16. Deus Ex Machina
Sunset lay in bed, earbuds in, left leg resting on her right knee. Having just finished bathing Spot, she watched as he vigorously rubbed himself against the carpet to get his scent back. Her foot tapped to the beat bouncing in her head.
Perhaps she had been too quick to judge earth music. The music Rainbow had snuck onto her phone for her birthday was comprised of some fierce rock and roll, hip hop, and even a few pop songs that Sunset found herself listening to on repeat.
It was a nice distraction. She wished she had kept up with Flash’s guitar lessons so she could play things like ‘What I’ve Done ’ to vent her frustrations. Instead, she settled for drumming her knuckles against the mattress.
Twilight had messaged her once today, and it was just to say good night and that she hoped Sunset had had a good day. Sunset responded with a smiley emoji. She couldn’t bring herself to type actual words. Part of her wondered if she was being too clingy. But the other part reminded her that once Twilight left, they wouldn’t see each other until Christmas.
Sunset took a deep breath and tuned her thoughts out by turning up her music. Just as the synthesizer for ‘Intergalactic’ started, her music faded to the chorus of ‘Shine Like Rainbows’. A muscle twitched in Sunset’s jaw, but she picked up her phone and hit the answer button.
“Hey, Rarity. What’s up?”
“Hi, Sunset. Umm, how’s your evening going?”
Sunset’s irritation evaporated. There was a tremble in Rarity’s voice. She had been crying. “It’s been fine. How are you doing?”
“Oh, you know me. Busy, busy, busy.” A pause. “Sunset… do I ever demand too much?”
“I don’t think so,” Sunset said slowly. “You have high standards, but I wouldn’t call you demanding.”
“Hmm…. And… have I ever taken advantage of you?”
“Not that I can think of.” Sunset sat up in her bed. “Rarity, what’s wrong?”
She heard Rarity sniffle. “Coco… quit last night. She said I was taking advantage of her and was upset that we hadn’t worked on any of her dress designs for the revival.”
Rarity blew her nose and spoke faster. “And she’s right! I’m a terrible boss! I promised I would help, but we had to keep fighting monsters! And then Countess Coloratura asked me to design a dress and I couldn’t say no!”
“Rarity—”
“My name is out there now! Yes, it got damaged during the gala debacle, but the whole world saw it! But at what cost?”
“Rarity, slow—”
“I had the gall to tell Coco that I hired her to fulfill my dream! We would work on hers after we finished mine! How could I be so selfish!” she cried. “I lost a good employee, a good friend, and I trampled all over her dream! I’m a monster!”
Rarity dissolved into sobbing that was a little over-the-top for Sunset’s taste. She knew Rarity was genuinely distraught, but she sounded like a character on a soap opera.
She waited for Rarity’s sobs to slow before speaking up. “Rarity, take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.”
Rarity took a few hiccuping gulps of air. “How? What am I supposed to do?”
“Well, you could apologize for a start.”
“I can’t just apologize over something like this! You didn’t see the way Coco stormed out of my boutique! I really hurt her!”
Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose. “Then find a gesture to show her you mean it. You could, oh, I don’t know, help her finish those outfits?”
“There’s not enough time! The revival is in two days! We could never finish! And I still have my designs I need to work on!”
Sunset gave a longstanding sigh. “Rarity, if you really want to fix this, you’re going to have to make a sacrifice. Either you help Coco, or you help yourself.”
There was a long pause, broken by Rarity blowing her nose again. Sunset heard her slowly inhale and then let it out. “You’re right,” she said softly. “I told Coco that you have to make sacrifices in the fashion industry. I should practice what I preach. There’ll be time to compete for Prim Hemline’s favor next year. But I still don’t know how I’m going to make so many outfits in such a short time. Even with Coco, we would have just barely made the deadline for my competition, much less hers!”
Sunset leaned back against her headboard. “Sorry, Rarity. I’d offer to help, but I don’t know anything about dress-making.”
Rarity gasped. “I just had an idea! I have to call Pinkie! Yes, I’m going to do everything I can to help Coco make this the best Midsummer Revival ever! Oh, thank you so much, Sunset! You’re a great friend!”
Sunset smiled a little. “I’m starting to believe it. Good luck, Rares.” Sunset hung up and put her music back on.
Spot, having sufficiently rubbed off the scent of shampoo from his coat, jumped onto the bed and into Sunset’s lap. She reached down to scratch him behind the ear and made kissy faces at him while ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ belted from her earbuds.
Just as she reached a relaxed state, her music faded to ‘Shine Like Rainbows’ again, only this time, it was Applejack calling.
Sunset groaned. She wanted to be left alone tonight. “Hello?” she said reluctantly.
“Hey, Sunset. How ya doin’?”
Sunset could hear the hesitation in Applejack’s voice. She wanted something. “All right. You?”
“Ah’m okay. Just gave Winona a bath.”
“Heh, coincidence. I just bathed Spot.”
Applejack gave a short chuckle. “Let me guess, he did everything he could to get the soap smell off him?”
“Eeyup.” Sunset said, deepening her voice, and Applejack laughed again.
“Life of a pet owner.” The joviality left Applejack’s voice and in a more subdued tone she said, “Listen, Sunset, if it’s not too much trouble, Ah was actually hopin’ to get your advice.”
There it is. Sunset sighed. “I get I’m the leader when it comes to magic, but who died and made me team therapist?”
“Beg pardon?”
“Nothing. Go ahead, what’s up?”
“Well, Ah’m tryin’ to think of a way to help Coloratura. See, she told me she doesn’t always like bein’ the Countess. It’s like putin’ on a mask. But she feels like she has to because that’s what her fans are expectin’, and if she told her producers, she’d feel like she was bein’ ungrateful. She wants to keep singin’, but she wants to do it as herself.”
Sunset leaned back into her pillow and stared at the ceiling. “Uhh… that’s a tough one.”
“Sorry. Ah tried callin’ Rarity earlier, but she didn’t pick up. Ah thought of you next. You’re… Ah don’t know… worldly.”
“Heh, thanks, I think,” Sunset said with a light smirk. “I don’t know, Applejack. Stardom and the music industry are pretty foreign to me.” Sunset was no stranger to wearing different masks: the straight A, model student vs. the manipulative bully of Canterlot High. And she had learned from the best. The students and nobility from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns looked down on her until she became Celestia’s personal student. Then they were clamoring to do anything to get Sunset’s favor, while still insulting her and calling her a spoiled brat behind her back.
Well… she had been a spoiled brat, but that was beside the point.
The situation with Coloratura was different. If anything, the Countess was the deception and she was locked into it now. Sunset still hadn’t met Coloratura, but she had to be a good person if she was Applejack’s long-lost best friend. Since Coloratura and the Countess were the same person, would anyone be mad if she showed up and sang without her mask?
“Sorry to bug you about this, Sunset,” Applejack said after the stretch of silence. “Ah should let you go.”
Sunset sat up again. “No, I was just thinking. Her fans have seen her without her make-up and they still loved her then, right? Would they really be upset if she performed like that?”
“Ah don’t know. Ah hope not. It’d be a massive gamble to do it in front of an entire stadium though. And who knows how her producers or record label would react.”
“Then…” Sunset’s devious brain kicked in. “Have her do it in secret to start. Like, a small venue, just to test the water. If she’s really that good, what has she got to lose?”
Applejack went silent for a moment. “That’s… not a bad idea. Her tour people wouldn’t have to worry about anyone askin’ for a refund or anythin’. Ah’ll float it by her and see if we can think of a place to try. It can't just be anywhere, has to be somewhere discrete, so her showing up doesn't cause too big a ruckus.”
A thoughtful smile spread across Sunset’s face. “I’ll bet I know a place. You should call Rarity and tell her about this plan. I think she might have a smaller venue lined up that Coloratura would enjoy.”
“All right, if you say so,” Applejack said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “Thanks a bundle, Sunset; Ah really appreciate it. Ah think this might help Rara out a lot.”
“No problem, A.J. Hope it works out for you. Night.”
“Night, sugarcube.”
Sunset hung her phone up for the second time that night. She continued to stare at the black screen, wondering if she would be fortunate enough to get a call from Twilight too. Part of her wished she had asked Rarity or Applejack for advice in turn. But another part of her felt like if she did, she was talking behind Twilight’s back.
She hit play and set her phone down, hoping for one more interruption before bed. It never came.
*******
Coco dragged the clothes rack through the back door of the Canterlot Community Center, stumbling as the wheels bumped over the threshold. Her fatigue made the room spin and she failed to catch herself. When she blinked, she found herself sitting on the floor.
“Coco!” a voice cried.
A hand touched Coco’s shoulder, and she squinted up to see Charity Kindheart, the revival director, looking down at her with concern.
“M-Miss Kindheart, I—” a loud yawn forced its way out of Coco. “I have the costumes. Umm… I have some of the costumes. Umm… a few of the costumes. I… lost my original designs. But, I’m—” she yawned again. “I’m working hard on the others! I-I’m sure I can finish at least two or three more! And-and then we can re-use the costumes from last year for the background actors—”
“Coco, sweetheart…” Charity knelt next to her. “You look exhausted. What happened? You kept telling me that you had the costumes covered. This isn’t like you.”
Tears formed in Coco’s bleary eyes. “I-I thought I did! I thought I was going to get help, or at least learn how to sew faster and better, but-but it didn’t happen, so, I’ve been working the last three days trying to get everything together, but-but—”
Charity pulled her into a hug. “Shhh, Coco. It’s okay. We’ll find a way to make it work.”
“But…” Coco looked over Charity’s shoulder to the rest of the room. The Method Members, the core actors of the revival play, were practicing their lines. Artists were putting the finishing touches on the background environments. The sound team was going through music and mic checks. Everyone was ready for tomorrow except for her.
“If this festival isn’t successful… it might be the last one,” Coco said, tears running down the heavy bags under her eyes.
Charity released Coco from her hug but continued to gently grip her shoulders. She smiled, showing off the dimples on her yellow face. “Nothing lasts forever, dear. We had a great run. Now, we just need to make sure we go out with a bang.”
“But-but I promised I would help! I wanted to make sure it would keep going! I wanted to make a difference!”
“And you will!” a familiar voice proclaimed.
Coco swiveled on the floor and looked toward the back door. Rarity pushed in a new rack filled with costumes, followed behind by several girls Coco wasn’t familiar with.
Rarity brought the rack to a stop in front of Coco. She then reached down and pulled Coco to her wobbly feet. “A dozen costumes ready for the Midsummer Revival; all Coco Pommel originals!”
Coco stared from the clothing rack to Rarity, her exhausted brain trying to parse what was happening. “Wait… you… you made all my costume designs?” She pulled one of the ensembles off the rack. Sure enough, it was one of the costumes she had sketched come to life. “How?”
“Lucky for us, you left your sketchbook at the boutique,” Rarity said. “It also helped us turn this into a wonderful surprise!”
Most of Coco’s synapses were busy trying to keep her awake. Comprehension was supplementary and slow to come. “You made these?”
Rarity nodded exuberantly. “With some gracious help.” She gestured to the girls standing off to the side. “These are some of my friends. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sonata, and Aria.”
The one named Aria crossed her arms and gave a self-serving grin. “Shaved off twenty hours from our community service.”
Coco honed in on Fluttershy. She did look familiar, but Coco couldn’t think from where at the moment. Before she could give it any additional thought, Rarity grabbed both of Coco’s hands.
“I am so sorry, Coco,” she said, eyes earnest. “I took complete advantage of you. I hired you to be my protege, not my servant. You were right: I left you alone in the store far too many times, and I had the gall to repay your kindness and generosity with my own selfish talk of sacrifice. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Coco blinked furiously, trying desperately to retain Rarity’s words. “I, umm… I don’t know what to say. But wait, what about your designs?”
Rarity gave a sad smile. “As I told you: sometimes, you have to make sacrifices.”
“Oh… Miss Rarity. You really did all this for me?”
“I did. I promised I would help you with your dream and I am a lady of my word. Which brings me to the second part of my gift.” She released Coco’s hands and backtracked out the door. A second later, she returned in tow with—
“Countess Coloratura!” Coco exclaimed. The rest of the cast and production crew stopped and looked.
Coloratura, without her wig or make-up, waved at all of them. “Hello, everyone.”
Rarity stepped up beside her. “I know it’s last minute, but we were hoping we could squeeze in a performance by Coloratura at the end of the show.”
“And not Countess Coloratura,” Coloratura said, “just me. When I was young, my parents took me to the Midsummer Revival and I remember loving it. I would be honored to be a part of it, especially if it could help keep it going.”
Miss Charity looked on the verge of tears. “Oh my, yes! We would love to have you perform! Last performance or not, this year’s revival will be the most memorable!” She patted Coco’s shoulder. “You have some incredible friends, Coco!”
Coco stared, dazed. “I… I think I do.”
Sonata jumped and clapped. “Yaay! She’s so happy, we broke her brain!”
“No, I’m just—” Coco let out another loud yawn. “So tired… and so overwhelmed. I don’t know what to say other than, thank you, Miss Rarity.”
Rarity gave a small bow. “You’re more than welcome. I do have one more gift for you though. I would like you back at the shop as my official apprentice. I will teach you everything I know. And, when the summer is over, you will be in charge of the boutique.”
After three near-sleepless nights and the deluge of excitement over the course of five minutes, Coco’s brain could take no more. She managed to give a tiny nod of her head, then passed out, a giddy smile on her face as she dreamed of tomorrow.
*******
For three days, Twilight carried a cocktail of excitement, frustration, and apprehension in her stomach.
On the first day after Starlight’s revelation, Twilight got an up-close look at the magic collector masquerading as a satellite and the containment chamber for the magic it had gathered. Coalesced together, magic looked like little balls of white light; fireflies idly drifting about. With only a thick glass separating her from the magic particles, the sensation she usually had around magic magnified greatly, making the hairs on her neck stand up and her body shiver with excitement.
Twilight then got to look at the science Starlight had achieved with magic. Equations, formulas, and experimental technology birthed from burgeoning research. Starlight had said before it was difficult to reproduce the same effect twice, but she and her team had gotten a few gadgets to work on a more consistent basis. A glove that could attract anything the palm was pointed at. Wristbands that could produce hard-light barriers similar to Rarity’s constructs. A staff that could fire bolts of energy. And schematics for much, much more.
It was almost overwhelming. Twilight had gone from only having her and Sunset’s hypotheses based on Equestrian magic, to a full operation center devoted to unlocking magic’s secrets. She had to play dumb though. As far as Starlight knew, this was Twilight’s first time seeing magic at work. As much as Twilight wanted to truly gush her excitement, she restrained herself, refusing to give up anything that could even remotely be traced back to her friends.
Still, she made the most of her situation. It was thanks to her past research that she picked up so quickly on everything Starlight presented to her, an attribute that Starlight praised. Twilight could accept the discourse and give intelligent feedback while under the guise of just being smart.
“I truly lucked out on having such a bright pupil like you,” Starlight said at the end of Twilight’s real first day.
Twilight went home fulfilled and excited. Even if it was for a few short weeks, she had found a place where she stood equal with her fellow researchers.
Her excitement would be tempered by the end of her second day.
The central lab underground had several off-shoots. It was in one of these smaller rooms that Starlight spoke to her about her magnum opus.
“Magic,” Starlight said, “is like any form of energy. It can’t be destroyed, it can only change form. Yet, there’s a distinct lack of magical energy in the world. If it acts like any other naturally occurring element in nature, I find it hard to believe we used most of it up or converted all of it over the course of humanity.”
Starlight shook her head. “No. My research indicates that something happened to it. The question is, what? That’s where the Arcane Access Project comes in. It’s a two-pronged approach. One: find and bring back the lost magic. Two: in the meantime, all of our sensors indicate that magic is slowly being generated and filling the world again. In lieu of not finding the source of magic, we must find ways to generate it ourselves!”
Twilight hoped biting her lip and bouncing her leg came off as signs of investment and not distress. She had the answers to both of Starlight’s problems! Yet, she could say nothing. She spent the entire day playing along, listening to Starlight’s guesses, and going over the notes she had already generated. Twilight desperately wondered if there was a way she could organically bring up what she had learned in Stygian’s journal. But for such a big answer to land in Starlight’s lap, she would naturally wonder where Twilight got such information from and note how auspicious it was that she had a journal on magic despite supposedly knowing nothing about it beforehand.
No, Twilight had to keep quiet about that, too, for now, and hope that she could find some way to stumble upon the answer off of their coordinated work.
But, as Twilight headed home that day, her mind couldn’t help but flip the scenario. What fortune was it that Twilight, a girl surrounded by magical friends and desperate to uncover how it all worked, would land an internship at the only magical research lab possibly in existence?
Her brain then took it one step further. Starlight was trying to research how to bring magic back into this world. For science, of course. But, if the theory she and her friends had come up with was true, Moondancer and Tempest were trying to do the same thing.
What were the odds?
If Twilight was being honest with herself, incredibly slim. But why would Starlight ally herself with someone hellbent on conquering or destroying the world? She couldn’t see Starlight and Tempest forging a partnership. However, Twilight couldn’t think of many companies or government entities that would entertain the notion of a ‘magic research division.’ Starlight had to be getting funding from somewhere, and Moondancer and her father owned a lucrative company and had ties to the magical world.
She had tried to find out more on her own at home, but Equilibrium Labs’ online presence was virtually non-existent. A simple ‘about’ page with the lab’s location and a group shot of Starlight and her research team. The pages for Shade Enterprises didn’t help either, though Twilight wasn’t surprised they didn’t keep a public list of every cooperation under their umbrella.
Was she being paranoid? Or was she being reckless? If Starlight was working with Tempest, did she already know who Twilight was? If she did, why would she recruit Twilight, who could just report anything back to her friends? If Starlight worked for Tempest, wouldn’t she take the opportunity to abduct Twilight and force her to work for them or use her as a hostage? Unless there was a long game Twilight couldn’t see.
She went into her third day a little more on guard. She took closer note of everyone around her, Starlight especially, for anything that could link her to Tempest. As the day progressed, the only thing that Twilight noticed was Starlight’s resting expression. She always had a small, calculated smile. As if everything was always going exactly as she intended, even when one of the lab instruments went haywire. She just directed Party Favor to clean up the burnt wires and declared, “Even failure is a form of progress.”
She had the mind and heart of a scientist. Twilight couldn’t fathom a reason for Starlight to work with Tempest. Then again, she didn’t know why Moondancer had sided with her either, yet she still had.
Twilight and Starlight moved forward on the Arcane Access Project. They sat at a workstation near the front of the central lab, its walls covered in diagrams, schematics, and equations, Starlight sipping coffee as she talked.
“I’ve hit a dead-end in trying to figure out what happened to this world’s magic, so instead, I’m focusing on generating more of it myself. Our research is showing that our magic harvester has been pulling in more and more ambient magic over time, which means the amount of ambient magic around us is increasing.” She paused to take a drink and sigh in contentment. “However, if magic acts like any other known energy source, then it can’t just be coming from nothing. We had little idea on why our magical input was increasing… until the rumors of superheroes started popping up.”
Twilight’s shoulders tensed.
Starlight just stared at one of the diagrams pinned to the wall. “Vague and unsubstantiated, yes. But, if these so-called heroes were using magic, perhaps their magical output was increasing our input. But, like with so many other things here, it’s hard to test and verify. It’s not as though we could stage a bank robbery and hope they show up to stop us.”
Like with many other hypotheses, Twilight couldn’t believe how close Starlight was to the truth. Magic begat magic. And her friends were being coaxed into using their powers to bring magic back into the world.
Twilight’s stomach twisted with paranoia as the thought of Starlight’s coincidences popped up again. But she couldn’t just come out and ask her; Twilight would have to admit to actually knowing about magic to do that. But if Starlight wasn’t aligned with Tempest, maybe Twilight could get away with telling some of the truth if it meant pushing magical research further.
She shook her head. Regardless of Starlight’s alignment, confiding in her was risky, and Twilight wouldn’t endanger her friends.
“What’s the matter, Twilight?” Starlight peered over her coffee mug at her.
“Just thinking about our problem,” Twilight said, shifting her focus back. “If you’re right and there are superheroes producing magic, I’m wondering if there is a way we can artificially replicate what they’re doing.”
“I’ve had that idea too. We’ve certainly tried on small scales numerous times, but remember, magic is volatile and hard to manage. Anytime we ‘generate’ more magic, it usually involves a small explosion.”
Twilight frowned at the idea of trying to explain to her parents why she had come home singed. “There must be a way to get the same effects twice. May I see your notes anyway?”
“But of course.” Starlight set her mug down and stood up. “Let me just remember where I put them…”
Starlight absently wandered deeper into the lab, leaving Twilight alone at the desk. At the station closest to her, Party Favor was experimenting with the magic magnet glove, only instead of pulling objects toward him, he was trying to get a plate to levitate consistently. It wobbled over his palm for several seconds before tipping over and shattering into pieces on the floor.
He sighed and scribbled in his notebook, muttering, “Pick up plastic plates from store.”
Twilight giggled and looked about the rest of the lab, watching people mill about with clipboards and gadgets. Her paranoia melted away into the excitement she had first experienced three days ago. She was on the edge of revolutionary science! This is where she belonged!
The main lab door hissed open, and Twilight swiveled her seat to see who had joined them.
Her excitement dropped past paranoia and into pure dread.
Moondancer strode into the room wearing a black dress suit, her hair tied back in a ponytail and a mask still on half her face. Her gaze was fixed down at her tablet.
“Starlight, we need to talk. Now, please,” she said, an edge to her polite tone.
She stopped three feet in front of Twilight’s workstation, face still downturned. Twilight wanted to run. She wanted to flee as fast as possible to Sunset and tell her everything. But Moondancer was right there; her presence locked Twilight to her seat.
Starlight stepped from around the corner. Under her breath, she murmured, “Oh darn.” Much louder and with a smile, she said, “Hello, Miss Lulamoon!”
“Don’t call me that. Two things: first—” Moondancer looked up and dropped her tablet. It hit the floor screen first and delivered a terrible crack. Twilight locked eyes with her and saw the same shock and fear that was probably on her own face.
Moondancer pointed a shaky finger at Twilight. “No. No, no, no. She can’t be here. Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here!”
“Why are you here?” Twilight asked in an equally shaky breath. She looked at Starlight. “Why is she here? What’s going on?”
Starlight gave an innocent smile and shrugged. “Equilibrium Labs is a subsidiary of Shade Enterprises. So, she’s technically my boss,” she said casually.
Twilight bolted up from her seat. “You are working for Tempest!”
Starlight’s smile turned sympathetic. She raised her hands placatingly. “Twilight, please listen—”
“This was all a trap! I thought you wanted to make the world a better place!” Twilight yelled. She wildly looked about. Now that the charade was up, would the rest of the lab staff jump her? No one looked ready to pounce though. They were all just staring at the confrontation taking place.
Starlight spoke again, cutting through Twilight’s haze of fear. “Twilight, I assure you—”
“You need to hide!” Moondancer said loudly, jumping forward and grabbing Twilight’s shoulders. “Tempest is coming here right now! You can’t be here!”
Twilight broke free of Moondancer’s grip. “I’m not—”
“Twilight!,” Moondancer yelled, tears in her eye. “I know you hate me! I know you don’t trust me! I know what this must look like! But I need you to hide right now! I promise, after this, I will tell you everything! But if Tempest sees you, she will take you and I can’t stand to lose anything else!”
It was only the sheer desperation in Moondancer’s voice that tempered some of Twilight’s anger. It was enough for her fear to take control and compel her to listen. She looked around, saw the supply closet off to the right, and ran for it.
She didn’t close the door all the way, leaving it open a sliver to see outside while she tucked herself behind a tub of cleansing solution and a mop. She could just barely see Moondancer whispering harshly and pointing at someone just out of sight.
“Well, Tempest rarely ever comes to see me in person,” Twilight heard Starlight say.
“That’s not the point!” Moondancer screeched. “I can’t believe you were dumb enough to do something like this!”
The rest of the lab was quiet now. Twilight heard Starlight begin to rebuttal, but the sound of the sliding doors opening put a halt to their conversation.
“Tempest, Lord Tirek. What brings you to my humble lab today?” Starlight asked. Twilight could hear the friendly smile.
“We’re here to check on your progress,” a cold, feminine voice said. It wasn’t Tempest, at least, Twilight was ninety percent certain it wasn’t. “With all the magic I’ve been forcing the Spectacular Seven to produce, I would expect things to be closer to completion.”
“Well, that is true,” Starlight said. “Thanks to the spikes in magic, your body is regenerating at a faster pace. I would say you’re about fifty percent complete. Maybe even fifty-five.”
Even from her hiding place, Twilight could hear a growl.
“As I told Tempest before, these magic spikes are great, but that’s all they are: spikes. We would need a continuous stream of high-caliber magic to regenerate your body at an even faster pace,” Starlight said, the tiniest hint of annoyance peppered into her sweet tone.
There was a soft grunt. “Perhaps it is for the best. My experiment with this generation of ‘heroes’ has yet to bear a decisive answer. But I loathe remaining in this body. How is your other project coming along?”
“The Arcane Access Project is moving along as best as it can with what little information we have.”
Another voice, this time Twilight was sure it was Tempest, said, “Merlin was a fool. Whatever he did with this world’s magic only delayed the inevitable and left the powerless without a way to fight back.”
“And his shade will weep once his plan is rendered naught,” the mysterious woman said. “Do what you must and undo Merlin’s scheme. That just leaves the matter of Adagio Dazzle.”
“I warned you people would take notice of magic flying around,” Moondancer said, irritation layered over exhaustion. “And Adagio is hardly being subtle. Do you know what I had to do to convince the board the gala wasn’t a disaster despite the terrorist plot?”
“I admit, she straddles the line between being a boon and a hindrance. Although…”
There was a pregnant pause. Twilight strained her neck to see what was happening but could still only see Moondancer.
“Perhaps we should lean into Adagio’s megalomaniac escapades,” the woman said thoughtfully.
“You want people to find out about magic?” Moondancer asked.
“They will learn soon enough. What I want is the Rainbow of Light. And Miss Dazzle might be my key to discovering where it is. Stop your fretting, child,” she said, interrupting Moondancer’s objection. “My plan will divert any suspicion off you. By the time anyone makes a connection between the existence of magic and your business, it will matter not.”
Twilight heard the light swish of a cloak. “Come, Tempest. We have other matters to discuss.”
The lab doors opened and slid closed. The silence returned, heavy, even from Twilight’s closet. Moondancer took a step forward and out of Twilight’s view. Then came the sound of hard plastic being smashed underfoot in tandem with a muffled scream.
“A waste of a tablet,” Starlight said.
“Shut up!” Moondancer yelled. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“Moondancer, I empathize with you, but you need to calm down. This is all temporary. And need I remind you, we have a guest.”
“And that is entirely your fault!” Moondancer took a loud inhale. A few seconds later, she appeared back in Twilight’s line of sight, marching toward the closet door. She pulled it open and Twilight jumped up, knocking over the mop.
Moondancer’s exposed face was red and splotchy, and Twilight saw a tear hanging from her eyelash. Still, she didn’t look at Twilight with the anger she had just heard. There was only pain and sadness. And fear, deep inside her purple eyes.
“Thank you, Twilight,” she said, stepping back so Twilight could exit. “I don’t know what I would do if Tempest found you and…”
A compound of emotions swirled inside Twilight and threatened to prove volatile. Moondancer was concerned for her? After what she had done at the wedding? After watching what Tempest had done to her and only barely intervening? Twilight balled her fists, the only thing stopping her from slapping Moondancer on her good cheek.
“I know you have questions—”
“Only a few dozen!” Twilight snapped. As furious as she was with Moondancer, her eyes turned toward Starlight, and betrayal stung her like a hornet. She didn’t know who to funnel her anger toward first.
Moondancer folded her hands in front of her skirt and bowed. “I promise, we’ll answer any questions you have.” She glared up and over to Starlight. “Won’t we?”
Starlight stepped over, still smiling but having the decency to look sheepish. “I never meant to deceive you, Twilight. I just—”
“Stop!” Twilight held her hand up. She closed her eyes, took a sharp breath, and tried to line up her thoughts. Her multitude of questions overlapped each other, and instead of something insightful, she blurted, “No excuses, no apologies! Just tell me what’s going on!”
After sharing a meaningful look with Starlight, Moondancer spoke first. “Like the irritating doctor said, this lab is a subsidiary of Shade Enterprise. My father had met Starlight before but didn’t take to the idea of studying magic. Why would he? My mother was a witch, and she believed magic wasn’t something you could capture and tame.”
She set her jaw. “But when Tempest stepped in and learned of his connections, she ordered he fund her laboratory.”
“Our goal really is the betterment of humanity,” Starlight said. “We just have to divert our research into one key thing: the resurrection of Tirek.”
“Why?” Twilight shouted. “Why would you want to help him? He’s evil! He wants to destroy the world!”
Starlight rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Is that what they told you? No, Tirek isn’t going to destroy the world—his goals are more benign than that,” she said mockingly. “Tirek is on a crusade to supposedly slay the gods that govern this world. And if he is so bold, replace them.”
Confusion eroded Twilight’s anger. Gods; as in, mystical deities? The pinnacle of fairy tales? And Tirek was on a quest to kill them? She looked to Moondancer. “That’s true? Gods are real?”
“According to him,” Moondancer said. “Even with magic, there are things we cannot definitively prove. I certainly believe there are far greater forces making up the universe than we can comprehend. The fact that magic exists points to that. But…”
She knitted her brow. “He believes in a pantheon of old and blames those gods for the ills of the world. They’ve abandoned humanity according to him. As such, he seeks to usurp them.”
A dozen more questions bloomed in Twilight’s mind. This time, she was able to articulate the topmost one. “Isn’t that worse?”
Starlight shrugged. “That assumes there are gods he can usurp in the first place. Personally, I don’t think there are, and even if there were, I doubt he’ll succeed. If he does, however, I have been promised a great reward. If he really can fulfill that promise, then by all means, I’ll let him raid heaven. It’s the quickest way to get me what I want. If not, then I will find other means. My only job is to make sure that when the time comes, his soul can be placed back in his old body, good as new.”
Twilight’s mind spun faster. Magic was one thing. Gods were another. After another deep breath, she said, “Okay… so gods are real… and Tirek wants to kill them and become one.”
“He seeks the power of the divine. Whether or not he is capable of obtaining that power remains to be seen. At the moment, it’s just the barkings of a tyrannical madman,” Moondancer said in an almost reassuring tone.
“Then why help him?” Twilight asked incredulously. “What is he offering you that’s good enough to even risk something like that?”
Moondancer pressed her lips together and looked at the ground. Starlight, for the first time since Twilight had known her, had a somber frown on her face.
“He promised me my Sunburst,” she said longingly.
“Sunburst?” Twilight asked.
Starlight walked to the nearest desk and sat down in the chair. She rolled it closer, looking suddenly aged and tired. “Sunburst… was my everything. We were just kids when we met. But I quickly learned about the secret he was hiding. He could use magic.”
A dreamy smile crossed Starlight’s face. “When I accidentally found out, he panicked. But I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. After that, we did everything together. I was the only one outside of his family who knew about his gift. I loved to watch him practice and experiment. He could do incredible things.”
The smile slid off her face. “We were together for so long. We even decided to go to the same college. I thought… it’d be the two of us together. But…” She wiped her eyes.
“It was raining. Hard. We still decided to go to our favorite café off-campus after class. I insisted. It was our turn to cross the street. A car was coming up to the light, but he could barely see through his windshield. He tried to slow down but…. Sunburst saw it coming. He pushed me. I only got scrapes and a bruise. He took the full blow. And by the time the ambulance arrived… he was gone.”
Starlight placed her elbows on her knees and steepled her fingers, hiding her mouth behind them. “If I had magic… if anyone did back then. Someone could have done something. I could have healed him, changed the weather, foresaw what was going to happen! It’s not fair!”
She jumped up from her chair. “My Sunburst was robbed of his life! And I’m partially to blame…. So I’m going to do whatever it takes to bring him back. And Tirek has provided me with the perfect opportunity. If I can regenerate his body from the rotted bones and hair scraps that Moondancer found in France, then I can heal Sunburst’s body, no problem! Then, all I’ll need is his soul back, and Tirek has promised to fetch it for me!”
Twilight stared, wide-eyed and mouth ajar. Starlight had been a visionary—a genius. Quirky, perhaps, but grounded and intelligent. This, tragic as it was, was the plot of a madwoman.
Starlight caught Twilight’s stare and said, “Judge me all you want, but I ask you this: would you not do something similar for your Sunset?”
“I—” Twilight held her tongue. She would never say yes… but she couldn’t say no either. She had stormed off to fight Adagio alone for what she did to her brother; who could say what she would have done if it had been Sunset. But to put the world at stake? She shook her head and looked from Starlight to Moondancer. “And what did he promise you?”
Moondancer hugged herself, still looking at the floor. “My mother… is alive. Tempest took her soul and held it hostage in exchange for my father’s cooperation. And now she has him too. If I help him, he’ll give them back.”
Twilight’s brain soft rebooted trying to keep up with all the new information being thrown its way. Moondancer’s mother was alive. Her soul taken, yes, but she was alive. So that had been another lie Moondancer had spun her.
“Why didn’t you tell Artemis?”
Moondancer lifted her face. “Because he would try to stop this. And I can’t have him interfere. For both our sakes.”
“You want this to happen?”
“Yes! Tirek has to be resurrected! I need him here in the flesh, and I need my family to not interfere!” Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and scowled. “Right. I have an investors call in an hour, and because my tablet is smashed, I need to run back to the office to get the notes off the computer.”
“You can’t leave!” Twilight said, stamping her foot. “I still have questions!”
“I will give you all the answers you desire, when I have more time. And, I need to show you something, too.” Moondancer grabbed a pen and paper from Starlight’s desk and scribbled something down before folding it up and handing it to Twilight. “Meet me at this address tonight at eight o’clock. Bring no one. And I mean it. Not your friends, not my family, not Sunset. That is my condition, Twilight. I will tell you everything, but only you.”
Without waiting for Twilight’s answer, Moondancer spun away and exited the lab, shoulders raised and tensed the entire time. Twilight looked at the folded paper in her hand, heavy with the weight of Moondancer’s ultimatum. The last time Moondancer had wanted a private conversation, she had knocked Twilight out and taken her to the middle of the forest. She had promised to spill everything then, too, if Twilight could beat her in a duel. Now, it was an open invitation of Twilight’s choosing. All Twilight had to do was swear to secrecy.
She slipped the paper into her pocket. She would decide later. Right now, she had questions for Starlight. The scientist eyed Twilight like she was an interesting experiment.
“There was another woman with Tempest. You called her Lord Tirek, but…”
Starlight looked away, an expression close to pity on her face. “Lord Tirek needed a temporary host while his real body is regenerating. Another experiment in artificially placing souls inside bodies.”
The way Starlight spoke, Twilight could tell there was something more there. She wanted to press, but she had more important questions. “You knew Moondancer… and you mentioned Sunset. So, you knew who I was the entire time.”
Starlight gave an innocent shrug. “I did.”
“Then, all of this was planned.” A hollow void opened in Twilight’s chest. “The competition, the internship…”
“Yes and no,” Starlight said, making a so-so motion with her hand. “We are a legitimate business, Twilight. And I love to nurture young minds and help them on their scientific journey. The competition was real, and so was the internship. No, it wasn’t until I saw your name on the list of entries that I might have… skewed things in your favor. Now, now, don’t look glum. You were in great standing, even without my help. But, Moondancer spoke so highly of you. Always gushing about how smart you were. And I knew you were connected to the rest of those magical little heroines. Twilight, I wanted you for you! I believed you had the knowledge and the experience to help us reach our goals!”
“I am not helping you revive Tirek!” Twilight said firmly. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t leave right now and tell my friends everything!”
“I can give you a few.” Starlight sat down again, crossing one leg over the other and lacing her fingers together over her knee. “Chiefly, your curiosity. Sure, you could walk out of here right now, and I promise, I won’t stop you. But you want to know what Moondancer’s hiding. You want to know how deep the rabbit hole goes. And if your friends come in and destroy my lab, who knows how far back that will take magical research? And then you’ll always wonder, ‘what if’?”
She leaned forward, her calculating smile returning. “You may not believe it, but I haven’t lied to you, Twilight. Tirek or no Tirek, I want to give magic to humanity! I want to see us ascend to an even higher level of greatness and create a world of equal opportunity and infinite potential! And I know you want the same thing. You’ve seen magic up close. You know what it can do. Imagine unlocking that power for everyone.”
Twilight trembled. Yes, she had seen magic close up. Yes, she wanted to study and be the one to make strides where scarce few had even walked. But she wasn’t about to endanger the world to do it.
“The answer’s no,” Twilight said with a swipe of her hand. “A good scientist sticks to her morals.”
Starlight’s smile fell. She looked at Twilight with an unreadable neutral expression, then dipped her head in a tiny bow. “Very well. Like I said, I won’t stop you.”
Twilight looked around the lab. Everyone else pretended to go about their business, but she saw many of them sneaking peeks at her and Starlight. No one looked hostile though, just curious. Still, Twilight kept her guard up as she turned and walked toward the door.
“It must be hard,” Starlight called, “for your friends to have special powers and you not to. Leaves you feeling unequal to them. It’s a shame that they have abilities you never will. But if you change your mind…”
Twilight kept walking, the offer hovering in the air behind her. The lab doors closed behind her, and she power-walked to the elevator, exhaling a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding when she got inside.
Her friends needed to know what she had learned. If they could shut down this lab, that might stop Tirek for good.
The elevator reached the ground level, and Twilight walked out. Moondancer’s paper rustled in her pocket. Twilight hated to admit it, but Starlight was right about her curiosity in regard to Moondancer. Twilight didn’t know why at this point. Moondancer had lied and schemed and hurt her. By all rights, Twilight should hate her. And after today, maybe part of her did.
But Moondancer was finally offering answers.
Twilight ground her teeth. This was a stupid idea. She had barely survived a one-on-one with Adagio. She was supposed to go with her friends to the revival tonight. Was she really going to skip that and risk a nighttime rendezvous with Moondancer?
The part that didn’t hate her, the piece of Twilight that still wanted to call Moondancer a friend, said yes.
“Fine,” Twilight muttered as she exited the lobby, ignoring Amber’s wave goodbye. “This is it. She’s going to tell me everything, then I’m going to tell the girls everything, and this entire mess will finally be over.”
*******
Sunset slouched across Canterlot Park behind her friends. The setting sun blinked through the tall trees scattered across the lawns, casting splotchy shadows against the orange grass. Five of the Spectacular Seven migrated with a thin crowd toward the bandstand at the center of the park. Rarity had arrived earlier to offer assistance with the setup, and Twilight…
Sunset gripped her phone in her pocket. Twilight had canceled, needing to go check on Shining. She knew she shouldn’t be mad. Shining was in a scary situation; of course Twilight would want to be there for her brother. Yet the more Sunset tried to smother her feelings, the more they tried to bubble to the surface. Her friends had asked if she was okay, and Sunset put on a fake smile and said yes. She was glad they didn’t dig deeper.
She wished they had dug deeper.
“Oooh, popcorn!” Pinkie exclaimed.
Sure enough, as they crested over the last hill, the smell of popcorn rose to meet them. In the field below, a couple of vendors had set up snack stalls behind the rows and rows of chairs leading up to the bandstand. The little gazebo had been modified for the Midsummer Revival. A stage had been erected in front of it, complete with curtains and working lights. Tents had been set up off to the side, for the actors and crew, Sunset guessed.
“Girls, over here!” Rarity waved at them from the audience. They eased down the hill to meet her, Pinkie opting to roll down like a fluffy pink ball.
“Hi, Rarity! How’s Coco doing?” she asked as she popped up an inch from Rarity’s face. She had grass in her hair and green smudges stained on her clothes.
Rarity took a step back. “She’s doing fine, just putting the finishing touches on. She doesn’t even need my help,” she said with a hint of pride.
Fluttershy gently clapped her hands. “I can’t wait to see the outfits you worked on.”
“Thank you, but I was just fulfilling Coco's vision. And I couldn't have done it without Pinkie's help,” Rarity said.
“Don’t forget Sonnie and Ari!”
Rarity nodded appreciatively. “Of course not. Well, the opening act isn’t for another twenty minutes. Do you girls want to get some popcorn before we find seats?”
“You betcha!” Pinkie zipped toward the vendors.
Sunset withheld a sigh and followed behind. Rarity fell in step next to her, giving Sunset a sympathetic smile.
“Is Twilight joining us?”
Sunset shoved her hands into her pockets. “No. Something came up and she went to see Shining in the hospital. She says he’s fine but wanted to be there for him.” It was hard to hide the bitterness in her tone.
“I see.” Rarity inched closer. “Are you two okay?” she asked quietly.
“Of course! We’re fine! Why wouldn’t we be?” Sunset said quickly, feigning a smile. Rarity deflated her with a single look. Sunset stopped and dug the tip of her boot into the grass. “I don’t know.”
Rarity took Sunset by the arm and led her back to the seats. They took the end chairs in an empty row near the front. “Go on, dear. You know I won’t judge.”
Sunset slumped back in her chair. “It’s just… I feel like Twilight and I have barely spent any time with each other in the past month. Between training and fighting monsters, we barely got to hang out. Now, she’s got that stupid internship. You girls go away to college in less than a month now. I just wanna enjoy the time we have left together.”
“Have you told Twilight this?”
“I tried. Back at the beach when we went on the Ferris wheel. I’m starting to think she completely forgot.” Sunset fidgeted, pulling on her fingers. “She’s worrying me. Going after Adagio on her own like that. All these little projects and throwing herself into this internship. She’s still trying to prove something. To me, or herself. Maybe both. I don’t know.”
Rarity pressed her lips together and nodded. “She’s been under a lot of stress lately. While it was incredibly reckless, I can’t say I blame her for trying to fight Adagio alone. And she’s trying to balance all of this magical chaos with college preparation. Believe me, I know how difficult it is. It’s probably more difficult still when you feel like you’re the black sheep of the group.”
“But she’s not!” Sunset said, unsure if she was trying to convince herself, Rarity, or Twilight. “She’s held her own in fights! She decoded Stygian’s journal! She’s just as good as the rest of us!”
“Yes, she is. But she doesn’t see it that way. So she’s doing everything she can to validate herself.” Rarity sighed. “When you measure yourself against other people, it’s easy to come up short.”
Sunset slumped deeper in her chair. “How am I supposed to validate her if she barely spends time with me?”
“Validate her even when she’s not with you.” Rarity placed a hand on Sunset’s knee. “And you’re not going to want to hear this, but she might need time away, not just from you but from all of us. Going to MIT and surrounding herself with peers in things she’s familiar with and excels at will reaffirm her self-worth.”
“But… I mean, yeah, but…”
“And you’ll have more summers together,” Rarity said, a twinkle in her eye. “I know you’ll have plenty more time together.”
Sunset blushed and turned her head in time to see her friends walking toward them with armfuls of popcorn. She took a bag from Pinkie, and everyone took their seats. As her friends chattered, Sunset’s heart sank deeper and deeper into malaise.
Was spending time apart really the solution to spending more time together? It was paradoxical, but Rarity made a sound point. Sunset could only validate Twilight so much. If magic really was making her feel inferior, maybe she needed to be away from magic.
Only the faintest glow of orange remained in the sky when the show began. Every seat in the audience had been filled, and a standing crowd took up space in the back. Miss Charity Kindheart stepped onto the stage with a rousing applause.
“Thank you for coming out tonight everyone,” she said into the microphone. “The Midsummer Revival has been a staple in our community for years and couldn’t be done without your support and the support of all our volunteers.” The crowd applauded again.
“While the future is uncertain, we hope to put on our best show yet for you all. And we have a surprise performance at the end, so I encourage you to stick around after the show. Thank you!” She took a bow and exited the stage as the overhead lights dimmed.
The show started with a comedy sketch that, while Sunset wouldn’t call funny, it at least lifted her spirits. Then, the main show began, a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which quickly sank any jubilation Sunset had. Twilight loved Shakespeare and would have been thrilled to see the stunning costumes that had been designed.
Sunset understood why Rarity had accepted Coco as her apprentice. The gowns were immaculate and vibrant, particularly those of the nobles and fairy folk. Titania’s emerald green gown had vine patterns stitched around the hem and sleeves and glowed under the spotlight. Sunset would have thought Bottom’s donkey head was real if the mouth moved when he spoke. And impressed murmurs came from all around Sunset when Puck’s bedazzled wings actually buzzed as he crossed the stage. Next to her, Rarity remained locked in a state of utter glee the entire play.
For community volunteers, the Method Members were very good. Sunset was reminded of the plays she would attend with Princess Celestia. With magic, the production values had been higher, and the court actors had been practicing their whole lives. But Sunset appreciated and admired what a suburban group could do.
The production followed the written play as closely as Sunset could remember and was rife with humor and exaggerated drama. After a touch of deus ex machina, and Puck’s last speech to the crowd, the curtain fell to uproarious applause. The actors filed out from behind the curtain to take their bow, followed by the production crew. Sunset spotted Coco, looking like she was ready to cry tears of joy.
When all the actors cleared the stage, both the front and back curtains parted, revealing a black piano sitting in the middle of the bandstand. Someone in the back screamed in delight. More followed suit as Coloratura, without her makeup or wig, walked onto the stage.
“Hello, everyone,” she said as the cheering died down. “Most people know I was born in Canterlot. In fact, I grew up just two blocks from here. My parents took me to the Midsummer Revival every year, and I always loved it. I saw people perform plays and sing from their hearts, and I knew I wanted to do the same thing when I grew up. And I have.
“But I’ve been doing it as Countess Coloratura. And while I can never express how grateful I am for all of the countess’s fans around the world, I’ve wanted to do something different for a while now. Tonight, I’m not singing as Countess Coloratura. I’m singing as a girl from Canterlot. I’m singing as Rara, the nickname my best friend gave me.”
Sunset looked down the row and saw a deep blush on Applejack’s face.
Rara took a seat at the piano, took a deep breath, and began to play.
“I'm here to show you who I am,
“Throw off the veil, it's finally time,
“There's more to me than glitz and glam, oh-whoa,
“And now I feel my stars align.”
This was far different from Coloratura’s usual upbeat pop. This was soulful. Her eyes were shut as her fingers danced across the keyboard, lost in a world of meaningful passion.
“For I had believed what I was sold,
“I did all the things that I was told,
“But all that has changed, and now I'm bold,
“'Cause I know,”
With tears running down her cheeks, Rara belted, “That I am just a person,
“I make mistakes from time to time!
“But now I know the real me,
“And put my heart out on the line!
“And let the magic in my heart stay true,
“Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!”
The crowd cheered and screamed as Rara poured her soul out. Sunset’s heart stirred from the performance and her eyes welled. She wished Twilight could hear this.
“And let the magic in my heart stay true,
“Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa,
“Just like the magic inside of you!”
Sunset had to plug her ears at the deafening applause that followed. Everyone was up out of their seats, cheering for both Rara and for the Revival to continue for another year.
As the crowd began pushing toward the edge of the stage to get an autograph, Sunset remained seated. She pulled her phone out and tapped a message, hesitating for a moment before hitting send.
‘Wish you were here. Hope you know you’re amazing. Love you.’
*******
Twilight’s anxiety had never consisted of guilt, regret, and nervous anticipation before. It manifested as a constant tremble in her stomach and looking over her shoulder every ten seconds. She had lied to her parents about going to the Midsummer Revival. She had canceled her plans with Sunset and lied to her about going to see Shining in the hospital. She had smuggled her sword out of the house and onto the bus using her brother’s old duffle bag. Now she was wandering the dusk-laden streets in a forgotten corner of downtown, Moondancer’s address in hand.
Her anger flared up constantly. Why was she doing this? She should have been at the park with her friends. Moondancer had already burned her twice before; she didn’t deserve a third chance. And sword or not, Twilight was woefully unprepared if she was walking into a trap.
But she needed to know. Even with her parents’ souls on the line, why would Moondancer go along with an insane scheme like resurrecting a warlock to kill gods?
Starlight’s words echoed in her head. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. But she wasn’t going to turn on her ideals! She was gathering information so she could reveal everything to her friends. That was it.
She checked the map on her phone. Her destination was supposedly just around the corner. She slowed her pace and unzipped the duffle bag, angling the hilt of her sword out so it was within reach. Rounding the corner, she saw a row of dim and flickering lampposts, their circles of light highlighting the gum and dirt-covered cement. Halfway down the block, Twilight could see a solitary figure standing under a dying bulb.
Shoulders squared and eyes set, Twilight marched forward. Moondancer’s features came into focus. She still wore her dress suit, but her hair was down, hiding her face behind her bangs.
She looked over as Twilight approached and gave a tired smile. “You came.”
Twilight dropped her duffle bag, pulled her sword out, unsheathed it, and leveled it at Moondancer, all in one seamless motion. “I know I can’t win. But if you try anything, I will go down fighting.”
Moondancer blinked in surprise, then eased into a smile again. “You’ve grown up so much since we first met. It’s astounding. I wish I could say I had a positive role in that growth but, I know better.
“I know you don’t trust me, and you have no reason to. But these are the truest words I will ever say to you: I never wanted to hurt you. You were the best thing to happen to me since my mother was taken. I enjoyed every moment we spent together. And no matter how much you despise me, I have been and always shall be your friend.”
Twilight scowled and furrowed her brow, trying to read Moondancer’s sincerity. Despite her actions, Twilight wanted to believe Moondancer was a good person deep down. And she had quoted Star Trek, something she knew was near and dear to Twilight. But Moondancer was right, Twilight had no reason to trust her, and she didn’t know if she could ever reciprocate Moondancer’s friendship again.
Lowering a sword only a fraction, Twilight asked, “Why did you bring me here?”
“I needed to show you something.” Moondancer gestured with a hand. “Follow me.”
She turned toward the building they had met in front of, a small, one-story box with peeling green paint and a window so dirty, it was impossible to see out of it. Moondancer pulled a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open with a rusty squeak. She strode into the darkness, Twilight following after, sword still raised.
The interior of the building was bare. Whatever it was supposed to be, there were only dusty countertops and crumpled pieces of paper remaining. On the other side of the room was an empty bookshelf and an electrical panel. Moondancer walked toward the panel, shutting the door behind Twilight with a flick of her hand and locking them in near-total darkness.
Twilight tightened her grip on her schiavona. She heard a card sliding across a panel, and through the gloom, she made out the bookshelf gliding to one side. A moment later, light filled the room as another door opened, revealing the interior of an elevator. Moondancer stepped inside and looked back expectantly.
Twilight knew this was her last chance to back out. She could run right now and probably get away unscathed. She could lead her friends back here to take care of whatever Moondancer was hiding.
But what was she hiding?
Twilight marched forward, never breaking eye contact with Moondancer. She stood against the wall, sword at en garde, her offhand quivering as the doors closed. Moondancer continued to look straight ahead, hands folded behind her back.
“I would never work with Tirek,” she said softly. “Not willingly. I don’t know if I believe in gods, but I know whatever world he seeks to create would be a realm of nightmares. But I need him on this mortal plane so that I may do what my ancestors could not and kill him properly.”
Twilight’s sword hand came down a fraction of an inch. She had never considered death an option. She and her friends always talked about stopping Tirek, either by preventing him from coming back or using the Rainbow of Light.
“The simple fact is that he is a monster, Twilight,” Moondancer said, her voice still soft but with a steely undertone. “He has stolen countless souls, ruined lives, and seeks to disrupt the very fabric of this world. If it were possible to judge him for those crimes, he would be found guilty and doubtlessly be put to death. Since there is no one to judge him, we shall skip that part, and I will take the role of executioner.”
The hairs on the back of Twilight’s neck rose. “But, the Rainbow of Light—”
“Has! Failed!” Moondancer yelled, starling Twilight. “Twice it was used, and twice it failed to end him properly! And that’s even if it still exists in the first place! Whatever happened in the past, it didn’t hold! My ancestors were soft! So I will correct their mistake and kill Tirek with my bare hands if I have to!”
The elevator rattled to a stop and the door opened to reveal a pitch-black room. Moondancer inhaled deeply and ran a hand through her hair. “But, hopefully, I won’t have to.” She stepped into the room and snapped her fingers.
Lights blinded Twilight. When the spots faded from her eyes, she found a circular white space, similar to Starlight’s lab. It was almost empty save for a wide control panel off to one side, with wires trailing out of it and snaking up to a gray metal box in the center of the room. Twilight thought it almost looked like an armoire.
“What is this?” Twilight asked, following Moondancer inside.
“This is the culmination of science and sorcery.” Moondancer walked over to the control panel, reached down, and pulled out the Archon Amulet.
Twilight gasped and took a fighting stance, but Moondancer ignored her. She took several deep breaths before putting the amulet on. Its red jewel flashed, mirroring a gleam in Moondancer’s eyes. She squeezed them shut, raised her hands, and placed them on the console. They glowed with magic, white tinged with red. The glow spread from the console, through the wires, and up to the central container. Moondancer held that position for over a minute before gasping and reeling back. She ripped the amulet off and clutched her chest, gasping for air.
As she slouched over the machine, Twilight finally lowered her sword. “Are you okay?”
Moondancer took a few measured breaths. “I’ll be fine. Thank you though.” She pressed a button, then pointed to the armoire.
Twilight followed her finger and watched as the front of the metal box slid down into the floor with a low hiss. Hanging inside was a bulky, cybernetic set of what appeared to be armor. It was deep blue, almost black with open patches that showed off its internal wiring. It was simple in design with no engravings or accessories. The gauntlets extended past the elbows and ended in sharp points, as did the crown on the open-faced helmet. The chest plate was the most intricately designed, reinforced with several folds of thin metal layered down the torso. The cables running from Moondancer’s console ran up through the box and attached to the armor in several spots, still glowing with Moondancer’s magic.
It was something, to say the least. But looking from it to Moondancer, the armor looked like it was meant to fit someone twice her size.
“You’re pouring magic into this,” Twilight said, still examining the finer details. “Why?”
“Because my magic alone is not enough.” Moondancer regained her composure and joined Twilight in front of the suit of armor. “Tirek will be powerful when he regains his body. I need something that will match him in a fair fight. With Starlight’s help, we created an experimental weapon that can accumulate magic.”
“Like the Staff of Sanacas?”
“Similar, but not quite as refined. For one, the staff drains magic and can then redirect it. It copies whatever magic it absorbed. This is fueled by and runs on magic. This suit is meant to enhance the wearer’s physical and magical capabilities. The more magic we can funnel into it, the stronger it will become.” Moondancer looked at it with reverence. “The solution to the problem that is Tirek. Magical means failed in the past, and he is far stronger than any normal human. But if we combine the magical knowledge of the ancient world with the scientific innovations of the modern era… we create something he’ll never see coming. A gift to save the world from his evil. My Deus Ex Machina.”
Twilight sheathed her sword and crossed her arms, scrutinizing the armor. It was incomplete, but even if it could fully function, Twilight doubted how it would hold up if Tirek was as powerful as everyone feared. “Do you really think this will work?”
“It has to,” Moondancer said firmly. “It’s all we’ve got.”
Twilight weighed her options. Moondancer was being truthful to her, but that didn’t mean Twilight had to reciprocate. Still, if Moondancer wanted to go along with this crazy scheme, she deserved to know the alternative. “The Rainbow of Light is real. Artemis found it. Sort of… we need keys to open it, but we already found one!”
Moondancer clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. “All the more reason to use this instead.”
“But, Moondancer—”
“The Rainbow of Light doesn’t kill! It purifies or imprisons or banishes! It delays the problem and passes it on to someone else! My family is so obsessed with that trinket; they think it’s the only way to beat Tirek. But he needs to die a mortal death! He needs to be stopped so that no one in the future has to deal with him. So that some other little girl doesn’t have to suffer.”
Her voice faded. Twilight considered her assertion. Moondancer was right to an extent: how ever Megan and Merlin had wielded the Rainbow of Light in the past only led to stalling Tirek out to become her generation’s problem. Merlin had taken it a step further and sealed away all magic to make sure there wouldn’t be any other Tireks again.
But Twilight wasn’t comfortable with the idea of Moondancer fighting and, in the best-case scenario, killing Tirek. She had done a lot of things, but Twilight couldn’t see her as a murderer, justified or not.
Moondancer tilted her head toward Twilight. “You disagree.”
“I just… never considered death as an option. We don’t know how the Rainbow of Light works. Maybe there is a way to permanently put Tirek somewhere.”
“I’m not taking that chance. I won’t leave the future of the world up to fate.” She turned to fully face Twilight. “And you realize that if you were to utilize the Rainbow of Light, that would mean your friends would have to fight him. Are you okay with watching that bout?”
“Of course not,” Twilight said, dreading to imagine how that fight could go. “But I don’t like the thought of you or any of my friends killing someone!”
Moondancer smiled softly. “You’re sweet. But I already have plenty of sins on my hands. I’m fine with adding one more.”
Twilight huffed. “Fine. But, how do you know this will work?”
“I don’t. It’s still incomplete and needs a great deal more magic before I’m confident. But if Starlight’s Arcane Access Project comes to fruition—if this world’s magic can be restored—I might stand a chance.”
Twilight connected the dots. “If there’s more magic in the world, you have more to draw on and feed to the armor. Which is why you’re using the Archon Amulet; to bolster your magic.”
Moondancer nodded. “It’s not particularly powerful on its own. I told you the truth all those months ago: I struggled to unlock my family’s magic. For my mother and my cousins, it’s in their blood. For me, I have to pull it from the world.”
“But, if Starlight does restore this world’s magic, wouldn’t that make Tirek stronger too?”
Moondancer winced. “There… is that possibility. But Tirek relies more on the souls he’s accumulated in his cursed amulet. And I plan on striking the moment he is revived. I won’t give him the chance to get stronger.”
Twilight frowned in confusion. “But didn’t Starlight say—”
“My advanced apologies to Starlight, but she’s crazy to even think I would let Tirek get as far as knocking on heaven’s door. She’ll be upset, but she said it herself: she’ll find another way to bring back her precious Sunburst.”
They lapsed into silence. Twilight stared at the armor again, her head swimming with information. Moondancer, Starlight, Tirek. All of them had their own agenda, and none of them were loyal to one another. Twilight wondered how this dysfunctional group managed to get this far.
“How does Tempest fit into this?” Twilight wondered aloud.
A shadow fell over Moondancer’s face. “She actually believes in Tirek’s insanity. She was born sickly in a poor country and lived in poverty her entire life. She managed to claw her way to college and become an archeologist and found Tirek’s Soul Lock on an expedition. He promised her health and power. She’s been his dogmatic lieutenant ever since.”
Moondancer covered the good side of her face and tilted her head toward the ceiling. “For the past decade, she’s made my life a living nightmare. I had to do what she said. And for a long time, that was simply ‘stay out of the way. Don’t be seen or heard.’ She threatened me, abused me, held my life in the palm of her hand. All because I had everything she never did.”
She lifted her hand above her head and curled her fingers. “And I can’t wait to rip—“ She threw her arm down “—everything away from her! When Tirek is gone and all the souls are free, she’ll have no power. None for herself, and none over me.”
Twilight watched Moondancer wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. A single conversation wouldn’t undo all the things her old friend had done. But now, most of them made sense. Moondancer was no more a pawn in Tirek’s game than the rest of her friends. And with how things stood, if Moondancer was telling the absolute truth, this game had two endings. A: Twilight and her friends stop Tirek before he’s resurrected. But that meant fighting Moondancer, as she was hellbent on seeing him revived so he could die properly. And if they did stop him prematurely, that opened up the possibility of this happening again in the future. Or B: Tirek was revived, and someone would have to fight him, be it Moondancer with her armor or the Spectacular Seven with the Rainbow of Light. And again, if the Rainbow was used and Tirek wasn’t killed, he could come back somewhere in the future.
With all their powers and all their training, could her friends stand up to a man who wanted to conquer gods? And that was if they really could unseal the Rainbow of Light. No matter what path they chose, the fate of the world was left up to a gamble.
“Twilight,” Moondancer said softly, still averting her gaze. “I never wanted you to be a part of this. I hoped beyond hope that you would remain blissfully unaware, and that you would just be my dear friend who I could go to school with. Maybe more.” She folded her hands over her heart. “Yes, definitely more. But that’s all gone now. I only ask that you don’t interfere with my plan. Prepare however you must, but do not tell your friends or my family about any of this. That is the last, selfish thing I will ever ask of you.”
Twilight’s sword hand drifted to her pommel and she gripped it tight. She hated lying. She hated keeping secrets. She already had enough to keep from her parents, now she had to lie to her friends too? But Moondancer was right; if Twilight told her friends what she knew, they would storm here and Starlight’s lab to put an end to this. And the more Twilight thought about it, the more Moondancer made sense. If there was even a chance that her friends didn’t have to fight Tirek, Twilight would take it.
And if she could be the reason they didn’t have to fight…
“I’ll help you,” Twilight said firmly.
Moondancer turned her whole body toward Twilight. “I… beg your pardon?”
“I’m going to help you finish this Deus Ex Machina, and I’m going to help Starlight with the Arcane Access Project. I know what happened to this world’s magic. If we can bring it back, not only can you finish powering this, my friends will get a magic boost as well. And everyone will have access to magic again. The entire world could change for the better.”
Moondancer’s eyes fluctuated between joy and concern. “Are… are you sure, Twilight?”
“I’m already involved. Nothing can change that now.”
Eyes landing on joy, Moondancer made a small hop of excitement. “Oh, Twilight! I can’t believe it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She held her arms out, but Twilight stepped back and put her hand up.
“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this so my friends might not have to fight.” She allowed an edge to her voice. “But if you give me any reason to suspect you have an ulterior motive—anything to make me think this is another lie, I will tell them everything. I barely trust you, Moondancer.”
It was brief, but Twilight saw a flash of pain across Moondancer’s face and thought perhaps her threat had been unwarranted. Moondancer dropped her arms and looked at the floor. “Of course. Naturally.”
She squared her shoulders and looked up again. “Still, I deeply appreciate the help. With your incredible intellect, I’m sure we can make this even better than what I envisioned. And I’m sure Starlight will be delighted to keep you on.”
Twilight checked her phone. It was almost ten o’clock. “I need to get home.”
“Yes, it’s rather late isn’t it.” Moondancer walked toward the elevator, shoulders slouched. “Come, I’ll walk you out.”
Twilight followed after her, still looking at her phone. Sunset had sent a message an hour ago. ‘Wish you were here. Hope you know you’re amazing. Love you.’
A pang of guilt struck Twilight’s heart. I love you, too. That’s why I’m doing this.
Twilight remembered their ski trip so long ago. On the mountain, Sunset had asked if she had any dark secrets to share since Sunset had already spilled most of hers. Twilight said she hadn’t.
She supposed she had one now.
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Spectacular Seven if it was written in 2007
Oh boy. Twily you are about to learn that following the Well-Intentioned Extremist never ends well.
This is the calm before the storm, ooooooohhh boy, i can only imagine whats gonna happen when sh** hits the fan *thunder rumbling in the distance*, this is spine-tingling
Shit.
Twilight might not be villain herself (yet), but she has officially joined their side. Selfless as her agenda might be, it’s an agenda nonetheless. She’s now working with Moondancer to revive Tirek, working with Starlight to bring back magic (foolishly and naively hoping this will better the world somehow) and, on top of that, she’s lying to everybody.
Called it a few chapters ago that Equilibrium Labs was the start of Twilight’s villain origin story and I was right. Someone needs to give Twi a serious reality check because the path she’s going down is so, so dangerous.
Really looking forward to seeing where this goes next.
Twi, you were so close to avoiding the living red flag and the well-intentioned fool.
That braniac doesn't even need magic to have self-worth! She better figure that out before someone dies because of her mistake. Oh, I can almost hear Midnight Sparkle's laughter.
OOOOh Twilight making questionable choices. I love it.
Hoo boy. This is a lot, but I think I can best sum it up as the longest, and painful western standoff I've ever read. Legit anyone could pull out their gun and make the first move and everything becomes a domino effect. Hell the domino effect might've happened already and we just don't know it yet. Oh man, I want to reread the entirety of both Long Road and Spectacular Seven again to see where this could be going, but I'll save that for another time. Point is, I'm hooked and I'm not leaving.
Starlight, you're an idiot
I feel like communication might help.
Ah. Yeah, that, to be honest, she, kinda was.
She does that.
Yes. And an apology can't hurt.
Oh dear.
This is gonna become a pattern, isn't it?
I think some formatting didn't work.
I mean, fair. Didn't know you and Sonata could make outfits, but, spend enough time, you pick up a skill or two.
Nah, she's just VERY sleep deprived.
Probably for the best.
That WOULD be quite the find, if you pulled it off.
Slim. VERY slim.
The two aren't mutually exclusive.
A real possibility. I do have to applaud you for building up such suspense around Starlight. She was a villain in canon, but she's so thoroughly different here, as are the circumstances, hell, TWILIGHT is different, that it's a whole lot more ambiguous. If I had a hat, I'd tip it to you. Instead, I'll tip Applejack's hat and hope she doesn't notice I, uh, acquired, it.
Good ol' dramatic irony.
Oh shit.
Double shit.
Halfway. That's bad. But, at least, if Twilight can get out of there, she can report this, hopefully, and that'll be all the more info the others know.
You are taking all of this remarkably well.
Oh yes, because that's gone well. You know, I know a guy who did that once. His name was Kratos. Ask him how that went.
And, you really think he won't stab you in the back the minute he no longer needs you?
... Ah.
The ATLUS special.
On the contrary. Death is the fairest thing there is. It takes everyone eventually. And that's why it hurts. Every time you see someone older, you wonder "why didn't they die?", as uncharitable a thought as it is.
I think she's fully considered the probability that he'll betray her or otherwise twist her wish. But, for just the merest scrap of a chance that she'll get her Sunburst back, she'd do anything.
She's trapped and it gets worse with every hour.
Better than eternally recurring 'what if' than the potential end of the world.
You conniving little sneak.
It's absolutely not.
Probably both.
Another addition to my nonexistent dissertation about how characters would despise their authors.
Title drop!
That's gonna come up at the worst point.
That's just a dick move.
What makes you think you can?
That's, very risky.
For your sake, I REALLY hope this works.
Killed Sombra but good. But, you have no way of knowing that.
Assuming that would WORK.
That's a lot of conditionals.
I'm all for putting Tirek down, but, this is a VERY risky move.
With difficulty.
Or both.
This isn't a good plan, but, it's the best of a bad situation.
Love makes fools of us all.
Yes. That's how physics work. Also narratives.
This was a joy to read!
I always look forward to a new chapter here. Thank you very much for the wonderful update!
Wooooow. Utterly spectacular. The weight of everything is dropping down as the dominoes get set up. All the motives and plans are starting to be revealed and it will certainly lead to a magical mess as everyone vies to be the one on top. It was certainly quite a surprise to see only Starlight was involved in Sci-Twi's internship. No grand plan of either Tirek or Moondancer, just Starlight seeing the potential in Sci-Twi along with her knowledge and wanting to let her flourish, even if it did almost lead to a disaster with Tempest and Tirek showing up.
Moondancer certainly makes some good points on why she doesn't want to rely on the Rainbow of Light, though, she should still consider it an option. If her plan fails, it's good to have a backup, and even if the problem passes onto a new generation, that allows them time to improve their plans for next time. This is where Moondancer's Fatal Flaw comes in. The entitlement that she has to do all this alone, that her way is right. She's complex and has ways back to being redeemed thanks to Sci-Twi and Fluttershy, but she truly needs to accept friendship in order to start growing out of her flaw, as it is dangerous to her as well.
And very lovely to see Applejack's and Rarity's plots culminate together with Coco and Rara at the festival. It was a brilliant move and helped them all out wonderfully. They had their bumps along the way, the pressure building up, but thanks to being able to rely on one another, they were able to pull through. Sunset certainly came through with figuring out how to make it all work together. She may snark about being the team therapist, but she really does pull through in the end.
Now to wait and see what the consequences of all this will be. It's gonna be anxious inducing to wait and read, but I know it's gonna be amazing.
Trusting Moondancer ............yeah this is going to fail big.
Moondancer does seem to be transitioning from major villain to anti-hero in her role. I just hope that when Sunset inevitably finds out she'll be as willing to listen with Moondancer as she was with the Sirens, it's difficult to guess since she has heard a positive from Moondancer's help against Adagio but her feelings of being ignored by Twilight, her past jealously with Moondancer, and finding the two working in secret together, is not a good combination.
Ohhhh dear…… Twilight is absolutely, 100%, going to end up making everything worse AND end up single to boot.
Poor Sunset, honestly. After the whole soul-wrenching from a couple of books ago, you'd think the fear and jealousy on both ends would be resolved - but it gives me more chapters to read, so all the better for me!
Thanks for the update! I missed this.
11833908
I don't really think calling Moondancer or Twilight a villain is really fair. I think Moondancer is probably actually correct here. Sometimes there's no neat solution. There's no guarantee that the Rainbow of Light can even be unlocked and used, there's no guarantee that even if its used he won't just come back, there's almost assuredly no redemption for Tirek, unfortunately. The logical solution to prevent a large amount of suffering is to kill Tirek. That comes with its own set of risks and work, of course, and both solutions are probably something to work toward as a failsafe for each other. Colluding with the enemy as a double agent (which Moondancer absolutely is) is something good people still do. I won't say all of Moondancer's actions are purely good, of course. But I certainly think she's not the villain. Similarly, Twilight's reasoning is probably not perfect either, but I imagine she just wants to help in any way she can, feels useless to her main group, and feels like this is an alternative path to a good outcome, maybe even the best. Also of note. We've been primed to absolutely despise Mondancer (well done Albi), but that isn't necessarily the truth of her as a character, that she's only worthy of despising.
Starlight is completely insane(sympathetic, but insane) and Moondancer isn't too far behind her in that regard. Twilight, you should of gotten off the train to disaster when you had the chance because now, I'm afraid you're stuck till it flies off the tracks to its eventual destruction.
First of all. A masterpiece of a chapter this was. The guilt, the sadness, the betrayal and the reconciliation. Everything about this chapter was perfect. From start to finish.
But now, i know i know, it's time for me to bitch about it, and i have questions. Not about the story, but about you and this fic. Why did it take so long? I don't mind waiting, especially because i know real life can be a bitch and plans change real fast. But, i would still like an update or something to know you didn't abandon the fic. It's been three months, and seeing that no new news came, i thought for sure you either abandoned the fic or real life got in the way, possibly permanently. These kind of fics are what keep me going, and to be honest, there aren't that many good fics. Most are short, badly written or abandoned. For example, let's take "The secrets of Equestria: A new era". Fucking masterpiece of a fic, on par with the big ones like yours, SAPR, Fallout Girls, Cooling Embers and a few more. Unfortunately it was abandoned, probably because of real life, but when i tried to search any information regarding the author and the fic's continuation, i didn't find anything. And i don't want the same to happen to you as well.
Tempest is getting some impressive new armor.
That's a pretty big gamble there Moony.
11833980
Laughs in Persona.
11833963
That is literally the image I have in my head of this situation.
11834078
Holidays. Sickness. Persona 3 (that last one's still in progress). I posted a blog last week. And if you've kept up with my blogs on this story, you would know of my hellbent drive to finish it no matter what.
I don't know how long it'll take me to finish chapters. I have certainly slowed down compared to my first years here. But when I write, I make sure it gets the love, care, and attention to detail it deserves. And, as I said in the author's note, this is the longest chapter I've ever written.
I'm not going to make a blog post every two weeks going 'Hey, still writing the next chapter, bye'. I find it a waste of breath and time. My proof this story isn't dead, are the updates it still receives. I only ask for your patience. If it really stresses you that much, you are free to DM me and ask for an update.
11834261
Ah, I see you are a human of culture as well.
11834050
I might have phrased it wrongly. I didnʼt say Twilight was a villain; I said sheʼs on the verge of becoming one. Noble as her intentions might be, sheʼs still working to further the villainsʼ plans and lying to everybody, to boot. This is the path of the well-intentioned extremist and it isnʼt going to end well. Not for her, not for anyone.
As for Moondancer... Someone in the comments said sheʼs slowly transitioning from villain to anti-hero and I agree. She left the villain circle, but sheʼs not entirely in the clear yet. Planning to revive a monster, no matter how justified you might be, puts you firmly on the side of bad. Because remember, Moonyʼs ultimate isnʼt to slay Tirek to save the world; itʼs to slay Tirek so she can be seen as a hero.
Twilight and Moondancer are both complex, and thereʼs so much more to them than meets the eye. On that, I agree with you. And yes, it might have been a little unfair to label them both as villains.
11834078
You donʼt get to decide when or even if Albi uploads. You donʼt get to dictate what an author writes or doesnʼt write. You donʼt. Period.
11834358
I think its pretty clear that it isn't so she can be a hero. I think its, to paraphrase her from this chapter "to make sure some other little girl doesn't have to go through the same thing" which is a pretty pure pursuit. Not that that's her only reason, of course. Smacking down Tempest will feel good, too. But anyway, I think its fine to pursue multiple solutions. It isn't like she's going to stop helping the rest of the gang. I think probably the Fluttershy and Moondancer thing will get going a bit, and then things will probably come clean between Twilight and Fluttershy, and perhaps the groups can reconcile their goals.
(Also to be clear, I'm not totally defending/justifying Twilight's actions, but I think her becoming a true villain is unlikely. People can go down a bad path with good intentions and never become a villain, and then course correct eventually)
I've actually seem someone do a eqg music video with that song years ago.
Shouldn't have done it.
It's obvious where this is going.
https://m.All lives are full of loss Starlight. As much as we wish they didn't happen, it wouldn't make a difference if they don't happen.
I think you got your answer Starlight.
Hopefully...
Let's hope so.
Somethings are best left unanswered.
11834261
Ah, i see what i did wrong. It seem like when i wrote that comment, i forget to take into consideration that you might not be able to understand what i meant to say. Sorry about that.
First i want to say something to Uz Naimat. Mdfker are you blind or are you just pretending to be so? Like, how did you came to the conclusion (A very stupid one) that i want to *ahem* *ahem* let me quote you one this one "You don't get to decide what an author writes". Normally you are right. I don't get to do that. HOWEVER! when did i ever do that? Put your two brain cells to work. And i mean like really put them to work. I get that your IQ is the room temperature of Alaska, but i need you do actually think about it. All I've said is that i would like at least something to know that Albi is not abandoning this fic. How in the name of all the gods that Earth had, you cane to the conclusion that i want to dictate when Albi is posting is beyond me. Pretty sure is beyond you as well. Next time,mate, i will need you to actually read a comment before you decide to embarrass yourself and post the most retarded comment I've seen since Logan Paul apology video comment section. Fucking hell can't believe i have to explain something as basic as this. Are you a five years old or something?
Now let's get to your comment. Unfortunately i don't really have much to add on this. Unlike SOMEONE (Uz Namiat) you actually read the comment. And i have to say, you are right in one regard. You posting every two weeks just to say hi is a stupid ideea and i do apologize for not realizing it. But be in my shoes for a minute. Three months with absolutely no contract. You posted that blog story last week and i was like "yah! he's not abandoning it". And to be honest, all you said was that you will post the chapter when it gets ready. Man i thought you died or even worst, go outside to touch grass. Like i said in my previous comment. I don't mind the wait. What i mind is not knowing if you'll ever come back.
Now, a few more things to add.
1.Don't take it the wrong way, i was just concerned that something happened to you.
2. Hope your sickness is over.
3. Is persona 3 fun?
And 4. Go touch grass.
5. Why did my previous comment get so many dislikes? Did no one understood what i wanted to say? I get that English is not my first language, and i do have problems with spelling, or rather, i have problems with conveying my thoughts into a cohesive and coherent manner. But come on. I didn't write it so bad. The silver lining was that i was concerned about your well being and thought that real life problems got in the way. How is that a bad thing? God, i love the human mind (sarcasm).
Anyways, seeing you are well is enough for me.
11834369
On that last point, youʼre right.
About Moondancer... Iʼll confess that I havenʼt liked her since the beginning. Sheʼs excellently written (kudos to Albi) and wonderfully complex and deep, but I still donʼt like her. So I may be a little biased.
So I remain firm in my belief that both Twilight and Moondancer are headed down dangerous roads, Iʼll concede my original point that they are villains.
11834407
That was massively uncalled for.
And for the record, you did. The entirety of your original comment, and your reply, outright stated that you need to know whether the story has been abandoned.
“I would like an update.” “These kinds of fics keep me going.” “I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.” “What I mind is not knowing whether you’ll ever back.” I’m sorry, does Albi answer to you?
Sure you did. Which why the words “I” and “me” were featured so heavily.
Your original comment was disliked because it sounded selfish and entitled. Nobody here was demanding to know Albi is. Nobody here has this obsessive to remain in the know. Only you.
11834509
My guy, your response to criticism is to savagely attack someone. Twice. He wrote a short paragraph the first time, you wrote part one of a dissertation, then doubled down after he broke your response down. Regardless of the intent of your first message, your responses just paint you as an asshole. And you keep telling me to go touch grass. I'm not the one coming in here and calling people idiots like this is Twitter.
I do not need someone like you being 'concerned' for my well-being. I'm deleting the post this is responding to, because I do not need that level of negativity in my comments, especially for this chapter, but I will leave your first response up so people will get an understanding of what happened here.
And if you don't get banned, you're certainly blocked. Enjoy the story when it updates. In the meantime, go find some peace.
It’s probably because writers have this minor sadistic streak when making fiction (I’m looking at you, Long Road to Friendship: An Evening with Sparkles) but it feels like things will only go downhill from here…
With that being said, does anyone have a tub of ice cream?
This is perfect!
Oh, Twilight. Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, Twilight...
As well as your intentions were, you're making a HUGE mistake that will cost not only the world, but also your friends (and girlfriend's) trust.
Here is my unwanted prediction.
I feel like the obvious route here is that Moondancer for some reason will be unable to put on the armor when the time comes and Sci-twi has to step in and put it on herself. She gets corrupted by all the magic (could possibly be caused by Moondancer's magic being tainted by the amulet every time she uses it to pump magic) and becomes Midnight Sparkle.
Again, this seems like an obvious road to go down but I feel like it'll be some variation of this. I don't remember if you said you even wanted to bring in Midnight Sparkle or not Albi, but given Twilight's story thus far it makes sense. We shall see.
Weeeeell, shit. There goes the planet.
This will not end well. There are too many flaws, too many variables, and way WAY too much left up to chance not least of all, all that distrust leading to someone finding out about the lies.
We shall see.
I feel for Moondancer's sentiment. Lord knows a certain parallel dimension might have been better off if a certain princess hadn't sealed away all her problems for someone else to deal with and dealt with them decisively. But yeah, this will go badly. For starters, it relies on messing with Starlight's plans for Tirek, and we know from her counterpart how vindictive she can be about being thwarted, and given she's a major part of Moondancer's plan, that's a bad thing.
Of course, the SMART thing would be for Twilight to get over herself and tell the others about this, maybe even try and talk them into making it Plan A, with the RoL on standby as Plan B, but even if she did, there's too little trust between the groups and they'd probably spend so much time tripping over each other trying to stop each other that Tirek's plans go off without a hitch...
Will at some point Adagio get some sort of redemption arc?
Oh twilight so dense to mot ask the are they connected sonce she saw magic as a focus.
I do like how Moondancer is protrayed here. A thing I've noticed is that she does kinda objectify Twilight. She sees her as a reward, something perfect that can do no wrong. Moondancer doesn't seem able to comprehend that Twilight can make a mistake. And how she seems to act like she has to be the one to do the final blow, I'm guessing is because she has a bit of an inferiority complex from not being able to do magic and the trauma of living with the woman (Tempest) that took her mother away from her, giving her a messiah complex as well
One thing that's so devilishly tricky that I think you're playing with well is frustrating the reader because we know what the right decision is but we also have had it built up for us to find it totally in character for them to make the wrong one. Particularly tricky when a writer like you is playing the long game - building tension patiently, and respecting the audience enough to let us sit with it for a while - if the decision didn't feel right for Twilight's character or "earned" (though sometimes I doubt the usage of that word for fiction critique, but that's a whole other point), then all that building tension could spill over into being mad at the story itself. But this is set up so thoroughly. It's "earned" - even if I don't like that term. And so, when you bring it to a boiling point here, it truly does work as a crossroads. There goes a huge off-ramp Twilight had to whatever lies ahead. She's technically had several off-ramps up until now, but she's so close to knowing she should've taken it, and that's what makes it heartbreaking knowing the road she's headed down is gonna hurt.
Readers can sit back and be like nooo, dummy, don't do THAT! but they also can't argue with it because it's so Twilight. And I just want it said that that's genuinely tough to pull off in cases where the decision is this clearly gonna lead to consequences. Just had to commend you on that. I hope you're satisfied with how this plays, I sure am!
Starlight shares this with her pony version: an obsession with batshit goals that are untenable.
I dread that poor Twiggles may go down the same rabbit hole as Starlight and Moondancer.