Worlds Apart and Fighting Alone

by DrMatrix

Chapter 3

Twilight breathed a long sigh and sank into the bench at the back of the helicopter. She could scarcely believe that their escape attempt had been successful. As she leaned back against the riveted metal wall, she pinched one of her new wings and sent shooting pains through unfamiliar nerves. In frustration, Twilight yanked open the large flight suit and tore away the restraints that still held her wings strapped to her sides. She tied the excess suit sleeves around her waist, and her long purple and pink braid came unfurled from behind her and fell to the floor. Twilight glared at it.

“Do you have a knife?” yelled Twilight over the thump of the helicopter rotors. Sweetie Belle wrinkled her nose at Twilight and then reached back into the cockpit for a headset. She handed it to Twilight and pulled on a pair of her own.

“Try now,” said Sweetie Belle. Her compressed voice came clearly through Twilight’s headphones.

“Much better,” said Twilight. “Do you have a knife?”

“Apple Bloom should have one,” said Sweetie Belle turning to face the copilot seat. Apple Bloom had been helping Scootaloo navigate over the open ocean for the past hour.

“Yep, one sec princess,” said Apple Bloom. She rotated in her chair and withdrew a large knife from a holster strapped to her belt and passed it back to Twilight. The princess took the blade and tested its sharpness with her thumb. Satisfied, she reached behind her head, grasped the braid, and cut it, throwing the excess out of the open helicopter doors. Sweetie Belle handed Twilight a spare red ribbon, and she tied her hair back and out of the way of the wind.

“You hanging in there princess?” asked Scootaloo leaning her head back over her headrest. It was the first time Twilight had heard her voice in fifteen years, and she smiled at the scratchy and familiar timbre.

“I’m doing just fine,” said Twilight. “Thank you again for the timely rescue.”

“Don’t mention it,” replied Scootaloo. She leaned forward again and corrected the helicopter heading with a few light taps of the footpads. Twilight watched Scootaloo for a few moments and did not find it surprising that the girl was a natural pilot.

“Are you sure we’re going to have enough fuel, Scoot?” asked Apple Bloom. She frowned at the gas gauge arrayed on the dashboard. “These numbers of yours look ok, but we’re cutting it pretty close.”

“We’ll be alright,” Scootaloo. “Just keep watching that heading for me. We’ll have enough.”

There was nothing but ocean on all sides, and the sun sank closer to the horizon with each hour they flew. The strike group of US Navy ships was now far behind them. No pursuit had been made, most likely due to the enormous sentinel that swam beneath the helicopter’s shadow. With great sweeps of his tail and strokes of his powerful hind legs, Spike had easily caught up with the helicopter after the encounter and now kept pace as they flew across the South China Sea. Twilight was still unsure how her spell had summoned Spike, but she was thankful for his watchful presence.

The hours dragged on as they flew, the constant whine of the engine only occasionally interrupted by Apple Bloom and Scootaloo’s brief arguments. In the back of the helicopter and across from Sweetie Belle, Twilight reached into a pocket in the bunched up flight suit at her waist and carefully withdrew all five gem stones and transferred them to a pouch. Sweetie Belle looked long at each of the gems as Twilight handled them, and for a moment a spark of recognition flickered in her eyes though she said nothing. From the cockpit, Scootaloo let out a cry of joy.

“I told you we’d find it!” she said. She pointed out of the window and down at the sea. Twilight rose from the back of the helicopter and looked out, following her finger. Below, the sunlight reflected off the ocean in even orange lines but were distorted by a small grey dot floating at the surface. As the helicopter descended, Twilight saw that it was a ship, a small grey destroyer anchored in place and looked as old as the helicopter, its plated armor riddled with cracks and patches of rust. The main gun had been removed from the deck and a hand painted H took its place marking an improvised landing pad. Paint also donned the side of the destroyer’s bow, the words “EQS Crusader” painted in bright red letters over faded Korean.

“That’s a North Korean boat,” said Twilight. “An old one.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “A bit ridiculous what people leave floating around these days,” she said and braced for landing.

Scootaloo settled the helicopter down on the deck of the destroyer and cut the engines. The sea around the boat was calm and glassy, and Twilight could hardly tell that the ship was floating until Spike swam by and sent a wave climbing over the gunwale. The rippling sun was half hidden by the horizon, casting rich reds and oranges across the ocean surface. Far in the distance, Twilight could see a glinting coastline.

“Where on earth did you get all of this equipment?” asked Twilight as she looked out over the deck of the destroyer.

“Well,” said Apple Bloom. “We salvaged the helicopter from an old base in Vietnam. Practically stumbled on the North Korean boat just floating out in the middle of the South Pacific. Everything else we picked out of odd cities along the Japanese coast line.”

“And you just know how everything works here on Earth somehow?” said Twilight. “Or are you some those bizaro copies of Equestrian ponies I keep running into?”

“Copies?” said Sweetie Belle. “I don’t think so. What copies?”

“Never mind,” said Twilight dismissively. “I still find it hard to believe three fillies from Equestria learned how to maintain a warship and fly a helicopter.”

“I know it seems a little crazy,” said Apple Bloom, “But all those years spent trying every silly little hobby from horseshoeing to hang gliding in order to get our cutie marks made it kinda easy to figure out how, say, an engine runs or how to wire a radio.”

“Works for me, I guess,” said Twilight. “What did your cutie marks turn out to be, anyway?”

“Guess,” said Sctootaloo flatly. She was crouched at the base of the helicopter checking a clump of wires hanging out from behind an open electrical panel. Twilight put her finger to her chin.

“Hmm,” she said. “A scooter for Scootaloo, a bell with some musical notes for Sweetie Belle maybe, and a blossom and an apple for Apple Bloom?”

“Yep,” said Scootaloo still concentrating on the nest of wires held in her hands. “Big surprise.”

“Scootaloo!” said Sweetie Belle running up to the helicopter. “I just fixed that!”

“Well then why does the tail rotor feel so sticky when I’m turning?”

“I don’t know, maybe because its sixty years old?” said Sweetie Belle. Twilight felt an old motherly impulse well within her breast and she was tempted to intervene, but in the end Scootaloo relented and handed over the components. Sweetie Belle’s hands lit green with magic and she began lightly pulling the wires apart, examining each one individually.

“Magic?” puzzled Twilight.

“Yep,” said Sweetie Belle, “for some reason electrical equipment reacts strongly to spells. A little magic like this can repair them. Other spells, though, cause them to malfunction. Like on board the aircraft carrier.”

“Which is why we’ve been able to stay off of everypony—er uh—everybody’s radar,” said Apple Bloom. “Even the simplest of Sweetie Belle’s spells create an electromagnetic field. Makes us practically invisible.”

“Nerds—“ mumbled Scootaloo with folded arms.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” said Apple Bloom brandishing a wrench.

“Electromagnetism,” replied Twilight. “Interesting.” She thought back to the great rock spire and its crippling electromagnetic field. Her thoughts lingered briefly on Briggs, but she shook them away.

For the next few hours Twilight followed the Crusaders around the destroyer, assisting them with their repairs and helping them prepare the boat for travel. The two diesel engines, as large as railroad cars, had not been cooperating, and even though Scootaloo learned quickly, she had been unable able to keep them running. Twilight shared with her what little she knew of engine maintenance and the two of them were able to struggle through the repair, finally rewarded with a great belching cloud of black smoke that coughed from the exhaust pipes as the engines rumbled and purred.

Every spare moment during their work, Twilight questioned the girls about Equestria and what had befallen their friends and family since she had left. Each Crusader’s face darkened as they recounted parts of their story, and they were obviously reluctant to divulge every detail. Twilight soon grew impatient hearing only fragments, and later that night she forced the girls sit with her on the deck and tell her what had transpired.

“Well?” she said as they sat. The girls each looked back and forth at one another before Apple Bloom finally sighed and spoke.

She began the tale where Twilight had last left Equestria – her great spell that had split away the evil presence within her and stranded her in the human world. When Twilight had cast her spell, part of her being was fractured, and the evil that had once infected her heart was left behind in Equestria. As Twilight’s spell cleared, the fractured evil took form in the haze, appearing as an alicorn with purple and pink streaked hair, a Not-Twilight, dark and terrible. She turned her empty gaze against the ponies within Canterlot and unleashed her stored power, feeding on their despair.

Now that the dark being was free of the mind of the true Twilight Sparkle, there was no limit to her power, and the combined strength of both Princess Celestia and Luna were unable to defeat her just as they had been unable to cure Twilight from the initial infection. Celestia and Luna were forced to evacuate Canterlot as the shadow grew and enveloped the entire mountainside. Above the castle, the sky fractured, and for a time Celestia and Luna lost control of day and night. The corruption threatened to spill out across the rest of Equestria, and all ponies lived in fear of the growing tide of darkness taking shape within the folds of the mountains.

Although they could not reach full strength with Twilight’s absence, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy used their elements to keep the Dark One at bay while Celestia and Luna regained their strength and fought to return day and night to order. For rest of their days, a terrible war raged at the borders of Equestria and a corrupted Canterlot. Earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn alike were called to arms and fought to repel the invasion of shadows that took from and streamed endlessly out of the mountains to devour and conquer. The defenders sought the aid of all who were willing to fight, turning even to the most unlikely of allies. Spike and Rarity traveled far into the smoldering realms to enlist the aid of the dragons, but their quest was not without a price, and with their return Spike appeared full-grown and permanently transformed, easily dwarfing the other dragons in their company. He obeyed the voice of Rarity alone and together they led a counter assault of shining scale and burning fire. Rainbow Dash, along with the cooperation of the Wonderbolts, transformed Equestria’s weather control teams into weather assault teams, unleashing cyclone, lightening, and hurricane against the invaders. Even Fluttershy, in an uncharacteristic display of courage, led a battalion of the more fierce animals under her care and played a crucial role in the defense of Ponyville and the Everfree Forest.

The three Crusaders explained to Twilight that in the beginning, they volunteered often to fight for Equestria alongside their sisters, but were always refused. Determined to help, the girls used their wide array of talents and creativity to stage a barrage of successful guerilla attacks on enemy outposts that had begun to gradually spread out from beneath the mountains. Many of these assaults involved daring scooter maneuvers, displays of Apple-family strength, and distracting 80s music sung in perfect pitch. It was during these offensives that the three Crusaders gained their cutie marks, and the girls detailed each instance at length to Twilight.

As she listened, Twilight noted the obvious joy in their voices as they related their tales of heroism and the great help they were to the forces of Equestria. It was the first time she had heard the girls laugh since their daring rescue from the Dreadnaught. However, when the girls had concluded their last explanation of cutie-mark inspiring valor, they grew quiet. In Twilight’s heart, she knew their loss to be great though she could not guess what it was they struggled to tell her. It was finally Sweetie Belle who broke the silence and finished the story.

Having proved their skill in battle, the Crusaders were finally allowed to join their sisters for what was to be the first and only offensive of the forces of Equestria against the mountains of Canterlot. Every hoof, claw, and paw was needed, and although Rarity and Applejack were reluctant, the Crusaders were allowed to join their ranks. Sweetie Belle explained how it was decided that Princess Cadence would move the Crystal Heart from her empire and use its power to destroy the Dark One once and for all. Moving the Heart meant the loss of the Crystal Empire to the surrounding drifts of snow and ice, a loss that grieved Cadence deeply, but it was a price that she and the crystal ponies were willing to pay for an end to the war.

When their invasion entered the Canterlot mountains, no one could have imagined how strong the enemy had grown and the machinations that lay in wait. The pony line surged forward with an initial charge only to break in clouds of black smoke and neighs of despair. Celestia and Luna fought to hold their ranks together while Cadence cradled the Crystal Heart in a bubble of telekinetic magic, waiting for her moment to strike. They knew they would need to take the castle for their destruction spell to have any effect. After the first wave of fighting, it was Applejack and Pinkie Pie who finally broke through the first line of enemy defenses. With their Elements ablaze, they rallied the ponies and led a charge that carved its way up into the final mountain pass. It was there, before the black gates of Canterlot Castle, that the Dark One finally revealed herself. Applejack and Pinkie Pie could not ignore how closely she resembled Twilight Sparkle and they felt their hope and strength fade as they stood in her presence.

The Dark One single handedly deflected the Equestrian charge and broke their lines with her great power. Pinkie Pie fell back and tried to regroup the ponies for a second assault while Applejack alone stood foolishly to face the Dark One. Rainbow Dash sensed from above her friend’s plight and fought through swarms of winged creatures to land by Applejack’s side. Together, Applejack and Rainbow Dash fought the Dark One hoof to hoof while the foundations of Canterlot rumbled and shook with the force of their blows. For a brief moment, it appeared as though the combined strengths of Loyalty and Honesty would persevere as the Dark One began to stagger. But with a terrible cry, she brought forth a black weapon forged of hate and twisted magic and used it to overcome Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Elsewhere, the strength of ponies failed. When it became apparent that they could not take the castle gates, the royal voice of Princess Luna rang out over the din of battle and called the ponies to retreat. Applejack, with Rainbow Dash’s tail in her mouth, pulled away from the threshold of the black gates and marked the closest point anypony would ever come to Canterlot Castle.

Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were forced to abandon their initial quest and instead made a final stand in the throat of the mountain pass as their armies retreated in waves around them. Using their magic, they planted great shards of hard blue crystal deep into the roots of the mountains and anchored the Crystal Heart in place. Fueled by the power of the Crystal Heart, they strained to form a barrier around Canterlot, hoping to trap the evil within. Their spell took time, and the Dark One sensed her doom and bent all of her will against the three princesses as they struggled to close the barrier.

In the end, the alicorn magic succeeded and their barrier stood opaque and impenetrable, but Luna was gone and Celestia had fallen and lay still at the base of the Crystal Heart. Princess Cadenced cried aloud and ran to Celestia, crouching at her side and whispering every healing spell she knew for hours as the rest of Equestria watched in horrified silence. But for all of Cadence’s tears and effort, Celestia did not stir. Rarity and her company of dragons searched long for Princess Luna at the edge of the crystal barrier but never found any trace of her. Many feared Luna had been trapped within the mountains, others that the spell had taken her life. She was never seen again.

It was a great and terrible cost to pay for keeping the evil within the Canterlot mountains, and none could believe their great leaders had perished in the final moments of battle. At the end of that dark night, Princess Cadence alone raised the sun for her first time with tears of mourning and spilt sunlight onto Equestria and the sealed mountain realm. As she did, she vowed to retake Canterlot Castle and lay Luna and Celestia’s crowns to rest at the foot of their thrones no matter what the cost may be.

In the following years, the Crystal Heart barrier held strong as the mountains within grew cold and silent. All tried to rebuild what had been destroyed, but the loss of their princesses had struck a blow at the very heart of the ponies’ desire to restore Equestria. Over time, things began to change. Laws of magic, nature, and weather began to gradually bend and many feared that the barrier around the mountains would soon fall.

It was during this time that Sweetie Belle began to experiment with spells of her own. Born of necessity, her magic had grown strong, and by accident she stumbled upon what appeared to be the spell to another world in a collection of Twilight’s old belongings that Rarity had kept. However, all of her attempts to stabilize a portal were unsuccessful, and in frustration she gave up and forgot the spell. Then one night, as the Crusaders slept in the darkness of the Everfree Forest, Sweetie Belle had a visitor in her dream—a troubled vision of Twilight Sparkle creeping through the fog much as Princess Luna had once done.

At first she feared it was the Dark One making her way through the crystal barrier, but there was no shroud of evil surrounding the figure of Twilight Sparkle, and Sweetie Belle sensed this vision of her friend was pure although hazy. She watched as Twilight moved out across Equestria and through deep dark water to change into a strange apelike form. All throughout the dream, Twilight Sparkle was fighting desperately and against enemies Sweetie Belle could not see. When she awoke, she could not purge the image of Twilight from her mind, and she began to wonder if the princess was still alive. Sweetie Belle attempted her spell again, and although she tried nothing different, it was unexplainably successful and her portal remained stable. Thus began the Crusader’s quest to return Twilight Sparkle to Equestria as they skipped back and forth between worlds and infiltrated the US Navy waiting for the right moment to reach out to Twilight.

“Only this last time we crossed over, something is different,” said Sweetie Belle. The four girls sat huddled at the prow of the destroyer eating the meager rations the Crusaders had left aboard. The sun had long set during their tale, and now stars shimmered and danced in the reflections of the waves about them.
“We aren’t able to go back,” said Scootaloo, finishing Sweetie Belle’s sentence. “The portal won’t open for us anymore.”

Twilight had been quiet for some time. The news of Celestia’s and Luna’s demise had been almost impossible to bear, and she had asked Sweetie Belle to stop telling her story for a long moment so that she could swallow the grave news slowly. Twilight now sat with her knees drawn close to her chest, her wings folded in a X on the floor behind her.

“I told my big sister about the portal,” said Sweetie Belle. “Well. I eventually told her. For some reason she wasn’t surprised, but she did make me swear I wouldn’t tell anyone else about it. From the little she said to me, I think Rarity and the others were trying to find you too, Twilight, but I didn’t get a chance to ask her before we were stranded.”

“They did find me,” said Twilight. Sweetie Belle watched her withdraw the five raw Elements of Harmony from her pouch and lay them on the deck in front of the girls. A soft light shimmered from between their facets, and Sweetie Belle wasn’t sure if it was reflected starlight or a light from within.

“Those can’t be—“ said Apple Bloom.

“They are indeed. The Elements of Harmony,” said Twilight Sparkle, “and all that remains of my friends and your sisters.” Twilight then recounted the story of the great rock spire and how she and Briggs found the Tree of Harmony and watched helplessly as their friends were transformed.
“Somehow they found a way into this world, too,” said Twilight. “I’ve seen first hand the damage a single Element can do once it has been activated on Earth. If these five are here, then I do not know what will happen should their power be unleashed.”

“Then we use them!” said Scootaloo standing to her feet. “If their power is so great, let’s turn it against the enemy, or at least try to find a way back home.”

“I’m not so sure I know how to use them,” said Twilight, “and I’m afraid of what might happen while they still share their strange connection with AJ, Rainbow, Rarity and the others.”

Twilight grew silent and squeezed her knees underneath her chin. For a long while, she and the three Crusaders sat watching the gems reflect their strange light in patterns across the deck. Every few minutes, a great burst of steam would break the silence as Spike surfaced beside the destroyer. Twilight recalled Rarity’s last words and her claim that hope still remained as long as Twilight lived. She longed for it to be true.

“Then what do we do?” asked Scootaloo. “We can’t just float out here doing nothing!” Sweetie Belle shot Scootaloo a condemning look and wordlessly beckoned her to sit back down.

“I need time to think,” said Twilight. She gathered the Elements into her pouch and pushed herself up onto her feet. “We will leave soon, but I still need to contemplate our best course of action. Girls, if you could please make the ship ready to depart, I would be grateful.” Her voice, though gentle, held subtle command that stirred an old but deep sense of devotion within the Crusaders.

“Of course, princess,” said Apple Bloom.

Twilight Sparkle paced slowly along the stern of the destroyer. She could hear the sounds of the other girls as they milled about the ship making preparations for departure. The night air had grown cold, and Twilight untied the sleeves of the flight suit from around her waist and zipped it up to the collar, huddling in its excess folds for warmth. One by one, she withdrew the gemstone elements from her pouch and studied them, contemplating each friend and the element of harmony they represented. Alone, the Elements had little strength, as had been made apparent in their clash with the Dark One, but united together they could become an unparalleled force against which no foe had yet prevailed.

Now however, Twilight could not make a full measure of the elements’ strength. The physical forms of her friends were gone, but she did not feel altogether alone, as if she could sense them smiling at her from within the gems. Before, when Twilight had fought helplessly as an officer of the Navy, she had been alone, but not now. She was no longer alone, even though the fell news of Luna and Celestia’s demise threatened to drag the beginnings of Twilight’s hope down into sorrow. Her heart stood at the edge of a knife. Tipping either direction meant a despair and loneliness that she was unsure she could bear.

The sound of Spike’s breathing from the ocean below pulled Twilight Sparkle from her thoughts. He had stopped swimming his watchful circles around the ship and pulled his long snout up to the railing beside Twilight. She smiled and reached a hand out to touch Spike’s nose, rubbing the hard wet scales.

“A water dragon,” said Twilight softly. “I guess I should have figured that out a long time ago. You’ve gotten big, old friend. I don’t think you’ll be able to ride on my back anymore.” Twilight continued scratching his scales and thought she saw the beginnings of a toothy smile form across his face. “I never properly thanked you for saving my life,” she continued. “Thank you Spike, my dear friend. It is so very good to see you again.”

A geyser of water shot from Spike’s nostrils in response, and great bubbles of steam roiled in the water about his head. Though his form was terrifying, Twilight still noted a familiar softness in the small green eyes that studied her in the starlight.

“You’ve lost the ability to speak, haven’t you?” asked Twilight. Spike shifted his head away and sagged slightly into the water. “We’ve all lost so much during these dark times, haven’t we. I want to cry, Spike, but I don’t think I have the strength to. Princess Celestia—” Twilight’s voice trailed off and tears welled in the corners of her eyes. She tightened her grip on the railing. “While there is still power in me, I must fight, whether together with friends or alone. But I am so tired and afraid.”

Spike pushed his nose against the destroyer and nudged the stern a few feet up out of the water. His eyes were alight with green fire, and he locked them with Twilight for several long moments before easing the boat back down into the water again.

“I know what we must do,” said Twilight. “Thank you, Spike. No more fighting alone.” She placed her hand on Spike’s nose one last time and then turned away.

Twilight stepped through a hatch and made her way up the stairs to the destroyer’s bridge to rejoin the Crusaders. Within, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom had prepared a map of the Western Pacific for Twilight. The four of them studied the map for few moments before Twilight spoke.

“The subtle changes in magic and weather that you spoke of, Sweetie Belle, concerns me,” she said. “The fact that magic now functions on Earth could mean that the fabric between Equestria and this world is growing thin. I fear this Dark One is searching for a way to draw power from Earth in order to break the seal of the Crystal Heart. This is not the first time someone has tried to exploit Equestrian magic in this human world.

“We must return to Kyushu and search for the remains of the Tree of Harmony. That strange crater, I believe, will hold the clue as to why the powers of Equestria linger here on Earth, and it was no coincidence that our friends first appeared there. It will not be an easy path, girls. Doubtless, we will encounter the Earthen Navies from both sides of this foolish conflict as we near the island. Their leaders are paranoid and frightened and will not rest until the anomaly on Kyushu is either under their control or destroyed. What I fear most, though, is not the forces of Earth, but that this Dark One may be lying in wait, ready to take the Elements of Harmony and use them for some fell purpose. In the face of such things, our chances of success are slim. I do not want to lie to you about the danger I am asking you to face.”

Twilight turned from the map and faced the girls, her expression stern. Though she wore Briggs’ ill-fitting flight suit, she appeared regal for the first time to the Crusaders, worthy of her royal title. Scootaloo thought she saw the glint of Twilight’s Element of Magic arrayed in a tiara atop her head, though no diadem was actually there. The princess spoke of great danger, and yet as the Crusaders listened to the confidence and power in Twilight’s voice, they were not afraid. Each one of them looked back at Twilight Sparkle and set their faces as hard as flint.

“We will follow you to the end, Princess Twilight, whatever end it might be,” they said.

It was a two day journey across the East China Sea to the island of Kyushu. Scootaloo had to be careful not to push the destroyer’s engines too hard lest they run out of fuel before reaching their destination. On two occasions, the diesels had faltered, but each time Scootaloo managed to restore them to life, swearing on her cutie-mark that the Crusader would make it to Japan.

Sweetie Belle and Twilight used most of the first day to practice spells. The young girl showed Twilight the simple method she used to block radar and sonar. Twilight’s magic quickly grew strong again, and it was not long before she could levitate great objects and teleport from one end of the ship to the other, although her first few attempts missed their mark and sent Twilight splashing into the ocean. All the while, Spike patrolled the waters around the Crusader, occasionally breaching the surface to watch Twilight practice and chuckle at her mistakes.

“You can fly, you know,” said Scootaloo watching Twilight climb back onto the boat for the second time.

“Yeah, I know,” said Twilight and she dried herself off.

The second day on the open sea was spent in silence. Scootaloo piloted the ship, exchanging shifts with the other girls, while Twilight stood at the prow peering ahead into the distance. At all hours she stood at the railing with her sniper rifle strapped between her wings, the flight suit unzipped to her waist and tied around her hips. North of their position, the sky had grown unnaturally black as with a great storm, and Twilight frowned at the horizon knowing Kyushu would soon draw close. Even though the sky was dark, the wind had died and the sea lay still as the sun began to set. The only sounds were the muffled clip of the diesel engines and the gargled bursts of steam that rose as Spike surfaced and then dove again.

The night fell quickly, and before long the Crusader was engulfed in darkness. They dared not light any lamps for fear they would be spotted and destroyed by the navies patrolling the surrounding waters. Neither star nor moon shown down from the night sky. The overwhelming blackness oppressed them. At the bow, Twilight felt the gentle rock of the boat as the uneasiness of the night knit together in her belly. Twilight turned to look back at the bridge and found she could barely make out its windows. It was as though a thick black fluid hung in the air and had absorbed all light.

“I don’t like this, princess,” called Apple Bloom from the bridge. She had propped one of the windows open so she could call down to the deck. “There’s no way we’ll be able to see land in a night like this, not with our lights out.”

“I don’t like it either, Apple Bloom,” said Twilight. She strained to peer through the darkness but could see nothing, “We will know when we are close, whether we can see the island or not.”

The black of night dragged on. Apple Bloom checked her charts a second time to make sure she had not miscalculated their course. Well past midnight, Apple Bloom announced that they should be within visual range of the coastline. But they could see nothing, just the same endless black sludge enveloping them. With Twilight’s permission, Sweetie Belle sent out a soft sonar pulse of green magic but it never returned.

Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by a thud and the loud screech of grinding metal. Twilight clung to the railing as the unexpected stop threatened to knock her overboard. The ship had impacted something on its port side and pushed it slightly up out of water. Scootaloo cursed and quickly cut the engines while Spike sped around the boat and rose out of the water, making ready to defend the Crusader.

“What did we hit?” asked Apple Bloom. Twilight moved to the port side and tried to make out the obstruction. Something large and made of steel lay in the black water, but it was too dark for her to discern any detail. Sweetie Belle descended to the deck and walked up beside Twilight Sparkle and leaned out over the railing to study the water with her.

“Give us some light, Scootaloo,” said Twilight. “We can risk turning on one lamp in a fog like this, I think.”

“I’m not so sure it’s fog,” said Scootaloo and she flipped on a floodlight and angled it towards Twilight. They wondered as the light revealed the wreckage of an enormous battleship. The collision had knocked it loose, and huge bubbles rose in a steady stream from its sides as the wreckage began to slowly sink. All along its length, smoke billowed out through open holes made by some great weapon. There appeared to be no one on board.

“Whose ship is it? China’s?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Does it matter?” said Twilight.

The battleship sank quickly, and water spread out over top of its deck and soon covered the base of the control tower and forward guns. Soon, only the top of the bridge was visible above the swirling eddies. Anger and frustration burned within Twilight as she looked again at the scars of war.

As she studied the wreckage, Twilight felt something warm push up against her hip through her clothes. She reached into the pouch hidden within her pocket and withdrew one of the gems—a rich burnt orange stone once belonging to Rainbow Dash and symbolizing her power of loyalty. It was glowing brilliantly as Twilight’s anger smoldered, and its light pierced through the thick darkness. From around her hand, the blackness broke apart and began to withdraw.

The fog receded in a slow wave, and Scootaloo’s floodlight revealed the full scale of the destruction that lay about them. A great battle had ensued along the Japanese coast, and now a graveyard of burning ships and flotsam drifted abandoned and silent in the water. The girls stared wordlessly out at the wreckage and the untold number of sinking warships, and light danced all about the Crusader from the the burning oil slicks that glistened on the surface of the ocean.

A bright flash of light and a delayed cannon blast drew their attention to a large ship moving out in the distance. It was the great aircraft carrier Dreadnaught, lumbering slowly forward and bearing down on a small group of enemy ships that had made an attempt to escape. The Dreadnaught was badly damaged. It heeled over hard to one side and black smoke rose from a crippled pontoon. No aircraft were visible on its deck or flying through the air, and Twilight guessed that they had all been shot down or destroyed. The carrier was still moving, however, and Twilight watched as the last of its functioning rail cannons swiveled and fired on the group of fleeing ships. The metal shell struck its mark and shattered the top half of the ship into splinters of shrapnel.

Twilight squeezed the gem in her hand, knuckles turning white against the orange glow, and watched as the Dreadnaught fired on its quarry repeatedly until all of the ships had been destroyed.

“All ahead full, Scootaloo,” said Twilight. Scootaloo paused for a brief moment to look up at the smoking aircraft carrier in the distance and pushed forward on the throttle. The Crusader lurched and broke free of the wreckage, and the last of the battleship sunk beneath the water. Twilight stood again at the bow of the destroyer still clutching the gem, her eyes fixed on the Dreadnaught. It had noticed the Crusader and began to slowly turn towards them.

Within Twilght’s pocket, the other gems burned and cast patterns of multicolored light through the fabric, each fueled by her strength of purpose. She released her grip on the Element of Loyalty. Instead of dropping into the ocean, the gem began to float a few inches above the palm of her hand. One by one, the other gems rose through the air and joined the Element of Loyalty. They spun slow circles about Twilight, gradually picking up speed and shining with brilliance. All at once, the light from the gems climaxed and a great bolt of lightning cracked before Twilight Sparkle. The thunder blast shattered the windows of the destroyer and forced the other girls aboard to shield their eyes. In the bolt’s place stood the sixth and final Element, the Element of Magic, in the shape of a star, its six points sharp and pouring forth light. All the while, the Dreadnaught continued to bear down on the Crusader, heedless of its growing power.

“I don’t believe it,” said Sweetie Belle from the deck beside Twilight, “she’s wielding all six Elements at once.” The Element of Magic stood fixed in place while the other five whirled about Twilight. She locked eyes with the aircraft carrier and the force of the spinning Elements pulled her upwards. Her toes grazed the surface of the deck and then lifted free. In front of her, the rail cannon onboard the Dreadnaught took aim.

“Spike!” said Twilight. A deep rumble echoed from the dragon’s throat in response and he splashed beneath the ocean surface, propelling himself towards the aircraft carrier with great sweeps of his tail. Twilight studied the carrier and narrowed her eyes.

“That is quite enough,” she said to the approaching ship and lifted her hand, stretching out her fingers with palm facing the Dreadnaught. She spread her wings wide.
A white flash leapt from the rail cannon barrel and a force like a great freight train struck the air surrounding the Crusader. A shield of pale magic arrayed itself in front of Twilight. It took the full strength of the blow and held as the thirty-ton tungsten shell exploded in a thousand sparks and streams of molten metal. The shockwave rocked the ship violently and knocked Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo to the floor. Sweetie Belle struggled to her knees, her ears ringing, and saw that Twilight still hovered at the ship’s prow unharmed and with arm raised. She looked past Twilight at the approaching aircraft carrier and watched as Spike emerged from the water and smashed into the side of the Dreadnaught, tearing its last weapon into pieces.

Comments

[FlameSwordedLink]

Well, if stopping a rail cannon isn't overpowered, I don't know what is.

[Acoustic Pulse]

Dude. This is awesome. OP as fuck, but awesome!

[Cupcakes]

Finish writing this so I can read it. :|

[Commander Darklight]

5125431 um how about twilight making a mass driver cannon spell

she really does this in the 'Immortal game'

Heres how

1) take two null void spaces
2)add about 100kg of iron to one void
3)superheat till molten
4)compress with gravity spell
5)turn second null void into infinity loop
6)teleport compressed molten iron to infinity loop null void
7)increase gravity in said infinity loop
8)allow molten iron to reach near speed of light
9)face enemy and release molten iron from null void
10)ENJOY your custom made sparkle mass driver spell!!!!