//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Fractured Loyalties // by scootaloogie //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Shining stood up, his body sore from the blast he’d taken from Ignis. He wasn’t about to be put down like some Timberwolf. He growled, launching a blast of purple magic, hitting Ignis on his side. The former knight was sent spinning to the ground. Coughing, Ignis slowly began to stand as a sharp pain entered his side. The pain plunged through his body, as sharp as a sword sweeping through his chest. The stallion's injuries began to overcome his ever depleting spirit as he struggled to lift himself off the cold floor. Shining trotted over, forcing his hoof upon Ignis’ neck. “I haven’t given up on Twi'ly either. I just doubt you have the ability to do anything to make this right.” Shining menaced, digging his hoof into Ignis’ neck further. The fallen stallion elicited a growl of pain, blood pouring from his wounds. A wicked grin elongated across Shining's face whilst his eyes started to gleam a tint of green. “You think I’ve fallen? You’re the one who choose this fate. You’re the reason Twi'ly and my little niece is dead!” Shining pressed harder and harder into Ignis’ neck. Frost had seen enough. She gritted her teeth and charged towards the battle. However she was suddenly stopped mid-track. “Don’t do it Frost. This is their fight they have to settle this.” Star Seeker said. Frost opened her mouth to object, however the ever glaring Star quickly silenced any form of answer from the mare. “Look at Applejack and the Princesses. All three of them want to do something but won’t because this has been boiling up till now. I wouldn’t want to get involved unless it’s absolutely needed.” Star continued to block Frosts passage, his black wings fully extended in preparation to swat Frost back if she tried to pass. With a sodden “Fine” she relented and held her ground. Looking at the others in the throne room, Frost could see that everypony else had the same mindset she did. “Heh, just look at you Ignis. You’re so weak and pathetic now. You aren’t even worth fighting.” Shining boomed. Ignis struggled to lift his head, he noticed Shining's eyes clouding over with a green mist. He knew exactly what was coming and had been counting on it. Shining closed his eyes and focused, loosening his grip upon Ignis' neck. Ignis felt the stallion's ice cold hooves lift from their grip; he realized his chance to kick Shining right in the gut. He lifted his back legs, aiming them towards his assaulter's lower torso. He applied such force into his kick that he sent Shining crashing upon the ground. The stallion skidded across the flooring, resting beneath a statue of Twilight which fuelled his anger further. Shining quickly recovered his composure, brushing off the dirt residue lining his coat. His eyes continued to darken as he sent blasts of magic in Ignis' direction. He watched as the former knight continuing pouncing around, dodging and countering. Shining's anger flowed viciously throughout the stallion's body. All of Ignis’ moving wasn’t making it easy to hit him. Shining was becoming infuriated, and a beam of purple magic launched from his horn. Ignis countered with a beam of his own, sparks flying as orange and purple clashed. “What’s wrong Ignis you used to be so strong? What happened to all of that magical prowess that you had like my SISTER!” Shining yelled. Ignis grit his teeth, trying hard to hold his position as Shining’s magic began to increase in intensity, pushing him back. What’s going on? My magic is so weak compared to his? Ignis thought. The thought travelled endlessly throughout Ignis' brain but he just couldn’t explain why his magic was so weak compared to that of his rival. He could feel his hooves sliding across the castle floor. Looking toward Shining, he noticed that his left eye had transformed further. A red ring began to form around his iris, imbuing the enraged stallion with magnified power. Shining unleashed a second blast wave which tore through Ignis' defensive beam. The blast wave reached Ignis' horn, knocking him backwards into the wall with a loud thud. He attempted to lift his himself up, noticing one of the many stained glass windows. The depiction of the six element users surrounding the colored gems in the center. Ignis started coughing hard. Slowly getting back to his hooves he looked down and could see a blood trail soaking into the once gracious flooring. Ignis could feel that he now had some cracked and possibly broken ribs. Shining grinned wickedly. “You’ve lost your will to fight. So your magic is nothing compared to mine now.” Ignis’ eyes widened. It all made sense, when Twilight was with him he never backed down from anything. Since her death he hadn’t had the will to continue enhancing his magic or learning any new spells. But there was one thing he knew for sure, and that was that he wasn’t going to be beaten down by Shining Armor. Ignis snorted, sparks beginning to form around his horn. He lifted his head and glared upon Shining with sollom intent, unleashing the electric field upon him. Shining anticipated Ignis’ attack and formed a spherical field around himself. Ignis fired shot after shot of pure electric current, the attacks far from hitting home. However one bolt locked onto Shining but was quickly cascaded away by the closing field around the stallion. The lightning bolt was sent into the opposite direction, back to its master, however Ignis quickly dodged it as it struck dead upon the marble wall behind him. Ignis looked around to find Shining but he was nowhere to be found. Looking behind him he could see the stained glass window, depicting his former friend’s first encounter with the elements of harmony. Shining suddenly appeared to the stallions left, having teleported to close the distance. The pain in Ignis’ chest caused him to flinch leaving him open for attack. Shining released a magic pulse blasting Ignis with it. The sheer force of the blast knocked Ignis backwards, smashing through the window. The glass shattered upon impact. Falling, the shards, once depicting an historic occasion, encircled the badly injured stallion. The fragments glinted Ignis’ eye, showing him inklings of past events surrounding his encounters with the elemental ponies. Tears trickled down his cheek, his mind paralyzed from his impending return to reality. He crashed down upon the sodden below with a mighty thump, coming to a halt. Ignis began to cough, blood spluttering from the wide open gashes across his chest. His body ached, rain pattering against his wounds, seeping in and mixing with his blood. Ignis pushed upon his fore legs, slowly lifting himself from the ground. Flipping himself over he looked upwards, noticing the shattered window in which he passed. Shining stood in the frame, looking down. Ignis let a small chuckle as Shining disappeared from sight. Exhausted he slowly closed his eyes. He mixed a paralyzing spell in with the pulse attack. Heh it’s not like it matters now my body wouldn’t be able to take much more anyway. Looks like I’ll be joining you soon Twilight. Ignis gently opened his eyes, looking up to see Shining Armor towering over him. A flash of lightning creating a black silhouette around him, his eyes glaring viciously into Ignis’. An evil smile stretched across his face. His left eye glinted a deep shade of green, the pupil a whirlpool of blood. Shining squinted his eyes and jeered forwards. Streams of black and green energy seeped from his horn forming an orb on its tip. The orb overflowed with dark energy, discharging sparks upwards. “And you say I’ve fallen.” Ignis snarled. Shining’s dark aura intensified upon hearing Ignis’ slight remark, the orb growing in size. The stallion was ready to unleash hell’s fury upon the helpless one lying before him. Shining lifted his horn, unleashing multiple bursts of dark energy. The energy surged through the air drawing closer to the stallion lying in the mist. Ignis watched as his life flashed before his eyes, awaiting his end. A sudden explosion of light and darkness lit up between the two stallions. The mixture of opposing natures slowly began to settle. Out of the darkness stepped Celestia, her face filled with contempt towards Shining’s actions. Reeling backwards she lifted her hooves and smashing them swiftly upon the ground, her horn lit up dispelling the evil surge. Luna stepped from the blinding light facing Ignis. She looked upon the injured unicorn with admiration and sympathy. To stand up for what you believe in is the makings of a true captain. Ignis struggled to lift his head. “Princess?” He murmured. “Shh. Quiet now child. You need your rest.” Luna responded. “Now this may sting.” The Princess began to administer a fair amount of magical antiseptics throughout Ignis’ body. The magic seeped into his wounds causing him to let out an obstreperous howl, which echoed through the castle. Luna smiled as her captains’ injuries began to heal. She turned to face Shining, her smile stricken from her face. The two princesses looked upon their once admirable and righteous captain. Their glares digging into his soul. Cadence began to make her way down towards her husband. “That’s enough Shining Armor. Ignis is in no fit state to continue this battle right now. You’ve proved your point.” Celestia growled, stomping her hoof into the muddy ground. The mud, staining her pearl white coat. “No it’s not! He needs to die for what he did to Twilight! That’s the only way I’ll be satisfied!” Shining hissed, the malice clear in his voice. The evil intent in his eye clear was enough. Unable to stand for such treachery Shining whipped his head around in a sodden defeat. Shining began to trot from the two princesses’, who safeguarded Ignis from his grasp. His eyes soon caught that of his wife Cadence, who had landed in wait. Even with the rain still pouring Shining could see that Cadence was crying. Shining looked into Cadence's eyes, his very soul being swallowed within the pools. “Please Shining, stop this.” Cadence placed her horn upon Shining’s and he could see within himself and what he had become. Shining objected to the claims, the conflict inside his mind growing. One side, filled with envy and hatred condemning the stallion to a life of misery and bitter vengeance towards who caused him the most grief. Ignis. The other side, filled with reason and remorse for the actions in which he had performed. “No Shining, it’s not. Just look at what you’ve become and what you did. I doubt you would ever want Twilight to see you like this.” Turning from Cadence, Shining could see Ignis still lying upon the ground. He was surrounded by not only Luna but his former knights. Applejack trotted past Shining and glared in his direction before resting at Ignis’ side. Off to his right he noticed the rest of Twilight's friends; Rainbow Dash, yelling for him to finish Ignis in her inebriated state. Pinkie and Fluttershy were pleading for him to stop, while Rarity just simply watched the show. Shining didn’t know what to do. He looked down, catching his reflection in a pool of water. Another flash of lightning showed him what he’d failed to see any other time. The slow downfall he would endlessly trek were he to continue. Another vision followed in which he saw Twi'ly in the water her eyes shedding tears, asking him why he’d let the darkness in. “By Celestia what have I done Cadence!?” Shining whimpered, tears streaming down his cheeks. The rain pattered around the couple. Cadence whipped away Shining’s tears and comforted him. Their horns locked and a cloud of azure enveloped around them, filling Shining with the princess’ love. The overabundance of love assisted Shining’s reason overcome his hatred and slowly his returned to normal. Ignis slowly lifted himself from the muddy ground, knocking away Star’s hoof in his attempt to help him up. Ignis didn’t look at anypony, he simply limped inside and headed towards his chambers, water and blood staining the halls. Ignis pushed open the large, wooden doors to his abode in the castle. Since Twilight’s death he’d taken up residence at the castle, the Library in Ponyville holding too many scars. Inside was the only friend he could count on anymore, on the couch lay a tall purple dragon reading a book and consuming a variety of gems in the process. Spike had matured during the time following Twilight’s death, however his honor never wavered. Ignis enjoyed his company, reminding him of the old days and his boundless knowledge of libraries helps him find most books he needs to read for his research since then. “Holy hayseeds Ignis, what happened to you?” Spike gasped. “Shining Armor…cough…was with the…Princesses. We got into a big fight. As you can…see…cough…I lost.” Ignis clutched at his chest, the magnitude of pain flowing through his body had intensified since the fight. He found it harder to breathe due to a few cracked ribs blocking his airways, and his unhealed cuts lay sore from the embedded glass which lay dormant. Ignis felt a cold snap across his side, slowly spike helped Ignis into his bedroom and onto his bed. “Spike can you grab the first aid kit…” Ignis had to stop to catch his breath. Spike nodded and headed towards the bathroom to get the first aid kit. Ignis smiled, he was lucky to have that young dragon with him still. If it hadn’t been for Spike, Ignis would’ve probably given up on everything a long time ago. It was only through Spikes determination and pressuring to want to fix everything that happened that got Ignis going. Ignis chuckled, hearing Spike curse as he rummaged through things, obviously he’d misplaced the first aid kit. Taking a moment to relax, Ignis looked at the lone picture of him and Twilight. He couldn’t help but think back to when he first took Twilight out on a date. Ignis stood outside the Sparkle house admiring the size of it. This was a big night for him. He wore a simple black button up dress jacket, specially made with the Canterlot guard symbol embodied upon the collar. He gave three quick knocks on the front door. The door opened revealing the one and only Nightlight. “Ah Ignis it’s good to see you again, please come in.” Ignis entered the house he was just as familiar with as his own. Sitting down in the living room he wasn’t surprised when he saw Shining Armor and Nightlight sit down across from him. “So you and Twilight are going beyond just being friends?” “Yes sir I’ve been thinking about it for a while. And well she’s so kind and beautiful I couldn’t keep my feelings hidden anymore. I’m just glad that she felt the same way about me.” A smile on Ignis’ face. Panic showed when he saw Nightlight raise an eyebrow as if to ask what would’ve happened had Twilight said no. “So what do you plan on doing tonight?” Nightlight inquired. Shining gave Ignis a questionable stare. The look pierced Ignis’ mind, making him wonder what Shining was either going to say or wanting to say. The intensity of the stare caused Ignis to swallow a lump in his throat before answering. Shining Armor scared Ignis almost as much as Nightlight did with the raised eyebrow. He had to be very careful about how he handled situations with Twilight, since Shining was his boss in the royal guard. “Well I thought I’d take her dancing.” The response caught both of them by surprise. Both of them were apparently waiting for him to say the movies to possibly make some moves on Twilight. Although Ignis would be dancing with Twilight it was more than acceptable, but still warranted more questioning. Ignis was then bombarded with multiple questions from Shining. While upstairs Twilight was finishing getting ready for their first night together. “Oh what am I going to where!? No, no, no, nnooo!!!” Twilight yelled as she threw outfit after outfit on the floor. Cadence looking on as the lavender mare was letting her paranoia get the better of her. Different colors littered the floor along with a baby dragon covered in clothes, chewing on one of the sleeves. Twilight’s room now looked like a rainbow had just exploded in her room. “Twilight calm down. I’m sure that Ignis will find you beautiful no matter what you wear.” Cadence giggled watching her favorite filly that she used to foal sit panic about something so new to her. Cadence continued to giggle but she knew what Twilight was going through, Cadence had been the same way the first night she went out with Shining Armor. Both of them turned as they heard laughter coming from the hallway. Entering Twilight’s room was her mother, Galaxy. The pale grey mare walked into Twilight’s room her purple and white mane a perfect contrast to her pale grey coat. Her magic carrying a thin box, she set it down on Twilight’s cloth covered bed. “Here Twilight try this.” Twilight opened the box revealing a yellow dress. Twilight’s eyes lit up. It was something simple yet made her stand out, she loved it. “This was my favorite dress as a young filly, so I thought you should have it sweetheart.” Galaxy watched her daughters eyes light up with joy. She had no doubt that Twilight would be wearing that a lot and it would need refitting and resizing down the road. But for now the dress would fit Twilight perfectly, with maybe just a little room to grow into. “Oh thank you mom. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” Twilight jumped up and down, putting the dress on in a quick manner. Twilight looked at herself in her mirror loving what she was seeing, but something was missing. Suddenly she felt her mane being pulled up and saw that it was cloaked in Cadences magic. A yellow ribbon floated over and was tied into her mane, giving her a pony tail. “There I think you’re all set now Twilight.” Cadence giggled. Cadence and Twilight’s mom both got big hugs from her before she was heading down the stairs. Ignis turned around just in time to see Twilight enter the living room after he’d just been given the third degree like a criminal. Ignis couldn’t believe his eyes. Before him stood the young filly he’d known since they were young, now a young teen like him. She was the most beautiful pony he’d ever seen in his life. He stood up and walked over to her meeting her eyes. It was like they were staring into each other’s soul and everypony could sense it. “You…um…you look really beautiful Twilight.” Ignis felt his cheeks get a little red, but noticed that Twilight’s did as well. Twilight thanked him. Ignis used his magic to open the front door letting Twilight go first. “You kids have a fun night.” Galaxy called, waving to both Ignis and Twilight. Ignis snapped out of his transfixed state and returned to reality, letting out a light chuckle. Having to teach Twilight how to dance was one of the best parts of the night, well besides getting to slow dance with her and giving her a kiss at the door. Ignis could feel tears starting to run down his cheeks. Looking off to his left he could see his guard armor, sapphire colored with black trim. The joints started to wear due to abandonment after Twilight’s death. It was a somber reminder of what he’d given up to join the Royal Guard. Tears continuously ran down his cheeks remembering how he crushed Twilight’s feelings when he chose to join Celestia’s guard over being with her. Spike returned with the first aid kit, and proceeded to treat the smaller wounds. Ignis grumbled and yelped with each bandage wrapped around a cut. The worst part being his ribs was wrapped up as gently as Spike could. “Thanks Spike. You’re a great friend to have around, plus if it weren’t for you I doubt I’d be here right now.” He saw the teen dragon blush and scratch behind his ear on recognition. “You did manage to get all the books I asked for from the library here right?” “Yeah it wasn’t easy though. I had to avoid some guards getting into the restricted section, but I did find them all.” Spike pointed to a small stack of books, each one having Starswirl The Bearded’s name on the spine. Ignis’ aura covered the books separating them into smaller stacks before levitating book by book, glancing over each. Spike was still amazed at how fast Ignis could read through a single book, he was almost as fast as Twilight was when she read. Spike could see the frustration building on Ignis’ face, he definitely wasn’t finding the answers that he wanted in the books. Before long Ignis was on the last book of the pile, reading through fast but carefully too. Ignis found nothing in the last book and threw it against the stacked books, hard. Spike could feel the vibration from the impact. The books went toppling into a mess that would’ve freaked Twilight out had she still been alive. “Gah! None of them Spike! None of them have the info that I need!” Ignis shouted. He saw Spike wince when he yelled, causing the teen dragon to look away from Ignis. Ignis buried his head in the pillows of his bed, growling in frustration. Ignis raised his head, using his magic he opened the drawer in his nightstand pulling out an ornate ring. He carefully played with it between his hooves, his wedding ring was something very special to him. Ignis stared at the ring longer than anypony should, becoming transfixed. The memories of how the two become one began to flow through his mind. Ignis paced around the small room. Sweat ran down his forehead, his heart beating fast. His fellow knights chuckled; they continued to watch him pace around the room. Ignis was wearing a more royal version of knights clothing for this ceremony. It was a dark blue jacket with a black belt that wrapped around. Luna’s symbol covered his chest in a shield. The outfit was a gift to him from Luna upon hearing that Twilight and he were getting married. “Captain don’t be so nervous. Everything will go just as it should. Besides we wouldn’t be here if she didn’t love you.” Frost smiled, holding back a fit of laughter. Frost never got to see Ignis panic like this. When on a mission Ignis was always so serious about getting it completed. “Yeah I know Frost. Thanks.” Frost’s reassurance made Ignis feel more at ease. Ignis could see the uneasiness that Star was showing. “Heh you look a little pale there Star. You nervous? You’ll be dancing with RD for the first time right?” Ignis chuckled, seeing Star blush. Star had the biggest crush on Rainbow Dash, but could never tell her how he felt. The door to Ignis’ room opened and Shining stepped in wearing the same outfit he had on when he got married. “Hey big man, you’re up.” Shining smiled. “You excited to be getting married today?” Shining got his response when he saw Ignis’ knees shaking. A sly smile was painted across Shining’s face seeing Ignis so nervous. The stallion could topple an Ursa Major, but when it came to Twilight, he was as helpless as an apple on apple bucking season. Ignis took a deep breath before following Shining out and towards the garden to join Princess Celestia. Frost and Star chuckled at Ignis’ panicked state. The last member of their team Solar was standing guard outside the royal garden along with members of the royal guard. The alters arch was covered in multicolored flowers, plenty of room for both sides of the family. Ignis exited the castle and walked to his spot for the wedding. He took a moment to look at the garden. He was thoroughly impressed at what Rarity had been able to do along with making the dresses for Twilight and the others. Fluttershy’s birds were on a stand in the back ready to sing once Twilight was to enter. Ignis looked out into the group of family and friends that were attending. He could see his parents, his mother crying and his father giving him a wink as if trying to say: “You caught yourself a fine mare son.” It only made Ignis chuckle. To the right were all of Twilights friends and family that had come to join the ceremony. Ignis easily spotted the Sparkles in the front row. Ignis looked over and could see Twilight’s best friends in their bridesmaid’s dresses, and Cadence picked to be Twilight’s mare of honor. To Ignis’ left were his fellow guards, his grooms ponies all dawned in their armor, and Shining Armor his best pony for this event. Behind Ignis was the one pony he’d hoped would make an appearance, Princess Luna. She stood next to her big sister dressed in her traditional royal clothes. The birds began to sing, signaling the entrance of the bride. The doors opened to Scootaloo, AppleBloom and Sweetie Belle carrying flower baskets. They bounced down the path dropping flower peddles on the grass before stopping just before the alter. Then came the pony that he’d been waiting to see come through the doors. Twilight wore a pearl white dress and gown that flowed smoothly on the grass. She had a veil on with purple and pink flowers that held the veil in place. Rarity had even managed to put Twilight’s cutie mark on the chest piece of the dress. Twilight made it to the alter and looked at Ignis blushing slightly. They both looked at Celestia as she started the ceremony. “Mares and Gentle colts. We are gathered here today to join these two ponies together for a lifetime journey as husband and wife.” Celestia looked around, she could see the parents of both ponies in tears of joy. The ceremony continued like normal everypony listening to Celestia talk. Then the time came that Ignis had feared the most. “Twilight. Ignis wanted to say something special to you on this special day.” Everypony looked on as Ignis swallowed a lump in his throat. Twilight on the other hoof was excited. Her heart was pounding the hardest in all her life. “Twilight you know how much I love you right?” Ignis watched Twilight nod her head. “I promise that no matter what our new life together brings. I’ll always love you with all my heart and protect you until both of us part from this world.” Ignis took one of Twilight’s hooves with his. “I will forever love you and cherish you Twilight.” Ignis’ words brought tears to Twilight’s eyes. Ignis had once told her that it was her love for him that made his magic so strong. With his words, it only deepened her love for him and her belief that what he said was true. “Would the ring bearer please present the rings.” Celestia looked to Spike. Spike held up a pillow containing both rings. Celestia coated both rings in magic levitating them to their respective recipients. One became cloaked in a purple aura and the other cloaked in an orange aura. Ignis and Twilight placed the rings over each other’s horns smiling. “I now pronounce you Mare and Gentle colt. You may kiss the bride Ignis.” Ignis pulled Twilight into a deep and loving kiss, the families and friends cheering and crying in joy. Ignis looked into Twilights eyes once they broke their kiss. Touching horns they saw each other blushing with joy and excitement. They were one now and neither of them would have it any other way. Ignis continued to fiddle with the ring that once belonged to his wife. An inscription on the underside read I am your shield, he scoffed at that statement. “With what I did, that statement has no meaning now.” Ignis lowered the ring back into the drawer and shut it. “Hey Ignis what’s with this weird marking on the first page of this book?” Spike held up one of the many books that he’d gotten from the restricted section of the castle library. Ignis jerked and saw the mark, levitating the book over he quickly started studying the tome. Spike looked over the pile of dusty tomes which lay before him. Page by page, book by book, the dragon flicked looking for any other clues. “Hey Ignis this one’s got a strange marking on the first page as well. But this one’s different from the other one from that book.” Ignis continuously looked over both of the strange symbols inked into the pages. A slight smirk widened across his the stallion’s face. “Spike you’re a genius!” Ignis exclaimed, a bewildered Spike stood before him. The stallion rushed around the room bashing piles of books over. “Quickly tear out all of the first pages of each book that has a marking on it.” Spike continued to stand, as if dazed. He had no clue what Ignis was up to but proceeded to do as he was asked. The young dragon pushed aside the assortment of books, searching through volumes and tomes alike. Ignis looked upon the vast knowledge that lay before him. Only he could comprehend how to unlock their secrets, they all had a distinct look to them. The stallion looked upon the books and noticed some sort of pattern. He began to place the dozen pages, he had ripped out, down in front of him. He examined each of the markings carefully and placed eight of the twelve into a spiral shape, whilst the remaining four were placed in a diamond formation around the center. Ignis placed the last piece of the puzzle upon the ground. Both he and Spike looked in amazement at what they had discovered. The symbols, emblazoned upon the pages grew in size and formed that of a blue and white vortex inside a star. Ignis looked inside himself and focused his magic. Letting out a spark of energy the pages began to shake uncontrollably, the ink lifted itself from the pages and morphed into a book, which lay at the center of the pages. The book was embroidered with different markings, the former knight levitated it over to himself and began to read through it easily finding that which he was after. His eyes lit up with ecstasy and let out a booming cheer. The princess of Love was trotting through the castle hallways when she heard an echoing shout resonating from Ignis’ chambers. She walked into the stallion’s room to see the stallion and his dragon assistant rejoicing in their discovery. Ignis stood before a chalkboard which had been defaced with a plethora of different spells and incantations. Upon the noticing the princess staring at them, they felt fairly awkward. “Ignis what’s going on in here? And what’s with the giant mess of books?” Cadence looked around, her mind boggled by the mess in the room. It would’ve sent Twilight’s head spinning and caused her to go into a fit of rage from it. Ignis placed the chalk down on the rail, relieved with his findings. Cadence looked deep into Ignis’ eyes and could see that the fire had been relit within his spirit. “We found a way to fix everything Cadence. But we’re going to need everyponies help to make this work. Please inform everypony and have them meet us in the main auditorium.” Cadence’s eyes widened. She wasn’t about to ask any questions, if it meant bringing Twilight back she was all for it. Not hesitating for a moment, Cadence ran out of the room, to find Shining and the others. The two friends followed suite, heading for the Hall of Harmony. “Do you really think this spell will be able to fix this mess?” Spike questioned. “I have no doubt in mind. Either that or cause a rip in all of reality, causing worldwide destruction.” Spike stopped in his tracks, shaking from the sudden choice which lay before him. “Oh come on Spike, I was joking!” Ignis chuckled. Spike shook his head in disbelief, Ignis had lost any form of humility long ago. “What’s this I hear about being able to fix everything?” Ignis turned to see Celestia walking through the main doors to the hall, followed by her sister and niece. “Spike and I found Starswirl's spell book and the one spell that can fix it all, but we’ll need the Elements.” Ignis explained. The notion that anyone might have found Starswirl’s ancient secrets was astounding. Not even Luna nor Celestia had been able to find it. Celestia and Luna looked at each other and smiled. Spike and Ignis began to engrave one of the many symbols upon the ground. “Celestia please give Applejack and the others their Elements. This would work easier with Twilight’s but there’s nopony that can fill that spot, so that’s why I’ll need Luna, Cadence, Shining, and your help to do this.” Celestia nodded in recognition and trotted over to the vault, in which the Elements were stored. She carefully stepped over the symbol in which had been etched, noticing full well what he was planning. “That’s the time spell marking. How will going back for a few seconds fix things Ignis?” Celestia saw Ignis smirk. The stallion explained that the time spell Twilight used was an incomplete version. Starswirl believed that it was too powerful of a spell, and that somepony would abuse it to rewrite history in their favor. Leaving it as a broken short spell was the only way to fully ensure no damage could be done in that short of a time frame. Ignis watched as each pony took their positions around the seal with himself stood in the center. He could smell the stench of curiosity fill the air. To his left he could see Applejack, Cadence, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all sharing a concerned look. To his right Rainbow Dash and Rarity lay dormant, simply glaring at him with malice intent. Luna and Celestia told in front of him, proud that he hadn’t given up hope like Shining had thought. Shining on the other hoof, slumped down behind him, seemed like a shell of his former self after what had happened between them, he seemed…broken. “Are you positive that this’ll work Ignis?” Luna questioned, giving a concerned look. “Yes with everyponies magic along with mine, as long as I focus on the exact time and place I should be able to fix everything that’s happened.” Ignis gave off a determined vibe, one which could give Rainbow and Rarity the confidence that he could do it. “Ignis…” Shining finally spoke up, his eyes filled with tears while he locked eyes with Ignis. “Bring Twi'ly back to all of us ok.” Ignis nodded. “I will Shining…I promise everypony I’ll fix this.” Ignis looked around and watched as each pony started to charge up their magic. The Elements, resonated with Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie providing immense power. The seal began to lift itself from the ground, the gaps filling with color and life. Shining and Cadence fired beams of hope and love towards the center of the seal, their power continuing the evolution. Finally Luna and Celestia added their immense magic into the fray and the seal began to float above the ground. Finally, Ignis concentrated on the date and time he wished. Firing a stream of energy at the very center of the seal caused it to shatter, the lights continuing to shine. “Keep it up!” The stallion yelled. The assortment of different colors began to envelope around the knight, forming a multi-colored orb. He knew exactly where and when he wanted to return to. Both Spike and himself figured this would most likely be a one way trip. With a brilliant flash of light and a pulse of magic, Ignis was gone. He was left to fix everything that had gone wrong. Ignis wasn’t the only one gone, Spike had managed to slip away from the group. On the way over Ignis had given him one last task to do once he left. Spike walked down the crumbling stone path, towards the cemetery. The wind was hard and in force tonight, but still the dragon pushed on. Entering the graveyard he stared towards the center, where Twilight’s monument stood. Overburdened with emotion, he calmly opened a small bag in which Ignis passed him. He placed two rings on the monument and looked up at Twilight’s stone face. “Wait for him Twilight. You’ll be together again soon...”