Confessions of a Lone Vagabond

by Azure5555

Duel 01 Pt3

"Did y'all hear that!?" Applejack had cried out as she steadied herself.

"I felt that!" Rainbow had shouted, her hovering having been disturbed from the force of whatever impacted the earth.

"Vincent…" Fluttershy whispered in fear, her forehooves gently tightening around her new Manticore friend.

"We need to hurry!" Twilight shouted. "If Nightmare Moon finds the Elements before we do, she'll do more than just plunge the world into eternal night!"

"More!? What more can she already do!?" Rarity cried, clearly frazzled and frustrated.

Before Twilight could answer, a mechanical beast had jumped at the group from the dense and dead forestation… Pinkie sitting upon its head.

"Get on! Vin needs us!" She shouted, though her giant, filthy, and ancient mechanical mount had started to growl at Fluttershy's Manticore.

The two beasts had started a small growling match for all of two seconds… long enough for Fluttershy to apparently pacify both with nothing but a stare.

"There may not be enough room for everypony," Twilight stated matter of factly. "Rarity, go with Fluttershy on the Manticore. Applejack, you're with Pinkie and me! Rainbow, scout ahead!"

"You got it!" Rainbow declared with a salute as she sped off, followed soon by the Manticore and Pinkie's beast.

"Where have you been?" Twilight asked Pinkie, doing her best not to get her mane and tail caught in loose gears.

"I was with Vinny!" The mare said happily. 

"How is he!?" Applejack cried out in worry. "Is he hurt!? Did he say anything!? What's goin on!?"

"Weeeellll…" The war painted party pony thusly began a spirited rant about the small scale assault, the many monsters, Nightmare Moon, something about marshmallows… and the blue stone bodied giant that utterly disintegrated all but one of Vincent's soldiers.

"No…" Twilight whispered. "No it can't… WE NEED TO GET THERE NOW!!"

"Whoa Nelly! Y'all look like you've seen-"

"We'll be seeing ghosts if we don't stop that god!!" Twilight cried. 

Without warning, an eagle's cry pierced the world as a great fire engulfed the sky. With that, the beast doubled it's pace and outran both Fluttershy's Manticore and Rainbow.

"Hey! What's the rush!?" The rainbow maned flier shouted.

"No time! Nightmare has summoned her god!" Twilight shouted back.

With that, the three groups doubled their speed.

"YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF THAT FORM!!" The night horse shouted from atop Obelisk's shoulder, narrowly dodging a stray burst of flame from one of my wingbeats.

"Lady! I can take whatever form I want, when I want!" I shouted as I gathered my breath, exhaling a plume of golden fire as Obelisk blocked with his arms. "This is getting me nowhere…"

"I SHALL SEE YOU DIE!!!" My opponent cried as Obelisk threw his fist back and forward, the knuckle catching fire as it slammed into my wing.

With an annoyed grunt, I said fuck all as I body slammed Obelisk into the ground, charged up another plume of fire, and burried my beak into it's chest. The Divine Beast screamed as it started punching my face… at least until it started to glow red…

"Fool." Was all my opponent had said as Obelisk had pulled a pair of Vilepawn Archfiends from out of nowhere, sapping their power.

"Oh fuck a du-" The world went white… and then it all went black…

"Iiiiisss this what we're looking for?" Pinkie asked the lavender unicorn, her face covered by the remains of an Ancient Gear helmet.

Actually taking the time to giggle, Twilight looked back at the path before the group of six, thankful that Pinkie apparently knew the layout to the castle, though it looked rather different than her history books led her to believe.

"If I'm right, the Elements should be housed somewhere within the throne room…" Twilight mumbled, flinching in surprise as a wall had opened up to reveal a staircase.

"Open sesame!" Pinkie exclaimed happily, having traded her helmet for a fez. The group found their smiles in their trying time and quickly scaled to staircase, a blinding light engulfing the world.

"EVERYPONY GET DOWN!!!" Twilight cried as she erected a barrier, her magic shaking and threatening to break from the intense wave of destructive energy.

As the light faded, the girls gasped as Nightmare Moon slowly descended through the destroyed and exposed castle walls… right into the throne room.

"And there isn't any other worm to stop me from achieving my des-" As Nightmare Moon slowly trot along the ruined cobblestone in the midst of a monologue, a massive mallet slammed her bodily into the floor.

"NEVER HAVE I EVER BEEN SO UTTERLY PISSED!!" A shrill and squeaky voice roared, the voice belonging to what Twilight could only deduce was a small and armored monster… 

'But where is it's summoner?' She thought to herself.

The monster was roughly the same size as the Junk Synchron, but was garbed in olden day leather armor, a tiny cape, and horned helmet. A lightning bolt shaped dagger hung loosely on it's hip, no doubt a side arm if it ever lost it's hammer.

"More of these pitiful monsters!?" Nightmare Moon cried. "I will mount yo-" For a second time, Nightmare Moon was interrupted from her monologuing as mallet met chin.

Shaking away her fear and doubt Twilight jumped for the top of the stairs. "Come on girls! We won't ever get another opportunity like this!"

Without so much as a second opinion, the group of six rushed forth into the fray, thankful that Nightmare Moon was being kept at bay.

"Switch… switch switch switch…" Twilight mumbled as she and the others had started scratching at the stone floor.

"HEY VIN!" Pinkie shouted as she gained the monster's attention.

"Whaddya want Pinks!? I'm a little BUSY!!" The monster shouted, shouting in pain as Nightmare Moon had managed to blast his hammer out of his hands… and straight towards Pinkie Pie's hooves.

"Nevermind! Thank you!" The pink pony exclaimed happily.

"Pinkie, not to question your methods…" Rarity said as she cautiously backed away.

"Y'all be careful with that hammer now!" Applejack added with much more worry.

"And who is Vin!?" Twilight questioned.

Of course, she would get her answer… but not in the way she would expect. As Pinkie reared back and readied her mallet, Nightmare Moon had blast her opponent into the only throne not destroyed in the siege.

"VINCENT!!" Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy cried. 

Conflicted, Twilight chose to direct her attention to the monster… who slowly began to morph into a taller, broken, machine like bipedal creature wearing torn clothing where metal limbs and circuitry was exposed and sparking.

"Sweet Celestia…" The lavender unicorn found herself whispering, only for a loud slam to shake her from her revery.

"Huh, coulda sworn that would work…" Pinkie mused as she looked at the spider-webbed stone floor.

It wasn't long before a wicked laugh caught the attention of all those still standing, Nightmare Moon walking calmly and reassured of whatever victory she sought.

"This night may not have gone the way I imagined it would," the lunar tyrant chuckled. "But my oh my does it fill my heart with joy to see my loyal subjects bow before me to witness my moment of glory."

"We'll never bow to you," Twilight stated as she took a battle stance, her blade blinking into existence and her duel disk energizing. "Not so long as we can fight!"

"Fight? You mean with these?" Nightmare Moon smiled teasingly as she stepped on a switch, the floor opening to reveal a five horned pedestal adorned with five stones. Each marked with the image of a gemstone… and each sporting webbed cracks.

"Oohhh… did I do that?" Pinkie asked sheepishly as she hugged her hammer.

"Really, I must thank you," Nightmare taunted condescendingly as she began to circle the stones. "You've saved me the trouble of destroying them myself~"

With a flick of her ethereal tail, the stones had turned to dust… along with any hope of victory.

"And now you all have two choices," Nightmare Moon stated as she beat her wings and ascended into the sky, her body shrouded in darkness by the light of the moon. "BOW TO ME, OR DIE!"

"No deal!!" Pinkie shouted as she attempted to level her hammer at the Alicorn, only for her friends to pull her back to keep her from whatever assured death awaited her.

Laughing maniacally, Nightmare Moon stared at the group with mirth. "So long has it been since I've had a proper fight. Mayhaps you will satisfy my wants and needs?" She asked with a wicked smile, her slit eyes sharpening to accentuate her growing battle lust.

"SATISFY THIS!!!" Rainbow had cried, ramming into Nightmare Moon with all the force of a hundred pound cannonball.

"Can't that girl stay still for just a minute!!?" Applejack cried out as she made a mad dash into the fray.

"Stick to the plan! Stick to the plan!" Pinkie exclaimed, valiantly rushing in to join her allies.

"Ohh… Stay with Vincent, join the fight, stay with Vincent, join the fight…" Rarity muttered to herself as she paced about. "Ohhh… I'M JOINING THE FIGHT!" She finally shouted, holding her head up high as if her horn were a blade.

"Then let's get in there and fight," Twilight stated. "I have a plan, but we need to stay together. Can I ask you to trust me?" She asked of the alabaster unicorn.

With conviction in her eyes, Rarity gave a solemn nod as she looked about the room for Fluttershy. The shy pegasus having found her way to Vincent's broken body.

"Go…" He managed to say to the pegasus putting his loose parts and scrap in order. "Kick her ass for me…"

With that, the girls were gone to face the oncoming Nightmare.

"Welp…" Vincent said to no one. "Time for a nap."

"WARNING, STRUCTURAL DAMAGE DETECTED. SHUT DOWN STATE INACCESSIBLE."

"SO I'M STUCK LIKE THIS!?" Vincent cried, silence his only answer.

"WATCH YOUR LEFT!" Rainbow shouted as she dodged a beam of energy.

"WHO'S LEFT!?" Pinkie cried as a slab of stone pinned her to a wall. After a second, her head popped out from a tiny crevice between the slab and the wall. "Ohhh… my left…"

With a crazed gaze, Nightmare leveled a massive Ballista at the pinned pony in hopes of piercing through her.

With one swift motion, Applejack had roped Nightmare's torso and pulled her down just enough so that the spiked ballista only pierced Pinkie's tail… much to the party pony's now growing ire.

"That… was. MY. TAIL!!!" Pinkie bellowed as she burst through the slab of stone pinning her to the wall. With flattened mane, tail, and darkened colors, Pinkie slammed her hind hooves onto Nightmare's head.

Somehow, instead of being planted into the floor, the Alicorn had bounced off of the ground as Pinkie pounced her through a wall.

"Did… did that just happen?" Rainbow asked an equally befuddled Applejack. Thankfully, before any could answer, Twilight had ran in followed closely by Rarity and Fluttershy.

"Girls! I have a plan!" Twilight shouted as she slid to a halt.

"Plan?" Pinkie asked as she happily stuck her head out from the hole she made. Her body had regained its color and her mane and tail had regained their volume… much to Rainbow and Applejack's ever growing confusion.

"I can beat Nightmare with this," Twilight said as she raised her duel disk. "But I'll need your help. Everypony's help."

"What about that sword?" Rainbow asked, pointing to Twilight's blade.

"What this? It's actually not a sword, it's condensed Mana stone. I wouldn't actually swing this at anything." Twilight replied a little bashfully.

"Condensed what-now?" Applejack now reiterated.

"Mana- wait, it'll be easier to just show you. In case the elements were complete duds, my next best bet was to hopefully encapsulate the spirits they embody… Huh, it's all starting to make sense now…" The unicorn mused as she started pacing about, going on a self contained rant about something.

"Twilight, dear," Rarity interjected as she stopped the girl dead in her tracks. "Your plan?"

"What- OH yes of course! Everypony, place your hooves on the disk. We're summoning a monster." Twilight proclaimed as she held out the duel disk once more.

"Oh no! You are not using my card again! Not gonna happen!" Rainbow shouted as she shook her head in denial.

"Wait! I have a card!" Pinkie cheered as she began to reach into her mane, pulling out various objects which she unintentionally threw at the somewhat dazed and confused Nightmare Moon as the Alicorn attempted to pull herself out of the hole Pinkie had put her in.

The objects varied drastically, the first few were small like loose pastries, accordions, drums, rock candies, and a snow globe. It wasn't until Pinkie had started throwing out larger items, ending with a grand Piano pinning Nightmare Moon to the floor, did she actually stop.

"Huh, coulda sworn I packed my deck." The party pony relented as she rubbed her chin.

"Left ma cards at the barn." Applejack added, the girls looking to Fluttershy, the shy mare only shrinking at their gaze.

"I-I'm sorry, Angel bunny wanted them to play with Watch Dog." She whispered.

"Well, I came prepared for this too," Twilight stated calmly. "Whenever you're ready."

One by one the five placed their hooves upon the machine, it's core glowing ever brighter with each. Once all had a hoof upon the disk, Twilight plunged her blade into the disk's core, a grand rainbow light engulfing the room.

"THIS IS CORE TEST NUMBER ONE!" Twilight shouted as she and the five mares began to glow. "ACTIVATING MONSTER RECALL... NOW!!!" 

Before any one could blink, the world was engulfed in great light, the only thing visible was the silhouette of a robed Spellcaster, their staff pointed forward… and then… 

"UNKNOWN HARMONIC ENERGY LEVELS SKYROCKETING!" I heard my inbuilt computer yell.

"What the hell does that mean!?" I shouted back, pissed off that I really couldn't do anything.

"ATTEMPTING TO GATHER RESIDUAL ENERGY… Processing… Error, failure to process energy. Life Point count two thousand three hundred and forty one."

"Huh? Can you make sense yet?" I asked my useless AI.

"An attempt was made to collect harmonic energy, only a small percentage was successfully retrieved and processed."

"And the Life count?"

"Raised from three hundred and sixty six."

Oh… shit. I was waaaay more beat up than I thought I was. Brightside, I'm not dying as badly.

"So… why is shut down so important anyway?" I asked idly.

"Once in Shut-Down state, your body can begin to regenerate Life Points at a fixed pace."

"Right, and what about now?" 

"Bodily damage exceeds normal parameters. Attempting to contact Ark Cradle to send repair bots."

"Repair bots? Wait… You mean I'm stuck like this!?" I shouted in annoyance.

"Unfortunately."

"All the better to possess you." I heard an echoey voice whisper.

"Oh for fucks sake…"

"Now now my little annoyance… that's no way to treat your new master…" A pool of blackened shadows started to form in front of me, a horses head slowly rising from the floor.

After about two agonizingly long minutes, the puddle had coagulated and morphed into a black horse with crimson eyes. "Much better…" The shadowed horse said, her obviously female voice sounded like it was being filtered through mud. "I hope I didn't keep you while I formed a new body." 

"Me? Nah, I ain't got nowhere else to be." I snarked, much to my guest's growing amusement.

"Such a mouth on you, don't worry…" She pawed the ground gently, a new puddle forming as it summoned an Archfiend Soldier, it's green cape billowing in an unknown wind. "I'll soon shut it for you."

"Are you… challenging me to a duel?" I ask, trying rather desperately to raise my left arm. "Cause if you are… you'll regret it."

"A duel? The ancients would wage wars with these beasts!" She cackled. "And you call it a duel? How… novel." With a small motion of her hoof, the Soldier took a step forward as two puddles formed behind it.

Growling, I felt something pulsate inside me as tiny claws and appendages burst from my arm as my duel disk assumed the position. "I may be half dead, in pieces, and at a massive deficit of Life Points…" As the tiny grabbers set my deck, a stone scoreboard rose from the fractured ground. "But BITCH! I AM STILL KING OF THIS CASTLE!!!"

"King of this castle?" Nightmare mocked. "Half dead and broken? How deliciously delusional~"

Growling, I drew my hand. One Gear Town, two Ancient Gear Castles, Ancient Gear Beast, Magic Cylinder and a Double Cyclone… "I play two copies of Ancient Gear Castle!" 

As my grabbers set the continuous spells and quick play spell, the broken walls of the castle quickly rose back up and we were once again hidden from the cold night. "Next! I activate the field spell, Gear Town!!" Clockwork gears began to decorate the walls, steam engine pipes crawled along the masonry, and the windows took on a golden yellow hue.

"What… is all this?" She asked as she stared at the changes, a sense of wonder in the firepits that made up her eyes.

"By the effect of Gear Town, I can normal summon any Ancient Gear monster with one less summon. I normal summon the level five Ancient Gear Beast!" With that, the mechanical armored lion pounced onto the field and roared. "Battle!!"

"Were it so easy!!" Nightmare cried as she stomped her hooves on the ground… only to blink in confusion. "Why… aren't my traps activating?"

"The effect of most Ancient Gear monsters stops traps from activating during the battle phase." I replied idly as the Beast tore into the Archfiend Soldier.

"AUGH!" My opponent cried as she reeled quite a bit, rubbing her head into the floor. "You will not be so lucky again…"

"Turn end." With that, Nightmare took a look around once more before stomping her hooves on the stone. Red and orange lightning began to arc along the walls and gears, stone monuments rose from the ground and demonic beasts began to crawl or skulk around the room.

"Impossible!" Nightmare shouted. "Pandemonium should have overtaken this… Gear Town." She complained.

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah… the rulings for a lot of things have changed, shared fields being one of them. Two field spells can now occupy the board." I explained casually.

"TWO!? Preposterous!" She yelled with righteous fury. "It is no matter, you will soon fall, and it will be of no consequence." With that, her left back row puddle geysered as she threw her head back in pain once more.

"I can… handle this much…" She gasped as a new puddle began to form at her Soldier's feet. "ARISE!" As the Soldier was engulfed and seemingly eaten, a new, bulkier, flesh filled horned skeletal beast rose from the black ooze.

"Now… come to me." Soon, another puddle began to form at Ancient Gear Beast's paws.

"Falling Down?" I asked, my vision seemingly catching the equip spell in use. Now I could just pop the spell now… but I wanted to press my luck.

As the puddle swallowed my monster whole and spat it back out at Nightmare's side, the shadow horse began to cackle. "And here I thought you'd actually pose a challenge~" She mocked. "NOW DIE!"

"SPELL OPEN!" I shouted as the blue fire surrounding my Beast was blown away… along with Gear Town. The Beast thusly rushes to my side and slid to a cartoonish halt before looking at me while acting like a puppy. 

I could see Nightmare's left eye twitch at the act. "You… but… YOU SAID TRAPS-"

"DID YOU HONESTLY THINK I WAS GOING TO LET YOU DECLARE AN ATTACK!?" I shouted with righteous indignation. "Double Cyclone lets me destroy two spell and or traps on the field so long as I own one of those targets!"

"Hmph, that explains the lack of metal." My opponent huffed.

"And due to Gear Town's effect…" A piercing screech resounded in the now Pandemonium controlled field, a mechanical avian descending upon the field. "I special summon from the deck, Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon!"

"Oh… well. My Archfiend of Lightning is still stronger than your beast!" Nightmare shouted. "STRIKE TRUE!"

With a shrill cry, the Archfiend gathered lightning in it's claws and fired. 

"Trap open! Magic Cylinder!!" I shouted in response. As the magical barrel formed, a giant dark blue die had fallen from the sky, causing a loud thump as it landed. As a shining "3" appeared over the cast die, the Archfiend's lightning pierced through the barrel, striking my Beast and destroying it…

And causing me untold amounts of ungodly pain…

As I screamed bloody murder at the top of my lungs, my opponent could only laugh like a hysterical hyena.

"It hurts, doesn't it!?" She mocked as a puddle appeared behind her Archfiend and another swallowed what looked like an Imprisoned Queen Archfiend. That, and I got a prompt saying Dark World Dealings was just activated. A Terraforming appearing and disappearing from my hand.

"Oh you wanna see hurt?" With that, I drew my card. 'Ancient Gear Golem…'

"Now I may have failed to mention this, but whenever a monster is normal summoned, Ancient Gear Castle gains a Gear Counter," I start to explain.

"Your point?" Nightmare asked with impatience.

"I have two Ancient Gear Castles, each with two counters. I send one to the grave to normal summon the Ancient Gear Golem!" The ground began to rumble and quake, an iron hand clasping onto the broken wall as the giant rose from just outside the fractured castle.

"Oh… that looks like it could hurt me." Nightmare muttered as she stared at the giant.

"Golem! Snap that Archfiend in two!" I exclaimed as the Golem roared a mechanical roar. With ever widening eyes, Nightmare flinched as the Summoned Skull reskin was grasped, and then she screamed when it's spine was snapped like a twig.

"I… I am not…" Panting, she roared in pain once more as her Imprisoned Queen Archfiend rose from the earlier formed puddle. "I shall not fall!" 

"Gadjiltron!!" With an ear piercing cry, the mechanical winged beast flew into the air before slamming the Queen Archfiend into the floor, ripping it apart piece by piece.

As the mechanical chop shop bird tore into the Queen, Nightmare's cries of pain and torment filled the world.

"EVEN THIS… Won't stop me…" Nightmare whimpered weakly. As she desperately kept herself steady.

"Just take your turn." I say, more than a little tired of this whole thing.

"Come forth my Queen!" She exclaimed as an Infernalqueen Archfiend rose from the ground, an Axe of Despair in its hands.

With grit teeth and a curse to the wind, Nightmare had ended her turn.

"Draw!" Hmm… Ancient Gear Engineer… Why do I even run this!? Shaking away that thought, I looked to my opponent's practically bare field. One monster, one equip spell, one field spell, and one spell or trap. She probably has Obelisk in her hand, but with no monsters to summon it with, she was practically dead on arrival.

"NIGHTMARE MUST DIE!" And with that exclamation, my monsters prepared themselves as I entered the battle phase.

I could see the fear beginning to creep along Nightmare's face, even her Archfiend tried to hide herself behind her Axe of Despair.

Before anyone could blink, the Gadjiltron had swiped the Infernalqueen in one of its talons before biting into it bit by bit, Nightmare falling flat on her face, eyes bulging and mouth agape. 

"Please… no…" Nightmare whimpered pitifully as her form writhed and faded. "Please…"

"Golem…" I whispered without remorse. "Direct attack." With an ungodly roar, the Golem reared his fist back… and struck.

Her cry pierced the hall for what seemed like an eternity, the shadows of Archfiends watched in silence, and a somber atmosphere fell upon the field.

"Wha… why…?" She asked as she looked up, the Golem's fist having stopped only inches from her head.

"Get out." Was all I said, the monsters fading as well as Pandemonium.

"What?" She asked once more.

"Get. Out." 

As the light of the moon fell upon the open skyline, Nightmare had melted into the stone floor, flying off along the ground and out of the castle. Just as the last of her slithered away into the night, the double doors of the throne room were kicked open.

"VINCENT! CON SARNIT WE'VE BEEN TRYINNA BREAK THAT DOOR DOWN FOREVER NOW!!" Applejack shouted as she rushed in. "Landsakes… what happened to ya…"

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm probably gonna be stuck like this for a few… years. Decades… who really knows." I replied as she got closer and closer.

"Halt, Honesty!" A younger, unfamiliar voice called out. "What business have you with an automaton?" 

"He's mah friend and I will not tolerate you talkin' down to 'im! Even if ya are a princess!"

Applejack's snap seemed to cause just about everyone to gasp, but her look of righteous indignation told everyone that she wouldn't back down.

"Tensions are rather high this night," A more mature and almost kind and patient commanding voice called out. The two voices started to move closer into my undamaged reticle. 

The younger voice probably belonged to the small baby blue Alicorn with the star filled mane, the older voice no doubt belonged to the incredibly tall and off white Alicorn who had an off colored rainbow mane that seemed to blow in a non existent wind.

"Are you responsible for all that's happened tonight?" She asked of me.

I cleared my throat for a bit and thought about my eye glowing as I talked. "Beep beep, does not compute." I replied sarcastically.

Apparently my thought actually worked as I saw a faint red glow shine off of some necklace AJ was wearing.

"Vincent Price!" Applejack chastised. "Ah now I was a little rude, but that's cause y'all was being made fun of!"

The white Alicorn only chuckled at this as she looked at me more closely. "You have quite the sense of humor," She said happily. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Princess Celestia… co-ruler of Equestria, and this," She then pushed the younger Alicorn along  from behind her. "Is my sister, Princess Luna. You may not know this, but you helped save her from a waking nightmare."

"I… We are indebted to you, machine." Luna mumbled as she looked away. 

"Whatever," I replied coldly. "Well, my name is Vincent Price, and you two are in my castle. So if you don't mind-"

"Your castle!?" Luna shouted as if she was just sucker punched. "This has been Our home since time immemorial, and thou would have the audacity to lay cla-" She flinched in surprise as Celestia had draped a wing over her head.

"Now now, this house… has not been a home for a thousand years," She whispered. "Now is not the time to reminisce on the old, but to let go and look towards a tomorrow that can be brighter than yester year."

Her sister mulled the words over for a while before huffing. "We suppose we can… allow this vagabond to inhabit our fallen home."

"Great, now get out. I'm tired and half dead." I said maybe a bit too coldly.

Before Luna could say anything bratty, Celestia simply chuckled as she hid her smile behind a wing. "Of course, of course. It wouldn't be prudent to intrude on your time. I only hope that we can help you with your… healing."

"Should probably get back to the barn. Folks are probably worried sick." Applejack said with a laugh.

"I'll see ya around, Jacqueline." I say as she smiles and walks away.

The princesses soon follow, but Celestia stops for a second as she craned her head down as she picked something up. "Hello… what are you doing out here?" I heard her say.

"Sister, that's…" Luna muttered before hushing her voice.

"I see… well. It's a good thing to have this back." Celestia replied happily, the two flying away.

Out of the clear path of my vision, I could see five blurred and multicolored images, four seemed like they were holding something back as the mass of color started to leave.

"So… looks like I'm stuck like this." I said to no one.

"Oh I don't know about that…"