His eyes still red, Squidward looked directly up at the window of the library and began to smile.
Rainbow Dash had looked away from Sunset’s letter upon hearing that last
DAB.
and had looked out the window just in time to see the nearest building disintegrate. Now she stood, silently staring back at Squidward. Their eyes locked.
Out of the corner of her mouth, Rainbow Dash asked, “So what are we supposed to do? Did Sunset say anything about that? How did Celestia stop Jake before?”
“She didn’t. Nightmare Moon did,” Twilight said, having finished the letter. “Or, well…Luna did. She dabbed back, she destroyed Jake…and she became Nightmare Moon.”
DAB.
Squidward destroyed the far wing of the castle. “Spike!” Twilight cried. His bedroom was on that end of the building.
“I’m okay!” Spike said from behind them. Nopony had seen him enter, but he had been there for a minute or so. “Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt. But I saw what was happening and I thought I’d find you here.”
“Spike!” Twilight rushed over and gave him a hug.
“Uh…not to break up the touching reunion, but we’ve still got a problem,” Rainbow Dash said. “So we know dabbing back should work, but we can’t do that or else we’ll get corrupted, right?”
“Most likely,” Twilight said.
“Couldn’t you just hold his arms down with magic or something?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Just stop him from dabbing in the first place?”
"Normal spells won’t work,” Twilight said. “We'd have to physically hold his arms down, but that would be only a temporary fix and getting close enough to do it could be dangerous. Once someone has dabbed, they’re immune to all but the most powerful magic. You can’t even teleport too close to them. Things like Celestia’s banishment spell or the Elements of Harmony would be the only long-term solution, but we don’t have the Elements anymore.”
“Can you cast Celestia’s spell?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“No, I’m not strong enough,” Twilight said.
“Well, then, let's send a letter to Celestia!” Spike said.
“Do it,” Twilight told Spike. “Tell her we need her here now.” Taking a quill and a piece of paper from a nearby table, Spike began writing furiously.
DAB.
More of the castle was destroyed, this portion including the throne room with the cutie map. Spike sent the letter. A few long moments passed.
“She’s not going to get here in time. We have to do something else,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Maybe we should teleport away? Then we’d have more time to think,” Spike said. He didn’t entirely understand what was going on, not having read Sunset’s letter, but he understood enough.
“No, he’ll just destroy the rest of Ponyville,” Twilight said. “There’s already been too much destruction. We have to stop him now. Wait, what are you doing?” Rainbow Dash was opening the window.
“I’m going out there. He seems to be fixated on me, I guess because I was the one who welcomed him here. Maybe I can talk him down. And if I can’t…well, I love you guys. Tell Fluttershy I’m sorry I borrowed her toothbrush.”
"Wait!" Twilight shouted, but Rainbow Dash had already left.
DAB.
Another portion of the castle was destroyed, an entire wall of the library disintegrated in an instant. One more time and the entire castle would be gone.
“Mister, uh…Squidward,” Rainbow Dash said, approaching him as closely as she dared. “Sorry that Ponyville was afraid of you. I’m sure you’re really a nice guy and all and…” After all the damage he had caused, all the lives he had probably destroyed, she just couldn’t make that last part sound sincere. Not that it probably would have mattered anyway. Squidward’s eyes stayed red and he slowly raised his arms again. It was too late.
“Look out below!” a voice called from above. In the blink of an eye, Squidward was engulfed in a huge cake and frosting flew in all directions.
“Pinkie Pie?!” Rainbow Dash called. She waved from her hot air balloon. “You’re back!”
“Yep! I got halfway to the Crystal Empire and then my nose started twitching and my front right hoof started tapping and I just knew that somepony here needed this cake more than they did. Sorry, Flurry Heart!” Pinkie Pie said rhetorically. Flurry Heart was nowhere to be seen.
DAB.
Pinkie Pie’s balloon was obliterated, leaving only the basket intact. Even from his current position lying on the ground and covered in cake, Squidward had been able to dab. Rainbow Dash quickly flew up and caught Pinkie Pie, lowering her safely to the ground.
Twilight teleported down to the action. “I had Spike send letters to Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy,” she said. “They should be here any minute. We’re just going to have to distract Squidward until Celestia gets here.”
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie nodded, and the fight began in earnest. Rainbow Dash flew in circles around Squidward, Pinkie Pie rushed quickly around, popping out of hiding place after hiding place and waving her arms around like a crazy pony, and Twilight teleported all around, flinging pieces of debris at Squidward with her levitation magic. She couldn’t teleport too close and she couldn’t use levitation magic on him directly, but she could still do that.
DAB.
DAB.
DAB.
Over and over again, Squidward dabbed, and the three ponies just barely kept out of the way of his blasts. Twilight knocked him down several times, but he just kept getting back up, and he just kept dabbing.
Suddenly there was a roar in the distance. Squidward turned toward the sound. And out of the Everfree Forest came Fluttershy, leading an angry Ursa Major directly at the tentacled monstrosity. She ran off to the side and the Ursa continued to charge. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight scattered as it approached, but Squidward stood his ground. Raising his arms, he simply said
DAB.
The Ursa was disintegrated instantly. “Noooooo!” Fluttershy screamed, and tried to fly at Squidward, but Twilight held her back. Squidward lowered his arms again and surveyed his surroundings, locking eyes with each of the ponies surrounding him in turn.
“Now!” came Applejack’s voice, and a large piece of fabric was thrown over Squidward’s head, Rarity having brought it all the way from her boutique. Applejack threw a lasso over Squidward and pulled it tight, pinning his arms, knocking him off his feet, and trapping him within a fabric cocoon.
A few seconds passed, Squidward lying unmoving on the ground, his legs sticking out from under the fabric.
“Is…is it over? Did we beat him?” Pinkie Pie asked.
Twilight carefully paced around the spot where Squidward lay. “I…I think we did,” she said. "It seems to be holding for now. Great work, girls!”