//------------------------------// // Chapter 9) Rescuing Dr. Star Swirl // Story: My Little Avengers: Harmony War // by Lucasnike123 //------------------------------// Slowly regaining consciousness, Star Swirl felt a wave of vertigo wash over him, clearly feeling sick. Everything came back to his mind. The attack on Canterlot City, the fight with Cozy Glow... Cozy Glow! Blinking, the Master of the Arcane Arts tilted his head, finding himself suspended in midair and, worse still, surrounded by hundreds of crystal spiers, pointing directly at him. It was quite obvious that any attempt to escape, even an attempt to fight, would be extremely painful. Star Swirl remained motionless, even as his heartbeat quickened. "This can't be good" he thought "Not at all..." Neither did the sight of the girl with the evil smile approaching him. Cozy Glow looked decidedly unpleasant as she approached the Master of the Arcane Arts, who was trapped like a butterfly under so many needles. “In all the time I have served Grogar… I have never failed him” Cozy Glow said "If he were to meet us on his planet, with the Time Stone still attached to your vaguely irritating persona, there would be... a punishment". The way she said the words left little doubt in Star Swirl's mind that death was the only option for failure when it came to the sons of the Father of Monsters. Her cruelty was evident in everything Cozy Glow did, a living reflection of the darkness they still had to face. First one, then another, then another needle… they began to penetrate under her skin. Pain bloomed under his skin as he shuddered, doing his best to hold still, knowing it would only be worse if he squirmed and struggled. “Give me… the Stone…” Cozy Glow hissed, moving his hand and pushing the needles even deeper. High above the interrogation, Twilight Sparkle watched Star Swirl being tortured below. Quiet as she could be, while she reviewed the situation. A tap on Twilight's shoulder interrupted her, and she raised her hand, about to fire her repulsor… only to see that it was the hat from Star Swirl's suit, and not an enemy. “Wow, you are an absolutely loyal article of clothing…” “Yeah, um, speaking of loyalty...” a female voice suddenly commented. Twilight turned in surprise… only to find the Iron Spider hanging upside down from a web. "What the...?" Luster jumped to the ground, as his mask retracted, revealing his face. "I know what you're going to say". "You shouldn't be here" Twilight scolded. "I was going home…" Luster explained. "I don't want to hear it" Twilight said to herself. “But it was a very long fall and on the way I thought...” “And now I have to listen to her” Twilight told herself again. “...And I got stuck to the side of the ship” Luster said, before pointing to his new suit “And this suit is incredibly intuitive, by the way. So... it's his fault that I'm here". That comment made Twilight look at her with a serious face. "What did you say?" "I take it back..." Luster said, realizing what he had said. "And now I'm here... in space". "Yes. Right where I didn't want you to be. This isn' t Canterlot City nor is it a tour, it is a one way trip. Do you hear me?" Twilight scolded again "And don't pretend you've thought it through" "No. I've thought it through..." "You couldn't have thought of this". But before Twilight could say anything else, Luster also looked at her with a serious face. "It's just... I can't be friend and neighbor Spider-Girl if there are no neighbors..." Luster said "Okay, that doesn't make sense, but you get the point..." At those words and knowing that it was too late to send Luster back to Earth, Twilight made the decision. “Come on, we've got a problem” Twilight said, turning to look over the ledge again “Look, he's in trouble. What is your plan? Come on". Kneeling closer, Luster considered her options, beginning to solve the problem as she had a hundred times a day, both in the classroom and as a friendly crime fighter. Twilight watched, waiting for her response. As much as she wanted to find a solution (and, in fact, she already had at least two alternative plans in mind), she wanted to let Luster decide. An opportunity for the next generation... "Mmm, alright…" she finally said "Okay… um… have you ever seen the movie Aliens 2: The Return?" Star Swirl was screaming. He wasn't just screaming, he wasn't just moaning in pain, he was screaming at full speed. The pain was immeasurable, incalculable, and it was in all parts of his body. Every part of him... hurt. He calmed down momentarily, but he wasn't stupid enough to believe that he was finished. Cozy Glow was toying with him, as well as letting go of the pain so he could think straight. "Painful, right?" she asked, knowing full well the answer “Originally, they were designed for microsurgery. And any of them…” There was a dull clang behind her and Cozy Glow slowly turned around. Iron Girl was there, hands up and glowing, ready to attack her. "...could end your friend in an instant" she finished. “I must tell you that he is not my friend” Iron Girl said “Saving his life is more... professional courtesy…”. Waving her hands in slow, deliberate motions, Cozy Glow levitated menacingly towards Iron Girl. "You haven't saved anyone..." she said "Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine". Heavy objects began to levitate in the air as Cozy Glow focused her will on them. And Iron Girl had to admit that, in a head-to-head fight, her opponent might have the upper hand. Especially in tight spaces. However, behind the hull of her armor… she couldn't stop smiling. "Yeah, but the girl has seen more movies..." Iron Girl said, opening a missile compartment on her shoulder and firing... at the nearby wall of the ship. The explosion blasted outward, and then the cold void of space instantly drew in everything around it, including Cozy Glow, her potential weapons, and, most worrisome of all… Star Swirl. But that's where Iron Spider enters the plan. She lunged forward from the shadows, firing a spiderweb to catch the unconscious wizard before he fell into the void. At first, his grip to stay out of harm's way was insignificant, but Twilight had taken that into account when she designed the new suit. Four metal spider legs sprouted from Iron Spider's back, grabbing onto the side walls and improving his grip. "Yes!" Iron Spider yelled, before looking at her new legs "Wait... what is this!?" Then, she instinctively used it to fling herself and Star Swirl into the ship, as Iron Girl flew in and sprayed the opening with a heavy metal substance, sealing it and restoring the ship's interior to normal parameters. The artificial setup seemed to quickly return to normal, including air and gravity. Out, in the void of space, Cozy Glow didn't even have time to scream as her frozen body fell out of control into the void. They would never hear from her again... if they were lucky. With the threat neutralized, Twilight landed again and retracted her armor, causing the nanotech to fold completely into the device on her chest, allowing her to stretch out a bit. Star Swirl landed next to her. It seemed that Cozy Glow and Tirek had been the ship's only occupants, and with one trapped at Earth's North Pole and the other simply ejected into space, only the heroes remained. "We have to turn this ship around" Star Swirl ordered, as he put his hat back on. "Oh, now you want to run…" Twilight complained, as she tried to figure out how the ship's controls worked "Great..." "No, I want to protect the Stone". "And I want you to thank me" Twilight said "Come on, I'm listening..." "Why? For almost launching me into space? “Who has saved your magic ass?” Twilight asked angrily, as she turned on him, huffing "ME!". "Seriously, I don't know how his ego fits in that body..." Star Swirl growled, as he rolled his eyes. "You should have left when I told you" Twilight pressed "I tried to kick you out, but you refused…" “Unlike the rest, I don't work for you...” Star Swirl replied. "And that's why we're on a flying donut millions of miles from Earth... with no backup". "I'm the backup" Luster protested, holding up her hand. "No, you're a stowaway" Twilight shook her head, barely glancing at her. "And we grown-ups are talking". “Sorry, I'm confused about this relationship” Star Swirl said, as he raised his hands irritably “I mean, what is she? Your pupil?" "No" Luster protested, before realizing that they hadn't introduced themselves yet "I'm Luster Dawn, by the way". "Dr. Star Swirl" he nodded briefly. "Oh, we use the made up names..." Luster said "Um... So, I'm Spider-Girl..." Having analyzed the alien ship's equipment, Twilight considered her options out loud. "The ship corrects the course with the autopilot." "Can we control it?" Star Swirl asked, remembering the destination Cozy Glow mentioned before the interrogation "And fly back home?" Twilight didn't make eye contact, appearing lost in her musings. "Sparkle?" "Yes?". "Can you take us home?" Star Swirl repeated more insistently. "Yes, I heard you..." Twilight said, as she shook her head, thinking not as something thoughtful, simply to chase away the wandering thoughts "But the thing is... I don't know if it's the best..." Turning around now would be like admitting defeat: going back to Canterlot City and waiting for Grogar to launch his next attack on the city. Another invasion that could cause hundreds of people to be slaughtered. But there was another option available to them. Star Swirl's eyes widened as he deduced what Twilight was thinking and what she intended to do. “Under NO circumstances can we give the Time Stone to Grogar. I think you do not understand what is at stake-”. Then, before Star Swirl could continue speaking, Twilight interrupted him angrily, looking at him from practically close to him. “No, it is YOU who don't understand that Grogar has been inside my head for six years!” Twilight yelled angrily “Since he sent an army to Canterlot City and now he's back! And I don't know what to do!". There was a pause, as Twilight took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to face him on our ground or his. You've seen how they did…” Twilight said “On his ground, he doesn't expect it. I propose to take the fight up to him. Doc… do you agree?” The nickname was mocking, but it held a ring of truth, and Star Swirl realized that Twilight might be right. "Okay, Sparkle, we'll go to him..." he reluctantly agreed “But you have to understand: that if it comes down to saving you or the girl… or the Time Stone… I won't hesitate to let either of you die. I can't... because the Universe depends on it". Twilight resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had won the argument, or so it seemed to her. A warning like that was almost reasonable by comparison. "Great. Well, moral principles...” she said “That's clear!” She brushed past the wizard, who was regarding her with a puzzled expression, then abruptly remembered that Luster was still there, watching and waiting for an order. Despite all her attempts to keep her safe out of harm's way, playing her role as a hero… she had still dragged her into the thick of it. There was no doubt now if she was ready, the question was whether Twilight was or not. But now she could only do one thing. Sighing, Twilight places her outstretched hand briefly on each of Luster's shoulders. "Alright, girl... you're an Avenger now". Since she had never been so proud in her entire life, Luster wasn't sure if she wasn't going to cry a little, but she quickly pulled herself together. They had work to do.