Sandbar, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom watched in absolute shock as Cozy Glow had practically confessed to being the one responsible for the magic of Equestria vanishing. They continued to watch after she placed her crown on her head, the filly checking all the relics before turning back to the orb, "Stop glaring at me like that. I said I was sorry." Heart said something and she couldn't hear, making Cozy sigh. She then touched one of the relics and turned it around, the energy from it flying into the orb and into Heart.
"...and it'll be the last mistake you ever made!" He finished his half-heard sentence.
"I can hear you now," Cozy replied, Starlight and Soul starting to speak, "Only him."
They growled as Heart glared at her, "Why?!" He asked, "Why do all this?! We were friends and you betrayed us! Why?!" Cozy didn't say anything at first, instead looking away from him. "Cozy, if somepony's making you do this-"
"Nopony's making me do anything," Cozy turned to glare at him, "This is something I'm doing, on my own. And when all the magic in Equestria is gone, the only magic left will be the Magic of Friendship. And once I get control of this school back, everypony will bow to me."
"That doesn't make any sense," Heart replied, "Twilight was a princess before she was the Princess of Friendship. Becoming Equestria's Friendship Expert doesn't make you next in line to the throne!"
"We'll see about that!" Cozy laughed, "Now if we're done here, I have a Chancellor to deal with."
"Wait!" Heart cried as she reached for the relic, "Please don't do this."
Cozy looked back at him, the pair's eyes locking and staring into each other, before the filly sighed, only for a bulb to go off in her head, "You know, as the future ruler, I'll be the one deciding who gets knighted. If you join me, I'll let you out of there and you can be my personal pony bodyguard." Heart went wide-eyed, "We could be together and have fun like we did before. And who knows, if we work as a couple, travel well together and see how cohabitation goes. Maybe even...you could be king one day."
Heart could only blink at her, his mind going over everything that had happened between them before he said, "So you...really feel that way about me? You weren't just using me?"
Cozy blushed and waved her hoof, "Oh, you weren't even part of my plan. I thought about it, but I decided using the Cutie Mark Crusaders was a better idea. You were just a happy accident. I liked hanging out with you."
Heart's head lowered at this, only to glance back at his sister, seeing her show a big frown before he looked back at Cozy, "What about Soul and Starlight? Are you gonna let them go to?"
Cozy shook her head, "Sorry, I can't." She gave Soul a glare, "I can tell from the look in her eye that your sister really wants to stop me. And I know she wouldn't stop until she'd ruined all my plans."
"You're darn right I would!" Soul screamed even though Cozy couldn't hear her.
"See? I'm sorry, but she has to go away. I'm sure she'd prefer it if at least you'd be free to keep Equestria safe."
This statement hardened Heart's heart, the colt's expression turning to a glare as he punched the energy orb. "Forget it!" He yelled, "I'd rather spend eternity trapped in another dimension than spend so much as five minutes with you! You're not worthy of running a bookshop, let alone an entire kingdom!"
Cozy's smile slowly shifted to a glare. "The rest of Equestria won't see it that way. The school knows me as Twilight's Friendship Assistant, who started out just as bad at friendship as she did." She gave him a cute face, "But with the help of the friends she made, she started to excel and became the leading expert in the field. Doesn't that remind you of anypony?"
"She's trying to make ponies see her as the next Twilight," Starlight gasped, the twins just glaring at this. And before either of them could say anything, Cozy spun the relic around and stopped Heart from talking.
"You had your chance. You love your sister so much, so have fun floating in an endless nothing with her." With that, she turned to leave and the three started screaming at her, the filly laughing all the way as she left.
"Cozy Glow is behind all of this?!" Twilight cried, Tirek laughing at her reaction.
"I'm not usually a fan of ponies, but draining your precious world of magic so she could trap the seven of you was inspiring!" He laughed again, but also coughed, causing Spike to frown as he counted, seeing seven ponies and one dragon.
"Um, there's eight of us." Twilight turned to run back to the door, the others following with the still weak Flash bringing up the rear.
"I knew we shouldn't have left!" Twilight cried.
Applejack ran next to her, "But Starlight's in charge at the school. If anypony can stop Cozy Glow, it's her."
"Cozy Glow outsmarted the seven of you! I doubt this Starlight stands a chance!" Tirek cackled before coughing again.
"We have to get out of here!" Twilight yelled as they reached the door, "Our students can't handle Cozy on their own."
Rainbow flew up next to her, "Then I guess we'll just have to bust our way out!" She let out a battlecry and charged, picking up as much speed as she could. She then threw a kick right into the door, only to go splat against it. She slowly slid down it and hit the ground, groaning in pain. "That didn't work," she held her head and groaned.
"Not everything can be solved with brute force," Rarity chimed in, "We need magic to escape."
Flash heard Pinkie saying something, but wasn't listening and instead looking over at the door. He then glanced down at his hoof as it glowed, the last remaining sparks of the Sacred Light apparent. It was clear he wasn't gonna survive this situation. Even if they escaped right then and there, there was no way they could return to the school in time for him. There was only one thing to do.
"I'm afraid not," Twilight replied to whatever Pinkie said, "The most powerful villains and monsters of all time are trapped here. And without our magic, so are we." She sighed and looked back at the door. And when she did this, she saw Flash standing in front of it. "Flash...what are you doing?" Flash didn't say anything and instead, held up his hoof. The light from it caught Twilight's eye and the alicorn gasped. "NO!" She ran up and grabbed him before he put his hoof on the door, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Getting us out of here." Flash slowly replied.
"If you use your Sacred Light to open the door, you'll die!"
Flash sighed and shook his head, "Let's face it, I'm a dead stallion walking. There's no way I'm gonna survive long enough to stop Cozy." He clutched his chest, making them all gasp. "I'm sorry, but it's the only way."
"No!" Twilight screamed, "I refuse to believe that. I'm not letting your sacrifice your life like that."
"I'm a Royal Knight. Sacrificing my life to save Equestria is what I'm supposed to do."
"As an absolute, one hundred percent, no other way last resort."
"And what do you call this!?" Flash was getting very close to screaming in that moment as Twilight turned to the others. They all frowned, only for Flash to add, "Face it, this is our only chance of stopping Cozy. Don't forget, if magic vanishes, then the world ends. Faust won't have long left to live. We need to get out of here, now."
Twilight was close to tears hearing this as she looked away from Flash and her friends. And as she did this, she saw Cerberus. She then turned to the creatures caged in the prison of Tartarus, all of which had lost their magic. "Unless..." She moved up to them, the others watching her, "These creatures might be losing their magical powers, but there's still a magic that makes up what they are. Maybe we can borrow some of that." She looked back at Flash, "Let me try something first, okay?"
Flash stared at her, seeing a fire in her eyes, "Alright," Flash sighed, "Let's try it your way."
Back at the school...
Cozy had gone to talk to Chancellor Neighsay, Sandbar and the CMC watching her leave before stepping out and making their presence known to the ponies trapped in the orb.
"Hey!" Sandbar said as the three inside gasped, "We saw what happened! We know Cozy's the one behind all this."
They nodded as Apple Bloom turned to the others, "Come on, we gotta get them all out of there before she comes back!"
The other girls nodded and ran up to it, the others all going wide-eyed. "Wait!" They yelped, though only Sandbar realized what they were trying to say and yelled the same thing. This caused the girls to stop, but not before Sweetie Belle stepped onto the magic circle. As soon as she did this, the orb unleashed some magical claws that flew out and grabbed her.
She screamed as they began to pull, "Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo cried as they ran to her.
"Help!" The filly screamed as Scootaloo bit onto her tail. Apple Bloom grabbed her tail and Sandbar grabbed her's, the three pulling back as hard as they could. Eventually, they pulled Sweetie out of the light of the circle, the claws losing their grip before returning to the orb.
"That's gotta be what's suckin' up all the magic in Equestria," Apple Bloom commented as Sandbar turned to them.
"But if that's true, then Twilight and the others went to Tartarus for nothing! And if all of Equestria's magic's getting sucked up in there, there's no way for them to get back!"
They all flinched at this, only for Scootaloo to raise her hoof, "Don't panic! We need to get help."
"But Starlight's trapped here, and there's no way to get word to Celestia or anypony else!"
"Then we have to get Springer," Apple Bloom added, the girls nodding before rushing out while Sandbar stayed where he was. He knew Springer could help, but he also knew they would need all the help they could get. And he knew exactly where to get it.
Springer was outside the school, wishing he wasn't the only Defender at the moment. He tried to step through the doorway, only for his body to be racked with pain. "Augh!" He yelped, staggering back until he was out of the school. "Come on!" He growled as the pain instantly subsided. "Seriously? All the magic is vanishing and this still works?!"
"Springer!" He turned to the voice and saw the CMC, "We got a problem!"
"I know," he groaned, "Chancellor Neighsay has captured the students and locked them up. But I can't get in to stop him."
"That's not the...well, it is a problem, but we've got a bigger one." Apple Bloom took a deep breath, "It's Cozy. She's the one stealing the magic!" Springer's eyes went wide at this before telling them to explain everything.
At the same time...
The non-pony students were still trapped in the boy's room. Gallus was pulling at the door while Ace had a Bone Breaker out, which he was using to try and break the door down. But no matter what they did, the door remained closed and didn't even get a scratch.
From atop a bunk bed, Smolder sighed, "Still locked, huh?"
"Ragh!" Ace growled, "I thought all the magic was supposed to be gone. So how come I can't bust us out of here?"
"The door was sealed using that badge thing Neighsay was wearing," Mira reminded him, "And magical artifacts won't lose their power until sunset tonight. And by that time, all the magic in Equestria is supposed to vanish. So by the time we get out of here, it'll be too late."
"We gotta at least try to get out!" Gallus added.
"Why?" Ocellus asked. "If Sandbar's turned his back on us, every other pony probably has, too."
"Sandbar not turn his back!" Yona assured her, "Sandbar is our friend!"
"Uh," Smolder rolled her eyes, "Did you miss the part where he said he didn't want anything to do with us?"
Silverstream frowned, but tried to stay optimistic. "Maybe he just said that so one of us could be free to snoop around and figure out what's going on." And as she said that, the window suddenly opened.
"I dunno." They turned to see Sandbar smiling at them. "That sounds too clever for a pony to come up with."
Yona gasped before laughing and tackling Sandbar in a hug, "Yona knew Sandbar was still our friend!"
"We all are," Sweetie added as she, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom all leapt through the window.
"Except for Cozy Glow," Scootaloo continued, "That pony is not who we thought she was."
"Come again?" Mira asked.
"She's the one draining magic out of Equestria!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, making the non-ponies gasp.
"WHAT?!"
"We'll explain on the way," Sandbar began to climb through the window. "But right now, we gotta get to get to Chancellor Neighsay."
"Huh?" Gallus asked.
"Springer's already headed off to Canterlot to tell Celestia and the rest of the princesses. But we'll need all the help we can get. I know he doesn't like non-ponies, but if we tell him what's going on, he'll help."
"You sure?" Ace asked, Sandbar nodding back. They all climbed out of the window and down a ladder. And as they did this, Celestia began to raise the sun for what could be the final time. They rushed for the door, being sure to keep out of sight to make sure nopony saw them. But as they stepped inside, they found that everypony that would usually be up at this time were all gone. They soon learned why as they made their way through the corridors, hearing Neighsay's voice speak up. "I am sure you are all concerned about the magic situation." They stepped around the corner and saw a large crowd, which had Neighsay and Cozy standing in front of it.
"Let's tell him now," Ace whispered.
"Hang on," Mira stopped him, "Cozy's there and she might warn Neighsay that we've escaped. We've gotta wait for him to be alone."
They all frowned at this as Neighsay continued speaking, "But I want to assure you that this institution is safe, despite the absence of your head-mare. As your new head-stallion, let me be the first to say that the reign of Princess Twilight is over!" The students flinched at this, Neighsay glaring at them as he walked around and held up a familiar looking book. "From now on, this school will adhere to EEA doctrine, as it should have from the start!" This statement got the students murmuring, many of them remembering how horrible the school had been the last time that book had been in it.
However, before Neighsay could say anything else, he heard clapping and looked down to see Cozy. "Thank you, Chancellor Neighsay, for that rousing speech."
"What's she up to?" Gallus asked, Sandbar and the CMC all gulping at this.
"I know you're a stallion who truly believes what you say," Cozy continued as she picked up the book. "And when you say this school will be run according to EEA doctrine, I know you mean it." She threw it behind her and moved to join her fellow students. "And when you say there won't be any more lessons from the Princess of Friendship at the School of Friendship, I guess you mean that, too."
This made all the students glance at each other before murmuring again, Neighsay now seeing nothing but frowns. "That's not exactly what-"
"But," Cozy interrupted, "Twilight decided to run her school outside of the EEA guidelines, and even though you tried to stop her, Princesses Celestia and Luna trusted her enough to support her."
The students all turned to Cozy before glaring back at Neighsay as he stuttered out, "Well, I-I wouldn't say that-"
"So, since I know you mean what you say, my question is really for the students." She turned back to the crowd, "Are we going to give the pony who already tried to wreck Twilight's school once another chance to do it?" The students all went wide-eyed at this, only to all glare again at Neighsay, "There's our answer. I guess things will have to stay the way Twilight wants them." Cozy smiled as she looked back to Neighsay, "Which includes leaving me in charge."
With that, she pointed at Neighsay as the students charged up to him. Neighsay gasped as the crowd quickly surrounded him, "This...I can...just..." Was all he got to say before the students picked him up and started carrying them away, Cozy leading them to the office. Those against her all quickly leapt into a closet as they passed, the group hearing the cheers from the other students who clearly thought they were doing the right thing.
"Ooookay," Sandbar gulped once they opened the door. "So maybe we need a new plan."
"What do we do?" Ace asked, "He was our only hope. If Springer doesn't get back with Celestia and Luna soon, we're gonna be in serious trouble!"
"We'll just have to rescue him," Mira replied, "But we'll need to distract Cozy until then."
"We'll do it," Apple Bloom chimed in, "We're the only ones she might not be suspicious of." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded, the CMC jumping out of the closet with the others following behind. They made their way through the school toward Twilight's office, the CMC then waiting outside while the others hid in a room opposite of the office. They heard Cozy laughing at something as she stepped out, about to lock it until Scootaloo spoke up.
"Hey Cozy Glow! What's so funny?"
"Are you just happy to be running the school?" Sweetie added, Cozy turning to them as her hooves slid away from the door, not noticing she didn't lock it yet.
"Oh, I'm just keeping Twilight's seat warm." She began to walk away, but the girls followed with Apple Bloom shining a big smile.
"Still, it's pretty impressive."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sweetie asked, Scootaloo rapidly nodding.
"We can hang out with you all day if you want." Ace and Mira could feel a great amount of frustration radiating off Cozy, the pair knowing she was likely very close to breaking her act and yelling at the girls to go away...only to just shine a shaky smile.
"You know, there is something I need help with." The girls cheered as Cozy led them away, the others soon walking up to the office door.
"I hope those three will be okay."
Ace put a paw on her shoulder. "They've got their job to do, and we have ours. Let's go." She nodded and they slipped into the office, finding Neighsay chained to Twilight's chair. He was currently hopping around, trying to move the chair around as he reached for a trash can with his back hoof.
When he saw them, he let out a long sigh, "Oh, wonderful. I suppose you've all come to gloat?"
"Actually, we've come to undo all these chains and free you!" Silverstream exclaimed, Neighsay going wide-eyed as Silverstream and Sandbar tried to undo the padlock holding the chains together.
"But...but why?"
"Now that nasty pony met even nastier pony, maybe nasty pony not be so nasty." Yona replied before charging at him, the pony flinching until she stopped right in front of him and used her horn to unlock the chains. When the lock was undone, Neighsay squirmed out of them and accidently fell backwards, shattering the chair.
"Also," Sandbar added, "We'd kind of like to stop Cozy before she drains all the magic from Equestria."
"She's behind that as well?!" Neighsay yelped as he stood up. "I must get word to Celestia and Luna!"
"Springer's already gone to tell them," Mira responded.
"Although," Ace pointed out, "If you hadn't made it so he couldn't enter the school, he probably would have stopped Cozy Glow by now and found a way to return all the magic in Equestria!"
Neighsay flinched at this, only to knock a trash can over. "Even so, I can probably get there faster, and time is of the essence."
"How?" Sandbar asked, "Without magic, it'll take forever to get to them."
Neighsay glanced down at the trash he had thrown on the ground. "While it's true that unicorns have lost their ability to cast spells, the most potent magic in Equestria is housed in our...artifacts." They looked down and saw the broken EEA badge on the floor, Neighsay picking it up, "The EEA medallion allows me to travel throughout Equestria. Its magic worked when I chained you up. Perhaps it still has enough to send me to the princesses."
"Is it supposed to be cracked like that?"
The unicorn shook his head, "It was damaged during my fight with the jakhowl. It would only work for one more spell before it becomes damaged beyond repair." He placed it on his chest and tapped it, but nothing happened. He tapped it again and to their relief, it began to glow and sent out a burst of energy that flew into Neighsay's horn. He fired a blast forward, which opened a portal as the crack on the badge spread. The medallion crumbled as Neighsay stepped forward, looking back at the students and giving a worried look. They weren't sure if he was scared about the portal not working properly, or leaving them free to move around. Either way, he stepped through seconds before the portal vanished.
"I hope he makes it," Ocellus gulped.
"I hope he doesn't come back and lock us up again," Smolder growled with crossed arms.
"If he comes back."
"Everything's gonna be fine!" Silverstream chimed in, "Twilight and the others are probably already on their way!"
Cerberus let out a happy growl as Applejack and Rainbow threw a large spherical rock between them, the overgrown dog chasing the ball. As this happened, the others were looking around the cages at all the creatures that they hoped would allow them to escape. Twilight had spent hours working on a spell that would hopefully transfer the remaining magic that made them into her, giving them just enough time to escape.
"Um, are you sure there's magic in Cerberus?" Fluttershy asked as Twilight continued to work on the enchantment. "Clarissa the pig has two tails, and while her singing voice is lovely, I don't think it's magical."
"We need to try everything if we want to get out of here," Twilight replied before throwing a glance over at Flash, who was now positioned by the doorway. The pegasus barely had the strength to even stand now, so he would need to get out as soon as the doors opened.
"I don't know," she then heard Pinkie say. "Tartarus isn't so bad." She was currently holding a stick in her mane, which had a marshmallow on it. The chimera that was stuck in a cage launched a blast of fire from its goat head, toasting the marshmallow. "I could hang out here for a while!" But before she could enjoy it, the goat reached out and ate the marshmallow as well as half the stick. "Eh. Maybe not forever though."
"But that is just what it will be!" Tirek laughed from his cage. "If my protégé has followed my instructions, by sunset tonight, every last vestige of Equestrian magic will disappear into the ether forever!"
As he was saying this, Twilight flew up to his cage, "Have you even thought about what losing magic would mean?"
"It means the seven of you will be trapped here! Like me!"
"EIGHT!" Spike screamed from down below.
"Exactly," Twilight replied, "It means you're trapped here. Forever. With us."
"Uhhhh," Tirek slowly responded, "I hadn't thought of it like that."
"And if magic goes, the world dies." Tirek blinked at her at that, only for Twilight to add, "Flash got a warning from someone. Someone very power. Faust."
"Who?"
"She created Equestria, and the rest of the world, including you. She's made of magic and if it goes, she dies. And without her, the world will eventually die as well. You helping Cozy drain the magic of the world away will mean the end of everything, including you!"
Tirek glared back at her, only for the alicorn to fly away as Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike crowded around her. "So, what do we do, Twilight?"
Twilight pointed to their friends. "Dash and Applejack nearly have Cerberus tired out. If Rarity pitches in, I think they can get him to sit still long enough to try what I have in mind."
Rarity nodded and headed over as Fluttershy showed a small smile, "I'm sure I can get the other monsters to help." She then leaned over and whispered to Spike. "Besides, I would never call them monsters."
"What about Tirek?" Spike asked when she left, "He's probably got some magic, too, right?"
"Leave him to me," Pinkie giggled as she bounced up to the cage.
Meanwhile, Rarity had gotten a large bone from...somewhere, which she was holding up to Cerberus. "Down!" She told him, the large three-headed dog doing just that as Fluttershy spoke to the caged creatures.
"Okay, everyone! Time to show Equestria that you aren't monsters! You're wonderful, mystical creatures!" The animals all saw this and cheered as Twilight turned to where Flash was. He was looking worse and worse by the second.
"Flash...don't worry, I'm going to-"
"FINE!" Twilight suddenly heard a very irritated Tirek roar, "I'll help you leave! Just please stop!"
"Tirek's in!" Pinkie chimed in, Twilight smiling at the sight.
"Good. Let's begin."
Down in the crystal caverns, Starlight, Soul and Heart continued to float within the orb. With every passing moment, more and more magic was being drained into the sphere, soon all of Equestria's power would be taken. And when that happened, the portal to another dimension would suck it and them inside.
Soul grunted as she tried to summon some magic, Starlight sighing and shaking her head, "Give it up, Soul. That's not going to work."
Soul groaned as she stopped, "I thought since we were inside the magic orb, maybe we could harness it." Starlight knew what she was trying to do, having tried to do it herself when she was first thrown in there. But whatever magic Cozy had done, it had prevented those inside the magic orb from using it. She looked down at the magic circle, having been written using magical chalk to create the runes. She tried to read it, hoping to find a way to free themselves, but she barely knew anything about rune magic.
Soul looked over at Heart, who was simply floating there with his head down. "Heart..." she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"No," he growled, "I am not okay." He couldn't help but think about all the fun times he and Cozy had had. Cozy had a special place in his heart, but all that time she was making a fool out of him. Now his heart was starting to break, only for him to remark, "If we manage to get out of here, I'm never letting myself get that close with somepony ever again."
The mares flinched at this, Soul glancing over to Starlight as the unicorn just looked away. She knew she was the last pony to ask about relationships, especially since her's involved Sunburst and how that turned her into a monster. Instead, all she could do was tell Soul to hug her brother, hoping they could heal him later.
Hours had passed and there had been no sign of Neighsay, Springer or anypony else. The students had made sure to keep out of the way, waiting to see if anypony arrived to stop Cozy. But with every passing hour, the students grew more worried, only for Sandbar to yell, "That's it! Follow me!" He yelled before directing them through the school while continuing to keep themselves hidden. Soon, they arrived at the library and headed to the entrance into the catacombs.
Sandbar jumped down and the others followed, Yona asking the question everypony was wondering. "Uh...why pony lead us back down here?"
"We obviously can't handle Cozy on our own," Sandbar replied as he went to the room where the orb was located. "But we can't just sit around and wait for help. So, there's a few more prisoners I think we should free."
The others followed him to the window and saw the sphere, all gasping at the sight of it. "HEART/SOUL!" Ace and Mira screamed, the ponies hearing this and looking up. They could sense relief coming from Starlight and Soul, but Heart's emotions seemed completely out of whack. Ace flinched at this, Mira sighing as she knew why he was feeling this way.
"Hang on," Ace chimed in, "We'll get you out of there." But in that moment, Yona ran down the stairs and onto the floor that held the magic circle.
"Counselor pony, come out!" She got closer and closer, "We need help with nasty pony!" But Starlight tried to tell her something, Yona not hearing as she moved too close to the circle. That is, till Sandbar managed to stop her before she could step onto it.
"She can't talk to us from in there, and if you step on those runes, you'll end up joining her!" He yelled, the others flinching before backpedaling from the runic floor. "We have to figure a way to get them out without getting close to the orb."
They all nodded and glanced around, soon standing in front of relic that belonged to each of their kingdoms. "Hey!" Gallus commented, "This is just like chapter twelve in Kanthaka's Facts and Artifacts, from Twilight's class!" The others looked at him in shock, "What?! I've been studying! Finals are coming up, you know?"
Ocellus smiled at this, "Actually, I remember that, too!" She glanced around, only to walk over to a small stacks of books and take one out. She then flipped to the chapter she was looking for. "Cozy must've linked these artifacts to act like a mystical magnet, attracting all the magic in Equestria into that orb."
"I didn't think these things had that much power," Ace added as he stared at the gauntlet.
"Maybe not on their own," Mira continued, "But when combined, they're probably amplifying each other to this level." She frowned at this, "She's found a way to turn friendship into a weapon."
"So, can we shut it down by yanking one of these things out?"
"Sure. Though that would probably cause a magical feedback loop and destroy the whole school!" Ocellus replied, the group going wide-eyed at this.
"Destroy the School of Friendship?!" They spun around at a new voice, now seeing Cozy and the whole student body entering from above. "Oh, dear! Chancellor Neighsay was wrong about a lot of things, but I guess he was right about all of you!" This statement got the rest of the students to glare at them, the ponies slowly moving down at them.
"Uh-oh," Ace gulped.
Back in Tartarus, all the monsters had been released from their cages, though none of were rampaging, as Fluttershy had made them all agree to help. Flash remained by the door, his form slumped over as he barely had his eyes open. The sight made Twilight grimace before turning to the others, "Alright, is everypony ready?"
"Sit!" Rarity told Cerberus, who did so as she threw the large bone at him. "Good boy!" She turned to Twilight, "I can't say for how much longer."
The sound of cymbals filled the air as Pinkie in a money suit circled around Tirek. "All eternity!" She exclaimed, making Tirek growl.
"Yes! By all means, please! Just get on with it!" Tirek cried as Twilight nodded and raised her horn, Pinkie removing the suit and jumping into the cage.
"There's your cue, you evil centaur, you." Tirek groaned before opening his mouth as a stream of red magic flew out of it and into Twilight's horn. Cerberus was next, his chest unleashing a yellow light while the rest of the mystical creatures let out their own light. Soon enough, all their magic had been drained and the creatures transformed. Cerberus split into three tiny dogs while the combo animals all split into their individual components. Meanwhile, their magic flew into Twilight's horn and caused it to glow bright purple.
"That's it!" She cheered, "I think it's working!" She turned to the door and unleashed the magic, hitting it and causing it to illuminate. As it did this, the doors began to open. Flash didn't waste a second and pushed himself up, staggering to the door. "Come on!" He heard Twilight cry as he got through, "I don't know how long I can hold it!"
Flash glanced back as everypony except Twilight got out before the doors began to shut. Flash gasped at this, but Twilight leapt out seconds before it shut, tackling Flash as the pair began rolling along the ground before coming to a stop.
They moaned as Twilight picked herself up, Pinkie cheering, "Yay! Twilight did it!"
Twilight nodded back. "I couldn't have done it without all your help."
But before they could celebrate, Rarity screamed. "I'm not sure we did it!" They looked up and saw the sun was beginning to set, the ponies gasping.
"No!" Twilight cired.
"Tirek said all of Equestria's magic would be gone at sunset," Applejack added.
"Without magic, there's no way we'll get back to the school in time!" Twilight screamed as Fluttershy turned to her.
"What does that mean?"
"It means...we've failed!" Twilight finishing, Flash opening his mouth to tell them there was still hope, only to fall over. "Flash!" He heard Twilight cry as he hit dirt, his eyes closing in that last second. "Flash! Flash, please wake up! FLASH!"
The eight friends stared at the rest of the fellow students as they all glared at them. "After everything Twilight's done for you," Cozy faked a look of betrayal as they all got closer. "Why would you want to destroy her school?
"We don't!" Gallus growled before flying up and poking her in the chest. "You're the one using these artifacts to drain magic from Equestria!"
"Me?!" Cozy gasped, "We all just saw you with your claws all over them!"
"Yeah, right!" Mira growled, "We're trying to undo what you've just done!" She turned to the others students, "This thing is what's draining magic from Equestria. And when Cozy got found out, she threw our friends inside to be sent to another world with it!"
"Yeah!" Ace added as he pointed at the trapped ponies, "Who's the one who threw you in there?" The three all pointed to Cozy, "See?!"
"How could I have done all this?" Cozy asked, "I don't know what that orb is doing. And I definitely didn't throw them in there. How could I? I'm just a weak little filly." She then gasped, only to point at a certain changeling, "I bet it was actually Ocellus, transformed into me. You probably planned to pin this all on me if everything went wrong!"
"That...actually could be believable if I didn't know Ocellus well enough to know she's not evil."
"Ace!" Mira cried, Ace shrugging as the rest of the students all glared at them.
Cozy then gasped again, "It all makes sense. These creatures want magic gone from Equestria because it's the only thing ponies have that they don't!"
"Technically," Ocellus spoke up, "There's a magical component when Silverstream and I transform."
"And Yona's friends' friendship is magic!" The yak yelled, "Twilight said!"
"And you repay her by sending her to Tartarus on a wild goose chase so you could destroy everything she built!" Cozy cried, pointing at the ponies in the orb. "They've even trapped those three in that-that thing!"
"We're not trying to destroy anything!" Mira replied, "Soul's my best friend. Why would I ever do anything to harm her?!" Soul nodded as Cozy glared at them. "Listen to me! Cozy's nuts! She thinks that if she gets rid of magic, everypony will bow to her if she can become the head of the school!"
"Don't listen to her," Cozy countered, "She's not a pony. She can't be trusted. Twilight made this school so that ponies like us can save Equestria when she's not around. Now we have to show her everything we've learned." She pointed at them. "We have to defend this school!"
The students cheered as they charged, the non-ponies gasping as Sandbar ran in front of them. "No! No, don't listen to her!" But they didn't, barreling passed him and attacking the rest of his friends. Ace and Mira fought the urge to use their aura, knowing they could hurt these ponies who were just being manipulated.
They were quickly surrounded and did their best to fight them off, Gallus trying to fly away, only for his tail to be caught. When the pegasus let him go, he shot up and accidently slammed into the ceiling. "Augh!" He fell down toward the orb, slamming into it before he could fly to safety.
"Gallus!" Smolder gasped, managing to knock the ponies holding her away as they all charged in to save him. But as they did, they crossed the magical circle and the orb unleashed its tendrils. Everyone gasped as one caught Ocellus and pulled her in, Yona attacking the tendril to grab her with Ace, Sandbar and Mira grabbing them. But they were pulled in too as Smolder and Silverstream were all caught.
And in that moment, in the very center of the magic circle appeared a swirl of energy that began growing larger and larger. Cozy smiled seeing this, knowing that any moment the vortex would suck the magic and all her remaining obstacles away forever. But the students were more focused on something less.
"They just sacrificed themselves trying to save their friend," a yellow unicorn mare pointed out. "Professor Dash always said there's nothing more loyal than that. Shouldn't we try to save them?"
"They brought this on themselves," Cozy told her with crossed hooves. "There's nothing we can do."
"That doesn't seem very generous," a pink earth pony mare chimed in, "Or kind."
Cozy flinched at this, only to shake her head, "Yeah, yeah." She then took to the air and flew over the crowd, "The Elements of Harmony are very important. They're just not applicable in every circumstance. And with magic gone from Equestria, I'm not even sure the Tree of Harmony will be as helpful as it once was."
The students all exchanged glances at this, only to murmur agreements. The sight made everyone in the orb grimace, but then the seven crystal pillars going up the wall of the room began to glow. There was a purple one, a pink one, a yellow one, a white one, a blue one, an orange one and a green one. The light travelled up the pillars until they met at the very top, causing a bright flash of rainbow light. That light flew down and struck the orb, which had been about to fall into the vortex. When it did, the orb stopped falling and rose back up. Those inside were shocked, but even more shocked when all eight started glowing.
It was at this moment Cozy and the students noticed the light, "What's happening?!" Cozy yelled, only to see the eight students she had just sentenced to oblivion float out of the orb.
Each one glowing a color: Yona glowed green, Silverstream glowed pink, Sandbar glowed yellow, Smolder glowed blue, Gallus glowed purple and Ocellus glowed white. Ace and Mira were both glowing orange, the pair smiling at each other while those inside and outside the orb were in shock.
"They're glowing like the Elements!" The earth pony mare gasped, "I think the Tree of Harmony saved them!"
Cozy pushed her way to the front of the group, as the eight smiled down at her. "Guess our friendship is pretty magical after all," Gallus laughed before Ocellus pointed to the seven relics.
"Hurry! Grab the artifacts!" They all nodded and flew down, each staring at the relic of their nation as the glow vanished.
"Um..." Silverstream looked back at Ocellus, "Didn't you say that could destroy the school?"
Ocellus nodded. "But if we don't try, we could lose magic forever!"
"We got no choice then," Ace replied, "But...we better take some precautions in case we do go boom."
Sandbar nodded before turning to the rest of the students. "You all better get clear!" The students flinched at this before running off, leaving Cozy alone.
"Wait!" She screamed, "Where are you going?! STOOOOOP!"
And then the eight each grabbed their relic and lifted them up, causing the beams they were expelling to lift the orb up into the air. As it did this, the orb began to grow smaller and smaller, Heart, Soul and Starlight needing to hug so they weren't crushed. Then, it exploded and unleashed a wave of magic in all directions. It flew through the walls and up above the school, radiating out across all of Equestria. It was followed by multi-colored wisps of light that flew all around the place, flying toward a certain individual that had once held it.
On the outskirts of Canterlot, Springer, Celestia and Luna were making their way down the road with an entire army following them. A rustling of the bushes caused them to all get on guard, only to see a particular unicorn step out. "Princess!" Neighsay cried, looking rather disheveled as his robes were ripped and his mane and tail were a mess.
"What happened to you?" Springer asked, still holding an Aura Blast just in case.
"The damage you did to my medallion meant the spell I cast couldn't go all the way! Instead of Canterlot, I got spat out in the middle of the woods!"
Springer glared at him, ready to throw the orb, only for a wave of light to fly over them. "Whoa!" Springer yelped as he saw the many lights shine over the sky, "What is happening?" He got his answer when the lights slammed into all the unicorns around him, along with the princesses, their horns glowing as they felt their magic returning.
Outside the doors or Tartarus, the girls continued to try and wake Flash up. His breathing was growing weaker, making them fear each breath would be his last. But before they could all start crying, the wave flew into them. Two wisps went into Twilight and Rarity's horns along with Spike's chest. Others then phased through the doors of Tartarus, likely restoring the magic that made up the creatures within it.
Then, a large golden light flew down and into Flash. They gasped at the sight, only to see Flash remain still. "NO! Flash!" Twilight screamed as she hugged him, only for his eyes to shoot open.
"WHOA!" He gasped, taking in a huge breath of air. The sight made everypony cheer, the others then hugging him as he moaned out, "What happened?"
"I don't know," Twilight replied through a stream of tears, "But it's clear the magic's back." She then released her hug and sparked her horn, all her friends turning to her, "We got no time to lose. We're going back to the school now!"
The students were still running through the courtyard to escape in case the school went kaboom. That is, till a bright flash of blue light made them look up and see Starlight, Heart and Soul appear. The ponies they had just attacked were also there, the group now seeing them unharmed, with Yona even laughing. "Counselor pony!" She jumped toward Starlight, but the unicorn caught her in her magic so to not be crushed.
"Uh, it's nice to see you, too." She put Yona down as Soul activated her magic, actually happy to see that her magic was back. But not as happy as Heart was when he ignited his hoof, the pegasus cheering at the return of his flames.
"I guess magic is back," Ocellus giggled before a very angry voice caught their attention.
"You've ruined everything!" They turned to see a ruffed up and smoking Cozy Glow. "Now Twilight and her ridiculous friends can escape from Tartarus!" She looked ready to hurt somepony, the group all glaring at her as Heart's flames surged off him. But before he could attack her, a flash of light signaled the return of Twilight and her ridiculous friends, the eight appearing between the crowd and Cozy. The sight made her flinch before squeaking out, "I mean...yay! All my friends are safe!"
Applejack slammed a hoof down at that, "You can drop the act, Cozy Glow! Your pen pal Tirek told us all about how he helped you suck up all that magic!"
Cozy flinched again, only to see Twilight walk in front of everyone with a big frown on her face, "But I still don't understand why. Why do this, Cozy?!"
A growl escaped Cozy's lips. "Why?! WHY?!" Twilight stepped back at the sudden outburst. "Because friendship is power! You might be the Princess of Friendship, but as headmare of this school, I can collect even more friends than you!"
This statement was heard by not just them, but the students that were all hanging around the edge. Twilight blinked at her, only to shake her head, "You're the one who doesn't get it, Cozy. Friendship is powerful, but power isn't why you make friends. I'm sorry I couldn't teach you that."
"Well, you taught us," Gallus added as he and the students gathered around her.
Silverstream nodded. "You can't let one bad apple make you think you failed."
"And we never could've stopped her if we hadn't learned what you taught us about friendship." Sandbar added.
"Honesty?" They turned to Cozy, "Loyalty? Generosity? Blah-blah-blah! I can make more friends without using any of them! And if I can't do it here, I'll do it somewhere else!" She then took to the air and tried to escape, but her escape route was quickly blocked by several of the students.
"Yeah," a pegasus mare told her, "I don't think so!"
Cozy spun around at this, only to see a certain pair of alicorn sisters arriving along with Springer, Neighsay, the Royal Knights and multiple guards. "It's over," Springer made a Bone Breaker. "Just come quietly before you get hurt."
Cozy growled as the Royal Knights stepped up next, "Cozy Glow," Grand Hoof stated. "You are under arrest for attempting to steal the magic of Equestria. Who knows what would have happened if you had succeeded."
"Oh, I know." Everypony turned to Flash, "Cozy's acts could have had the worst ramification imaginable. She almost killed Faust." Those that knew that name were shocked, others just raising eyebrows.
"Who?" Cozy asked.
"Oh," Ocellus chimed in, "I remember this from Twilight's lectures. She's the being who created the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow, who created the world as we know it." Many others remembered that class, some of them amazed that such a being existed whilst others had their doubts. One of them being Cozy Glow.
"Her life-force is made up entirely of magic. If you had succeeded, she would have died. And without her, our world wouldn't have lasted long." Flash pointed at the filly, "All your ambitions, all your power-hungry fixations almost led to our world's end! Even if your insane plan was actually possible, this world would have died long before you could have even pulled it off!" He flew up to her, putting his face within inches of hers, "You would have ruined our world for nothing!"
"You really expect me to believe all that nonsense?" Cozy spat, Flash pulling back.
"Doesn't matter if you believe it or not. It's the truth. And you're gonna have to pay for that crime."
"You can try!" Cozy yelled as she shot straight up, the guards instantly appearing before her, only for the filly to give them puppy dog eyes.
"Err..." A guard turned to the princesses. "I know she's evil and all, but I don't think I can attack a filly."
"I can." Cozy turned to the voice, only to see Soul to her side as she slammed a hoof into the filly's face. The blow knocked Cozy straight into the fountain, the sight making everypony flinch.
"That's for messing with my brother." She blew on her hoof, everyone else grimacing at the angry look on the filly's face.
Everything seemed like a blur after that. Cozy was carted away to be tried and dealt with while the students and Starlight explained everything that happened while the Mane Seven were away. Twilight had not been happy hearing about how Cozy had tricked the three into the orb, and even more unhappy with Neighsay for imprisoning her students, attempting to take over her school and enchanting it to harm Springer. Celestia was also unhappy, and would be having stern words with the EEA about this matter, making Neighsay have to give a very heartfelt apology so as to not lose his job or be arrested.
Now he, Celestia, Flash and Twilight were making their way through the halls to ensure no damage had actually been done to the school after the magical explosion. As it turned out, the school was perfectly sound. As they did this, Neighsay sighed. "I'm glad you're back in charge of the School of Friendship, Princess." They reached Twilight's office and opened the doors for her. "It's clear to me now that there is nopony better suited for the job."
"You sure you're not just saying that so we forgive you?" Flash asked, Neighsay slightly chuckling and looking away. But before they could say anything else, Twilight noticed something down the hall that really caught their attention.
The eight students that had saved the school were all lined up, dressed in graduation gowns as Spike walked past them while burping up diplomas. "What's going on?"
Silverstream waved, "Hi, Headmare Twilight! We're just practicing for graduation!" As she said that, Spike belched out another diploma.
"Graduation?" Twilight asked.
"How long was I unconscious for?" Flash asked, the others laughing.
"Well," Ace smirked, "We were thinking..."
Gallus continued. "Now that we've saved Equestria, we figure we're done with school."
This statement shocked the adults, who quickly broke into a round of laughter much to the student's surprise. "Saving Equestria is nice, but I'm afraid it'll take more than one semester to learn all there is to know about friendship."
"Yeah," Flash nodded. "It took Twilight saving Equestria at least four times before she was made a princess. And another two times before she was given her title. Sure, you all saving Equestria's magic and preventing its total collapse was big, but I think it only equals two of Twilight's saves."
The students frowned as Spike belched out another scroll, "Told ya." The students all moaned as Spike moved back over to the others, Neighsay smiling as he nodded.
"Your teachers are right. I thought friendship was something only ponies should share with each other. But you all taught me how wrong I was. I suppose true friendship can take a lifetime to understand."
Twilight giggled at that, "If it were easy to learn, we wouldn't need a school." She winked at the chancellor, only for a sudden crash to fill the air and make them look around to see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo flying out a broom closet.
"We held her off as long as we could!" Apple Bloom cried as Sweetie appeared behind them, hoping around with a bucket on her head.
"But she locked us in this closet!" Scootaloo yelled, Sweetie pulling the bucket off her head.
"What happened?!" The little unicorn exclaimed, "Is everything alright?! Where's Cozy Glow?!" Everyone laughed, confusing the three as Flash moved over to help his sister to her feet.
"Everything worked out just fine," Twilight replied.
Celestia nodded. "As for Cozy Glow, I can assure you that where she's going, she won't be causing any more trouble."
Back in Tartarus, Cerberus was back to normal and laying down next to Tirek's cage. With its friends now gone, things didn't seem to be as fun as before. He turned to Tirek and whined, the centaur groaning. "Of course it's boring here now! But at least you're not in a cage!"
But in that moment, something totally not boring occurred. A flash of light made him turn to see a portal appear beside his cage, which Grand and Skybreaker stepped out of. The pair glared at Tirek and were ready for him if he tried anything, only to see that everything in Tartarus was just as it should be.
"Clear!" Grand called out, Luna walking through the portal along with Cold and Ruby. The unicorns her carrying a certain somepony in their magic, whilst Luna used hers to conjure a smaller version of Tirek's cage. They threw their prisoner inside and slammed the cage shut, the five quickly leaving back through the portal as Tartarus' newest resident turned to Tirek.
"Hey, neighbor." Cozy was smiling before her face turned sinister, "Wanna be friends?"
Flash and Twilight were both exhausted as they got ready for bed. With everything that had happened the last few days, the pair of them hadn't had much sleep. And now that they had the time to, they expected they wouldn't be waking up for almost two days.
"I still can't believe Cozy was tricking us that whole time," Twilight sighed as she brushed her teeth.
Flash was preening his feathers and sighed as well. "It's like the others said, you can't blame yourself for one bad student. The others did great thanks to what we taught them. But yeah, she certainly pulled the wool over our eyes. But as bad as we feel, Heart must be feeling even worse."
Twilight's heart almost broke at hearing this, as she remembered what Starlight had told her about Heart and Cozy's conversation. She knew Heart must be feeling horrible, and if what Starlight had told them Heart had said was true, it could leave lasting scars that might haunt him for years. "We have to try and help him through this." Flash nodded as Twilight stepped out of the bathroom and they both got into bed. "But we're in no condition to do it yet."
"Then we'll start first thing in the morning. Or whenever we wake up." Twilight laughed at this and the pair shared a kiss before going to sleep. They fell into a slumber rather easily given everything they had been through. Both felt themselves drift off into what would hopefully be a peaceful sleep.
That is, till Flash opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar void. Only this one wasn't completely insane like before. "Faust?" He asked.
"Hello Flash." He spun around and saw the ball of light flying over, Flash sighing in relief.
"Faust. I'm glad you're alright. A part of me was worried Cozy managed to kill you before the others gave you back your magic. Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"
"I am fine. Admittedly, I am a bit drained, but I should recover in time. I'm just sorry I couldn't warn you sooner. By the time I realized magic was being drained, I was already too weak to create a stable connection with you."
"Did you not know what Cozy was doing?" Flash asked, "I thought you were all seeing?"
"No, that's Santa Claus." Flash had no idea what that was, "Anyway, it doesn't really matter. I'm alive, magic wasn't lost forever, and everything can go back to how it normally is."
"But we did cut it pretty close," Flash sighed, "If the students hadn't done what they did, when they did, you'd have been gone and the world would have followed after you." He didn't want to imagine what a dying world looked like. "If you had...you know, is there any chance of our world surviving?"
"I'm afraid not. Everything would likely be okay for about a month or two, but it's like I told you: The world is like an engine. It can run on its own for a little bit, but without somepony to keep it working properly, eventually it'll break down. Without a conscious mind to keep this world in balance, it would have died. And I'm afraid there aren't a lot of other deities with the unbreakable will needed to take my place if I'm gone. If I go, so does the entire world."
Flash gulped at that, "Then I guess it's a good thing we're here to help you if you're ever under attack again. I promise, we won't let it get this close again. Whenever you need us, we'll be there."
"Thank you," Faust replied, "But I didn't bring you here just to chat."
Before Flash could ask what she was doing, she flew up to Flash and into his chest. "Whoa!" He yelped, only to see Faust fly back out of him, "What did you just do?"
"Just wanted to be sure you didn't suffer any ill effects from what happened. Remember what happened to Shadow after I removed his Corrupted Shadow?" Flash nodded back, "This is the same. Luckily, it seems you are the picture of perfect health. A little rest and relaxation and you'll be ready for anything the world decides to throw at you."
Flash sighed and shook his head, "I think I'd rather go without any grand adventures for a while."
"Well, I'm afraid that likely won't happen. You have done many great things, but I have a feeling you're greatest adventures have yet to come."
"How do you know that?" Flash asked, "Can you see into the future?"
"No. Your mother allowed me to see a few snippets of what was to come, but we passed that time a while ago. This is just a gut feeling I have, even though being a conscious mass of formless energy means I don't have a gut." They laughed at this. "No, I just have a feeling that something big is coming. Something that will require us all to make a choice between what is right...and what is easy."
Flash frowned, but knew she was probably right. The future was an unknown and there was no telling what great evil would appear next. But when it did, Flash would be ready. No matter what form it took.
In the middle of an unoccupied sector of Equestria, near the badlands but still had many trees and even a river running through it, was a large mountain. The mountain was so large that if it was moved to Ponyville, it would have crushed the entire town and part of the farm beneath the base. The mountain looked completely unordinary, but about half a mile up it, a small cave could be found.
Inside this cave, at the very back, was a magical seal that had been burned into the rock. Magic flowed into it, swirling and powering it...until all the magic had been stolen. The magic that had been torn across the land had been removed...and the seal was beginning to crack.
And as this happened, the wall began to fall apart, the entire back breaking apart. This revealed a tunnel, a deep and dark chamber...and within, a pair of bright violet eyes appeared.