//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Twilight vs Opaline Part 2/Creating The Crystals // Story: The Fall of Opaline // by Admiral Producer //------------------------------// Spike opened his eyes with a loud gasp, feeling his breath come back into a comfortable rhythm. He fully expected to be dead and obliterated, but he wasn’t. By some miracle that he could not explain, he was still alive and well. The flaming remains of Canterlot city were still intact and so was everypony else at the train station. The explosion had completely missed their location. Each pony opened their eyes and was relieved to still be standing. The blast had not gotten to any of them. They had survived! But how? Spike looked to his right and could not see Luster Dawn. He looked left to right, but the pink unicorn was no longer in sight. For a moment, he feared the worst and he began thinking that she had been killed by the blast. He panicked. “Luster!! LUSTER DAWN!! LUSTER DAWN, WHERE ARE YOU?!!” That was when he heard a scream come from beside him. He looked under a large piece of fallen rubble and found his answer. Luster was trapped beneath a fallen house and she could not escape. Her entire body was covered in burns and bruises, but she was miraculously still alive. “I’m here!!” Luster shouted. “Spike, I’m here!!” “Luster!” Spike knelt down to her level. “Luster, hold on!! Hold on!! “I’m stuck!!” Luster said in a panicked voice. “I can’t get free! I’m stuck!!” “It’s okay,” Spike told her. “We’re going to get you out of there, I promise. Just sit tight.” He began to stand up, but Luster reached out for him. “No no no!” Luster cried. “Don’t leave me!! Please don’t leave me!!” “I’m not leaving you,” Spike promised her. He looked up at the other ponies. “Everypony, get your flanks over here and help me!!” The ponies all came over and began trying to help Spike pull the collapsed building off of Luster. Yet even with their combined strengths, it was far too heavy to lift. As Spike and the ponies strained to lift the rubble, sweat appearing on all their foreheads as they did so, there was the sound of an explosion and another blast that sent a trail of falling debris their way. Luster whimpered. “Spike…I’m scared…” “COME ON, PUSH!!! PUT YOUR BACKS INTO IT, PUSH!!!!” “It’s far too heavy!!” A mare cried. “We can’t lift this!!” “Well keep trying!!!!” Spike yelled. “We’re not leaving her, do you hear me?!! PUSH, ALL OF YOU!!! COME ON!!!” As the destruction continued to rage across Canterlot from the blast, Spike saw out of the corner of his eye another source of magic countering it and he suddenly realized why he and the others had not been obliterated from Opaline’s nuclear blast. Twilight was in the center of it all, pushing the blast back with her own magic. Her armor had melted off of her, yet she was still standing strong. She had no weapons, no means to defend herself now. However, that didn’t matter to her. The safety of her fellow ponies came first. As the two beams collided in the air and fought for control, they sent shockwaves throughout the area and it was reported that you could see the blast for miles. The sheer power they displayed was enough to send several loose planks of wood, metal, and brick flying in every single direction. The ponies screamed, trying to dodge all of the debris flying their way as they continued to try and push the rubble off. In the midst of all of the other screams, Spike could hear Luster’s coming from underneath. That was when he turned around, took her hoof in his claw, and grasped it. He knew that they were most likely about to die in that moment. The blasts were too strong and it was only a matter of time before they were consumed by them. But he wasn’t going to leave her to perish alone. If there was anything Twilight had taught him, it was that friendship wasn’t always easy, but there was no doubt that it was worth fighting for. Luster was his friend to the bitter end, no matter what that end entailed. And he was going to die by her side. Twilight gritted her teeth, fighting back the urge to stop and breathe as she kept her blast going. Her cutie mark was glowing and her mane was flowing back in an ethereal manner. Her eyes were a bright, pupiless white as she unleashed the full extent of her power. It was at that moment that she finally understood what it meant to be the ruler of Equestria. After all these years, she finally realized what Celestia had been training her for throughout her entire life. This was the moment she finally understood what being a Princess meant. It wasn’t just about being a ruler or a friend. It was also about being the protector the ponies needed, even in the face of great adversity. Her friends may have died, but they had given her an invaluable and incredibly special gift. They had provided her the means to finally come into her own as a leader. She didn’t need to rely on their guidance to be the ruler everypony deserved. All she had to do was trust in herself and her capabilities. Now…she was doing just that. The destruction raged all across the city and as Spike held Luster’s hoof tight, Twilight flew up and with a loud scream, punched Opaline across the sky and back down towards the ground, ending the lethal blast faster than it had started. Luster was the first to notice that the destruction had suddenly stopped. She looked around, confused, wondering what had just happened. Spike looked confused too, yet a smile of relief began to form as the reality became clear. They had survived. Twilight took several deep breaths before she turned her head to look at Spike, who had just gotten Luster out of the fallen debris. The three of them looked eyes with each other for but a brief moment of quiet acknowledgment before the fight began again. With not a second to waste, Twilight then flew towards the other side of Canterlot and landed in the ruins of the statue garden. The statues had all fallen over and were shattered beyond repair, with a disheveled looking Opaline in the center of it all, struggling to get up. “You will never rule Equestria,” Twilight spoke, walking towards her and stopping once she was right in front of her former apprentice. “You’ve caused so much destruction all across Canterlot because of something you don’t understand. Despite this, however, I don’t want to kill you, Opaline. The part of me that still loves you won’t allow it. But I don’t have to save you either.” Opaline glared daggers at her. She punched the ground and stood up. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you, Twilight? Manipulating an innocent pony to do whatever you want and then tossing them aside when you don’t need them anymore? That’s the lesson I learned from you. That’s all you alicorns do.” Twilight said nothing, only standing in silence. “Well I see how it is,” Opaline smiled as blood dripped down from her lips. “You want to take everything from me. Very well, I’ll oblige. But what will you do after?! Parade yourself as the hero who took down the biggest threat Equestria has ever faced while scrubbing my existence from the history books?” “You are not the biggest threat I have faced, Opaline. You’re merely a fraction of what my friends and I have fought combined.” A fraction. The word filled Opaline’s head and stung every inch of her being. It got her angry and seething with rage. She was still being called inferior despite everything she had done, in spite of almost winning and destroying a city off the map. Despite splitting the pony tribes beyond repair and organizing a mass genocide of the other creatures, she was still not recognized for it. This filled her with a hatred unlike anything she had ever felt before in her life. She wanted to be noticed. She wanted to be praised, admired, and feared. She wanted all those she encountered to bow before her and suffer through the same heartache she had felt when Twilight had cast her out not too long ago. If Twilight wasn’t going to fear her on her own accord, then she was going to make the Princess fear her. She growled, flying up into the air. “A fraction? Well then…so be it, Twilight.” With her heart filled with insurmountable amounts of hate and jealousy, she lunged at Twilight once more and knocked her into the air, sending the other alicorn spiraling through the skies. She barely managed to catch herself before she saw Opaline charge at her again out of the corners of her eyes. Reacting quickly, Twilight punched her repeatedly across the city, where she landed several feet off in the distance. Sensing her former master coming, Opaline flew in the opposite direction just out of view. Twilight cursed and followed her, flying across multiple alleyways and buildings before stopping in one to see if her opponent was there. She looked around in confusion before an enraged Opaline charged out of an abandoned building at a speed faster than light and pounced on her. The two titans fought above the rooftops of a couple of houses before Twilight was punched towards another building. Before Opaline could react, Twilight was on her again, holding her head down as they smashed through several windows before emerging out the other side. They continued to punch one another in mid-air until Twilight was grabbed by the neck, spun around, and sent flying into several more houses that exploded upon impact. She crashed through furniture, walls, ceilings, stairs, and several more objects before appearing on the other side in a bloody state. Right as she was about to catch her breath, she was again punched in the face. She flew several feet in the sky and out of the atmosphere, crashing on a satellite in space. In an instant, Opaline appeared and continued to pummel her. During their battle, they crashed right into the satellite, sending it flying and burning through the atmosphere upon reentry. Through the raging flames, Twilight continued to punch Opaline over and over with no signs of stopping. The point of negotiation had already been passed. There was only one way the fight could end and both of them knew it. Either Twilight died or Opaline did. Back on the ground, the crowd of ponies from earlier were watching the fight go down. In front of them was Spike and Luster. Upon hearing the sound of a supersonic boom, everycreature looked up into the sky to see a hurricane of flaming debris falling towards the ground. In the middle of it all was Twilight pummeling Opaline towards the ground. From the angle the crowd was looking, the two of them looked like gods. They crashed back down onto the ground and Opaline’s flew back into the air before Twilight could pummel her again. Once she was in the air, she began blasting at every last standing structure that she saw, determined to destroy the last remaining fragments of harmony left. Twilight slowly stood up, limping to her hooves. Luster and Spike were instantly by her side as she watched all of the carnage and destruction that Opaline was causing. She knew what she had to do, but it would not be easy. There was only one way to end the Fire Alicorn’s reign of terror over the kingdom of ponies once and for all. And she knew exactly what it was. With a heavy heart, she turned towards both of her closest confidants and smiled weakly. “I love you guys…” Spike shook his head vigorously. He knew what was about to happen. “No…no, Twilight, you can’t!!” “This is my world…” Luster’s eyes filled with panic. “No, Twilight!! Don’t!!” “You are my world…” “No!” Luster cried. “Please, don’t-TWILIGHT!!!!” Unfortunately, she was too late. Without a moment of hesitation, Twilight took off flying towards the sky again, her horn lighting up for one final spell that she hoped would finally defeat her former student. She didn’t have long. She didn’t know if she would live or die. Starswirl had told her that there was no other way, that she would have to make this choice or let Equestria die. She had spent days researching the spell. She knew the risks, she knew what she would be sacrificing. It didn’t matter to her. The safety of Equestria mattered to her more. A spark of pink magic became an aura and then a full bubble of magic encased her. The magical energy became stronger and her eyes glowed full white. There was no time for anymore thoughts, only action. Opaline was blasting building after building and alley after alley, reveling in the destruction that she was causing. She cackled and laughed in a maniacal manner. Her mind had lost all sense of sanity and the only thing that was left was sadistic hatred and revenge. The once sweet and innocent unicorn was now long gone, and a genocidal maniac had taken her place. She was having so much fun that she didn’t see Twilight fly up from below her. The purple alicorn was encased in a large pink magic bubble as she faced the monster that she had created one last time. Opaline turned around at the sound of magic that wasn’t her own and gazed upon her enemy with a grin of pure insanity. Her horn lit up a fiery purple and she let out a guttural growl as she shot a massive blast at the alicorn she once called her mother with the intention of striking her down from the sky and killing her. The blast hit the shield and shattered it to pieces. That was when Twilight’s own horn lit up and she began to slowly drain Opaline’s magic from her, absorbing it into herself. Opaline screamed and shrieked as her very essence was ripped from her horn and into her former mentor’s. Her entire body felt like it was burning from the inside in a pit of infernal fire. She fought and tried to pull away, but the grip was too strong and she could not break free from the hold that Twilight had on her. There was no sympathy left for her in the older alicorn’s eyes. She had crossed the line and now she was paying the price for her actions. Tears of anger and grief streamed down Twilight’s face as she continued to absorb the magic and she watched her apprentice scream as she did so. Her heart ached. In her mind, the scream was not of a maniacal villain, but the kind and gentle pony that she raised. She felt the pain of a mother stab her entire being in every area. She was killing her own daughter. She was punishing the one pony who had given her so much hope and then taken it all away faster than it was given. But she knew it was the right thing to do. She knew that the amount of magic that she was absorbing would most likely kill her, but she didn’t care. She could not let this destruction continue. There was no room left for negotiation nor forgiveness. Opaline had taken everything from her, and now she had to deal with the consequences for what she had done. From below, Spike, Luster, and the crowd of ponies were watching with terror and trepidation as their Princess sacrificed herself to save them. They all feared the outcome as whoever came out of that and took down the other would be the undisputed ruler of Equestria. The two beams then collided and with a loud scream, Twilight unleashed all the magic from her inner being, creating a supersonic blast of magic that resembled the Sonic Rainboom. The ring of energy cascaded throughout Equestria, the sound of her screams traveling with it. The sound was so loud, it awoke any pony that heard it. The sound was heard loudest in Ponyville. Everycreature ran outside just in time to see a very large image of Twilight’s cutie mark explode into being in the sky, the very same image that had appeared when she had become an alicorn all those years ago. When the light cleared, Opaline was gone. All that was left in the sky was the badly burnt body of Twilight, still breathing, but barely. Her appearance had changed with the spell. No longer was she tall and ethereal, but she had revered back to her normal form from before she had ascended to the throne. Her armor had been completely vaporized in the explosion and she felt weaker than she ever felt in her whole life. She slowly lowered herself onto the ground. Luster and Spike immediately ran up to her to see if she was okay, checking her over several times. Twilight refused to look at them. She had won, but at a grave cost. She had to banish the pony she had been the closest to. There was no coming back from that. As everypony came over to offer their silent condolences, she only gave each of them a simple nod of acknowledgment before motioning them to disperse. Her horn glowed again and she held up three artifacts that she didn’t have previously. In the explosion, she had created three crystals, each one of them being different colors. There was a small, triangular purple crystal, a circular white crystal, and a large blue crystal in the shape of pegasus wings. Luster felt them and looked up at her former teacher. “What are these…?” “My magic…” Twilight spoke weakly. “…Crystals…Please…protect…” She didn’t finish the sentence as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The strain of the battle and the spell had finally gotten to her and she was now too weak to move. Luster and Spike knelt by her side, stroking her gently as the morning Sun slowly rose above the horizon. It took two months to fully clean up Canterlot. The battle between Twilight and Opaline had leveled the entire city and there was a lot of work to be done before things could go back to normal. Spike assisted in the recovery efforts while Luster took over as the ruler of Equestria until Twilight was fully recovered, giving motivational speeches to the scared populace. However, in spite of Opaline’s defeat, the impact that she had left behind was far beyond anything that could be repaired. The ponies still hated each other to a very large degree. The words that the evil alicorn had spread had given the tribes the idea that they were better off apart from each other. Following the creation of the Crystals, each one was given to one of the races to protect. This soon grew into a desire for separation and word began to spread that all the earth ponies would be migrating north to a completely new civilization. The unicorns and the pegasi followed suit as each of them only felt safe with each other. Before the Crystals were given, however, it was said that Twilight had recorded a secret message for the next generation of ponies that could only be activated when all three pony races were together again. Many of the other races tried to activate the hologram alone and failed miserably, as it was not yet time. Stored within the three artifacts was the majority of Twilight’s magic. She had placed it inside while draining Opaline’s own magic and they were responsible for a rumored cloaking enchantment spell that was said to protect Equestria from Opaline, who was now banished far beyond its borders, never to find it again. Eventually, the magic from all ponykind would fade upon the Crystals’ separation as they were said to be the ponies’ primary source of magic after Opaline had stolen so much of it. The other creatures were now gone from Equestria. Following a disastrous trade deal that Luster tried to negotiate, the hippogriffs, changelings, dragons, yaks, kirin, and griffons all announced that they would be cutting ties to the land of ponies they had once been friendly with for the past several decades and focusing on their own civilizations. This was due to the large racism that had been spurned on by not only Twilight’s old bill, but the way the majority of ponies had treated them after Opaline’s teachings had taken hold. After she had recovered from her injuries, Twilight made one last public appearance to commemorate the final Festival of the Two Sisters as it had been officially tainted in her eyes now and she was canceling it for good. Barely anypony showed up as nearly all of them had migrated to their new civilization sites, with only a few remaining in the old cities. Once the Festival was over, Twilight vanished from Equestria. Nopony knew where she had gone and baseless rumors and conspiracy theories began spreading around as to where she had potentially disappeared to. Hardly anyone cared to actually look though, and those who did strike out on their own quests never made it back home. On June 6, 2033, the three civilizations of Maretime Bay, Bridlewood, and Zephyr Heights were officially established, effectively marking the end of Equestria as it was formerly known. The name still existed, but the new cities were effectively separate nations altogether without any ties to the old monarchy. Friendship and harmony had officially died, with paranoia and distrust taking its place. The ponies of Equestria were no longer friends. On a bright Tuesday morning, Luster stood near the Treehouse of Harmony, staring at the large exterior with an expression of nostalgic longing. This structure that had risen from the shattered remains of the old Tree of Harmony had once held such promise for future generations. Now all of it was gone, and it would sit abandoned until time withered it away in the eyes of history until it would eventually be forgotten. The last ponies had moved out of Ponyville and the town was now completely abandoned. Luster was the only pony still living there and she knew that she would be the last one. Once she died due to old age or something else outside of her control, no one would ever step hoof in it again. This Treehouse was all that remained of a fantastic golden age, one that didn’t deserve to end so abruptly. It was all that remained of a time known for progress, friendship, inclusion, and most importantly, peace. Nopony had ever ruled Equestria in the way Twilight had done, and nopony would ever rule in that way again. She sighed and turned around to walk away, preparing to leave behind the past and live the rest of her life alone as a hermit. That was when Spike flew down from the sky and touched down beside her. She glanced up, startled, as she didn’t expect to see him in this location. He gave her a small smile and she reciprocated in turn. It was good to have a last visit from a friend. “You feeling okay?” Spike asked her. Luster shook her head. “They just don’t get it, do they?” “The other ponies?” Luster nodded in confirmation. “Yeah. They all left because of the lies that Opaline fed them. If only they knew that Twilight sacrificed herself so they could be together. We’re the only ones who will ever know the truth.” “I doubt that.” Luster blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?” Spike smiled cheekily. “Eh, you never know. Some nerd like Twilight might…find out the truth in the future through some old history books. Teach his own daughter. We might have another golden age of harmony on our hooves.” Luster looked down at the ground. “I wouldn’t hold my breath, Spike. Some ponies just can’t see reason. They’ll deem that pony an outcast. She’ll be shunned by everyone around her, made to feel like the scum of the earth by her peers. They won’t believe her because she can’t prove what she hasn’t seen.” “You just gotta have a little bit of faith, Luster,” Spike told her. “‘No use being pessimistic in an already grim future. Ponies can stand together if given the right incentive. They’ll just have to learn about friendship all over again.” Luster glanced back at him solemnly. “A couple of years ago, Twilight sent me to Ponyville to learn about friendship, to learn how to open up to those closest to you. Now all of my friends are gone…they’ve returned back to their own kingdoms. Opaline’s made a world where friendship and love are impossible.” Spike stared at the crystalline pink leaves of the Treehouse and as he did so, a hopeful smile slowly formed on his face. “Friendship will survive…” “We fight. We kill. We betray one another. But we can rebuild. We can do better. We will…we have to…” Throughout each civilization, each of the pony tribes elected a leader to represent them. The earth ponies of Maretime Bay elected a sheriff, the pegasi of Zephyr Heights held the coronation of their first Queen, and the unicorns of Bridlewood chose a town leader. Each leader stored their Crystal away in a secret location that was not meant to be revealed to anyone except for a time of crisis. Each nation did this through a very important ritual that was attended by the first citizens. The earth pony crystal was stored in a tall lighthouse overlooking the bay, while the pegasus crystal was made to be a part of the Queen’s crown. The unicorn crystal was put in a pawn’s ship. Only one pony could be the rightful owner of it at a time and they would never know of its true value. The ritual signified the abandonment of the old Equestrian traditions and the beginning of new ones all their own. It was a promise to a bright and prosperous future. And a promise of peace.