//------------------------------// // Project Erroria Arc Part 6: Pony Pet Playdate Disaster! // Story: MLDC: SHAZAM, Equestria's Mightest Mare! // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// Scootaloo and Alula had been together almost three days now. After bringing her new fillyfriend to the Rock of Eternity, Scootaloo showed her around, even taking her outside to see the structure in its entirety. It was funny to see the same stunned expression she had the first time seeing this place on another pony. The tour didn’t last long, time may not exist in Rock of Eternity, but there was only so much she could show before Scootaloo herself became lost. The rest of the time after that was spent figuring out who to tell about this. Scootaloo knew she’d need to tell her friends soon, but there was one pony that both of the thought deserved to know straight away. And her reaction was as expected. “YES, YES, FINALLY! Do you two have any idea how frustrating it’s been watching you two not get together?!” Aura shouted. Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head nervously. “Y-Yeah, sorry Aura. Seriously, you knew I liked Alula?” “Well, not so much as knew, as I had a feeling about you.” Aura then turned to Alula and grinned deviously. “You though, I knew you were head over hooves for her.” “Aura!” Alula exclaimed. “Aw well, I’m just glad you two are together!” Aura then let a very giddy squee that made her trot in place. She then darted towards her bed and pulled out something from below. Curious, Scootaloo and Alula walked over to Aura and peeked over her shoulders to see what it was. It was a journal of sorts, in it was Scootaloo and Alula’s names, and right across from it was their names combined into “Scootalula”. Aura then took out a green crayon and put a check mark next to it. “What is that about?” Scootaloo asked. “Oh this is my Book of Ships! See!” Aura turned the page and showed another pair of names Sweetie Belle x Button Mash = Sweetie Mash Spike x Ms. Rarity = Sparity Big Macintosh x Cheerilee = CheeriMac Fluttershy x Discord = FlutterCord   It continued on from there, but Scootaloo and Alula got the picture, although Scootaloo felt a little bad for Aura when she eventually finds out about who Miss Cheerilee was really with. It was then that Alula spotted a red tag on one of the pages. “What’s that page?” Alula asked as she went to turn it. “Alula wait – no!” When she turned the page it showed a bunch of other names shipped together, the heading above the page read “Guilty Ships”. Aura hurriedly closed the book, but not before the two of them were able to glimpse one couple’s name, making both fillies blush. Aura held the book close and smiled nervously at them. “So…Princess Celestia x Princess Luna,” started Alula.   “‘Equals, Lunestia’?” Scootaloo finished.   “Please don’t tell anypony,” Aura begged. Scootaloo and Alula looked to each other and nodded. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” All three giggled happily, Aura put down the book and hooked her forelegs over both her friends. “But really girls, I’m glad you’re happy together.” Scootaloo and Alula hugged Aura back, three orphan friends, now two were a couple. It was nice to say the least. The three ended the hug, but something bothered Aura. “Have you guys told Sweetie, Babs, and AB yet?” “No,” they said in unison. “Well, you might want to soon. The longer you keep this a secret the more they’re going to feel as if you don’t trust them.” Aura warned. “I know, but we’re just trying to take this slow, and figure out the best way to tell them,” said Scootaloo. Aluala placed a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder as she spoke. “But, we are going to. They’re my friends now too, and I want to be honest with them.” Aura nodded her head, thinking that that was a good enough plan for the time being. “AH HORSEAPPLES!” “What?!” Alula and Scootaloo asked worriedly. “If this keeps up, who am I going to ship myself with?!” Aura asked with all the seriousness in the world. Both fillies face hoofed themselves. THURSDAY… The day had arrived, and everypony was anxious. Twilight was standing in the park with her marefriend, Cheerilee. On Twilight’s back stood Owlowiscious, the owl lightly brushed Twilight’s mane with his wing, trying his best to calm his owner. Twilight smiled gratefully at her little friend, but unfortunately, her nervousness would not be so easily tamed. Next to Twilight was Scootaloo, who looked up at her mentor and friend with an equal amount of worry as Twilight, and Cheerilee. Despite this, Cheerilee looked calm, she was probably trembling on the inside, but she knew Twilight needed at least one of them to be strong. “It’ll be okay, Twi, I’m sure.” “Oh, I know, I mean, it’s you! I mean, the Princess respects educators, and you are one! And you adopted Scootaloo, which shows you really care! And the fact that Princess Luna is coming too certainly doesn’t mean she’s going to do anything strange!” Scootaloo noticed Twilight’s eye twitching. She glanced up to Owlowiscious and both knew that this was probably going south if she didn’t loosen up. “Twilight, trust me, it’ll be great! You two didn’t freak out that much when I told you about Alula, and you two might as well as be as intimidating as the Princesses, you even more so Twilight, since you are one.” Twilight and Cheerilee remembered that day quite well. When they talked about what Scootaloo had been asking them they figured something like this was coming, so it wasn’t a total shock, but that didn’t stop them from worrying. Both of them thought that Scootaloo would have trouble with romantic relationships, considering what she had been through in her young life. But when they met Alula, and saw how Scootaloo stuck by her, they were really moved; so, with caution and care, they approved of their little love and would help where they could. “I guess you’re right, still…” “Just relax, Twi,” Cheerilee nuzzled Twilight’s cheek, calming her nerves, “it’ll be alright, you’ll see, it’s just a playdate.” Scootaloo moved closer to Twilight and nuzzled her leg, while Owlowiscious hopped closer to Twilight’s head and nuzzled it from the back. The Princess of Friendship felt less nervous, now surrounded by those who truly cared about her and loved her made her forget the nervousness altogether. Just then Scootaloo’s ears picked up on the familiar barking of dog. The four looked towards the noise and spotted Winona bounding towards them. The hyperactive dog tackled Scootaloo, causing Twilight and Cheerilee to jerk their heads back as they watched the young filly fall on her back a couple of feet away. Winona was jumping up and down on Scootaloo, licking her muzzle in between and causing the pegasus filly to giggle. Twilight turned to where Winona had come from and spotted Applejack coming their way, with Babs Seed and Apple Bloom in tow. Owlowiscious fluttered off of Twilight’s back and landed next to Winona. He then reached out with a single talon and tapped the bouncing dog a couple of times to get her attention. Winona looked upon Owlowiscious with her big brown eyes, tongue hanging out of her mouth as she grinned at him. *Hoot* *Yep*   *Hoot, hoot, hoot* *Yep, yep?*   *Hoot.* *Yep!*   Winona got off of Scootaloo and went back to her owner. Scootaloo wiped her now matted fur and chuckled lightly. “Thanks Owlowiscious.” The owl hooted and gave a wink to Scootaloo, returning to Twilight’s back, which had become his temporary perch. Soon the others began arriving. Pinkie Pie came bouncing in with Gummy latched onto her tail, Rarity and Sweetie Belle arrived next, with the former carrying Opalescence in her lavishly decorated carrier, the diva kitty exiting said carrier with all the grace and poise of a feline such as herself. Rainbow Dash descended from the skies, her companion, Tank, flying in on his magical helicopter rotor. Fluttershy appeared next, with Angel bunny sitting on her back and hopping off to meet with the other pets. Tank landed on the ground and looked to the others, smiling slowly. Opal came up to Tank, stood there, bopped him on the nose with her paw and then nuzzled him, as was their odd greeting. Angel, the ever-irate bunny he was, looked annoyed as Winona kept circling him and barking, asking in her own animal language to play with her, and as usual Angel sighed in annoyance. And Gummy, well, Gummy just stood there, his two eyes blinking at different intervals as his violet orbs stared into nothing. “Twilight, darling, where are the Princesses? Have they not arrived yet?” Rarity asked. “I sent them a letter to remind them of the Playdate yesterday, but I wouldn’t get too worried. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna leaving the Canterlot Castle is a bit of a chore, what with all the stuff that’s been happening lately. The Royal Guards and court work do bog things down a bit.” Twilight explained. Just then a dual aura of midnight blue and sun yellow appeared a few feet away. With flash, the lights disappeared, revealing the Princesses standing for all to see, and what they saw kind of shocked the others. Celestia and Luna weren’t wearing their regalia, in fact, both alicorn mares had their manes tied into, well, a ponytail. It was an odd sight, very, very odd, to see the rulers of their realm, the demi-goddesses, look normal-ish. “Huzzah! We have made it just in time! Tibbles, come now, do not be shy, greet your new friends!” Luna insisted. Despite her mane being in a ponytail, there was still a good amount of it still untied. The group of ponies watched at that starry mane stirred for a moment before something poked its head up from it. The creature was a faded cobalt blue color, with a white face, and a long whip like tail that stuck up from the opposite end. The opossum then rolled up into a ball and rolled out of Luna’s mane, down her left foreleg, and onto the ground before her. Rarity had to bite her tongue at seeing a humongous rat fall out of Luna’s mane, she wanted to scream to high heaven and run for the hills. But given what this Pony Pet Playdate meant for Twilight and Cheerilee, Rarity used every bit of her willpower not to scream so high that glass shattered. Opal on the other hand regarded Tiberius, trying to decide if the giant rat was worth the effort to hunt and eat, or not getting her fur all messy. Celestia had her pet phoenix, Philomena, perched on her right foreleg, the regal phoenix scanning her new playmates from her ivory tower, so to speak. “Now Philomena, play nice with the others, these are friends. And no monkey business, understood?” Philomena let out a couple of trills that could’ve been construed as compliance or a simple “Yeah, yeah, whatever”.   Celestia rolled her eyes, but leaned closer to whisper to the phoenix’s ear. “And look after Tiberius, this is the first time he’s meeting the other pets as it is yours, but…” Philomena looked down to the shy opossum, she didn’t need to be told to look out for him. It had been so long since she had another animal friend in the castle, and when Luna brought home Tiberius, she immediately made it her duty to look out for him, like the little brother she never had. The phoenix nodded to Celestia and went down to join her fellow Royal Pet. The other six pets looked upon the new additions to their group and tilted their heads, wondering how best to approach them. Five of the six looked to Owlowiscious, the owl looked to each of his fellow Pony Pets and sighed. It had become an unspoken decision amongst the others that Owlowiscious was their “leader” in a way, being the wise, calm, and collected one amongst them, he would often settle little disputes amongst the others, heck, even when Spike was “taking care of them”, Owlowiscious was practically helping him the whole time. With that established, Owlowiscious fluttered and hopped over to Tiberius and Philomena. The firebird scuttled forward a bit, putting herself between the opossum and owl. Owlowiscious had only ever interacted with a phoenix once, but Pee Wee was a phoenix chick, and he didn’t stay long, which was a shame, he rather looked forward to having a feathered friend. *Hoot* *Brak* *Hoot, hoot hoot, hoot* Owlowicious extended his wing to the other pets. Philomena looked upon each of them, Angel she was familiar with, and knew to make sure that Tiberius didn’t hang around him too much. Gummy…that thing she had no idea about, she wasn’t even sure it was paying attention to anything. Opal was probably the one pet she was most concerned about, being a cat and Tiberius being a member of the rodent family, Philomena was a little worried that the cat would harm him. Winona, if anything she looked overly energetic, tail wagging to the point of blurring. But the owl, he seemed polite enough, and a little more together than the others. The assembled ponies all silently watched the little exchange between the critters, a form of politics happening that nopony wanted to interfere with, and was fascinating to watch. The only one who had any idea of what was going on was Fluttershy, who got a slight kick out of being the only one who understood what was happening. *We are a rather odd sort, but quite friendly Miss Philomena*, said Owlowiscious. Philomena arched her brow. *Hmm, you could say that again. I trust you Owlowiscious, your pony was Tia’s student. But…* Tiberius poked his head out from behind Philomena and tugged at her wing a little. *C’mon Philly, I’ll be fine, they look like fun!* *Tibbles…you’re not used to being around daytime critters, these lot well…I’m just looking out for you.* *I know, and thank you, but it’d be nice to have other friends then the ones I know in the gardens. And Lulu’s really excited to play since we don’t get to spend a lot of time together with her royal pony work.* Of that Philomena couldn’t deny, in centuries past, Celestia and Philomena played pranks and had fun a lot when she was a filly and a little more into her teenage years. But as the centuries grew older, so did the responsibilities that came with Celestia being a Princess, even more so when Luna was gone. That was a sad time, seeing her pony so broken and crestfallen, and being able to do little more than just nuzzle and be there beside her. But now, Luna had come back, and seeing Celestia now, mane in a ponytail, and without regalia, it reminded her of the good old days. *Very well, let us have fun!* Philomena leaned forward to whisper to Owlowiscious. *That alligator won’t be a problem will it?* *Gummy? He’s no threat at all, no teeth in there, all gums. So if he bites down it’s nothing.* Owlowiscious twisted his head around and looked to Opal, he then faced forward again. *I’ll keep an eye on Opal.* With that established, Philomena and Tiberius both walked over to the group, with Owlowiscious leading them. They all chittered, trilled, and barked, all excited to have new friends. *Hi, hi, I’m Winona! Who are you?! Are you a rat?! You don’t look like a rat. You’re really furry!* Winona barked. *Geez, Wi, are you sure you’re with the right pony? Maybe the pink one’s more your speed.* Angel commented. *Hi…I’m…Tank…* the tortoise slowly said. Gummy blinked once, twice, and a third time. Tilted his head, walked forward, and bumped his snout against Tiberius’s nose. He then stood back and blinked again. *Hi.* Opal walked up to the rodent and smiled widely. *Hello, Tiberius, I have a feeling we’re going to get along perrrrfectly.* Scootaloo, who was closest to Fluttershy, nudged the pale yellow pegasus. “What are they saying?” Fluttershy crouched down and whispered. “They’re just saying hi, it’s really cute.” She then added. “Make sure to keep an eye on Opalescence.” “What for?” “Just because.” The rest of the day went along fairly well, each of the ponies played around with their individual pets, once in a while joining another group for a game or two. After a few hours of the ponies and pets playing together, they left their critter friends to their own devices while their owners rested up for another round of running, fetching, or flying. During this downtime, Celestia and Luna managed to corner Twilight and Cheerilee. They spoke about the reason for their slight delay. Apparently the Royal Guards didn’t want to let them out without an escort, and their personal assistants, Raven and Kibitz, were even more concerned, so they gave them the slip and came here. Celestia stole Cheerilee away for a moment, wanting to talk with schoolmarm alone, all while Luna kept Twilight company, and restrained if she suddenly flew off the handle. The elder alicorn smiled at the maroon mare, and yet somehow Cheerilee felt as if she was about to be smote. “So, Cheerilee, you are quite taken with my former student?” Cheerilee gulped. “Why yes Princess, I…I am.” “Oh please, no titles here. Just Celestia is fine.” “Yes ma’am!” Luna snickered at how nervous Cheerilee was, remembering how often her big sister would adopt such a calm air while being no less intimidating. The lunar princess glanced towards Twilight, who was seated next to her, watching this dialogue transpire with more nervousness than her marefriend. “So, how long have you and Twilight been dating? I must say, she has made no mention of this to me.” “Yes, well let’s see…We’ve been together almost a year and six months now,” said Cheerilee. “Mmm, I see. How did you two meet, by chance?” Cheerilee and Twilight’s breath hitched at that moment. “Well, I’ve been in touch with Twilight before that, consulted with her on the curriculum that I teach, as well as petitioning her to instruct some of my unicorn students in magic. But…” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “But…?” “It’s really embarrassing…” “Is it now?” Celestia asked with a level gaze. Cheerilee gulped, she could lie, lying would be easy, but lying to the Princess of Equestria, a variable goddess amongst ponies, would not only hurt her relationship with Twilight, it could very well end it. Steeling herself, Cheerilee recanted the tale of how she and Twilight began their little relationship. The tale consisted of Cheerilee visiting her younger sister’s bar, and unbeknownst to her, Twilight – a unicorn at the time – had been brought there by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Apparently Twilight had never partaken of anything besides the Apple Family’s cider, and was curious what alcoholic beverages tasted like. Cheerilee joined their group, at Twilight’s behest, hoping for some stimulating conversation, knowing Pinkie and Rainbow would be on about other things that would totally lose her. After a few drinks the two of them found themselves alone in the bar, with just Berry Punch closing up. Both were too inebriated to actually get to either one’s home, so Berry Punch had them stay over at her place until they were sober, and in need of one of her patented hangover remedies. The two of them were put in the same room, Berry Punch’s house wasn’t very big at the time. While sleeping, the two of them talked more and more, and found that they didn’t just have a common love of learning and knowledge, but also the fact that neither of them had ever really had found somepony they liked. Twilight for her intense focus on friendship and magic, and Cheerilee, well, she dated a couple of ponies, mares and stallions, but nothing ever clicked with them. Not like Twilight, it was so easy to talk to her, she could open fully to her, and the feeling was mutual. In the end, the night found them embracing each other, and acting on emotions and desires that neither of them knew they had for each other. “We took it slow after that night, making sure what we felt was real and not just something that happened because we were drunk. But, as time went on, Twilight and I realized that we do indeed love each other. Even after her ascension, she was so scared that I wouldn’t want to be with her after going through such a drastic change.” Celestia hung her head a little. “I’m sorry about that, I didn’t know she was seeing you at the time. I was so proud of her when she understood friendship, and in the process created a new kind magic from it. She has earned this ascension and title, but…” “Celestia, you’re not saying you wouldn’t have ascended her if she was with somepony, are you?” Cheerilee asked. Celestia sighed as she looked to the smaller mare. “Understand this Cheerilee, Twilight is an alicorn, like Luna, myself, and Cadance. And in so becoming one, her lifespan is without end. Time will never ravage her, she will live on. Can you bare that Cheerilee? Knowing that one day, you will grow old and be no more, while Twilight will continue on.” Cheerilee looked towards her marefriend some ways away, who was being consoled by Luna. “I can, because I knew already what it would mean when she became an alicorn. I even tried to break up with her once, to spare her having to watch me grow old and die one day.” Cheerilee turned back to look up at Celestia. “But the moment I did, my heart nearly ripped apart seeing the devastated look on her face. I promised to be with Twilight, for however long I have, and give her as much happiness as I can, enough, hopefully, to offset the sadness of my passing.” Celestia regarded this mare, finding her words heavy with truth and sincerity. The alabaster mare had rarely heard such conviction, towards herself or Luna, and those who did held a special place in either sister’s hearts. It actually put Celestia at ease, knowing that Twilight had found somepony like that as her first love. Celestia extended her wing and draped it over Cheerilee, causing the maroon mare to squeak at the sudden wing embrace. “Cheerilee, while the way you courted my former student is…questionable, I see that your heart is true. I worry about Twilight sometimes. She has come so far from the filly I taught and practically raised, so forgive me if I act overly motherly about her wellbeing.” Cheerilee shook her head. “It’s not a problem at all Celestia, I know how much Twilight means to you, and how much you mean to her.” “Well then, know that you have nothing to fear from me. You are a good mare, Cheerilee, and I wish you and Twilight happiness.” Celestia watched as the mare’s face contorted into a grateful smile. The sun princess, however, had a devious grin appear on her face. “So, Cheerilee, while we’re on the subject, how long will it be until you make an honest mare out of Twilight?” Cheerilee froze in place as she blushed. “H-H-Honest mare?!” “Oh, and should you two make the decision, I know of a few spells that can help you two…how shall I say…‘expand’ your family,” said Celestia.   Cheerilee’s body was no longer maroon, it had in fact now become a lovely shade of crimson as certain thoughts drifted through her head. “I-I-I don’t think that’ll be necessary, with all due respect! I-I’ve adopted Scootaloo, and she’s already like a daughter to me, and she adores Twilight as well, so there’s no need for that.” Celestia brought Cheerilee closer. “Oh, but who’s to say that little Scootaloo wouldn’t mind having a sibling or three?” “T-T-THREE?!” Cheerilee cried. “Alright, that’s enough Tia.” Luna appeared before them, using her magic to separate Cheerilee from her elder sister’s wing and place her next to her marefriend. “You’re going to give the poor thing a heart attack.” Celestia pouted, puffing her cheeks like a foal would. Twilight looked to her mentor and then to Cheerilee worriedly, but Cheerilee assured Twilight that there was nothing wrong, just some private humor between her and Celestia. The rest of the day went pretty well, the CMC were busy playing with the pets, having an unknown wellspring of energy that no adult could fathom. But just then, all the pets froze. Winona turned towards the west, her tail straightened and fluffed out, lips curling back to reveal her canine fangs, and growling. Opal was the same why, turning in the same direction, her back arching up as her rounded pupils became slits. Claws bared, tail fluffed and standing up, and letting out a low yowl. “Winona, what’s gotten inta ya?” Apple Bloom asked cautiously. “Opal, I swear I didn’t step on your tail or anything so why do you look like that?!” Sweetie asked with worry. “Guys they ain’t lookin’ at us, they’re starin’ out that way,” said Babs as she pointed in the direction Opal and Winona did. “And it ain’t just them, look!” Gummy, surprisingly, showed complete alertness, his eyes were facing forward, both eyes blinking simultaneously, hissing warningly. Tank retreated into his shell. Angel, the irate thing he was, scurried like the wind to Fluttershy, practically burying himself in her mane to hide. Philomena and Owlowiscious, who were perched on a tree branch, had ruffled feathers, wings spread slightly for intimidation. Tiberius mimicked Angel, finding his owner and scurrying to the safety of her mane. The older ponies took notice and quickly went to their pets, calling out to them but not receiving any reply. Fluttershy looked upon each of them, and it didn’t take her long to figure out what they were doing. “Something’s wrong, they’re scared of something,” said Fluttershy. “Scared of what?” Rainbow asked while trying to sooth Tank. “Whatever it is, it’s really, bad to get them all riled up like this! They’re on guard, something threatening is coming our way!” Twilight, Celestia, and Luna glanced between each other, their fears coming to light. Scootaloo readied herself, she didn’t know what would be coming, but she hoped it was something that the Princesses could handle, and if not, she was ready to spring into action if needed. Just then they spotted somepony walking towards them, it was an Earth Pony, a stallion, but none of the mares present recognized him. He was brown in color, with a white mane and tail. He looked pretty bulky, a contender for Big Macintosh, with a stoic expression to match. The stallion continued to trot towards them, the pets becoming ever more agitated the closer he got. Suddenly the burly stallion stopped a yard away from them. His violet eyes roved over the group, until they rested on the three alicorn mares present. Twilight decided to break the ominous silence that had fallen over them all. “Ahem, excuse, who are you?” “The Kingdom shall rise, and your time has come…” The eyes of everypony there flew wide open. At that moment, the stallion’s violet eyes turned red. Red mana wafted off his body, increasing his already bulky body into a hulking mass, along with doubling his height, making him taller than Celestia. The brutish Kingdom agent growled low, he then raised his right hoof, channeling the crimson mana down into it. He then stomped his hoof hard into the dirt, causing the energy to surge forth. The ground fissured as the crimson energy bolt surged through the ground, upheaving the earth and destroying anything that was in its path. Celestia and Luna acted fast, putting themselves in front of their friends and summoned forth a powerful shield, mixing their magic together in order to double its defensive power. The crimson bolt slammed against the barrier, exploding on impact and shattering the barrier. The force of the blast sent both alicorns sprawling to the ground, but they quickly got back onto their hooves. They gasped upon seeing the destruction his single stomp caused, a fissure had opened up, six feet deep and three feet wide. “Twilight, get everypony out of here immediately, we’ll hold off this cur!” Luna ordered. Twilight didn’t argue, she knew exactly how dangerous this stallion was. Despite not having a horn, somehow this stallion was able to use the same crimson mana that the unicorn last week used. “Everypony this way –!” “TWILIGHT LOOK OUT!!!” Rainbow Dash cried. A sudden tornado, laced with crimson mana, roared towards Twilight. The Princess of Friendship channeled her magical might, and fired a column-sized beam of rose-colored energy. The beam and tornado clashed in midair as Twilight pushed against it, she concentrated, putting more power into the attack, pushing the attack back. But at that moment something, or rather somepony, came flying out from it. It was a pegasus, a mare, silver with a white mane and tail, and her eyes were glowing the same color as the stallion’s. She gave them all a menacing glare, a strangely sultry yet sinister smile forming on her lips as she locked her eyes on Twilight. “The Kingdom shall rise, and your time has come!” “Another one?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Um, make that three, darling!” Rarity warned. The others gazed towards a sphere of crimson mana, the sphere broke apart, revealing a third Kingdom agent. A unicorn stallion, sporting a svelte frame, white mane and tail, and a dark-violet coat, his horn glimmered with the hostile red magical power, ready to be cast at a moment’s notice. “The Kingdom shall rise, and your time has come!” The group of ponies backed up, now surrounded by three agents of The Kingdom, wielding the deadly crimson mana that could pierce other magic, and whatever else they had yet to learn. The three alicorns thought quickly, the younger ponies, along with their assembled pets were in danger if they stayed her. All but one of the foals knew she needed to help them, but as it stood, transforming now would be a bad idea. Unfortunately, at this point, it was seeming to be the better option. “They only want us,” said Twilight. “What do you mean?” Celestia asked. “When Sakuya and Kagutsuchi intervened the agent went after them as well. I think they’ll only attack those who get in their way, they’re only here to…kill the three of us.” Cheerilee’s eyes went wide, already having figured out where Twilight was going with this. “Oh hay no! You’re not suggesting –!” “It’s the only way, you and everypony else need to make a break for it. Celestia, Luna, and I will engage each of them individually, while we’re doing that, all of you can run as far from here as you can!” “Yeah, that plan sucks! You’re not seriously going to take these guys alone!” Rainbow Dash accused. Applejack gritted her teeth, and grunted in frustration. “She’s right.” “AJ?!” “We ain’t no good to ‘em right now, Rainbow! And do ya think they can fight as hard as they want if they’re too worried about us?!” Rainbow opened and closed her mouth several times in an attempt to argue the point, but in the end she conceded to her friend’s logic. With the Crusaders and their pets around, nopony could go all out against them without somepony getting hurt, and the last thing she wanted was to see Scootaloo hurt. Celestia looked to Philomena, who was still perched in the tree next to Owlowiscious. She gave her pet phoenix a look, a silent conversation being spoken between them as Philomena nodded her head. “When I say so,” Celestia whispered, “cover your eyes and run as fast as you can.” Her tone was stern yet soft, conveying that she was not be questioned in her order, but to also convey her concern for their safety. The three Kingdom agents surrounded the group in a triangle formation, crimson mana lapping off their bodies in preparation for an attack. Just then, Celestia winked towards Philomena and the phoenix shot towards them, stopping right above the group of ponies. “PHILOMENA, SOLAR FLARE, NOW!” The phoenix spread her wings wide as each feather shined with the brilliance of the blazing sun itself. The bright light shone over everything, its intense glare so powerful that it literally felt as if a force of power was pushing against you. The Kingdom agents, fortunately, got an eyeful of Philomena’s Solar Flare. Their eyes burned as their vision became nothing but white and dancing rainbow spots. The three howled and grunted in pain as they fell back, trying to distance themselves from the light. Philomena’s Solar Flare began to die down, and thankfully, the others had been quick enough to shut their eyes so as to not be blinded as well. “NOW RUN!!!” Celestia ordered. Applejack led the way, barreling for the more open and clear path as she cried out for the others to follow behind her. Rarity and Fluttershy took up the sides while Rainbow, Cheerilee, and Pinkie took the rear, keeping the pets and foals in a protective encirclement as they all ran away. Scootaloo looked back, knowing that she needed to help them, but she wasn’t in a good position to do so. When Philomena’s light died out, Celestia looked to her oldest friend and motioned for her to go to the others. The stubborn phoenix would not leave her owner’s side, letting off trills and squawks of disagreement at the order, she was an immortal phoenix, and if she died she could simply reconstitute herself from the ashes upon death. If anything, she worried more for Celestia, she had not the same ability and could very much die. Just then Philomena spotted Tiberius’s head stick up from Luna’s mane. The phoenix’s eyes widened with fear, she had thought the opossum had left with the others. Seeing this as well, Celestia nodded towards Tiberius. Reluctantly, Philomena swooped down and grabbed Tiberius by the tuft with her talons, being careful not to dig too deep as she flew him in the direction of the others. Now they were alone, three alicorn princesses and three temporarily blinded Kingdom agents. “Twilight, now’s probably not the best time to mention this, but my sister and I have yet to fully recover our more powerful magicks,” Luna said. “I figured as much, Luna. But even so, these three aren’t like normal ponies.” Twilight warned. “Let us end them swiftly!” Celestia bellowed. The group had made some ways away, but even from their current location, they could still hear the fierce explosions and beams of rose, royal blue, sun yellow, and red light being shot off this way and that. The earth beneath their hooves shook violently from time to time, and the skies would churn with clouds, spitting out red lightning down to the ground below. Five of the six mares wanted to go back, to aide Twilight and wield their Rainbow Power against the Kingdom agents, but they were hesitant. After their joint defeat at the hooves of Black Adam, they weren’t sure if the power of Harmony could really defeat those blank flanked killers. Meanwhile, Scootaloo was thinking hard, she needed to separate from the group, transform, and save the princesses. But unlike before, Pinkie Pie didn’t seem in a position to help them, and neither did any of her friends. Philomena had returned with Tiberius, the phoenix ruffled her feathers as she fumed. Knowing that she needed to get her friend to safety, and angry at herself for not going back to help. It was then that Scootaloo got an idea, whether or not it would work was up in the air, but something was better than nothing. Quietly, she slipped by the adults and was able to get close to Owlowiscious to whisper to him. “Listen, I know you know what I am and that I can help, right?” Owlowiscious nodded his understanding. She figured as much, the owl was smarter than he let on, and with the frequent trips to Twilight’s castle, she was sure he put two and two together. Plus, she was pretty sure he was in the library that day she transformed in front of Twilight, most likely perched somewhere inconspicuous. “Okay, I need you to get Philomena to do that flashy thing again. It’ll give me enough time to get out of here and help Twilight and the Princesses, do you understand?” Scootaloo asked. Owlowiscious glanced towards the phoenix and then to Scootaloo, he then gave a quick nod and hopped along towards the still fuming phoenix. Once he got there, Philomena was hardly in the mood to talk. *Philomena please, you must listen to me!* *I don’t want to talk right now! My Tia is fighting for her life over there and I can’t do a thing to help!* Philomena yelled. *I feel the same, and so does Tiberius. But there is a way to help, and you can provide us with the opportunity!* Owlowiscious pleaded. The phoenix stopped and looked upon the owl curiously. *What do you mean?* Owlowiscious bayed for Philomena to come down closer, once she did, he whispered to her. The phoenix’s face had a shocked expression on it. *That filly chick is –!* *Shh, shh! Yes, and if you do this she can help!* Philomena glanced towards Scootaloo, giving her an apprising look as if still unsure of that the young foal was the alicorn mare, Shazam. But at this point, long shots were better than no shots at all. *Be ready, I used a lot of my magic to make my Solar Flare strong the first time. This time it’ll be weaker, but it should be enough for her to change and leave,* said Philomena. *Excellent!* Owlowiscious hopped back to Scootaloo and winked at her. Scootaloo took that as a conformation that Philomena was in, now all she needed to do is move back some. She whispered her plan to Sweetie, AB, and Babs, who both nodded in agreement and said “Be careful” as they covered her retreat. Slowly Scootaloo backed away as the adults kept a careful eye on the explosions and fighting in the distance. Once she was sure she was far enough away, Scootaloo nodded towards Philomena. The phoenix nodded and took off, flying in front of the group. Babs, Sweetie, and Apple Bloom shut their eyes, along with the other pets and Scootaloo. The phoenix let loose her Solar Flare, hitting each mare in the eyes with blinding radiance. It didn’t take long for them to all shut their eyes and wince from the slight stinging sensation. “PHILOMENA, WHAT THE HAY?!!” Rainbow exclaimed. “SHAZAM!” A bolt of azure lightning shot down from the clear sky and struck Scootaloo, concealing her within pure white smoke. With a great “whoosh” Shazam burst forth from the smoke and into the sky, she then took off in the direction of the battle, becoming a bolt of lightning as thunder roared through the skies. Philomena ended her Solar Flare, but still weary, she flew after Scootaloo. *Miss Philomena!* Owlowiscious called out. *Oh cripes, the flashy bird just flew the coup!* *C’mon, c’mon, we can’t just let her go on her own!* Winona barked. Angel crossed his forelegs in front of his chest and gave Winona a defiant look. *Oh heck no, there ain’t no way I’m –!* There was a sound, like knives being unsheathed, which suddenly caught Angel’s attention. He looked in front of him and saw Opal with her claws at the ready, giving him her best persuasive face. *We’re going, now,* she said with finality. Angel hopped onto Winona’s back quickly, moving like a white blur. *Well what are we waiting for?! Giddy up little doggy, ‘cause we’re all going to die!* *That’s the spirit!* Winona howled as she ran like the wind. *Yay…!* Tank added. *I-I’m going too! Luna and Philomena, I won’t leave them behind!* Tiberius proclaimed. With that settled, Tank flew down and picked Tiberius up by the tuft, while Owlowiscious picked up Opal, and they all took off towards the battlefield. Leaving Gummy behind, still blinking. And blinking, and blinking, and – oh wait, he’s gone now. Wait what? During the battle, the three alicorn mares had chosen their dance partners. Twilight took on the unicorn stallion, both trading magic bolts back and forth. Luna had decided to test her strength against the brutish Earth pony stallion, arguing that she hadn’t had a good test of strength with anypony for centuries. Which left Celestia to duke it out with the pegasus mare in the sky. Luna may not have access to her full power, but she was no slouch in combat. She channeled her magic into her body, calling upon her own Earth pony magic to strengthen her muscles. The Princess of the Night charged forth, using her wings to increase her running speed. The Kingdom agent dashed towards her as well, his hooves thundering against the dirt with each hoof fall. Luna’s royal blue aura lapped off her body, and the stallion’s crimson aura flared as well. The two met at the center as they slammed their bodies against each other in a fierce tackle. A shockwave rang out from the impact, forcing the dueling pair back. Luna channeled her magic into her right hoof and swung it right at the stallion. The Kingdom agent caught the blow against his left cheek. The blow would’ve normally sent anyone else flying, but with his added massive frame, and his unknown power, it didn’t. The stallion tensed his neck muscles, pushing back against Luna’s hoof, despite how much she continued to drive the hoof forward. The stallion flicked his head to the left, swatting away Luna’s hoof. He then reared back and brought down his forelegs. The Night Princess gave a quick flap of her wings, propelling her backwards and away from the stomp. The stallion’s hooves met the ground, his crimson power surging through them and blasting the ground beneath him, creating a small crater. Celestia wasn’t faring any better. The pegasus mare zipped around with great speed, enough to make Rainbow Dash envious. Her wings would crackle with red lightning, causing the air around them to stir. The sky, which was nice, clear, and sunny, was blackened with dark, heavy clouds that rumbled ominously. Celestia fired off condensed spheres of sun yellow mana, aiming for the pegasus mare. The mare flew around with great acrobatic skill, weaving around the spheres, but thankfully, Celestia’s attack was homed in on the mare’s unique magical aura, dogging her everywhere she went. The pegasus mare pulled ahead and did a quick one-eighty, facing the orbs. Her wings crackled with power as she unleashed a barrage of red lightning bolts at the incoming spheres, detonating them in midair. Celestia had used this time to concentrate her magical energy, and swiftly teleport behind the mare. The Kingdom agent was caught off guard, only now sensing Celestia’s presence. The Solar Princess fired off a powerful beam of magical energy at point blank range. The mare screamed for a few moments before her half-charred body fell from the sky. Celestia did not enjoy taking a life, especially those of her subjects, however misguided or demented they may be. However, her regret didn’t last long. The crimson mana, which should’ve left the dead body, glowed bright. The charred skin and fur regenerated at an unbelievable rate of speed, muscle and sinew reformed in a matter of seconds. The fur and mane regrew in the blink of an eye. And just before hitting the ground, the pegasus mare came to, pulling out of her nose dive and straight back up towards the diarch. “By Faust!” Celestia exclaimed. “Princess!” Twilight shouted. “They can regenerate from severe wounds, even fatal ones!” The unicorn stallion let loose a series of sickle mana blades, shooting them off in rapid succession. Twilight had summoned a thick, powerful magical barrier, but the blades were chipping it away at a dangerous rate. One of the blades, twice the size of the others, was launched. The blade sliced through the barrier, and through Twilight. Luna and Celestia gasped as Twilight stood there stunned, after a moment her upper half began to slide off, but at that moment her body faded away in a wisp of magical energy. The unicorn, along with the Princesses, were confused as to what happened to Twilight. Their answer came when Twilight teleported right above the stallion and delivered a massive mana ball right on top of the Kingdom agent. The stallion had little time to dodge the attack as the orb of dense magical particles and power slammed on him with the combined weight of Canterlot Mountain. The mana ball exploded upwards, kicking up a cloud of dust as a result. Just then her horn flashed, twice. Near the Earth pony stallion, another Twilight appeared. She quickly fired a powerful, column-sized beam of magic right to the back of his head. The stallion was not at all prepared for the attack as his body was sent straight to the ground with a powerful thud. Luna stepped back and looked as the stallion’s beheaded form was now slumped into a smoldering crater. Up above, a third Twilight appeared. Her horn flared up, sparking a rose-colored tornado below the mare. Like her two companions, she too was ill prepared for this surprise attack. The tornado, made of pure energy trapped her within its vortex. It spun her around at terminal speeds, enough to shatter bones, rupture internal organs, and nearly pull limps apart. The two Twilights disappeared in much the same manner as the last one, leaving the original still standing a few feet away from her opponent. Celestia and Luna used this chance to regroup, standing by their fellow Princess. “Twilight, what in Equestria was that spell?!” Celestia asked. “Before Princess Sakuya left, I asked her about Neighpon’s chi magic, specifically her ability to make copies of herself. I figured out that I could do the same, but make my copies think independently of myself and sustain their forms for a few minutes. I guess you could call it a Doppelganger spell?” “Very inventive Twilight Sparkle! You must teach us this spell, it can come in handy for a few pranks I’ve not been able to pull off alone,” said Luna with a devious smirk. “Luna, if we make it out of this you can have a free month to prank me, but now we have bigger problems!” The Earth pony stallion’s body raised itself from the crater, making the three mare’s wince in disgust of its headless form. The spine grew out and formed a skull, muscle and soft tissue grew out from the severed area, connecting the regrown head to the rest of the body. When the Earth stallion’s head was back, he cracked his neck a few times, working out the kinks that no doubt accompanied regenerating a vital part of the body. The tornado of magic had ended, with the body of the pegasus mare falling from the sky, crashing through a few trees, and then skidding across the dirt to a stop. Her legs were broken at odd angles, and noticeably detached from their sockets, all of them. Her wings were the same, detached internally and broken in three different spots. Her hindquarters were twisted, disgustingly, to the point her hind legs faced up, and her forelegs down. Her head hung limply, indicating her neck had snapped while within the tornado. A little blood trickled out of her mouth and ears, showing that the internal damage was just as severe to her more vital organs. By all accounts, it was a gruesome, and extremely painful way to do die, but that’s when things went south. The crimson mana flowed out, wrapping up her entire body. The sound of realigning bones cracking into place made the Princesses taste bile in their mouths. Her rear end, flesh and bone, twisted back to its proper place, along with her wings snapping back into place. Finally, the mare’s head shot up, alert, and smiling that same, evil, sultry smile. She rose up from the ground and dusted herself off as if nothing had happened, lapping at the trace amounts of blood that clung to her lower lip. The unicorn stallion crawled out of the crater. His body was less burned by the power, and more crushed, with every bone shattered, but of course that didn’t last long. It was like watching a balloon re-inflate, as his skeletal structure grew back and gave his flesh form. Even his horn grew back, spiraling out and sparking with crimson mana. “They’re monsters,” said Celestia. “Can they not be killed?!” Luna cried. Suddenly, the sound of resounding thunder roared through the sky, but unlike the previous roars, this one sounded stronger, and carried the sound of hope with it. “Yes, I believe they can, but not by us.” Celestia and Luna looked to the youngest of their kind in confusion. Suddenly the clouds overhead were blasted away as azure lightning shot down from the sky. The bolt of lightning struck the ground before the alicorns and Kingdom agents. When the bolt ended a new contender appeared. Her cloak flapped in the crosswinds of her power, and lightning arced off and around her body. The Champion of Magic had arrived, Shazam. Equestria’s Mightiest Mare glanced over her left shoulder, eyes covered by the artificially created shadows of the magical cloak, and smirked. “I heard you guys needed some help, mind if I tag in?”