It was dark. A bright shattered moon glowed overhead, as it illuminated the rough cobbles that made up the path. Just across the way an ancient dying ocean lapped against a sickly rocky shore. Geometric shapes combined into strange basalt rock structures. Sparse tufts of grass, silver in the moonlight, clung to the coarse sand that lined the ocean side of the path. The air was heavy with the smell of brine, a gross caricature of the first time smelling the ocean. Sunny took all this in shock. The Dazzlings looked strangely at ease. Sonaynay ran up and hugged Dagi.
“Oh wow Adagio! This place is great! It smells just like home!”
“It does… how odd,” added Dagi as she absentmindedly patted Sonata’s head.
Aria looked off in the distance at the crumbling structure. Pony ears twitched in irritation, arms were crossed, and translucent wings hummed with power as she hovered. She turned back to the gang.
“Guys, pony up. We need get to Twilight as soon as possible.”
“What about me and Anon? Unicorns can’t fly!”
Adagio took her hand off Sonata’s head and placed it on Sunny’s shoulders.
“You really weren’t paying attention back when we fought, were you? Just pony up, it’ll be all right. I’ll carry Anon.”
Sunset closed her eyes and focused. She focused on the Rainbooms, her friends. She thought about everything she had gone through in the past year and a half. Becoming popular, becoming a bully, becoming a demon, and finally becoming a joke. As her feelings and frustrations overflowed, she caught a glimpse of Adagio's smirking face before the glittering magic filled her vision and made everything bright orange and pink outlines. As the transformation magic faded, she opened her eyes.
“See? Told ya.”
She still wore her trademark leather jacket, made from real former cows. Atop her head was a pair of fluffy peach colored pony ears, as was usual. Nothing new there. What was new was the pair of flaming translucent gossamer wings and tail shooting out her back.
“Huh, I guess that’s a thing now.”
Nothing else really came to Sunny’s mind as she hovered there, examining her newfound appendages.
“Guys! Twilight, now!” grumped Aria in frustration as she flew off toward the ruins.
Sonata quickly ponied up as Adagio lifted Anon easily by his arms. Anon absentmindedly thought she kind of reminded him of Tails as the orange poof carried him through the level. The grumpy Siren crossed the seaside rubble, and the pony girl followed.
The girls entered what turned out to be some kind of ancient amphitheater. Stands of some kind of white stone, the corners and edges long since worn to roundness, surrounded a large stage of some sort. The whole thing was probably the size of a basketball court.
Suddenly, the eerie silence changed. Instead of it simply being the absence of sound, there was the sensation of all sound being actively muffled. The feeling was short lived as everything began to shake. Dust from millennia past was shook from the ground into the air as a stage rose from the ground. Aria gasped as the Rainbooms were revealed. The girls looked a little worse for wear. Magic dresses were torn, hair was messy and covered in unknowable substances. Eyes were distant and framed by dark circles. Pinkie actually didn’t look to bad. She almost had a pleasantly satisfied glow to her. All wore strange glowing collars and seemed unable to move from their places.
“Hey guys! Heeeey Anon,” the party planner winked. “Wha took you guys so long?”
“Long? It’s only been like 15 minutes Pinkie,” replied the baconest flavored pony girl.
“It’s been like a weeeek at least. Not that I’m complaining.” Pinkie giggled as the rest of the Rainbooms groaned.
“Twilight! Are you OK?” yelled Aria.
A voice, felt more than heard, filled the arena.
WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON MY DOMAIN?
A shadowy being appeared behind the stage. While technically indescribable due to observation causing mild insanity in humans, Anon thought it kind of looked like what a premature baby crossed with an octopus crossed with a barn would look like.
Sonata immediately shot it in the face 15 times with her Sig Sauer P226.
“Holy crap, that things real?!” Sunny gasped, as the smoke trailed from the end of the barrel.
The bluest of Sirens quickly dropped the mag, then inserted another in a smooth practiced motion.
“Weeell duuuuh! What good’s a fake gun?”
FUCK, THAT HURT! WHY WOULD YOU THAT?
“Waaaaait a minute. Is that you Cthulhu?” asked the girl with the poof ball hair.
WHAT? … ADAGIO, IS THAT YOU?
“Hah! It is you!” squealed Aria as she hugged the thing which should not be.
“Oh, sorry Uncle! Didn’t recognize you without the pony ears,” added Sonata.
By this point, the Rainbooms, Anon, and Sunny were extremely confused.
ITS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU GIRLS! ITS BEEN NEARLY A THOUSAND YEARS SINCE YOU LAST VISITED ME. HOWS YOUR DAD?
“Oh you know, trading power to Equestrian monsters in exchange for their souls in terrible Faustian bargains,” replied Dagi dismissively. “Haven’t seen him either in a while.”
“Oh, so you guys know him! Uh, Mr Cthulhu sir? Can we have our friends back?” pleaded Sunset Shimmer, as she fought the urge to empty her digestive system.
“Oh right, Uncle C! Can I get Twilight back? And I guess the others too?” added Aria.
WE HAD A DEAL. POWER IN EXCHANGE FOR SERVICE. IN ORDER TO FREE HER FROM THE CONTRACT, YOU MUST BEAT ME IN A CONTEST.
Maybe it was just the insanity at perceiving that which could not be talking, but Anon found the right words spilling from his mouth.
“Iron chef,” replied Anon.
W-WHAT?
“The Dazzling challenge you to an Iron Chef cooking competition.”