//------------------------------// // Chapter 32: Other World // Story: Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 3: Unicorn // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Twilight nibbled on a small oat cake, staring across the cave at the sleeping Rarity. She glanced down at Rainbow. “Hey... are you still awake?” “Barely... whaddaya want?” the pegasus asked, grumbling as she folded her body into a tight ball. “Nothing. Well, no, I mean. Not... I just... do you think it was wrong? Maybe I was just... maybe there's some other way to get the elements?” “Well...” The pegasus opened an eye and let out a soft snort. “Could always just kill her. Maybe if she dies, the element goes to somepony else.” “Rainbow! We can't just, she's...” “Exactly. You were right. We didn't really have much choice. For now, we need her. Once we manage to... stop the Water Nation though? Well, all bets are off. Don't worry, she's not that good a fighter. We're not letting her be on watch and almost any of us can take her. Applejack is and she would let us know the moment miss water bender twitches her hoof the wrong way. Just relax and get some sleep, okay?” Twilight nodded and laid her head back down. “Do... you think maybe she could... become an ally? A real one, one day? Actually help us?” Rainbow didn't answer for a few seconds and after a little bit the alicorn sighed and gave up on getting an answer. However, suddenly the pegasus gave a nod. “It's not impossible. Unlikely, yes. But not impossible. We've... met quite a few Water Nation ponies who weren't all bad. Maybe she'll... become a good pony. Eventually. It's not completely outside the realm of reason. If that happens... it's not like we could really turn her away. We need all the help we can get after all.” Twilight nodded and gave a small smile. “Good. I... think I'd like having her on our side. I think you would too.” “Oh? Why?” “You're stubborn and never give up either. Even when you should.” The pegasus snorted and shook her head. “Get some sleep. We've got a lot of walking to do tomorrow.” “Fine, good night.” “Good night.” The two started to drift off, the world fading out from around them. Twilight curled up into her own little ball, pulling her blanket snugly over her body. She had almost lost consciousness when the scream echoed through the cave followed by the rumbling of earth. Her eyes opened instantly and she sat up, her comrades doing the same. It took a moment for clarity to hit her. “Applejack!” She wrestled with the blanket for a few seconds before galloping towards the cave entrance. The earth pony mare was laying on the ground, her eyes closed tightly in pain as blood leaked from her side. A black crystal was lodged into her side, black lines spreading out from the wound, slowly making their way through her body. The cave entrance was now blocked off, a wall of stone keeping them safe, but the damage was done. “No no, come on Applejack,” Twilight said before moving to her side. “Here, Rainbow, help me pull out this--” “D-don't touch it,” Applejack hissed. “It's not... ah don't know... what it is, but ah think it's... it's dangerous. Use... use your magic.” The alicorn gulped but gave a swift nod. Her horn glowed as the crystal was embraced in her magic and pulled free. It clattered on the ground, quickly falling apart and forming a small crystal pool. “Come on, let's get her to the fire.” Twilight and Rainbow moved on either side of the mare, slowly hauling her up and leading her deeper into the cave. “A-ah don't know where it came from,” Applejack said with a groan. “J-just... one moment it was there, then the next, bam. Popped outta the ground an' impaled me. Ah barely h-had time tah build dah wall... ugh...” They laid the mare on the ground, looking over the wound in the light of the flames. Twilight pushed out her hoof and made a small hole in the back of the cave, letting the smoke filter out. “I don't like this,” the alicorn said softly. “These lines are still spreading and fast. It's like... some kind of poison.” “What happens if they spread too far? How far is too far?” Rainbow asked, nervously biting her lip as she looked at the lines. They spread out slowly, almost too slow to see. But they were making process. “I don't know. Maybe she can fight it off, maybe--” “Maybe I can help,” Rarity said softly before stepping forward. “If... if it's like poison, I might be able to remove it.” “You can bend poison?” Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes. “No. It's... a defensive move my aunt taught me. I haven't had much practice but... but it might work. It'll possibly allow me to remove this... stuff from her body.” “Right, so you can try to finish her while she's helpless? Not a chance!” Rainbow snapped, jumping between the two. “Leave Applejack to us, we'll find a way to fix her. We don't need you... doing your weird stuff on her. Probably just make it worse. Fluttershy, can you do something?” “I, I can try...” the pegasus said softly before pulling out her small sack of herbs. She moved besides the earth pony and looked over the wound. She reached out and pushed against it, before yelping and pulling her hoof back. “It's solid crystal. This isn't, I can't do anything about this. Whatever it is, it's crystallizing her from the inside.” “What does that mean?” Twilight asked. “It means this isn't a poison. This is... I have nothing I can do with this. We need to stop it... we need to stop it at the source. Find the magic that fuels it. We need to...” She slowly glanced back to Twilight. “We need to go to the Spirit World. We need to stop this creature immediately.” “Will that work?” “It... might? This is magic and... I can't heal this. Without my bending I can't...” The alicorn took a deep breath and looked down at her wounded friend. She gave a swift nod. “I... guess we have no choice. Who's going?” “All of us, silly,” Pinkie said. “We'll all need to work together to stop this and none of us could feel right waiting behind while the others fight him off. We're the Elements of Harmony, not the Elements of send two or three of us out at a time.” “A-ah'm comin' too,” Applejack groaned, slowly sitting up with a cringe. “A-ah don't... know what that creature gone an' done tah me. B-but ah ain't sendin' yah all someplace a-ah can't g-go mahself.” Twilight shook her head. “You're in no state to--” “If we need them e-elements tah fight this creature, you're gonna need mah help. It won't do me any good tah wait here for yah all, if yah all can't fight it without me. A-ah'm comin'. Now git to it while ah kin still move.” Twilight gulped and then glanced to Rarity. “How about you? Will you--” “This is my fault, of course I'll come. It is the least I could do,” the princess said firmly. “Very well...” Twilight turned towards the fire and sighed. “Everypony, get in a circle around Applejack. I don't know how this'll work. I don't even know if it'll work. But I'll do whatever I can, as best I can.” She glanced to Spike and Angel. “You two need to keep watch, okay? We'll be... indisposed.” The two gave swift salutes. The ponies formed a tight circle around the bleeding mare. Fluttershy quickly wrapped a bandage around the wound before taking her position. Twilight closed her eyes and began focusing her magic, her horn glowing with a bright purple light and spreading through the ponies. ------ The creature circled around the cave, eying it closely like a wounded animal. It had hurt one of them, but it had to finish it off. It could feel pieces of its prey on all of them. They had to be removed. But it didn't rush in, not again. It could still feel the pain of its last failed assault. The burning, the fear of destruction. But it needed to destroy them. All of them. Most importantly, it had to kill the avatar. It kept circling, its misty body floating in the night air. It then peered in through a small hole in the back, smoke oozing out through it. An opening. It could see inside, through the smoke. Five circling one, the wounded one. Magic enveloped them, giving the creature pause. It had an opening, they didn't know it was there. But they had magic, it could get hurt again. It had felt so close to destruction. Was it worth it? Could it risk it? A low moan spilled forth from the mare in the center. The creature chuckled and dived through the hole, its fangs glistening. Then all was enveloped in purple light as the alicorn opened her eyes and recoiled from him. ------ Twilight sat up, gasping in pain as her head throbbed horribly. The light was blinding, making her close her eyes. The last thing she remembered seeing was Sombra, right before the spell went off. She eeped and padded her body down, but she felt no wounds. Was it possible she'd died? Slowly, she opened her eyes narrowly and tried looking around. The blinding light soon gave way to reveal trees of ice, shining in the light like brilliant torches. She slowly got to her hooves and looked around, but there was nothing around her but the trees. The ground squished under her, making her yelp and jump back. She was standing on water. It took a few seconds for the panic to subside and she realized it wasn't water. It was more like a thick gel, solid enough for her to stand on, though it squished underhoof. She stared into it and shivered. All she could see was an endless, unending tint of blue, making it near impossible for her to tell if it was a clear blue and she could see through it, or if the outer layer was just a light blue and seemed clear. Staring at it made her eyes hurt and finally she shook her head and looked away. “Okay, time to focus. Think Twilight. Think. You can still move and aren't hurt, so that means... that creature didn't get you. You're not dead. You can't be dead. It must have been pulled in alongside you. Okay, that makes sense. I'm definitely in the Spirit World. There isn't... anything like this anywhere else.” She moved over to one of the trees and reached out to touch it. Despite it definitely being ice, it didn't feel cold to the touch. Though, within moments of her touch the entire tree melted, forming a small clear puddle. “I need to find out if the others are here with me. Girls!” she called out. “O-over here!” a voice called out, one that managed to both be a yell and a whisper at the same time. As if the pony wanted to let her know she was there, while simultaneously being sorry for making a racket. Even if she couldn't identify the voice, Twilight knew only one mare who could pull something like that off. “Okay, I'm coming over Fluttershy, just keep talking. I'll be there in a second!” Twilight started trotting towards the source of the voice, moving in between the trees of ice. The ground squished under her hooves, though it didn't feel wet or cold. She couldn't help but feel unsettled at the lack of effect made by her cause. Fluttershy was sitting in the center of a small pile of ice cubes. She was gently holding one in her hoof, stroking it on the back. “Fluttershy? What are you doing?” Twilight asked as she stepped forward. “Why are you petting the ice cu--” She nearly stepped on one, making it dart away. Almost instantly ear piercing shrieks filled the air, emanating from the ice. She stepped back quickly. After a few seconds the noise died down. “W-what was that?” “I think they're ice screams...” Fluttershy said softly. “They looked so frightened when I got here. I just tried to comfort them...” “Of... of course you did,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Arrive in a world filled with weirdness and strange creatures unlike anything in our world, and you immediately start making pets. Sounds about right...” “Sorry...” “What? Oh, no, it's wonderful. At least you haven't run into any changelings. Now those things are pains in the...” The words trailed off as she looked around. “Wait a minute. Everything here is so... different from before. Why is it different? This doesn't...” She nudged the ground a few times. “We need to find the others, now. Come on.” “Oh, okay.” Fluttershy slowly got up, making the little ice cubes hop around her while giving little squeaks. “I-I'm sorry, I really need to go. Our friends are looking for us. There there...” She gave one of the crying ice cubes a gentle pet. “Can you please be strong? For me? My friends need me...” The ice cube gave a little whimper before they all gathered up into a little pile and slid off into the bushes. “They really are quite nice once you get to know them. A lot warmer than I expected, too.” “Yeah, all this ice is warm. It's... a bit weird, honestly. GIRLS! WHERE ARE YOU?” Twilight yelled. The ground suddenly shifted under them, making the alicorn yelp. “Earthquake!” It wiggled and twitched under them for a few moments, sending the two ponies teetering about, before going still. “W-what was that?” Fluttershy asked, holding onto a tree which promptly melted around her. “I have no idea. Some kind of... I didn't think the Spirit World could have earthquakes. Maybe... I don't know.” She shook her head. “Hey! Twilight! Over here!” Rainbow's voice suddenly called out. The alicorn turned towards the voice and started galloping. Fluttershy followed closely behind. Within a few moments the two broke into a small clearing filled with the melted trees, forming little puddles of the liquid. Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie were all standing around. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that's everypony then.” “Ummm, what about Spike and Angel?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “They should be keeping watch, they weren't part of the circle. They--” The alicorn froze in place. Those two weren't part of the circle, but neither was Sombra. Perhaps the reason they hadn't been attacked was because those two had gone in to defend them. “Okay, we need to move fast and find that creature, now. We can probably find its... ghosty form around here, somewhere. Applejack, how are you feeling?” “Mah side still hurts,” the mare said as she got to her hooves. The wound wasn't on her spirit body. “B-but ah think ah'll be fine. Can yah give us a nice bird's eye view? Maybe see if yah can find it?” “On it!” Rainbow took to the air and promptly nose dived into the ground. “Ow! The buck?” “Flying is a little different here,” Twilight said with a smile. “It's kind of like... well... ummm... swimming. With your wings.” She took to the air and held her wings out as far as they could go, using her hooves to help push through the air. It was unsettling, after all the time she'd spent practicing actual flight. The air felt like gel, like the ground they'd been walking on. Except while the gel below was solid and she couldn't go through it, the air was only just solid enough to make it more climbing and swimming than actual flight. It felt even weirder because aside from when she flew, the air felt completely normal. She flew up and up, looking around as she went. Then she froze and hung in the air for a few moments, her mouth hanging open. “Im... impossible.” The land they had been on wasn't the ground at all. It was some kind of massive blue horse. The trees of ice seemed to make up its mane. She stared in fascination as the creature slept, one in a whole herd of the creatures. They shimmered like diamonds, the ice covering their bodies glimmering in the day. Even better, she could see the grass and trees below their resting forms, peeking out like little small rivers of land among mountains of ice and water. “Wow...” a voice said from besides her. She looked over to see Rainbow. “Any idea what these are?” “Hey, you're the avatar, this is your stuff. I've got no idea.” Twilight sighed and tried mentally flipping through the notes she'd read, but she couldn't remember anything about giant blue horses made of ice and water. “I can't think of anything. Maybe they're new? Something from the Water Nation? Maybe--” “There!” Rainbow yelled, pointing further up the body. Something black and wispy was making its way towards their little camp. “Let's go!” Twilight yelled, quickly diving down towards the ground. The two made it down as the creature burst from the trees. Sombra stood before them, his eyes glowing green. He was solid for once, though a mist of darkness surrounded him, flowing around him like a fog. He stared at them for a few moments. “Aaaaaaavaaaaaaaaataaaaaaaaaar.” “S-Sombra, stop it,” Rarity said as she stepped forward. “It's over. I was wrong. I never should have sent you. Just go back, help...” She shook her head. “Hide. Disappear. Do something, anything! But don't--” The creature lunged and she recoiled. “Eek!” A tree landed on the monster's head, making it slam into the ground. The ponies turned to Pinkie who held the base of the tree in her hooves, before it quickly melted. “How did you do that?” Rainbow asked, staring. “Well, it's not a real tree, silly,” the earth pony said with a giggle. “I just believed I could do it, and I did it!” Twilight shook her head and focused on the creature before them. It growled and slowly got to its hooves and stepped forward. “We were right, it's solid here. We can fight it.” “Well, then send some kinda fire ball at it. In case yah haven't noticed, ain't a whole lotta earth here tah use!” Applejack snapped as she backed away. “Magic and bending don't work right here. They have their own, they use their own, they just...” She paused and looked at Pinkie. It didn't make any sense, but she just had a feeling. “Do you have your cannon?” “Yep, right here!” “How about your... rubber chicken?” “Boneless? Of course. Never leave anyplace without him.” The earth pony held up both her weapons with a smile. Twilight stared and shook her head. “Believe you can do it, and you can, huh. Wish the bending worked like that. Pinkie being Pinkie I guess. Let's see if we can... weaponize it.” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked. “Nothing. Everything. Pinkie, try using your training on it!” the alicorn yelled. Sombra lunged forward, fangs bared. Pinkie smacked him in the face with the chicken, knocking him to the side before she set her cannon off, launching a wave of cupcakes in his face. “Ouch, that looked like it hurt...” Rarity said, cringing back from the groaning creature. “But how are her weapons here? I didn't think anything... came with us.” “It doesn't. Or, well, it didn't. I think. We can't bend, but--” Twilight cringed as Pinkie started dancing with the disoriented Sombra. “Pinkie is always Pinkie. I think she... well... how to put it. I think she was built for these rules. It's honestly a little fascinat--” She was cut off as Pinkie suddenly slammed into her, sending them both collapsing to the ground in a pile. “O-ow. But... ow... m-maybe she d-doesn't have complete control over... all the rules.” “I-I dun wanna ride that ride again mommy...” Pinkie said, her head wobbling from side to side as swirls danced in her eyes. Sombra growled and stepped forward again, his fangs barred. He turned to Applejack as his eyes began glowing brighter. The earth pony let out a scream and collapsed to her side, clutching where the wound had been in the real world. Black lines started forming in her side. Rainbow charged, slamming head first into Sombra's chest. The dark unicorn gasped, stumbling backward and slamming into a tree. The ice gave way under him, melting around as he fell to the ground. “Come on!” the pegasus yelled, staring down at the creature. “We're here, we can do this!” “Aaaaaavaaaaaa--” The words were cut off as Rarity landed besides him and reared up, slamming her front hooves into his face. He wobbled to the side, in time to get pounced on from above by Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus gulped as she stared down at the slightly dazed creature. “Did... did I do that right? S-sorry.” “No, no,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “That's pretty much how a body slam works.” Fluttershy smiled but quickly jumped into the air when the creature let out a roar. The ground began to shake, making the ponies grapple and latch onto the ground as tightly as they could. “H-hold on!” Twilight shrieked. The ground kept shaking and rumbling before it began to rise up and, forcing all of them down flat. Finally it stopped and the ponies slowly got back to their hooves, eying the evil creature closely. Sombra growled as he got up, watching Applejack. He slowly backed away, his glowing eyes never leaving the hurt pony. However, five ponies now stood in the way. The ground started shifting under them again, going up. Sombra chose that moment to strike, lunging forward, fangs gleaming. Rarity moved forward to meet his charge, pushing off the ground and crashing into him. The ground began to elevate, rapidly going from flat to a steep incline. The ponies shrieked, grabbing onto each other and trying to hold onto the shifting land scape. Sombra and Rarity toppled head over hooves, rolling down the incline as the others watched, before disappearing from view. Within a few moments the shifting stopped and they now rested on a very steep hill, struggling to keep from falling off. “So... did we just win?” Rainbow asked nervously. “Win? Rarity is still out there, fighting that thing. We don't know if she's... well... we have to go after her,” Twilight said quickly, spreading her wings out. A loud sound filled the air, a mix between a roar and fierce winds. The ground kept shaking, moving up and down. “I think what we're on is moving.” Rainbow looked down and then back up. “You want us to jump off a moving... whatever this thing is? Are you crazy? Applejack's in no condition to--” “Applejack thinks jumpin' is a fine idea,” the earth pony said with a groan. “Especially if it gets her off this blasted shakin' thing. Mah poor sides...” “Right. Rainbow, you get Pinkie, I'll get Applejack. Come on!” The alicorn didn't wait for a response, quickly grabbing the earth pony and leaping from the creature. She spread her wings and kicked with her hooves, slowly moving down towards the ground. The creatures were up and they were breathtaking. Massive stallions of ice and water galloped past her, their hooves not making a sound as they charged through the forests of trees, real green, red, blue and orange trees, below. They didn't tear up the plants or even leave massive hoof prints in the ground. It was as if they were ghosts, traveling through the forests. She did realize that they still left something in their wake, coating the trees in thin layers of ice as they moved, though it quickly melted within seconds. “Wow...” Rainbow said from besides her as the creatures moved by. “Do you think if they step on us, we'll... well...” “I don't know. I wouldn't risk it,” Twilight said before looking down to Applejack. “How are you doing? Are you okay?” “F-fine... g-go ahead an'... an' get me down to the ground...” “There!” Pinkie suddenly yelled, pointing from her position in Rainbow's hooves. “Rarity and Sombra!” The group looked down and saw the two, rolling and fighting amongst the trees, rolling over them and crushing them as they went. “Wait, how are they doing that?” Fluttershy asked softly. “I don't believe it...” Twilight slowly lowered herself to the ground and face hoofed. The trees were fully grown at a giant two to three inches. “I hate this place.” “Don't yah think we should help her?” Applejack asked with a groan before motioning to Rarity. “Oh! Right! Rarity!” the alicorn yelled. She gently put Applejack down before galloping towards the two fighting ponies. Sombra had Rarity pinned and his fangs flashed out, biting her neck. The princess couldn't even scream, her eyes going wide in shock and pain. The monster was suddenly knocked off her, body slammed once again by Fluttershy. “Stay... stay away from her you, you big, big meany head!” The pegasus moved down to look at Rarity's neck and cringed. “O-oh. You... you... oh...” “Is she okay?” Twilight asked as she stopped besides the two, crushing through a small line of rainbow colored oaks in the process. She saw the princess and gasped. Part of the mare's neck had been torn out and, while it didn't bleed, black ichor was swelling around the mark and making the mare whimper in pain. “Can... can you do anything?” “I... I'm not a healer anymore,” Fluttershy said softly. “It's not... I-I can't. B-bending doesn't work here e-even if I could. It--” “You can do it Fluttershy,” Pinkie said suddenly, landing by the pegasus. “But--” “It doesn't matter that you can't bend,” the pink earth pony said with a shake of her head. “It matters what you are. And what you are is a healer. If anypony can do it, you can.” “W-what? I... I can't. S-she's all... I can't bend anymore. Ther--” Fluttershy recoiled as Sombra lunged at her, but he was caught in mid air by Rainbow who head butted him. “Stay down!” Rainbow said, glowering at the creature as it tumbled into a mountain that stood a glorious eight to nine inches tall. It quickly got to its hooves and growled lowly. “Pinkie, she can't...” Twilight's words trailed off as she looked down to Rarity. “Fluttershy, try it.” “W-what? But I-I can't, the--” “The rules here are different. All of them. Things don't... always make sense. But... Pinkie might be right. I don't know how, but she might know something we don't. She brought her cannon with her, I didn't even know that was possible. She might just know how all this works better than any of us do.” She looked to Sombra. “Leave him to us. Come on Pinkie!” “Rightie-o!” the earth pony said before galloping forward. Fluttershy gulped. “But... but I don't...” She stared down at the unicorn who was wheezing for breath. Black lines were spreading across her neck, just like they had with Applejack in the real world. She slowly stepped forward. “I... I can't. I don't think I...” She could see the pain in the mare's face. The pain as life slowly drained from her. Her hooves trembled as she stared. “I... I can't. I... I...” Her hoof reached out. “I have to try...” she whispered. A hoof gently pressed to the wound and she prayed that Pinkie knew what she was talking about. Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to go back over all her lessons from before. The pain and fear all came flowing back. The knowledge that if she failed, the pony would die under her hoof. Knowing that if she wasn't good enough it would be her fault. The dread and fear wrapped around her, making it hard to breath as she imagined the poor pony choking, dying, wheezing for air. Within moments it was no longer Rarity she was helping, but every pony she'd ever met. All hoping she could help them while that fear of failure gnawed at her. Chewed on her. Her breathing started getting faster. Then it was all gone, shattered by the knowledge that nopony else could do anything. Only she could. She would do whatever it took to make sure she didn't let this pony go. There was a white glow from around her neck as she tried to focus on the magic that she had once wielded so perfectly. The glow spread out, flowing through her hooves as a weight formed on her neck. Then the glow was gone a moment later and Rarity stared up, the lines and darkness gone. The neck was still torn, but it was only a deep red, with no blood. “Y-you... you saved me...” the princess said softly. “Y-your neck. Your... element.” “Huh?” Fluttershy reached a hoof up and gently touched the small necklace around her throat. She gulped softly. “I just... couldn't let you...” Her eyes widened as she turned towards their other friend. “Applejack!” She galloped off, skidding to a half in front of the wounded earth pony. She held her hooves out as a confident smile formed on her lips. She did it once, she could do it again. Her hooves were gently placed to her friends stomach and within a few moments, the mare got to her hooves and groaned. “Ah... feel a heckuva lot better now, thanks Fluttershy,” Applejack said with a shake of her head. She glanced down to her stomach. “Ah kinda wish it showed the marks it had in the real world, let me know if your healin' carried over tah there too.” “I... I don't know,” Fluttershy said softly. “I didn't... actually heal you though. I-I could only stop his magic from hurting you. But... but w-with that I think I can make sure you heal alright. I don't think--” “EEEK!” Twilight shrieked as she flew over their heads, landing in a heap a few feet away. “Ow...” “Ah, right. Still got a ravin' mad... whatever that thing is tah deal with,” Applejack said with a snort before turning towards the creature. Sombra snapped and clawed at Pinkie and Rainbow, but they were just a little too fast. They dove and weaved around his attacks, striking back with their own. The pegasus had even jammed one of the majestic oak trees into his nose. “Girls, get back here!” Twilight yelled. The girls jumped back to her side, making the six stand together. The creature snorted and growled, pulling the foliage from his nose. “Aaaaaaavaaaaaataaaaaar,” he said with a growl. “Enough with that,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes. “It's over, Sombra. We're all together and we are ready to take you down.” “Dieeeeeeeeee.” “No. It's time for you to disappear,” the alicorn said before stepping forward. “Okay everypony, ready your elements!” She leveled her horn on the creature. “Good bye!” Nothing happened. “Ummm, girls? Elements? Ready them?” “How?” Rainbow asked. “By... ummm... doing... errrr... I hadn't thought that far ahead. Try using--” The avatar was sent flying back by the creature's tackle, getting pinned by the beast. It snapped at her, but was knocked off by Rarity's body slam. “Whatever you have planned, do it fast!” the princess yelled. “I don't know what to do!” Twilight screamed back. “How do we activate them? They don't come with instructions!” Fluttershy looked down at her necklace and gulped. She lifted a hoof up before turning to the creature. “L... leave it to me.” She said as loud as she could. “What?” Rarity lunged back, narrowly avoiding another bite from the creature. The pegasus didn't pause to explain. She charged forward, her hooves out. She connected with the creature and didn't let go, even as it bit into her side. Pain shot through her, but she pushed it aside and reached out with her magic, or at least the closest thing she had to it. It spread out from her hooves and enveloped the creature as the gem in her necklace began to glow brilliantly. Sombra released her, opening his mouth in a howl of pain. He tried to pull away, writhing and fighting her grasp, but she refused to let him. It's body began turning to mist, making the ponies cringe. But the mist didn't reform, instead it evaporated quickly, dissolving into the air. After a few moments all that remained was Fluttershy, laying on the ground and trembling. The ponies stared for a few moments before Twilight slowly stepped forward. “F-Fluttershy? Are... are you okay?” “Y-yes. I think. I... it...” The pegasus gave a little sob. “I just... I thought I could... I'm sorry. I just wanted to... to stop it...” “You did...” the alicorn said as she moved forward, hunching down by the pony and giving her a hug. “I just... I wanted to... to g-get rid of all the suffering and pain and... I... I didn't mean to... destroy... all of him. I just--” “That was not my father,” Rarity said harshly. “Don't feel bad for what you did. That was nothing more than a sick, twisted version my mother made. Nothing more than... evil and wickedness. You did the right thing.” “B-but I killed--” “You can't kill what was never alive,” the princess said quickly. “That thing was not alive! It was nev--” She choked on the words as she fought back her own tears, burying them deep and locking them inside. “It was never alive. Never my father. We... we should go. We need to go.” She turned away from them as the first tear broke free. She walked away. “A-Avatar, we're still on a time limit, are we not?” Twilight gulped and slowly nodded. She then smiled down to Fluttershy. “She's right, you know. You didn't kill a pony. That was not a pony, it was just some... thing. Created by Nightmare Moon. It was not a pony.” Fluttershy slowly nodded and allowed her friends to help her up. “O-okay...” she whispered softly. Despite the words, she couldn't help but feel doubt. It may not have been a pony, but it certainly felt like a pony to her. ------ The group returned to the real world to find Spike standing over them, holding a small stick in his claws. Twilight couldn't begin to guess where he'd gotten it from. “Sorry about that,” the alicorn said softly as she got to her hooves. “I hope we didn't frighten you.” “You're okay!” he cried out, jumping up to hug her. “I saw that creature come and then you all went still and it disappeared and I thought you were in danger and I tried to come help but I had no idea how and--” “Easy Spike, easy,” the avatar said with a soft chuckle. “It's okay. It's all okay now. We've... beaten the creature, it won't bother us again.” “You beat it? How? What happened? What I miss? This is why I should be allowed to come with you ponies on... on these things!” “It was just a thing of power. Not real. It's gone now. Just...” She looked around at her friends, her eyes focusing on Applejack who, despite still having the wounds on her stomach, was looking quite a bit better now without any black lines. “We just need to get some sleep. I think I'll take over the watch for now.” “A-actually, I'd like to...” Fluttershy said softly. “Are you sure?” The pegasus didn't answer, instead making her way to where the entrance of the cave had been. It opened up again when she drew near, thanks to Twilight's bending. She sat down and stared out into the night. The sound of her friends, lightly snoring, soon echoed out of the cave. She felt a gentle brush against her leg and smiled. “Hi Angel...” She softly picked up the bunny and pulled him into her lap. He tapped on her leg and pointed behind her. She turned and saw Rarity, quickly locking up. “W-what do you want?” “Nothing... I just...” The princess slowly moved forward, sheepishly looking to the side as she sat down. “I just... I want to say t-thank you. For saving me and... for stopping him. It.” Fluttershy blinked a few times before giving a slow nod. “I... had to. I couldn't just... let you die.” The princess slowly nodded before closing her eyes. “Thank you. I'm... I'm sorry for what I've done. I really am. I... I just want to try to help now. To be... more like you ponies. To do the right thing for once.” Fluttershy gave a slow nod, before looking back out towards the darkness. Rarity sighed softly. “Do you mind if I sit with you?” “Feel free.” The princess slowly sat down, glancing over towards the mare. “I... I just want you to know. That... that wasn't my father. That was... that was...” “It still felt like it was your father, didn't it?” Fluttershy asked, turning to the unicorn. “I... I...” The bindings inside started to snap as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. “It... w-wasn't him though. I-it couldn't be. That was nothing like... nothing like...” The words locked in her throat and, to her surprise, she found warm hooves suddenly enveloping her. Fluttershy gently held the mare close, resting her chin on the mare's forehead. “It's okay... it's okay. I... I know. Pinkie was right. I am a healer. I... can't heal your physical injuries but... I know there are more than just those.” The princess whimpered a little and, before she knew it, the tears started to flow down her face. “He... w-wasn't my father. But... but he was... he was the... only piece o-of him left. I-I thought I wanted him gone. T-that I wanted that vile disgrace to... disappear. B-but... now that i-it's over and... and... I didn't think it would hurt... hurt s-so much...”