interlopers would have been a better description." Four short blasts of paralysis magic later, and the cultists lay crumpled on the ground, twitching. “Brutal.” Spike grinned. “By my calculations, Skylark should be reaching the Crystal Heart any minute now.” Sunset set the container up, getting ready for the big moment, then made her way over to Twilight. “You doing alright?” Sweat trickled down Twilight’s brow, and she fanned herself with a hoof. “Could use some water.” Crap. She hadn’t actually packed provisions. Sunset glanced around, and saw a barrel full of water. Made sense. This close to the star, any cultists who wanted to frolic would need to stay hydrated. She pointed towards the barrel, and Twilight ambled to it. Five minutes later, the disconnection of the Crystal Heart announced itself with a titanic boom. Everyone looked up, and the Midnight Star cracked like an egg. Purple smoke oozed out of the star, pouring on top of them, and Sunset activated the container. A vortex quickly formed as all the contained essence swirled and was sucked into the jar. Throughout the maelstrom, a single white light fell through the air, plummeting towards the earth. Twily dove off the edge, her horn a brilliant light extending forth to catch her brother. As soon as it started, the storm was over. A cloudy gray sky cast the city in normal light, and the container thrummed and pulsed with barely contained dark energy. Not much time to waste. Sunset grabbed the container with her magic, wincing at the feedback from doing so, then wrapped her hoof around Twilight as she readied the Talisman. “Thanks for all your help, Spike. Make sure Twily’s okay, would you?” Spike nodded. “Good luck!” The portal opened, and they dropped in, ready to fight a superpowered manifestation of chaos itself. Sunset wasn’t sure what to expect with Discord, but that was kind of the general idea. Extreme absurdity was at least a baseline reference. The featureless black void they found themselves in didn’t make a lot of sense in that framework. Had they come to the wrong world, somehow? Sunset looked around, frantic. The talisman beeped on empty, and there was almost no ambient magic to charge it with. Crap. Some sort of trap? “Hello, girls,” Discord said from behind them, his voice raspy. “Glad you could make it.” Sunset spun, horn ready, then froze as she saw him. Discord lay on his back, looking small, emaciated, frail, and more importantly, completely drained of color, like a black and white photograph. “Sorry, I would have preferred to freshen up, before—” He paused, launching into a coughing fit while holding up one finger. “Before you arrived, but you caught me by surprise.” “Where’s…” Sunset licked her lips. “Where’s Lady Sparkle? Where are all the other Twilights?” “Gone.” Discord shrugged. “This world has been consumed by chaos, and nothing is left.” Sunset stumbled, and felt sick to her stomach. “Then, they’re all…” “Scattered across the multiverse, back in their homeworlds, each and every one of them.” Discord chuckled. “Though they’re all missing a certain key part of themselves, and probably won’t do very well on their own. Oh hey, look, a pile of keys!” He reached over and tapped the container. It burst, spraying purple energy into the air above them. Discord snapped his fingers, and countless portals opened in the sky. The dark smoke split, each a tiny fragment drawn to a portal. In moments, it was all gone, leaving the world as empty again. Sunset chuckled nervously. “Everyone was sure you’d go full villain and we’d have to stop you.” Discord rolled his eyes, then wheezed. “Oof, that took a bit out of me. But no. You never go full villain. Of course, you’re not supposed to go full heroic sacrifice either, and look where I am now. Ah well.” “Right.” Sunset glanced at Twilight, who watched on impassively. “Where’s Midnight? Her Midnight. It’s a part of Sparky, and she needs it to be whole again.” “I don’t think I really need it at all, Sunset. I’m fine,” Twilight droned. “She’s gone too,” Discord said. He shrugged. “I’m afraid the spark that burns twice as bright lasts half as long.” Icy fear gripped Sunset’s chest, and she stepped forward, legs shaking. “No, that can’t be…” Discord grinned. “Well, okay. Maybe there’s still something.” He took a deep breath, then plunged his hand into his head. When he pulled it out again, a tiny green light rested on the tip of his finger, barely the size of a pinhead. “That’s…” “A mere spark.” Discord pressed it against Twilight’s forehead. Twilight’s eyes shot open, and she gasped, as if plunged into icy water. “It’s not enough to fix her,” Discord said. “But it’s enough to allow her to be fixed. A seed that can regrow into a soul. She’ll need lots of care and love and friendship to regain her former self, but it can be done.” “Twilight…” Sunset ran over and wrapped her hooves around her, her own heart pounding in her chest. “We’ll make it okay. Everything will be okay, I promise.” “Now then.” Discord stood up to his full height and bowed. “Since that spark was the last thing keeping me going, I must bid you adieu.” He looked up at them, grinned, and his body slowly started to dissolve, turning to dust and blowing away in a nonexistent wind. The last thing that remained was his smile.