The Longest Day II: Change
The white beam struck Applejack in her chest. She cried out in surprise and dropped to one knee, her pony features fading in and out of the world. The white beam turned orange and its flow pulled back toward the staff.
“Applejack!” Rarity cried. She threw a shield out between Applejack and the beam. The shield cut the laser off, but it violently flickered before dissolving like sugar in water, breaking into hundreds of tiny purple light particles. Pinkie watched as said particles drifted into the beam and were pulled into the staff.
Rarity swooned and held a hand to her forehead. “What… what was that?”
Applejack woozily climbed back to her feet. Her pony ears returned to a solid-state, but her aura was dimmer than before.
“What did you do to me?” she said, breathing hard.
Aria rolled her eyes. “I’m not some lame supervillain. If you can’t figure it out, I’m not gonna tell you.” She pointed the staff at Applejack again, but Rarity conjured another diamond shield and hurled it at Aria.
She ducked, but the shield bounced off the cave wall and slammed into the back of her head. She stumbled forward off the short ledge and onto her knees. Applejack ran forward, fist reared back.
Adagio opened her mouth in Applejack’s direction and screamed. Pinkie could see the soundwaves ripple through the air. She covered her ears as the scream ricocheted around the cavern and drilled into her eardrums. Applejack took the full blast and was thrown onto the floor.
Aria got up and rubbed her ear, glaring briefly at Adagio before pointing the staff at Applejack again. Rarity threw her arms up, and a circle of interlocked diamonds rose around Aria, encasing her in a sparkling blue dome. Aria fired the staff anyway, and like before, Rarity’s magical prison flickered and slowly fizzled out. Every hexagon broke down into pieces of light and was absorbed into the staff.
Rarity gasped and fell to her knees. “Are you… are you draining our magic?”
“Like we said…” Adagio smiled, showing all of her teeth. “You took something of ours. Now, we’re taking something of yours.”
Pinkie looked at Rarity and Applejack struggling to get back up. She then looked at Sonata, who had once again averted her gaze.
“Sonata, you have to stop this!” Pinkie shouted. A faint tingle ran through her body, like her pony features wanted to come forth.
Sonata weakly shook her head. “We… we’ll all get our voices back—”
“What’s the point? Why do all you bad guys want power if everyone hates you or is just brainwashed at the end? Pick a better life, please!”
Sonata huddled in on herself and looked back at her sisters. Adagio’s eyes burned with vitriol, but Aria bit the inside of her cheek and looked at the staff in her hands.
Applejack used that moment to charge and swing a fist for Aria. The Siren ducked, yelping as Applejack’s fist smashed into the cave wall, leaving an impressive indent.
Rarity hurled two hand-sized shields at Adagio. Adagio sidestepped and ducked out of their range, then let out a powerful wail at the third, larger one Rarity had conjured. The soundwave slowed it down but it still plowed into Adagio, throwing her back against the wall.
With all the commotion, no one heard the scrape of gravel or noticed a new shadow until a deep voice called, “Freeze!”
Applejack whipped her head back toward the mouth of the cave tunnel. “Shining?” Her momentary distraction allowed Aria to jab the staff into her abdomen and drain more magic, dropping Applejack to her knees again.
Shining pointed a gun at Aria, who immediately backed away and held her hands up, but kept her fingers curled around the staff.
“Drop the weapon!” Shining ordered.
“Aaah aaah ah. Aaa—”
Rarity lifted her hands and clapped them together, and another dome burst from the ground and encaged Adagio, cutting off her song. “Cadence is deeper in the cave! Go find her!”
Shining kept his gun trained on Aria but gave a concerned look to Rarity. “But—”
“Shining, this is just a bit out of your depth, I’m afraid!” Rarity cringed, feeling her shield starting to falter as Adagio screamed louder. “We will handle this! Go and save your bride!”
“I’m not just going to leave you girls unattended!”
Rarity’s shield shattered and Adagio’s wail reverberated through the whole cavern, the force slamming into everyone’s ears. Aria recovered first. She pointed the staff at Shining, and instead of a beam of light, a ball of energy formed at the tip, growing to the size of an apple before firing.
Shining jumped and rolled to the side. He ended in a crouch and fired his gun at Aria. The shot missed but Aria still threw herself to the floor. She pointed the staff at Shining again, but Applejack rolled on top of her and pinned her arm down.
“Go!” she yelled, voice cracking.
“Sonata, do something, you moron!” Aria yelled.
Shining moved for the narrow passage, but Sonata moved from the ledge to block him. Pinkie jumped in front of her and threw her arms out.
“Sonata, don’t, please!”
Sonata swallowed and slowly put her fists up. “Pinkie, I don’t want to fight you.”
“Then don’t!”
“I have to!”
“No you don’t!” Pinkie cried. “You can make the right choice!”
“Sonata!” Adagio bellowed as she ducked under Rarity’s shield.
Sonata looked fearfully at her before looking back at Pinkie. Shining shuffled into the passage behind her. Sonata stepped forward, but Pinkie refused to budge.
“Sonnie…”
Sonata hiccuped. “I’m sorry!” She aimed a high kick at Pinkie.
*******
Anger.
Righteous, justified anger.
That was the trigger for Sunset’s fire—what gave her burning wings and tail life. They exploded forth the second she saw Twilight at Tempest’s mercy. She hadn’t thought, she hadn’t planned. She only desired to slam her fist into Tempest as hard as possible; a desire that her instincts fulfilled before she was fully cognizant of what happened.
She watched Tempest eat dirt and slam into a tree, pine needles raining down on her head. To her credit, she got back up almost instantly.
“Ah, there you are, Sunset,” she said, wiping blood off her lip.
Sunset could see her own golden aura flare up as her anger continued to spike. The air around her shimmered from the heat waves she exuded. She turned her head. Twilight looked up at her in awe through the tears in her eyes.
“Everything’s gonna be fine,” Sunset said softly. As soon as she finished, a chromatic blur skidded to a stop beside her.
“Tempest?” Rainbow looked to the side. “Moondancer? The heck is going on here?”
Sunset hadn’t even noticed Moondancer until now. She was slowly backing up toward the trees, a hand on her mask. She looked almost panicked. Sunset disregarded her. She had only one target.
Tempest finished dusting herself off, looking unperturbed. “You truly have some fascinating powers, Sunset. It’s too bad you won’t put them to better use.”
Sunset widened her stance and lifted her fists.
“What? No witty retort or snarky comment? I hear tell you’re full of them.”
“Go to hell!”
Fire roaring through her veins, Sunset punched her fist forward. A ball of flames erupted from just beyond her knuckles and sped toward Tempest.
Her shadow hand whipped free from her cloak and slashed through it, reducing it to ribbons. She ran forward and reached her arm out, claws extended.
Sunset ran to meet her, eyes wide with fury. She raked a hand through the air and three burning talons followed right after, slashing Tempest’s shadow arm and disrupting it. Tempest dragged her heels to a stop and hissed in pain as the shadows gathered themselves and reformed.
She snapped her gaze to Moondancer. “Don’t just stand there, idiot!”
Sunset fixed a heated gaze on her. “Try it!”
Moondancer eased a foot back, her good eye looking wildly between Sunset and Tempest. Biting her lip, she slowly lifted a hand and produced an orb of light that struggled to stay in existence.
A rainbow smashed into her and sent her into the foliage between the trees. Rainbow stopped and gave Sunset a thumbs up. “I’ll handle her. Fluttershy, get Twilight to safety!”
Fluttershy hovered down from the trees, looking angelic as she descended. She knelt beside Twilight and rested a hand on her back and bathed her in a soft pink glow.
Tempest aimed her palm toward them and fired an orb of dark energy. Sunset threw a fireball to intercept it. The projectiles collided and exploded, leaving behind a cloud of thick smoke. Sunset threw another one at Tempest, letting out a furious roar as it left her hand.
Tempest batted it down and caught the grass ablaze. She swung her arm horizontally and a black crescent sliced through the air toward Sunset.
She threw her arms up and felt her wings fold forward to defend her as well. The wave of energy struck against them and Sunset grimaced at the cold, electric sting she could actually feel, like her wings were a physical part of her. She uncurled them and held her hands out, unleashing a barrage of fireballs.
Tempest raised her hands and a black forcefield rose from the earth and encased her. Every fireball hit the shield and dissipated, but Sunset kept firing anyway. A section of the forcefield rippled, and a black tendril whipped out to strike Sunset.
She slashed at it with her flaming talons, rebuking it once before it lunged again and struck her across the face. Ignoring the sting, she jumped into the air and put her hands together. Fire streamed from her palms, completely engulfing Tempest’s shadow dome. Embers leaped from the pillar and struck the surrounding brush, catching more of the clearing on fire.
Sunset quickly let up as the fire began to eat the trunk of a tree. As soon as she did, a dozen black needles broke from the earth to impale her. With a single flap of her wings, she rocketed up higher into the boughs of the trees. The needles stopped reaching for her, but Tempest emerged from her cocoon and fired a volley of dark blasts. Sunset narrowly weaved and spun around the projectiles, most of them coming within a hair’s breadth. Her wings reacted to her every thought, but having wings was still a novel concept. She knew she was flailing more than flying half the time.
She conjured a ball of fire and hurled it toward the earth. A shadow ball intercepted it and created another explosion that threw smoke and embers through the treetops. Sunset rose higher and broke through the tree line, watching the smoke curl past her.
I’m going to set the whole forest on fire if I don’t end this soon!
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Tempest had tried to steal Twilight’s soul; Sunset had every right to be angry. But that didn’t mean she had to be reckless.
Concentrate, Sunset. Don’t let her outplay you.
Sunset opened her eyes and circled around the clearing, using the smoke as cover. She dove down and wreathed her hand in fire as she came behind Tempest.
Tempest turned at the last second and threw her shadow hand out to grab Sunset’s. Sunset raised her other fist and slugged Tempest across the cheek. As she staggered back, Sunset twisted in the air and planted both her feet into Tempest’s chest. Tempest hit the ground but used the momentum to roll backward and jump to her feet, just in time to block a fireball.
She spread her arms and the surrounding shadows of the trees pooled toward her, gathering beneath her boots. Several black tendrils rose from the darkness, whipping about wildly. With a thrust of her hand, two of them lunged at Sunset.
Sunset slashed at them with her phoenix claws, cutting them back for a moment before they struck again. Sunset burned one, but another coiled around her wrist. It squeezed with such force, Sunset’s hand went numb and she could feel her wrist about to snap. Another tendril grabbed her other arm and pulled her down, pinning her to the ground. Sunset struggled to break free, feeling her joints pop and crack. She tried to conjure magic from her horn, only to realize she didn’t have a horn in this form.
Twilight charged forward, brandishing her sword over her head. She brought it down and cleaved both tendrils in half, disrupting them long enough for Sunset to snatch her arms back. A black coil reached for Twilight, but Sunset blasted it with a gout of fire, roaring as she unleashed it.
“Twilight, get out of here!” Sunset shouted.
“No!” Twilight swung her blade through another shadow tendril. She pivoted on her heel and sliced another before a third grabbed her sword wrist and twisted it. Twilight dropped her weapon, and another tendril wrapped around her neck and held her aloft.
Sunset aimed a blast directly for Tempest, but the witch moved Twilight into the line of fire.
“I would think carefully about your next move,” she said smugly, moving her arms to and fro to control the circle of shadows around her; the conductor of a dark orchestra.
Twilight scrabbled at the tangible shadow choking her, glaring defiantly at it. “Just… shoot her,” she gasped.
Sunset held her attack. Twilight couldn’t see the needlepoint tendril at the back of her head.
A shower of pine cones fell upon Tempest, momentarily distracting her as she gazed up at Fluttershy flying overhead.
Sunset stepped to the side and sliced the air with her hand, pushing out a sickle of fire that cut Twilight free. She grabbed her sword and jumped out of Tempest’s reach.
Smoke swirled around them. What had once been small patches of fire had grown into conflagrations, burning bushes and rising up the trees.
“Twilight, why didn’t you leave?” Sunset asked in a low voice.
“I am not going to run away while you fight for your life!”
Tempest curled her lips in a patronizing smirk. “How sickeningly cute. But, I’d suggest you listen to her, Twilight. You’re not cut out for this.”
Twilight bared her teeth in the most vicious snarl Sunset had ever seen on her. “Strong words for someone so dependent on magic!” she yelled.
“Oh? You think you could take me in a regular duel?”
“Yes!”
Tempest chuckled. “Sorry, but I’m not inclined to oblige. After being blessed with power, why would I stoop myself to your level?”
“Coward,” Twilight spat.
“Pragmatist.”
Sunset lobbed another ball of fire at Tempest while her eyes were on Twilight. Tempest turned her head and saw the flames at the last second. She threw her arm up as the fireball detonated, throwing her toward a tree. She rotated in midair and planted her boots against the trunk, then sprang off it and back toward Sunset, her shadow arm morphing into a serrated blade.
Sunset dropped to the ground and watched Tempest fly overhead, her blade taking a few hairs from Sunset’s flaming mane. Sunset shot off two more projectiles as Tempest hit the ground in a crouch. A black shield popped up around her, repelling both blasts.
Twilight sprinted past Sunset and made a vertical slice at Tempest. She blocked it with her black blade and forced Twilight back, but Twilight swung and clashed with her again.
Sunset ran up beside Twilight and slashed at Tempest. Tempest raised her normal arm, and a small black shield appeared to take the blow. She then raked her hand through the air, and three shadow talons tried to swipe at Sunset. With another swipe of her hand, Sunset’s fire claws met Tempest’s and they canceled each other out.
Tempest jumped back, upsetting Twilight’s balance. As she tried to right herself, Tempest thrust her palm at a burning bush beside herself. The fire reared up and lashed at Twilight.
Sunset stepped forward and slid her hands in front of the stream of fire, pushing it away and around Twilight before redirecting it back at Tempest.
As it rushed toward her face, Tempest thrust her hand skyward, and the fire followed suit, lighting the boughs of the trees ablaze.
Sunset had to shield her eyes from the soot raining down. An orange haze obscured the battlefield, and smoke plumed from the trees. Sunset didn’t feel any of the heat. Twilight, on the other hand, was coughing and wiping sweat from her face.
Snap!
Sunset grabbed Twilight and pulled her back as a thick burning branch plummeted to the ground between them and Tempest. Twilight yanked herself free from Sunset’s hold and ran at Tempest again.
Tempest sidestepped both of Twilight’s frantic slashes, then slammed her boot into Twilight’s abdomen. Twilight fell onto the burning branch, her clothes catching fire instantly. She screamed and rolled away, dropping her schiavona to pat out the flames.
“Twilight!” Sunset moved to help her, but an arc of black lightning cut past her, nicking her shoulder and numbing her left arm for a brief moment.
“You have more important things to worry about,” Tempest said. Electricity crackled at her fingertips.
*******
Pinkie hopped, ducked, and evaded all of Sonata’s swings. It wasn’t particularly hard; they were telegraphed and slow. Pinkie still hadn’t ponied up. She hadn’t even swung back. She couldn't.
From the corner of her eye, she watched Rarity desperately block Adagio’s lightning-quick, up-close attacks, and Applejack, whose aura was almost nonexistent, narrowly avoid the blasts from Aria’s staff.
A rare, cynical part of Pinkie’s mind wondered if all of this was pointless. The Sirens had already hurt her friends. Sonata had hurt her. Maybe they were all past the point of no return.
No! I can at least save Sonata! I know I can! A bubbling warmth tried to spread through her, but Pinkie pushed it down.
Face twisted with pain and regret, Sonata unleashed a flurry of fast punches. Pinkie took the brunt of them with her forearms, shrugging them off until Sonata surprised her with a kick to the side and a shove to the ground.
Sonata looked down at her, eyes wet. “Just let us take your magic and you don’t have to get hurt,” she said, voice trembling.
“You already hurt us!” Pinkie said. “We’re supposed to be friends!”
Sonata kicked at Pinkie’s head, but Pinkie grabbed her ankle and flipped her onto her back. “I know you don’t really want this, Sonnie!”
“Shut up!” Sonata yanked her foot back and jumped back up. Pinkie rose to meet her, quickly ducking under a ferocious spin kick.
Rarity yelled, and Pinkie twisted around to see her fall to her knees. Aria and Adagio had switched targets: Applejack was fending Adagio off while Aria drained Rarity of her magic.
Pinkie ran toward Rarity, but Sonata hooked her boot around Pinkie’s ankle and sent her toppling to the ground again. Her chin hit the earth hard, and she bit into the inside of her cheek, unleashing a gush of blood. She gagged and swallowed it down; she had bigger concerns. Rarity’s ears and horn were quickly fading, and Rarity herself looked like she was about to faint.
Spotting a rock just within arms reach, Pinkie snatched it and hurled it at Aria, catching her right in the forehead.
With a curse, Aria dropped the staff and clasped her hands over the new wound. Rarity was freed from the beam’s hold. She swooned, catching herself before she fell over. Spotting the staff a few feet from her, she made a wide lunge for it, but Aria stomped a boot onto the handle.
Pinkie tried to get up to help, but Sonata body-slammed her back to the floor. Fortunately, she wasn’t all too heavy. Pinkie bucked Sonata off and got to her feet, but Sonata grabbed her by the arm, swung her around and slammed her against a stalagmite.
“Sonata…” Pinkie coughed, feeling a bruise against her spine. “Look at what you guys are doing!”
Adagio slammed a fist into Applejack’s jaw. Applejack stood her ground and retaliated with an uppercut, managing to throw Adagio back despite her diminished strength. Adagio wiped the blood from her mouth, then cartwheeled forward to gain momentum and dropkick Applejack.
Rarity had pulled the staff from under Aria’s boot and had gotten back to her feet. She twirled and jabbed the staff, keeping Aria at bay until the Siren let out a short, earsplitting scream. Rarity froze and cried out in pain, and Aria snatched the staff back and swept Rarity’s legs.
Pinkie pushed herself off the stalagmite and threw an arm up as Sonata swung at her again. “Do you really wanna be the bad guys again?”
“No! Yes…” Sonata squeezed her fists and punched again. “I don’t know!”
“Yes, you do!” Pinkie tumbled out of the way. “You’re a good person—I know you are!”
“And they’re my family!” Sonata leveled a kick at Pinkie’s shin’s, but Pinkie just shrugged it off. “We need food and they want their voices back and I’m supposed to help them!”
“You can find a better way to do it!” This time, when Sonata threw her fist forward, Pinkie caught it. “I told you: you have friends now! We can find a different way!”
Sonata let out an anguished cry as she punched with her free hand. “Stop!”
Pinkie caught it and slowly lowered her fists. “We don’t have to fight.”
Sonata’s entire body shook. She sniffled and hiccuped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Y-you’re really not gonna give up on me, are you?”
Pinkie shook her head, scattering her own tears. “You can still change. I know you can. I believe in you.”
And Sonata crumpled. A long wail rose from her throat as she threw herself fully into Pinkie’s embrace and buried her face into the crook of Pinkie’s neck.
“I’m sorry! I’m super, super, sorry! You’re right, I don’t wanna be the bad guy anymore! I wanna be your friend! But I don’t wanna abandon my sisters! But I don’t wanna do mean things anymore if it means we can’t play together! I’m sorry, Pinkie! I really, really mean it this time!”
Pinkie let out a happy sob and rested her head on top of Sonata’s. “It’s okay. I believe in third chances, too.”
“I can’t believe this!” Adagio yelled, kicking Applejack in the stomach. “Actually, I can. Only you could be this much of an idiot, Sonata!”
“Stop calling her stupid!” Pinkie yelled back. She couldn’t hold it back anymore. Her ears bloomed to life and her hair extended as the warmth of laughter lifted her heart up.
“I will when she stops acting like it!” Adagio stomped her boot onto Applejack’s shoulder, pinning her to the dirt. “Are you really going to turn your back on your sisters?”
Sonata pulled herself from Pinkie and turned to look at Adagio. “I don’t want to. But now, I’m super positive! When I was with Pinkie, I felt full! I don’t know how, but they can feed us without us trying to make them miserable!”
“Enough of your prattle! Aria, take the pink one’s magic.”
Aria, digging a knee into Rarity’s back, pointed the staff at Pinkie, but Sonata stood firm and held out her arms.
“Move, Sonata!”
“No! Pinkie’s right: we don’t have to do this! That creepy hag was probably gonna stab us in the back anyway!”
“Not if we stab her first!” Adagio said. “Sonata, move, or you’re in for the beating of a lifetime!”
Sonata stomped her foot into the dirt and puffed her chest out.
Adagio grinded her teeth. “Aria, drain her magic, too!”
Aria lowered the staff an inch and tilted her head toward Adagio. “Seriously?”
“If she wants to defend these cretins, she deserves to suffer the consequences! More power for us!”
“We can make a better life, Aria!” Sonata pleaded. “We can change for realsies this time!”
“Aria, I gave you an order!”
Aria narrowed her eyes, pointing the staff toward Sonata for a few more seconds before she lowered her arm and looked Adagio in the eyes. “I’m not shooting Sonata.”
A vein bulged in Adagio’s temple. “What was that?”
“You can order me to do a lot of things, Adagio…” Aria took her knee of Rarity and stood up. “But I’m not going to shoot my own sister.”
“Aww, Aria!” Sonata cooed.
“Don’t read into that!”
Adagio dug her nails into her palm. Her face was so red, Pinkie thought there was a real chance she would explode. “So this is how you two repay me for guiding you for over half a millennium? You’re both going to throw this away now? When we’re about to win?”
“Yeah, for a second!” Aria shouted. “And then something will come along and make us lose like we always do! Every time you make a plan, it manages to backfire on us somewhere down the road, and we end up with less than what we had! We lost Equestria, we lost our freedom, we lost our voices! I’m sick of losing, Adagio!”
Adagio jabbed a finger at her. “Maybe if you two didn’t screw up all the time and ruin my plans, we wouldn’t have lost so many times!”
“And there it is!” Aria made a sweeping gesture with her arms. “It’s always your plan, but the minute something goes wrong, it’s always our fault! Me and Sonata do most of the work anyway, and all you do is give commands and reap the benefits! You’ve always been looking out for yourself! We’re not a team! We’re your servants!”
“Of course you’re my servants! I’m your princess!”
Aria set her mouth in a thin line. “Not anymore.” She spun the staff so the crystal pointed toward the hard ground, then raised it over her head.
Adagio took her boot off Applejack’s shoulder and reached a hand out. “Wait, don’t—”
Aria brought the staff down and smashed it into the earth.
*******
Sunset tucked her wings together and corkscrewed between two branches. They exploded a second later, throwing shrapnel onto Sunset’s back. She banked around a tree and rose into a smoke plume. Covering her mouth with one arm, she dropped firebombs hoping one would hit Tempest.
Likewise, blasts of electricity erupted through the cloud, dancing close enough to where Sunset could feel the static against her skin. Lungs reaching their limit, Sunset dove out of the cloud, rolling to avoid a lance of solid shadow that jut from the earth below. She raised her hand for another attack, but Twilight charged at Tempest from the right.
Shirt and skirt badly burned and hair coming undone, Twilight thrust her sword for Tempest’s throat. Tempest pivoted on her heel and met Twilight’s sword with her own dark blade. She twisted Twilight’s sword around and forced it from her hand. From her normal palm, Tempest fired a black beam; Twilight narrowly avoided it by spinning away on her back foot.
Sunset intervened, turning as she descended and planted her boot into Tempest’s chest. She flew back, digging her claws into the earth to keep herself upright. Sunset pointed a finger at an already burning branch above Tempest’s head and sent it falling with a single shot.
Tempest snatched it out of the air and hurled it at Twilight and Sunset. Twilight jumped behind Sunset, and Sunset cut the branch clean in half with her talons, revealing a bolt of black energy coming at her. It struck Sunset squarely in the chest, and she flew back into Twilight and sent them both hurdling against the dried-out grass.
Sunset gasped and tried to brace herself on one arm. Her chest fluctuated rapidly between blistering hot and freezing cold, and felt like someone was crushing her rib cage. Twilight struggled beneath her, but Sunset could barely move. She gritted her teeth as Tempest strutted toward them.
“Thank you for all your help, Sunset. But I think we’re just about done here.” She raised her hand. “You lose.”
Sunset flexed her fingers. “You should know… despite me trying to be a better person… I’m a real sore loser!”
A ribbon of fire snaked out from her palm, across the grass, and around Tempest’s ankle. With a disgruntled roar, Sunset jerked her entire body to the left, moving the fire whip and flinging Tempest into another tree. Burning pine cones dropped onto her, setting her hair and cloak on fire.
As Tempest tried to put the flames out, Sunset rolled off Twilight who then jumped up and helped Sunset back to her feet.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked. She turned and coughed, waving off a cloud of smoke.
“No. This has gotten out of control.”
Tempest put out the last ember on her shoulder just in time to have Rainbow shoulder tackle her as she ran by and slid to a stop in front of the two girls.
“Guys, this fire is getting real bad!” she said over the rising crackle of burning wood.
“We’re aware,” Twilight said sharply.
Moondancer stumbled out of a charred bush, mask askew and hair mussed up. She spotted Tempest and dashed to her boss’s side. “I suggest we leave now! This fire is going to draw too much attention!”
Tempest glared at her but said, “I suppose you’re right.” She put a hand around the Soul Lock and lifted it toward the girls. “Time to end this.”
Sunset could see the runes on the amulet begin to glow, could feel her soul shaking in fear. She threw her arms out to her sides, and a wall of fire erupted between the two parties. Sunset lifted her arms higher, and the flames climbed as well.
“Sunset, you’re just making it worse!” Rainbow shouted.
Sunset ignored her. She pulled her arms back then thrust them forward, pushing the wall toward Moondancer and Tempest. She could no longer see them beyond the flames.
Despite the heat, a cold air rose the hairs on the back of her neck. Sunset whirled around and punched her fist forward, a stream of fire blasting between Twilight and Rainbow. The inferno hit Tempest in the shoulder just as she emerged from her portal. She let out a howl of pain and pressed her hand over the burn.
“Well played, Sunset,” she said through gritted teeth. “You live for today.” She stepped back into the swirling vortex and vanished.
Sunset dropped to one knee and clutched her chest, still feeling like she had been kicked by a mule. Twilight knelt by her side, coated in sweat and grime.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow took to the air and zipped through the branches. “Fluttershy!”
She appeared a moment later, a bird nest in one hand and two chittering squirrels in the other. Her face was a mask of soot. “I can’t save all these animals!” she said desperately. “We need to put the fire out!”
Sunset took a short inhale, trying not to breathe in the smoke. “I have an idea,” she said, rising back to a standing position. “Stand back. Way back.”
Twilight nodded. She leaped through a gap in the flames and exited the clearing. Sunset waited a moment, then closed her eyes. She thought of when she had guided the flames away from Twilight and back at Tempest.
If I can do that, maybe…
She raised her hands and furrowed her brow. The pain in her chest burned, but she fought through it and willed all of the fire toward herself. She had created these flames. They were hers to wield. They would yield to her.
Sunset opened her eyes. All around her, the fire swirled and pulled toward her outstretched hands. Thick ribbons of flames coiled around her body, weaving and dancing as they waited for instructions. The coils grew larger and longer as more fire coalesced, vacuumed off the trees and bushes. Ash and smoke wafted in the void left behind.
The clearing glowed an intense red and orange. Standing in the center of the burning maelstrom, Sunset had to squint her eyes. She couldn’t see anything but the streams of her power, but she could still feel more fire gathering toward her. She lowered one hand and lifted the other above her head.
All of the fire raced up and condensed together into a single molten sphere. The last embers pulled away from the cindered forest and into the fireball. When the streams faded away, Sunset kicked off from the ground and rose through the gap in the trees. Clear of the forest, she served up the fireball and punched it as hard as she could.
It sailed higher and higher, growing smaller against the endless blue backdrop of sky until it detonated in a burning red ring. Sunset lifted an arm over her face as the heatwave washed over her and stung her eyes. She lowered herself back to the ground; the second she touched the grass, her wings and tail vanished and her hair fell back around her shoulders.
The pain in her chest magnified, and she fell to the ground with a shocked gasp. It was like Tempest had just blasted her again at point-blank range. She struggled to breathe, taking in short, shallow gasps instead.
Someone placed a hand on her back, and a soothing wave washed over her body. All of her exhaustion melted away, and the pain dulled until it was just an ache. Sunset gave a tired laugh. “I don’t know where we’d be without you, Fluttershy.”
“Dead,” Rainbow said bluntly. “We’d be dead.”
Fluttershy blushed as she moved to lay her hands on Twilight.
Sunset gazed upon the scorched forest around them. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been; there were charred bushes, and entire swathes of undergrowth had been burned away, but the trees themselves remained mostly intact, just blackened at their trunks. Still, Sunset hung her head. Driving Tempest away by burning part of a forest wasn’t what she’d call a victory.
I need training.
Twilight gathered up her sword and sheath and stood over Sunset. “We should leave. Someone had to have seen all the fire and smoke.” She offered a hand down to Sunset.
“And if we were fighting Tempest and Moondancer, the others probably ran into the Sirens,” Rainbow added.
“You’re right.” Sunset let Twilight pull her up. “Let’s hope they can handle themselves. And that they found Cadence.”
“I’ll run ahead and see if they’re anywhere nearby,” Rainbow said before zipping away. Fluttershy remained behind, keeping just behind Sunset and Twilight.
They marched out of the burned section of the forest and returned to greener and livelier corridors. Twilight kept her head bowed as they walked, an easy sign something was wrong. One of her sleeves had been completely burned off. Sunset rested a hand on the pinker skin of Twilight’s bare shoulder.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Twilight kept her eyes averted. She opened her mouth, almost starting a sentence before clenching her teeth. Sunset let her take her time. She moved a little closer and began tidying Twilight’s hair, pulling it back into its ponytail.
“Moondancer…” Twilight said with both longing and resentment. “She promised to tell me everything if I beat her in a duel… but I lost. She had been holding back the entire time.” Twilight gnashed her teeth again, bitterness oozing from her voice.
“I don’t know why I thought I could beat her. And then Tempest showed up and…” Tears ran down her cheeks, wiping away some of the soot. “Even with a sword, I’m still useless.”
“Twilight Sparkle, you are not useless or worthless or lacking in any way, and I never want to hear you say that ever again,” Sunset said with a serious glare.
“Sunset, you had to come to my rescue again!”
“Because you went up against a soul-sucking psychopath with shadow magic!” Sunset stopped and took hold of Twilight’s shoulders. “Twilight, you couldn’t fight her alone. I couldn’t fight her alone. We won because we worked together. There were several times where I would have died if you hadn’t intervened.”
She moved her hands down to Twilight’s arms. “And I came to your rescue because I love you. Not because I think you’re useless and can’t take care of yourself. If that had been anyone else, you would have won.”
Twilight looked away, eyebrows knitted. “You mean if it was anyone who didn’t have magic.”
“I… guess?” Sunset said slowly. She winced as Twilight twisted herself out of her grasp.
“I keep trying to keep up with everyone and their magic…” She looked down at her sword. “Maybe it’s all just pointless.”
“Twilight…” It wasn't Sunset who spoke, but Fluttershy. “You shouldn’t give up now. You’ve only been practicing for a month. I know it seems unfair, I know it feels like you’ll never catch up, but that’s how it feels whenever you pick up any new skill. Our magic is temporary—”
Even as she said it, her ears and wings faded away. “—but what you’re learning is permanent and practical.”
“I suppose so,” Twilight said.
Sunset put a gentle hand on her arm. Twilight didn’t pull away, but she didn’t look at Sunset either. “Come on, let’s get back to the hotel. It’s been a long day.”
Twilight sighed. “And it’s only noon.”
*******
There was no release of magic upon impact. With a loud crack the crystal merely broke into large shards that scattered across the floor. Each piece of crystal still shone with the powers it had already absorbed.
At the same moment of impact, Applejack snatched Adagio’s leg and from her spot on the floor, lifted the Siren overhead and slammed her against the hard earth. Still holding Adagio’s ankle, Applejack got up and tossed Adagio into the back wall.
“Don’t think that makes up for what y’all did,” Applejack grunted. “But it’s a good start.”
Adagio rolled onto the floor, her hand coming to rest near one of the shard fragments. She pounced on it and climbed to her feet, pointing the shard at the group in front of her. “I can’t believe you two would turn your backs on me after everything we’ve been through!”
Sonata lowered her arms at last. “You can come with us. We can still be together.”
“And content myself with being some powerless nobody?” Adagio hissed, spit flying from her mouth. “I was meant to rule over lesser beings like them! We were meant to rule! You would forsake everything we are just to be friends with them?”
Sonata held her head up high. “Yes.”
Aria rolled her neck. “‘Friends’ is a strong word…”
“Traitors,” Adagio said with a dangerous growl. “Both of you. Miserable traitors!” The shard in her hand lit up, and a bolt of light shot toward Aria.
With a hot ball of energy forming in her hand, Pinkie leaned out from behind Sonata and chucked it at Adagio’s attack. They collided in the air, leaving behind a brilliant pink and blue firework.
Adagio aimed at Pinkie and fired the draining beam.
There was a quick patter of shoes followed by a, “Hyyah!” as Cadence charged, jumped, and landed a flying kick into the side of Adagio’s head. She skidded across the ground, and the absorption beam fizzled out before it touched Pinkie.
“That’s for trying to turn me against my husband!” Cadence yelled. She turned her head to Sonata and Aria, shooting them a venomous stare.
Pinkie hugged Sonata. “They’re on our side!”
“For now,” Applejack murmured.
Shining ran up beside Cadence, keeping his gun homed on Adagio. “Drop… whatever that is and put your hands up.”
Up on one knee, Adagio clutched the shard to her chest and growled. She glared at Shining before her eyes snapped to something behind him.
Pinkie followed her gaze, and a chill wind blew down her own spine. A black portal appeared from thin air on the ledge where the Sirens had once stood. Standing in its threshold was Tempest Shadow, covered in dust and ash, and an angry blister on her right shoulder.
Shining turned his gun on her, hesitating at the sight before him. He quickly regained his composure and shouted, “Freeze!”
Tempest paid him no mind. Her eyes moved from Adagio, to the other Sirens standing with the Spectacular Seven, to the crystal shards lying scattered about. Her calm demeanor melted with each passing second until her lips were pulled back in a silent snarl.
She looked about, spotting a shard a few feet from her portal. Pinkie spotted it, too. She lobbed a firework at Tempest as the shadow woman pointed a finger at the shard and it zipped toward her. Tempest caught the shard in one hand and raised another made of shifting shadows to block Pinkie’s attack. The impact shoved her back into the portal, and it began closing around her.
“Wait!” Adagio shouted.
Tempest gave her one last glare. “Useless,” she spat before vanishing.
Adagio stared absently at the spot the portal had been. Her hand fell limply to her side, but she kept her crystal piece clutched firmly between her fingers.
Shining turned back to her. “I said drop the object.”
Adagio didn’t hear him. Her absent stare was now one of disbelief. Pinkie could see a hundred thoughts racing behind her wide eyes.
“Dagi…?” Sonata said softly.
Adagio opened her mouth a fraction, sucking in a tiny breath.
An earth-shaking wail tore from her throat, dropping everyone to the ground and forcing them to cover their ears. Pinkie’s eardrums thumped hard, threatening to burst. Her vision spun and a headache hammered her brain.
Adagio held her scream and backed toward the exit. Shining tried to reach for his gun, but couldn’t tear his hands from his ears. When Adagio got to the bottom of the tunnel’s slope, she raised her shard and fired a beam against the ceiling.
The cave trembled, dropping stalactites and debris down on everyone’s head. Adagio’s scream stopped, leaving only the sound of crumbling stone. She bolted for the entrance, sparing one last glance over her shoulder.
Shining tried to charge after her, but a rock dropped in front of him and nearly crushed his foot. “C’mon, we’re getting out of here!”
The girls rallied behind him, and they pushed their way up the tunnel, but the thunder of falling stone drove them to a halt. In front of them, the mouth of the cave crumbled inward, and rolling boulders tumbled toward them.
Rarity jumped to the front and held her hands up, crafting a barrier, and stopping the rocks in their tracks. She dug her heels into the dirt, the rocks pressing against her. “I don’t know how long I can hold it!”
“You won’t have to!” Applejack shouted. She moved in front of Rarity and placed her hands on the shield. With a roar and a flash of her aura, she pushed forward, dragging the rocks back up the slope.
Cadence stared open-mouth at the two magical girls before her. “I now one-hundred percent believe everything you told me,” she whispered to Shining.
“Honestly, I was still on the fence until today,” he said.
Applejack and Rarity slowly cleared the path with their combined construct and strength acting as a human-made bulldozer. With a final punch from Applejack, the rocks cleared, and daylight reached their eyes once more.
Rarity put the shield down and fell against the grass, her magic extinguished. Applejack joined her, breathing hard. Pinkie planted herself between them, lifting them both into sitting positions to give them the strongest hug she could muster.
“Are you guys okay?”
Applejack gave a weary nod. “Just plum exhausted is all. Ah feel like Ah could sleep for a week.”
“Make that two,” Rarity said, laying down against the grass again when Pinkie let go.
Sonata slumped toward them, holding a hand behind her back. “I’m really, really sorry.”
Aria pursed her lips and turned away. “Yeah… I’m sorry, too. Between Adagio and Tempest… it was just really hard to say no, you know?”
Cadence crossed her arms. “Your apology is noted, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that you three kidnapped me and almost ruined my wedding!”
“And that’s before we add breaking and entering, theft, possession of a dangerous weapon, and assault,” Shining added.
Pinkie jumped over and wrapped her arms around his legs. “Please don’t send them to jail! They’re good people now, honest and for real this time! And Adagio made them do it, right?” She looked back at the duo.
Aria shrugged. “We could pin this all on her.”
Shining gently tried to shake Pinkie off. “Even still—”
“Please, please, please, please, please!” Pinkie squeezed harder. “They can’t prove that they’ve changed if you arrest them!”
“I—”
“Also, they did save your lives,” Aria said. “You could do them a favor by not sending us to jail.”
“That’s not how the justice system works!”
Pinkie stuck her lower lip out and widened her eyes. “Please don’t take away my new friend!”
Cadence uncrossed her arms and softened her expression. “Maybe there’s something you could do for them, Shiny? They’re banned from the wedding though!”
Shining rubbed his eyes. “Okay, okay. I can see if I can get away with just charging them as being accomplices. I still have to send them down to the station.”
Aria rolled her eyes. “Figures. First time I decide to do something good and I get arrested.”
“One good deed doesn’t make up for everything else you did today,” Applejack said.
Pinkie removed herself from Shining legs and rose up to hug his middle. “Thank you, Shining! Thank you, thank you!”
Sonata hugged him from the other side. “Yeah! Thank you so much!”
Shining squirmed. “Don’t thank me just yet. You’re still both under arrest.”
Pinkie and Sonata let him go and instead embraced each other, holding on tight.
“Thanks for not giving up on me,” Sonata whispered.
Pinkie smiled, tearing up again. “That’s what friends are for.”
It's never too late to make a Change.
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What a battle!
That was an intense fight! But Tempest and Moondancer got away and Adagio fled!
Looks like the battle between them is over... for now.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, Adagio.
GODDAMN, did NOT expect an update this fast! BUT HOLY SHIT AM I GLAD FOR IT!
Goddamn, some say her balls grew three sizes that day. That was some grade-A venom, Jörmungandr better watch out, seems they aren't the only deadly viper paired with a bacon-headed badass.
God almighty, this chapter had me bouncing around and heart pounding from the notification until the end of the chapter.
I wish I had more words or pointed praises, but just take my ecstatic enthusiasm for what it's worth please! \o/
Bravo, a wonderfully spectacular piece. It was intense from beginning to end and satisfying to the brim. While Tempest did get away with a shard of that crystal, it was gleeful to finally see her taken down a peg by the Spectacular Seven. Seeing Sci-Twi and Sunset work in unison to get the upper hand was marvelous and shows how great the two are together, always protecting one another. For all her power, that is something Tempest does not have and I am certain it will one day be a part of her downfall.
It was so heartwarming to see Pinkie trying to reach for Sonata all throughout the fight, never ponying up to do it, showing that magic was not going to solve that problem. The willingness to reach out until it is certain the person in question shows they are not changing is what allows us to win in making people better. And very nice to see while Aria did have hesitations about going against the Spectacular Seven, it wasn't until she was told to turn on Sonata did that truly pull her away from Adagio. She could finally see how bad an influence Adagio was and while Aria still has more work to be done that Sonata, she at least is willing to be more neutral-goodish toward the Spectacular Seven.
It's definitely gonna be fun to see how Shining and Cadence will be now that they have seen the full confirmation of magic - and how and if they will explain this to everyone else. Otherwise, they are gonna need a heck of a cover story to keep the magic secret. Still wonder how they are going to react when they fully learn about Moondancer being a part of all this.
And poor Sci-Twi still feels useless for not having magic, unable to keep up. She wants to hurry and help, forcing herself too far and isn't satisfied with the results just yet. Fluttershy's line about what Sci-Twi is learning is permanent and practical was nice, as opposed to their magic which fades when not in use. Magic is nice and has applications, but it is not the be all end all solution. Sci-Twi will need to face that reality, most likely, before she accepts how things are. Hopefully she and Sunset will be OK going forward.
For now, though, time for a wedding!
I think Aria was the real hero of the chapter.
She was more consumed by her selfishness than Sonata, and she had the opportunity to get more power. But she threw it away, because her love for Sonata was stronger than her desire for power.
Moondancer certainly hasn't forgotten the...makeover Sunset gave her.
She's learning to pick and choose her battles. Good for her.
Whooo! Yeah! Sonata and Aria back with the good guys! Another awesome chapter as always with delightful character development. Wonder if Sci-Twi will just make an army of drones next time. Pretty sure she has all kinds of awesome tech she could make, or just a great flamethrower.
In this universe I wouldn't be surprised if she could make a nuclear reactor.Well, that was intense. I'm getting a bit of Artemis/Selena vibe from Sunset/Twilight now. The both of them need more training, and soon they'll be tag-teaming like nobody's business.
But, oof, that battle between Tempest and SunLight was intense. I'm glad they got out of it alive, and that Tempest potentially got a bit of a stigmata for her trouble, just like Moondancer. And, lets not forget Dash holding Moony off by herself. That's some extra awesome from the speedster.
Thankfully that staff is destroyed, but the bad-guys got away with pieces of the thing. And that's not going to end well.
Bravo on a riveting and intense chapter Albi.
Bravo! I wonder what Adagio will do now that she's completely alone?
Also, you used my favorite Steven Universe theme? Aw hell yeah!
Well, that was nice.
I'm pissed at Adagio, even more now, and still on the fence about Moondancer. How dare she kidnap Sunset's beloved?
Excited for the next chapter!!
I found it funny through all these girls battling with magic, it takes a threat of a gun to get one of them to back off, even if was for a moment.
While Aria and Sonata did do the right thing in the end, they still going to have to pay some price for the damage they did. Makes me wonder how badly received Adaigo will be once she realizes that this plan will fail eventually, especially when she might not have her sisters go to. Will she even get redeemed? Because she didn't show any qualities of being a decent person like her sisters did.
Hopefully Dagi learned something from this. And if not she's probably not gonna be a threat again is she?
Can I just say that Moondancer being utterly afraid of Sunset makes me very happy? It must be something for her to go from starting it all in the first place to being unable to bring herself to try again.
I’m so happy that nothing really bad has happened to anyoneedited sorry to spoil10398275
You know you've just jinxed it, right?
This line is simultaneously awesome and hilarious.
I love this chapter. The fight scenes and charcter development were fantastic.
DROPKICK !
10398144
It's a multi-chapter volume finale. Albi puts those up back to back every day until they're done, so I'm expecting another update tomorrow.
OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!
Beautiful chapter. No definitive defeat here on any side, but I love seeing that it's actually possible for everyone to hold their ground against an overwhelming force. Barely, but they still managed. Very happy that Sonata and Aria had a change of heart. Their attempts to get close to the Spectacular Seven were always much more genuine than Adagio's.
10398144
Abi always uploads the volume finale chapters back-to-back.
10398236
I mean, you say that, but I don't think anyone thought the Sirens would be threats again the first time. It's still possible she'll come back again. Just...not with Tempest's help.
I too, am a sore loser. Woooo! Fun.
haha meme
10398239
It means Moondancer can suppress her jealousy and pick and choose her battles.
I just wanna say...I...FUCKING...CALLED IT! Oh God this chapter was BOSS!
Adagio just became a wild card. Not good.
LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i.imgur.com/dLN9GON.png
10398632
Depends on how one defines a wild card though I get the feeling now Tempest might try and 'tie up loose ends'
Adagio might try and convince two other idiots to follow her but depending on who they are that could be a hard sell.
Who could Adagio possibly turn to or try and charm into her thrall?
I wanna say a human version of Starlight Glimmer shows up at some point but I dunno...oh...Chrysalis maybe? Matter fact that sounds perfect! Calling it now, Adagio and Chrysalis team-up!
10398683
Tempest won't clean her up. Twi still has to pay her back for laser tag. 😉
Yeah, I see where this is going with Twilight.
10398290
Dammit sorry
I've never been this hype of reading a FimFiction in my life
Getting big Zuko vibes from Sunset. Great chapter (as always!). Also kind of love Aria's outlook here, it's a real middle ground between Adagio and Sonata.
10398553
True, but I think the bigger point is that Moondancer has accepted that Sunset outclasses her. Up until her defeat in Phoenix Rising, Moondancer kept insisting that Sunset was an undeserving intruder, and that Moondancer would give her the humiliating thrashing she deserved.
Now, Moondancer is taking it as given that if she fights Sunset, she will lose, and she really does not want to find out what Sunset would do to her in the process. If Tempest hadn't been there to motivate her in person with threats of punishment, I'm nearly certain that Moondancer would have just dropped everything and immediately surrendered the moment Sunset showed up, even if she hadn't already started regretting everything.
10398961
It is clear that Moondancer would drop Tempest if she could.
She may not like Sunset, but she hates the woman who took her mother, turned her into a high school dropout, and is threatening to destroy the world.
Magic absorption.
And it clicks.
Except this wasn't originally theirs and you were evil as all hell.
This is probably as best a chance you'll get, Shining, now GO.
She is Sunset Shimmer. And she is a Super Saiyan.
Sup, Rainbow?
Ah, so she CAN be hurt.
Smart. Berserker rage only goes so far. You need Tranquil Fury. You need focus to temper your hate.
Nobody ever expected the Wizard to punch you in the face.
Pride, gotcha.
I hate that I want to give her points for pragmatism.
Firebender Sunset!
Ah, that's bad.
Oh good, she's pulling a Palpatine.
Surprising how effective just throwing a rock at someone is.
Family cares about you. Adagio is an abusive cunt.
Nope.
Definitely.
OK wow, go fuck yourself.
You're a narcissistic sociopath. You don't care about others' feelings because they don't register as living beings to you, just sacks of meat. Less than human. And you are so utterly incapable of accepting that anything going wrong could be your fault that you've become desperate enough to accept a deal with a demon.
Tell that to Celestia, who actually treats her subjects like living beings. And unlike you, she's NOT psychotic.
HAHA! Cheating for the win!
NICE SHOT!
You're going to try to do something both epic and stupid, aren't you?
You created a firestorm.
That is SO fucking metal! GOD I wish I could draw so I could make fanart of that!
Ouch. Accurate, but still harsh.
Thank you Best Horse!
Suppose nothing, she's RIGHT.
Oh JEEZ.
You cannot imagine the size of my fucking grin! Cadence just JUMP KICKED Adagio Fucking Dazzle. That's it, this is the best chapter ever, CUE THE SONG AND DANCE NUMBER!
Oh BRILLIANT.
You should shoot her in the head.
That's what happens when you make a deal with the Devil. He screws you over.
She STILL refuses to give up.
Less talking, more getting out of there.
Oh I'm sure.
You could You could claim you were coerced/blackmailed.
This is why I love Pinkie Pie. She's a good person. Even in the darkest times, she does everything in her power to help those she cares about and make them happy if for no other reason than she CAN.
10399023
Only problem is, her fear is stronger than her hate.
10399094
And her fear is stronger than her love for Twilight.
Which is one of the reasons why Moondancer doesn't deserve Twilight. She may care for her friend, but not enough to stand up to Tempest.
10398683
Essentially, an unknown factor. We're talking a powerful Siren with the ability to manipulate emotions all on her own, while two other sides are no doubt putting a lot of negative emotions in the air for her to feed on. What's to stop her from using both sides to become super powerful?
10398683
It depends on what kind of spellcaster human Chrysalis is, and whether her interests intersect with those of Adagio.
10399131
Wow.
Adagio managing to actually outplay Tempest would be epic for two reasons:
It would show Adagio's brilliance.
It would also be good karma for Tempest, who spitefully called Adagio useless and ditched her.
Yet Moony didn't, really. I don't think she wanted to produce that energy ball thing. It seems she's finally realised that going after Sunset in blind rage isn't exactly the best of ideas. Just look at what happened with her face, damn.
That said... I'm glad she's aware of how powerful Sunset is, and I'm hoping this might be a turnaround for her.
Oh thank God at least some of them came to their senses.
Go Aria! Go Sonata!
10399094
You know, I've always hated that trope. Even in the modern stories where the Devil messes with your deal/wish/whatever, he still honors the word of the agreement, is it really his fault that he doesn't know what your intent was? (And, hey, you agreed to a deal with someone who has the Devil's reputation in the first place, what were you expecting to happen?) The old tales are even worse; in them the devil would actually honor the intent, the deal maker would get everything he wanted, and then would go running to some holy man or saint or advocate to get out of paying what he legitimately owed, and we are supposed to root for the deal maker because he "got one over on that "evil" devil" who had bargained in good faith.
Must say, the fight really well choreographed. From slice of life to magical girl battles. Your writing skills are remarkable, Albi.
It's so cathartic, when the over-confident villain bleeds.
Or when they're terrified. Even better, actually.
Moondancer must have been really conflicted/shocked, we didn't even seen her fight with Dash.
Her enthusiasm is appreciated but in this fight? She had put herself in danger. However, she was somehow usefull. With time she would be a very dangerous opponent
The power of the positivism and, on it's own maybe they won't change the whole world, but they might make it a little brighter. And for some people, that's all they need.
And this is the moment wher Adagio has completly lost it.
Logic, finally. Why more people can't use it more often?
After so long ploting behind the curtain, seeing Tempest get hurt is... just the best.
Definitely! You're already awesome fighter. With tainging youwould be unstoppable.
It's a very good moral.
Heh, puny Siren.
This... just feels right. Same she's got something out of it, though.
Painfull and predicatable.
Awww, that's so heartwarming.
Applejack no!
Well at least we know what the staff does, absorb magic or powers into itself.
For once I'm glad he's here.
I'm sorry pinkie but I don't think she'll accept friendship like her sisters will.
Wow
Twilight no!
Rarity no!
Good timing!
Yes!!!! Thank you aria, never thought I'd say that but at least 2 of them decided to help than stop them. If only adagio was the same case.
Not good!
Run!!!!!!!
Figured she'd be pissed.