//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: (I've Had) The Time of My Life 
// Story: Half Minute Horses 
// by Thunderbug80 
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Chapter 11
(I've Had) The Time of My Life
World Destroyed: 134 Times
Dark Lords Defeated: 2





Princess Celestia hadn't been kidding, not that she would have joked about the matter anyway. From the corners of the Everfree forest to the outskirts of Canterlot, dozens of unintentional Dark Lords were preparing to read out a spell that would end their existence. Perhaps the spell itself was cursed, forcing the reader to complete the malediction whilst ignoring all other happenings around them. Whatever the reason, none of the Dark Lords took notice of anything other than the spell before them.

"Is that... Rarity?" Twilight breathed. As Spike peeked around her shoulder with wide eyes, her heart skipped a beat. Far below them, just outside Carousel Boutique, the delicate white unicorn was frozen in time. Her bright blue eyes were staring at one of many scrolls containing the Spell of Destruction.

"Yes," Princess Celestia said. "She, and many more of your friends, neighbors, and colleagues, have become unwitting accomplices in the Dark Lord's plan." She sighed. "We can not afford the risk of going easy on any of them. Do you understand, Twilight Sparkle? For the next thirty seconds, every pair of eyes reading from one of those scrolls are those of our enemies."

Twilight swallowed hard, but nodded. It was just one more problem she had caused, but she was determined to make things right again. She had died over a hundred times in the past hour or so, and it was an experience she didn't want any of her friends or family to have to suffer through any time soon. Especially not in the next thirty seconds.

"Twilight?" Spike asked quietly. Twilight turned around. "I-if we don't make it–"

"Spike!" Twilight interrupted. Spike looked up, but still seemed miserable. "Whatever you have to say, it can wait until we finish this."

"But–"

"I'll be right by your side when this is over. You can tell me then."

Spike looked at his clawed feet, then back up at Twilight. He gave a small smile. "Okay," he said dutifully.

Princess Celestia stepped in and addressed them then. "The time has come," she said. "My sister and I can not hold our magic any longer. We must begin." She turned and spread her wings. "Separate and take them out in groups if you can, but don't stray too far from one another. Are we all ready? There will not be another chance at this. It is now, or never." 

"Ready," Twilight and the others said.

A moment later Celestia said, "Then it begins," and the spell holding back time vanished.



..o0o..


 Luna Time


Princess Luna folded her wings behind her and dove towards a nearby group of Dark Lords. It had been far too long since she'd been in a real battle, and she was looking forward to this. Sure, she had just helped her sister defeat a Dark Lord earlier, but that really didn't count. Not much had been on the line then.

Well, that isn't entirely true, she thought as she sent a focused beam of energy into the group of Dark Lords. They were hurled into the air, and the scrolls containing the Spell of Destruction were vaporized. The fate of the world had been on the line back then, but Luna'd had little doubt that she and her sister would vanquish the Dark Lord. All it took was a big enough distraction, really. Something like a searing beam of energy to the face.

This time, however, there was a bit of real danger. There were plenty of Dark Lords to defeat, and she wasn't entirely sure they would be able to pull it off. She sighed as she sent another Dark Lord hurtling through the air. If this might be her last few seconds alive, she was determined to enjoy them. She sent yet another Dark Lord skyward.

"Haha!" she giggled. That one had achieved the longest hang time yet. She wondered if she could double it on the next one. Success! Look at it fly! She flew from Dark Lord to Dark Lord, tossing them into the air. She was just preparing a massive blast of energy in the hopes of breaking her own record when she heard the baby dragon, Spike, scream.



..o0o..


Pinkie Time


The spell freezing time was released, and Pinkie leapt from her spot in the sky and did a swan dive to the ground below. She'd had a lot of fun the last time the princesses asked her to save the world, even if it had only lasted three seconds. And although she was certainly enjoying her current free fall that, if her calculations were correct, would land her directly atop one of the Dark Lords below, she understood that this time there was a lot more on the line.

As she got closer and closer to the unsuspecting Dark Lord below, she had some time to reflect on things. Almost her entire life had been dedicated to bringing a smile to those around her. Life in Ponyville wasn't all fun and games. There were dangerous beasts to deal with, natural disasters, and plenty of villains who needed to be defeated. It was a lot to expect anypony to handle, let alone the young fillies and colts whose lives were really just beginning. If she could make a fool of herself and get a few chuckles in return, it was effort well spent.

Tonight was different, though. If Twilight and the princesses failed, the party would be over. No more children's laughter, no more smiles from her friends. She couldn't let it end here; the party was just getting started!

"You are so not welcome in Ponyville!" Pinkie shouted as she landed on the Dark Lord's shoulders and drove his head into the mud. She jumped off his shoulders, did a somersault, and grabbed the scroll containing the Spell of Destruction in midair. Less than a second later, it had been torn into thousands of pieces.

One down, a few dozen to go. You've got this, Pinkie Pie, she thought. She pulled out her party cannon, climbed inside, aimed for a small group of Dark Lords, and lit the one-tenth of a second fuse. For Ponyville. For my friends, she thought.

For a little more laughter in this world.



..o0o..


Celestia Time


What have I done? Celestia thought as she surveyed the ground below. There wasn't time to reflect on her mistakes, but she couldn't help herself. As she flew towards a group of Dark Lords and set the scrolls they were reading ablaze, she continued to dwell upon them.

How could we have not known that such a dangerous spell was nearby? She adjusted her wings and banked quickly to the right, where she buffeted the group of Dark Lords below with a dazzling display of light and color, temporarily blinding them. The scrolls were immediately incinerated. She climbed back into the air and took a second to observe her former student. Twilight was teleporting with pinpoint accuracy, taking out Dark Lords even faster than Celestia could.

Celestia closed her eyes and smiled. She had spent a long time keeping watch over Twilight and the lessons she had learned. So long, in fact, that she had almost forgotten that she, too, was still capable of learning new lessons. Or re-learning old ones.

She was certain that Twilight was filled with her own self-doubt, but that wasn't stopping the newly-crowned princess from giving her all. In that moment, Celestia could not have been more proud of her former student.

Her determination renewed, she set off toward another group of Dark Lords. And there will be plenty more moments to be proud of in the years to come, Twilight Sparkle, Celestia thought.



..o0o..


Spike Time


Spike held on for dear life as Twilight teleported them to the ground below. He still wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to be of use. The princesses could fly, though Twilight still preferred teleportation, and Pinkie was... well, Pinkie. All Spike could really do was hold onto Twilight's mane and hope he didn't fall off in the middle of the chaos. He couldn't even attack any of the Dark Lords. By the time they were close enough to one for him to breathe fire on, the Lord was already defeated and they were moving on to the next.

Why am I even here? Spike thought. Princess Celestia had said they would need his help, but he knew she had only been trying to be kind. What help could he possibly offer when all he could think of was that the world would be ending in less than thirty seconds? He still had a hard time wrapping his mind around that idea, but he knew he didn't like it.

Twilight teleported them again and took out another small group of Dark Lords. Spike just hung on tight. There was really nothing else to do. He looked up and saw Luna air juggling a Dark Lord with her energy beams. A bit further to their left, Princess Celestia was unleashing massive magical bursts towards the ground. Somewhere off to their right, he could hear Pinkie Pie giggling as she did... whatever it was that she did. He looked up ahead, wondering how many Dark Lords were left. It took a moment before he realized what he was looking at.

It was a moment too long.

"Twilight, look ou–" Spike's words were cut off as a magical blast hit them with a large concussive force. He was hurled off of Twilight's back, hit the ground hard, and rolled to a stop in the middle of one of Ponyville's roads. He looked up just in time to see Twilight teleport out of the way of another blast.

"Where, and who, did that come from?" Spike wondered aloud. Whatever it had been, Twilight seemed to have seen where it originated from and had teleported to the source, leaving Spike behind. It was fitting, he supposed. He hadn't been much help anyway.

He turned around to find a good spot to sit down and watch the fate of the world, but froze in his tracks. Just ahead of him, her snout inches away from an old, worn scroll, a certain lovely white unicorn wearing a beautiful white and blue dress recited ancient words of power that would soon destroy the world.

"R-Rarity?" Spike gasped.

Rarity did not answer. She was completely absorbed with casting the Spell of Destruction, and paid Spike no heed whatsoever.

"Rarity, snap out of it!" Spike yelled. "You're not a Dark Lord, you're..." He looked up at her eyes and realized that she couldn't even hear him. Within a few seconds, she would complete the spell and destroy them both, along with everything else in the world. He stared into her eyes for a moment longer, then curled his claws into fists and fought back tears. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he gasped. "And I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, even from yourself!"

Spike launched himself towards the oblivious unicorn mare. He wasn't sure if she'd ever forgive him, but he'd rather she be angry at him for the rest of his life than have their lives end here. He reached Rarity, lifted his sharp dragon claws up, and screamed as he slashed out at his beloved.

His scream was joined by that of Rarity, whose attention was no longer on the scroll, but was now wholly on the dress that Spike had just ruined by clawing it to shreds. She looked down at Spike, whose eyes were filled with adoration upon realizing that his plan had worked. Rarity looked back up at her shredded dress, then back down to Spike's outstretched claws, and over once again to the look in his eyes.

She then promptly fainted.


..o0o..


Twilight Time


Things were actually going well for once. The moment the time spell had faded, Twilight had teleported Spike and herself down into the middle of a decently sized group of Dark Lords and blasted them all. A second later, a second group of Dark Lords had been defeated. Time and time again she managed to teleport into just the right spot to allow her to unleash a quick spell, then teleport off to another location.

She was just beginning to think they could pull it off when a huge blast of energy blindsided her and sent her crashing to the ground. Poor Spike had landed somewhere further down the road, but she didn't have time to think about that. She could feel, more than see, another blast heading directly for her. With little time to react, she teleported herself towards the source of the magic.

"Oh, you are good," a voice said from nearby. Twilight looked up and saw the original Dark Lord, the first one she had defeated, staring down at her from atop a tree branch. His hooded cloak still obscured almost all of his features, and he held another scroll in his tiny little hands, or claws, or whatever they were. They certainly weren't hooves.

Twilight glared up at the Dark Lord. "Enough!" she cried. She sent a blast of energy his way, but it hit the air in front of him and bounced off, revealing a glowing blue sphere around him. It was a magical shield.

The Dark Lord's laughter was grating. "Nice try," he said. "But after seeing how you all dealt with the other Dark Lords, I came up with a backup plan."

Twilight looked around and it was only just then that she noticed there were no more Dark Lords remaining other than this, the original. They had succeeded! All they had to do was find some way to get around this Dark Lord's shield within thirty seconds from the time he started reading from the scroll. That shouldn't be too difficult.

"Yes, I can see you think you've all won," the Dark Lord said. By now, Pinkie and Celestia had joined Twilight. She wasn't sure where Spike or Luna were, though. The Dark Lord stood up straight, though it only made him appear slightly taller. "This shield will protect me from any magical attack," he boasted. "If you rush me, I'll just teleport away. Oh, and I can see you all eyeing this scroll. Well I can assure you that it is not the same spell that Dark Lords have been casting these past few hours."

Twilight looked at the others. If it wasn't the Spell of Destruction, then why did the Dark Lord seem so smug? What could be worse than a spell that destroyed the world in thirty seconds?

"No, this is an even better spell," he said. "This is the Spell of Imminent Destruction. Once I begin casting this, the world will end in three seconds!" With that little bit of information revealed, the Dark Lord burst into what was probably supposed to be an evil cackle, though it sounded more like a chipmunk coughing.

Twilight's jaw dropped. Three seconds? They couldn't possibly stop him in time, and there was no way the princesses would be able to reset time every three seconds.

"Why are you doing this?" Twilight demanded. It just didn't make any sense, and she was fed up with saving the world. "And how in Equestria were you able to find a spell that's even worse than the Spell of Destruction?"

The Dark Lord chuckled. "Oh yes, I bet you would love to know the answer to those. Any more useless questions before I destroy the world?"

"Sure!" Pinkie chipped in. "Is it just me, or does it sound an awful lot like Spike is screaming as he falls from a great distance in the sky?"

All eyes turned to Pinkie. It wasn't the first time she'd had all eyes on her after an odd comment, but this time the others stopped and listened, as if they, too, heard something.

Twilight swivelled her ears. "Y-you're right, Pinkie. That's definitely Spike, but where is he?"

The Dark Lord stomped a foot on the branch he was standing on. "It doesn't matter where your little friend is, your world ends in three seconds!" With that, he immediately opened the scroll and began reciting the spell.

It was the Dark Lord's ignorance of Spike that was his undoing. For even as he read the spell, Spike flew closer and closer to his target. Just as the Dark Lord reached the last few words on the scroll, Spike, screaming the entire way, came hurtling out of the sky and smashed directly into him, sending them both to the ground in a heap.

From the clouds high up above, Princess Luna shouted in triumph. "Huzzah! My most accurate toss yet!" She flew down to the ground and stepped in front of Celestia. "How many points will you award your favorite sister?"

Though all who were gathered were still rather shocked not just by what Luna had done, but by the fact that they had been less than a second away from permanent death, they were soon all laughing heartily.



..o0o..


Overtime


"Yeah, Luna knew that my tightly packed scales would protect me from harm, even from a drop of that height!" Spike said. He balanced himself carefully upon the ladder he was on, and patiently put a book away.

Twilight stopped dusting a bookshelf and looked at Spike out of the corner of one eye. "I still think it was rather reckless. Fate of the world notwithstanding."

"Aw come on, Twilight," Spike said. "You know as well as I do that dragons can suffer much worse falls and still be okay. Otherwise we'd never learn how to fly!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I know, but you're still just a baby dragon. I don't want anything to happen to my number one defeater of Dark Lords." She giggled at the look on Spike's face as she said that. "Still, I wish we could have found out more about that final Dark Lord."

Spike shrugged. "Yeah, who would have thought that it was really just an enchanted robe? I never saw that one coming!"

"But who enchanted it?" Twilight asked. She walked over to a globe and stared at it. "Why would anyone want to destroy the entire world? Where did those spells come from, anyway?"

"Who knows?" Spike said. "We saved the world again, and that's all that matters. If some other villain comes along and tries to ruin it for us, we'll just have to do it again."

Twilight smiled. "You're right, Spike. This–" she waved her hoof, indicated everything around them "–is what matters. It was a pleasure to have you by our side when we saved it."

Spike thought back to that night. Missing out on sleep, being killed multiple times, being thrown from Twilight's back, emotionally scarring Rarity for what would likely be months, being tossed like a ball through the air by the Princess of the Night...

"Yeah... it was the time of my life," Spike said sarcastically. Despite his response, he knew that if it came down to it, he'd be among the first in line to volunteer if the world needed saving once more. And it would need to be saved again, of course. It was only a matter of time.


The End