//------------------------------// // Ups and Downs // Story: Equestria Girls: Love Is Magic // by onekface //------------------------------// Chapter 69 (Giggity): Ups and Downs (Equestria) (Canterlot Castle) Starlight paced back and forth from the nursing room, eyes turning from the door and the carpet beneath her. It had been a few hours since the incident in the hall of mirrors and the castle was put on high alert. What happened back then still shocked her. It all just happened so fast that she barely even had time to register everything. But when the dust finally settled, both Trixie, Princess Luna and a squad of the royal guards were escorted out by healers. She had been trotting around ever since. “Starlight!” The Headmare snapped her head around to greet the former Princess of the Sun. “Princess Celestia.” “I came as soon as I heard the news. I am so terribly sorry for your friend. Is she alright?” “I… I don’t know. The doctors took her in the room just now. What about Princess Luna?” “She is fine. Though her magic has waned since the encounter. The doctor says that she’ll recover after a full night’s rest.” That was a relief. Alicorns really are made of sterner stuff. Though that still didn’t alleviate her worries. “But I’m more concerned over what happened. The guards that saw the incident told me that something came through one of the portals.” That’s a mild way of putting it. Something did try to enter. But it never came through the portal. It was far too large to properly fit through the small mirror. However the damage it did was substantial. It made a complete mess of Starswirl’s old lab breaking a number of mirrors and artifacts that were centuries old. It’ll take forever before they can get any of it back to working order. “We’re not sure what it was.” Starlight answered. “It just tried to get through the portal but it was too big for it to fit. But I did hear a voice. It sounded pretty familiar though. I just can’t wrap my head around it.” “I’m sure it’ll come back to you eventually.” The princess tapped her shoulder trying to ease her worries. “And where is Sunburst? I was hoping to catch him here. That pony has a lot to answer for after we strictly told him not to go through that portal.” Starlight’s expression paled in return. “He… never came back.” Celestia gasped. “When Trixie stumbled through, that thing just started flailing everywhere. The mirror portal was shattered by the time it all ended.” “Then… that means…” “He’s trapped on the other side.” A stunned silence fell over them. It was a disaster. A complete and utter disaster. “We need to open another portal to Ezaquatel as soon as possible.” She turned over to the princess. “I don’t suppose you’d know how to make one, would you?” Celestia sadly shook her head. “I’m afraid not. These mirror portals were of archaic origins. Created long before I was ever around. Their designs was something I could never truly grasp. Only Starswirl had the capacity, understanding, and patience to uncover its secrets. Only he would be able to save your friend.” Starlight opted to ask further but her look turned to panic when she noticed the door to the care room opened revealing a doctor pony and his nurses. “Doctor! Is everything already? How is she?” She pleaded. “Is Trixie ok? Does she need anything?” “One at a time, please.” The pony answered, looking a little startled. “Your friend is fine. Nothing life threatening at the moment. Though she will have to stay in a proper hospital if she is to fully recover.” Starlight felt a weight has lifted off her chest. “We’ve performed several healing spells already and so far there are no complications.” “Oh thank goodness.” Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. “However. I’m afraid she is also suffering from magical energy exhaustion. Whatever she did drained her of all of her magical powers.” The same case Starswirl is suffering from. “But I wouldn’t worry too much. These sort of cases are not that uncommon. Give her a few days’ rest and she’ll be right as rain. You can visit her, but I doubt you’ll get a response. I’ll have one of my nurses monitor her for a while. Now… if you’ll excuse me, your highness. I have a few more patients to tend with.” “Of course. Thank you doctor.” Now it was Starlight’s turn to breathe a sigh of relief. “Well… I’m glad she’s fine. Trixie has been through a tough spot before. But that still leaves us with more questions than answers. This is really starting to look like a right big mess.” The sun pony nodded. “I agree. This dark power, whatever it may be, is not something we can take lightly anymore. It’s clear that everything that has happened thus far is connected. And I’m afraid Sunset and her friends in the human world are somehow caught up in all of this.” “So… what do we do?” Celestia pondered for a moment and shook her head again. A stern and determined look flared from her face as she turned over to the guards. “There’s no other choice. We must call upon all who can aid us. Guards!” The two pegasi saluted at attention. “Fetch me a scroll and a quill. I need to send a letter.” (House by the hill) Sunset was not amused. In fact, you could say that she was less than amused. She stared down at her boyfriend who sat by the couch with a dumb look on his face, while Twilight poked him with a stick. She and Luna saw a flare appear from where the scar on his hand was. The familiar feel of magical energy resonated from it, enforcing his claim. It should’ve been a moment of celebration. At least… that’s what Flash was thinking. But to her and Luna… it was a dreadful appearance. “Well… it’s official.” Twilight declared with a expressional face. “Flash has magic.” “Yeah, we can see that.” Sunset groaned, resisting the urge to palm her face. “But how did this happen? You said it came to you during the earthquake?” “Yup.” He nodded dumbly, a shy smile forming on his face. “It was pretty cool. I practically sent that ceiling tile flying.” But then he noticed their expressions and slowly realized that they did not share his enthusiasm. “You guys don’t look too happy about that.” “Your powers of observation are impeccable, Flash.” Luna retorted, one brow raised sarcastically. “While this may seem incredible from your point of view, it goes against what I wanted. I was hoping to rid CHS of magic. Not add more of it. “I thought we controlled all of the Equestrian Magic.” Sunset asked. “We have.” Twilight answered raising a finger. “But I don’t think this is Equestrian Magic per-se. Judging from the timing of this whole thing, the wavelength of the energy, and the position of the scar, I have a strong suspicion that this might be Yaztec Magic. Flash must’ve caught it when Cinch blasted him with that bolt of energy in the parking lot.” “But that was months ago. Why is it activating now?” Twilight shrugged grinning childishly. “Your guess is as good as mine. It could be a number of things. Emotional reaction, genetic structure, maybe even hormones. But the bigger question is… why his arm?” “What?” “I mean… think about it. Every time we’ve encountered magic. Whether it’s Equestrian Magic or Yaztec Magic, it always imbed itself on an artifact. The black gemstones, our geodes, even simple objects like a mirror or pen can become enchanted. This is the first time I’ve seen a living person becomes intoned with magic.” That was… actually a good point. It was a simple observation but an astute one. “So… what does that mean?” Flash was the one who asked this time. “It means you’re a special case.” Twilight fixed her glasses, grabbing his arm and analyzing it from shoulder to fingers eagerly like a child opening a new toy on her birthday. If you looked closely you can see her glasses fogging up from all the steam she was building. “Fascinating. This is absolutely fascinating. It’s like the energy is merged with your whole body. How does it feel? Does magic have a stinging sensation? What’s it like?” “Well… I’m not really sure myself.” He answered awkwardly while the girl continued to poke and prod him like some kind of science experiment, mumbling something under her breath. “But that’s kind of the reason why I wanted to tell you guys first. Maybe with this, I can actually do more to help you guys.” Sunset let out a sigh. “I don’t think having you throwing magic everywhere is a good idea Flash.” “Why not? You girls have powers and so far you’ve been doing great.” “That’s different. We’re……” She paused for a spell. “… we’re not like the rest. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but magic hasn’t exactly been accommodating for everyone. Who knows what kind of danger you might put yourself in?” “Or others for that matter.” Luna agreed, arms folding firm. “The whole school has been brain washed, hypnotized, and turned to mindless zombies already. Who knows what kind of world-ending calamity you might cause with? We are not taking that risk.” “Then why don’t you teach me?” The boy put out noting his ex’s raised expression. “I mean if I have magic, you girls can help me control it so it won’t do anything crazy.” “It’s not that easy Flash. Magic isn’t just something you can just learn like a class in school.” “Now hold on just a moment.” To their surprise, Twilight protested. “We can’t blame everything on magic alone. Sure we’ve had our share of dark magic lately. But that’s because they were held by people with little understanding of it. Think about it for a minute. If Gloriosa or Vignette or Wallflower Blush knew how dangerous magic was, they could’ve done a lot of good instead of harming others. Remember how I was when I first discovered my magic?” How could she not? Twilight was a complete wreck. Depressed even. “That’s true.” Sunset groaned admittedly. “And remember how everyone else reacted when they got their magic?” She added much to her annoyance. “We were all afraid of it. But you were there Sunset. You taught us not to be afraid of what it could be and embraced magic for what it was. You were there to teach us. If it weren’t for you… I don’t think any of us here would be where we are.” “That’s… also true.” “And now we have the opportunity to do the same thing. If we can help Flash adapt to his new found powers, he could help others like we have. He could be a great new addition to the team. And not to mention an asset against the Black Stone Order. If we train him through our usual sessions, he’ll be able to use that magic for good rather than for himself.” Twilight gave a fancy smile. “Besides, this is Flash we’re talking about here. Can you imagine him actually using his powers for evil?” “You just want him because he’d make a great research subject.” Twilight’s cheeks turned a beet red. “Well… that’s… partly true.” Girl. You look ready to have that arm of his X-rayed in a moment’s notice. She did think about it though. And honestly, she could see nothing but perks in this deal. If they could help Flash with this new found magic, groom him to be a force for good he would undoubtedly become a great expansion to the group. And honestly, they could really use the extra help. The only problem was that it came from HIM. “I suppose it can’t hurt.” She sighed in defeat. “It’s not like we can remove it anyway.” “Can’t we just cut the hand off?” “Ms. Luna!?” Twilight shrieked while Flash grabbed his arm away. “I’m kidding.” She added quickly enough though the rest of them didn’t really seem convinced. “I would never harm one of my students. At least not intentionally. But I am a bit adamant about this. I don’t want magic invading the school any more than it has already. You all know that my sister was quite serious on her orders. If she finds out that Flash… or who knows how many more students have this kind of power, she’ll flip.” A breath escaped her, eyeing the boy in question. “But… if this magic can be of use to your group, I’ll be lenient.” “Yes!” Flash cheered despite Luna’s disapproving look. “You won’t regret this. I promise.” “Now hold on.” Sunset added, raising a hand up. “Before we try anything, you have to promise me that you won’t use your magic in school.” “Promise.” He raised a hand up to symbolize something akin to an oath swearing. “Good. We’ll go through some works. But first we need a favor from y – Twilight! Will you stop that?” “What? I wasn’t doing anything!” You are literally holding one of your fancy gizmos and holding it over his arm like some mad scientist. “It’s for research purposes.” No. It’s totally not. Not when you’re trying to rip his shirt off just to see what’s underneath all that skin. That’s not research, that’s invasion of personal space. And probably even harassment if the law allowed it. (Crystal Prep) (Principal’s office) “Right. Just sign here.” Sombra motioned to the line on the document to which Shining Armor proceeded to do so. It was the weekend at Crystal Prep and hardly anything needed doing thanks to the hard work of Dean Cadance. But even so, the old man had to see some procedures through. “And with that, your contract with us is hereby terminated. I’m truly sorry to see you go, Shining Armor. Despite us having worked together for only a few months you have been an integral part in our work in Crystal Prep. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you from our faculty and staff.” “Thank you sir.” The boy nodded back in understanding. “I’m quite reluctant to see you go. Especially when I heard that you were transferring to Everton Academy of all places.” “It’s just that… it was an offer I couldn’t refuse sir.” “If it’s about money, I’m sure we can negotiate.” Sombra offered. “Considering your years of service here, I think there’s a little wiggle room.” “Thanks for the offer, Principal. But I think this is for the best.” Shining added, putting his student ID down. “May I at least know why you’re leaving?” He asked, taking his seat by his super comfy chair. “It’s clearly not about the money. So it’s obvious that you ulterior motives for going.” “It is about the money.” The former faculty admitted reluctantly. “Well… partly. It’s just that… I need to get away from here.” Sombra blinked, somewhat surprised of the answer. “Did something happen?” “No. Well… yes. Kinda. It’s just that… me and Cadance have been…” “Romantically involved. Yes, I’ve heard.” “Yeah… that. And things have been… good. But… I can’t see myself staying here for the rest of my life. It’s time I moved on to something different for a change. Not… be rooted down.” Sombra’s face hardened at the vague explanation. “I see. You feel trapped being under her for so long.” “Yeah. Something like that.” Shining admitted again. “Don’t get me wrong. I love working with Cadance. And I really like her. But if I stay here with her, I get the feeling I won’t be able to grow as a person.” An eerie yet warm silence fell between the two. Sombra let out a pleasant sound, reaching out to the boy’s shoulders. “I can’t say I understand how you feel, Shining Armor. But if you believe this to be the best course of action for you, then I won’t stop you. However… you should know that the road you’re heading will be full of strife. I wouldn’t be surprised if you and Cadance fought over it.” “Yeah. We already did that. She was pretty livid about the whole thing. But… I’m sure this is the right way.” “Then I wish you well.” He chimed, leading the boy to the door of his office. “Good luck on your new job in Everton. And if you ever find yourself back here, I’m sure no one will argue against it.” “Thank you sir. It’s been a pleasure.” Shining extended his hand which his old boss gladly accepted. “The pleasure was all mine my boy.” They smiled and laughed. And with a final wave, he said farewell to his former employee. The kid had a bright future ahead of him. Undoubtedly full of conflicts with his beloved. But that was something he was willing to deal with. Sombra envied him greatly. He actually somewhat reminded him of himself when he was just a young passionate man with dreams. Oddly though, there was something off about him. Were the boy’s eyes always green?