“I guess that wraps things up.”
Screwball looked left. The pegasus Fleetfoot was out cold. Pinkie still clung to consciousness somehow. Those blows from Screwball, while still half-hearted, would have crushed the skull of a normal pony.
As impressive as her staggering about was, Pinkie wouldn’t be putting up any further fight. Screwball cast a spell on Pinkie. A stasis bubble surrounded her. Inside, time would move so much slower that Pinkie appeared to be frozen in time.
“Anyway. Time to make my escape.” Screwball’s entire body began to glow with magic, preparing to hypercast.
“Hold on!” That banshee called out to her. Screwball knew this was one of those royal family ponies… which one though? Ardere? No, this was Vespara. “You’ll kill me too!”
“And?”
“Um!” She fluttered her wings, desperate to think of something. “If you don’t let me get away first, I’ll death curse you!”
Screwball briefly considered whether or not to cancel her attack to kill the banshee first. A death curse was nothing to Screwball, not in her full gear. The problem was she wanted Pinkie Pie to survive.
She looked at Pinkie, not unconscious but likely too dazed to hear the scream…
Vespara wasted no time in burning her one card and screamed. Not that it mattered. The ground beneath Screwball cracked. In a second, everypony nearby would be dead. A dead banshee meant no more death curse.
Of course, that was when the death curse activated. A bolt of lightning came crashing down. Screwball considered just letting it hit you, you were supposed to take the hit when it came to these curses, but it wasn’t going for her…
Screwball dropped her spell and jumped in front of Pinkie. The lightning crashed into her, then exploded into a new ghost. This one was much more chained up than normal, chains covering half the pink unicorn’s body. But her eyes glowed a brilliant blue.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Screwball asked.
“I have to kill Pinkie Pie,” she said.
“Well I need her alive so you’re going to have to back off.” Screwball looked over her shoulder. She was in for a storm of bad luck presently. She had to deal with this poser fast.
She wasted no time. The energy she pulled from the ground was still there. Screwball punched forward, the same yellow energy she absorbed before erupted forward.
The ghost didn’t falter eyes turned blue. Flames of the same color began seeping out from beneath the chains. She held a hoof forward. It wasn’t lightning that shot forth this time, but a rainbow.
The rainbows tore through the momentum of Screwball's attack, vaporizing it like nothing before continuing to her. She was forced to jump back to get out of the way.
“Yowch!” Screwball jumped back, flailing her leg to cool it off. That burned a little.
Screwball blinked. The soot for a large distance around had vanished and that from an even greater distance was in retreat. A large number of those chains had broken off as well, enough to see this pony’s face… she knew what this was about now!
“Oh wait. I heard of you.” Screwball pointed up at the ghost. “You worked for my predecessor a long time ago, yeah?”
There was a brief intermediate period where one of Screwball’s oldest half-siblings ran the Bloodstorm Cartel. A fractured piece of it anyway. And more accurately her idiot brother only managed to run it into the ground before Screwball killed him and corrected course.
Yeah! This pony had been a smuggler for them, before dying and then selling her soul to that stupid rock. If Screwball ever got the chance, she’d smash that thing into a million pieces.
“I heard all about you, yeah! You’re the reason the cartel has the azoth spell in the first place… And based on what I heard, I’m guessing you won’t be able to fight long like that, huh?” Screwball licked her lips. “But we can have some fun for a second or two.
This was what Screwball lived for! With a manic smile on her face, she drew energy out from the earth below to ready a second punch.
“Come on!” She taunted
“What are you waiting for?” Dust gave Dash a shove with her muzzle.
Dash would have thought that to be obvious.
The mood of the scene had flipped on a bit. Where once it had been a barren wasteland covered in a storm of black rain, mud, and lightning, it now looked more like a paradise ocean. Albeit a shallow one.
The water remained but the darkness had been thrown off a great enough distance that it was nothing but a storm on the horizon. The clouds too had been busted into nothingness. Only a brilliant blue sky filled with rainbows remained, rainbows reflected over the floodwater that Dash hovered over.
It would have been a beautiful and encouraging sight were it not for all the explosions.
Two ponies were locked in combat now, repeatedly smashing into one another. They always came in perfect sync. A flash of yellow that shook the ground and created waves on the water would begin before a large explosion of rainbows devoured it and pushed the darkness back forward.
Dash could guess who one of them was. But going over there…
“I’m not sure if it’s safe or necessary,” said Dash. “We have no idea who’s fighting what, just that it’s dangerous. We’re already outside that… stuff now.”
“The fact that it’s dangerous is the point.”
“Look, if you’re so eager to die go ahead,” said Dash. “Why do you care if I’m coming or not?”
“Because I want to see you do it.”
Dash turned to Lightning Dust, frowning. Her expression was… hard to read. Almost like Dust looked offended by something.
“See me do…?”
“You defeated a witch, right?” Dust asked. “So… what do you have to be worried about?”
Dash felt her pulse quicken. Was she calling Dash’s bluff? But why now? And why did she have that look on her face?
A terrible thought struck Dash just then. If Dash had seen Lightning Dust’s memories, then… She had to act now!
“I’m just being smart,” said Dash. “We’ll… we’ll go have a look.”
Dust nodded without losing any intensity.
The two of them flew to the scene of battle. Or rather, Dash flew, and Dust followed her.
Thankfully, the explosions died down as they neared. The air grew calm by the time Dash could make out the scene. Pinkie was frozen in what looked like a bubble of water, with a serious wound on her head. Then staring each other down were Screwball and Lemon Zest.
Zest soared higher than Screwball, multiple rainbows circling around her. Her chains had nearly been completely demolished by now! Dash could make out all of her. Only a cross section forming an X over her chest remained.
More importantly, Dash could see her cutie mark. The same four fire-works circles that the element of laughter had taken the form of. This was the last wielder of the element of laughter.
“Out of ammo, are we?” Screwball called up to her. “I knew you wouldn’t last against me.”
Lemon Zest looked down at Dash, then at Sonata. Making her decision of what to do with the last of her power, Zest bolted down to Sonata in a burst of lightning, then carried the banshee away in another blast.
Dash stepped forward to give chase but staggered as Screwball’s eyes turned to her.
“Hey! If it isn’t my future sister-in-law.” Screwball started walking forward. She lifted that strange mask she’d been wearing to get a better look at Dash. “Rumor is, you and Silverstorm are getting married soon, eh?”
Screwball winked, then circled Dash once. Dash stayed perfectly still as Screwball checked her out not too subtly.
“You know I got a thing for pegasi.” Screwball stopped and leaned up against Dash. “If you want, you can abscond with me instead and just be part of my harem. Hm? I’ll be your witch mommy and take care of all the baddies for you from now on.”
Dash did her best to ignore this.
There was no way she could do anything against Screwball without Twilight. Nothing but stall until Twilight came back. And who knew how long that would be.
Then there was Lightning Dust… and Pinkie Pie…
Screwball followed Dash’s eyes to Pinkie Pie and started forward again.
“Oh yeah, I’ll be taking this one for now.” Screwball gestured back. As she promised as much, five bat-winged ponies landed near Pinkie. These, Dash knew, had to be more of the chimeric soldiers created by MSC.
Screwball pointed a hoof at Pinkie and the bubble she was trapped in shrank down, small enough for one of the bat ponies to carry.
Dash looked around, considering her options. Nopony was here! Nopony who could help anyway.
Somepony did come as Dash hesitated. Spitfire! And about nine other pegasi, all armed.
“Screwball!” Spitfire crouched into a fighting stance. “Rainbow Dash, we’ll back you up however we can.”
“Yeah, Dash!” Dust smiled, then sat down growing disinterested. “You beat two witches. Go rescue your friend or whatever.”
Damn it! Dash was so sure Dust saw now! She couldn’t just run away or hide. But she couldn’t fight Screwball either. Could she…?
Without much choice but to fight for her reputation, Dash moved a leg back, at least pretending to do something.
“Oh, are you going to fight me and rescue Pinkie Pie?” Screwball smiled. “Here. I’m going to slap you with one percent of my power. Are you ready?”
The boot made her ready, but even with that Dash couldn’t even see Screwball’s approach! The witch was there in an instant.
The blow was unlike anything Dash ever felt before, like a mountain falling on top of her. She staggered back. No air! Everything inside her felt crushed, compacted into a tiny ball.
Dash’s eyes rolled and her vision blurred as she stumbled back. She saw Screwball, her hoof outstretched as if she’d really given the tiniest slap. She saw Spitfire looking down at Dash horrified at the sight of her collapsing onto the ground.
For a brief moment, Dash’s vision blacked out.
She heard some rushing sounds as the other pegasi gave chase. But there was no way. No way they could get through Screwball to get Pinkie back.
With all her remaining strength, Dash struggled just to lift her head to confirm her fears. Those bat ponies were gone and with them Pinkie. Spitfire and the other pegasi had been effortlessly fought back by the witch.
And now Screwball was standing over her.
“You really should have become part of my harem.” Screwball shrugged and put a sword in her mouth. “Well. I don’t need more than one hostage, so I guess I’ll fuck with my sister by killing you.”
The sword shined and endless copies of it appeared all around Dash, forming a dome, all of them pointed at her, ready to skewer her from every angle.
A vicious explosion caused Dash’s vision to blur a second time. This one was intense enough to actually push Screwball back and throw all of those swords aside.
Another orange pegasus had joined the fight, one Dash wasn’t sure if she should be glad to see. Flash Bang!
Flash opened her wings and fired off explosive shots from them. The red bolts flew forward before exploding with a force that shook Dash despite their distance. The threat of several of these a second flying at Screwball was enough to make even the witch back off.
Screwball pointed her sword at Flash and Flash her spear at Screwball. Hundreds of spears and swords appeared behind their respective owners, ready to fly forward and clashing spectacularly.
Everypony, even Dash, felt a pulse of strange energy coming from where Twilight had been. All that blackness was gone completely now.
“Nailbat is here too?!” Screwball inexplicably concluded.
Screwball looked from where Twilight should be back to Flash Bang, then smiled.
“You know. I got a better idea. Let’s call the whole thing off, huh?”
Screwball threw a canister in the air. This exploded into a blinding white light and she was gone.
Dash tried to get back up but couldn’t manage more than sitting up. The implications of all this were still on a delayed reaction. She’d lost Pinkie and Sonata. She’d…
Dash looked over at the other pegasi, none of them looking at all impressed by her. She…
Dust flew over to Flash Bang’s side and whispered something in her ear. That got a look of sudden shock, then suspicion cast on Rainbow Dash.
Dash had… lost.
Horribly.
Twilight grabbed the armor to inspect it. Though it wasn’t singed to the slightest degree, she could tell that presence was gone from it, the amalgamation summoned by Nightmare Moon had been vanquished.
Twilight had prevailed, but anything that could create something like that…
She threw the armor through another portal leading back to the ground before going through herself.
Fluttershy was there, along with the huge golem-like creature that carried her here. Even now, Fluttershy winced slightly, still struggling. That black ash wasn’t gone yet. Twilight could only see a few yards in any direction.
“I was hoping that would get rid of all this, but I guess not. Any ideas?” Twilight asked.
Fluttershy looked toward the huge golem, which shook its head.
“Well, at least the worst of the danger has been taken care of.” Twilight would be able to relax for a moment. “Still.”
Twilight’s ears perked up. A sudden gust of wind sent the soot rushing toward the south. Not only that, but it was beginning to disintegrate. Perhaps Rainbow Dash had already found a way to clear it up?
Something else, similar energy, sliced through the darkness. The soot swirled, then blasted off in all directions. At first, Twilight saw only a purple blade moving through it all, but in a moment the blackness was gone and she saw the pony holding it in his mouth.
Nailbat!
But besides his bat, he had a second weapon.
“Could you seriously have done that the whole time?” Twilight asked.
“I wouldn’t have been able to destroy that battle doll,” said Nailbat.
Maybe. But that didn’t answer any of her questions.
How had that thing even managed as much? It was thanks to that sword he had on him, but what was powering it?
Twilight’s eyes went from the purple blade to the hilt and finally to a white feather hanging off of it.
“Wait.” Twilight took a step forward. “That feather… Where did you get that?”
“Yes. With this, we have one of the keys to destroying our real enemy. I did want to talk to you about a few things now.” Nailbat turned to the north. “But I don’t think the fight is over just yet. Come follow me.”
Twilight followed Nailbat back north.
A lot of ponies had shown up now. A small army stood on the far side of the gorge. There must have been over five hundred. A smaller group was closer, making a lot of noise.
Scanning the horizon, Twilight found yet another group, just as large as the first but much further off.
Twilight wasn’t sure if these ponies would have been helpful or just a liability had they come earlier.
“Fluttershy. Sour Sweet. You should gather up all the ghosts and take them that way.” Nailbat gestured to the group that must have been on his side. “It’s not safe for you to go up there. Flash Bang is with that group.”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding and went off to complete her task.
As Twilight and Nailbat approached the small group of ponies, Twilight noticed some of them giving her looks. Or maybe they were only meant for Nailbat.
She could see several familiar ponies. Fleetfoot was being tended to by a medic. Spitfire, Flash Bang, and Lightning Dust were all there. Spitfire noticed Twilight and flew forward.
“Did you…?” Spitfire gazed at her with breathless awe. “You seriously… beat that thing?”
“I did but…” Twilight had little choice but to brush her off. She had to find her friends.
She had to find…
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight ran to her side.
She was barely able to sit up, another medic had stopped the bleeding on a wound on her stomach at least. Not that that’d be a problem with the spell Twilight gave her. Really, it looks like that may have saved her life given how much blood was on the ground near her.
Dash looked away from Twilight
“Are you hurt?!”
“No… I…” Dash fought back tears. “Pinkie and Sonata.”
“Pinkie?” Twilight’s eyes widened.
“Screwball captured her and… and Sonata got away.” Dash closed her eyes.
Twilight trembled but regained some determination.
“We can get her back!” Twilight nodded. “We will! Right?”
Dash said nothing.
This felt wrong. Rainbow Dash was supposed to be the determined one…
“I think,” Dash whispered. “I think Lightning Dust found out.”
Twilight turned to find Lightning Dust talking to Flash Bang, deep in thought as she listened. Spitfire flew up to her and began loudly arguing some point that got Dust’s annoyance and Flash Bang’s attention. But that was of little concern to Twilight right now.
This would be the worst-case scenario. They’d wanted to control
“Here! It’ll take some time but I can heal you. And then…” Twilight put a hoof on Dash.
“Banshee!” One of the pegasi shouted.
All the others jumped into place. It was Aria, staggering forward. Flash wasted no time, sending an ethereal spear flying at her.
Nailbat stepped in to intercept.
“Anypony who tries to fight her will have to go through me,” he announced.
Flash Bang alone hesitated to stand down at that challenge.
“Where’s Sonata?” Aria asked.
Dash couldn’t answer.
Aria clenched her teeth but to Twilight’s surprise it wasn’t Dash or Twilight she was angry at.
“You bastard!” Aria punched Nailbat in the chest, who simply took it. “So much for your stupid mastermind plan!”
“Plan?” Twilight asked. “Did you…?”
That much stirred even Dash awake.
“Tell me something, Aria,” said Dash. “Why didn’t… you warn us about that aura attack?”
“Ask him. This whole sting operation was this guy’s idea, to begin with.” Aria pointed a wing and looked at Nailbat askance. “I went to him for help first. He’s the one who planned all this out.”
“Eh? Why him?”
“Well. Turns out the two of us are related,” Aria muttered low enough so only the three of them could hear. “My sister Adagio had a daughter whom we assumed died, but in reality, she went on to have a son… this pony. Nailbat would be my grandnephew. The last living member of the Noctillesence family.”
Dash couldn’t help but gawk. He didn’t look like royalty. He looked like he slept on the street last night.
“We can still get Sonata back,” said Nailbat. “Things have taken a turn for the better. If we–”
“Shut up! I’m going after Pinkie myself and then I’m going to get Sonata back alone. Which way?!”
Dash merely glanced in a direction and Aria ran off.
“Let her go,” said Nailbat. “I wanted to take the two of you back to my camp to… discuss things. You might not be safe here any longer.”
Twilight hoped he wasn’t right about that. But the two of them followed Twilight carrying Dash.
An overly curious pony approached Fluttershy. She would have assumed this was another doll because she had no scent, no body heat. But for one, she was too cold to be a normal doll, and the apparatus attached to her made Fluttershy assume something else must have been the case.
A blueish earth pony with a practical purple mane, she had heavy cufflinks that connected, through clear tubes, to some device she wore where a saddle bag should be, one containing a red liquid.
The mare was looking all around at Fluttershy’s collection of freed ghosts, eager to find somepony, but filled with worry, ears twitching about nervously like a parent coming to collect their foal amongst some midday disaster.
“I assume you’re Fluttershy.” She cantered to Fluttershy the moment the two made eye contact. “If what I’ve heard is true, I owe you my gratitude.”
“Wait.” Fluttershy flew forward toward this newcomer. “I think Rarity mentioned you. Are you… you’re with MSI?”
What was her name again? Sunny Flare?
“I’m the head of the Mad Science Institute,” said Sunny Flare. At last, she spotted whoever it was she was looking for and finally relaxed. “I believe you have something that belongs to me.”
Sunny Flare pointed behind Fluttershy, into the group of ghosts. After a moment, she realized Flare meant Sour sweet.
“Her?”
“I was sort of adopted into a fraid of ghosts called the Shadowbolts,” Flare said. “Sour Sweet is part of that fraid. My fraid. She’ll want to come with me once she recovers her senses. So I hope you understand my taking her back.”
A predead living in a ghost fraid? Fluttershy had trouble imagining such a thing! Though given Sunny’s lack of body heat, perhaps it was at least possible.
She should at least find out if what Flare said was true. Fluttershy called Sour Sweet over, finding immediate recognition.
Flare tapped something on her right cuff. The device froze her right foreleg solid, but she didn’t even wince. It was enchanted ice, too, allowing her to gab Sour Sweet in a hug. Sour blinked, sharing Fluttershy’s confusion.
“Oh, hey! It’s Sunny Flare.” Sour Sweet smiled, but just barely. “I remember you.”
“Is that all you have to say to me after so long?” Flare stepped back from the hug and tapped her device again. The liquid bubbled and steam released from her cuff, thawing her leg.
“Please forgive her!” Fluttershy apologized on her behalf. “When a ghost is freed from that control, her aura is left weak for a while. She can’t feel anything for herself. Only mirror my emotions.”
“So she feels neutral towards me because you do,” Flare concluded for her.
“I still have my memories, though,” Sour Sweet said. She frowned looking Flare over. “This is weird. I should be happy to see you but… uh. Hey, Fluttershy? How hard is it to feel happy for us?”
“Oh! Uh!” Fluttershy knew she should but couldn’t think of how to force it.
“Ah, great. Now I’m all nervous.” Sour Sweet looking blushing to one side. “I’m sure I’ll want to go with her once I recover. If memory serves.”
“I’d like to take you back with me presently,” said Flare. “I have other ghosts who can support her. Indigo will want to see you immediately. All of this was unexpected, but it seems things have suddenly taken a turn for the better. This could improve the outcome of things greatly.”
Fluttershy nodded to Sour Sweet, knowing what had to be done. She went to her friend’s side. Flare bowed her head low to the specter.
“Fluttershy,” she said humbly. “Recovering even one of my lost friends like this means a lot to me. I owe much to you now. That will be true even if you choose to stand against us in the coming fight.”
“Um. Stand against who exactly?” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t think I have any problems with the Shadowbolts or MSI. I’ve never even heard of you. You’re not doing anything dangerous, are you?”
As Sunny Flare searched for the right way to explain it, another figure came swooping down, much faster and warmer than Flare. This one Fluttershy recognized.
“I think specifically,” said Nailbat. “She means if you stand against me.”
“No more stalling!” Dash called out to him.
Nailbat with his hood off. Dash knew she’d seen his face before, but rarely enough to associate the two. A green pegasus with a broken jaw and rough fur, his hair two shades of green with a double stripe pattern. His eyes tired but certain as they watched Twilight in particular.
At one side he had his namesake strapped to a series of chains. On the other, that fancy sword sheathed tight.
“I’ve known that you’re Twilight Sparkle,” he said calmly. “For some time.”
Twilight took a defensive posture but Nailbat wearily waved it away.
“I was never much concerned about that.” He looked towards the north. “I always suspected Flash Bang’s family were the real villains in that episode of your life. Really. I was more worried about your connection with the element of magic.”
“How do you know about that?” Twilight asked. “I only ever suspected the element of magic might still be stalking me. How did you even know my real identity, to begin with?”
“Are you impressed?” Nailbat smiled wearily, then jumped up to sit down on the foreleg of the battle doll, positioning himself above the other ponies. Yet he more slumped down to meet the others rather than rising above them. “I have the best network of spies in the world. I’ve known everything for a long time. Rainbow Dash stole a bottle of anti-age gummies from Twilight, then gave them to Pinkie whom she wanted help in undoing a curse. Then you went to Rarity the following day. Am I right?”
That was a little too accurate, enough to rattle Dash’s cage. She clenched her teeth as he pierced her facade.
“Hey.” Dash stepped forward. “Speaking of Rarity. You knew the old leader of MSL was working for Screwball, didn’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Then why the buck didn’t you tell us that?!” Dash flared her wings out, glad for the chance to be angry at somepony. “Somepony could have died because you wanted to give us some stupid riddle to solve instead?”
“I was doing you a favor.”
“Bull!”
“I wanted to make sure Rarity could be trusted moving forward.”
“I already trusted Rarity.”
“Oh? On what basis?” He tilted his head lazily to one side, not at all phased by Dash’s attacks.
“What basis?” Dash pulled her head back. “We’ve been friends for a long time now. I know her.”
“Ponies can pretend to be your friend. Believe me.”
Was that really how this guy thought?!
“So what?!” Dash spread one wing out defiantly. “You give these asinine little tests to everypony you meet?”
“Of course. I need to be sure. The stakes are too high.”
And he was so matter-of-fact about it. Was Nailbat really this paranoid? Had he never trusted another pony in his entire life?
“And was that what this was about?” Dash pointed her wing at Twilight. “You set all of this up, stayed off to the side waiting when you could have done something sooner, and told Aria to keep us in the dark. For what? Another test?”
“Maybe I’m not the only suspicious one here.” Nailbat at least smiled, however thinly. “You’re right. I needed to be sure Twilight wasn’t simply another Starlight. I wanted to see if the element of magic controlled her, to see if Twilight would rush to submit to it the moment things turned against her. But she appears to have resisted its influence instead. So perhaps I can work with you.”
Dash wasn’t sure how much she wanted to work with him. Not at the moment. She could hardly deny his power or alignment. Yet his attitude was far too suspect.
“So that really was what I encountered in that illusion, wasn’t it? First, tell me how you knew,” said Twilight, “that the element of magic was connected to me.”
Nailbat drew his sword once more, showing off the alicorn feather specifically.
“That’s the last missing alicorn feather!” Twilight looked up at Nailbat. “Where did you find it?!”
“Have you heard the name Ostracon? Or perhaps Lord Lexigraph?” Nailbat watched their expressions to see if the answer was ‘no’. “I suppose it matters little. Lord Lexigraph was a pony from your order who became the first lich. He had some very long-term plans that would involve gathering six elements of harmony. He was the one who found that feather and created this artifact.”
Nailbat gripped the sword in his mouth and pointed it at Twilight. The feather appeared to dance about slightly reacting to Twilight. But as Twilight came closer to inspect, Nailbat sheathed it once more.
“I’m sure you know these have wills of their own,” said Nailbat. “This feather wants to reunite with the others of its kind. It will bring me to anything leading to that end if I let it. I didn’t know this was the element of magic, but I knew you were connected to the other elements in the outer realm because it showed me that much.”
“But we won’t tell you any more than that unless you ally with us.” Sunny Flare kept her eyes locked on Nailbat as he spoke.
Nailbat shrugged turning his hooves upward.
“So how about it?” Nailbat leaned over the edge of the battle doll, almost bringing himself down to Dash’s level, holding a hoof out. “Join me. If we’re on the same side, we can’t possibly lose.”
He coolly watched their hesitancy and withdrew his hoof for now.
“Oh? Then what are you going to do, exactly?” Nailbat asked. “After you destroyed Nightmare Moon, the witches, Starlight?”
“Well.” Twilight bit her lip and turned to Rainbow Dash. “My hope was just that I could just live with Rainbow Dash afterward. The world would realize I’m not their enemy after I helped them like this.”
“Do you really have no other ambitions? About changing the world for your friends?” Nailbat asked. “Do you not want a peaceful life for them as well? Or for social justice for all the others in the same situation as them?”
Twilight and Dash shared a look, knowing he had them there.
“Who among the elite four is most in line with your vision of the world? Where we don’t fear the darkness but sensibly embrace those outcasts society unfairly branded as monsters?”
“You want us to instill you as the ruler of Equestria?” Dash asked flatly.
“That isn’t my vision for the future. I have no intention of upending democracy.” Nailbat straightened up, imitating the posture of a normal pony but not exactly a regal one. “But I would have a revolution. The SA wields far more power than it should, and it needs its ties to politics to be severed and weakened. I want to create a true democracy, not this corrupt facsimile we’re saddled under now. And the only way I can obtain such radical change is by tearing down the current hierarchy completely.”
“A fake democracy?” Dash asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Nopony outside the elite four has ever become president,” said Nailbat. “The S-rank ponies are not elected by the people, merely by those who are already strong. The SA holds all the political power in the end. We don't have rule by the will of the people, but only by those with combat abilities.”
Dash frowned and tilted her head. It wasn’t like she’d never heard these talking points before. It was more her own system of anti-authority was more geared towards civil rights rather than reforming the political process itself.
“Consider this. Twilight Sparkle knows absolutely nothing about the world. Even now. And yet everypony looks to her to be the one to take over, that she should be the one to decide the destiny of this world. Even you.” Nailbat spared a look for Dash. “Under the current paradigm, she should be the one to rule over us all. Do you really think she should be the one to lead the nation?”
Dash blinked, stunned by the question. Twilight had always been the one in charge in her mind. Dash was semi-officially just one of Twilight’s minions. She’d seriously never considered such a thing, thought it almost rude to be doing so now.
“Twilight is a billion times stronger than me,” said Dash. “And that’s being generous to myself. Why should I call the shots if she’s the one with all the power? I’m borderline useless against ponies like you! Why should I even have a say?”
Nailbat cast her a disappointed look as she explained this.
“That’s exactly the problem. You were raised under this system. I suppose it’s still difficult for you to question the fundamental problem. Let me ask you this instead. Ponies used to be ruled by the royal family,” said Nailbat. “I am the last living pony with royal blood. Do you think that alone means all of my dictates should be followed and no other pony be allowed to question me?”
“Well no. It was never a good idea to have the ruler be just whoever happened to be born into the right family.”
Everypony knew how that turned out.
“And is our current system really any different? They say luck is the greatest power in this world. Psychic powers arise completely from luck. Super radiation grants you power on luck. Specters are born from a lottery of death. Those born into families with ancient, secret knowledge like Flash Bang and I are little different from monarchs. It barely matters how much effort you put in; you can never compete with a pony who simply got lucky.
“The ponies who obtain this power are only occasionally suited to rule and yet we have no choice but to allow them to under the current system. Do you really wonder why a world ruled exclusively by those most obsessed with battle and power is like this? Why manic fighters like Lightning Dust being in charge of the government will mean we’ll always find some target to be at war with? They want conflict, Rainbow Dash. The SA will never achieve the peace you want for your friends because it was never designed for that. One must wield a sword but never follow it.”
Nailbat stopped his pace and looked at Rainbow Dash specifically.
“So again. Why not you?” He reached his hoof out to her once more. “Because you can’t fight? That’s nothing more than propaganda you’ve been fed your whole life to suppress any challenge to the current regime. You can accomplish so much without fighting, Rainbow Dash. Do you still doubt that? And do you think you’re the only one? Of course not! The system simply crushes ponies like you solely to preserve itself.”
Dash watched his hoof with trepidation. Twilight remained silent, looking to Rainbow Dash for guidance rather than the other way around, the way it really should be. For so long Dash had looked up to the SA, wanted to be on top of it… not destroy it.
Though she had to admit, making the friends she did put a lot of strain on her respect. Though even still. She’d rather take it over and reform it than destroy it outright. Avoiding revolution if possible was the obvious choice.
But again. Would she have a choice? Was Nailbat the one offering her the key to what she wanted?
“Look, you’re talking in terms of treason,” Dash said at last. “That’s not something I can just… just do out of the blue here.”
“Don’t pretend like you haven’t been considering going against Starlight and the others,” said Nailbat. “Do you plan to let Starlight get her way? Or for Sunset to put us at the mercy of her god? What I’m doing is offering you a plan beyond merely stopping them.”
“Assassinating the president is one thing,” said Dash. “But destroying the entire SA? I know they have flaws! But we need… somepony to protect us. Right?”
Dash turned to Twilight.
“And we can’t just assume everypony will be okay with it,” said Twilight. “My original goal was to get a better reputation from all this. Declaring support for your revolution would complicate things.”
Nailbat nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “But it will be complicated either way and I can provide you the support to curb the ensuing chaos that will come no matter your decision. If you want institutional recognition that you’re on our side, Twilight, then I can easily offer you that.”
“MSI,” Sunny Flare spoke up again, “is far from the only group he recruited towards this cause. Most of the dissident factions forced out onto the fringes of society, those in the same position as you, Twilight, stand at the ready. With our word, you’d have their acceptance. And if you want radical reform, this may be your only chance for a long time.”
“I’ve known this was coming for some time,” said Nailbat. “My supporters are already in position ready for the fight. Many of the most vital locations will be under my control within the first day. I have double agents who have infiltrated the ranks of the other three. I have plans in place to destroy both Starlight and Nightmare Moon. Nopony is better positioned to restore order than I am.”
Too many things were agonizing Dash’s head.
Nailbat really would be an incredible ally… but a pony like him would never really be a friend, would they?
They could get the support of a million groups of outcasts, easily unite all of them and give them the power to stand up to the SA… but would risk losing the approval of the average pony.
“This is a lot to spring on us out of nowhere,” said Dash. “Especially since you were just screwing around with our lives and stuff a minute ago.”
Nailbat slowly nodded without getting up.
“You can take time to think it over,” said Nailbat. “But I am the one who can give you the path to the future you want. And you won’t have long I’m afraid. There will be war presently.”
Nailbat jumped to his feet and put his hood back up before trotting off with Sunny Flare.
“I guess if we want to destroy the government, we know who to call now.” Dash sighed. “Yeesh. We need to get out of here…”
Dash started trotting off but only Twilight followed.
“I think I’m going to stay here just a little longer,” said Fluttershy. “With the other ghosts. I want to talk to them some more. But I’ll be fine. Really.”
Fluttershy had never gone out on her own like this before. Of course, it was also at a critical moment in history, so Dash wasn’t so sure how happy to be.
Perhaps simply because she was too weary to fight it, Dash nodded in approval.
Dash didn’t do such a good job at walking away. She collapsed on the ground just a few steps away from Nailbat’s camp. They brought her to one of Nailbat’s medics to recover. Twilight’s healing magic took time to work…
Dash was hardly speaking at the moment. She…
Twilight needed to go for a short walk. She wasn’t far from the camp when she saw two pegasi approaching her fast. Spitfire and Flash Bang.
She wasn’t too worried she could beat these two in a fight so she let them land nearby.
“I need to speak with you.” Flash Bang let the request linger before saying the next part. “Twilight.”
Twilight looked over to Spitfire. She knew how they knew now. Dash had explained what happened with Lightning Dush.
She moved a hindleg back, readying her stance just in case. Flash Bang surprised her by shaking her head and throwing the spear of Longinus aside.
“I don’t intend to start a fight with you,” said Flash. “Not before speaking with you, at least.”
Twilight was always taken off guard by how reasonable Flash Bang could be when it served her goals. But what was that goal?
At any rate, it seemed at least possible Flash Bang could overlook Twilight’s true identity.
“Do you know what happened between me and your…” Twilight wasn’t sure of the right word. “Flash Sentry?”
“I suppose not. I was always told Flash Sentry was a magnificent hero. But the truth doesn’t matter much at the moment, does it? Not when we have so many threats abounding. Nightmare Moon, Screwball… Starlight. We have many common enemies, believe it or not. Even if we are enemies, you’re far from a priority right now. But I do want to know what your intentions are.”
“My intentions?” Twilight repeated the question once again.
It’d been coming up a lot lately. Everypony seemed to want her on board with their plans, plans that far outstretched anything she’d originally intended. All she wanted from the beginning was to make everypony leave her alone. Everypony but Rainbow Dash, that was.
“I never planned out more than defeating the other witches,” said Twilight. “My order has been corrupted. I wanted to set things right there. But the government never concerned me.”
“And now because you’re worried about Rainbow Dash,” Flash Bang guessed.
Twilight nodded. That much was too obvious to deny.
“Your current course won’t accomplish that.” Flash Bang closed her eyes. “Say you go all the way and kill Screwball. What then? Do you think that will end this? My grandfather already killed Bloodstorm, the namesake of the cartel. And what good did that do? A single generation later, we’re back where we started.”
The thought of history being such a pernicious thing unnerved Twilight. She knew little of it enough already and it took little to make it more intimidating.
“Do you think you’ll be close to ridding the world of monsters that threaten your loved ones?” Flash asked. “Do you know how many horrors are frozen beneath the ice of the far reaches? Or what sleeps beneath the oceans? The king of the liches is still out there somewhere with the power to rival a master witch. The tarrasque can return at any moment to destroy another city. More darkness festers on the edge of reality, in the outer realm.”
Flash Bang put a hoof on her heart.
“Twilight, I could go on like this for days. Perhaps you can defeat every monster I’ve listed, but there will always be more. The pirate coast and these places of terror will endlessly produce danger. You’ll have to destroy each one without fail yet only one of them needs to get lucky… and eventually they will take Rainbow Dash from you.”
“But what you’re doing is no different at all!” Twilight objected. “You want to fight monsters and you’re telling me it’s hopeless?”
“Yes. I must contend with the same hopeless struggle as long as possible. Yet we differ in this one point. I have the will to conquer and expand.”
“No.” Twilight stood firm. “I’m not going to exterminate everypony you don’t–”
“That isn’t what I’m suggesting. No. This really isn’t that different from what you’ve done with Trixie.” Flash Bang shook her head. “I want to subjugate to reform. Bring the pirate coast under Equestria’s control. Under our control. These vile and wild places could be made civilized and no longer a threat. And with you on our side, the Equestrian empire could make the entire world safe at last.”
With Twilight? So it seemed all four of them had made twilight and offered to join them now. Yet somehow Flash Bang’s outstretched hoof seemed even more absurd than Starlight’s. But like Starlight, this pony did have a point. Twilight did want to reform Trixie and any others who would allow it.
“I’m assuming the ponies of the pirate coast don’t want to be under your rule,” said Twilight. She’d brought this very idea up once, long ago, and Rainbow Dash raised a similar objection. “How are you going to make them accept our authority?”
“It will take a long time, but you have the power to ensure it happens.”
“And then what? You’ll just keep on forcing everypony to submit to you?”
“Of course.” Flash Bang nodded, making no attempt to hide it. “From the Everfree to the far reaches. The zebras, the griffons, and lands beyond. Don’t you see? We have to expand to a truly global level. We need to create more powerful weapons and magic. We must develop our technology and armies until not even the gods can stand before us. Imagine a world where everypony could use mind fibers and the power of a witch was common!
“Do you not want a future where ponies no longer simper before the gods but can stand against them as equals? Where we have no need for the slavery Sunset offers you, nor the compromise of our very nature Starlight would have you swallow? Or do you have no vision for the future at all?”
A vision for the future?
Why should Twilight want such a thing? The only reason she went outside of her house in the first place was just to ensure she could be happy with Rainbow Dash, away from all of this, away from ponies who wanted to harass her.
Nailbat. Starlight. Sunset Shimmer. Flash Bang. All of them had their own visions. All of them had given Twilight their offers… but…
Did Twilight not have a vision anymore? She had more friends than just Rainbow Dash now. Maybe she couldn’t tell if a world ruled by a perfect god, or one where everypony could be a god was better. Or if they should destroy the system or expand it to a global empire.
One choice alone felt easy. There was only one thing Twilight knew she cared about.
“Listen.” Twilight shook her head. “I’m going to be frank here. I don’t really know anything about politics. I only care about my friends and I know you despise most of them. I don’t want you to have this kind of power. I don’t want you to hurt them.”
Flash Bang silently walked back to the spear and picked it up.
“It’s true. I recognize that ghosts, mad scientists, and the like are all dangerous. But let me ask you this: am I unique in this world? Or is the distrust of ghosts mainstream?”
Twilight swallowed, realizing maybe her goal was harder than she initially thought. Even pushing Flash Bang out of power wouldn’t end things. Not truly.
She nodded.
“There will be unrest.” Flash Bang pointed the spear off toward the unknown. “There will be years and decades of revolt against your attempt to force this change on ponies who don’t want it. Millions will resent your revolution, hate you, and become your enemies. Unless… you had somepony like me on your side. I’m the one who can steer the opinions of those who would oppose you.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight watched her suspiciously. “That you’re willing to turn your back on everything you’ve believed up until now to get me on your side?”
“For the sake of my vision, I am willing to compromise to an extent. I’ll work with you to pass just enough reform for you to be happy. But I won’t sell you a vision of mad revolution. These sorts of changes need to be slow and gradual. If you push the world too hard it will merely fall over.”
Twilight really wished Flash Bang didn’t make her an offer like that.
Would it be easier for Twilight to change the minds of ponies with Flash Bang or Nailbat by her side? How was she supposed to know?!
She trusted Nailbat more, a trust slim enough to begin with. But one part of his speech resonated with Twilight.
“Why should I be the one to decide all of this?” Twilight asked.
Flash Bang trotted to her side, looking off towards Nailbat’s camp. Fluttershy was still over there.
“Did he give you some speech about how the strong shouldn’t be the ones in charge?” Flash Bang asked. “Listen… Twilight. There really isn’t any other way. I understand if you don’t think it’s fair, but the simple fact is that certain ponies truly are vastly more powerful than normal. Political power stems from the power to enforce it. It doesn’t matter what laws you make if somepony as strong as Screwball, you , or me simply says ‘no’ and decides to do things their way instead. Whatever democracy you put in place simply won’t matter in the face of that.”
Twilight lowered her ears. She hadn’t thought of that either. She couldn’t even tell if all this proved Nailbat’s point.
“The Royal Era,” Flash Bang continued, “the time before the Slayer Association was created, was simply that. An era of super-powered warlords declaring themselves supreme authority over their own little fiefdoms. That’s why Equestria broke apart into smaller pieces. The royals could do little but disapprove of those with true power. The SA gathers all such ponies in one place to hold us all accountable to one another. And so far, it has worked. How will you do the same?”
Twilight bit her lip. She wasn’t ready for this. But it seemed like nopony cared.
“I… I’m not sure.”
“Then why would you upend a system that has worked for over a thousand years and risk throwing us back into utter chaos?”
“Look!” Twilight finally lost her cool, snapping at Flash Bang. “I didn’t agree to go along with Nailbat’s plan! I’m sure he has some answer to all that. I just… don’t know what it is?”
“That shouldn’t be good enough for you.”
Why did Twilight have to talk to Flash Bang? All this did was make her even more uncertain. She didn’t want to deal with any of this!
“This is my offer. Join me and together we can crush not only Nightmare Moon and Starlight… but we can conquer. We can take over the pirate coast and beyond. We can create a truly great empire that will at last quell the darkness that has consumed us. We don’t need to bow to any god.”
Flash Bang held out a hoof.
“Twilight, Flash Bang controls the army,” said Spitfire. “She has most of the S-rank ponies on her side. We have plans to deal with Starlight. We’re the ones with the power to end this conflict with the least amount of bloodshed. If you join us, this fight is already over.”
She couldn’t possibly take such an offer. Not from a pony like this! Was Twilight really so ignorant of politics that even a pony like this could make her second-guess herself?
She shouldn’t be the one to decide! That was the one thing Nailbat was absolutely right about. She had to… to talk to the others at first. At least.
“Look. I.” Twilight bit her lip. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do! Okay? I have to… to think.”
“Very well.” Flash Bang retracted her hoof. “But you won’t have much time to decide.”
Flash Bang left.
Twilight’s head buzzed as she trotted back toward where Rainbow Dash was resting. Or had been.
She smiled slightly when she saw Rainbow Dash was up and walking again, trotting towards her.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight ran up to Dash, smiling wide. Dash could only force a weak smile in reply.
She’d made up her mind about one thing. Something that would make all of this better at least.
“What was that?” Dash asked.
“Flash Bang gave me more or less the same offer everypony else has,” said Twilight. “Everypony wants me on their side.”
Dash nodded weakly.
“Who do you think we should pick?” Twilight asked.
“We should probably talk to...” Rainbow Dash paused, thinking through who was even left. “Rarity before doing anything crazy. Let’s just go back home for now.”
Dash staggered to her feet, still reeling after the intense fight and the aftermath. She took two steps before Twilight ran up and grabbed Dash from behind, stopping her.
“Rainbow Dash! Wait!”
Dash stopped, surprised to find Twilight hugging her.
“I don’t know anything about the government or how the world should be. But thinking about this made me come to a decision. There’s one thing I’ve known from the start. I should have admitted it from the start but…” Twilight lifted her head and looked Dash in the eyes. “I want to be with you.”
Dash came to attention. She did smile just a little again!
“Twilight,” said Dash.
“That’s why…”
Twilight winced. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous about this. It seemed like a pretty open and shut thing at this point.
She swallowed hard. She let go of Dash for one second. And she opened her eyes.
“Will you marry me?”