//------------------------------// // Magic // Story: Equestria Needs Saviors // by DashyJ //------------------------------// Twilight had the bastard. He had put her through enough torment already, and it was her turn to return the favour now. “Any last words Vengeance?” Twilight asked her adversary. Through clenched teeth. Vengeance couldn’t say anything, his mortal voice box was ripped in two when Twilight fired a lightening spell at him. He decided it wouldn’t even be worth it to try. Instead he just spat in her face. The mixture of his own mucus and blood flying in her face was enough to piss Twilight off, and he felt ready to die happy and content . Twilight would have none of it. As long as he even had a speck of revenge he would still live up to his element. Twilight would have the last actions. Vengeance felt an immense pressure press on his skull and the rest of his body felt like it was on fire. Twilight was burning him alive. With her hoof placed firmly on his temple she pushed down with all of her might. Vengeance's skull slowly fell into itself as his inner parts of his head started flowing out of the cracks from his ears and eye sockets. Vengeance was dead, but Twilight didn’t feel any glory. No blinding light surrounded her like her friends had described. No honor or dignity came to her. She had FALIED. Twilight awoke in her simulation room… Again. “CELESTIA DAMN IT! YOU STUPID BUCKING MOTHER BUCKERS, BUCKED EVERYTHING UP AGAIN!” Twilight screamed at the scientists who were running the simulation. Her eyes started turning dark, her eyes twitched and the doctors could have sworn that they saw Twilight’s magic and coat turn a slightly darker color. Just as Twilight was about to try and make some adjustments to the perfectly made, and tuned machine that had held some of her friends, Celestia burst into the room, flanked by her royal guards. “What is going on here?” She asked, irritated that her pleasant dreams were disturded. “Twilight what is the matter? Did you not get your element again?” She asked. “BUUUCK! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE!” Twilight yelled for all to hear. With each word she yelled it seemed that the power faded slightly and the room would shake, causing both the guards and the scientists to flinch and cower. After her fit of Equestrian swearing Twilight collapsed to the ground, crying her eyes out. “Why can’t I just get my element yet?” Twilight sobbed as Celestia rushed to her side. “Why can’t I just be like the rest of my friends and just get my damned element already?” Celestia didn’t know what to say. Rainbow was being prepped to start her simulation within the next morning, and the rest of her friends had already earned their elements. What could she do? Twilight had already failed countless simulations. And it didn’t look like she was ready for another. What if... What if? Well it was worth a try but it was much riskier and the bureaucratic part of her court would certainly object… By her father’s goatee she didn’t care anymore. She was going to do it. “Twilight? “ Celestia asked very quietly, she hated herself for doing this but it was the only way. “Do you remember how Applejack got her element?” Twilight looked over to Celestia, lost in thought. ‘What did that have to do with anything?’ she asked herself inwardly. “Yes she killed Roid Rage and the thing that possessed him right?” “That is right, and if you remember she never had to go through any simulation, she proved herself right there and then.” “But I don’t get it! Why did she get her element if she wasn’t ever in a simulation? Shouldn’t that just have proved as another inner world capabilities right? It never really proved-“ Twilight was cut off by a hoof lightly pressed to her mouth. “Let me tell you a secret.” Celestia whispered. Twilight nodded intently ready to suck up all the knowledge she could. “The reason we have these simulations is because there aren’t many ideal places in Equestria that we can actually train you. Equestria is a peaceful land… for now at least, and it really isn’t required to be in a simulation as Applejack has shown. All the simulator does is just enters your thoughts and takes all of the things that are opposite to you and your element and puts you there. It’s like a real life nightmare… One that Luna can’t get into.” Twilight took a moment to process what she had just heard. “So what you are saying is we don’t really need to be in these simulators, they just create a convenient world for us that is really the same but alternate at the same time, and somehow doesn’t have any paradoxes as an ending result.” Twilight took another moment to process what she had just heard, there was something between the lines in what Celestia had said. “So are you saying that I could just go on a training session myself and not be in this machine?” Twilight asked with hope rekindled in her eyes. Celestia just nodded, the way Equestria was right now? Well to the publicit was still classified as safe, but what she had seen through the collective reports she had been receiving from her guards and sister told her otherwise. In other words Equestria’s defcon 5 was complete bull-shit. Unfortunately that was a need to know basis. Twilight and her friends were smart enough, Celestia was sure of this, so they could figure that out on their own. “Well then… I just guess I will look for something to prove myself in the real world…” Twilight said out loud to particularly no one. Celestia just smiled, Twilight was more than ready. Twilight paced around outside, in one of Canterlot’s many gardens. She had quintuple checked the checklist of the checking that she needed to check for her checklists to check for her elemental checking. Or was it training… Whatever. Twilight needed to go somewhere that she had never gone before. The Everfree Forest wasn’t going to cut it, no she needed something more mysterious and dangerous. She needed to face something dangerous. Something… Non Equestrian. “Well buck Im downright stuck on where to go” Twilight stated. No pony can survive a trek through the wastelands without a guide, even if they are the Elements of Harmony. Little did she know a fairly large serpentine creature was just above her. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. “You know you would have spanked me if I had ever said those words not a few months ago” Bellowed a deep voice. Twilight literally almost lost control of her bowels. “Spike you little… Where are you?” Twilight whipped her head around but her dragon was nowhere in sight. “What having a hard time finding me?” Spike teased “Seriously if I didn’t know you better I would say that you have no idea where I am” Twilight sighed. She was in no mood for this. “Just get your scaly ass over here” Twilight deadpanned. Spike chuckled inwardly. “Fine” He breathed. Deactivating his cloaking spell Spike was now in full view peering right over Twilight, smiling maliciously. Twilight had the largest befuddled look on her face. “Uh Spike did you just cast an invisibility spell? The one that Starswirl and a small handful (Including Twilight) of Unicorns have ever preformed throughout Equestrian history?!?” Spike just shrugged. “Meh as a dragon I feed off of power remember, so I get all of the power you have along with my own. So basically it’s you doing all of the work but I just know the spell. You DID lecture me for a week about different spells including invisibility spells.” Spike shuddered at the thought that was a boring week, there wasn’t even ice cream after! Twilight was at a loss for words. “Well im just… Going to be umm leaving now… So yeah! You just uh… Stay right where you are!” Spike just face palmed heavily. “I was listening and watching you the entire time remember? I know you are going somewhere and im coming” Twilight did not want to hear that. “No Spike, what if you get hurt or you could get kidnapped or worse…” “Hey mommy? I know you wuv me but im kinda grown up now, and not to mention trained with both magic and melee combat. So there’s not a lot you can do, or argue against with that” Spike was right… Unfortunately. "Well let’s get going then, just promise me one thing?” Twilight asked him with large puppy dog eyes. “What?” “Don’t get hurt” “I won’t” “Promise?” “I promise” There was an uncomfortable silence for a long while. Twilight never broke her gaze on Spike she was fixated on him, in every way. She was not ready for this. “Damn it Twilight” Spike said out loud. “I’ll just fly us around Equestria until we find something, that sound good?” Spike asked. “Fine” Twilight reluctantly agreed. Being 3,500 feet above the ground certainly puts another perspective on the world you live in. Twilight and Spike were flying high in the sky, beyond the threshold of the Everfree Forest. Twilight had never really been to many places before. Sure she had been to Canterlot, Cloudsdale and Ponyville and maybe Manehatten once or twice but she never really ventured beyond the safety of the carriage, train or her balloon. But today was the day to look for trouble. Soon Twilight and Spike would shatter the shackles of fear and anxiety and find new salvation, scanning everything with her magic as she went. Soon Twilight would find her element. After flying for a few hours it was growing dark. Spotting a small desert village that looked more than abandoned, the two decided to take shelter there for the night. They landed a few feet away from the abandoned village. Between the two of them they should be able to find a place to stay the night. “Twilight wait” Spike said as he raised a hand. “There’s something I don’t like about this place. We shouldn’t be here.” Twilight looked up to him. He looked dead serious, yet she could not sense anything. There was nothing out of the ordinary here really, well except for the fact that the area was abandoned a long time ago and was slowly deteriorating. Twilight gave the area a quick magical sweep, sending a wave of purple energy across the area. “Nothing on a physical level that we need to worry about Most of the structures in the area had sustained some major damage, so we will have to sleep outside tonight” Twilight stated. Spike looked down to her, slightly relieved but still not at full ease. “I still don’t think this is a good idea but I trust you” “Alright so where do you think we should set camp?” Twilight asked idly as the two slowly entered the area. “Mm I don’t really know, im thinking near the center of the town. There should be something there we can use to build a fire and maybe something more comfortable to sleep on.” Twilight knew that he was talking/thinking about her. He was a dragon and he didn’t really need the aesthetics ponies needed and desired. Before long the two had found the place they wanted to retire for the night. It was just outside of what appeared to be a large monument. There was no way Twilight was able to see what the entire thing was, she was too tired. “I’ll take the first watch Twilight you are exhausted” As much as she would like to disagree, Spike was right. All of her magical sweeping that day had drained her. She was at it all day and was in a simulation before that, which was very taxing on its own. “You know I worry about you, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself” “Fine, but wake me up in a few hours, you need your sleep too” Twilight said idly as she was already falling asleep from fatigue and exhaustion. Spike just laughed. 'It used to be the other way around' He thought to himself. As Spike set out to take his watch he looked back at Twilight one last time. Twilight woke up with a start she was shivering it looked like the fire had died out a long time ago and it was just turning to dawn. Twilight felt like this was a good as a time as any to let Spike get some sleep. “Spike?” Twilight called out. “Spike where are you?” Looking while still on the ground Twilight lazily moved her head around. Spike was nowhere to be seen. Getting up Twilight started to worry, Spike knew how to watch over someone and still be on the lookout for any signs of trouble. *** Spike lay on the ground. He was had already lost all control of his body, but there was still something clinging onto life in his body. Something had struck his chest from out of nowhere and he collapsed to the ground a few hours previous. The only thing he could do was hope Twilight would wake up and help him. But he was losing all hope now. With one last surge of his strength Spike forced his eyes open to see a blurred figure approaching him that was all he needed. And he was gone. *** Twilight had found Spike, he was at the far end of the monument, lying ever so still, ever so peaceful, except… ‘Wait what was that?’ Twilight thought to herself just begging for a scrap of hope that her dragon was alright. It was a glowing light, something that she had read in ancient tomes in the Canterlot library. It was a sign, some considered it a blessing. To Twilight it was a nightmare. Before her, her dragon was a glowing light a symbol of the olden warriors, the time of the Granite King. The light was a symbol that was selected for one dragon of honor. He was to die and be reanimated, he was the prophet, the symbol of the doom-bringers. And he was to become one of them. No, not on Twilights watch. Not even if it meant the desecration of an ancient and honor bound species, even if it was... Her son. Twilight had no other choice, she had to make the decision. Those who were the prophets were never predictable, never were they able to interact with others, it would always end in blood. Twilight lit up her horn. This was really it. This was the last time she would ever see Spike again. Never would she ever experience his teasing, or his laugh, or roll her eyes at his immaturities. His entire body would need to be destroyed. Every last bit of it, even if it is the highest sign of disrespect to the dragon kind it was necessary. Summoning a large fire beside Spikes corpse, Spikes body was already starting to change, taking on more of a jagged appearance. Every bone in his body was already protruding spikes and growing larger. His color was changing from dark amethyst to yellow. It was now or never. Spikes body was carefully placed in the fire. Twilight was sure to be careful with his body. She watched him burn for the last hours of the night and into the morning. There were no tears. Spike deserved that much and when he was fully gone Twilight gathered his ashes. No tears. No life. No regrets. Twilight was surrounded by a light. It engulfed her and it was her element. The last thing that Twilight could remember was that she was in Canterlot, killing everything she could in sight. Celestia, Luna ran into the gardens, followed by Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy. Celestia was missing half of her right wing and it looked like Luna had a broken nose. The rest of the group had some minor bruises and cuts. “WHAT IN HAYS NAME WAS THAT CELESTIA? WAS THAT TWILIGHT? AND WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Applejack shouted pretty well voicing for the entirety of the group. Celestia kept her pace but never answered the questioning mare, she had the same questions running through her mind. Luckily Luna had the answer, and was quick to tell them. “Yes that was Twilight but we hast not an idea on where she could have gone, or why she was so violent. What we do know is that she hast discovered her element” The 5 remaining elements looked at each other in confusion. Shouldn’t she be happy to have discovered her element? Was her trial enough to drive her to insanity? Rainbow was the first to voice the next wave of thoughts of the 5. “Then why the hay are we in the gardens? Shouldn’t we be heading to the armory and suiting up to find Twilight? She did kind of just disappear when we used our elements against her!” Luna looked at her with a blank expression. "We don’t know. If we were to guess it was a failsafe spell built into the elements. And we are heading towards our failsafe." Before Anypony could say anything more they had reached their destination. As Celestia and Luna approached the statue with grim faces they started their ritual. All the others could do was watch in shock and disbelief. As the ritual was finished no pony liked what they saw, most of them didn’t understand what was happening. Celesta and Luna had just re-released Discord. “Discord we need your help” Celestia said with a cold tone of voice. “Twilight gone insane and unleashed Magic’s elemental madness” “You will have to ask nicely first Tia” Discord stated stretching his varying limbs out. “You know this “Prison” as you call it really does get dry after a while. Can’t you just use science and find a way to put me in a stasis?” “Discord this is no time for fucking around! We need to find Twilight, NOW!” Luna shouted. Discord looked at the 2 Alicorns and smirked. “Oh come now, that’s no way to treat you father…”