//------------------------------// // Timaeus, Awaken! // Story: The Seal // by Shadow Kick //------------------------------// A floatplane flew over to a nearby island, the Dazzling’s new home base. “I’ve activated the auto pilot,” said Adagio. “Let’s ride.” “I love this job,” said Aria. As the plane was about to land, the Dazzlings opened the ramp of the plane, dropped out, and landed on the island. “Woo-hoo!” said Aria. “Last one there buys the tacos!” called Sonata. “Give it a rest, Sonata!” said Adagio. The next day, the eight girls located Snips and Snails on the streets. “So, what happened to you two yesterday?” asked Sunset. “Well, first we had lunch,” began Snips. “Then we went on the internet and looked up some cartoons,” said Snails. “After all that!” said Rainbow. “Well, we ran into a guy,” said Snips. “I thought was it was the Grim Reaper,” said Snails. “But it was Discord.” “I thought so,” said Twilight. “Did he say anything about ‘The Age of Destruction’ or the God Cards?” asked Sci-Twi. “Yes,” answered Snips. “What about the God cards?” asked Snails. “Because, he took ‘em,” said Applejack. “If you happen to see any biker girls, let us know,” said Rainbow. “You got it,” said Snips as the girls walked away. The two boys grinned. “So the God cards are up for grabs?” asked Snails. “Let’s go get ‘em!” said the two. “Looks like we’re back to square one,” said Rarity. “What about that necklace you took, Twi?” asked Rainbow. “I have to take it to my old lab at Crystal Prep before I can give anything conclusive,” said Sci-Twi. “There’s a science lab at Canterlot high,” said Sunset. “And the teachers lets us use it all the time.” “Perfect,” said Sci-Twi. “I’ll help too,” said Twilight. “Thanks,” said Sunset. “We’re gonna need all the help we can get. But, you better stay out of sight until schools over." "Oh, right," said Twilight. Once school was over, Sunset, Sci-Twi and Twilight went to the science lab and conducted research on the mysterious stone and searched for answers about the so-called, Orichalcos. The other girls were across the hall, trying to cope with what had happened yesterday. “First, the Dazzlings steal the God cards,” said Rainbow. “And now they have the power to suck people into cards?! How can this get any freakier?” “I have no clue,” admitted Rarity. “Hopefully, Sunset and the Twilight twins can figure this out,” said Applejack. “Hey, the Twilight Twins!” said Pinkie. “I like it. Sounds like a band name or a dynamic duo.” “Oh please, Miss Pie,” said Rarity. “This is hardly the time for jokes.” “What are we going to do?” asked Fluttershy. Spike licked her on the cheek. “Don’t worry,” said Spike. “We’re figure something out. After all, you girls managed to save Twi and get her back to normal and that’s no easy task.” Fluttershy smiled. “Thanks Spike, I needed that.” She then pressed the dog against her breasts. “They’ve been researching for four hours,” said Rarity. “I wonder if they found anything.” The door of the science lab suddenly opened. “Guys! You have to see this!” said Sunset. The girls rushed in. “Check this out,” said Sunset. “This rock is a fragment of what’s called the Orichalcos Stone.” “Wait! So now that card… is a stone?” asked Rainbow. “This stone was discovered after famous Archaeologist Daring Doo discovered artifacts from Atlantis during an underwater expedition,” said Sci-Twi. “Atlantis?!” cried the girls in unison. Sunset then told the legend of how the Orichalcos Stone came out of a volcano and corrupted the people of Atlantis, causing a war evolving the Great Leviathan and the Legendary Dragons, which caused the city to sink into the ocean. “The Atlantean legend says if the Leviathan rises again,” said Sunset. “It will destroy all life on Earth.” “All life?” asked Fluttershy. “And you’re saying that the Dazzlings are now working for these guys?” asked Rainbow. “It seems so,” said Sunset. “Wait!” said Applejack. “If everything in Atlantis was destroyed, then how can that giant snake come back?” “Maybe it knows how to swim,” joked Pinkie. “Pinkie!” said Sci-Twi. “The Leviathan was destroyed, so it can’t come back.” “Unless,” said Sunset. “They offer human souls as a sacrifice to resurrect it.” “Oh… my… gosh,” said Rarity. “I’m going to faint.” And she did. “You said there were three dragons that fought against these bad guys, right?” asked Fluttershy. “If we can find them, they can fight against the Dazzlings.” “Small problem, Fluttershy,” said Sci-Twi. “The dragons disappeared after the war.” “This…. is bad,” said Pinkie. “I know,” said Twilight. “But it’s getting late, let’s go home and we’ll continue this tomorrow.” “Good idea,” said Fluttershy. “Pinkie?” asked Twilight. “Could I crash at your place tonight?” “Of course!” said Pinkie. “Remember, we’re besties.” Deep within the island fortress, the Dazzlings reported to their master. “We have found the Princess, master Dartz,” said Adagio. “But we weren't able to capture her soul.” “Didn’t I tell you she would be difficult?” asked Dartz. “But at least you’ve located her.” “But we managed get the three Egyptian God cards,” said Aria. “Excellent,” said Dartz. “At last, I’ve waited an eternity to hold their power in my hands. I finally hold the supreme force necessary to awaken the great beast.” Dartz placed the God cards inside the mouths of three stone serpent statues. “Serpents of the Orichalcos, please hear my call,” chanted Dartz. “I offer thee the Gods of Egypt. Use their Divine power to unlock the chamber of the great beast. Awaken him from his ancient slumber by accepting my offering!” The God cards began to glow, lightning crackled from them, up through the chamber and into the sky. “The time has arrived my friends,” said Dartz to the Dazzlings. “Finally, after 10,000 years, the great Leviathan will rise again!” As Twilight fell asleep that night, she had a dream about someone calling her for help. Twilight then woke up in a huge castle. “Huh? Where am I?” “How did you get in my dream?” asked a voice. Twilight turned around and saw Sci-Twi a couple feet away from her. “I don’t know,” admitted the Princess. “I thought I heard someone calling me for help.” “So did I,” said Sci-Twi. “Help us!” called a distant voice. “Over there!” said Sci-Twi. “Let’s go!” said Twilight. The two girls followed the voice to a closed door. “You ready?” asked Twilight. “No,” admitted Sci-Twi. “But let’s do it anyway.” The girls opened the door and revealed a large room with three giant dragon statues. “What in the world?” asked Sci-Twi. “At last, you’ve come,” said a female voice. “Princess Celestia?” asked Twilight. She looked up and saw the Equestrian pony Princess as she glided down to the ground. “Celestia!” Twilight ran over and embraced her former teacher. “It’s good to see you.” “You too, Princess Twilight,” said Celestia. Twilight then saw that her arms had become hooves. “What the?” She looked at the rest of herself. She was an alicorn pony again. “Princess Celestia?” asked Sci-Twi. “You mean my Principal is now a Princess?!” “Not exactly,” said Twilight. “This is the ruler of my world, the land of Equestria.” “So that’s what Sunset Shimmer was taking about,” said Sci-Twi. “Wow, I knew there was more out there. But a world of talking horses?!” “I know, it’s a lot to take in,” began the white Princess. “But right now, we have more important things to discuss. I have brought you both here to awaken one of these dragons.” “Awaken?” asked Sci-Twi. “How?” “Who are they? And what’s with those swords?” asked Twilight. “They are very old allies of Equestria,” said Celestia. “10,000 years ago, before my sister and I were born, Equestria was attacked by a giant serpent called Leviathan.” “Leviathan?!” asked Sci-Twi. “I read about that online. It’s the creature from the Atlantean legend.” “In your world, it may be only a legend,” said Celestia. “But in our world, it was a real creature that tried to swallow us all. Thankfully, the ruler of Equestria at that time, was friends with these dragons. They were ones that defeated the beast, but for that, they paid a prize. Now they’re frozen in time.” “But, how can we help?” asked Twilight. “A forgotten prophecy states that three brave warriors will awaken these dragons when they’re needed again,” said Celestia. “Twilight, I believe that one of those warriors is you. All you have to do is remove one of those swords.” “What?!” asked Twilight. “B-but Princess, I’m a scholar, not a warrior.” “Twilight, you’ve saved Equestria six times, and you’ve helped save the human world twice,” said Celestia. “No one is more qualified than you.” Celestia and Twilight flew up to the head of one of the dragons. Celestia then lifted Sci-Twi up with her magic. “Cool,” said the human girl. Twilight took a deep breath and looked at her human counterpart. “Mind helping me?” “What?” asked Sci-Twi. “I’m not very strong,” admitted the Princess. “So… mind lending a hoof? Or a hand?” “Sure,” said Sci-Twi. “Okay, here goes,” said Twilight. Both girls pulled as hard as they could. Light began to glow from the ice, and suddenly the sword came free. “Okay, did it work or not?” asked Sci-Twi. The ice began to crack, and a mighty blue dragon was released. “You’ve released Timaeus!” said Celestia. “According to the prophecy, you and Timaeus will become linked together as soon as you call his name.” “I think we should call him together,” said Twilight. “W-why together?” asked Sci-Twi. “Just in case you need him for help or protection,” explained Twilight. “Okay,” said Sci-Twi. “Let’s do it.” The two girls called out “Timaeus!!” The dragon then roared. “It has worked!” said Celestia. “Now join forces.” Twilight held up a hoof while Sci-Twi raised her hand toward the dragon. Timaeus roared again, sending out waves of power to both girls. “I can feel his power flowing through me!” said Twilight. “I can’t take much more!” said Sci-Twi. At that moment, Twilight woke up and she was human again. “Is it morning already?” Outside, an aurora was shining throughout the sky. “Wait, that’s not the Sun!” Twilight then looked over, Pinkie wasn’t in her sleeping bag. “What the? Pinkie? Pinkie! Where are you?!” called Twilight. “Out here!” called Pinkie from outside. Twilight quickly got dressed and headed outside. Pinkie was out with her sister Maud trying to figure what was happening. “Pinkie! What’s going on?” asked Twilight. “There’s some kind of weird rainbow in the sky,” said Pinkie. “It’s called an aurora,” said Maud. “Oh no, it’s happening,” said Twilight. She then started running toward the center of town. “What’s happening?” asked Pinkie as she ran after her friend, leaving Maud alone. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Sunset were in the town plaza. Many others have gathered to watch the strange light. Pinkie and Twilight then showed up. “Twilight!” called Sunset. “Things have gotten weirder.” The girls then saw Sci-Twi and Spike running toward them. “What is going on?” asked Sci-Twi. “I thought auroras only appeared at the poles.” “They do,” said Sunset. “Look!” said Applejack. “Is that a… crystal?” asked Twilight. “What’s a giant gem doing in the sky?” asked Rarity. “No clue,” said Rainbow. Suddenly, the large crystal shattered into pieces and fell, revealing a giant glowing eye. “What’s that?!” asked Spike. “I don’t want to find out!” said Fluttershy. A huge blast of energy hurtled from the eye toward the girls. “Run!!” cried Sunset. While the others ran, Twilight’s pocket began to glow. She reached in and pulled out a card with a familiar image. “It’s that dragon!” She then held up the card. “Timaeus! Come forth!” The blue dragon appeared above the city. “Look at the size of that thing!” called Applejack. “Wait! Is that Timaeus?” asked Sci-Twi. “Who’s Timaeus?” asked Sunset. “Timaeus! Protect us from that monster!” yelled Twilight. The dragon opened its mouth and released a massive flame attack. The eye cracked into pieces. Back on the island fortress, Dartz was observing the action through some kind of magic screen. He then saw that the eye of the beast was destroyed. “No! This is impossible!” Back in the city, Timaeus went back into his card. “We did it,” said Twilight. “So it wasn’t a dream after all,” said Sci-Twi. “Afraid not,” said Twilight. “And I think we’ve only just begun.”