The wraith’s glowing yellow eyes flashed greedily as the purple and white candle began to fall over. Its thralls continually destroyed themselves against the protective ward, overwhelming its magic through brute force. The undead monster hungered for the life force of the eight individuals trapped inside, and it eagerly expected them to be defenseless in a few more moments. Moaning with anticipation, it floated down towards the top of the dome of light, when it felt an unexpected surge in magical energy. Reflexively retreating into the sky, the wraith howled as the radiant shield exploded into a blast of arcane flame that immolated dozens of zombies and skeletons. The incorporeal creature waited warily as one of the females harnessed the power of the flames and rose into the air.
Weaving through the air with a pair of fiery magical wings, Sunset Shimmer accelerated towards the wraith. She squinted her green-blue eyes to protect them from the brisk headwind her velocity created. The Element of Redemption, hanging heavily around her neck, glowed brightly as she readied an offensive spell to use against the wraith.
Sunset slowed to unzip a pocket of her bandolier, and while gliding on one wing, she deftly retrieved a handful of charred acorns. “It’s time to heat things up!” Her magic flashed, and the acorns took on a cherry-red glow, like the coals hidden deep in a long-burning fire. She stretched both arms wide again, and flicked one of the magical projectiles towards the translucent undead monster as she approached.
The wraith moaned, and avoided Sunset’s flaming tail with a burst of speed. Passing right through the creature, the acorn fell to the ground where it exploded into a ball of fire five feet wide. An incorporeal hand hooked itself into a claw, reaching for Sunset’s leg as she zoomed by. The near miss gave her chills, which caused her to lose altitude from the shock.
“I guess it’s not going to be that easy,” Sunset noted. She hovered at a safe distance, and concentrated on a simple but effective arcane attack. Five violet magical arrows streaked forth from her amulet, striking the wraith. The monster’s moans turned to hisses of pain as each eldritch missile struck it. The ghasts below looked skyward, while their advance bogged down in Discord’s conjured rings of taffy.
Sunset smiled when she noticed that the Spirit of Chaos had summoned four huge oscillating fans that kept the ghasts’ debilitating stench at bay. He took a bandana from his pocket and wiped his sweaty brow, poorly disguising his fatigue. Discord had rapidly organized an effective defense atop the redoubt. He and Fluttershy stood at the center of a circle that had morphed into more of a square.
Applejack and Rarity protected one side of the narrow earthwork, while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie stood opposite them. Aria, continually in motion, threw herself into the most dire situations, breaking the monsters’ charges before they truly began. Any ghoul or zombie unfortunate enough to get within arm’s reach quickly found itself obliterated by Aria’s weapon.
“Wherever Chainbreaker shines, that smelly cloud can’t go!” shouted Pinkie, pointing at Aria with her free hand. Her handaxe dripped with slimy ichor and had begun to dull.
The Siren and her pigtails twirled in a freelancing tornado of destruction whose arrival Chainbreaker heralded with its buzzsaw squeal and pale glow. Aria confined herself to the twenty-yard wide no-man’s land between the group’s defensive formation at the top of the redoubt and Discord’s first circle of sticky taffy. Her violet eyes blazing with fury and determination, she ignored the numerous superficial cuts that had opened on the exposed skin of her arms and shoulders. Applejack caught snippets of the song she sang as she fought:
Long roads the Sword of Fury makes
Hard walls it builds around the soft
“Keep singing, Aria! We’re turning the tide!” encouraged Applejack. She swung her sickle diagonally, and her powerful blow felled a zombie who reached out for Rarity.
Discord pumped his fist with excitement, and then turned to Fluttershy. “My dear, if we can take out the greater undead, we will break them. Until then, you must keep shooting where they cluster together. Oh, and keep more of an eye on Rarity and Applejack. Their weapons don’t have much in the way of reach.”
With the wraith briefly occupied by Sunset, the ghasts were racing one another to be the first to reach the living creatures fighting on the top of the earthwork. Rainbow Dash swept her staff across her corner of the square, knocking over two ghouls and a zombie. They rolled down the side of the man-made hill, causing a chain reaction that resulted in a dozen undead coming to a halt near the feet of a furious ghast.
Swiftly raising her bow, Fluttershy fired a glittering silver arrow for the second time that night. It lanced the ghast, which screamed in agony. The follow-up detonation caused by the “false dawn” effect wiped out at least two dozen undead.
“Nice shot, darling!” called Rarity, who dexterously danced to the side, dodging a ghoul’s claw. Before the beast could turn around to attack again, Rarity sprang forward and caved in its skull with a powerful two-handed blow from her brass club.
Discord clapped his hands together. “Let’s see if this will slow it down!” An iron ball-and-chain appeared around the wraith’s right leg. The magically-created impediment hovered in mid-air for a moment, then the monster shook free of the chaotic magic and the iron passed through the wraith’s body, falling to the ground and pulverizing an unlucky skeleton.
In the air, Sunset grinned as she shouted, “Nice try, Discord!” She dove towards the ground, and leveled off in time to make a strafing run against one of the ghasts. After tossing her handful of acorns at the pestilential creature, she spread her arms and regained altitude as the miniature bombs exploded, consuming the ghast in a fireball.
As she sped by Discord shouted back, “Oh, if I were young again and had boundless endurance! I can’t argue with your success, Baconhair!” He swapped his camouflage top for an old-style bombardier’s jacket and winked at Sunset.
The wraith, still smoldering from Sunset’s initial attack, was singed by another pass from her fiery tail. As she banked for another pass, the wraith darted down towards the group atop the redoubt, its misty hands reaching out for Rarity. Aria shouted a warning, and sprinted up the hill, but she couldn’t intercept the attack in time. Fluttershy, her teal eyes wide with worry, let fly an arrow topped with an eight-pointed star. It struck the monster with a burst of silver energy, causing its dive to deliver only a glancing blow to Rarity's left shoulder instead of a direct hit.
The fashionista let out a shrill scream as pain and shock spread through her body. “It’s so cold!” She dropped to the ground as her anguish overwhelmed her, and the remaining ghasts reorganized the undead counterattack. Applejack dropped to a knee and touched Rarity's cheek for an instant, then rose with her sickle already in motion, fully prepared to defend her fallen companion from any further injury.
Discord harshly swore under his breath as he snapped his fingers. After the white flash subsided, he cradled a writhing four-foot long shark that had a strange technological device attached to its head. He aimed the shark up into the sky, and the device emitted a bright red beam of light that passed right through the wraith. Cursing again, using still greater creativity in his profanity, Discord engulfed the shark in a tiny cyclone that disappeared up into the sky.
By casting the same “magic missile” spell that had wounded the creature earlier, Sunset drew the wraith’s attention. “Yeah, that’s right! Come after me!” She hovered and reached behind the bandolier and gripped the simple silver dagger forged by Vulcan Anvil.
The wraith’s yellow eyes seemed to narrow for a moment. It faked an attack at Sunset, and then made a steep dive for a second run at Rarity. This time, Aria stood ready, with her teeth clenched and weight impeccably balanced. At the perfect moment, she lashed out, and Chainbreaker struck the wraith in its chest, knocking it to the earth. Despite its ethereal nature, the force of the blow caused the monster to bounce on the ground twice before resuming shaky flight towards the incapacitated fashion designer. Tendrils of mist trailed from the creature as it hungrily reached out for Rarity’s throat.
I won't let you hurt her again!" cried Sunset. Acting quickly, she weaved a pinch of gem dust into a mystical charm that slowed the wraith's progress. This gave Aria enough time to jump between the wraith and Rarity once more; with a throaty yell, she struck the wraith with a powerful upswing of Chainbreaker that launched the monster several yards into the air. Before the creature could recover, Sunset dove towards it with incredible speed and plunged her silver dagger into the wraith's incorporeal skull. Despite its simple appearance, the Equestrian-forged weapon's powerful dweomer pierced the undead monster, delivering a fatal blow. It shrieked in rage, and then evaporated into a green mist that swiftly dissipated.
The remaining undead numbered about three dozen, but all of them seemed stunned and confused by the loss of their leader. Applejack continued to safeguard Rarity, while Aria sprang down the side of the redoubt closest to the treeline. Her rich alto improvised a song that promised oblivion to the walking dead. Grunting with effort, she brought Chainbreaker down in an overhand swing that struck one of the two remaining ghasts on the top of its head. The monster vanished in a flash of white light. Surrounded by zombies and ghouls, Aria spun the magical mace in a desperate effort to protect herself.
With a clear shot at the last remaining ghast, Fluttershy nocked another of the radiantly glowing arrows and aimed carefully. Her pink tongue escaped the side of her mouth as her teal eyes narrowed with intense concentration.
Discord’s crimson eyes went wide in alarm. He waved his arms and protested. “No, Fluttershy, we don’t need--”
The arrow flew, striking its target and its potent shockwave destroyed most of the walking dead on the side of the redoubt where Raven had tossed her magical ring.
Fluttershy lowered her composite bow and looked up apologetically at the Spirit of Chaos. She chewed her bottom lip and said softly, “Oops. I’m sorry, Discord. I saw a chance to get them all at once.”
“It’s alright, Fluttershy. I just thought that we could prevail without wasting another one of those precious items. At a minimum, you prevented your friends from getting tired doing a whole lot of that,” Discord gestured towards Rainbow Dash who mercilessly finished off a zombie with a flurry of hits from her quarterstaff.
A howl of pain interrupted Aria’s singing. In her haste to destroy the ghast, she had placed herself in the center of a gathering of undead. She winced and clutched at a claw mark on her left leg. Three thin lines of red showed where the ghoul had torn through her pants near her knee. With Aria’s balance reduced, Chainbreaker’s motion became weaker, less regular and easier for the monsters to dodge.
Pinkie wrapped herself into a ball and somersaulted down the side of the redoubt. Her handaxe jutted out to the side, appearing as an axle of a ferocious pink and black wheel. “Express elevator, coming down!” she screamed enthusiastically as she rolled.
Simultaneously, Sunset flapped her flaming wings and followed the contour of the redoubt. As she approached Aria’s position, she slowed to give her tail a better chance to burn the monsters threatening the Siren. “Aria, hit the deck!” warned Sunset.
The rapidly approaching avian form’s inferno reflected in Aria’s widening violet eyes. Without a response, she obeyed Sunset’s order, falling prone to the turf. A half-dozen undead greedily rushed her, and found themselves suddenly incinerated by phoenix fire.
“Which one did-done-dood it?” asked Pinkie as she seamlessly leapt from her somersault to a standing position. “Was it this one?” A sideways two-handed stroke of her handaxe decapitated a zombie, and sent its head flying into the woods.
Aria smiled and crushed a skeleton with an awkward strike from Chainbreaker. “Take out the one that needs a manicure behind you, Pinkie. Don’t let it hit you! The mace’s magic was the only thing that kept me from being paralyzed. It still slowed me down a bit.”
Facing down the last remaining ghoul, Pinkie’s poofy curls stuck out from her black bandana in a dozen different directions as a terrifying grin spread across her face. “Now, we can do this the hard way or... well, actually there's just the hard way!”
Aria roared with laughter while dispatching another skeleton. “Good plan, Pinkie! I’ll keep these annoyances off of you while you work.”
The ghoul’s claws lashed out and Pinkie parried the attack with the handle of her handaxe. She bounced out of the way of the monster’s counterattack, and slashed its knee. “I had seven cans of Creature with Extra Sugar today! All you had to eat was dirt.”
Sunset hovered above the skirmish and briefly turned towards Rarity, where Applejack still stood guard over her. Fluttershy knelt beside the fallen fashionista, tending to her injury. Glancing back at Aria, Sunset cupped her hands to her mouth. “Do you have it under control down there?”
“We’ve got it handled!” answered Aria as Chainbreaker caused a zombie to vanish in an explosion of white light. A conjured lawn dart thrown by Discord felled the last zombie, leaving only a trio of skeletons for her to contend with. She waved Sunset towards the distant green glow. “Go see what Raven’s up to. Your spell can’t last forever!”
Pinkie lobbed off the ghoul’s right arm with a vicious chop. The creature groaned and attempted a desperate attack with its left hand, but Pinkie somehow jumped over the swiping claws, landed on her feet and threw the axe at her opponent. The weapon struck the ghoul in the center of its chest, ending its undead existence. “Oooh! That’s going to earn me a Brutality Bonus!” she squealed.
Sunset roared with laughter at Pinkie’s unorthodox victory over the ghoul, and saluted Aria with her dagger. She spread her wings, and set a course directly for the graveyard. Ahead of her, she saw the headstones arranged in neat rows, periodically interrupted by larger, exquisitely crafted memorials. A babbling brook meandered diagonally across the cemetery. Soaring a hundred feet above the ground, Sunset roughly estimated that the entire parcel of land measured about two acres.
She growled as she got close enough to see the corruption spread by Raven’s dark magic. Dimly illuminated by sickly green light, she saw that scores of beautiful headstones had toppled. Lovingly carved marble had fallen into open graves, and crushed the remnants of coffins and caskets. A circle of green mist pushed outward from a large, rectangular mausoleum near the back edge of the graveyard. About fifty yards away, the mist drew inward. Sunset growled, bared her teeth and executed a sudden, silent dive.
She’s destroyed such beauty and serenity, for what? Her own lust for power? Raven has perverted the bodies of innocent men and women into monsters for her own use. Forget redemption, it’s time for retribution! Sunset thought with barely contained fury. Her fiery appendages blazed even more brightly.
Standing at the base of a fifteen-foot tall statue of an angel carrying a wounded soldier, Shrieking Raven drank deeply of the necromantic mist, surrounded by gaping holes in the ground from which her makeshift army had started its unnatural life. Her eyes were closed, her arms were outstretched and her helmet’s terrifying horn glowed with unholy purple magic. The brook, contained by carefully landscaped white gravel, peacefully gurgled alongside the surreal scene.
Sunset returned her silver dagger to its hidden sheath. She sped towards the ground, and at the last moment before impact, she banked and climbed sharply, bringing her flaming tail into play. An instant before the blaze engulfed her, Raven’s black eyes snapped open, and she swiftly wrapped the Robe of Vecna around herself.
“Dammit!” swore Sunset, looking behind her. The banshee’s robe smoked, but she appeared uninjured.
Raven, imitating a high-pitched little-girl’s voice, cruelly mocked Sunset. “The little birdie is free from her cage. You tried to burn me, now feel my rage!”
Sunset, fleeing back towards the battlefield, sprinkled diamond dust into her hair as the Element of Redemption shimmered. As a pale blue sphere began to surround her, she said worriedly, “I hope that’s enough, because she’s going to—”
Sunset saw a cone of darkness emanating from the banshee’s head and braced herself. Raven’s focused shriek scrambled Sunset’s thoughts. The desperately cast protective shield deflected some of Raven’s foul energy, but the scream still struck her. She lost altitude, and her magical phoenix wings began to flicker.
Sunset formed a single coherent thought as the treetops approached, Slow down, Shimmer! Crash softly! She clipped a medium-sized oak tree and her wings winked out. As she fell, Sunset reflexively cast a physical protection spell, and then wrapped her arms around herself and the bandolier full of spell components. Branches snapped and twigs scraped her skin as the canopy of a maple tree surrounded her.
-----
“Why does that banshee continually express her commitment to ‘keeping me safe’ by trapping me? To the Abyss with her!” Adagio shouted, and pushed on the curtain of pale light blocking the cave’s exit with both hands. It stretched like a sheet of rubber, but didn’t give way.
Scootaloo, recovering from Raven’s scream, woozily raised herself to a sitting position. She rubbed chunks of rock from her cheek with her bound hands. “Your cage is a little bit bigger than ours, but you’re trapped now too, Your Highness!” She twisted her lips sarcastically.
Running her fingers through her long orange curls and grabbing two fistfuls of hair, Adagio wheeled around and shook her head. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this!” Her magenta eyes glowed as she walked through the darkness between the blocked exit and the girls’ cage.
“Too bad, so sad!” Sweetie Belle’s mocking voice sounded so much like Sonata’s that Adagio had to look twice at the green-eyed girl to make sure of her identity.
Apple Bloom pressed her face against the bars of the cage, “What wasn’t it supposed to be like, Adagio? Is this where you try to tell us what a nice murderer you are?”
“Dammit, I’m trying to save as many of you as I can!” shouted Adagio. She kicked Raven’s wooden case across the cave, where it splintered against the far wall. “I want to rule my people, and perform the duty that I had been prepared for since birth. I’ve waited a thousand years to return home and fulfill my destiny. I despise all this death, but I could have never called He Who Swims in Darkness without Raven’s help. Don’t you see?”
Noticing that they were about to resume their argument with Adagio, Apple Bloom shushed her friends and replied, “No, I don’t see! What happened to you to make you think that killing is a rite of passage? This isn’t riding a bike or a first kiss! What sort of horrible childhood did you have?”
Adagio spread her hands imploringly, and her voice took on a desperate edge. “This plan is the culmination of all the lessons my mother taught me! By sacrificing you, I will relieve you of the burden of your mortal existence and the pain that goes with such a short, brutish life. Your spirits, like scores of merfillies before you, will fuel my Master’s magic. Another possibility is that the Master may grant you a special honor, and will transform you into Sirens. In either case, the three of you will directly serve a power greater than any you can think of!”
“Oh my God, I finally get it!” Sweetie Belle smacked her forehead with her bound hands. Her pale skin reflected the dim violet mist that had started to rise from the underground pool. She excitedly continued. “You haven’t been able to make your own choices, well, ever! That’s what the alicorn’s rainbow did to you! It didn’t defeat you. Raven is pushing you to this before you can truly realize my sister and her friends freed you!”
The Siren princess pointed imperiously at the cage. “No, you’re wrong! Mermares ruled Aquastria for generations. They ended strife and division beneath the seas. Once Sonata, Aria and I defeated the Equestrian ponies, my mother and I were going to…” Adagio looked into the pool and saw that the dark speck had become a blob that trailed ten inky strands behind it. She gulped and slumped her shoulders. “I just want to go home, and this is my last chance to get there.”
“I think you have to earn your way back. Father Scorpan told us about how our ancestors were cast out of paradise.” Scootaloo’s purple eyes blazed with zeal. “Well, from what we’ve heard from Twilight and Sunset, Equestria is the closest thing that I can think of as a perfect place. Sunset tried a shortcut last fall, and failed. Then, you tried your evil magical tricks last weekend, and you know how that turned out!”
Adagio sniffed and straightened herself. She removed the butterfly knife from her vest pocket and held it in the palm of her hand. “Can’t you see how miserable this awful burden of choice has made us all? We are wandering aimlessly in so much pain. In Imperial Aquastria, those that accepted their place were content and happy.”
“How are slaves happy, Adagio?” asked Apple Bloom. Despite the eerie purple glow building in the pool, she looked at the Siren through the cage’s bars with more pity than fear. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gazed at their friend admiringly.
Rubbing her temples, the Siren princess quietly attempted an explanation. “Before the Empire, life beneath the sea defined itself as a constant battle. There was no society, only survival. The mermares changed that! We established order from chaos beneath the waves, and earned the approval of He Who Swims in Darkness. We thrived! Every creature knew its place from birth until death.”
“But, chaos isn’t bad! We just don’t understand it. What about the chaos of life or the chaos of love?” protested Apple Bloom.
Adagio smiled warmly at Apple Bloom. “Little one, you may have a chance to teach our people about them both.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” snarled Scootaloo.
Ignoring the interruption, the Siren princess took a step towards the cage and reached out to Apple Bloom with her free hand. “To become Queen, I must present my Master with three sacrifices. If you are not one of them, I want you to join me in Aquastria.”
Adagio’s invitation rendered Apple Bloom speechless. Her mouth worked silently, and her pupils dilated.
Sweetie Belle, tears welling up in her eyes, filled the silence with an angry screech. “You’re being played, Adagio! Let us go, and we’ll all run away! Didn’t you see that Raven started to attack you? I don’t think she will ever let you go back to your home.”
“Of course I was being played! I’m not a fool!” Adagio’s voice regained its cruel edge. “I tire of all this death, but I need three sacrifices to gain the power to defend my people from Raven and Vecna. Once I am linked to my Master’s magic again, I will possess immunity to Raven’s shriek. Do you deny her power? Are you more willing to sacrifice yourselves if you knew that it would save your world from her hideous magic?”
The three girls held to each other as best they could and fought back tears as the purple glow deepened. The oil lamp’s flame transformed from yellow to green.
Scootaloo lifted her head and sadly said, “We don’t know what else to tell you, Adagio. Killing us is wrong, and it will change who you are in an awful way. You must find another way to protect your people. If you can’t see what I believe in my heart, maybe someone else will get here in time to show you the truth.”
Defiantly narrowing her eyes, Sweetie Belle angrily spat at Adagio’s feet. “You didn’t even try to learn from Sunset! She found a way to go from bad to good, and helped both Aria and Sonata. If you kill us, we’ll haunt your dreams as long as you live.”
“I’m sorry, little ones, but I see no other way. Your myths speak of your deity interrupting a human sacrifice by providing an animal substitute. I suggest you ask for aid in your own way.” Adagio held her left hand against her body just below her navel, and walked uncertainly towards the pool. As she peered over the edge, she saw a dark violet eye blink in the inestimable distance.
Apple Bloom whispered to herself. “Why would you even think about taking me away from my friends and family, and then calling it a reward? I reckon that living life without choices or love is worse than death.”
Adagio turned around and dropped to one knee. She closed her eyes, wiped her hand across her eye and leaned towards Apple Bloom’s enormous bow. As the Siren opened her mouth to speak, terror twisted her stomach with nausea as a deep, terrifying and familiar voice interrupted her.
“Princess Adagio Dazzle, I approach after long centuries of dreamless slumber. I will grant you power to rebuild the Aquastrian Empire. What sacrifices do you offer me as tribute?"
-----
Sunset opened her eyes and groaned. Several green maple leaves blocked her vision. She felt a warm, sticky substance on her face that oozed down her neck and flowed beneath her clothing. Her feet dangled in midair, and something held her in place by her shoulders and neck.
Oh no! I’m bleeding! she thought, concentrating on her breathing to keep from panicking.
“Don’t move, Sunny! Just hug yourself and your magic supplies. Discord’s going to try something.” Fluttershy’s soft voice drifted up to her from below.
For the first time in years, Sunset felt herself embraced in a telekinetic aura. She saw a golden haze through the curtain of foliage blocking her vision. She felt herself magically pulled a couple of times, and heard the Spirit of Chaos grunting from the effort. Sunset jerked forward and downward several inches, and then she heard a sharp crack from behind her.
“Oopsie!” Discord exclaimed. Sunset heard his fingers snap and saw a white flash through the leaves. The branch holding her broke and she fell downward, to bounce harmlessly on a small trampoline. “Under any other circumstance, I’d make an inappropriate joke about your diet, Sunset. But let’s face it, despite my best efforts, there’s not enough magic here for me to float you gently to the ground.”
Sunset, her vision still obscured, clumsily dismounted from the trampoline and it winked out of existence. She patted her hands all over herself. “Where did I get hit? How bad is it? Stop the bleeding!”
“Hold on there, sugar cube,” said Applejack, a bemused tone entering her voice. “We’re forgetting that you can’t see us. Let me get those leaves out of your face, and this will all make sense.”
The farmgirl plucked the green leaves away from Sunset’s face, and all eight of them erupted with laughter at the absurd situation. The remnants of a thirty-foot tall marshmallow dripped from the top of a large maple tree. Discord sheepishly shifted his weight from one foot to another while wearing a white shirt, gray trousers and an old-fashioned black-brimmed cap. His butterfly lapel pin cautiously poked its head out of the shirt’s breast pocket.
Pinkie, her chin tilted skyward, finished swallowing a huge dollop of sugar that fell from the treetop. “Mmmmm! Toasted marshmallow!”
“Well, she was on fire when she smacked into the tree, but I don’t believe that she even thought about cooking s’mores, Pinkie. Not everyone can walk away from such an epic crash and burn!” Rainbow Dash grinned at Sunset.
Walking unsteadily towards the group, Rarity stepped forward and gave Sunset a weak smile. “I’m very glad to see that your jacket ended up as the only casualty of that terrible fall!” Her teeth chattered and she wrapped her arms around herself, but visibly relaxed when Applejack placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Sunset returned the smile and gave a nod towards Rarity. "I'm happy to see you're back on your feet as well." She gingerly untangled the shreds of her beloved leather jacket from the sticky marshmallow fluff that coated her from head to toe. A deep bruise on her right shoulder caused her to wince as she removed her arm from the sleeve. She sighed, and said, “Well, this jacket and I had a great run together, but I’m glad that it’s only my coat that got shredded and not my hide. Get it?”
Clapping his hands, Discord answered, “Good one! I’m glad your sense of humor didn’t get damaged by Raven’s scream!”
Aria, favoring one leg, used Chainbreaker as a lethal walking stick. The magical mace glowed brightly, but remained silent. She tossed her pigtails, and shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, look on the bright side. The branch that went right through the back of your jacket probably saved you from a broken leg! Maybe the tree protected you.”
“Before I forget, Sunny, you were amazing! I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in the air, and I’ve never heard something so majestic as the echo from your shout!” Fluttershy put her hand on Sunset’s sticky shoulder.
Applejack nodded, “I reckon we’ll never see anything like that again. You sure did a number on those monsters with that fiery tail of yours!”
Rarity, despite her obvious injury, bent down and picked up Sunset’s jacket. She held it at arm’s length, pinched between her thumb and forefinger. Narrowing her deep blue eyes at Discord, she dropped the ruined jacket at the base of the maple tree and asked, “Aren’t you going to do anything to clean up this mess?”
“Well, yes, we do have some business to conduct. Only one of us can tolerate being encased in sugar for a long period of time!” Discord winked at Pinkie, and he pulled a polka-dotted washcloth out of his pocket. Grinning, he snapped his fingers. The entire group found themselves cleansed of their marshmallow fragments, but the giant candy pillow remained stuck high atop the tree.
Motioning for everyone to huddle around her, Sunset searched for the proper items in her jostled bandolier. “I need to heal us before our next fight. Unfortunately, I have only two settings. I can go with an adhesive bandage or intensive care.”
“Perhaps a healing spell that’s meant more for disease than trauma would help Rarity the most?” asked Discord uncertainly. He raised a bushy white eyebrow. “This really isn’t my thing, after all.”
As her companions crowded in, Sunset brandished a mangled pink feather and a large blue-gray feather, and she began to concentrate. When Rarity pressed up against her, she gasped in surprise. She’s so cold! This spell is certainly the right decision, thought Sunset. The Element of Redemption glowed with a serene aquatic aura, and the feathers exploded into a wave of beneficial energy that washed over the group.
Color immediately returned to Rarity’s face, along with a vivacious spark in her eye. She hugged Sunset and whispered in her ear. “Thank you, darling. It hurt more than I dare tell anyone else.”
Pinkie oohed and aahed in wonder as she watched Aria’s wounds close before her eyes and disappear without a scar. Her own bruises vanished, causing her to bounce up and down with renewed vigor.
Spreading her arms as far as she could, Fluttershy crushed everyone that she reach in a hug so tight that her muscles quivered. “We’re going to win! We have to!” She spoke with quiet determination.
Sunset exhaled slowly as her own injuries healed. The magical aura surrounding the Element of Redemption winked out. “Take a moment to get yourselves together, everyone. Raven’s silent, but she’s not resting, and we have to get to the cave before Adagio hurts Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. I’ll meet you beneath the marshmallow tree.” She nervously fidgeted with her bandolier, tugged her thin sweatshirt down over her hips and began drawing in the dirt with a stick.
The group carefully picked up the items that they had dropped during their sprint to Sunset’s crash site, and she watched them converse quietly as they checked one another’s equipment. Fluttershy tightened the straps on her belt quiver and watched Discord closely. Rainbow Dash frowned at one end of her quarterstaff and gave it an angry twirl. Smiling, Rarity tweaked the brim of Applejack’s hat. Pinkie giggled, and leaned down to peer through the holes in Aria’s pants.
Discord, who had resumed wearing three types of military camouflage, followed Sunset. He reached out and gripped her shoulders without saying a word. Pointedly looking down at the pockets of her bandolier that were open and empty, he said, “You just used Princess Luna’s last feather, and I also see you’re starting to run out of your other spell components, though I’m impressed that you protected what you have so well during your crash landing.” He looked both ways and furrowed his brow. “You’re very lucky you weren’t killed, you know. That would have been quite unfortunate, because I’ve grown very concerned for your well-being. What possessed you to take such a risk?”
“I’ve never been so filled with magic as when I cast those three spells, Discord. Completing the undead ward, protecting us with the outward blast of sunfire and finally my transformation gave me so much joy that I thought I could do anything. Well, that’ll teach me. The wraith hurt Rarity very badly, and I ended my first flight up in a tree.” Sunset shrugged her shoulders, shook her head and apologetically looked up at Discord. “It’s what we all have to learn, don’t we? We can’t do it all ourselves, and each of us has a part to play. By the way, thank you for saving my life, even if the way you did it made an enormous mess.”
As the others clustered around the roots of the maple tree, the color bled from Discord’s clothes and his crimson eyes glimmered with determination. He glanced at Fluttershy, and then finished his conversation with Sunset cryptically. “You’re very welcome, but forgive my preoccupation. The banshee is my responsibility. I caused this problem ages ago, and I must fix it.”
Sunset sniffed, and cupped Discord’s cheek as her eyes became misty. “I think I understand, but responsibility doesn’t mean doing it on your own. Twilight taught us both that.” The Spirit of Chaos hesitantly nodded his agreement.
“I hate to interrupt a tender moment, but in case you had forgotten, we’re sort of fighting for our lives, here.” Rainbow Dash looked down at the ground. “Tell us about this drawing.”
Muscling forward while using Chainbreaker to part the crowd, a newly reinvigorated Aria said, “You’re right, Rainbow Dash. We can snuggle later, preferably with the warm beverage of our choice. We’ve got work to do. Sunset, does this diagram show us what you saw from the air?”
“Yes, Aria. We’re doing great, by the way. It’s a miracle we’re all still mostly unharmed,” said Sunset, looking into each of their eyes.
Rarity stretched her torso by rotating side to side. “We have your magic and Discord’s to thank for that. Now, tell us what we’re going to do next.”
“Thanks, Rarity. Well, everyone, we need to do what I most worried about. We have to split up,” declared Sunset. The others looked at her silently and confidently.
Discord grinned, gesturing to the group in surprise. “I expected at least some gasps, or protests or some reaction other than ‘bring it on!’”
“We trust Sunset, and you’re wasting time while my sister’s in danger,” said Applejack curtly. She pointed downward. “So, this big rectangle is the graveyard, right?”
Sunset smiled warmly at Applejack’s simple and unequivocal vote of confidence. “Yes, it is. The whole cemetery is an area about twice the size of Canterlot High School’s football stadium, field and track. A creek runs across the property here,” her stick traced a sinuous diagonal line.
“So where’s the anti-aircraft banshee?” asked Pinkie Pie ebulliently.
Her grin broadening, Sunset stabbed her pointer near the center of the diagram. “She set up shop here, and it seems like she’s absorbing all the green mist. The place is pretty trashed, with lots of open graves, so whoever goes there must exercise extreme caution. The necromantic engine must be here,” she poked the stick into the ground near the edge of the rectangle. “The green mist kept spewing out of a mausoleum along the back wall.”
Aria and Discord nodded at one another. Discord spoke first. “I must defeat Raven. I think this is what Luna tried to tell me before I stepped through Twilight’s mirror.”
“This weapon,” Aria lifted Chainbreaker, “exists to destroy monsters like Raven.” She turned to Sunset. “I need to do something to make my long life worth living. I’m going with Discord. Chainbreaker’s magic will protect us if we stay close together.”
Fluttershy flipped her pink braid behind her shoulder. Gritting her teeth, she leapt forward, fiercely grabbing Aria and Discord by their forearms. She looked deep into their eyes, and frowned. “No! I don’t like this sort of talk! I’m not going to let you sacrifice yourselves. I love those girls that Adagio is holding captive, but you two aren’t going into that graveyard without me!”
Tapping one end of her staff next to Sunset’s diagram and puckering her lips, Rainbow Dash made motions in the air with her finger, and then asked, “Who is going to take out that engine in the mausoleum?”
“What do you mean?” asked Sunset, who had been staring at Fluttershy, Discord and Aria.
Flashing a crooked grin, Rainbow Dash crouched down and re-tied her boots. “Listen, the three of you will have to stick close together to take out Raven. She knows how much I care for Scoots deep down, because she read my writing in class. Raven will see you three, and she’ll expect me to go straight to the cave with Rarity and Applejack. Face it, I’m the only one who’s fast enough to run around the graveyard, sneak in the back, and take out whatever is bringing the monsters to life.”
Sunset, stroking her chin, nodded her approval. “I know you can do this Rainbow Dash, but if she sees you, Raven’s scream will mow you down.”
“No risk, no reward, right?” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Besides, I know Discord can make one hell of a distraction, and that boring old teacher is sure angry with him.”
Cupping both hands over his chest, Discord feigned injury. “Touché, Rainbow Dash! You have wounded me with the truth! But, we need to go. Every moment we linger, the more power Raven acquires.”
Applejack pointed to the dark clouds gathering over the beach. “I think the girls are running out of time, too. Sunset, what else do you have?”
“I have two spells.” As the Element of Redemption glowed brightly in the darkness, Sunset tossed a handful of diamond dust into the air, which covered them all like a warm blanket. She followed it up by sprinkling granite fragments over each of her friends. “The first renewed our protection against evil, and the second made us a little more physically tough.”
Rainbow Dash started to jog towards the graveyard, and then suddenly turned around. She scratched her head and looked at Pinkie, Sunset, Rarity and Applejack in turn. “Um, guys? Just in case, make sure that you—“
“We will, sugar cube,” interrupted Applejack. “Scootaloo and the others will be just fine. You just do your job and don’t get hurt. We can’t have you missing the party that Pinkie will throw after this is all done.” She removed her hat and bowed her head in a brief prayer. Pinkie silently placed her hands on top of Applejack’s.
Fluttershy tugged Discord and Aria along, badly hiding the fact that she trembled with fear, and that tears poured down her face. “Discord was right! We have to go!”
Aria broke away from Discord and Fluttershy. She rushed back and hugged Sunset. “Thanks for believing in me. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
“You’re the one who took the first, difficult step. You turned away from Leviathan all by yourself. Now, go! Take the next step!” Sunset released Aria, and wiped a tear away. “One last thing, Aria…”
“What is it?” asked the Siren.
Sunset conjured the illusion of a small crescent moon above Aria’s head, which lingered for a moment and then dissipated. “I hope Luna is with you out there.”
Fighting back tears, Aria’s lip quivered as she answered, “I hope Celestia’s sun brightens that cave for you, Sunset.” She turned her back and caught up to Fluttershy, Discord and Rainbow Dash.
Sunset, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie watched them until the path turned out of sight, and then began jogging toward the sand-and-gravel beach. A purple lightning bolt split the dark clouds overhead, followed by a soft roll of thunder.
-----
Sonata closed the driver’s side door of Rarity’s convertible, locked the doors, and stuffed the keys into the pocket of her jeans. “Pitchfork, check. Backpack with important books, check. Courage…,” she looked at the reflection of her glowing pink eyes in the glass, “…I’ll work on that as I get closer to the cave.”
She curled her long ponytail over the buttons of her soft, ivory-colored shirt, and then walked around the simple barrier where the dirt maintenance road came to a dead end at the battlefield. The moonlight illuminated a series of small man-made hills about two miles away. Once she left the dirt road and cleared the forest, Sonata picked up her pace.
Father Scorpan was right! This actually does make a decent walking stick, thought Sonata as she gripped the pitchfork’s handle tightly in her right hand. Its rusty iron tines smelled like motor oil and old memories.
In the distance, she saw a white flash at the foot of one of the redoubts. A moment later, a brilliant burst of radiance dazzled her eyes, briefly turning night into day.
“They’re here, and they’re fighting with magic! Raven must be stalling them. I have to hurry!” Sonata awkwardly jogged towards the earthwork, but the weight of the books bouncing in her pack made running difficult. She frowned in frustration, and resumed a brisk walk with the tall grass tickling her legs.
Moments later, Sonata saw a streak of yellow fire blaze across the sky near where she saw the white flash. The fire danced close to the earth several times, and then rose skyward and receded. She rubbed the circular burn between her collarbones with blue-tinted fingers. As she touched the mark that the Element of Redemption had made upon her, Sonata’s eyes stared into the distance, and a vivid memory entered her mind.
*****
Over a millennium ago, during the Battle of the Crystal Glacier:
Sonata Dusk soared over the icy wilderness, screaming towards the bluff where the unicorns had assembled their final defense. The blue gem embedded in her chest pulsed with dark power, but still she hungered for more. The frigid air burned Sonata’s nostrils, numbed her hooves and chilled her fins as she inhaled and prepared to devastate the leading pony, a snowy white unicorn with an outrageously long gray beard. The first note of a debilitating song formed in her mind, and the Master’s furious power surged in her blood.
“Form ranks, everypony! Hold your ground, and raise your shields. We must defend the Field Mareshall, or all is lost!” called Starswirl the Bearded, as he calmed the chaos surrounding him.
The unicorn’s kind voice made Sonata stop. She thought, He sounds so much like my father, and he even has the same color of eyes as we do. Oh, I miss him so much! She let her breath go, hovered in place and listened.
Starswirl the Bearded rallied the unicorns against their terrible fear, as Aria Blaze and Adagio Dazzle wreaked havoc upon the earth ponies and pegasi. He calmly said, “This is Equestria’s darkest hour, though we are surrounded by sunlight and ice. Support Princess Luna, while I cast a spell that will protect us and our families for generations to come!” A lilac-colored magical aura sprang into being around Starswirl’s horn.
Sonata’s mouth fell open. Even at a significant distance, she felt the crackle of Starswirl’s magic, and she admired his regal figure in the blinding reflection from the nearby glacier. Her mind raced, The Queen and the Master are wrong! I’ve never seen a male so powerful. Is this how it is in the surface world?
In the distance, Starswirl saw Luna’s knees buckle from Adagio’s musical attack. The minor key of the Siren’s haunting solo inspired intense jealousy, but the unicorn retained mastery of his own mind. He never took his eyes from the Princess of the Night as he sang his most desperate and most powerful spell:
At Elysium in this fateful hour,
I call upon Paradise with its power,
And the sun with her brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
A tiny spot of darkness appeared on the immense mirror of ice in the center of the craggy battlefield. The unicorn stallion’s voice reminded Sonata of being wrapped in her parents’ fins as they furtively concealed their affection for each other, and she recalled the stolen moments when her father taught her to express her feelings through songs. Starswirl continued his musical incantation, and Sonata forgot to attack. She silently hovered in place, enthralled by the unicorn’s voice and mesmerized by his arcane power:
And the fire with all the strength it hath,
And the lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the wind with its swiftness along its path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the moon with her hopefulness
The spot became a gaping hole in the glacier and magical forces lanced forth to strike the three Sirens. Aria and Adagio screamed with rage, while Sonata, torn between the emotions of her past and the hunger of her present, reached out with her hooves toward Starswirl, hoping only to hear the song’s climax:
All these I place
By the one I love’s power and grace
Between myself and the forces of darkness!
Starswirl’s horn flashed with lavender brilliance, and the glacier’s icy surface transformed into a liquid mirror.
“No! I want to sing with him! I want to stay!” screamed Sonata as the swirling vortex closed over her head. The darkness suddenly morphed into a tunnel of prismatic light that forcibly carried her, Adagio and Aria to a strange new world.
*****
Present Day at the Lake Piebald Historical Battlefield
Sonata returned to current reality when the yellow fire in the sky careened out of control and fell into the treetops. She cleared her head by shaking it, and then looked beyond the redoubts into the sky. Clouds immeasurably darker than the night sky gathered over where Lake Piebald must be.
“This time, I can’t just watch. I must fight!” Sonata tossed her ponytail, and she shortened the straps on her backpack until they were almost painfully tight. Gripping the pitchfork in both hands, she began to run across the battlefield. Purple lightning flashed in the dark clouds, fear clenched the Siren’s stomach, and despite it all, Sonata ran towards the danger.
As she huffed and puffed her way across the grassy expanse, she repeated three sentences like a mantra. “I must save those girls. I must save my new friends. I must show Adagio the truth!”
-----
Discord, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Aria concealed themselves behind a low stone wall that divided the battlefield from the cemetery. Aria glanced over the top of the barrier, squinted her glowing purple eyes, and then quickly returned to cover.
“Did you see her?” asked Rainbow Dash. She sat straddle-legged in the manicured grass, stretching her legs. Her battered quarterstaff lay on the ground, resting on her left shin.
Fluttershy recounted the arrows remaining in her quiver, giving special care to the three radiant missiles that remained, and nervously said, “More importantly, did she see you?”
Aria put a finger to her lips. She whispered, “Quiet, you two. This will be a whole lot easier if we surprise her. She’s exactly where Sunset said she’d be, and I don’t think she can see us. Let’s get her!” Chainbreaker remained silent and its glow seemed muted, mirroring its wielder’s caution.
Discord’s military hat changed into an ancient leather football helmet. “I’d love to just sneak up on her and boop Raven’s skeletal nose, but it’s not going to happen, Handlebars! Those open graves will make for some awful broken-field running, and I have to distract Raven from our sprinter!”
“I’m ready to go, guys,” declared Rainbow Dash as she finished retying her right boot. “Let’s go over this one more time. My job’s easy. I cover the distance as fast as I can, and bash anything spewing a green cloud into tiny pieces, without getting noticed by my literature teacher, who is actually a deadly monster.”
The corners of Aria’s mouth lifted a tiny bit. “You’re on target, Rainbow Dash. The three of us will go single file through the cemetery and stick very close to one another. We need Chainbreaker’s protection, and we need to avoid falling into an open grave. I’ll fight Raven, while Discord and Fluttershy keep her helpers off of me.”
“I get to make sure that Raven keeps her dusty mouth pointed at the three of us instead of at Rainbow Dash. I’m very good at drawing attention!” Discord’s wrists each sported a half-dozen glowing bracelets. The butterfly lapel pin, oblivious to the garish illumination, comfortably napped directly above Discord’s military-issue nametag.
Fluttershy, breathing heavily, plucked one of Discord’s glowing arrows from her quiver, and held her bow in her lap as they continued to hide behind the stone wall. “All four of us are coming back from this, do you understand?” She jabbed a finger into Discord’s chest, and forcefully whispered, “That goes double for you, mister!”
“We’ll follow the brook until we get to Raven. There are fewer graves next to the water, so that means fewer opportunities to fall down,” said Aria, drawing their path on the wall with her purple-tinted index finger.
Discord waved a small green flag. “Get moving, Rainbow Dash! I’ll wait one minute and then start my distraction.” He removed his plaid-painted bullhorn from his backpack.
“No time like the present! We’re down a goal with five minutes to play.” Rainbow Dash stood and grabbed her staff. Her bravado slipped for a moment. “Stay brave and keep safe, you three. I thought I was scared when Sunset turned into a demon last fall. This is a whole different level of epic fear.” Before the others could respond, she bolted along the low stone wall.
Fluttershy snatched a large stopwatch out of Discord’s hand. She glanced at the second hand sweeping around the circle, and then asked, “What did you have planned for a distraction?”
Grabbing the stopwatch back from Fluttershy, the Spirit of Chaos snickered. He pulled the top knob out of the timing device with his teeth and threw the stopwatch towards the general area where Raven stood. “Fire in the hole!” he shouted, covering his ears.
“Since when did twenty seconds add up to a minute?” grumbled Aria as she leapt to her feet. “Follow me!” Her purple-and-teal pigtails trailed behind her as she accelerated. In the distance, the stopwatch exploded with a cartoonish flash. Raven shrieked preemptively, but the banshee was too distant to cause any injury.
Discord rubbed his hands together gleefully. “See, she’s a little too quick on the trigger! Aria, lead on!”
The trio zigzagged their way through the cemetery. Wherever they encountered the green mist, it gave them chills that had nothing to do with the spring night, but left them unaffected. Aria held Chainbreaker aloft like a torch, lighting the way. The banks of the brook were relatively free of graves and mostly flat, so they made excellent progress.
Raven’s raspy voice echoed eerily around them. “I sense your approach, Discord! There’s no escape from your mortality in this world.” Terrifyingly off-key, she sang a nursery rhyme:
Ring around the Rosie
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down!
The Spirit of Chaos gulped, and then brought his bullhorn up to his mouth. “Oh, posies! Please forgive me, Cassiopeia. I forgot to bring flowers to our grand reunion. How thoughtless of me!” He kicked a broken headstone as they jogged by. It collapsed into an open grave, creating a terrible racket as the marble fragments rained upon a heavily lacquered casket.
“What are you doing, Discord? You’re giving away our position!” hissed Aria as she glanced backwards.
Fluttershy trotted up to the Siren and nearly fell into an open grave. Aria grabbed her and pulled her to safety. Nodding her thanks, Fluttershy glanced back at Discord and softly addressed Aria. “He’s making sure she stays focused on us, and not Rainbow Dash. Right?”
The Spirit of Chaos nodded, and whispered, “Aria, I’ll keep her angry. She’ll slip up. Just ensure you make the best of your chance!”
-----
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash turned to her right at the corner of the stone wall marking the graveyard’s boundary. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her deep breathing came rhythmically as she set an exhausting pace for the high-stakes race she ran.
-----
Discord, Aria and Fluttershy emerged into a wide-open area dotted with several large memorials. The necromantic mist billowed around them. The brook, contained by banks of white gravel, gurgled insistently at their feet. It flowed towards a gleaming marble statue of an angel with a sheathed sword on her back cradling a wounded soldier in her arms. The phosphorescent green mist gave the statue’s beatific visage a sinister edge the sculptor had never intended.
Shrieking Raven stood in the clearing, grinning confidently. The helmet fashioned from a unicorn skull glimmered with evil magic that darkly reflected in the hideously fringed robe that clothed the banshee. Blackness trailed after her as she stepped threateningly towards Discord, Aria and Fluttershy. With caution no longer needed, Chainbreaker flashed brightly, and its warning rumbled deeply across the graveyard, creating a stark contrast with the weapon’s earlier buzzsaw squeal. Raven frowned at the weapon, while Aria warily watched the banshee.
Discord broke the silence. “Is it too late to settle this mess with a simple game of seven-dimensional chess?” He reached behind him into his pack and began unfolding a dizzyingly complicated gameboard.
A beam of violet magic lanced forth from Raven’s macabre headgear, disintegrating the cardboard in Discord’s hands. The banshee stared furiously at the Spirit of Chaos, her hands hooked into sharp claws.
“So, Sunset tried to have it both ways. Ha! She’s doomed you all. The three of you can’t possibly stop my ascension! Well, at least the dirt merchant, the conceited athlete and the whiny tailor will have the pleasure of dying with those they care about.” Raven reached into her robe and produced the bronze dagger with the blood-red gem crudely attached to the pommel. “After all, I know that Adagio won’t have the heart to change her mind once Leviathan makes his presence known. Her commitment to her people is admirable, but easily twisted in her desperation.” She returned the weapon to its sheath under the Robe of Vecna.
Aria bared her teeth. “Don’t look now, but you just pontificated again. That’s a bad habit. You’re a thief in addition to everything else, Raven. Adagio deserves to choose what she does with her shards. You had no right to them!” Anger flushing her purple-tinted cheeks, Aria strode forward and began spinning Chainbreaker. “We share one thing, banshee. We both underestimated Sunset Shimmer. At least I learned from my mistakes.” As soon as she finished speaking, she charged forward while winding up a powerful attack.
Grabbing Discord by his arm, Fluttershy dragged him forward and chased after the Siren. “Aria, wait! You’re getting too far—“
A flash of necromantic magic burst from Raven, and caused undead to rise from nearby graves. The banshee inhaled dangerously. Aria’s violet eyes widened with terrified realization, and she stopped her attack in the nick of time. She leapt backward, landed heavily on her rear end and bowled over Discord and Fluttershy. Piled upon one another, they desperately gripped the branch from the Golden Oak Library just before the banshee’s shriek washed over them. They all concentrated on the iridescent five-pointed star on the mace’s head, whose flickering light reminded them of a solitary candle in the darkness. The trio’s mind swam with brief snippets of memory that blocked out the horrific dissonance:
Fluttershy looked out at the tents and tables scattered across the Canterlot High School football field. Her bold friend approached three pretty girls wearing nametags. “So, this is the Freshman Fair, huh? Hey, you guys, I’m Rainbow Dash! This is my awesome friend Fluttershy. We went to elementary school together in Cloudsdale.” The group of five exchanged introductions, and Rainbow Dash patted her shoulder. “See, Fluttershy, I told you making friends would be easy here!”
A pale yellow hoof pressed a beautifully enameled and bejeweled pin of a pink-and-green butterfly into his paw. He leaned down and felt Fluttershy’s breath tickle his ear as she whispered, “…so you don’t forget about me.”
“Welcome, Aria Blaze. We have waited for you for a long time.” Lady Luna removed her cloak and set it on the boundary stone of the dreamscape’s village. She looked deep into Aria’s disembodied gaze, and interrupted the memory by spreading her dusky blue wings and unsheathing the two-handed sword strapped to her back. “This is your greatest test. Now rise, and fight!”
Surprisingly, Fluttershy recovered first from Raven’s scream. She noticed a wraith rising from one of the open graves. Headstones around the incorporeal creature fell over as other undead were brought to unnatural life nearby. “No, you don’t!” she shouted.
In one swift motion, Fluttershy brought her bow up. She aimed and fired one of Discord’s undead-destroying arrows at the wraith, skewering it before the evil spirit broke free of the earth. The secondary wave of positive energy drove the green mist from a large section of the graveyard, returning most of the undead to their rest. A group of ghouls survived and moved to defend their mistress.
“Yes!” Discord wriggled out of his backpack, and he leapt to his feet, screaming with delight. He held up his hands to the sky, causing thousands of ping-pong balls to rain down on Shrieking Raven, obscuring her vision. Helping Aria to her feet, Discord closed one crimson eye in a conspiratorial wink, and he shouted to the banshee. “Looks like you went from Vecna’s General to general admission in no time flat, Cassiopeia!”
The banshee stepped into an undisturbed cloud of green mist and fired a violet blast of destructive magic at Discord that struck ping-pong balls instead of its target. “My powers will permit me to try again in a few moments, Discord. I’ve noticed your endurance has diminished since you were petrified. Have you lost a step with age? How will you counter my magic next time? Know your companions will join my horde after they perish!”
Raven’s exposition left her open to Aria’s silent approach. At the last instant, the banshee flourished her gray robe, and caused Chainbreaker’s strike to miss. The creature countered with a dark blast of magic from her helmet that dissipated as the magical mace’s holy light shined upon it. Wordlessly, Aria and Raven circled the angelic statue. The banshee’s claws were ready to strike, and the Siren continued to swing Chainbreaker in a slow vertical circle.
-----
Her lungs burned and her legs screamed in protest, but Rainbow Dash sprinted on towards her goal. She slowed and followed the wall around the corner to the back of the graveyard. The top of a series of large stone mausoleums were now visible. As she began to accelerate once again, she felt more than heard Raven’s terrible shriek.
Rainbow Dash’s head swam, and her legs buckled as the distant magical assault caused her to land roughly on her hands and knees. Get up, Dash, you have to hurry! she silently told herself.
At first, her limbs didn’t obey her mental command. When the white flash from one of Fluttershy’s most magical arrows reflected off of the low clouds, Rainbow Dash cleared her head, picked up her quarterstaff, and ran on towards the thickest concentration of green mist.
-----
Fluttershy and Discord stood back to back, slinging chaotic magic and arrows with reckless abandon.
After loosing an arrow with a red sphere embedded into the shaft, Fluttershy’s worriedly said, “That was my last fireball arrow, Discord.” It exploded about a hundred feet away, temporarily dispersing more of the foul mist and destroying a sizable group of zombies and skeletons.
“I’d love to give you more ammunition, but things are tough all over!” Discord snapped his fingers, and the cyclone he had banished earlier returned. The shark trapped in the tornado ruthlessly feasted on the ghoul nearest to the Spirit of Chaos, then winked out of existence. His hands glowed with a golden aura, and he sent a rainbow-colored ball of chaotic energy at Raven, which splashed harmlessly against her magical robe.
Aria used the distraction to strike, using a powerful upswing from Chainbreaker. The mace struck Raven in the ribs, knocking her backwards. The attack marred the Robe of Vecna’s shimmering gray surface with a large black scorch mark. Aria permitted herself a small smile.
“It’s too bad that I haven’t been alive for centuries. I know how much you’d want to claim ‘first blood’ in a fight like this! The only blood that will be spilled between us is yours, of course,” taunted the banshee. One of her decreasing number of bracelets glowed and Raven darted forward with impossible speed.
Aria turned to dodge, and howled in pain as the banshee’s sharp claws wounded her back and left side. She mastered her pain, flipped her pigtails and grimaced at Raven. “Is that all you’ve got?”
The undead creature smiled in reply. “Finally, I face a worthy opponent!” She ripped another bauble free of her skeletal arm, and disappeared from view.
Discord, dismayed by Raven’s sudden invisibility, delayed noticing a ghoul that had broken through the last row of headstones. It was headed straight for Fluttershy. Spooked by the fearsome creature’s approach, she tried to draw an arrow from her quiver, but fumbled it to the ground.
“No!” he shouted. The Spirit of Chaos drew Apple Smith’s home-forged knife, threw it at the ghoul and corrected its flight with a reflexive burst of telekinesis. The heirloom struck the monster between the eyes, and saved Fluttershy from the creature’s attack.
A pale yellow hand over her heart, Fluttershy tried in vain to calm herself. She barely managed a stammering word of thanks to Discord. Her eyes suddenly flicked past the Spirit of Chaos, and focused on movement at the far end of the cemetery.
Shrieking Raven used the moment to her advantage, making a swift attack that ended her invisibility spell. She grabbed Aria by the throat and lifted her high in the air. The bracelet granting the banshee magical strength glowed brightly. Chainbreaker dangled in Aria’s right hand. Choking, the Siren futilely kicked at the monster, and desperately tried to free herself before Raven crushed her windpipe.
“Short of breath, songbird?” taunted Shrieking Raven.
“Fluttershy, now!” implored Discord.
Her hands shook from the earlier fright. Fluttershy nocked the fifth of the six radiant arrows that Discord had made, and aimed carefully.
Aria struggled for breath. “Kill me if you have to! Destroy Raven!”
The arrow flew through the air, and softly sailed over Shrieking Raven’s horrific helmet towards the back of the cemetery.
“I knew you’d miss when it counted the most! You’ve been timid and craven your whole life, Fluttershy. At last, your fear caused you to fail.” The banshee’s black eyes communicated revulsion and disdain.
Fluttershy stood straight, tugged on her long pink braid and confidently said, “What makes you think I missed?”
-----
I made it! Now I need to jump the wall, thought Rainbow Dash. Her lungs were on fire and her pulse raced, but she had reached her goal. Tossing her staff over the four-foot tall barrier, she backed up to get a running start. Owing to her athletic prowess, she easily grabbed the flat top of the stone wall and hauled herself to the other side. As she landed, a fireball exploded about fifty yards away, illuminating the shadows of her three friends along with numerous enemies.
Rainbow Dash let loose an admiring obscenity. Dozens upon dozens of open graves lay around the limestone mausoleum where the magical green mist originated. The device, sitting on the floor of the modest stone structure, appeared unassuming. But, as she approached through the concentrated emerald fog that tickled her knees, Rainbow Dash’s chest tightened, and her stomach turned. Made of gray metal and entirely covered in magical runes, the necromantic engine was shaped roughly like a pyramid about a foot tall. Holes near the top of the pyramid allowed the green mist to billow forth.
In the distance, Discord screamed “No!” Rainbow Dash immediately focused on the task at hand. She gripped her quarterstaff in both hands and brought it down with all her strength upon the point of the pyramid.
A magical rune shaped like a skull flared with unholy energy, breaking the staff into three pieces and knocking Rainbow Dash to the ground. “Dammit! Now what?”
Her desperation growing, she threw pieces of defiled headstones at the necromantic engine, but none of the improvised weapons made a scratch. She even tried to stomp on the metal pyramid, but it deflected her blow, knocking her off balance.
Seated awkwardly on the ground, Rainbow Dash stopped and looked up at the sky. She closed her eyes, bowed her head and sheepishly said, “Hey, I know Scoots puts a lot of stock in this, but I’m not so good at it. I need some help, or else she and a lot of other people I care about are going to die.”
A soft thunk came to her ears. She opened her eyes and saw one of Fluttershy’s glowing white arrows stuck in the ground at the entrance to the mausoleum.
Rainbow Dash grinned crookedly. “Awesome work, Fluttershy!” She looked skyward. “Thanks to you, too.”
Without further fanfare, she plucked the radiant weapon from the ground, entered the mausoleum and plunged the arrow into one of the holes at the top of the evil magical device. A high pitched whine rapidly built intensity, until the arrow, necromantic engine and mausoleum all exploded in a burst of pure, white light. The blast tossed Rainbow Dash into the air. She bounced off of a tree and fell to the ground.
-----
Shrieking Raven looked at Fluttershy in confusion. Her helmet’s horn spat forth purple light tinged with darkness. “It’s time to end this banter.” She inhaled to scream once again, but before she could use her devastating ability, a huge explosion shook the earth.
Startled by the blast, Raven threw Aria forcefully away from her. The Siren’s head bounced on the ground, and she came to rest in the cold water of the babbling brook. As she rolled, Chainbreaker went dark as the magical mace fell from her hand.
“Rainbow Dash did it!” yelled Discord. “Look! The mist is gone, and the dead sleep again!”
Shrieking Raven turned towards the Spirit of Chaos, and issued a furious retort. “So does your pet Siren. I still hold the advantage.” A white flash reflected across her black eyes.
Discord pointed down at Raven’s left hip. “Care to make a wager on that?”
Fluttershy had fired her final radiant arrow. While it didn’t completely penetrate the Robe of Vecna to strike Shrieking Raven, it had pierced the macabre garment. Its brilliance became almost blinding as the arrow issued a high-pitched musical note. Discord dove behind a row of headstones to take cover.
Raven knew what the crescendo portended. In a panic, she ripped the robe from her body, balled it around the magical arrow and tossed it as far into the air as her magically-augmented strength would allow. Robe and missile exploded in mid-air, and ninety-nine pale balls of light escaped into the heavens.
With her magical raiment's destruction, the banshee gave in to her fury, and leapt forward with her claws poised to strike. Her right set of claws swept away Fluttershy’s composite bow, while the left tore her shirt and raked deep furrows in her stomach and side.
Raven howled furiously as Fluttershy screamed in pain, and she pressed her hands against the wounds. The banshee kicked her downed opponent. “Do you know how many centuries it took to restore the Robe’s power? I’ll start anew, with your flesh and your pink hair!”
Discord stood and saw the vicious cuts across Fluttershy's midsection. He saw her blood staining her hands, and her face contorted in agony. His gaze flicked over to where Aria lay in the brook, and he saw Chainbreaker lying on the ground. The Spirit of Chaos’ ever-present smirk faded and he clenched his jaw. His crimson eyes came alight with righteous fury, and glowed in the dark.
He shouted with all the anger his human form could muster, "No! Not her!" A nimbus of chaotic magical energy surrounded Discord. Mismatched wings sprouted from his back. A blue goat’s horn, a deer’s antler, and a pair of Equestrian ears appeared atop his head, while a red scaly tail extended from the end of his spine. The Spirit of Chaos' hands glowed with a bright golden aura, and Shrieking Raven wheeled around, distracted from her prey.
"Never again, Fluttershy! I won't fail you ever again!" His voice quivered with emotion as the moonlight shone down upon him.
Surrounded by a golden telekinetic aura, Chainbreaker leapt into Discord's right hand. The weapon flickered, seeming almost surprised at who wielded it, before emitting steady white radiance once again. With his left hand, Discord tore free the lapel pin from his camouflage top. The pin grew and expanded into an enormous medieval kite shield. Its pale green face exhibited a trio of pink butterflies surrounded by twining vines and multihued songbirds.
Discord, the enraged Spirit of Chaos, charged the banshee called Shrieking Raven.
*****
During the battle against the mass of undead, Aria sings two lines from “The Song of Swords” from Fred Saberhagen’s epic Book of Swords series.
Starswirl the Bearded’s spell of banishment is excerpted from and inspired by Madeleine L’Engle’s A Swiftly Tilting Planet.
*****