//------------------------------// // S5 Episode 39: The Devil in The Skyline // Story: JTHW: Journey To Hearth's Warming // by Lighttone GryphonStar //------------------------------// Back inside the remains of the church, the weather got noticeably warmer after those red snowflakes left. Horror lingered in Clover's eyes until she heard Twilight's breathing return. Relief urged her to move forward. Still, with a broken leg, she couldn't get very far. However, she could at least sit herself in front of Twilight. She took this moment to close up the alicorn's armor with what magic she had. While not the finest of work it would have to do. Clover gave a small chuckle, if her younger sister, Cleve the Clothist, were here, the armor would be repaired to flawless perfection. Clover never realized just how much she never learned from her siblings. All she could do now was wait for Twilight to wake. Rex and Cold Blue would be fine. The siren filly was safely by Rex's side. The only problem now lied on the outside. Much like the visions of the past, standing just outside were several undead. Clover remembered the images of Rex's past. His family being ripped apart, their corpses following him for years until his escape. Her eyes lingered back to the Dark Alicorn Amulet and wondered, was it the reason they refused to advance? Was it keeping them at bay, just like it did for the church all those millennia before? Many questions would have to be saved for when Rex's awoke. For now, all she could do was wait for Twilight to awaken first. For Clover's... daughter... No, Rex's daughter to wake. What happened next was far too fast for her to process. All Clover knew was her body was being flung into a wall. A scaly hand wrapped tightly against her throat. Clover tried to fight off her attacker, only for her to be lifted higher into the air. Her eyes widened the sight of Cold Blue. Though she couldn't believe her eyes as his body grew with his rage... much like Twilight's transformations. Within seconds he stood taller than even the wendigo. His scales grew bigger and harder. His claws and teeth sharpened to their furthest point. Seeing all of this made Clover remember. Rex once said his rival was the greatest and most terrifying monster to ever exist. Long ago, the siren was just a beastly entity that knew only one thing. "Cold Blue?" Clover could barely speak the name of her attacker. However, the most minor of reactions was all one needed to confirm the truth. "Why?" He viciously growled at her. "What?" She couldn't process what he meant. "Why would you make such a deal?!" his roar echoed throughout the room. Clover's eyes widened, and she remembered. She realized that somehow, Cold Blue had witnessed some, if not most, or even all the conversations she had with the wendigo. "I was trying to... save her!" Clover pushed back, trying to regain herself. "No!" He roared louder. "Why would you save her?!" Clover's eyes strained for an answer she clearly couldn't give him. To make things worse, the pressure on her neck was making everything go blurry. If this kept up, she feared he would kill her without even batting an eye. Cold Blue's rage was much more refined than Twilight's. Could this be his dark ascension? Could this be a close equivalent? Or could this simply be the edge of his power before such truly darker rage took forth? Either way, Clover was now facing a monster far beyond her power. Fury which she could not possibly beat on her own. His malice could easily end her life the moment he first struck, but only held back by a desire for an answer. Something which she apparently wasn't fully ready to accept, despite being ready hours ago. "Retract your hand, now!" However, safety arrived soon enough in the shadowy tentacles of Rex's power. The umbrum wasn't ready to stand but demanded this to end all the same as if he were battle ready. "Why are you stopping me?" Cold Blue sneered at Rex's actions. "Why are you attacking her?!" Rex demanded. "She made a deal with the wendigo!" Rex's eyes widened at Cold Blue's answer, and Clover nodded in confirmation. "Clover... why?" "I had no choice! Twilight... was dying!" She pointed to the sealed armor on Twilight. "That light alicorn had used the body of Princess Platinum to stab her right through... and then he escaped!" Cold Blue turned to Twilight to confirm her words. The siren closed his eyes and smiled at hearing Twilight's breath. However, he bashed Clover into the wall. "You have no right to make such a deal on Twilight's behalf!" "Deal?!" Rex summoned his chains to stop the siren's attack. Yet even as they dug deeper into Cold Blue's flesh and fought harder the stallion refused to yield. Calling upon the dark alicorn amulet was his last move. With its force, he threw the siren away from Clover. Yet the siren didn't stop his rage. A red maroon glowed in his eyes. "Yes... she traded her word for Twilight's!!" His words shocked Rex enough for the chains to fall. Seeing his chance, the siren rushed back in to finish it. Cold Blue was stopped as Rex appeared between him and Clover. The two clashed in a spell of powerful magic. Despite both being nearly out of power from the previous battle, they stood their ground without fading. Soon Rex's eyes laced with a red maroon glow as well. "If that is true... then we shall both bare that deal!!" "And why?!" Cold Blue demanded. "You care nothing for her at all!!" Cold Blue remembered the time he spent in the mindscape with Twilight. "You've only known Twilight for months." "Details for later." Cold Blue turned things back around. "Why make such a deal?! What does Twilight mean to you." Rex didn't know how to answer that himself. All he could do was push back against Cold Blue's power. The problem lay in the fact that Rex was still an amateur at dark magic and Cold Blue was a master. Cold Blue fueled what dark magic he could muster. He was running low from the previous battle, too. However, he needed answers. There was no way they would make such a selfish deal without a reason. He decided it was only fair to mention some truth of his own. "Twilight and I spent nearly fourteen hundred years in a mind lock. You know what that means!" "That would only mean..." Rex's eyes widened. "Mindscape training." The siren's confirmation shocked Rex and Clover, so he clarified it was Twilight's choice. She wished to stabilize her dark magic and learn more about this realm. Each of these he provided with nothing in return. Meanwhile, they had given her nothing until now. The two knew his rage was real and now knew his reasons. This forced them to affirm something they had yet to fully accept themselves. Rex looked back at Clover as his dark magic reached its limit. She nodded to him, and he caved, lowering his guard as Clover stood with him. Cold Blue jumped back at this stand with confusion and strained eyes. They couldn't concede defeat, yet they wouldn't fight him anymore. The siren narrowed his eyes and demanded their answer, yet they still weren't ready to say it yet. The last edges of his power pooled out. The dark magic concentrated itself around his frills and horns. His size restrained but his power emblazoned louder than ever. Cold Blue rushed back, only to be stopped by their final answer. "Twilight is our daughter!" ****** Back in the elevator room, Starswirl fought off the undead as best he could. The forces were too numerous and more swarmed out of the elevator door by the minute. Soon enough, he was pushed to the very edge. Sneering at the lack of ground behind him, Starswirl charged all the magic he could. "Looks like you've reached quite the impasse." A voice echoed behind him. The old wizard was stopped in place as the undead halted their advance. He raced back around. His eyes widened at an all too familiar pegasus floating in the air, "You're... Rainbow Dartz--" He was stopped as blood spewed from his mouth. "No," the pegasus laughed with two voices as his hand wrenched out of Starswirl's stomach. "No, I'm not... Time in." With that final word, time itself stopped around the elevator room, freezing Starswirl and his blood in place. Aitym smiled through his new body and waved his hand over the undead, allowing them to continue their advance. However, Starswirl was never their true target, which lay above... "Incredible, long ago I lost my body... I never knew I would be able to pull off such powerful spells ever again. This pegasus is truly unique..." He approached Starswirl and quickly pick the old wizard's pockets. "Sure, those two dark magic users were useless as bodies, but keeping them under my wing still proved most beneficial in restoring more of my old strength..." He stopped and felt a cold sweat pour down the face of his new host. Aitym jumped back as Starswirl slipped free for only a second. The pegasus barely dodged a slash through the air. He was at a loss as the attack almost felt like that of a griffin's talon passing by. "... No..." The smile of the pegasus faded from the power of the light alicorn and he turned into a rage, roaring at the wizard. "Damn it!! I need more... more hosts and soon I can fully restore my body too." He snatched away the alathar, flapping his wings louder as he backed away. "Without the Power of the King in your possession, I can keep this body just a little bit longer." Looking to Pegasus Isles. "I should have done this sooner, especially in accelerating the next phase of the plan..." He forced his host to bow to the old wizard. "I know it seems strange to say to a master as powerful as myself, but what I miss most from my body is the ability to fly!" With that, he snapped his fingers and let time flow forward. Escaping Starswirl with ease as the force of the old wizard's own reckless attack threw him off the edge. Aitym flapped his wings in place as if mocking the wizard falling to his fate, before heading upward with the rest of his army. ****** At the same time, Twilight had yet to wake. Cold Blue had conceded and returned to his normal size. He even healed them and was now working on healing Twilight. It was unclear to both of them whether he believed a single word or was just shocked by such a proclamation. He knew she was from the future, but even a revelation like this was hard to accept, even for them. However, Rex was the most surprised. He hadn't fully accepted the reality himself, and yet Clover was the first to stand and affirm it. He had his doubts and knew Cold Blue did, too. Even more surprising was the amount of restrained Cold Blue had, long before Rex awoke. The siren could have easily killed Clover. The transformation wasn't even anywhere near completion. Rex made sure Clover knew that Cold Blue's mercy was in effect the moment the siren awoke. In the end, neither of the three could think any longer about those problems. The undead were still outside. Arguing would have to wait. They needed to regroup. But where to? Rex instantly considered the Titan Airship, but since all of them were running low on magic, he would need to write out the spell. Clover watched over Sonata Dusk, Twilight, and Princess Platinum while the two stallions did their work. However, her eyes did occasionally drift to Rex with a mix of concern and amazement. She was concerned about his thoughts on the matter of Twilight's lineage, especially since she didn't talk to him first before making the proclamation. But she was also amazed by Rex's mastery of shadowmancy. This had been the first time she saw him openly write out the spells on the ground, but the detailing was as perfect as her father's work. Cold Blue didn't want to admit it himself, but he too was impressed. Rex had grown more than he ever considered, especially around Clover. He lamented back to Twilight's words and how his own wording was wrong. While he couldn't understand the love Rex had for Clover, he realized Clover loved Rex dearly and this love was changing the umbrum and more ways than one. "So, despite our combined power, the beastly spirit named Aitym escaped." "Yes, and in a body unknown to us." "Not completely unknown..." Rex scanned the area. "Rainbow Dartz..." "Who?" Cold Blue questioned. "The pegasus that guided us down here. He said that he was a friend of Twilight and Starlight." Clover answered. "More problems. Either way, we have a target and a destination." Cold Blue turned his attention upward. "I get it. Where best to hide than in plain sight?" "To Pegasus Isles, then." Clover dragged Princess Platinum's body over to Sonata Dusk, so Rex would have an easier time teleporting both. "But we should drop these two off at the Titan Airship." "Right..." Rex lifted his horn to his shadows to choose a destination. "I'll choose Fredricson's shadow." However, as he opened the pathway, the strangest thing happened. Music echoed forth. Ahh, ah-ah, ahh Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah Ahh, ah-ah, ah, ah-ah Ah-ha, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah "Odd..." Rex raised an eyebrow. "It is clearly organic in nature." "But, I've never known Lady Cat to sing," Clover confirmed. "Yes, it's clearly two females..." Cold Blue walked closer. Welcome to the show Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah Without warning, Sonata Dusk opened her mouth and started repeating the same tune. She matched the other two, note per note. The little one lifted into the air and glowed, as if reacting to their connection. Clover's eyes widened. "The Siren Sisters..." Her voice drifted before she finished. "They must be able to sense each other..." Again, her voice drifted lower. It wasn't like her thoughts were getting lost, but rather it was suddenly getting harder to speak. We're here to let you know Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Our time is now Rex was sensing it too. A sudden strain to speak and stand as if all their power was being drained. "What... is going... on here?" Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah Your time is running out Ah, ah, ah The voices intensified and now Cold Blue was getting the same feeling. "Wait... this feeling... I've... sensed it before..." The siren stallion's legs gave out. He reached out to the shadow as the music got louder. Ah-ha, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ha, ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah Rex and Clover fell as well. Now it was getting harder to stay awake. Their breathing was getting worse. And their eyelids got heavier and heavier. Feel the wave of sound As it crashes down You can't turn away We'll make you wanna sta-a-a-ay The music reached its loudest point and a faint glow grew brighter from within the shadow. The shine matched the intensity of the glow of Sonata Dusk, making both glows all the brighter. Soon, the whole church was filled with their light. We will be adored Tell us that you want us We won't be ignored It's time for our reward Sleep was quickly claiming all of them. Cold Blue as a siren himself, was the only one with strength left now. He reached out to Twilight. He grabbed her hand tightly. "Wake... up..." He pulled himself closer to her and roared with his last breath, "Twilight!!" He stabbed his falcata into the ground and was out cold too. Now you need us Come and heed us Nothing can stop us now The alicorn's eyes shot open and her ears flicked to the music. Realizing the truth far faster than the others did, she lifted Cold Blue's falcata out of the ground and stabbed it deep into Rex's shadow, the source of the music. Her eyes glowed with her normal magic, free of the Pale Mare's rage, and she calmly called out. "Release the bond!" Breaking the shadowmancy stopped the music. Everypony shook in place for a moment before coming back to reality. Sonata Dusk dropped with a hard thud and stopped singing. The others got up and attempted to stand. Each gave very different reactions to such a move. Cold Blue with the most fiery reaction, took back his weapon from Twilight and aimed its sharp end at the younger siren's throat. "No!" Clover screamed, falling in the way once more, remembering her broken leg. "I understand your reasons for Twilight... " He lifted the tip to Clover's throat instead. "But that little one nearly killed us." "Agreed." Twilight didn't want to admit it, but he was right. "However, that spell seemed more reactive than the last I heard it." She pushed away his weapon. "For now, I think it would be best to keep the siren sisters far from each other." "You said, you heard it before?" Rex questioned. "Yes. when I first saw the siren sisters on the Titan Airship, I knew exactly who they were..." Twilight fell back onto a rock. She waved them away to assure them she was fine. "Or rather, I know what will become of them..." "In the future?" Clover questioned. "Your timeline..." Rex affirmed. "Yes..." Twilight conceded. "Must be a failsafe that either the wendigo or Aitym put into place if the children got too close to each other. In the future, they will learn to control that failsafe somehow. For now, we will have to take them with us." It took her another moment to catch on to what Cold Blue said to Clover. "Wait, what did you say?" She pointed to Clover. "I... I don't know," Clover replied, unsure what she meant. "No, when you were protecting the child!" Twilight reached out for Cold Blue to help her stand. "He told you... You had a reason to protect me, but not her!" Twilight limped right to Clover and repeated. "What did you say to Cold Blue?" "It's not what she said..." Rex corrected. He stepped between them and Clover. "It's what we both said that was important." He knew Twilight didn't need to know about the deal just yet. He himself was still unclear about the details of the deal, but a greater priority needed to be put forth as an explanation. "We know the truth about you... Twilight." Twilight narrowed her eyes as if it hadn't hit her yet. But slowly the realization came to pass. Her sight dotted about the room and her legs drifted to the exit. "I... I don't know what you mean?" She dodged their words. "No," Rex stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. It was the first kind gesture he ever gave her. "I know who you are... daughter--" "Don't you dare say it!" She pulled away. Her reaction left them all puzzled. "I mean..." She corrected herself. "It's just... time is a fickle thing." Her eyes tilted back to the exit. "I... I can't be sure... Whether it's my assumptions or your assumptions..." She twirled her finger around. "What I'm trying to say is... without proof..." "I..." Rex hesitated until Clover grabbed his hand. "I have proof... I found it when I scanned for you back at the unicorn capital." He placed his other hand on the dark alicorn amulet. "Later, he confirmed it... And so did Lord Red." "Lord Red..." Twilight's eyes widened into defeat. "So he's here too. Of course, he would know the truth..." She turned away. "Damn, centipede has to ruin everything!" They wanted to question her word choice, but she quickly changed the subject. Turning her attention to Clover, the alicorn softly asked. "So you are my..." "That is purely an assumption right now." Cold Blue pulled her away. "A mystery that will have to wait." Facing the exit, he pondered aloud. "How will we get out of here then?" "You're right," Twilight laughed it off. She looked up at the sky for the first time. "Wait, are we already inside the Giant Blue Hourglass of legend..." She silently cheered in place without a need for this confirmation. "I have been wanting to visit this place since our arrival in this timeline, Starlight." She stopped upon noticing her student was nowhere in sight. "Hey, where is she?" "With Lord Red," Clover answered. "He and Starswirl thought it would be a good idea to split up when we arrived." "Of course..." she deadpanned. "Ha," Rex gave a soft laugh. "So hating that bastard, Lord Red, is a family tradition?" "Oh, I have encountered multiple versions of him through the multiple timelines I have visited. All have been a thorn in my side for a long, long time." "Either way," Cold Blue pointed to the siren child and Princess Platinum. "We need to put these two up somewhere and meet up with him all the same." "Hmm," Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What about the Crooked Wings? Shouldn't that be nearby here?" "The what?" Clover raised an eyebrow. "It's a bar," Rex answered. "Yeah, legend said it lied between the two lands of the Giant Blue Hourglass," Twilight confirmed. "And you know this how?" Cold Blue questioned. "I... I've studied all forms of alcoholic establishments in history books--" Twilight was stopped at Clover's laughter. "Now I know you and Rex are related!" the unicorn chuckled harder before leaning on Rex. "We have our destination." Rex rolled his eyes and loosened his shadows around all of them. "Let's go." Reactivating the written spell, the entire group vanished into his shadows and onward to battle. ******