//------------------------------// // Chapter 27: Less Than Stellar // Story: The Tournament Of Friendship // by FourShadow //------------------------------// The dark clouds continued to pass over Canterlot High. While it didn't look ideal to go outside and participate in the final events of the games quite yet, it still looked rather atmospheric. For some, it was a good thing, it meant they could get some work done. Others, simply relax, have a drink or two, and read in solitude. Yes indeed, the scene would be pretty idyllic on the grounds of CHS… All except for one certain girl. Twilight Sparkle, still curled up against the trunk of a tree, sat there, in a state of just-controlled terror. Holding the magic-scanning device close in her hands, as though it’s a bomb about to go off… which it very well might be, for all that she knows. Twilight had been looking at the device. Looking at it, and then looking around, afraid that someone might be watching her, and then back to the machine in her hands. Such an innocent-looking device, and yet the cause of so much chaos… I have to make this right. The thought runs through Twilight’s head. She has to fix this mess. A low, desperate moan slips out of her mouth, and she nearly thumps her head against the tree trunk in frustration “But how do I fix this?” She felt almost sick with fear, and desperation, and frustration. Everything has gone so wrong. This was never what she had thought could happen. Magic, monsters, people vanishing into her device? It was all so crazy, how could she ever have had any clue that this was what would come of her investigation? Where on earth could she even BEGIN to make this right? ”Breathe, Twilight. Just breathe. In, and out. Like this, see?” The sudden memory made her stomach lurch. It was a genuinely good piece of advice… one that had helped her before... but thinking of Cadence still made her insides feel like they were going to twist up in a knot. Forcing herself to shake off the thought, Twilight digs in her backpack. There are a few tools inside from her lab, in a small case. Taking out a specialized screwdriver, Twilight steels herself – feeling like she’s about to crack open a bomb – and puts the tip of the screwdriver to the pendant to open it up and see what can be gleaned from examining its storage. Perhaps there’s some kind of flaw in its capacitors that can be corrected-- “Gahh!” The moment the screwdriver’s head started to poke into the device, the device shocked her – a crackle of violet electrical energy jumping up the tool! Dropping the screwdriver, Twilight’s heart began to race once again. “Ohh no… now what do I do?” One thing’s for sure, she knows that she doesn’t have the equipment on hand to even begin doing anything to fix this. Most of her real equipment is back at her home in her lab… But wait. A tentative plan came to mind. She could go to ask Principal Cinch to be excused, saying that she was feeling too nervous and worked-up – which would be true, a guilty part of her thought – and then when she was home she could get to her lab and begin work in earnest. Yes. This could work. She could still make this right. She could still figure this all out. She could still get those girls free! Twilight got to her feet, looking one more time at the pendant in her hands. A faint purple gleaming can be seen, shining out between her fingers. Soon, Twilight thinks, Soon I’ll have those girls free and cured of this magic. I promise. Scooping up her bag, clutching the pendant to her belly, trying not to run or be obvious, Twilight starts across the grounds towards the school entrance… “Hello? Twilight Sparkle?” The voice saying her name made her jump, and she very nearly fumbled the pendant device in her hands. Freezing in place, Twilight stared in terror as she saw three girls by the Wondercolt statue. One of them, dressed like a magician, smiling at her. Another in more fancy clothes, her expression aloof. And the third, dressed in some old fashion, didn’t look happy at ALL. They’d been waiting there for her. Twilight just knew it. How do they know my name? What do they want?…Oh no. Realization hit her. The other magic-users. "Um.. hi..." Twilight gulped, shivering. "Come on over," Trixie nudged, trying to look cool leaned back against the statue, but failing miserably. "... Come on, don't be shy. We're not gonna bite, just come here, we want to talk." Twilight still didn't move. "I-If I come over... you promise not to hurt me?" "Promise," Trixie nodded, crossing her heart. Hesitantly, Twilight walked to the three girls. And the four didn't notice, but the front entrance doors opened up, and walking through were the five Rainbooms who wanted to see what was going on. "This could get interesting..." Fluttershy muttered. "Shhh," Rarity whispered. Twilight's entire body was shaking in fear. Were they going to attack her? Were they going to transform into terrible beasts and make off with what they wanted? "First off, hi," Trixie smiled, doing a soft bow. "I'm Trixie, and these are my friends Vinyl and Amethyst. Now, as I'm sure I can guess, you saw us using magic at the Friendship Games, right?" Twilight slowly nodded. "Y-Yes..." Swallowing, she spoke up. Her throat felt dry, and her stomach hurts. “What, what do you want from me?” “You say that like we want to hurt you, dear.” Gently, Vinyl added, “It’s just what Trixie said, we only want to talk.” “O-okay.” Vinyl frowned, noting Twilight's continued fear of them. Trixie’s smile became a little forced; this isn’t going quite as well as she’d hoped. Twilight clenched her hands, wringing them slightly. The pendant in her grip shined out from between her fingers, visible despite herself. It felt warm to the touch, almost hot even, and she can’t ignore the matter any more. “I… I guess you want to know about – about my device.” Amethyst spoke up before Trixie or Vinyl could; a little harshly, in fact. “Yeah, that’d be nice.” “Amy!” Vinyl whispered, scolding her. Nearby, Applejack winced. Fluttershy frowned too, muttering “Careful”. “I… I know how this must look to you all. B-but, I swear to you, I had nothing but the best intentions when I started.” Vinyl cautiously, but evenly said, “And, what were those intentions, Twilight?” “It’s okay. You can tell us.” Twilight stares at them for a long, tense moment. She looks like a deer in the headlights. “…Twilight?” And then, suddenly, the words all come spilling out of Twilight’s mouth. “I’m sorry, I thought I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t expect any of this to happen!! I thought I was investigating energy signatures, I didn’t PLAN for any of this!! I didn’t know that magic was REAL! I didn't know this thing would absorb your friends!” The rant stopped just as suddenly as it started. Twilight panted in the aftermath, shaken by her own outburst. Trixie and Vinyl and Amy, and the Rainbooms watching surreptitiously, were all taken aback. In a small, feeble voice, Twilight said-- “I didn’t think that, that monsters were real…” "We believe you, honestly," Trixie put her hands up to try and keep her calm. "Last month, I didn't believe that was real until... well, you know..." Twilight blinked. "... Sunset Shimmer?" "Ohhh... yeah. Her." "Yeah." "Look, Twilight, we... we know what you saw was scary. Believe me, it was scary for us too. And I don't know if this is a sign of the universe, or destiny, or utter contrived convenience but... I think there's a reason why we all have magic," Vinyl said softly. "I think... I think we were chosen to protect this school, and ergo... protect you and your classmates. Twilight stayed quiet, drinking in Vinyl's... erm... idea. "That was the dumbest thing I ever heard," Rainbow said, quietly. "Hush you," Applejack elbowed her. "Look, Twilight the point is, we're not here to harm or scare you. We just want, well. That." Vinyl pointed. Twilight looked down. "My spectrometer?" "Mmmhmm. Look, we don't want to break it. We just want all of our friends back," Trixie begged. "Please, Twilight." Trixie looked up, and then suddenly, she didn't know what, her gaze slowly melted as she stared into those puppy-dog eyes that Trixie was giving off, looking so innocent and pure... "Please... we just want our friends back," Trixie pleaded. Twilight was at a crossroads. To give up the magic she had been trying to contain, or to give it back. She wanted the girls freed just as bad as their friends did, no doubt about it. But there were so many other concerns that began to cloud her mind. What if they didn't get freed? What if the girls stayed trapped in there forever? What if the rest of their friends got absorbed too with no means of getting out? What if-- "The device." Amethyst said bluntly before extending her arm out with an open palm and face that clearly said 'I am so done with this'. "Hand it over." "Wait, I-I can't just hand it over!" "Why not?" Amethyst tilted her head, before Vinyl elbowed her. "W-Well what if I hand it over and it explodes? What if something goes wrong and it just... I don't know! I'm just not sure it's such a good idea," Twilight said. "Twilight, please, I promise you, we're not going to let anything bad happen. As long as we stand, nothing bad is going to happen, I promise," Trixie begged. "Please, just let us try, we can get them back!" "Uh, girls? Is it supposed to be blinking this rapidly?" Vinyl interrupted. "What do you mean--oh oh no," Twilight realized. "I... I think it's overheating! All of you are making it go insane!" "Hit the deck!" Everyone jumped out of the way and held their hands over their ears, their faces scrunched up as their eyes shut, bracing for impact. Twilight was panicking for a second, and even tried to back away from them, hoping it would slowly stop going insane. It flashed for a few more seconds and then suddenly... no more light. The device acted as if it had lost power, and lost the light on the outside. Twilight truthfully felt some relief, glad to see it didn't engulf them all in one giant magic explosion. "Did it blow up the courtyard yet!?" Amethyst yelled. "No! It... It stopped!" "Nothin'?" Amethyst and Vinyl poked their heads up. And eventually so did Trixie. All of them slowly gathered close to Twilight, still taking some precaution and kept some distance from her. "Maybe it ran out of power." Vinyl asked. "Uhhh--" A loud sound hit everyone's eardrums as a huge burst of light flashed in the eyes of everyone in the courtyard. Even the Rainbooms were temporarily blinded by the light. When the light died down, they swore they could see nothing but spots flickering in their pupils. "Ah, my eyes!" Rainbow yelped. "What the heck was that!?" Pinkie exclaimed. “Uh, G-Girls…” Fluttershy gulped and pointed. They turned their heads around and gasped. One minute, they saw Vinyl passed out. But now? There was only half of her left, while more and more of her began to fade, flying away into the device. And just like that; she vanished. “No… Vinyl…” Trixie moaned, watching as she vanished before her eyes. “T-Trixie?" Trixie turned back, gazing back at Amethyst. The magic device began to absorb her now. Twilight put all her might and struggle to close it shut, but to no avail. She grunted loud trying to keep it from taking her whole, realizing she had gone too far. But she couldn't stop it! "Amethyst! It's gonna be okay!" "I can't close it!" Twilight cried, trying to press her entire hand against the device. "It won't stop! Just get away from it!" But it was too late. Vinyl in seconds, had already been absorbed, and her body faded into the pendent. But Amethyst wasn't going to let her other friend be taken away. "Aghhhh..." Amethyst nearly collapsed. "S-S-Sorry Trix... can't let you... be... taken... too..." With the last bit of strength she had remaining, she strummed a key on her keytar, sending a soundwave to hit Trixie far away from the pendent's radius of absorption. Trixie nearly fell back, but was at a safe distance from Twilight. The bespectacled girl looked up, watching Amethyst slowly become absorbed into the pendent. "Amy... noooo..." Trixie whimpered. Amethyst slowly breathed, knowing in full what was about to happen. "I know she'll find a way to get us free... Eventually..." And soon, the rest of her body vanished into thin air, completely taken by the pendent. When the last bits of her were gone, the pendent snapped shut with a single clap that sent echoes throughout the courtyard. The silence was deafening. No one talked. No one moved. Only the sounds of the soft thunder in the skies, and their shoes scraping against the concrete. Until Trixie broke the silence. "What did you do... What'd you do!?" Trixie howled. Twilight's legs began to wobble and shake again, a similar chill running down her spine in fear. "I... I don't know... I don't know!" "How do you not know!?" "This wasn't supposed to happen! I just wanted the magic, I didn't think I would hurt them!" Twilight cried. Trixie could swear glass had shattered. "You didn't... think?" Twilight gulped. "So not only did you create a device to absorb every ounce of magic from our school, but you took it upon yourself to suck the magic out of all of my friends who did absolutely nothing wrong!? ... Do you even realize what you've done!?" "No!" Twilight cried. "I just wanted the contain the magic, I never wanted to hurt them or anyone! I just wanted the magic so no else here at Canterlot or my school would be hurt!" "Hold on." Trixie stopped her. "... who said the magic was hurting them?" Twilight wasn't sure what to say. Not even the Rainbooms could figure out what could be said now. "... So let me see if I got this straight. This entire time... you thought me, and all of my friends were using this magic... were infected? That the magic was a disease?" "N-N-No--" "--Then tell me... what is your perception on all of this right now?" Trixie snorted, her nostrils flared up. Twilight tried her best to stay calm. "I came here to find out what was the source of the magic. Ever since the news of Sunset Shimmer's arrest and all the crazy monsters, I've been trying to find out what's been causing it! And when I saw you girls using it, I... I... I thought it had done something to you! Taken over your minds and was using you to scare and terrorize everyone!" Trixie was beyond appalled. "And then when I approached your friends, I was just trying to get the magic out of them! I was trying to save them, I didn't think this thing would just... just suck them in!" Twilight cried. “I don’t think you know what’s real, Twilight…” Trixie snapped her fingers. Like a specter in the night, a harsh glowing red figure emerged before Twilight and Trixie; It was Sunset Shimmer; Canterlot High's own monster, now fully transformed into a literal she-demon the night she took her step to take control. "This demon, was real! She made the lives of my friends and family miserable, and it was because of her, I was afraid to come to school! And when she got what she wanted, that's when she had all the power!" She snapped her fingers again, revealing another figure above them. Five Hydra-heads all swiveling and swaying above her, snarling and growling as if they were really there. Just seeing them made Twilight quiver. "This monster, was real. This was made after Sunset got the power and was ready to put together her world domination plan! ... Which now that I think of it, it was a really poorly conceived plan, but that's besides the point!" She snapped her fingers again, and another beast was created before them; Queen Aquadon, the three-headed monster that the Sirens formed to try and fend off Sunset in a desperate attempt. "But this one? No. This one, this three-headed one here? She's our friend. She was made to help us stop Sunset from terrorizing everyone, and to put an end to this battle once and for all. And she's my friends," Trixie continued. "I... I don't understand, how can you..." Twilight paused. "Wait, did you say friends?" Trixie snapped her fingers again. The illusion of Aquadon vanished, and three figures showed up next to her, all looking incredibly sassy/flirty; hands on hips, smirking, the 'come hither' looks, everything. "Them. They are my friends. Now I want to ask you something; what do you see?" Trixie crossed her arms. "Um... I see three normal girls who look like they're on the cusp of being in their twenties," Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "You don't see anything on them that looks like they could be monsters, do you?" Trixie asked again. "N-No..." Trixie snapped her fingers again, making them vanish. "And just to get my point across..." A holographic illusion of Aquadon and the demon Sunset Shimmer was in front of the two of them. Both creatures snarled and yelled at each other, until they both began to engage each other in a battle. Sunset raced and dashed all over Aquadon, even making some slashes at the necks and skin, which made the Queen angry and yell in pain. She slashed again, cutting some skin on the middle head's face, which made her wriggle and writhe in agony, until she looked back up... And then a giant burst of light shot at her and the other heads, and they all fell down like a stack of bricks. "And you know something else Twilight..." Twilight spun around and gazed back at Trixie who was slowly walked towards her. And Trixie's face? Anger was slowly fading away, and genuine concern and sympathy was on expressed. All of that fear slowly began to calm down as she approached Twilight. If she was to have any chance of saving them, she needed to approach this situation as carefully as possible. "I just want my friends back. I just want them here, with me, safe and sound. They're the only friends I have." Twilight was trying her best not to break down. "Y-You think I don't want that? When I started taking their magic, I thought all that would happen was they would just black out. I didn't realize they would just... vanish!" Twilight cried, looking away. She held her eyes shut carefully, a soft tear escaping and leaking down her face. "I made myself a personal vow that when I find out how this all works, I would bring them back." Trixie slowly stepped forward, the swishing of water echoing in the empty void of a place. A hand placed itself on her shoulder, patting with some comfort. "Then let me help you. I may not be a scientist, but I'm the closest thing here to understanding magic, and they're my friends. Just let me help, and we can finally put this to an end. We can talk." Twilight's eyes slowly opened as she looked down on the ground. A single tear leaked from her face as it splattered onto the concrete. "... I'm sorry. You can't help me." Trixie blinked. "What do you mean I can't help you?" "I mean, you can't help me!" Twilight snapped. She jerked back, swatting Trixie's hand away. "Everyone says they want to help me, but they never really mean it! I've been picked on for all my life, and more, and no one ever offers any help!" Trixie backed away as Twilight started yelling. But something else was wrong, and it didn't take her long to see it. "U-U-Um, Twilight?" "You think you've got problems? Well you aren't the only ones who have problems you know! "T-Twilight?" Trixie tried again. "It's all her fault! If she never... agh!" Twilight clawed at her own face. "I wish she never came into my life!" "Twilight?" "What!?" "The pendant!" Twilight's pupils shrunk. "WHAT!?" The pendant opened up on it's own and was now acting on it's own, beginning to absorb Trixie. Trixie screamed in agony as it began its work on her, all the while Twilight desperately tried to clamp it shut. "I can't close it!" Twilight cried. "I... I think... I'm about to collapse... Oh, I'm feeling... I'm feeling lightheaded..." Twilight looked up. She knew what was about to come. Slowly, it looked as if parts of Trixie's body were fading, as if she was beginning to be erased from existence entirely, and become absorbed slowly into the machine. "It's okay.. You're gonna be okay!" Twilight panicked. She knew the reality of the situation, but she wanted the poor girl to stay calm. "I-I-I don't know what's happening!" Trixie stammered just before tripping into Twilight's arms. Twilight held her close, unsure of how to even respond. "Please... please just stop this..." "I'm going to fix this, I promise!" And with her last ounce of strength, Trixie pulled herself away to look her in the eyes. Those sweet purple innocent eyes that could melt anyone's heart. "Promise... you'll fix it..." Trixie's arms slowly went onto Twilight's shoulders, trying to hold on as best as she could. Twilight didn't even fight against this person being so close. One of Twilight's hands slowly wrapped around Trixie's hands, trying to give some final comfort just before the rest of her began to fade. "I... I'll fix it. I promise..." Twilight whimpered. "I know you will..." Trixie had one last smile just before the rest of her was absorbed deep into the pendant, following by the device closing shut. And the courtyard was met with absolute silence once again. Twilight's work had been completed. She got the magic as she had hoped, but it came with a price she didn't want coming. Six girls, six innocent girls she didn't want to harm in any way or fashion, and were all taken into her device. She didn't want this, she never wanted this... She collapsed onto her knees, face full of fear and sadness. And as her head slowly went down, so did the tears on her face. She cried softly, letting them fall. Twilight breathed hard, like someone had just punched her in the gut. And with her head slowly raised, she looked right up into the faces of the five concerned Rainbooms. Tears fell down her face, knowing full that everything she had risked was now over. And her head slowly fell down, letting more tears fall. Until-- "SOMEBODY GET ME A GINORMOUS PILE OF CLOTHES TO SCREAM INTO!" Rarity shrieked just before vanishing in a cloud of smoke inside the building. "Well, it's been fun, gotta go!" Rainbow said before zipping away as well. "RUN FOR IT!" Pinkie Pie finished, yanking Fluttershy and Applejack inside with her. Twilight's head slumped back down as she was left there on all fours, crying. The device around her neck continued to glow softly. But then it started to blink. Faster. Faster and faster and faster! Her head slowly raised, no longer crying. But when she opened her eyes, they glowed bright turquoise blue with small hints of purple... The five Rainbooms all slammed themselves against a set of lockers, hearts pounding against their chests like they were about to burst. "What was that!?" Pinkie screamed. "I think it's fair to say it but... we're doomed!" Fluttershy whimpered. "Wait, wait, wait! Hold on! Look, let's just calm down, I know what we saw was bad, but we cannot do anything if we're just panicking," Applejack said, trying to calm them down. All heads turned to Applejack as if she was the crazy one. "... You do realize that Adagio's friends were just sucked into a magic device, right!?" Rainbow yelled. "Now cool it, Rainbow!" Applejack snapped back. "I am fully aware we are in some deep mud right now, but the best we can do is call for help." "Right. Anyone have the Dazzlings cell number?" "Nope." "Not me." "I don't." "Wait, I do! It's how I was able to call them about Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo's conditions!" Rainbow called, before racing to her locker. After struggling with the lock to the point where she had forced it out of it's place, she opened up her backpack and pulled out her phone, quickly dialing the cell number. "Come on, come on..." Rainbow panicked. She waited for a few seconds while shifting side to side out of sheer panic, until the line went to voicemail. "Voicemail!? Ugh, okay! Look, girls, please! If you get this message, get back here fast! We're all in danger and I don't know if we're going to survive out here for whatever crazy demon monster is coming! Someone zapped your friends, all of them! We need help, please!" She was going to talk some more until she heard an odd fuzzy noise coming from the other end of her phone. She hit a button on speakerphone, allowing the rest of the girls to hear the sounds. Until the line suddenly just dropped dead. "... hello?" The phone was dead silent. Rainbow, feeling a little frustrated, rolled her eyes. "Ha. Ha. Very funny. Adagio, come on, quit joking, you told us not to joke anymore." But what she didn't realize was something had happened outside. On the roof, the satellite dish that was the main source for all the students wifi connections had been completely demolished, destroyed, with some visible flames and ashes surrounding it. Something big and powerful had struck it, and now it was left in a smoldering remains of ash. And a shadowy figure was hovering over the remains... "Adagio? Aria? Sonata? .... Guys? Please, someone pick up, please! GUYS!"