Sunlight, Sunset, Moonlight and Universe-292 Luna were awaiting their next mission. Discord made himself some tea and sat on his chair.
“Up until now, said Discord. You have done a fine job. But now, things are going to get significantly harder.”
“It’s true that up until now, we only fought small fries, said Sunlight. Sombra wasn’t that much of a problem, Nor was Chrysalis.”
“Same for me, said Moonlight. No offense, Luna.”
“Speak for yourself, said Luna. I didn’t even get to do a single mission.”
“What do you mean, by harder?” asked Sunset.
“You’re going to be dealing with more powerful opponents that them, answered Discord. For example, Tirek, Eris, Cosmos, Me, Daybreaker, Sunset Shimmer, Midnight Sparkle, Moonlight Frost...and even you, Sunlight Blaze.”
“Just like that, said Sunlight. How many universes there is in which i’m a bad guy?”
“A fairly good amount, answered Discord. But in most of them, you had been defeated. However, there is 3 or 4 where you defeated the heroes of Equestria. But enough about that, the next universe i’m sending you in is one where Tirek attempted to betray me, after he absorbed the magic of the Mane 6. But he failed...”
“Are the Mane 6 still alive in this universe?” asked Sunset.
“Yes, answered Discord. Them and the princesses were all sent to Tartarus.”
“I guess we should all go this time, said Sunset. That include you, Luna.”
“Really? She said. Hoorray!!”
“I’m taking Discord, said Sunlight. You 3 take on Tirek.”
“Are you insane?! Asked Sunset. You really think you can beat Discord?”
“Yes, answered Sunlight with a grin. I have a plan to take him out...”
Discord opened a portal in which he threw Sunset, Moonlight and Luna, then opened a second one for Sunlight. He nodded at Discord and jumped inside. He appeared at the base of Mount Everhoof.
“Yeah, said Sunlight, looking at the Fourth Wall. You probably guessed it! I’m going to recover Grogar’s Bell at the top of this mountain. Since i already know the spell to activate it, i’ll be able to use it on Discord and Tirek. But getting up there is going to take some time. I hope the others will be able to hold off Tirek...”
Sunlight started ascending the mountain. Meanwhile, Sunset, Moonlight and Luna were thinking of a battle plan.
“A direct assault on Tirek would be suicide, said Moonlight. After absorbing the magic of every creature in Equestria, including the 4 Alicorns, He should be oozing with power. The other reason is Discord...his magic could easily nullify our magic.”
“So, it’s safe to assume we can’t attack Tirek as long as Discord is around, said Sunset. We need to wait that Sunlight take out Discord, if he can do it.”
And so, the trio decided to not move until Discord wasn’t a problem anymore. 2 hours later, and after multiple attemps, Sunlight made it to the top of the mountain. He saw the bell, but it was protected by a magic barrier. Sunlight smiled and took out a big shard of Chrysalis’s throne from his ass. He then put it against the barrier, that shattered. He re-inserted the shard back where he took it and grabbed Grogar’s Bell. Now, all there was to do was using it against Discord. So he started descending down the mountain. 2 more hours later, Sunlight had made it to Sunset, Moonlight and Luna’s location.
“Sorry i took so long, said Sunlight. I had to get my hands on this baby first”
He showed them Grogar’s Bell.
“Grogar’s Bell, uh? Said Moonlight. Should have known...”
“So, you intend on stealing Discord’s magic, said Sunset. Well, better fight fire with fire, i suppose. But why not just give us the magic that’s inside instead?”
“Discord can feel magic fluctuations, answered Sunlight. The instant i use the bell to release it’s magic to you, he’ll feel it and will come for us...”
“How do we approach Discord, though, asked Moonlight. The instant he see you with the bell, he’s going to take you out.”
“This is why i need you to distract him, Moonlight, answered Sunlight. Use any mean possible to get his attention, i don’t care. I’ll need only a few seconds to blast him with the Bell. If we pull this off, Tirek will be on his own.”
“But there is a problem, said Sunset. If you steal all of Tirek’s stolen magic after stealing Discord’s chaos magic, and then release it afterward, you’ll have to release Discord’s magic first. And the moment he’ll get his magic back, he’ll take the bell for himself and use it on Tirek to give his magic back.”
“Then we kill him, said Moonlight. Without his magic to protect him, he’s as vulnerable as we are.”
“We can’t kill Discord, even with his magic gone, said Sunlight. As long as there is Chaos in the universe, he will continue to exist. But we could still banish him like Twilight and friends did with Cosmos, Discord’s ex-girlfriend.”
“That doesn’t solve the problem, said Sunset. The moment we release all the magic in the bell, Discord’s magic will come back to him, and he’ll be able to unban himself, then get rid of us.”
“Then, one of us have to take Discord’s magic for itself” said Luna.
“I’ll do it, said Sunlight. I’ll take Discord’s magic inside me. I have inside me a big shard of stone from Chrysalis’ throne. I used it to break the barrier between me and the bell. Once i put his Chaos magic inside me, the antimagic properties of the stone will cancel it’s effects. Then, we can release all the magic left in the bell. Afterward, i’ll use the bell on myself to get the chaos magic out of my body, then give Grogar’s Bell to the princesses. They’ll decide about his punishment.”
“That’s a great plan, said Luna. But will i get to play a role in it”
“It is possible however, said Sunlight, that the bell won’t be able to contain all of Tirek’s stolen magic. If this happen, we’ll have to force him to give it back, one way or another.”
“I do have the perfect curse for this situation, said Moonlight. I hate to use it, but if we have no other choice, then i’ll cast it on Tirek. It’s a spell that cause a pain proportional to the amount of magic power one being possesses. The more magic power, the greater is the pain. On someone like Tirek, this spell will be super effective.”
“And if he still doesn’t go down, said Sunset. Then i’ll use my psychic power to take control of his probably weakened mind and make him release the magic he stole. If i can’t mind-control him, i’ll just put him to sleep.”
“This is where i come in, said Luna. Once he’s asleep, i can enter his dreams. I’ll torture Tirek by exploiting his fears, or if he doesn’t have any, i’ll straight up bore him until he cracks. Then, i’ll propose him to end his nightmare if he gives back the magic he stole.”
“Let’s hope we don’t have to get to that part, said Sunlight. Okay, let’s do this!! First is to locate Discord...Oh, found him! He’s causing some trouble in Ponyville. And Tirek doesn’t seem to be with him...Perfect!”
They headed for Ponyville. After half an hour, they arrived there. Moonlight entered the village, followed by Sunset and Luna. As for Sunlight, Discord had shrunk the bell enough for the hero to put it in his mouth. He was also invisible, walking at good distance from the trio and ready to use the bell.
“Hey, Discord!! Said Moonlight. Bill Cipher is a better version of you!!”
The draconequus appeared shortly after.
“What did you say?! He asked. I dare you to repeat that!!”
“Bill Cipher is better than you, answered Moonlight. He’s what you should have been as a villain!”
Discord turned Moonlight into a bunny, then, he was hit by a beam coming from behind. He turned and saw Sunlight, holding Grogar’s Bell, in his direction. But it was too late, as his magic was already gone. Moonlight returned back to normal.
“That bell, said Discord. How did you know of it’s existence? And how did you pass through the barrier?!”
Sunlight stepped on Discord body, pinning him against the ground.
“Let’s just say i’m very well-informed, answered the android. How could you betray your friends like that, asshole!!?”
“Except Fluttershy, none of my so-called friends treated me as such, said Discord. They always found excuses to avoid me, always rejecting me when all i wanted is to bond with everyony. Do you think i want to defend people who reject me like i was a rabid animal? They didn’t deserved me on their side, they deserved what was coming to them.”
“But you betrayed Fluttershy, said Sunset. She was the only one who loved and respected you. Wasn’t her love enough for your oversized ego? What could be worth more than the sincere affection of the kindest being in Equestria.”
“The love of one pegasi, as kind as she is, wasn’t worth being treated like a freak of nature by everypony else. And it is only after doing that, that i regret what i’ve done, seriously...Why would i let you steal my magic? It is a fitting punishment for betraying Fluttershy’s trust.”
“So, you knew what we were coming for you, said Sunlight. You knew i would steal away your magic with this artifact. I assume you know the rest of our plan to take out Tirek, right?”
“Yes, and it will not work, said Discord. Tirek’s magic and Grogar’s Bell magic can cancel each other, since they both have magic-stealing properties. Even with my magic, i won’t be able to stop him, so you 4 don’t even stand a chance against him”
“I know one way, said Sunset. That pendant around your neck, Tirek gave it to you?”
“Yes, he told me it belonged to someone dear to him when he gave it to me, said Discord. This someone was his brother, who betrayed him. I kept it as a reminder of what i’ve done to Fluttershy. I don’t see how it could be useful, though.”
“Is there a magic chest inside the cave, by any chance?” asked Sunlight.
“You mean that crystal box with 6 holes in it? Said Discord. Yes!! There is something like that inside...5 keys have been inserted already, but there is one missing...Twilight’s Key.”
“It’s right around your neck, said Sunset. Scorpan’s necklace is the key to open the chest. You saw Twilight giving her magic away to Tirek, right?”
“Yes, i did see that, said Discord. I also let him send them to Tartarus, i was so ashamed of myself, i didn’t left a finger to intervene...I’m a coward, i know.”
“You still can make things right, said Sunlight. First, we need the girls back...Can you bring them here?”
“I would, said Discord. But you kinda took my magic away...”
“Oh, right, said Sunlight, with a deadpan expression. I forgot...Do you want it back?”
“No, said Discord. Moonlight, i’ll need your assistance, if you don’t mind”
“What do i have to do?” he asked.
“First, i’ll need your help to open the gates of the Tartarus, answered Discord. Then, you’ll free Twilight and her friends. I’ll give the Necklace to Twilight and make amends with them. I’ll explain the rest later.”
“Meanwhile, we’ll get Tirek to the Tree of Harmony” said Luna.
“Should be fun, said Sunlight. I’ll finally be able to show you what i’m capable of”
Sunlight, Luna and Sunset departed for Tirek’s location, while Moonlight, equipped with Grogar’s bell, transported himself and Discord in front of the gates of Tartarus. On the way, Discord whispered something to Moonlight. This one was shocked by the request.
“Can i count on you to do it?” asked Discord.
“I’ll do it, answered Moonlight. If that’s what you want...”
He opened the doors and entered in the Tartarus with Discord. Meanwhile, Sunlight, Sunset and Luna were closing in on Tirek’s location. It was only a matter of minutes before they ran into him. Right away, Sunlight rammed into Tirek head on and knocked him a few meters back. Luna fired a powerful magic beam, combined with Sunset’s telekinetic power, that hit the brute right into the right eye.
“I’ll kill you for that!! He shouted. Who do you think you are!!?”
“Ponies who want you gone, answered Sunlight, flying around him. Your big, but you’re not very smart, aren’t you?!”
Sunlight covered himself in a cloak of electricity just when Tirek grabbed him. He was struck by millions of volts of electricity and released Sunlight.
“Wow!! Said Sunset. Did you just turned yourself into a taser?”
“Yes! Answered Sunlight. Pretty cool, right? Let me show you something else i’ve learned!”
Sunlight smiled. His body started changing shape, to take the form of a big sniper. (Like those you see in anime or futuristic moves, mounted on a tripod, with a long and huge cannon and capable of destroying giant monsters or robots. Like the one used against Ajeel from the Spriggan 12 in the final season of Fairy Tail. That kind of gun.)
“Mega Blaster, operational!! Said Sunlight. Ready to fire!!”
Tirek smiled and took a defensive stance. Gunlight started glowing intensively as energy was building inside the cannon.
“Take your best shot, said Tirek to Sunlight. Show me your power!”
“Here we go, said Sunlight. Star-Busting-Photon-Blast!!”
Sunlight unleashed a supermassive beam of magic energy that Tirek wouldn’t be able to dodge, even if he wanted too. He fired his own beam of magic at it. But Sunlight’s attack soon overpowered Tirek’s one. Tirek didn’t lost his cool and crossed his arms together. Sunlight’s beam finally hit Tirek, and the sheer power of the attack made the goliath slide against the earth over hundreds of miles. When the magic beam lost it’s power and dissipated, Tirek realized he was in the middle of the Everfree forest. Both of his arms were severely damaged. His left arm was heavily bruised, but he could still move it. As for his right arm, it was completely burned to a crisp, and all the bones in it, shattered.
“Wow, his attack broke one of my arm, thought Tirek, smiling. But it could have been worse for me if i didn’t lower the power of his attack beforehand. The guy would actually have destroyed both my arm, as well as incapacitate me. Could he actually be more powerful that 4 Alicorns? No, i doubt about that. In this case, i see only one reason to. This attack was not a magic one. This must be why it was able to damage me despite being powered by the magic of 4 Alicorns.”
Sunlight, shortly followed by Luna and Sunset, caught up to Tirek.
“Not bad, said the giant Centaur. The nature of this attack was not magical, am i right?”
“You’re right, said Sunlight. The source of this attack is energy-based, and it’s a subject i’m not going to dive into. I’m suprised you’re still alive after taking that attack, Tirek.”
“I didn’t came out unscathed, though, said Tirek. You broke one of my arms and seriously burned the other. An attack that powerful must have took it’s toll on you, right?”
“Yes and no, answered Sunlight. The only downside is the long cooldown i need to wait before using it again. Now, time to end this chapter.”