//------------------------------// // In Which the Returners Reach the Endgame Part 1 // Story: Filly Fantasy VI - The Return of Magic // by The Wyld Stallynz //------------------------------// Discord chuckled as he lazily floated across the room, his form passing through shelves and walls as though they weren’t even there. He buffed his lion paw against his chest and casually inspected the claws. “I was worried about you, you know. For over a year you never once showed your face. I kept thinking you were staying hidden, working on a way to stop me. I thought of so many ways to lure you out. Corrupting your sister, causing chaos, even going so far as to leave parts of the world completely alone. I figured you’d slip up at some point and I’d be ready.” Dropping down to the floor, Discord smiled and loomed over Sunset Shimmer. Luna and Twilight held her fast, Twilight reaching for her sword. Discord ignored them. “But it looks like I was worried over nothing. Little Sunset Shimmer was Celestia all this time, right in plain sight. And with no memory to top it off!” He drew back and laughed, a mindless mirth that no one in the room shared. “There’s still… a way... to stop you…” Discord’s cackles ceased, his body rotating so he could sneer down at Sunset. “What, that sealing magic? You and your sister are in no shape to cast it. None of you are. “The only thing I want to know is how you ended up this way.” He thrust his arms to the side, an invisible force pushing Twilight and Luna away, leaving Sunset alone. With a single talon, he jabbed at Sunset’s horn, a bright light igniting at the touch. .o.O.o. ... … … I I’m... awake? Something’s not right. Am I… being pushed? Oh. Oh no. No. No, stop. Please. You don’t know what you are doing. The magic. It’s being undone. He’ll escape. Please. Please stop. Ah! Wild magic. I can’t do anything like this. Another. Pushing me. Please, put me back. He’s waking up. I can feel it. Whoever you are, hurry. Someone else is channeling our power. Fight against it. You must. Yes. That’s it. Savior, do not lose hope. Back in position. Good. Is that… a breeze? My statue. It’s falling apart. What’s happening? What’s— .o.O.o. Sunset gasped, drawing in and letting out several shaky breaths. Through bleary eyes, she saw Discord pull back, a contemplative look to his mismatched face. She coughed and shook her head, barely managing to remain conscious. Above her, Discord stroked his tiny tuft of beard. “So, you bonded with an esper right as you were being released. Ifrit, if I remember correctly. With all the wild magic going around, I’m guessing the shock of bonding did something that made you the way you are now.” He shrugged, stepping away. “Whatever the reason, you can’t—” A sharp pain blossomed in his chest, bringing him to his knees. A strangled gasp escaped his mouth, followed by choking noises. Above the sounds of his asphyxiation, he heard a feminine voice next to his ear. “This is for Whooves.” Trixie’s voice. Discord looked down, seeing her sword tip piercing through his chest. Ice covered the blade, her magic seeping into his body. “Did you think I was stupid? That I wouldn’t figure it out? You kept him alive long enough for me to wake up, then killed him.” Trixie snarled and focused more magic into Save the Queen, expanding the ice and snuffing out Discord’s magic at the same time. “I’ve been waiting for this moment ever since we met. Now die. “Rasp!” Her horn flared, bubbles of purple energy seeping into Discord’s body from every angle. The magic of rasp collided in his center, then emitted outwards, taking the draconequus’ magic with it. Slowly, flecks of Discord’s body began to peel off and dissipate. Trixie cast and recast rasp, using the power her runic drained to charge her spellcasting in a continuous loop. Distantly, she heard someone cheering her on but she couldn't tell who. She ignored it to focus on her task. More and more of Discord’s body disintegrated, evaporating into the air. Her perched on his back fell away, Trixie and her sword passing through to the floor. But her casting didn’t stop. Drawing the last wisp of magic within her, Trixie targeted every bit of Discord that remained, even if they were no larger than a speck of hair. At last she could cast no longer. She collapsed to the floor, utterly exhausted. A deathly silence fell over the room. The awestruck Returners looked from one end of the room to the other, waiting for Discord to pop back in. Only the sounds of Sunset’s groans and Trixie’s heavy breathing were heard. Spike broke the silence “Is… is that it? Is he really gone?” He walked up to Trixie, pushing back her sweat strewn mane. “You… did it. I can’t believe it.” Sucking in a breath, Trixie smirked. “Wasn’t... so hard.” “That hurt.” Trixie spat out a curse. With weary eyes, she watched as Discord came strolling from behind a stone bookshelf, looking no worse for wear. The Returners stared, but were quick to crowd around Trixie and face the being of chaos. Discord regarded them, an unreadable expression on his face. “You managed to take out my shadow. A little trick I picked up from our mutual pal Gilda. I hate to say it, but I’m rather impressed. Neat.” He folded his arms behind his back and began to pace. “Sad to say, but our game is almost over. You found all your friends just like I asked and have gotten pretty strong while you did it. Celestia has been accounted for and now all that’s left is... well… me.” Discord stopped his pacing, looking off into the distance. A grin began to tug at the sides of his mouth. “What say we end this in grand fashion?” He raised his lion paw and snapped his fingers. Nothing around the Returners seemed to change, but that didn’t mean something hadn’t somewhere else. “What... did you do?” Trixie managed to say, struggling to rise. “Just getting some of my pieces in play. And now that I don’t have to worry about Celestia anymore, I can stop being mister nice draconequus.” With crossed arms, he smirked and rose off the floor. “Find me where we first met, Beatrix. Our game will end there.” He faded away, dark laughter all he left behind. Even after the malicious cackles died away, the Returners waited. When no obvious signs of evil mischief revealed itself, they headed over to where Twilight and Luna were attending to Sunset. “How is she?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m fine,” Sunset answered, her voice steady. With Twilight and Luna’s help, she got to her hooves and heaved a sigh. “At least, I hope so.” Luna swallowed against a dry mouth. “Do you... remember anything?” Sunset took her time answering. She looked between Luna and Twilight, then settled her gaze on a spot on the floor. “A little. I... I don’t know how much of Celestia is left. Sorry.” A dark wing settled over her back and gave a gentle squeeze. “We admit, this will take some getting used to. I hope you will let me help in what ways I can.” “Me too,” Twilight said, giving her own hug. Sunset leaned into their embrace. “Thanks.” A gagging noise from the other end of the room interrupted the tender scene. “Gah, you ponies are so schmaltzy,” Ember said. Derpy frowned and crossed her legs. “Hey, there’s no need for that. Let them have this one.” “Fine, but do it somewhere else. You got what you came for so scram.” She headed for the stairs, waving them off. She stopped short, her claws clenched. Huffing, she spewed a small ball of water that morphed into a bound scroll. Ember tossed it over her shoulder. “Oh, and uh, good luck.” With that, she ran down the stairs, hitting a button on the way down. The stairs rumbled, lifting themselves up and sealing closed. Spike scratched his head while Rainbow Dash swooped down to pick up the scroll. “What was that all about?” He shrugged it off, turning to his companions. “Well, is she right? Do we have what we need?” Twilight looked over the books that they had yet to go through. “I don’t know. But I don’t think we have much time. “Trixie, do you know what he was talking about?” Trixie nodded, her body leaning heavily against Zecora’s side. “Vectorlot.” Twilight grimaced. “Then we better get these back to the others. Perhaps we’ll find something before we get there.” .o.O.o. Returning to the Orchard took time, now that there were two tired unicorns and a cartload of books and scrolls to carry back. Continuous monster attacks didn’t help, though they proved more of a hindrance than a threat. It wasn’t until they nearly reached Fillygaro that relief came their way. The rest of the Returners were already out and waiting for them, giving the exhausted spelunking team help on carrying their cargo and fighting off any persistent beasts. Only once they were safely tucked away into the Orchard and on their way back to the surface did any of the returning group get a chance to relax. Their respite was brief. Fillygaro Orchard broke the surface in textbook style, all systems normal. The landscape the ponies beheld once they exited the interior was anything but normal. “What in tarnation?” Applejack breathed. Instead of a seemingly endless expanse of sand, the desert now more closely resembled the inside of a bowl of chili. Bits of vegetables, pasta, and other things Applejack dared not contemplate on all floated within a sea of red sauce. The sides of the Orchard, built to effortlessly repel the coarseness of sand, were drenched in the red icor. Applejack held her nose as the smell of rotten food assaulted her. “Keep everything sealed shut! And get the gas masks!” Applejack yelled out then clamped her mouth shut before more of the foul odor could seep in. As her workers rushed to fulfill her orders, she ran back inside to deliver the grim news. .o.O.o. “As if this headache wasn’t bad enough,” Trixie moaned. She took a sip of ether, provided by Stardust, as she listened to Applejack’s report. “Any word from Pinkie Pie?” “Nope,” Big Macintosh said. “Give it an hour then try again.” Messaging her head, Trixie turned to the group gathered in the throne room. Ignoring the pounding in her skull, she raised her voice and said, “This is it. Discord’s had enough. As soon as Pinkie gets here, we’re heading to Vectorlot to end his game.” A low murmur spread through the Returners, too many voices speaking at once for Trixie to pick out any single phrase. Slowly, the din died down, no one willing to speak up. Trixie raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? Trixie was expecting a little more spunk.” One dared to speak their mind. Shining Armor sighed. “Do… you think we’re ready?” Trixie didn’t answer. She swept her gaze over the assembled ponies, dragon, chocobo, zebra, yeti, and changeling. A variety of races stared up at her, united in one thing. To stop Discord. There was one other thing they all had in common. Uncertainty. “Trixie doesn’t know. But we made this far, haven't we? That has to count for something, right? Trixie chooses to think it does. We’ve survived espers, dragons, and ancient monsters we had no chance against but we’re still alive to talk about it.” She paused to collect herself. “I’m seeing this through to the end. Discord started this game and I intend to finish it. If you’re still with me, great. If not, Pinkie can drop you off on the way. “Just one last thing before I go find a bed and crash. You can either fight and die or live with that for the rest of your life.” Trixie pointed a hoof towards the ceiling. All eyes trailed up. A line of kitchen utensils from forks to plates were jovially dancing in the air to an unheard tune. Grimacing, Trixie rubbed her head and made her way to the nearest guest room. With the general gone, the rest of the Returners looked up at the utensils that had now grown to include mops and dustpans then back to each other. “Ah, heck, as if I would quit now,” Rainbow Dash said. “Just try and stop me.” Twilight Sparkle’s features firmed up. “The zebra village will never be cured until Discord’s gone. And I’m not going to let their children live in a world where he’s a constant threat. I’m going to the library to read those books we found cover to cover.” She softened up, giving a hesitant smile. “It would really help to have everyone go through them with me.” “I hope you know that you can always count on me,” Spike said. He gave a thumbs up at Twilight. The unicorn smiled and gave him a quick nuzzle. “The empire I used to serve is no longer around.” Zecora paused as a frown formed. “I intend to do the same to Discord by burying him in the ground.” “Hear, hear!” Derpy Hooves chirped. Sunset Shimmer, standing under her own power, sighed and nodded. “I’ve got a lot of things to sort out now, but I think taking him down will be a good start.” “Well said.” Luna, staying near Sunset, nodded her approval. “Our labor from one thousand years ago will not go to waste.” “Rainbow and Twilight are right,” Shining Armor said, draping a hoof over Spotter’s shoulder. “If there’s ever going to be a chance to get Domare restored then Discord has got to go.” Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo looked at each other and grinned. They zipped behind Fluttershy and Rarity and pushed them forward, earning an indignant squawk from the older ponies. “We’re all in!” “Girls, don’t be rushing into things again,” Fluttershy admonished. “We’re not,” Scootaloo said. “We’re crashing right into it.” Rarity gave them a calculated stare. “Not sure I like how you worded that, especially with an airship involved.” “Then you better come along to watch our flanks.” Sweetie Belle gave a cheeky grin up at her sister. “The thing is, I know you’re hustling me, but you’re right.” With a sigh, Rarity faced the room. “Fine, we’re in.” Applejack and Big Macintosh shared a glance. In unison, they nodded. “Ain’t no way we’re staying out of this, either.” Applejack looked out over the room, doing her best to ignore the apples now joining the party above their heads. “Mayor Mare started the Returners to protect the world and that hasn’t changed. Would be a shame to disrespect what she started just because the enemy is different.” “Eeyup!” Umaro grunted his approval. “I know I’m new here, but I’m determined to help any way I can,” Thorax said. One voice was left that hadn’t spoken. A few eyes traveled to where Stardust stood in the corner, the chocobo staring up at the impromptu dance number occurring above everyone’s heads. He snarled and waved a wing. The sound of a clock coming to an abrupt stop drifted in the air and all the animated objects twirling above suddenly ceased all movements. The next second there came a crash and a few pony shrieks as the utensils and cleaning instruments plummeted to the floor. Stardust met the eyes of everyone now staring at him. “Screw Discord.” .o.O.o. The Paradise arrived a few hours later. It had seen better days. Covered in cotton candy, the airship looked more like a cancerous tumor than a vehicle. It was a miracle it could still fly. With the airship hovering just above the Orchard, multiple ladders were lowered to the highest walls. The Returners were ready, heading up and back onto the airship where the Pie sisters ushered them down below deck. The foul smell of the chili desert followed them the entire way. Only when the Paradise sped away did the horrid stink begin to recede. Soon after, Fillygaro Orchard sank back into the ground. Once Pinkie Pie had the airship at cruising speed, she locked the controls in place and met up with her returned friends. “I swear, after the past few days I may never look at cotton candy again. Please tell me you guys found something.” “Maybe,” Trixie gave as an answer. “Twilight and the others are going through some old books that we found. There may be a spell that can stop Discord.” “Hallelujah!” Pinkie Pie sang to the heavens. Trixie winced, her head still tender. “Trixie is almost afraid to ask. What’s the situation?” Pinkie Pie sighed. “Well, everything was fine up until yesterday. We stopped by South Fillygaro to restock. The town still had oddball chaos stuff happening but they were getting the food bonus so things were normal… ish. But all of a sudden, their unlimited food all turned to ash and the town literally turned upside down!” She flipped, balancing on her head. “Things only got worse from there! All these pink clouds appeared and started raining chocolate milk. It was neat at first but then all the normal animals turned huge and began stomping all over the place. South Fillygaro had to be completely abandoned! “And then—” “You can stop there,” Trixie interrupted. “Things are bad and are getting worse.” She turned to the others in the room as Pinkie Pie righted herself. “Well, what’s it going to be? It’s either this or Discord.” The gathered Returners, even Sunset Shimmer, didn’t hesitate. “Discord!” Trixie smirked. “Good.” She looked back at Pinkie Pie. “Head to Vectorlot.” Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow. “Really? I heard there was nothing there anymore.” “Trixie believes that will change once we get there. How long do you think it will take?” “Hmm, probably less than two days.” A shiver went down Trixie’s spine. Whether it was from dread or excitement, she couldn’t be sure. She looked over the group that had come together in such a short time. These were the creatures that would decide their fate going forward. “We have two days to get ready.” Trixie set her sights on Stardust. “Start brewing. Don’t hold back on the ingredients. Use them up now since I doubt you’ll have time to do it later.” Stardust nodded grimly. “I’ll get to it.” Trixie next locked eyes with Twilight. “I hope this gives you the time to find something.” Twilight took in a breath. “I hope so, too.” Sweeping her gaze over the room, Trixie said, “The rest of you: practice, rest, then practice again. We have to be at our best. Understood?” “Yes!” the roomful responded. “Then let’s get started.” Trixie unsheathed Save the Queen. “Who’s first?” .o.O.o. “Maud? Could you come over here? I want to make sure I’m not going crazy.” Maud Pie finished tightening a rope securing the Paradise’s balloon and headed over to where Limestone Pie stood at the forward of the ship. “What is it?” Limestone answered by pointing a hoof at the horizon. Maud followed her gaze. Her eyebrow raised. “Huh.” “That’s all you have to say?” “Would you rather I say you’re crazy?” Throwing up her hooves, Limestone turned and stomped away. “Forget it! I gotta go tell Pinkie.” Maud watched her go with a flat stare, then casually looked back over the railing where several tons of debris floated in the open air. .o.O.o. “Just got word from Limestone,” Pinkie Pie’s voice said over the airship intercom. “We’re here.” An unnatural silence fell over the ship’s passengers. Everyone stopped what they were doing, remained still, and stared ahead. In unspoken agreement they remained that way for several minutes. It wasn’t until the Paradise jolted a bit that they spurred into action, heading up to the upper deck. Outside, they beheld the same sight as Limestone first did, a growing collection of seemingly random objects slowly drifting over the landscape that Vectorlot once occupied. Entire sections resembled old buildings and laboratories that used to reside within the capital. Huge chunks of land that looked like they had been scooped out of the earth floated with eerie silence. Uncomfortable memories from the Floating Island debacle began stirring within them. More and more objects came in, crashing against each other but their broken bits never fell to the ground, only continued inwards. The scale was too immense for anyone to compare to. Once all were out in the open did anyone dare to speak. “What were you able to find, Twilight?” Trixie asked. Grimacing at being put on the spot with everyone watching, Twilight shuffled her hooves. “We went through the whole collection. Twice. We couldn’t find anything about the sealing magic.” A collective murmur spread through the Returners. “The best we were able to find was something about ultimate magic. But I don’t know how to cast it or if there’s even an esper that could pass it on.” Spike and Sunset, standing on either side of Twilight, laid a claw and leg over her shoulder. “We did what we could,” Spike said. “It was a long shot anyway.” Sunset gave a sheepish smile. “Well, maybe a memory from Celestia will suddenly come back at the most improbable time and will save the day at the last second.” She gasped as Twilight none-so-gently nudged her in the ribs. “Don’t even joke about that.” Trixie sighed. “So. We’re on our own, then.” “We are all that stands between Discord and the world, that much is true,” Zecora said, favoring Trixie with a smile. “But we wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.” “That’s right!” Rainbow Dash zipped up next to Trixie, slapping the unicorn on the back. “You said it yourself. We managed to get this far, sometimes without all that hocus pocus crap. I say we’re ready to take him on with or without any fancy schmancy magic.” Taking a moment to adjust her now rumpled cape, Trixie allowed a lopsided smirk. “We are pretty great, aren’t we?” “And powerful!” A cheer sprang up amongst the Returners, chanting Trixie’s name. Trixie only had a moment to take in the praise when she felt a hoof prod her side. She turned to see Twilight next to her, giving a hopeful smile. “When my memories returned, I knew we didn’t get along much when we were both growing up in the Empire. But, there’s nopony else I’m more glad to have leading us now.” Trixie silently regarded Twilight. Her previous smirk transformed into a full grin and she inclined her head upwards. Twilight returned the grin and nodded. As one, the two lit up their horns and shot out a crackling ball of ice and blazing sphere of fire. The two opposing forces collided outside the airship, creating thousands of glittering particles. Within the drifting sparkles, Returners was spelt. “Whoa, didn’t know they could do that,” Spike commented. The cheering heightened as the Returners shifted to chanting their own name. The noise drowned out all else, even the Paradise’s engines. The collected group of creatures sang for all they were worth, letting the world know of their commitment to their goal. “Glad to see you’re all feeling so spunky.” The voice, barely above normal speaking volume, still managed to overpower the Returners’ cheers. They started and looked out at the levitating pile of junk nearby. The different pieces stopped idly floating and began to move with purpose. It didn’t take long for the gargantuan collection of debris to form a head. A snout larger than Fillygaro Orchard itself and composed of boulders, magitek armor, chunks of land, and countless other things smiled maliciously at them. Discord laughed. “Welcome, friends.”