San Garry's Mod International Airport, Los Angeles CA
Two years ago
"This is wrong… we've checked the plane twice, Dan isn't here," Elise said.
"We've already checked the tarmac and the terminal building," Chris said, thinking out loud. The pair of them paced back and fourth frantically. Airport officials and security guards stopped to talk to them now and then, update them on the situation but it wasn't looking good. They were running out of places to search.
Chris checked his cell phone again. "I'm still not getting a signal from his phone."
"Did anyone even see him leave the plane?" Elise asked. She looked out the window onto the runway. Their plane was still there. "Did anyone see him get off?"
"I don't know," Chris said. He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "Maybe we should check baggage claim?"
"This is serious, Chris!" Elise berated her husband.
"I'm being serious! Maybe somebody mistook Dan for luggage? I mean, if he got knocked out or something."
"Sure they would. And maybe if he fell out of the plane, they'd mistake him for a dragon or something."
"I thought you said this was serious," Chris said, earning him a glare from his wife. He shrugged again. "Maybe we should check the emergency exits. Maybe he-"
Chris' phone started vibrating. He held it up and checked the display. "I'm getting a text."
"Who's it from? Is it security or-"
"Ohmaigawd," Chris said, staring at the phone. "It's from Dan!"
Northern Equestria, the Crystal Palace, FIST-occupied Crystal Empire
Now
Dan stepped inside the mall. Despite the fact that he couldn't see anything in the blackness within, he still knew something had changed. It felt different- the air, the floor, the atmosphere of whatever he'd just walked into had shifted since the few hours he'd been there. He took careful steps forward, cautious of even the floor falling out from underneath him. It could be another trapdoor, or anything else, he didn't know what. But he knew he had to keep going. There was no turning back.
The pale light from outside wasn't able to illuminate anything within. Twelve steps into the mall and he was in complete darkness. He thought about reaching for his phone and using the screen to try and provide some light when the lights overhead flickered on.
The mall- or rather, the Crystal Palace was lit enough to see now. The food court and the entire layout of the front entrance had changed. He turned around to see the doors closing behind him, even the windows shutting. Nothing was the same. It looked like an actual palace now but not like anything he'd expect to see in Equestria.
The entrance hall was the same shape as the food court, even had the same bank of elevators in the center. But the walls that stores had occupied and the second floor overhead were now gone, vacant. The room stretched upward as it had before but without the walkways, the ceiling was that much higher overhead. The sterile white colors and tile had been replaced by dark indigos, purples and blues. Lavish ornamental curtains hung from the walls and massive tapestries and paintings adorned the center of each surface. Each painting depicted Earth Ponies, some even with humans, in poses of triumph.
None of it made sense to Dan. Probably just more distractions anyway. At least, he could see now. He walked to the bank of elevators directly in the center of the room, the only things that looked the same as the last time he'd seen them. His footsteps made no echoes as he walked. There was no noise at all.
He almost reached the elevator when it dinged and finally broke the silence. The doors opened revealing a familiar face.
"You."
"Oh, crap, not you again," Dan said. "Look, I don't have time for-"
"You." Captain Springer, fully armed and armored except for her helmet, blocked the doorway. The plasma casters on either side of her rotated into position, pointing at Dan. The spring-green pegasus glared at him, teeth gritted and snarling.
"Vice Grip thinks he can trust you, trust ANY human to do something he wants, well, I don't," Springer declared. Her plasma barrels began spinning, glowing green and preparing to fire.
"Hey, I'm just here for my friends, minty. I don't have time for this so if you really want a rematch that much-"
"I will NOT see Equestria's future tainted by some bumbling ape's shenanigans!" Springer yelled. "If Vice needs you to do this so badly, he can get what he needs from your unconscious-"
"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Dan chucked the bag of bombs as hard as he could at her. It hit her square in the chest, knocking her to the back of the elevator.
"Wa- UGH!"
*BABOOOOOOMSSSH!*
The bag exploded, destroying the elevator shaft. The elevator's remains plummeted down the shaft all the way to the bottom. Dan heard it crash on the basement floor, followed by another explosion shortly afterward. He peered down the elevator shaft.
"I don't have time for this, you friggin' moron!" he shouted down the shaft. "Like I need this xenophobic garbage right now! Pick on someone your own level! Effing fangirls." Whether she heard him or not, remained to be seen. Not that Dan cared- ponies as annoying as Springer had a way of bouncing back. Again, not that he cared.
With one elevator ruined, he walked around to the next elevator and pressed the call button. The doors dinged and opened immediately, unoccupied this time. He stepped inside.
"All right, which button looks like it says detention level…"
"One hand below, one hand above."
"HOLY SCHNIKEYS!!" Dan practically jumped. He spun around to see Bon-bon right next to him.
"One hand awaits for you below… one hand awaits for you above," the mare said again.
"How the hex did you get in here?" he asked, looking around. "Aren't you Lyra's girlfriend?"
Bon-bon didn't answer. She stared at Dan, almost through him. The elevator doors opened at she stepped outside.
"There can be no going back. Only one route is open to you now but at this crossroads, you may see where the other leads," she said, her voice stoic.
"The heck are you talking about?" Dan asked. "How did you get in the elevator? Can you teleport?"
She didn't answer him. "He waits for you at the top, the Summit of a New Destiny. You must reach the peak now but you will travel the depths eventually. Both of them, the ends and the beginnings of a new world."
Dan shook his head. "So… up? Top floor?"
"Yes."
"Gotcha," Dan said, turning away. He pressed the button for the top floor, hoping to avoid more riddle-speak. Honestly, he could tolerate the philosophical jargon but only when he could make sense of it now. Spewing nonsense for him to understand later was pointless. It was like being handed a lock without a key. Others might try to pick it now but Dan would rather either force it or just find the key and deal with it later.
"Hi Dan!"
"JEEZUS!" Dan jumped again. He turned around to see Lyra standing opposite to where Bon-bon had been behind him. "HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?!"
Lyra tapped her horn. "I have a horn, silly! But hey, just wanted to let ya know that Mr. Wright and the others have moved your chariot already so you should be able to take it home with you!"
"Oh… thanks," Dan said.
"Yup!" she gave the human a hug. "The trial was so awesome. Me and Bon-bon got to be on the jury!"
"Nice," Dan said. "So… why are you here?"
"Oh, uh, Nightshade asked us to help out after we got him and Flash Sentry out of jail. So us and a bunch of the crystal ponies are going to link up with Lightning Claw so we can make sure none of those bad FIST-y ponies or Enclavers get away! Neat, huh?"
"Yeah, that is pretty neat," Dan had to admit. "But why are you here now? In this elevator? You could've just called me."
"Oh, hehehe," she giggled. "I'm here to save your game."
"Ah. Figures."
"The previous save file already has data on it. Are you sure you'd like to erase?"
Dan facepalmed. "Just… please, go now. Secure perimeter."
The elevator doors opened and the teal mare stepped out. "Good luck, Dan! We're rooting for you and all of humanity! Make us proud! You've got fans in us!"
"Right," Dan said, waving. The doors closed again and the elevator traveled upward. He checked behind him one more time to make sure there wasn't anypony else still in the elevator with him and then let out a sigh of relief.
On the ground floor, the two mares watched the elevator ascend.
"What will he do when he finds her?" Bon-bon asked.
"He'll do what he does," Lyra replied, smiling.
Bon-bon did not smile back. "When he finds her, do you think he'll know?"
Lyra nodded. "He'll know," she assured her friend. She grabbed her hooves and held them tight. "We'll all know." They watched the elevator ascend into darkness.
It didn't take long before Dan realized something had replaced Lyra and Bon-bon in the elevator with him: elevator music. He would've preferred silence as he planned on all sorts of violent things he'd do to Vice. It wasn't easy picturing yourself ripping out someone's spinal column and strangling them with it to the tune of of smooth tropical cruise jazz. One of the smoothest forms of jazz ever invented, tropical smooth jazz was used by the Crystal Empire to relax wayward rogue dragons or the infrequent Ursa Minor or Major. Maintaining aggression through the calming tones was nearly impossible but this is Dan we're talking about so somehow, the incredibly soothing music was unable to cool his blood, which stayed at a nice simmering level.
The elevator ride went on for several minutes. Dan couldn't see out or tell how far up he was traveling but he had to guess he was nearing the top. Finally, the elevator dinged and the doors opened.
Stepping out of the elevator, Dan arrived at a new level… of strange. He looked around, quickly recognizing everything on the top floor from somewhere else he'd been. Escalators, high curved ceiling, windows that looked like a mall, the tiled floor and row after row of chairs and benches surrounded by line separators. It was the Toronto International Airport, the same airport he'd departed from when he arrived in Equestria.
Behind him, the elevator sunk into the floor. The entire airport was a dull gray like the rest of the Crystal Empire had been. He looked around as he walked forward, guessing wherever he was supposed to go was in front of him. Outside the windows, the skies were gray and clouded. The sound of planes landing and taking off, the bustle of vehicles outside was present but there were no people. The terminal building was empty but it sounded like it was still in operation.
"Trans-Tolerable Flight Eighteen-Thirteen to San Gmod now boarding at gate forty-two-gee-four. All passengers, please make sure all personal belongings are stored accordingly."
Dan had heard that same intercom announcement the day he boarded the plane. This entire floor was a recreation of the day he was transported to Equestria. How this was happening or the point of it, he didn't know. Maybe it was Vice's way of taunting him, making him revisit the past. Either way, he knew where to go now.
"Captain Oveur, Captain Clarence Oveur to the white courtesy phone, please."
It was a long walk through the terminal building to his departure gate. But there was no one else there. The air was cold and still and he walked at a brisk pace through the empty building. Without anyone or anything to get in his way, he reached the gate easier than the last time he'd been there.
There was no one at the departure gate either but it was open for him. He entered it and walked down the familiar connecting hall into his plane. As he stepped on board, the door sealed behind him. Suddenly, almost instantly, the plane was in the air. His ears popped with the change in elevation.
The plane was empty as well. The cockpit, the cabins, there was luggage and everything else that had been there but no passengers, stewards or even pilots. Outside the windows, Dan only saw open sky rolling by. He walked back to his seat in the "economy-class" cabin just as he had before. Again, it was just as empty.
He sat down in his original chair. He looked over to where Chris and Elise were, the last time he'd seen them. Their chairs were vacant as if they were coming back in a few moments. Everything was eerily familiar but out of place. Dan didn't know what else to do so he waited.
The projector screen for in-flight movies was rolled down, nailed to the wall. That was something new he noticed. As he continued looking around, the projector turned on and began playing a black-and-white film. Vice Grip appeared on the screen.
"Second chances," the movie Vice Grip said, "You never gave anyone else one yet you were given the biggest one of all: the chance to start again. Humans don't wind up in Equestria for no reason. Do you really think you deserved a second chance, Dan? The chance to start over in a new world?"
Dan thought about it. "I… don't know. Maybe… maybe not," he looked over to the empty seats next to him. "There's more deserving people, I guess."
The image of Vice grinned. "But you didn't always believe that, did you? Certainly not the last time you were here."
"No," Dan admitted. "I didn't."
"You were given redemption when you didn't deserve it. You were given a second chance when you didn't deserve it. You received all this when you wouldn't have given it in the first place. And do you know why?"
Dan folded his arms. "Why don't you tell me?"
"Because redemption and retribution are the same thing. They both have a price. And it's time for you to pay up." The image of Vice faded, the film tearing up and disintegrating. The projector screen rolled up to the ceiling. Behind it, the words DO NOT REMAIN SEATED were imprinted on the wall.
The lights in the cabin all turned red. The plane felt like it came to a sudden stop. Emergency lights appeared on the floor, flashing arrows pointing towards the emergency exit. Dan got up and followed them. They pointed him to the same emergency door he'd used earlier, again mislabeled as the restroom. The arrows appeared on the wall, prompting him to open it once again. Dan took a deep breath, grabbed the handle and opened the door.
Outside was the open sky but it wasn't whistling by him. He wasn't as high up as he thought he was either. Peering outside and down, he realized he was still in the Crystal Empire, still in the Crystal Palace. He stepped his foot out and touched something solid with his toe, an invisible floor of some kind. He tested his weight on it before stepping out.
The door slammed shut behind him. He was at the peak of the Crystal Palace now, the top of the massive tower. Far below, the clouds had cleared and color had returned to most of the city. Equestria stretched out in all directions, just as it had before. The rolling green hills leading up to the purple snow-capped mountains, the dark green of the Everfree Forest and the reddish landscapes, enormous mesas dotting the distance in the north-east. And at the edge of the Empire, Magic Gears, Flutterbirds and other craft on a massive gray tarmac that looked like a giant parking lot outside an amusement park.
Dan didn't know where to go. The floor seemed to be holding up even if he couldn't see it. He stayed close to the Crystal Palace, walking around the very top of it to the other side. In the distance facing south, he saw Vice Grip, metallic hands clasped and back turned to him. Far away, staring back at them was Ponyville, Cloudsdale and Canterlot just on the horizon. He approached Vice Grip.
"I think this is how they see it," Vice said, back still turned. "Sure, anypony could have the same view if they got up high enough. Especially the pegasi but they're usually focused on the clouds- they don't really grasp the scope of things very often. They don't see it the way they do. I guess it's difficult to see the beauty of things when you're born with them. Not the princesses, though. I think they see the world this way."
Dan said nothing. He gritted his teeth, fists balled, rage boiling over. It was time.
"They're so high up all the time though, I don't think they see anypony else. The higher you go, the more things get blurred. I guess there's some poetry in that. It doesn't excuse their actions, the way they let things become. But it makes it harder for me to hate them. Not that you and I have ever been unable to hate anything… it's just harder."
The wind whipped Vice's mane and lab coat. His tail gently brushed the sides of his metal boots. He continued looking out on Equestria, his homeland. "This is how you make difficult decisions, Dan. You put yourself high up above everything else until all you see is the bigger picture… and then, no matter what happens, everything looks just a little bit brighter when you're watching it from far away. Like dropping a bomb and just waiting to see the impact."
"RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Dan had been charging towards Vice the entire time he'd been talking. He finally lunged at the villain while his back was turned, hoping to tackle him to the ground. Somehow though, he flew through Vice Grip; the fiend had disappeared just as he leapt at him and Dan went crashing to the invisible floor.
"URGH!" he hit the floor, sliding a bit across the surface like it was glass. He tried to get up when something metal pressed on the back of his neck. It was Vice's boot.
"You honestly think I haven't anticipated your every action?!" Vice asked, voice furious. "It's almost INSULTING to think I haven't predicted your every move, calculated every last detail." He reached into Dan's pocket and took his cell phone.
"Bite me, douchebag!"
"Douchebag?" Vice reached down and grabbed Dan's neck, crushing his windpipe. Dan grabbed at the metal hand as Vice hoisted him into the air off his feet. "Douchebag? I'm trying to SAVE Equestria, to give MY ENTIRE RACE the second chance that YOU received. And you think I'M the douchebag?!"
"E-ee-eeyup."
"Insolent prick!" Vice tossed Dan back towards the tower. The human rolled across the surface of the transparent floor and slid to a halt. "I'm doing this for the FUTURE! The future that I, that all of Equestria was robbed of!"
"You're a high-tech con artist," Dan said, getting up and rubbing his throat. "You offer everypony all this futuristic garbage… and you don't tell them it only costs them their freedom. You want everypony to sacrifice everything they have so you can build an empire of crappy gizmos. You're just another bad salesman, a swindler, a scam artist… and nopony's buying it."
Vice scowled at him. "At least I offered first. I wasn't like Tia and Lulu and their precious little royal family. I ASKED first, I didn't just usurp power and keep everypony in the dark!"
"Everypony loves the princesses," Dan said, getting to his feet. "They see through your act. Nopony's gonna choose you over them."
"Oh, they will," Vice said. He reached into his pocket and retrieved Dan's phone and a remote control. "Because I'm not going to give them any other option. This time, I'm not asking. And you're going to help me."
"I don't think so, Dr. No-pony."
Vice smiled. "Again, this time, I'm not asking." He took a half-step around and pointed the remote at the horizon, at Ponyville. He pressed a button and slowly, the whole Crystal Empire turned red. Magic Gears, the Mentor Gears and Sword Spells lining every avenue and street glowed red, lighting up the ground like lava underneath them. The Crystal Palace reflected it, turning a reddish hue.
"I have enough Swords to turn every city on Earth into a nice, big pile of ash. And on those ashes, I shall build a new Equestria, a world where the might of the mind rules the day, not magic," Vice said. He stepped closer to Dan. "A world where ponies are not bound by the arcanists and their archaic ways, where everypony is free to seek out their own destiny, aspire to greater heights. Under my supervision, of course."
"You mean your oppression," Dan corrected.
Vice chuckled. "As if they're not oppressed now. Ponies like Lightning Claw are just going to keep cropping up. And Tia and Lulu are just going to keep sweeping them under the rug for a thousand years, like always. Who's going to advocate for them? You?"
"That's right, me!" Dan shouted. "And we got a lawyer, too! And when somepony gets upset, they can come to us! They can come to me, to Twilight, to all of us and we'll work things out together! All you're doing is blaming EVERYPONY ELSE for a bunch of crap that happened to YOU. You'll never be as good a leader as the princesses… you don't understand magic, you don't understand technology, you don't understand ponies or people or anything else for that matter! You're worse than the corrupt politicians from Earth!"
"Hahaha," Vice smiled, shaking his head. "Well, you're right about one thing- I don't know how to make magic work. Try as I might, the Sword Spells still require a magical connection to be summoned to Earth."
"And I'm guessing I'M the connection, right?"
"Well, of course. Who else but you could condemn all of humanity? Who else but the most judgmental, vengeful and vindictive person ever to walk the face of Earth and Equestria? In your last moments on Earth, your last actions were to send a message telling your best friend to exact revenge on all life on every living person on the face of the planet. But the message didn't quite go through, did it?" Vice reached out to Dan, holding out his cell phone.
Dan looked at it, unsure of whether to back away or reach out for it.
"Two years ago, you condemned all of humanity as your last act on Earth. Now, with the power of Equestria, we can make that wish come true."
Dan reached out and grabbed the phone. He looked at the text message, the last thing he'd try to send Chris. It was a long list of everything that had ever wronged him, every person, place and thing imaginable. It was a very long list and in fact incorporated most if not all of humanity in one form or another. Even the memory of some of them made his blood burn again. He held in his hand everything he hated, everything that made him frustrated and everything that had ever made him angry. Everything he ever judged.
He looked up at Vice. "I send this message… and it launches the Sword Spells at Earth?"
Vice nodded, smiling. "Every Sword will be warped to an individual position on that list. More than enough will overlap. The people you hate, the things you despise will have a moment to realize they're about to be wiped out before… boom. And then that text will be all that will ever be left of them."
He stared right at Vice Grip. "What's to stop me from not hitting send?"
Vice smiled again. "I'm happy you asked that." He clicked a button on the remote. From the side of the Crystal Palace, three spheres appeared out of a hatch. Dan spun around, looking up to see his three friends hanging in cages on a wire.
"DAN!!"
"DAN!!!"
"THPPPBBB!!!"
"TWILIGHT!! CHRYS, FLUFFLE!!" Dan yelled. He spun around again and through a punch at Vice Grip. A metal hand blocked him before it struck his face.
"Your friends for the future, Dan," Vice said. "That seems like a fair trade, doesn't it? You haven't even seen Earth in two years-"
"LET. THEM. GO," Dan pushed against Vice with both hands. The stallion blocked both attempts. Like a brick wall, he was unyielding. Dan still pushed, pouring all of his strength, bracing and shoving. Vice's steel boots slid back a fraction of an inch.
"The unstoppable force has stopped," Vice remarked, grinning. "Come now, you know everything has a limit, even your rage," he leaned in closer, still holding Dan's fists at bay. "But you don't have to rail against me. I'll release your friends, let you all go home and live happily and in peace. Let me have the world you left behind. Give me the future I want… and I will give you yours."
"LET… LET THEM GO!!" Dan kept pushing. "LET THEM GO!!! GIVE THEM BACK!!!" He pushed with both legs, scraping them against the floor to no avail. Tears streamed down his face. "Just let them go… please, let them go…"
Twilight, Chrys and Fluffle looked on in silence at their friend fighting for them. It was heartbreaking watching him smash himself against a brick wall. They wanted him to stop for them, saw how much it was hurting him but would he even stop if they begged him? They could say nothing. Not Twilight, not Chrys, not Fluffle, not a word.
Dan collapsed to his knees in front of Vice. The stallion knelt down to him.
"You knew this would happen eventually, Dan," Vice said. "No one's resolve lasts forever. Not yours and certainly not humanity's. But you have earned more than they have," Vice handed him his cell phone. "Your resolve is greater. You, only you out of all the humans could hold onto anger, to fill your soul with fury so long that it could burn everything they built. And out of those ashes, a new legacy will rise. You condemned them all once before, Dan. Now… let this be the last time."
"Don't do it, Dan!" Twilight yelled.
"No, Dan, don't!" Chrys yelled.
"Thpp! Thpp-THBBB-THBBB!" Fluffle added.
Vice closed Dan's hands around the phone. "Give Earth the second chance you were given. Wipe the slate clean. Press the button… and let us start again."
Dan looked at his phone. A tear fell from his cheek to hit the surface like a drop of rain. He looked over to his friends.
"You want to save them, don't you?" Vice asked.
Dan gave a solemn, weak nod.
"Then save them. Be with them, be happy. I give you my word," Vice held a metal hand over his heart, "send the message and I will send you home."
"Dan, don't!!" Twilight shouted.
"I have to do… what I have to do." Dan looked down at the phone again. "What I always do."
"Dan, no!!!"
He went to the text to Chris and began typing a message:
Dear Chris,
If you get this message, I wanted to let you know that I'm okay. I don't know if or when I'll get to see you again but I wanted you to know I'm safe. I'm sorry for all the stuff I dragged you into but I'm thankful you went through it for me, you and Elise. All those people, all those places, everything I tried to get revenge upon, I didn't really hate any of them. I just knew that they were better and I guess in my own way I was trying to help them be more than they were, as crazy as that sounds. Maybe I didn't always do that in the best way but I tried. You and Elise were always good to me and I love you both for it. Thanks for being there for me and maybe, we'll see each other again some day. Until then, let everyone know that I'm sorry if I hurt any of them… and to the ones that wronged me, I forgive them. And please take care of Mr. Mumbles and my car. I know you will.
Your friend,
Dan
*Send*
Message Sent.
The moment Dan hit "send", the Sword Spells launched. The Crystal Palace shook, the air smelled of burnt ozone and the missiles rose like a fiery eruption.
"Hahahahaha!!" Vice laughed, delighted. "You actually did it!" he pulled Dan to his feet and grabbed him by the shoulder.
Dan didn't look up. His friends watched in horror as the red lights, an ocean of them rose to fill the sky.
"Yes! Oh, YES!" Vice exclaimed, excited. "Finally, everything we wanted will finally be ours! My father's dream… the future is finally ours," he said, smiling. He turned to Dan. "Now, as far as your friends go, I'm afraid I'll be needing to keep them a bit longer. You see-"
One of the Sword Spells exploding behind him.
Dan looked up.
Vice turned around. "What?"
One by one, the Sword Spells exploded. But instead of into a mushroom cloud or a massive city-annihilating apocalyptic explosion, they burst into fireworks. The Crystal Palace, the Crystal Empire, all of Equestria was bathed in harmless, multi-colored lights.
Vice Grip stepped forward. "What… what's happening?"
"Oooh, that one was nice," Chrys remarked from her bubble prison. Fluffle clapped.
"I don't understand," Vice said.
"Ha… hahaha!" Dan laughed at the fireworks display. "It's InDanpendence Day in Equestria!" Down and around the Crystal Empire, the Magic Gears cheered at the fireworks. Several of the large machines applauded, others danced. The Mentor Gears weren't able to keep disciplined and quickly were overwhelmed by the celebrating forty-foot tall robot fillies.
Vice immediately turned back to him. "You. What did you do?!" He stomped over to Dan, who was still laughing. He knocked the human down and grabbed the phone out of his hand. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!!"
"Hahaha," Dan laughed, getting up. "Looks like your little plan didn't work out. I guess all your nukes were duds. Or bottle rockets," he said, chuckling.
Vice flipped through Dan's phone, trying to understand. "You… you changed the message."
"You didn't say I couldn't."
"You CHANGED the MESSAGE!!!" Vice roared. "You FORGAVE THEM. After ALL THIS TIME you FORGAVE THEM."
"YES. I DID."
"YOU GOTDAMN EFFING MORON!" Vice broke the phone in his grip and threw the remains on the ground.
"HEY!" Dan shouted, jumping to his feet. "That was MY PHONE!"
"How… HOW DID YOU DO THIS?!" Vice demanded. He stomped over to where Twilight hung with the others. "HOW DID HE DO THIS?!!"
Twilight shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe you should write a letter to another princess."
"Grrrrrrrrrrrr," Vice growled, feeling his blood boil.
Dan turned to face him. "Look, I don't know how magic works. Maybe I was a vengeful guy before I came here. But I've changed. I've learned the value of forgiveness and what it means to really forgive someone. And I've come to forgive the rest of humanity for all the crap on Earth, too. But I'm still vengeful. I'm REALLY vengeful. And on that note," he picked up his phone's data card and pocketed it. He then cracked his knuckles. "You owe me a new cell phone. You can get to paying me for that after you release my friends."
Vice smiled. "Ah yes, your friends. Well, why don't we just address that now?" he turned around to Twilight and the others. Using his remote, he detached their spherical prisons from the side and they hovered in midair. Vice's jet boots activated and he rose up to join them. "Seeing as how I need to make over a thousand NEW Sword Spells, I'll be needing a lot more magic to do that. Thankfully, your friends here have volunteered."
"NO!" Dan roared.
"Dan!!" Chrys yelled. She scraped against the bubble shield with her horn, with her hooves. Twilight did the same while Fluffle bit at the walls with her teeth.
Vice grinned. "Don't worry- you can have them back when I'm done with them. I'll have figured out a way to get them to Earth by then, too but I'll be sure to save one Sword Spell back for yo- what?" As Vice was talking, the remote levitated out of his hand. He turned to Twilight, Chrys and Fluff who were still helpless.
"I don't think you should volunteer for this guy," Lightning Claw said. A Flutterbird rose up from the clouds next to Twilight and the others, Lightning Claw standing on its nose. "His benefits really suck."
"Lightning," Vice said, somewhere between question and statement. "Why?"
Lightning stared back at him. "You said you were going to give me Cloudsdale."
"And I will, just-"
"Just broken, burnt, radioactive and on another planet?" Lightning finished his sentence.
Vice flew over to him in his boots. Before he could reach his former partner and enforcer, a large indigo-electric shield separated the two. It encircled a good portion of the area, blocking Vice's escape.
"This is mutiny, you know," Vice said, glaring at him.
Lightning glared right back. "No. This is my two week's notice."
"But that still means you'll be working for me for two weeks! That's what a two week's notice means!"
"No, no- I mean, this is my notice that I've been betraying you for the past two weeks."
Vice facepalmed.
"You're out of tricks, you're out of gadgets and you're out of friends," Dan said. "Now, it's just you and me."
Vice Grip turned around to him slowly. Surprisingly to Dan, he was smiling. "Ha! HahahahahahahahaHA!"
The laugh was disturbing enough to make Dan cringe but he held his ground. "I don't guess this means you just want to give up?"
"Hahaha, no," Vice said, chuckling. "I may be out of all my tactics, tools and allies. But I still have plenty of tricks." He rose into the air, the jets on his boots kicking on. The air inside the bubble began to get hot very quickly; Dan could feel the heat even from meters away. "Like you said, it's just you and me." The scientist dove towards Dan in a rocket-powered punch, an augmented steel fist barreling towards him like a missile.
Dan smiled. "Wouldn't want it any other way."