//------------------------------// // We've Come So far! My True Friends! // Story: My Little Pirates: Luffy's Adventures in Equestria // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// “A power that dwarfs yours?” Twilight gasped. “I mean, this spell is in a whole new realm of magic for me, but to equal yo—” “Twilight,” Celestia interrupted. “Breathe.” Twilight drew a hoof to her chest and rolled it in and out in time with her breaths. She simmered down and relaxed slightly. Her eyes remained glued on the book before her though. “Perhaps, my words were a bit strong, but I have no doubt this spell would have been the most powerful thing in Equestria had Starswirl had the necessary components for it.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Components?” “Yes,” Celestia sighed and took a seat beside Twilight. “Make no mistake, Starswirl was the greatest of warlocks and a lone source of hope to ponies in the time before Luna and I were strong enough to face Discord. Had we not come under his tutelage, I have no doubt he would have employed this spell in a bid to return normality to Equestria. Though I have doubts if it would have successfully worked.” “Meaning?” Twilight asked. “The Elements are incredibly complex artifacts. You may have struggled for a few minutes on your own to unlock them, but quickly released their power once your friends came to assist you.” A frow crossed Celestia’s face. “Luna and I spent months trying to get them to even fizzle, and that was only after an even longer period of time training with Starswirl.” “And Starswirl?” “The Elements had been in his possession for decades by the time Luna and I joined him without showing a single sign of resonance with him.” Celestia shook her head. “Starswirl may have never personally wielded the Elements, but his research into them had shown the power and danger a single pony harnessing them could do. Even in my own battle with Tirek, I only dared use them to augment my own magic and they still ended up as rocks for centuries.” A chill ran down Twilight’s spine. “Are you sure I should be learning this then? What if something goes wrong? What if it…” Twilight turned her head down. “What if I hurt my friends?” “Twilight.” Celestia draped a wing across Twilight’s back. “I know that fear all too well. I’ve felt it in the past and I’ve felt it far more than I’ve wanted to recently. Yet is is my bond with my subjects, my sister, and you and my desire to protect you all that gives me the strength to defend those precious things. Do you understand?” “I…” Twilight inhaled and nodded. “I do.” ~~~ Twilight spiraled around a molten beam a magic and slammed a hoof into Tirek’s torso. The air wavered around them and she could feel Tirek’s muscles pushing back against her. Tirek bared his fangs down at her and raised up an arm. With a blast that forced a bit of wind out of Tirek, Twilight teleported away just as he brought his fist down. As soon as she reappeared, she took flight again. Tirek roared and sent out beam after beam at her. While she zipped through the air, magic collected around her horn and grew brighter until it resembled a miniature star. Dodging one more blast, she aimed her horn and unleashed a torrent of pure white magic laced with neon streams of purple and pink. Tirek threw up his arms and took on the attack. The blast shoved him backwards, but after losing a few yards of ground, he managed to wring the spell to his right. With a great yell, he pushed with all his might and redirected the spell so that it zoomed off into the air. Burns and smoke now ran up his hands. A smirk came to his face when he watched Twilight land across from him. “Something wrong?” he huffed. “I’d be in pretty bad shape if I took another one of those.” Twilight growled and launched herself at Tirek. Hooves clashed against arms. Twilight would get a good jab at Tirek’s face but he would soon return it with a punch that overtook Twilight’s whole body. Yet neither let up. A massive hoof suddenly shot up from the ground and kicked Twilight away. Tirek chucked as he retracted his hoof from the portal he’d summoned. Both of his arms were twitching and he gave them a rub. “Well, you’ve certainly put on a good show, but your finale feels a little lacking.” His eyes gleamed looking over Twilight. She was still quite radiant, but it no longer stung to look at her. The auroral wings at her sides had diminished to the size of regular pegasus wings while the magic around her horn just clung to it rather than extended out past it. With heavy breath, Twilight crouched down and charged up her horn again. Tirek bowed his head and stampeded at her. While the magic flowed into the tip of her horn, something at the back of her mind was seized with an intense cold. She gritted her teeth and pushed the feeling back and instead focused on the heat resonating from her spell. Just as Tirek fell upon her, she launched her attack and hit him square in the chest. For a good few seconds, he loomed over her wreathed in the blaze of her magic. With a pained roar, he was launched off his hooves and sent flying. While his collapsed onto a nearby mound of rocks, Twilight went to her knees. A chill raced over her back. While her eyes still crackled with magic, her irises and pupils were now visible through the thaumic haze. The latter shrank at the sight of her back now bare of its wings. A shiver ran through her and wouldn’t stop. “Looking a little cold,” Tirek bellowed. “I suppose you’d have to be, using a magic that should be shared and keeping it all for yourself.” With a grunt, he picked himself up off the ground. One of Twilight’s legs inched backwards but she steeled herself and began charging her next attack. What little aura remained around her body swirled up to her horn. Trike laughed again. “You foal! You think abusing the Elements like this will do you any good?” He coughed and placed a hand to his chest. “Oh, you’ve hurt me quite a fair bit. I may even need to rest before I go and take care of your friends, but I’ll win this. So go ahead, hit me as hard as you want. It’ll make it so much more satisfying when I show you just how powerless you truly are!” “No!” Twilight screamed. The spell came out as a massive wave rather than a concentrated beam. It washed over Tirek and a vast swath of the landscape. When it finally died down, all that was left was a freshly exposed layer of smoking and molten rock. Twilight stared at the destruction for a moment and then collapsed. Her wings were gone. Her aura was gone. Even keeping her eyes open was a struggle. The castle wasn’t too far away though. She just needed a small teleport spell and then she could rest. A rough red hand seized her by the head and plucked her off the ground. Tirek spun her around and breathed hot rancid breath on her. “See?” he sneered. “A little goading and a portal and here we are.” He squeezed Twilight a little harder, eliciting a weakened cry. “Hmmm.” Tirek scratched his chin with his free hand. “Odd to say but I’m both amused and disappointed. You really did throw everything you had at me, but in the end, all fall before Tirek. Shame you’re barely conscious.” Tirek slashed at the air and opened another portal. “Let’s go check on your friends, shall we? I’m sure they’ll give me nice expressions when I tear you limb from limb in front of them!” With a cackle that pounded in Twilight’s ears, Tirek stepped through his portal and emerged back at the castle. Looking left and right, he let out a snort. “Bah,” he grumbled, “somepony must have moved them. Oh well, I can wait. Here, you can even have your precious Elements back.” Tirek’s free hand glowed. The Elements shot up from across the battlefield and landed in a heap by a crumbling wall. Pulling Twilight back behind his head, he then flung her forward and onto the Elements. She let out a gasp when they dug into her sides. “Alright!” Tirek roared, his voice echoing through what was left of the castle. “Element Bearers, I’m back and I’ve brought your leader with me! I’ve beaten her but you’ve still got a chance to say your last words and face the inevitable. You or whoever moved you around have got ten seconds. Otherwise, I lose my patience!” “Ten!” Tirek stepped forward, hooves cracking the stone beneath him. With each step, he counted down one more number until he was right above Twilight. He raised a hoof up and leveled it right above her head. His face barely contained the twisted grin he sported seeing Twilight blearily look up at him with a few tears streaming down her face. “Two!” Tirek called out and waited a few seconds. Below him, Twilight tried to lift a leg, light up her horn, or just move in some manner, but it was taking all her concentration just to see straight. This couldn’t be the end. She had to beat Tirek. Her friends needed her to. “Girls,” she whimpered. “What a shame.” Tirek hefted his shoulders. His hoof came crashing down. “So much for your friends! On—” A jet black hoof smashed into Tirek’s head, staggering him. Before he could collect himself, a spiral of lightning zapped him in the side, sending him to the ground. Twilight felt hooves reach around her and snached her off the ground. For a brief moment, she was airborne and then was gently laid back down away from Tirek. “Twilight!” Dash called out. “Come on, stay with me!” “Rainbow Dash,” Twilight coughed. With the time to breath, Twilight managed to regain some feeling in her limbs. She could barely make out that Dash was staring down at her, but couldn’t fully read her expression. She hissed feeling her side burn when she tried taking a deeper breath. “Don’t try and move too much!” Dash yelped. “Let me look,” Pinkie said. Twilight’s ears twitched. Something about Pinkie’s tone was far more gruff and subdued. The cold touch a hoof drew her thoughts back to her body. When the hoof skimmed her side, she seized up and groaned. “Oh, please be careful,” Fluttershy whimpered. “I’m trying,” Pinkie replied. “We need to know where she got hit the hardest.” “You’re being too rough though,” Dash said. “When one of my animals gets hurt, I—” “Twilight isn’t one of your pets!” Pinkie shot back. “Darn it. Fluttershy, you’re more used to dealing with ponies getting injured, can you lend a hoof?” Some burst of magic arced over their head, unleashing a deluge of rain. “Forget it,” Pinkie huffed. “Just help me get Twilight on my back before Rarity and Applejack get themselves killed.” “N-no, wait.” Twilight’s head swam, but she tightened her jaw and forced her vision to focus. “You’re not making sense, Pinkie.” Twilight’s heart caught in her throat. Pinkie stood above her with her mane hanging straight down. Rather than a smile, her lips were pulled in a straight line that only pulled a few degrees down at their ends. Were it not for her coloration, she could have passed for a statue. What truly stole Twilight’s breath though were the three bright red apples adorning Pinkie’s flank. “Twilight…” Pinkie scrunched her face and sighed. “You’re right. Fluttershy, baring Rarity, you’re the fastest, so you take Twilight. I’ll switch in with Applejack and the four of you get away.” “Are you crazy?” Dash yelled. She glared at Pinkie, her ruby eyes gaining a slight glow to them. The trio of butterflies on her flanks seemed to writhe against her skin. “I’m not leaving anypony here with that monster!” The weak toot of a kazoo drew everypony’s attention over to Fluttershy. Blushing, she fumbled with the instrument for a moment before sighing and letting it fall to the ground. “Rainbow Dash, Diane, what if I make a distraction?” Fluttershy asked. “The party cannon… I mean, I never got it to work right, but if it could stall Tirek for a few seconds…” “No way.” Pinkie said with a shake of her head. “You have just as much of a chance of blowing yourself up.” “We have to do something!” Fluttershy cried, tears welling up around her eyes. “Otherwise w—” Applejack came flying through the air. In a blur, Dash shot up and managed to catch her and set her down besides Twilight. She was still able to stand, but her knees looked like they could give out at any moment. “Thanks, Rainbow,” she said with an eloquent tone. “I’m sorry, I got in over my head and thought I might be able to tie him up or something.” “That solves one issue at least.” Pinkie summoned haki up her legs and gave them a flex. “Like every stone or apple tree, he’s got to have a weak point, and I’m gonna find it! Now get Twilight out of here!” Pinkie launched herself toward Tirek. A sharp series of cracks and roars soon filled the air, accompanied by a sound that came off as a combination of a thunderclap and a trombone. Twilight gasped feeling Dash’s hooves on her again. “Sorry, sorry! Just a second more!” Fluttershy’s knees bent slightly when Dash laid Twilight onto her, but she managed to stay balanced. From her new position, Twilight was able to see Rarity and Pinkie scurrying around Tirek. A bizarre collection of clouds in geometric shapes floated besides Rarity and launched out various combinations of ice, lightning, and rain. Pinkie just had her hooves. Even from afar, it was easy to make out her blackened legs pressing deep into Tirek with each blow. Tirek swatted and roared at both of them, but his attacks were either blocked or dodged. Twilight could see Rarity was already sweating heavily. “No,” she moaned, glancing over at the Elements. A bit of color had returned to their gems but none of them matched. “I… I need to fix this.” “Twilight, it’ll be okay.” Dash drew up close to her. “Diane and Rarity are some of the strongest ponies I know. They… they’ll meet up with us again. We’re not gonna let Tirek win.” “No,” Twilight repeated with a bit more strength in her voice. “Rainbow Dash, you and Applejack… well, I mean, all of you are strong ponies, but you and Applejack are the toughest ones.” “Oh no.” Fluttershy paled. “She might have a concussion. We need to get her to a doctor fast!” Fluttershy began walking. Twilight’s eyes went wide and she rocked as hard as she could. Before anypony could stop her, she rolled off of Fluttershy. A harsh cry escaped her when she flopped onto the ground. All three of the girls with her rushed over. Gasping for air, Twilight looked at them, feeling like she was sinking while their concerned faces stared down at her. A few tears dripped down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “If I hadn’t used that spell, none of this…” Just as Twilight started to sob, Dash put a hoof on her, followed by Applejack and Fluttershy. “Twilight, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Applejack. “What I do know is that you fought as hard as you could today, but everypony needs to know when to fold them.” “This isn’t right,” Twilight moaned. “I have to fix what I’ve done to you. The Elements… the Elements have to have a solution.” “Darn it, Twilight!” Dash reached down and hefted Twilight up. The pain blurred Twilight’s vision for a moment before she was faced with Dash staring straight at her, the intensity in her eyes stealing away her words. “If you keep acting like this, I’m gonna have to give you some tough love!” “That’s not you, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight cried. “I mean it is, but… you’re kind, and so is everypony else, but loyalty is where you truly shine.” “Okay, you’re seriously out of it.” “Please just listen!” The air swirled around Twilight a little. She sighed and managed to find the ground with her hooves. Dash still kept a tight grip on her though. “All of you, I’ve done something terrible. I thought I could take Tirek on alone, but I didn’t think of the consequences, now it’s switched all of you, changed your cutie marks— your destinies.” “Twilight, I really think you need to lie down,” said Applejack. “You’re not making any sense.” “Please, Applejack.” Twilight glanced down at the three diamonds studding Applejack’s flank. “Your talent isn’t finding gems or making dresses, you belong at Sweet Apple Acres with your family.” “What are you…” Applejack twitched and clasped her head. “N-no, Diane works there with Big M… No, that doesn’t sense.” Twilight turned to face Dash. “And Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy is the one with a kind touch, especially for animals.” “What are you talking about? I’ve loved animals ever since the day I fell down to the ground at a race in…” Like Applejack, Dash reached up to her head. “I saw all the animals, right? That’s how it happened?” “But I thought I got my cutie mark for celebrating your rainboom.” Fluttershy clutched her stomach. “Oh, I don’t feel so well.” “Girls.” Twilight sniffled. “I’m so sorry. I can recheck the Elements. Re-do the spell. There has to be something!” A small chuckle broke Twilight out of her muttering. She looked to Applejack. Despite still clasping her head, a tiny smile shone on her face. “Of course there’s something, Twilight. This whole thing is making my head spin, but you’re not the kind of pony that gets into a problem and stays stuck there. At least I think you are.” “Yeah,” Dash managed to grunt. A wave of snow blew over them. Shaking it off, she glanced back at the fight to see that small drifts of snow now surrounded Tirek. “But we should really figure out whatever you did somewhere sa—” Dash shuddered and shut her eyes. With a shake she glared back at Tirek. “No, I should fight too. I’m… I’m the best flyer in Equestria… right?” Twilight stared at Dash for a second. Two sparks went off within her irises like fireworks. From her horn to her tail, a warmth grew within her. Strength returned to her legs and she managed to stand tall once more. “Girls, you mean more to me than anything else.” She wiped a few tears from her face. “I thought what I was doing was the right thing before, but we’re in this together.” “Now you’re sounding a bit more normal,” said Applejack. A nearby rattling drew their attention. Three of the Elements flew out of the pile Twilight had landed on and clasped themselves onto Fluttershy, Applejack, and Dash. “C’mon girls,” Twilight said, “we’ve got a fight to finish.” Nearby, Tirek raised his fists up high and smashed them into the ground. Fissures erupted out of the newly formed crater, forcing Rarity and Pinkie to jump through the air and over the fresh chasms. Tirek flexed his arm back and smacked Pinkie while she was still airborne but the attack was met with blocked hooves and only made Pinkie grunt before knocking her a few feet away. Tirek’s other arm smacked Rarity. He hissed feeling a jolt of electricity run up his arm, but managed to smirk when Rarity was sent flying. His expression quickly devolved into a snarl when a purple aura enclosed Rarity and arrested her back to the ground. All six of the girls now stood around Tirek with their hooves planted solidly on the ground. The display got a small chuckle out of him. “Okay, this is more like it,” he mused. “You’ve staved off the inevitable, you’ve annoyed me, and you’ve even managed to deal some lasting damage. But look at you now. You’re all more broken than anything I could ever do. All because of your own friend. Even Discord would blush at how much you’ve messed things up!” Twilight lowered her head while Tirek cackled loud enough to shake the rubble around them. “You’re right,” she sighed. “I did mess up.” Tirek’s hair stood up and he stopped laughing. Twilight raised her head up, revealing six pointed stars glowing in her pupils. “I fell back to just relying on magic in a moment of weakness.” A glow flowed out of Twilight’s horn and down her body. “That’s not the pony I’m meant to be though.” Twilight looked over the other girls. The magic around her wavered before she sharpened her gaze and turned back to Tirek. The remaining Elements flew up into the air and clasped onto Rarity and Pinkie. All five of the girls now felt a warmth building up inside them even while a small amount of pain pressed against their flanks. “I only managed to get this far because I had friends that cared and supported me,” Twilight continued while her magic branched and started washing over her friends. “We’ve been through so much together and we’re going to finish this fight together too!” “Stop it!” Tirek roared. He threw out his hand and sent a blast at the group, but it disintegrated against a field of magic. “No. No! You’re just ponies! You are nothing to me!” “You messed with the wrong ponies then!” Applejack said. “Yeah!” Dash added. “We’re more than just ponies!” said Rarity. A smile returned to Pinkie’s lips and the tips of her mane poofed back up. “Yeah, we’re like super magic friend ponies…” She shivered a little before her expression neutralized again. “Huh, where did that come from?” “From who you really are,” Twilight said. By now, her magic had surrounded the whole group and was lifting them up into the air. Twilight smiled at all of her friends. “From who you’re meant to be…” A volley of blasts from Tirek fell upon them. A cloud of smoke when went up and Tirek went to his knees drenched in sweat and gasping for air. His pupils shrank when a glow pierced through the smoke and debris, revealing Twilight and her friends shining even brighter now. All of their cutie marks were aglow as were their Elements. A bright flash went off and for a moment, everypony’s cutie marks save for Twilight’s zoomed through the air. With a gasp, all five of the girls felt their marks reattach themselves. Tirek clenched his fists hard enough that his nails cut deep into his palms. Throwing his head up, he lit up his horns. A sphere of magic amassed in their center, yet as it did, Tirek’s body wilted lower to the ground. His muscles withered away and his flesh sagged. Even his horns shrunk down until only nubbs remained. His spell still grew above him though, tightly compacted and glowing a hellish hue. “Y-you won’t win,” he hacked. “I—” The rattle of chains made him freeze. Attached to his left foreleg was a massive cuff of white energy that held a faint purple outline. He quivered when another chain materialized and latched onto his other foreleg. Above him, Twilight stared at her friends. All of them gave her smiles that stretched from ear to ear. A few tears dotted her cheeks. “Thank you, my friends!” “No!” Tirek cried. With the last of his strength he sent his spell at the group. Just as he did, a massive sphere of light exploded out of them. Rather than a prismatic blast, the magic came out as a radiant white with various other colors swirling around it with violet and magenta being the most prominent. Tirek screamed while more chains bound his legs and twisted his arms behind his back. They tugged at him and pulled him down. A familiar darkness filled the corners of his vision. With one last grunt, he leaned forward while the vision of an alicorn loomed over him. “This isn’t the end! I’ll be back! You will pay, Equestria! You will pa—” ~~~ Rarity groaned feeling the cold hard ground beneath her. She swore she’d collapse onto an actual bed as soon on she could. Her head swam with both memories that stretched back to when she’d obtained her cutie mark and the storm of recent events. With a gasp, she jumped up only for her knees to give. Luckily, she fell onto Applejack’s side rather than the hard floor. “Easy there, girl.” Straightening herself, Rarity bowed her head to Applejack. “Thank you, dear. I must say, for what we’ve just been through, you’re looking far better than you should.” Applejack glanced down and noticed that while she was still covered from her hooves to her head in scratches and bruises, none of them appeared too severe. In a similar manner, Rarity was still scraped up and her mane and coat a mess, but even the claw marks on her side were little more than scabs now. The two of them turned to the left and right to see everypony else in various states of waking up and looking no worse for wear. Their hearts caught in the throats a little when they failed to spot Twilight, but they quickly relaxed when they saw she was just a few paces away from everypony else, albeit still completely knocked out. Fluttershy managed to raise up her head and take in the scene. A few goosebumps ran up her legs. “Is… is it over?” “I think,” Dash muttered while she picked herself up. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths. “I’m not feeling anything.” “Me neither,” Pinkie said in a low voice while remaining on the ground with her eyes shut. “Well, I am feeling super tired. I think I’ll save victory coffee for later.” “Call that a first,” Dash chuckled and flexed her wings. “Shame, I may be a little sore, but I could go for a party right about now.” “We should probably make sure everypony else is okay first,” said Applejack. “This whole mess sure caused a whole bunch of damage.” Fluttershy shuddered a little. “And Princess Celestia and Luna may still be fighting. Oh no, they said Blackbeard was such a strong person, what if they can’t beat him?” “Luna and Celestia together?” Dash smirked. “I think they’ve got it. If not, that jerk’s gonna still have us to deal with!” Dash smashed her front hooves together. Her energy spread to the other girls and they all smiled at her save for Fluttershy. For some reason, an icy grip held onto something at the back of her mind. “It looks like Twilight might be out for a bit,” said Applejack before moving over to her. “I’m still not entirely sure what happened in that last bit of the fight, but it must have tu— holy apple fritters!” Applejack’s sharp cry drew all her friends over to her and Twilight. Everypony’s jaws dropped. Rarity and Fluttershy looked about ready to faint. While still displaying a shocked expression, Pinkie slowly raised up a camera and snapped a picture. A few light snores escaped from Twilight’s mouth. Were it not for the setting, she’d look right at place under some covers. Neither scrapes nor bruises marred her body. Even her mane looked like she’d just brushed it. Not a single feather on the wings covering her back was out of place. “No way…” Dash shot a hoof and gently pressed it against one of the wings. Its lavender feathers glided back and forth under her hoof with each breath Twilight took, giving Dash a bit of a tickle. “You’re all seeing this, right?” “That’s what the photo’s for,” Pinkie chirped and leveled the polaroid in front of her. Squinting, she looked back and forth between Twilight and the picture. “Yep, definitely gonna need some rest before the victory-slash-sweet-Celestia-Twilight-you’re-an-alicorn-now party. Good night!” With that, Pinkie collapsed to the ground and onto a pillow that was somehow already there. “I think I may be joining Pinkie.” Rarity brought a hoof to her brow. “This is all a bit too much to handle on top of everything else today.” “Don’t you go fainting on us too now, Rarity,” said Applejack. “We’ll have enough of a hurdle carrying Twilight and Pinkie.” “Yes, yes of course.” Rarity lowered her hoof to her chest and took some breathes. “We should all probably get some first aid too.” She glanced over at Fluttershy. “Dear, how is your leg doing?” Fluttershy glanced back and saw that a large patch of her hindleg was still bruised and swollen. Standing as she was, a faint jab of pain ran up it, but was nothing compared to the searing fire it had been earlier. “It’s not too bad for now. We should get it checked out though, I’m worried it might be fra—” The chill at the back of her mind took hold of her entire body. “Fluttershy?” Dash got close to her and placed a hoof over her back. She could feel her shuddering. “Fluttershy! Breathe! Is something hurting? Just tell us!” “Ace!” Fluttershy cried out. “We have to get back to Ace!”