The Deepest Magic

by ChronicleStone

Chapter 8: Never Alone

Somewhere between Canterlot and Foalumbus
April 7, 5:28 AM

The train vibrated rhythmically as it moved along the tracks. It chugged steadily along beneath the starless night sky. Most of the ponies on board the train were asleep, lulled into their dreams by the almost-hypnotic hum of the train’s engines and the gentle rocking of the cars.

Not Twilight Sparkle.

She sat at one of the windows of the car, alertly staring across the dark fields as they passed by. She glanced to the east as the train looped around a small pond, and she saw the telltale glow of the lights of a nearby city. “Foalumbus,” she whispered, careful not to disturb her slumbering friends. “I’ve never been there before. But I never wanted to go anywhere under these circumstances. I just hope we’re not too late.”

Beside her, Spike squirmed in his sleep, groaning as he tossed and turned. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at him. In spite of the danger of their mission, Spike had refused to be separated from Twilight. “Sky would be so proud of you,” she said, adjusting his blanket. “When we get back, we’ll have to tell him all about it. Hopefully he’ll be awake so he can actually listen.”

She turned her attention back to the window again. Her friends had slowly dozed off during the night. But she could not bring herself to sleep. She felt anxious. Of course, they all were, but she felt more nervous than any of them could have understood. Of all the ponies on board the train, she was the only one that had seen the Chimera before. She had witnessed its power and terror, and, had it not been for Sky, she would not be where she was right now. And here she was, going back to face this thing again, but this time, there was no Sky to protect them. This time, it fell to her to do the protecting.

Spike mumbled in his sleep. “That’s right; you were there, too, weren’t you?” she whispered to him. She took comfort in his courage. He’s faced the same thing that I have, and he still volunteered to come with us. And even though I know the only reason he’s sleeping is because he can’t help it, it’s still amazing what he’s doing. Sky, I wish you could see this.

She slowly rose to her hooves, careful not to disturb anypony, and began to pace along the length of the car. Applejack lay on her back, her beloved hat resting on her face. Pinkie Pie was in a similar position, but her mouth hung wide open in a perpetual smile. Her tongue was slung over the edge of her mouth, apparently dreaming about some kind of sugary treat. Nothing unusual there.

Rarity had, somehow, managed to bring along her sleeping mask (though none of her other accessories had made the journey), and she was stretched out along her own seat under a blanket that she had found on the train. Fluttershy was curled up in the corner of her seat, her breathing and movement so subtle that Twilight almost went over to check if she had a pulse. And Rainbow Dash had managed to crawl into the storage space above the seats and was snoring away, much like she always was.

None of them truly understand what they’re up against, Twilight thought to herself. All they know is that there was a need, and they came to fill it.

The lack of visible stars indicated that they sky had turned overcast. Somehow, it only seemed appropriate. It was almost always the case in the best stories that whenever there was a showdown between good and evil, there had to be stormy weather. It was almost like it was an unwritten rule or something. When she, Spike, and Sky had first fought the Chimera, it had been in the midst of a terrible storm. Granted, Sky may have caused the storm, but there had still been one. Rainbow Dash had reported that when she and Princess Luna had found Sky’s body, it had been raining. And even though Lily had told her that she and Sky had faced the Chimera in the heart of a mountain, there was no sunshine that fell on that battle.

Her thoughts slowly drifted back to Canterlot, where she imagined Lily sitting in Sky’s room, watching and hoping that he would awaken. She pictured Princesses Celestia and Luna sitting together in the throne room, taking counsel as to their next move, should their gamble with the Elements of Harmony fail…

She shivered as she forced the thought from her head. She couldn’t think that way. She couldn’t afford to give the Chimera any advantages…especially not of the psychological kind.

The train continued on for several minutes while Twilight meandered around the cabin, unable to calm her anxious nerves. She alternated between pacing and looking out the window as her restless legs carried her along wherever they went.

Suddenly, the train jolted with such force that Twilight was thrown off her hooves and sent tumbling across the floor. Crashes and screams suddenly arose from around her as she struggled to right herself. Applejack ended up sliding next to her as Pinkie Pie sailed overhead, yelling “Wheee!” excitedly before slamming into the wall of the cabin.

“What in tarnation was that?!” Applejack exclaimed, grabbing her hat and thrusting it upon her head.

“Can’t a girl get any decent rest around here?” Rarity complained from the nearby corner she had landed in. “It’s completely uncivilized!”

A muffled thud came from above them as a compartment opened up, and along with several pieces of luggage, out spilled Rainbow Dash, looking dazed and somewhat worse for wear. “Ugh, I gotta stop sleeping up there,” she moaned. “It’s bad for my health.”

“Did we stop?” Spike asked, looking completely alert, as though the deep sleep he had been in mere moments earlier had never happened. “Maybe we hit something.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed. “Or maybe something hit us.”

“You mean…the Chimera? You think it’s attacking us?” Spike asked with a quiver in his voice.

“We’re not far from Foalumbus,” Twilight explained. “It might have seen us coming. Grab your Elements, girls! It looks like we’re gonna need them sooner than we thought!”

As they each donned their respective Elements, Spike rose up and peeked out the window. “I can’t see much of anything,” he said, peering into the darkness. “How are you supposed to fight the Chimera if you can’t see?”

A sudden flash of light illuminated the cabin. Twilight’s horn glowed like a star, dispelling the darkness inside the car and shining out through the windows. “I finally found a use for that night light spell,” she said with a smile.

“Um, Twilight? The door’s jammed,” Fluttershy said from the exit area. Sure enough, the door was crumpled in such a way that the mechanism had jammed, and the door refused to budge.

“Don’t ya’ll worry about a thing!” Applejack said, adjusting her hat and curling up before the door. “Ain’t no tree that can stand up to an Apple family buckin’, and I’m bettin’ there ain’t no door that can do it, either!”

With a mighty heave, Applejack planted her rear hooves against the door, causing it to whine and groan in its place, but it remained shut. Another buck later, the door flew off its hinges into the darkness. “Told ya’,” Applejack said, looking satisfied.

“No time to stand around; we need to see what’s going on,” Twilight chided. She descended the few stairs to the ground outside, where she turned her horn toward the front of the train, where the seven of them suddenly saw a rising column of smoke and steam rising from the engine.

“Oh, my, Spike, it looks like you were right,” Rarity began, “we did hit something!”

“Careful, girls,” Twilight advised. “This feels like an ambush. Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious.”

They slowly approached the front of the train, led on by the light of Twilight’s horn. They had almost reached the engine when a deafening roar split the silence, followed by the screams and cries of dozens of ponies.

And as a stream of yellow flame shot from the area in front of the engine, Twilight’s fears were confirmed.

“It’s here!” she called out to the others, who could only stare in disbelief at the sudden burst of fire.

Several guards were running towards them, preceded by groups of innocent ponies who had been on board the train with them. “Hurry, get to safety!” Twilight said, hoping to guide some of them to a safer location. The darkness would help to keep them out of sight of any unwanted eyes.

As the guards passed, Twilight stopped one of them. “What’s going on?” she asked as the chaos grew around them.

The guard appeared shaken and frightened, but unharmed. “It’s…it’s a monster!” he exclaimed. “It had, like, six heads, and breathed fire! It was black, and…and…”

“Is it still at the front of the train?” Twilight interrupted.

He nodded. “Last we saw, it was still there, just laughing and breathing that fire at anything it saw. We need to get to cover!”

“Then go!” Applejack said, recovering from her initial shock. “You can leave this to us!”

The guard nodded and turned to go. Twilight saw him move in the corner of her eye as she turned her focus to where the Chimera awaited them at the front of the train. But as she took a step, she saw a flash of red from the very edge of her vision.

And, to her horror, she saw the glowing crimson eyes of the guard.

“No!” she shouted as the guard exploded in a cloud of black flame, transforming in an instant into the hideous form of the Chimera. Within seconds, its heads were reared back, prepared to unleash a river of flame to incinerate them all.

Twilight threw her magic into gear, focusing on all her friends at once and targeting a patch of ground behind where the Chimera was standing. And as just as the flames erupted from the Chimera’s mouths, there was a flash of light as the six ponies and one dragon were no longer there. A split second later, they re-emerged in a new location. The Chimera halted its attack and turned around to face the group. The light from Twilight’s spell was enough to reveal the creature in all its grotesque glory, from its patchwork body to its three smiling heads, each adorned with two glowing red eyes and a smile littered with razor-sharp fangs.

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Wow, Sky was right. That thing is ugly.”

“Well, well,” the Chimera said in its unnerving triple-voice, “there are still some ponies foolish enough to try and face us. How delightful.”

“We’re here to stop you,” Twilight replied. “Your campaign of terror ends here!”

The Chimera regarded her for a minute with all six interested eyes. “Ah, we remember you. The dessert that got away.” Its foremost head licked its lips hungrily. “We wondered what became of you. Looks like it won’t matter in the end.”

“She didn’t come alone!” Rainbow Dash countered.

“That’s right!” Applejack chimed in. “You have to face all of us together!”

The Chimera threw its heads back in laughter. “Oh, dear, all six of you! Whatever shall we do?” It suddenly became stoic, taking slow, threatening steps towards the group of friends. “Do you know how many ponies we’ve consumed in the past week? Any idea at all? Hundreds.” It disappeared into a black cloud, and when it dissipated, a pink-maned, neon yellow pegasus stood in its place. “And they all tasted wonderful.”

“Hey! That’s like what the changelings could do!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Oh, we assure you, this is far better than any changeling could do,” it said, continuing its slow advance. “This is no ‘imitation.’ This is the actual body. Though it certainly wasn’t capable of doing much against us.”

“Why you little…” Rainbow began. “Those ponies weren’t bothering you! You went after them just because you could?!”

The brightly-colored pegasus halted for a moment, bringing a hoof to its chin. “Well, when you put it that way…” Its eyes glowed red again as the black cloud transformed it into the Chimera’s hideous shape. “We suppose so.”

“I don’t know about ya’ll, but I think I’ve seen just about enough,” Applejack said, nodding to the others.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Twilight replied as she focused her magic into the Element she bore on the crown of her head. “Let’s teach this thing a lesson! To your places!”

As they stepped into formation, the Chimera snickered. “What is this, a cheerleading session?”

Twilight felt her mane begin to sway in the growing breeze. She felt her magic power rising as she prepared to channel the full power of the Elements as she had done several times before. She knew how this would work. She knew how this would end.

Then, barely above the sound of the hastening wind and the pressure in her mind, she heard the distinct voice of the Chimera. “Oh, is that how it is? I think not.”

Twilight opened an eye, half from curiosity and half from an impending sense of dread. To her surprise, the Chimera had closed the distance to them, and was now bounding in at full speed. It would be on them within moments.

She transitioned her magic focus and teleported them again, barely avoiding the monster’s claws. It skidded along the ground after the near miss, then turned and, seeing the group of mares, immediately charged again.

“Split up!” Applejack shouted, diving for cover behind a nearby rock.

“It’s no use!” Rainbow Dash yelled from high in the air. “Whenever we try to activate the Elements, it attacks before we can get it off!”

“What we need is a distraction!” Rarity suggested from beside Applejack.

“Ooo, I’m great with distractions!” Pinkie said, poking her head out from behind a bush. “Hey, you big bully, come get me!”

“A fantastic suggestion,” the Chimera snarled. Without hesitation, it dove straight over the bush, looking to make a snack out of the pink pony before she could move.

Suddenly, there was a loud BANG, as the Chimera went careening through the air amidst a cloud of confetti and ribbons. It tumbled along the ground for a few meters before finding its footing, looking rather surprised at the strange counterattack it had just suffered.

“I never leave home without my party cannon!” Pinkie shouted, a wide toothy grin plastered on her face.

“Great work, Pinkie!” Rainbow called to her. “I got the next one!”

She launched herself at the still-dazed Chimera and raced around it in a tight circle, stirring up a rainbow-colored whirlwind around it.

“That’s our chance,” Twilight said to the girls. “Let’s get into position. Once Rainbow gets back here, we’ll attack. We’ll need to make it quick, though.”

They quickly assembled together and watched anxiously as the multicolored tornado continued to spin around its victim when all of a sudden, a stream of yellow flame erupted from the center, send Rainbow Dash retreating for cover. She dropped into her position almost immediately while the dust continued to spin around the Chimera.

“Now!” Twilight shouted, almost before Rainbow had touched down. Instantly, the telltale rainbow beam erupted from among them as Twilight’s eyes flashed a pure white light. The beam shot through the air, making for the ground where the dust was finally settling.

But just before it landed, a blur of neon yellow emerged from the dust cloud and headed straight for the six young mares. Before any of them could even call out the danger, the pegasus turned into a vicious kick. The next thing they knew, Fluttershy had barely managed a cry of alarm before she had been sent sprawling limply through the air.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight gasped.

“Hey!” Pinkie screamed. “NOBODY HURTS MY FRIENDS!” There was a fire in her eyes as she looked for the pseudo-pegasus.

Before she could spot it, though, it had soared overhead and come up behind her, planting a ferocious kick into the back of her head. It collided with a squeak, and Pinkie staggered and fell forward, unconscious.

“Group up!” Twilight shouted, desperate to rally her friends before things could get out of hoof. “Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow!”

“Over here!” she heard Applejack call out. She glanced to her left to see her three friends, standing opposed to the speedy not-pegasus. Rainbow Dash hovered in front of it, and Twilight could almost see the smoke coming from her ears. As she looked on, she saw the neon pegasus transform back into the shape of the Chimera, who smiled cruelly.

“Two down,” it said with two of its heads. “Four to go.”

“Do your worst!” Rainbow challenged.

“Oh, I won’t have to,” it said nonchalantly. “It will take far less effort to be done with you.” It struck the ground with its front paws, and a boulder erupted from the ground, crashing into Rainbow Dash, sending her skyward. At the same time, the hole it had risen from expanded, engulfing Rarity and Applejack into its gaping maw.

“Applejack! Rarity!” Twilight called, running to the edge of the hole.

“Twilight!” she heard Applejack’s voice call up to her. “It’s…it’s some kinda quicksand! We’re sinkin’ in here!”

“Hold on, I’ll teleport in and get you out!” she called back.

“We wouldn’t.” She looked up to see the Chimera on the opposite side of the hole. Its faces were neutral, but she could feel its threatening presence like needles pricking her all over. “That teleportation of magic of yours sure seems handy, but who knows what kind of trouble it could get you into?” It shrugged its shoulders. “Say, if you used it, we might just have the urge to send some fire down this hole. And wouldn’t that be tragic?”

Twilight recoiled at the thought. She was alone. Her friends were scattered, unconscious or trapped, and she was left with no choice but to face the Chimera on her own. And with Applejack and Rarity trapped in the sinkhole, she was now not only at a severe disadvantage, but also on a timer. She gritted her teeth in anger and desperation.

“Coward!” she screamed. “Leave them out of this!”

“They came with you. They involved themselves. And if you want to save them, you’d better hurry. We think we might have made that quicksand a little softer than normal.” It bared two fang-filled grins.

Twilight didn’t hesitate. She quickly rifled off a pair of magic blasts at the Chimera, but it blocked them with its massive paws. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash landed in a crumpled heap nearby. Realizing that the boulder was still in the air, she quickly looked up and saw it hurtling to the ground, not thirty feet up. Reaching out with her magic, she grabbed it and hurled it right at the Chimera, who regarded it for a moment before it smashed into the ground where it stood.

Hoping she’d earned at least a few seconds of freedom, she took off for the lip of the hole, activating her light spell again. But before she could reach the hole, a streaking neon pegasus knocked her right off her hooves, and she went tumbling with it along the ground. Barely able to keep her senses steady, she kicked and launched the occasional magic spell as she grappled with her attacker.

But as she tumbled, the pegasus shifted again into its customary form, and Twilight felt its massive paws pin her to the ground. She felt herself sinking into the ground under the titanic strength of the monstrosity. Her breathing became shallow and difficult. Daring to look up, she saw the lion’s head of the Chimera, staring down at her triumphantly.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice come charging in.

“Get your mangy paws off her!” Spike shouted.

The Chimera turned a lone head in his direction and, with a mere flick of one of its paws, sent Spike sprawling.

“Enough!” it shouted as Spike landed with a thud. “You have failed, and you will now see our ultimate triumph!”

It turned back to Twilight, placing its second paw back on top of her. She coughed as what little breath she had was squeezed out of her. “But first, we think we’ve waited quite long enough for our dessert.”

She couldn’t believe it was going to end like this. The Chimera had defeated the Elements of Harmony. It had defeated Sky. It had defeated everything it had faced. And it was about to take her, and her friends, and add them to its list of victims. She closed her eyes in despair.

Night Mare Moon. The Ursa Minor attack. A huge dragon. Discord. Chrysalis and the changelings. She had survived them all. And yet, the Chimera had finally proven to be her match.

She could feel the heat and hear the hissing of its breath. Its enormous paws felt like they would push right through her. She dimly felt the trickle of tears run down the sides of her face. She heard the rumble of the Chimera’s stomach, hungry for ponies to feed on.

Wait. That’s not a stomach rumbling. That’s…

She heard it again. It was louder this time, but it reverberated in the air. She could hear it coming from above her, but it sounded like it was higher than the Chimera, which was right on top of her. It was strong…and yet, so very, very familiar.

It was thunder.

She hazarded a peek up. The Chimera was still on top of her, eyes downward, but it no longer seemed to be focused on her. It seemed thoughtful; disturbed almost. Something had disrupted its train of thought. And perhaps, just maybe, it had given the monster a cause to be afraid.

The snake and goat heads turned away to look at the sky. Twilight followed suit, and saw the most amazing sight. The cloud cover she had presumed was there earlier was indeed present, but now she could see it. It glimmered with a faint blue color, but it was growing brighter by the second. As she looked on, the entire surface of the clouds seemed to sizzle with an unmistakable energy. It bubbled and frothed like one of Zecora’s concoctions she had seen so many times. And in spite of her circumstances, her heart dared to believe.

“Is this real? Is this really happening?” she whispered.

The blue sparks of energy within the clouds began to gather and spiral together to a central point. The blue glow lit up the landscape all around as a tremendous pressure rose in the air. The Chimera removed its paws from Twilight, who coughed and sputtered, searching for breath. But she was forgotten.

The Chimera paced along the ground as the source of light grew. “It cannot be,” it said in a raised voice. “It cannot be! We defeated you! Left you broken and lifeless! What does it take to kill you?!” it screamed in a manic voice that betrayed its sudden panic.

The energy finished gathering. The Chimera roared, unleashing rivers of flame in all directions. Twilight looked on, unable to draw her eyes from the unfolding scene.

And with a crack of thunder that shook the ground, a mighty bolt of lightning split the sky, immersing Twilight’s vision in a blaze of blinding white. As the stroke landed, the shockwave triggered a violent wind that rushed past her, driving her several feet along the ground. She covered her eyes with her hooves and struggled to keep her senses.

She heard the Chimera’s roar as it whizzed past her in the force of the explosion. The dust and small stones whipped up by the blast peppered her body, but she ignored them. Her entire focus was on what was at the center of that blast radius.

Finally, as the wind died and the light faded, she uncovered her eyes. The area where the lightning had struck was bathed in steam and smoke. And yet, even through it, Twilight could make out the forms of two distinct figures.

The first was a white unicorn, and it took Twilight a moment or two to realize that somehow, she was staring at her newest friend, Lily Pond. Her eyes were opened wide, and as she caught sight of Twilight, she brought a hoof to her mouth and gasped. But almost before Twilight could give any sign that she was alright, she caught sight of the second figure. And her heart stopped.

The light blue pegasus stood proud and tall amidst the wisps of smoke around him. He looked much like some kind of great champion, victorious from a terrible struggle. His wings were spread wide, and they sparkled with power. The silver streaks in his mane seemed to ripple and radiate a light of their own, while his blue eyes glowed with an intensity that matched the bolt of lightning he had just ridden.

His face was stern, and as he caught sight of the Chimera, he locked his gaze with it. The beast looked on, drawing deep breaths and looking very much unprepared for his sudden arrival. “I believe you and I have unfinished business,” he said in a voice that sent chills down Twilight’s spine.

He was really here. He had come back, and now, he was really here.

Twilight could only gasp and sob as she choked back the tears of joy as she looked at him. “Sky…”