//------------------------------// // The Terror of Everfree // Story: The Two Unicorns // by Lets Do This //------------------------------// It took some time to piece together the spells they needed. And for the Princesses to wrap their mouths around the tongue-twisting strings of syllables, which Twilight was forced to use given her inexperience with spellcrafting. But urgency leant dedication to the effort and they made rapid progress. Shortly after sunrise that morning, they were ready. The first the guards knew of it was when, with a brilliant flash, Princess Rarity appeared in the corridor before them. Snout held high, she sniffed with haughty displeasure. "All right!" she said. "Up to now I've bided my time, hoping somepony around here would come to their senses and show the respect due the Princess of Unicorns. But sadly, it seems I'm forced to take matters into my own hooves. Now, are you two ready to re-swear loyalty to your rightful sovereign? Or shall I simply lock you two in the cell and go find some other guards more deserving of your, er... hoof-lockers, or whatever it is you have back at the guard-room." The guards glanced at each other, then charged their horns. Rarity's horn was already singing, and she easily disrupted the shield and tangle-hoof spells they attempted to cast. "Ah me!" she said. "I suppose I must take that as a vote of no confidence. Well, we can't have that so... upsy daisy!" Her magic took hold of them, flinging them both to the ceiling and pinning them there, while she relieved them of their keys. "Fluttershy? If you would?" She passed the keys through the door's barred window. And in a trice, the ponies inside were outside, and the guards outside were inside. Rarity slammed and relocked the door, with no little satisfaction. "Ooo-OOO-oh!" she gloated, "I could so get used to this." "Remember, Rarity..." Fluttershy nervously warned her. "We agreed we wouldn't hurt anypony if it wasn't strictly necessary." "Don't worry, dearest. I hadn't forgotten. It is just so nice being able to throw one's weight about for once." They proceeded downwards through the tower, Rarity leading the way and easily brushing aside any guards they encountered. Fluttershy followed close behind her, backing her up from just out of sight, and thus allowing Rarity to rebuild her image as the City Princess. Rainbow flew overhead, Spike riding on her back, to serve as their Backup Aerial Assault Unit -- a title Rainbow had invented for herself on the spot, out of whole cloth. And, at the rear of the group, Twilight trotted along, smiling in amusement at how excited everypony was. She was wearing the carryall, which now held her notes on the spells she'd devised, plus a couple of the smaller spell tomes for reference. They soon reached the throne room, and stormed into it. There, they found Aegagrus seated comfortably on the throne, apparently trying it on for size and receiving the homage of the assembled unicorn guards. Rarity cleared her throat importantly. "Ahem! I do believe somepony is in my chair?" With her augmented magic, she snatched up several lengths of curtain-rope. Using these, she swiftly bound the robed stallion head-to-hoof. Dragging him from the throne she tossed him to the floor, directly in front of the startled guards and their laurel-wreathed Captain. "Now," Rarity said, striding up to the dais and re-seating herself. "It's clear a few changes need to be made around here. But fear not! We can be lenient with those who were merely... led astray, shall we say, by poor counsel? Now, does anyone present still question my loyalty to this city and to its populace? Does anyone still doubt I would use every means at my disposal -- including a few tricks you have not yet seen -- to defend both? In short," she added with a mischievous smile, "is anypony here looking for a lengthy stretch in the dungeon? After all, never let it be said I would ask my subjects to suffer any indignity I have not already suffered myself!" The unicorn guards looked around at each other, startled and uncertain. Then they looked to their leader for orders. "Ahem, Captain?" Rarity hinted, with just a glimmer of power wreathing her horn. "I'm still waiting for my answer..." The Captain stared back at her impassively. Then he lowered his head, submissively... ... and fired a bolt of searing energy, straight at her. Rarity barely had time to put up a shield. And then her eyes went wide, at the power she was having to pour into it. "I say! Somepony's been -- urgh! -- practicing..." "Oooh!" Fluttershy's horn was blazing as well. The two of them together were barely holding their own. Twilight frantically hoofed through her notes, looking for... "Rarity! Fluttershy!" she shouted. "Looking-glass!" "Ah yes," Rarity replied, through gritted teeth. "Thank you for that thought. One must look one's best, mustn't one?" Rarity quickly shifted spells, and so did Fluttershy. Before them, a plane of mirror-like energy materialized, reflecting back the Captain's attack. He was forced to quickly switch spells himself, putting up a ward to block it. Which distracted him just long enough so that Rainbow was able to swoop in and drop a soup tureen she'd borrowed from the kitchen over the Captain's head. Then, on a second lightning pass, Spike swing the ladle, smacking the metal pot with perfect polo form: CLANNNNNG! The Captain was stunned. He dropped to his knees, dazed. "Oh, yeah!" Rainbow pumped a hoof. "Strikin' a blow for the good guys!" Then she held the hoof back over her shoulder for Spike to bump with his claw. "That was... astonishing," said Rarity, still recovering from the ordeal. "And here I'd thought Aegagrus was the most powerful mage in my realm! Curiouser and curiouser! Still, all's well that ends well. There'll be no more hiding behind my Sorcerer Royale for this Princess!" She waved dismissively at the still-pinned mage on the floor. And then stared. "Wait... that's not Aegagrus..." The bound form on the floor had altered, blurring and then changing form. It was no longer a silver-maned unicorn. Instead, it was a mangy-looking, floppy-eared, mud-colored donkey. A booming chuckle made Rarity look up in shock. The Captain reached up a hoof and flung the tureen off his head. "Well, well, well..." a gruff voice snarled. "Have we a ram amongst the sheep? Or is it just... me?" Before them, in place of the laurel-wreathed unicorn, there stood a lithe and powerful blue ram, with massive curling horns, and infernally glowing eyes. "Oh my!" Fluttershy gasped. "An illusion spell?" "Uhh... who's that?" Rainbow asked. "Grogar!" the ram snarled. "And it is a name you shall learn to respect! After you have been taught to fear it!" He charged his curling horns, which shone with golden energy. "Rarity! Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted desperately. "Faraday cage!" "Are you sure, my dear?" "Trust me!" Nervously, Rarity and Fluttershy worked together to cast the spell. And bars of iron materialized around the ram. "Ha! A simple cage? That is the best you can do?" His horns unleashed a blast of power, which washed outwards... And had absolutely no effect, dissipating against the bars of the cage. "What?" Irritated, Grogar cast again and again, with no effect. He swung round, eyeing Twilight with barely contained rage. "You! How is it you are able to block my magic? You're no mage!" "I'm an inventor." Twilight smirked. "Magic... meet physics!" With a bellowing snarl, Grogar slammed his forehooves against the bars, with no more effect than before. Then he swung round, glaring at the still-bound donkey. "Bray! Stop loafing around there, and come help me!" "Yes, Master!" The donkey struggled fiercely. Finally, by sheer brute force, was able to burst his bonds. He frantically leapt to his feet, and charged. Rarity stood her ground, ready for an attack. But the donkey wasn't aiming at her. Instead, he barreled across the marble floor towards Grogar's prison. But his plate-sized hooves slipped and slid on the smooth tiling, and he finally lost control, slamming full tilt into the cage wall. He nearly knocked himself silly, and ended up wedged between the bars. Yet the force of the impact was just enough to bend the bars, creating a gap through which the ram's magic could operate. The ram wasted no time taking advantage of it. Charging his horns once more, he unleashed a blazing flare of energy... And he suddenly wasn't there. Neither was the donkey. Both were at the far end of the throne room, rapidly disappearing through the doors leading out. "He's getting away!" Rainbow yelled. She shot after them, with Spike clinging to her mane for dear life. Startled, Rarity nevertheless recovered quickly. She glanced about at the astonished unicorn guard. "Ahem. We can discuss the finer points of responsibility and duty and so forth at a more prudent time. For right now... after them, all of you!" The guards jumped, then swung round and stampeded after the escaping ram and donkey. The Princesses and Twilight hurried along in their midst. The chase led them out through the castle doors, then down the curving hillside path, heading straight into town. There Rainbow met them coming back, and pointed a hoof forwards. "They're in that market-square place, up ahead," she called. "But c'mon! You gotta see this!" She blasted away, and the others quickly followed. When they'd all reached the square, there was indeed a sight to see. The ram and donkey were standing in the middle of the cobbled square, being watched nervously by the shop and stall owners. And by a solid wall of pastel-hued Forest unicorns, wearing a mixed collection of berets and flowers in their manes. They were currently blocking all the exits leading out of town, their horns flickering warningly. "Oh good," Fluttershy said in relief. "The volunteer brigade. They're so punctual." Then she glanced at Rarity. "I hope you don't mind? I know this isn't their jurisdiction." "Fluttershy, dear," Rarity scolded, "There is a very old saying: never look a gift cavalry in the mouth." With Fluttershy's brigade in front, and Rarity's unicorn guard closing in behind, Grogar and his accomplice were surrounded. The ram glared around, angrily, as if seeking a way out. Magic flickered about his horns, but he seemed unable to settle on a target. Then he found one. His magic lashed out, snatching up a pony. It was Twilight. The carryall with her notes and books fell to the ground, as she was yanked straight out from under it. She was hauled through the air to hang, helplessly, before the ram's glaring eyes. "You are responsible for this," he growled. "Moons planning it, weeks putting up with these benighted, backwards fools. Keeping them all occupied, keeping them distracted. Setting them against each other, taking charge. And then you show up," he roared, "and bring it all crashing down in barely a day! Who are you? Well?" He shook Twilight crossly like a rag doll. Then, as if reaching the limit of his patience, he scowled dangerously, horns charging. "If you are such an expert on magic," he grated. "Then why don't you show us! Show us all! Urrrhh! What are you waiting for? Fight me!" Twilight gulped, staring into his fierce, infernally-glaring eyes, feeling utterly helpless. Then Princess Rarity spoke up, stamping her hoof. "She doesn't have to! She has friends to do it for her!" "Yeah!" Rainbow shouted. "Powerful friends! Right, Fluttershy?" "Oh. Um..." Fluttershy looked anxious. "Yes... I suppose..." "What? Are you kidding me?" Rainbow pointed accusingly. "He's the jerk who's been turning this place upside down all along! So what are we waiting for? I say let's get him!" Not waiting for anypony else, Rainbow launched herself straight at Grogar. She was already swinging her forehooves, readying herself to deliver a hail of punches and cross-cuts. Spike clung to her mane in terror. "Rainbow, wait!" he cried. Then Bray, seeing an opportunity, leapt up and caught Rainbow's fluttering tail in his teeth, yanking her bodily down out of the air. "Yahhhh!" Spike was catapulted off Rainbow's back, tumbling uncontrollably through the air dead ahead... ... and smacking straight into Grogar's face, right between the eyes. Furious, the ram shook his head, trying to dislodge the dragon. His magic lost its coherence, and Twilight fell heavily to the cobbled street. "Get off me, you parasite!" With a final toss of his head, the ram flung Spike to the ground as well. Then, with an almost casual swipe of a hoof, he batted Spike out of the way. The dragon went flying, landing in a nearby pottery stall with an ear-splitting, expensive-sounding crash. Ignoring him, Grogar advanced on Twilight. His teeth gritted, his eyes glared, his horns were fully charged. He was ready to exact merciless revenge. And then: "Are... you... kidding me?" All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who was staring at Grogar with a look of astonished rage. "I mean, I know you're evil and all that. But that's no reason to pick on a helpless creature, who never intended you any harm!" There was something about the look in Fluttershy's eyes, an unhinged, unappeasable fierceness. It froze everyone who saw it dead in their tracks, assailed by a sudden, uncounterable, paralyzing sensation of deep guilt and burning shame. "Why, you're just a... great... BIG... MEANIE!" Fluttershy's horn blazed. Her magic enveloped her, lifting her into the air. And from every direction, winds began howling. A restless moaning and shrieking filled the air. The claw-like branches of the Everfree itself, all round the town, began tossing angrily. Stormclouds swiftly gathered overhead, rumbling and crackling with lightning, promising a deluge the likes of which nopony had ever seen. But all that was as nothing beside the roaring avalanche of Fluttershy's own massively amplified Voice: "WHY DON'T YOU PICK ON SOMEPONY YOUR OWN SIZE?" Her eyes blazed bright green, her mane and tail lashed in the winds. Her hooves were spread wide, as if preparing to summon Doomsday itself. "WELL? HUH? WHY DON'T YOU TRY ME -- IF YOU DARE!" Grogar stared up at the nightmarish, unleashed fury before him. Then his horns suddenly gleamed... ... and a shimmering round portal sprang open behind him. Through it an immensely old city was dimly visible, in a smoggy haze, its crumbling ancient towers sagging wearily under a deathly gray sky. The vista filled everyone present with a nameless, unsettling dread. It was a dying world, rapidly nearing its end... Thankfully it was only visible for a few moments as Grogar's magic snatched up Bray. Then, with a final venemous, vengeful glare at Twilight Sparkle, the ram dove through the portal, dragging the donkey helplessly through the air after him. The portal slammed shut, cutting off the horrid, murky realm. Everyone present breathed a small sigh of relief at that. But Fluttershy was still hovering overhead. The winds still lashed, the storm still raged. And her attention now swung to the crowd beneath her, as if seeking a new target for her fury. "WHAT ARE ALL OF YOU LOOKING AT?" she thundered. "Ah, Fluttershy, sweetness," Rarity coaxed, her voice shaking with terror. "You did it, you scared him off. You can relax now, really you can." Noticing Spike just crawling groggily out of the wreckage of the pottery stall, Rarity quickly grabbed him up with her magic and gently brought him over. "Look, Spikey is just fine! And Twilight, she's fine too!" Twilight managed a smile, trying not to shudder at the cold fury in Fluttershy's otherworldly gaze as it swung her way. "Hey, just for the record? I'm fine as well." Rainbow bounded into the air, testing her wings. "Not that I wasn't already awesome," she couldn't avoid adding. "See, Fluttershy?" Rarity said. "Everything's all right now. Just perfect, in fact. So please... won't you come down from there? Pretty please? Fluttershy's green-eyed gaze swung from one of them to another -- doubtfully, judgingly, menacingly... And then the green glow in her eyes abruptly faded. It was replaced by a look of utter, mortified embarrassment. The winds died, the stormclouds slowly dissipated. The Forest ceased lashing restlessly. Fluttershy descended from the air, to land gently on the ground. Then she flung herself down on the cobbles, covering her face with her hooves, sobbing inconsolably. "I'm... I'm so sorry!" she gasped. "I try not to let my magic run away like that. But sometimes I just get so... so..." Rarity quickly moved to put a comforting hoof around her. "Dearest, it's all right now. You got a little cross, that's all." "A little?" Rainbow muttered. Then she shut up, seeing Twilight's warning glare. "Nopony here would hold that against you," Rarity went on. "Not at all! It only shows how truly dedicated you are, to your subjects, all of them, great and small." "Oh, please don't hate me!" Fluttershy moaned. "Please don't!" "Why, Fluttershy," Rarity gently laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. Your subjects clearly love you." She gestured to the Forest unicorns, who all looked like they wished they could comfort their Princess as Rarity was doing. "And what is more, you are my dearest of friends. And anypony here who has a problem with that," Rarity added with a hinting growl, to her own guards and subjects, "had best keep it to themselves, mmm?" The soldiers and populace quickly bowed respectfully. Fluttershy finally allowed Rarity to help her sit up, still glancing around uneasily. "Thanks, Rarity." "Not at all." "Like I said, I can learn a lot from you." "It sounds to me, Your Highnesses," Twilight put in, "like you each can learn a lot from each other. If you don't mind me saying it?" "Of course not." Rarity nodded. "And I quite agree! Fluttershy, you are a natural monarch. I have always thought so. With your kindness and empathy, you know just how to encourage your subjects to love you and honor you as their sovereign." "But," Fluttershy objected, "you're a much better leader than I am, Rarity. You know how to use your charm and influence. You're able to tell ponies what they need to hear, even when it's unpleasant. And you're good about laying down the law when it's the right thing to do. After all," she added. "There's being kind, and then there's being nice... and sometimes one has to be a little... not-nice, in order to be properly kind." "I'll try to take that as a compliment, dear," Rarity said. "Once I've figured it out..." The two of them laughed companionably together. "Maybe..." Twilight cautiously suggested, "you might consider re-uniting your two realms? And serving as co-rulers? That way each of you would be available to advise the other as needed." Rarity looked startled at that. But not unpleasantly. "Not a bad idea." She looked at Fluttershy. "With the two of us working side-by-side, we could take care of everypony's needs properly. And still find time for all those little things that we each adore. You, your little animal companions, and me..." She gestured grandly with a hoof. "... Fashion!" Fluttershy laughed in a quiet, hummy sort of way. "I think I'd like that, Rarity. Very much so." "Well then, what do you say, co-ruler?" Rarity drew herself up formally. "Dost thou concur?" "Oh, I concur." Fluttershy matched her form-for-form, and nodded. "Whole-heartedly!" And a relieved cheer went up, from the guards and citizens of both realms. Rainbow looked at Twilight in wry amusement. "Okay, Twi. You can quit looking so darn smug. That's my thing, after all..." ------------------------------ A short time later they were gathered in the castle throne room, which was packed with guards and citizens from both City and Forest. A second throne had been set upon the dais, for Fluttershy to use when she was visiting the city. And at the front of the audience stood Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow, the heroes of the day. "Ahem!" Rarity called, in the silence that had fallen. "In gratitude for services rendered to the realm -- both realms, I should say -- we feel a proper reward is in order. Thus, we dub thee, Twilight Sparkle, as our new Sorcerer Royal. You have taught us things about magic, my dear, and about its proper use, that we would never have achieved on our own. For that, we are eternally in your debt." Both Princesses bowed their heads to her. "Way ta go, Twilight!" Spike whispered, elbowing her. "Hush, Spike," Twilight said, smiling sheepishly. Then she bowed in gratitude to the Princesses. "And Spikey!" Rarity called. "Our little knight in shining scales, step forward please!" Nervously, Spike trotted forwards, and bowed before her. Rarity leant down to tap his small shoulders, the left and then the right, with her horn. "We hereby dub thee Sir Spike, the Brave and Glorious -- valiant defender of our realm!" "Woah!" Wide-eyed with disbelief, Spike quickly bowed again. Then he tottered back to stand by Twilight. He leaned on her for support, his heart audibly thumping. Twilight rolled her eyes indulgently. "And finally," Fluttershy added, "not to overlook her unstinting loyalty and service in the line of duty, we should like to dub Rainbow Dash as Captain of our realm's Air Patrol." "Hear, hear!" Rarity assented. "A well-deserved commission." "Omigosh, thanks!" Rainbow grinned at Twilight. "Wait'll the Wonderbolts back home hear about this, huh?" "Of course," Rarity added honestly, "as far as an Air Patrol goes, you're pretty much it at the moment. But it's no less deserved, for all that." "Eh, who needs anypony else?" Rainbow shrugged. "I'm just awesome!" There was a round of applause from the assembled crowd, guards and citizens alike. Rarity allowed it to continue at length, then put up a hoof for silence, and got it. "Now," she said, "while we do understand your wish to return to your own, er... lands as it were, it is our hope -- nay our royal command! -- that you will find it in your hearts to return one day soon and visit us again. You shall always be welcome in the Castle of the Two Princesses!" "Absolutely!" Fluttershy said. "Hear, hear!" Together, the Princesses bowed to them once more. And the crowd cheered, applauding and stamping their hooves, as Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike turned, then trotted out together through the throne room doors. ------------------------------ "See? What'd I tell ya?" Rainbow said, as she fetched the airframe back down from the tree. "Not a scratch on it." Twilight wasn't paying attention. She was staring into the distance, muttering thoughtfully under her breath. "That portal that Grogar opened," she finally said. "It must be how he got here. And brought Spike's egg along with him. So he must be able to visit other worlds, too. I wonder if it would be possible for us to come up with a spell like that? One that we could use to create portals between the pony worlds? That way, we could get back and forth more easily and safely." "But even if you had one, you couldn't cast it yourself, right?" Rainbow objected. "You still can't work magic." "Well, that's what I have friends for," Twilight replied, grinning as she put on her goggles and buckled herself in. "Besides, Rainbow, I'm an inventor! It's fun just to think about it, really." Rainbow shook her head. "Only you, Twilight!" But she was smiling as she said it, with reluctant jealousy. "Now Spike," Twilight warned, "We don't have seatbelts on this thing, so you'll just have to hold on tight." "Will do, Twi," Spike said, climbing onto her back. "Ouch!" "Sorry," Spike said. "Claws again." "Heh. Now ya know how I feel," Rainbow muttered. She hopped up onto the top of the craft and took hold of the grips. "Okay... everypony ready?" "Contact!" Twilight called. "Contact!" Spike added cheerfully. Rainbow revved her wings. "Then look out sky! Here we come!" ------------------------------ In the Castle of the Two Princesses, Rarity and Fluttershy were just finishing their first morning's audience. And thus far, it had flowed with an ease that left Rarity breathless. Before, she'd been faced with seemingly endless shouting and jostling for priority, a thousand requests and a thousand documents to review and approve, threatening to drown her in a sea of privilege and paperwork. But now Fluttershy's calm and kindly smile seemed to work a spell over the assembled petitioners and scribes, which caused them to meekly await their turn, and speak in quietly respectful tones. And whenever Fluttershy became a little flustered by all the attention, Rarity would quickly step in with firm decisiveness, settling the issue at hoof and comforting her with a companionable smile. In short, it was all working out swimmingly. Rarity was already looking forward to a couple of hours to herself in the afternoon, and had plans to rework the cell upstairs into a small design studio, then begin laying in a supply of fabrics to work with. And then, without warning, her reverie was interrupted by a loud, grandly ebullient voice calling from the open doors of the throne room. "Your Highnesses! My Lords and Ladies! Fillies and Gentlecolts of All Ages! Prepare yourselves for an awesome entertainment spectacle, the likes of which has never before been witnessed by pony eyes!" Everyone turned to see a small sky-blue mare, dressed in a peaked hat and a cloak with stars and moons on it. She was standing in the doorway, gesturing grandly with her forehooves, as if she was the most important pony in the room just by being there. "Watch in awe!" she went on, in portentous tones, "at the miraculous, the marvelous, the mind-blowing spellwork which could only be presented by the one, the only, the incomparable... the indescribable... Great and Powerful --" Ten seconds later, the showpony was standing outside the throne room doors, with a decidedly painful flea in her ear. The doors had just been shut behind her, with a firm and incontrovertible click. She sniffed, frowning in exasperation. "Huh! Who the hay is this 'Twilight Sparkle', anyways?" ------------------------------ Back in the earth-pony world, in her farmhouse kitchen, Twilight Velvet was teaching herself how to bake a pie. She brushed back her bedraggled mane with a hoof, and peered hopefully into the oven. She was determined to get into the whole down-home, country living thing, though as a lifelong town pony she had to admit it was going to take a bit of practice. Hearing the door open behind her, she turned and smiled. "Twily!" She smiled. "Where have you been all afternoon?" "Afternoon?" Twilight Sparkle asked, puzzled. "I was sure it'd been a day at least. Wow... maybe time works differently, in the other worlds?" "Other worlds?" Twilight Velvet smiled indulgently. "What have you been up to, dear?" "Oh, not much..." Twilight said. "I just got back from a world of magic, inhabited by unicorns, where I saved a Princess from being deposed, and reunited two magical realms that had been out of touch for ages. And I may have made myself the eternal enemy of an evil sorcerer, who'd probably like nothing better than to cast some horrible spell on me." She shrugged. "Oh, well. Rough with the smooth, I suppose." "Twilight..." her mother chided. "What a vivid imagination you have." Then she blinked, surprised. "Oh, and who's this?" "Ah." Twilight grinned sheepishly. "This is Spike. He's a dragon." "Hi!" Spike waved, with a hopeful smile. "Nice to meet ya!" Twilight eyed her mother. "He followed me home, Mom. Can we keep him?" The End My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and My Little Pony: A New Generation, their characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro. No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of the series.