The Dazzlings? Here? Now? Those three sister singers had come to our aid? But why? I thought they only cared about each other. But I guess there was no time for that. I was just glad to not be squashed by giant crab legs. And their voices weren’t half bad either.
“The Dazzlings?” Sunset looked on in confusion as the three teenage sirens sung from outside of the magical dome the crba made. “What are they--”
“Wait! It’s working!” Twilight pointed up at the crab. It had been serenaded by their singing. It even started to dance and shake. “If they distract it long enough, it may give us enough time to--”
I held up my hand to interrupt her. “Nah. I think we should let them have this one…”
Those three continued to sing their sweet song. It was so powerful, that the crab was completely under their control. But what would come next would be just as surprising. I saw Aria nod to Sonata, and the blue siren made an excited squeal of joy.
“MI-MI-MIIIIIIIII~!”
“AGH!” The three of us on the inside of the dome did our best to cover our ears. Sonata sang such a high note so loudly that it caused excruciating pain. Even the crab was staggered. Wait. The crab was staggered!
And no only that, but its magical armor plating had been disrupted by the high note! But we still had to deal with the barrier problem. Or so I thought. Turns out they already thought of what to do next.
Aria grabbed a microphone and spoke into it. “You’re nothing but second-rate crustacean scum. I wouldn’t even wanna eat you for dinner. Lobsters are way more intimidating!” she folded her arms with a snarky smile.
The crab was enraged at the insults. It charged right at the three, and according to plan, it busted right through its own magical dome. With it shut down, the three sirens stepped out of the way. The beast stampeded and ran itself into a nearby rock which dazed it even more.
“Set me up, girls,” Adagio commanded. Sonata gave her sister a baseball, and Aria followed it up with a bat. Adagio threw the ball straight up into the air, and got into a stance to bat it. “Eat THIS!” With a heavy swing, the ball was struck. So hard in fact, that it caught fire and bore a hole straight through the massive crab.
Her sisters watched on in excitement. In fact, so did Twilight, Sunset, and I. We all waited patiently to see what would happen.
Adagio looked at her nails, and smugly counted down the time. “And in three...two….now.”
Right on time with her words, the crab shattered apart like glass before it disappeared in a fiery magic explosion.
“Woohoo!” Sonata cheered, “You both did amazing sisters!”
Aria chuckled, “Yeah, you were pretty good too, Sonata.”
“And now the beast is beaten! Can’t stand up to our power, can it? Hmhmhm!”
I was utterly shocked. I wanted to go up and say something, but Sunset and Twilight beat me to it.
“That was amazing, you guys!” Sunset praised, “I didn’t think you were capable of working together like that.”
Twilight chimed in, “You have to show me the capabilities of the sonic frequency of your voices. How can they control people? How can they disrupt magic?”
“And Adagio...I never would’ve pegged that you were into baseball of all things.”
The yellowish-orange siren blushed and cleared her throat in an attempt to play it off. “Yes, well, ahem. You know...we tend to...yeah.”
Meanwhile, I was near the water. There it was, the Gate to Equestria that allowed magic to leak through. Luckily, no other sea creatures were nearby, so it would be a while before any other messes could occur. “Whew…”
Aria squatted down next to me, “Wow...there it is. A portal to our home…”
I looked at her. “Wanna go back? Genuine question…”
She shook her head. “No...there’s...that world rejected us and we can never show our faces again. Here, we get a completely fresh start.”
“Totally!” Sonata shouted from behind us out of nowhere, “Equestria was fine and all but their laws were way too strict. Here, we can have fun with whoever we want and not be judged! And not to mention tacos are served all the time!”
Adagio stepped forward. She rubbed her chin as she stared at the glowing light beneath the water. She giggled and shook her head, “Nah. All the magic and power in the world is nothing compared to watching over these two anvils,” she put one arm around each of her sisters. Aria rolled her eyes and Sonata giggled. “Besides...I think we have a chance to make more real friends right in front of us…”
Sunset walked over next, “That’s great to head, Adagio. But we need to close this thing up before it gets explosive. Ready to head home, Pale?”
I nodded, and tipped my hat. “Yup. It was fun working with you ladies. But I have a job to take care of back home.”
Twilight handed me the suitcase that contained all of my clothes as well as another device shaped like an arm gauntlet. “When you get back home, slide this onto your hoof. It’ll allow you to shut down any portals back to our world so no more magic will get through.”
“Oh wow, I’ll be sure to make use of this. Okay…hm?” I raised an eyebrow at Sunset who had walked out to one of the rocks. She got ready to dive off into the portal. “Um, what are you…?”
“Rrgh...going with you, silly,” she grunted while she did some stretches. “You’re a pretty hard-working investigator and I think Cozy Glow deserves another shot. Not to mention, I’ll be your evidence against Neighsay to prove he’s abused his power.”
“Oh, um, if you’re sure.”
She nodded, “For sure. I know of a safe portal to use in order to get back home, so don’t worry. Consider it a favor from one friend to another, eh?”
Ah, that was good. Sunset would be a nice asset to have in such a situation. Plus, since I helped her out, I felt less guilt since she simply wanted to help me out in return. “Alrighty then. Guess we’re both off.” I turned to the other four girls, “I’ll be on my way. And if you ever come into contact with the Pale Vestige from this world, don’t be afraid to ask him for help on any sticky situations you need investigated.”
“Ooh, for sure! If his human counterpart is as capable as you are, it could be a great benefit to have!” Twilight scribbled in her notes.
Aria shrugged. “Sure, sure, whatevs. I can think of a few sticky situations A-dawg would want him to look into,” she pointed to her eldest sister.
“Shush you!” Adagio nudged her sister into the sand, “And sure, no problem. If your counterpart in this world is just as understanding as you, then we might have another friend to--ah!”
Sonata giggled and tackled her eldest into the sand. “Ooh, if I see the human Pale, I’ll invite him to my job where we can all eat tacos and be buddies!”
I also couldn’t help but laugh as I watched the three play in the sand together. Twilight used her magic to levitate them. “Okay, that’s enough you guys,” she set them upright, “He has to get going. But if you want, I’m curious as to how you plan to cook this fish.” she pointed to their beach campfire.
Aria was first to go. “Alright, I guess I’ll show you. See ya, Pale.”
Next was Sonata, “Bye-bye! Wait, sis! Lemme help!”
Adagio waved as she walked off. “Do your best, and remember what I said…”
I nodded and waved as they left. Sunset cleared her throat to get my attention.
“Ahem--if you’re done gawking, we should get back and make your case, hm?” she said with a teasing smile. “Don’t worry. When I get back here, I’ll tell your actual human self what’s up so he can pick up the slack for you.”
“Appreciated.” I clutched the suitcase that held my items, “Now let’s get moving.”
With a nod, Sunset jumped into the water. “Woooo!” She dove into the water, and swam into the portal.
With one final wave to the others, I jumped in after her…
Twilight looked to a set of nearby bushes. “Didja get all that on camera, Microchips?”
The bespectacled boy rose from the bushes with a digital camera, phone camera, and two drones at his side. “Absolutely. This is going to be the best article that the Canterlot High Newspaper and Web Blog has ever posted!”
“Nice! Hey, come join us!” Twilight waved her hand to beckon him over.
“Oh, uh...sure!”
We landed back in. I was a pony again! Oh the sweet feeling of four legs never felt better. And the girl had become a unicorn mare. “Alright...now where...ah! Look!” she pointed at the portal we exited. “We’re right in the middle of Canterlot’s flower garden. You got the device Sci-Twi gave you?”
I looked at her and grinned, “Really?”
“Hey...it helps to differentiate, right?”
I put the silver-colored gauntlet on my left hoof. Once it was activated, it fired off a blast of magic that consumed and sealed up the portal. “Woah! It’s like…”
“Magic?” Sunset started to trot towards the castle.
“I mean sort of...hey, wait one more thing,” I caught her attention before she started to walk, “To be able to exist in two worlds with that much skill. I have to give you props in particular. I’m sure your parents are very proud.”
She blushed, “Thanks but...my parents aren’t...nevermind, heh. I appreciate that.”
As we walked around, Sunset ooh’d and ahh’d at the various changes made to the castle. Ah yes, that’s right. She hadn’t been here in a while so of course she would react differently to things. “Wow...all the guards have stronger weapons, the tapestries are purple and…” she sniffed, “Is that lavender? Things really have changed, huh?”
A familiar purple and green dragon came to greet us. “Hey Sunset! And...oh, you’re the guy that Twilight wants to speak to, yeah?”
“Spike?! Holy--you’re huge!”
“Heheh, thanks I know. I’ve been growing a lot since you last saw me.” He looked at me, “But uh, Pale...right?”
“That’s right,” I nodded.
Spike pointed to the throne room. “Twilight’s waiting for you. It’s almost three o’ clock. Better get a move on.”
I sighed with relief. Turns out I wasn’t too late. That was good. It meant we could speak with the princess before things got crazy. “Thank you, Spike,” I said, and started running down the hall. “Sunset, let’s go!”
The unicorn mare was still astonished at Spike’s size for a moment until she shook her head. “Oh, right…coming!”
We dashed through the castle, and arrived at the throne room to see the purple alicorn. “Pale, welcome--and oh, hey Sunset! I mean, ahem--welcome, Sunset.”
“Twilight! There isn’t much time, so I’ll make this quick.”
“Actually, I have a better idea,” I spoke up.
Once my idea was heard, the princess teleported the three of us to Chancellor Neighsay’s office. Once there, both myself and Sunset explained what happened to Twilight. Everything from Neighsay sending me to the human world to the Dazzlings being more friendly now.
“Woah woah woah, okay...first off, I’m happy the sirens have a place they’re comfortable to live in. Secondly….WHAT THE ACTUAL BUCK?!”
“It’s true, Twilight. He put Pale there in an attempt to get rid of him and miss your meeting to un-stone Cozy Glow. There’s probably a host of other things that geezer has done behind your back without your knowledge.”
I nodded. “Please believe me, Twilight.”
“How can I not?!” she shouted to the ceiling, “If Sunset literally had to bring you back here, then something’s very wrong. Now I understand why you requested to be brought here, Pale. Maybe there’s some evidence we can find to further prove what you’re saying. Check everything. Don’t leave a single inch of this room uninspected,” she ordered us.
Sunset and I nodded. We all worked to look through the room for whatever we could find. It was a long, painful search. But something in the back of my mind was nagging at me. The idea that I was not prepared for what I was going to find in this room. My heart pounded, my blood vessels rushed with extreme power. Was there a chance that Neighsay was more powerful than any of us realized?
“Hey, what’s this?” Sunset pulled a book from a shelf.
Twilight tilted her head, “Hm...doesn’t look like anything special to me. Everypony knows that the whole hidden passageway behind a bookshelf thing is a load of--”
A low rumbling noise was heard once the book was removed. Sunset had a smug expression.
“There’s...a hidden passageway behind the bookshelf, isn’t there?” Twilight asked with a hoof to her forehead.
The smug unicorn giggled, and walked on through with a slightly annoyed Twilight that followed. She poked her head out, “Uh, Pale. You coming?”
The whole time, I had been distracted by my fear. I played it off with a nervous laugh. “Oh, hehe...of course.” I followed the mares down the passageway. It led to a staircase. Down the steps we went until we came upon a basement-like room that was pitch black.
“Hang on.” Twilight’s horn lit up, and she tossed a ball of light into the air which illuminated the room around us.
Files. Loads and loads of them. Files all over the place. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for the head of the EEA to have a separate room to keep track of certain things. But why so down deep?
“Odd...this reminds me of the crawlspaces under the castle from when I was little,” Sunset commented as she took a look around.
Twilight inspected the dark room. “Hrm...something’s off here…”
I made use of my sensory abilities. I felt negativity. Powerful black magic was used on something in this room. But what? “I think there’s dark magic here...we better be careful.”
“Dark magic, huh? Hm…” Sunset seemed to lose herself in thought for a moment. Did she have familiarity with the subject?
“Don’t worry, Sunset. If there is dark magic here, I can take care of it no problem,” the princess assured her friend. “Now Pale, can you pinpoint the exact direction it’s coming from?”
I pointed to the corner of the room. “There.”
Twilight trotted over, and used her magic to suss out what the problem was. Her prize was a small chest of sorts that was locked off with dark magic. “Eh? Why would Neighsay lock something off with such dangerous magic?”
“Probably to keep something very secretive hidden away,” Sunset commented with a long scowl, “Let’s open it up.”
I watched carefully as Twilight countered the dark magic with her own. I felt it again. My adrenaline rushed. My blood bumped. My heart raced. Why was I feeling this way? Just what was inside of that damn box?!
POP!
At last, Twilight popped it open. “Ah!” Both of the mares gasped at what they found. Inside were documents detailing information that Twilight read aloud.
“Day 5: Specimen 98 has accepted to be used for the spell. We told her it would give her more energy, but in reality, we are looking to assess the potential of implanting magical abilities into another. It has caused a heated amount of tension between her and her husband, due to the side effects making her more aggressive.”
“Subjects…?” Sunset loomed over and picked out another page for Twilight to read. “What could he be doing?”
“Day 17: Specimen 98 has shown signs of aggression not only to her husband, but her child as well now. She is now delusional due to the effects of the spell provided.”
I tilted my head. This sounded familiar, but I wanted Twilight to read more.
“Day 35: Specimen 98 has left her family about a few weeks ago. The effects of the spell have now taken root. She is now capable of levitating and firing magic blasts despite being an earth pony. However, its effects have taken an abnormal toll on her body.”
“Day 72: Specimen 98 is now a mercenary for hire and takes odd jobs. We shall consider adding her to the group should she remain alive.”
“Day 105: Specimen 98 KIA by rival mercs.”
“Killed in Action...how? So wait, hold up,” Sunset held up a hoof, “You mean to tell me Neighsay has had experiments running this entire time?!”
I felt a cuddling sensation in my throat. As if I could throw up my entire digestive system with a single cough. I spoke weakly, and could barely stand to raise my voice. “What was..that specimen’s name?”
Twilight took another look at the paper. The name was blacked out, but thanks to her skills at writing--and magic--she was able to reverse engineer the text in order to see the letters. “‘Specimen Name: Bright Memento.’”
As soon as I heard that name, I fell to the floor. I felt like a fish with no water. Unable to breathe or think properly. “...That was...my mother.” She had been under the effects of a spell the entire time which caused her to become extra aggressive towards my father. And then, she left me in his abusive care to become a wandering mercenary only to die?! That...no...
“WHAT?!” Both mares shouted aloud.
Sunset took a deep breath, and trotted over to console me. She used her magic to set me upright. “Hey...I got your back. Don’t worry.”
“Um...S-Sunset?”
“What’s wrong, Twilight?”
“...You might...you need to see...this…”
Sunset went back over, and began to read aloud.
“Specimens 24 and 25: The black magic boosters have increased their aptitude. They have both risen highly through the combat tourney that I have placed them in with the other Specimens. They are now set to face off against each other.”
She read the next file.
“Specimens 24 and 25 managed to break free of the spell and have killed each other. One could not live without the other.”
“Check the names…” Twilight mumbled.
When she found the names, Sunset nearly burst into tears. “My...my parents...they were...no...no! Is that why Celestia took me in as her student? Because my parents...Neighsay...did she know about this?!”
Twilight put a hoof around her unicorn friend. “Don’t worry...I’m going to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. For now, I will be taking this as evidence to use against--”
“Against whom?” the old bastard himself appeared at the top of the steps, “P-princess?” His usual, uptight demeanor was broken as soon as he saw Princess Twilight.
“You…” Sunset ran up the steps and tackled him to the floor. “You sick piece of shit! You were the reason my parents disappeared?! You took everything from me!”
“What the devil are you talking about?” he tried to deflect, “I don’t even know who you are.” He used his magic to levitate Sunset off of him, “Now if you’ll excuse me I--”
Twilight shut all of the doors with her magic. “Neighsay. Explain. Everything. Now.”
At last, I rose from my fetal position, and trotted up the steps back to the office where Sunset and Twilight had cornered the old stallion. “Heh...I’m gonna love watching you see your own blood as you die.”