To The End of Drudges

by GWFan

Capture the Drudges

Chapter 12: Capture the Drudges

Twilight carefully watched the fight continue. She hadn’t had much time to explain her plan so she and the others would probably have to improvise along the way, but at least they had something in place. Rip watched her from where he was making Fluttershy relax underneath a tree, not looking the least bit interested in what Twilight was doing.

That’s when something happened. Isis hit Rave’s wing with a diamond spike and he fell. The battle was probably over and it was time to start Operation: Just Get the Darn Drudge. Twilight hadn’t had time to come up with a fancy name.

Isis launched another diamond spike and pinned Rave to the ground by his other wing. She hovered over him menacingly.

“I should turn you to diamond right now for what you’ve done, but I think I’ll enjoy tearing your hairs out one by one, dipping you in hot tar, and crushing you under a mountain.”

Rave retaliated with a wave of fire from Salamander but Isis dodged it easily.

“Feisty aren’t you? Too bad for Salamander I’m going to have to kill you.”

“Isis!” Twilight yelled and cast a spell to trap her in a barrier. As she expected though, Isis broke it with ease.

“You’re a fool, Twilight Sparkle. What have you learned about provoking Drudges?” She launched a blue sphere at Twilight, but George ran out and cast a spell to erase it. “What is this now? You can’t be seriously thinking of fighting me?”

“Not exactly,” Twilight responded.

Isis started to raise her eyebrow in question when Rhubarb dove out of the sky and kicked her from above. Isis plunged a few feet before regaining herself. She glared at the armored pony and formed another sphere but Twilight held her in a barrier again.

“Little foal!”

Isis broke through Twilight’s barrier and instead launched several diamond spikes that rained down on her. However, the diamonds stopped mid-flight, enveloped in light. Twilight had been expecting Isis to try her spikes at least a few times and had Rarity waiting to catch them with her experienced precision with objects. Rarity tossed them right back at Isis, with almost as much speed. The spikes however shattered as soon as they neared their owner.

“You’re all beginning to piss me off,” Isis growled at them.

“Twilight, we still need to weaken her more,” George whispered to her.

“Don’t worry George, just stick to the plan. Rarity, start… Rarity!”

“It won’t hurt if I just keep one, right?” Rarity hugged a single diamond spike that she hadn’t thrown back.

“Twilight!” George suddenly pushed her with his magic just as an enormous sword made of diamond sliced right where she had been standing.

“George!” Twilight screamed and pushed him with her magic when a second diamond sword came crashing down at him. “Now you see what the advantage of having friends is?”

George just looked a little stunned. Rather than wait for him to answer, Twilight turned her attention back to Isis. She actually paled. Isis had created a diamond sword above her head, three times as large as the ones she had already thrown. It was easily the size of four boxcars.

“I’m getting so tired of you!” Just as she finished, a knife flew from the ground and hit her in the flank. Isis yelped, and her giant sword shattered into millions of pieces. Burgle had stopped her with his last knife.

“That was surpassingly good thinking,” Rarity said in approval.

“That’s not what our part is supposed to be. That was desperation. Why the heck did I agree to this?” Burgle said frantically as he glanced at the containment box he had left behind him. He seemed a lot more scared than the rest of them.

“Right, my part.” Rarity dropped the diamond spike and started to gather various leaves from the trees and ground.

In the meantime, Rhubarb once again kicked Isis while she was pulling the knife from her smarting flank. This time she fell and hit the ground.

As soon as she did, Twilight used her magic to hold her down. Isis growled as she struggled and launched several spheres at her.

“Dispel!” George shouted, erasing them all. However, he slumped down, exhausted from the effort.

Isis screamed and her eyes lit up in blue. Twilight struggled to hold her. Her eyes glowed, threatening to force her magic out of control. But Isis’s magic smashed against hers in a magic arm wrestling match. Isis slowly stood as her magic easily overpowered Twilight’s.

“Do you see now? Do you see how weak you are compared to me?”

“Rarity!” Twilight yelled as Isis’s magic overcame hers and knocked her back.

“En garde, Drudge!” Rarity shouted and surrounded Isis in a tornado of leaves.

“Are you joking?” Isis formed a blue sphere but a leaf caught it and diamondized. “Oh, this is rich. Are you trying to fight me or help me?” Her eyes ignited and all the leaves diamondized.

“Fight you of course,” Rarity said wickedly. She still had control of the diamond leaves. Isis went wide-eyed as the leaves started to cut and slice at her.

“Ow! Ow! You little… Ow!”

Isis’s eyes lit up again and the diamond leaves shattered into dust. That was a bit too small even for Rarity to control at a distance. Isis growled. The various nicks and cuts she had gotten from the leaves slowly dissolved and disappeared.

“You’re more annoying than the Mystics.”

Abruptly, Grey ran up to her and grabbed her from behind.

“Now, Twilight!” he shouted.

Magic danced on Twilight’s horn and she started to weave a spell to force Isis to defend herself. But she didn’t get that far.

Grey burst into flames and Isis’s tail caught on fire as well. She jumped away in surprise as Grey fell on the ground, flailing in a desperate attempt to put out the fire.

Rave had managed to pull his wing free of Isis’s spike and was back in the fight again. He glared at the whole lot of them. “The Drudges are mine. Mind your own business.”

“Dowse,” George shouted tiredly, putting the fire around Grey out, as well as what part of the ground had caught. George virtually fell, sweating. Twilight was surprised he had even done that for how he felt towards Grey. He didn’t look to have an ounce of magic left to wield.

Isis looked between Twilight and Rave as a weak light glowed on her horn and the fire on her tail went out.

“It’s just one stupid thing after another isn’t it?”

She formed two more diamond swords and flung them at Twilight and Rave. Twilight jumped out of the way while Rave blasted the other sword aside with a fireball. Twilight gulped. The three of them faced one another in almost a perfect triangle. Twilight didn’t dare move, fearing that one or the other would attack her if she did. Instead, she winked out.

Seeing that she had disappeared, Isis and Rave glared at one another. Rave’s music box was the only sound that broke the silence.

“I don’t know which is more annoying, these ponies or you thinking you have a chance of defeating me,” Isis said angrily.

“It’s only a matter of time. I will have the power of all the Drudges soon enough.”

Isis smirked. Several diamond spikes began to form around her one after the other. “Even with Salamander, you lack the experience to be a truly powerful…” Isis paused. Her smirk slowly left her face and she actually looked nervous for once. One of the spikes she made stopped growing, only half finished. For a moment, she looked at Rave and then threw all her diamond spikes at him.

Rave blasted them all with fire, intending to return the strike, but Isis abruptly transformed into her parasite form and scurried away.

“Twilight walked out from behind the bushes where she had teleported.

“Did we do it?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but she’s gone,” Rarity pointed out.

Rhubarb landed behind them. “Blast it. Where did she go?”

The all looked at each other, worried that Isis was looking for another host. That was the last thing they needed. However, they didn’t forget about Rave who slowly turned to them, fuming.

“Look what you did,” he said angrily. “Now Isis has gotten away.” Rave held his hoof over his forehead as he spoke. Was he getting a headache?

“What a simpleton,” Rip Van Winkle suddenly said. Twilight looked back at him quizzically. She had forgotten that he and Fluttershy were even there. He was still making Fluttershy lean against the tree with her hooves behind her head. “Regardless of what he thinks he’s done, Salamander is still eating his energy just fine.”

“Shut it you stupid Drudge. I’m completely in control. Salamander is mine and you will be too,” Rave said angrily.

“I’ll enjoy eating you… maybe,” Rip replied without a care.

“The Drudges are rightfully mine! I will make them so!” Rave put his hoof over the music box and magic ignited on his horn. His whole body flashed several times as he turned into a living pony light bulb. When the glow subsided, a very noticeable difference had overcome him.

“What did he do?” Burgle said as if in a trance.

Rave’s coat had changed to a reddish tint. Salamander looked as if his body had half melted into Rave’s chest and several visible veins shown around him.

For once, Rip, as Fluttershy at least, actually looked impressed. “I’ll be darned. He merged with him.”

“He what?” Twilight asked, not taking her eyes off Rave.

“Rave actually merged his body with Salamander’s. I didn’t know that was even possible.”

“Merged. Then he’s…” Twilight trailed off as her brain quickly tried to work some of her past studies and theories together. “Hey Burgle, exactly how good are you at stealing?” Twilight asked.

“Excuse me? I’m the best there ever was. I could steal a tooth off an alligator.”

“Can you steal a necklace off a hybrid Drudge?”

Burgle paled. “Did I say the best? I meant more like third best.”

“What do you want his necklace for?” Rarity asked her.

“It nullifies the Drudges power, right? I don’t want Rave to have it when we defeat him.”

“Burn!” Rave suddenly yelled at them, launching a wave of fire.

Though she knew it was risky, Twilight tried winking with Rarity, Burgle, and Rhubarb. It worked just as the flames sprayed where they had been standing.

Twilight and the others reappeared a few yards away but not in the greatest shape. They all coughed smoke. Twilight didn’t have much experience teleporting more than just herself.

“It’s going to take forever to get these burns out,” Rarity complained, looking at the charred hair on her body.

“Forget about that right now,” Twilight said, using her magic to clean away the burn marks on their bodies. “Can you get the necklace or not?”

Burgle gulped. “I guess I’ll try.”

“Don’t try, just do,” Rarity told him.

“Easier said than done.”

“Shoot, we forgot Master George!” Rhubarb shouted.

“And the forest is catching on fire,” Twilight noted.

“I’ll see about handling the fire. Just make sure Rave doesn’t burn down the forest,” Rarity told them.

“But Rarity, you don’t have Salamander anymore. Are you sure you can do it?”

“Like I said, don’t try, just do.”

Twilight nodded.

She, Burgle, and Rhubarb raced back to the clearing where they saw Rave slowly approaching George. George was still lying on the ground, panting. His staff wasn’t even floating for once.

“Stay back. I’m the Great and Powerful George. You don’t want to tangle with me.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to bother tangling with you. How about a barbeque instead?” Rave’s eyes glowed red.

Twilight used her magic to pull George away quickly. Rave didn’t use any fire but turned to look at them. “You’re beginning to annoy me.”

“Tell me Rave, why do you want the Drudges power so much? Clearly you’ve got plenty of your own,” Twilight said.

“My family served the Drudges for generations. We searched for them, found them, and waited, and waited, and never got a reward for it. It’s past due that we get our reward and it’s going to start with me. The Drudges power will be mine and then even the princesses of Equestria won’t be able to stop me. My family will possess both power and status as we rightfully deserve thanks to my efforts and this…” Rave reached for the music box but realized that it wasn’t there.

“Oops.” Burgle paled when Rave laid his eyes on him. He had skillfully pulled the necklace off with his magic, but Rave had noticed quite a bit sooner than he had been expecting. The necklace was still floating halfway in between them.

“Drop it if you want to live.”

“Um… no? Go long!” Burgle shouted and threw the necklace with his magic towards Twilight. However, the necklace stopped.

“You stupid foal. Did you forget that I’m a unicorn too?” Rave had stopped the necklace with his own magic.

However, Rhubarb swooped down out of the sky and snatched it up. “Mine!” he called.

“Come back here!” Rave shot a flame at him, but Rhubarb was skilled enough to dodge.

“You don’t want to burn your precious music box do you?” Rhubarb taunted him.

Rave answered by taking off with his own wings. Apparently, his transformation had healed the damage Isis had done to his wing earlier. He chased Rhubarb and nearly overtook him, but Rhubarb took a steep dive to the ground and tossed the necklace.

“Burgle!”

Burgle caught the necklace with his magic and made a run for it.

“You whelps are all going to burn for this!” Rave fumed at them as he flew after Burgle from the air.

Burgle galloped away frantically. “Never again! Never again am I going to take up a job through a telegram!”

Before Rave caught up to him, Burgle quickly tossed the necklace away. Rave dove after it. He was so focused on it that he didn’t see Fluttershy approaching his general destination lazily. Rip Van Winkle reached out and grabbed him, holding him down with pincer-like legs. Rave glared, laying just inches from his necklace.

“If you weren’t such a nuisance to my health, I wouldn’t even bother doing this,” Rip said casually, actually yawning.

“Accursed Drudge… How dare you do this to me.” His eyes lit up in a fiery red.

“Hey Rave,” Twilight called. Rave looked at her and his eyes stopped glowing. Twilight was holding the containment box in front of her. “The way I figure it, merging with Salamander makes you the same thing.” She opened the lid to the box.

A vacuum gushed out and Rave saw his hooves start to bend and warp. “What are you doing? How are you doing this?”

“I just told you,” Twilight yelled over the vacuum. “You got exactly what you wanted. You’re a Drudge. But you’re a Drudge in parasite form.”

“What!? No!” The rest of Rave’s body swirled and bent until the vacuum sucked him up.

“Gotcha!” Twilight said as she closed the lid.

“Sweet move, Twilight. I didn’t think you could catch Rave in the box,” Burgle congratulated her. He nervously wiped sweat away from his forehead.

“I wasn’t 100% sure either, but I figured it was worth a shot. Best of all, we finally caught a Drudge,” Twilight said happily.

“Hey, we did, didn’t we? Sweet. We rock!” Burgle celebrated.

“Don’t get so excited. We still have two more to deal with,” Rhubarb said seriously from the air. He landed on the ground and picked up the music box. “And what about the fire Rave started?”

“Don’t worry about it. I managed to put it out.” Rarity stepped out from behind the trees though she looked rather tired. “It’s a lot harder to do without Salamander. I think I might actually miss that power boost a little.”

“Right,” Twilight laughed. Her laughter was short lived though. She turned her attention to Fluttershy and Rip Van Winkle. “Thanks for helping us but you stay right there, Rip. Don’t you dare make a move.” She and the others slowly backed away from them.

“I don’t feel like moving. That took a lot of unnecessary effort.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. At least getting him in the box was going to be a lot easier. However, the containment box abruptly moved away from her.

“Hey, what’s going…?” Twilight paled. “Daffodil?” Cork and Daffodil had appeared from wherever they had been hiding since arriving in the forest. The containment box landed neatly at Daffodil’s hooves. Cork stood on his hind hooves and picked it up.

“Cork, Daffodil, what are you doing? I told you to stay out of the fight.”

“We can’t help it. We have to protect the Drudges,” Cork answered.

“Oh for the love of…” Twilight groaned. “Snap out of it. The Drudges don’t care about your well-being. Besides, Rave is in there. He and Salamander are the same now.”

Cork and Daffodil looked nervously at the box. “Then Rave is our Master too,” Daffodil answered rather sadly.

“Daffodil, you give me that box!” Twilight shouted as magic ignited on her horn.

Before Twilight could do anything though, she screamed when something landed on her. She was vaguely aware of something digging into the back of her head.

“Twilight!” Rarity wailed.

“This host will serve me much better,” Twilight said slowly. “And such knowledge of magic. I’ll be more powerful than ever.”

Rarity gaped. Isis had landed on Twilight’s head and attached herself.

“No. Not Twilight,” Rarity uttered in panic, as she and the others quickly backed away from her.

“Well, we’re screwed,” Burgle said dismally as he turned and galloped into the trees.

“Mistress Isis!” Cork called. “We’re here to serve you.”

“Good, good. I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.” Twilight, or rather Isis, casually cantered over to the two occultists. “Good job on obtaining that box by the way. It would have been a real nuisance.”

“Shall we release Master Salamander and Rave?”

Isis made Twilight grimace. “Forget it. Leave him in there. I don’t want anything to do with that stupid Rave pony.”

“But Mistress-”

“I said don’t open the box.”

As Isis argued with her followers about Salamander, Rarity and the others silently slipped away and convened with George.

“We’re screwed. We’re totally and royally screwed,” Burgle wailed, coming out from where he had been hiding.

“Not yet,” Rarity said determinedly. “I’m not abandoning Twilight. They may have the box, but we have Rave’s necklace just like Twilight wanted.”

Rhubarb held the necklace up in his hoof as if proving that he had it.

“So that necklace nullifies the Drudges power? I’ll be a donkey’s uncle,” George said.

“It didn’t affect Isis much as a pony but if this could control Salamander in parasite form then I’ll bet Isis will be stuck too,” Rarity announced.

“The only problem now is getting the containment box,” Rhubarb put in.

“There are only two occultists guarding it. I’m sure Burgle can steal it.”

“Do I have to?”

“When the Drudges take over, my last request will be to see you banished to the moon.”

Burgle drooped. “Stupid epic quest.”

“Well its do or die time now so it won’t last much longer either way. Let’s go.”

---

“I want to listen but Master Salamander is still in there. I don’t know what to do.”

“You listen to me! That’s what you do!” Isis bellowed at Cork. “If I say Salamander stays in the box, then he stays-” Isis froze. “No… not the music box again.”

Rarity stood a ways away from her and the occultists, holding the necklace in her mouth. She had opened it and it played its haunting but cheerful melody.

“Followers!” Isis shouted though Twilight. “Get that music box!”

Cork and Daffodil charged at Rarity. However, as soon as they got close, Rhubarb dove in front of them, reared on his back legs, and slammed their heads together. The two occultists fell down in a daze.

“Rhubarb, you didn’t have to be that rough,” Rarity said.

“A guard’s duty isn’t always easy. This quest proves that.”

“Whatever works I suppose. In any case…” Rarity and Rhubarb turned their attention to Twilight and Isis.

“I hate you and I hate you now,” Isis said angrily.

“Well your about to hate us even more. Burgle, just grab her and get her off Twilight!”

Burgle popped out of the woods behind Twilight and put his hooves around Isis. However…

Twilight’s horn lit up. Burgle was enshrouded in unicorn magic. Twilight turned her head back and smiled. “Perks of possessing a unicorn. Apparently, just because that necklace stops me, doesn’t mean I can’t use my host’s power.”

“No hard feelings?” Burgle said dejectedly as Isis launched him against a tree.

“I’ll crush you and your little friends too.”

“Never send a thief to do a Mystic’s job.”

Isis turned and beheld George. His horn was already glowing. He enveloped Isis in his magic and peeled her off.

“Youch!” Twilight screamed, holding the back of her head.

“Sorry,” George said sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it. She just pulled some hair out.” Twilight scratched the back of her head. “I didn’t think I would ever hear you say sorry.”

“Well… you did say be kind every now and then. Was that good?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Just put her in the box. She’s caused us enough trouble.”

George nodded. Twilight opened the box and a vacuum pulled in the powerful Drudge.

“Finally. That’s two,” Twilight said relieved. Then she remembered something. “Burgle, are you okay?”

“I might have a broken spine, but otherwise I’m cool.” Burgle slowly picked himself up off the ground. He limped over to Twilight and George. “Why am I the only one getting banged up by the Drudges? I didn’t even want to go on this stupid epic quest in the first place,” he complained, holding his bandaged waist.

“Sorry. You have been a big help to us though. Thank you.”

“Really? Can I request a kiss from Rarity then?”

“Are you still on that?” Rarity said as she and Rhubarb walked over to them. “I’d rather be eaten by the Drudges.”

“Ouch. Do you hate me that much?”

“I don’t hate you but I certainly don’t like you either. Not like that.” She gave Burgle a final glare and closed the music box with unnecessary force to drive home her point. Then she switched her focus to Twilight. “Anyway, are you all right, Twilight? I was so scared for a moment there. I’m glad you told us to get this music box. It really came in handy.”

“That’s not exactly what I planned to do with it, but I guess it worked out in the end.”

“Right, we still need to get Rip Van Winkle off of Fluttershy.”

“Actually, besides that, I thought that since it nullifies the Drudges power, we might be able to use it to reverse Isis’s spell in Canterlot.”

The other ponies went wide-eyed. Apparently, that hadn’t occurred to any of them.

“Then you mean…” George started.

“Yes. Assuming it works, we have the Elements of Harmony again.”

The ponies raised their hooves in celebration. The quest was almost over.

Then a shadow dashed past them. Rarity screamed. Grey snatched up the necklace in his mouth and jumped away from her. He bared his teeth and growled.

“That was a real pain.” Fluttershy and Rip Van Winkle still sat in the same place under the tree as earlier, un-amused. “Your whole plan from the start was so stupidly complicated that I had to come up with something even more convoluted. How annoying.”

“Twilight, I don’t like where this is going,” Rarity said nervously and watched Grey slowly back away towards the Drudge controlled Fluttershy.

Twilight gulped. “What are you saying Rip? What’s going on?”

“You’re going to make me explain?” Rip groaned. “What a nuisance. Even though it might have been nice for Rave to make all my decisions for me, I still like my freewill. I had to get rid of him. That’s why I spoke for Fluttershy and made him and Isis fight.”

“Wait a minute, I saw Fluttershy cowering when I woke up. How long have you been in control of her?” Rarity demanded.

“You already know when. Since those stupid followers of mine tried to get involved. I couldn’t let potential servants go to waste before Twilight and Burgle arrived, so I had to get you to hold them still. I’m surprised you didn’t try to do that without my leading you.”

“Wait. Is he saying what I think he’s saying?” Twilight said in surprise.

“He planned this?” Rhubarb said quietly.

“Curses and mules…” George said, actually sounding scared. “I should have guessed something was wrong when he helped us.”

“But what about Salamander and Isis. Aren’t they on your side?” Twilight asked him.

“I hate repeating myself. What a drag. I already told you I had to get rid of Rave. I don’t really care what happens to Salamander so it was a necessary loss, I suppose. As for Isis, she’s just annoying. She thinks she’s so important, but she’s never been very good at making plans. The best she ever had was moving the temple, which was also a pain. Seriously, she’s so dumb. We have more than enough power. That temple leaves us too vulnerable. It’s such a liability that I had to get rid of that too. Good thing Rave was stupid enough to blow it up. I didn’t think he’d fall for that so easily. Wait, why am I still talking? Talking is such a pain. This sucks.”

“I don’t believe this. If you wanted this to happen then what was that whole thing back there with you trying to run away with Fluttershy?” Twilight demanded, trying to make sense of the Drudge’s logic.

“You’re dense. You thought I was going to be a liability in your plan, remember? I had to make you believe otherwise and I know what goes on in Fluttershy’s mind so I knew she would react that way. Duh.”

“If I’m so dense then why are you explaining everything to us…? Hey! Where are you going?” Rip had turned Fluttershy away from them and started walking.

“That’s a good question. I hate talking, but I’m kind of beginning to understanding why Isis likes to taunt so I’ll tell you more. I’m going to Canterlot now, because Celestia is already dealt with and I’ve still another princess to deal with… annoyingly. Aren’t you two coming as well?”

Cork and Daffodil got up off the ground where Rhubarb had assaulted them. They looked at each other nervously and then at Twilight. They both grimaced and ran to catch up with Rip. Then the both of them and Grey began to follow.

“You mean, Luna? Stop it, Rip! What do you think you’re going to do?” Twilight said as magic danced on her horn. Rip stopped and looked back with Fluttershy’s eyes.

“Isn’t it obvious? If Luna becomes my slave too, then I get to rule Equestria. If I rule, then I don’t ever have to lift a hoof again. It’s that simple. I wish I didn’t have to bother saying it, but don’t think you can stop me either. Isis failed to get rid of you but I planned for that too.”

The Drudge glowed purple and for a moment, it was as if silence itself had enveloped the forest. Then the ground started to move.

“There are so many dead things out here. What a perfect place for me.”

The ponies shuttered as various zombie animals and ponies climbed out of the ground. There was even a medium sized dragon. All together, there were hundreds of creatures surrounding them, hissing and growling in utter madness.

“Rarity, I don’t suppose you’d consider kissing me as a last request?” Burgle said nervously.

“I don’t suppose you’d consider a, no, as my last request,” Rarity said harshly.

“George, can you…?” Twilight started.

“I can take out a couple. That’s all I can promise,” George said, gritting his teeth. Twilight wanted to cry. Why hadn’t they taken the opportunity to remove Rip when Rave was playing the music box?

“Oh gosh… Grey!” Twilight shouted. “Remember who you are! Remember Fluttershy’s song! Remember how Fluttershy cares!”

Grey didn’t even react.

“Twilight, that never worked to begin with. I let it happen every time,” Rip said annoyed.

“Didn’t I tell you, you would regret it?” George said angrily.

“Not now, George.” Twilight elbowed him. Rip seemed perfectly calm. He had planned everything out to the last detail. “Dang it… this can’t be happening…”

“But it is. Perhaps you can be my servants too… if I feel like it.” Rip slowly started walking again. Then he paused. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking a nap?”

Davenport stood several feet in front of him. “I’ve been watching this for a while. You know what? I would never sell a sofa to you.”

Rip made Fluttershy raise an eyebrow. “You are weird.”

“Bubble Gum, can you do it?” The same filly Twilight had seen before timidly walked out from behind Davenport. She silently nodded her head. Then she winked out.

It all happened in barely a few seconds. The filly, apparently named Bubble Gum, reappeared next to Grey. Both of them winked out and reappeared next to Davenport. The white armored earth pony punched Grey across the jaw, forcing him to drop the music box. Bubble Gum grabbed it in her mouth, winked out again, and reappeared right in front of Twilight.

“What?” Rip said in shock.

“He said to give this to you,” Bubble Gum said timidly to Twilight.

Twilight slowly accepted the music box with her magic and looked at Davenport.

“I was thinking about it and I realized what was really important, Twilight. Forgive me?” Davenport shouted.

“Absolutely,” Twilight said and opened the music box.

The beautiful song that played echoed in the dense forest. The various zombies all shuttered, including Grey whose eyes reverted back to black.

“Davenport, get the Drudge off of Fluttershy!” Twilight shouted.

“No!” Cork and Daffodil stood defensively in front of the yellow pegasus.

“Uh… pardon me.” Davenport rather roughly shoved them both away. His extra strength actually made him fling them into the bushes. “Sorry. I’ll give you both a free sofa later, okay?”

Davenport put his hooves around Rip Van Winkle and pulled him off.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy uttered softly, breathing hard. “I’m so sorry.”

“Forget it, Fluttershy. Davenport, toss him over here,” Twilight commanded. “Rhubarb, the containment box!”

“Right!” Rhubarb grabbed the box just as Davenport tossed the Drudge.

“From downtown!” Burgle called.

Rhubarb opened the box and sucked Rip Van Winkle inside.

“Three points! Game!” Rarity cheered. Then she blushed. “Not that I really care about sports of course.”

The box closed and Twilight remembered to breath.

“That’s all three of them,” she said slowly. “We’re done. We beat the Drudges.”

“We rock. Whoo hoo,” Fluttershy cheered softly from where she was standing.

“I don’t believe it,” George said in astonishment. “The epic quest is over?”

“Not yet. We still have to dispose of them,” Rarity said.

“What about them?” Rhubarb pointed at the wincing zombies.

“Once we destroy the Drudges, these zombies should turn to dust,” George told them.

“Dust!” Fluttershy cried. “But, what about Grey? He can’t turn to dust.”

“I’m sorry, but I already told you, there is no way to reverse death.”

“No…” Fluttershy turned her attention to Grey who was still wincing from the music.

“Fluttershy…” Twilight said softly.

“Please, go!” Cork suddenly pulled himself out of the bushes. “Leave… Get out… before we try to stop you…”

“We don’t have any time. We have to try the music box back in Canterlot. We should head back there immediately,” George commanded.

“Canterlot?” Bubble Gum spoke up. “I know where that is. I can take you there right now.”

“Now?” Twilight said in surprise. “You mean by winking? All of us? And all that way? I’m sorry, but that’s a bit too much to ask.”

“I can do it. Moving the Temple of Discord was kind of hard but moving all of you to Canterlot should be easy.”

“What?” George said in utter amazement. “You moved it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Twilight, I would like to adopt this filly.”

“For crying out loud. I’m sure she already has a family. You still have Trixie, anyway,” Twilight said in annoyance. Then she looked at her other friends across the sea of zombies. “You’re name is Bubble Gum?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Before we go, can you get our friends over there and bring them here? Including Grey.”

“Twilight, you’re just going to make it more difficult for your friend,” George said harshly.

Twilight however, ignored him. “Can you do it, Bubble Gum?”

“Sure.” Bubble Gum looked at the three ponies. Then abruptly they all winked out and appeared in a flash in front of Twilight.

Twilight gaped. “Good job…”

“This filly is absolutely amazing. Are you sure I can’t adopt her?”

“George, please. Okay Bubble Gum, let’s go to Canterlot.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bubble Gum replied happily and they all winked out.

Comments

[Final Fantasy BRN]

I LOVED the fight scene, mostly becuase that's something you most likley won't see in the actuall cartoon.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

I enjoyed that chase scene with the necklace.