The Worst of All Possible Worlds

by TheTimeSword

World 5: Chapter 12

“Two of the same Charm is a dangerous combination,” Sunset remarked, glancing between the almost identical Charms. Time’s Up, huh? What’s the mirrored version? Time’s Down? “You can’t block them both and I can’t fight them both,” she told Sassy. “Let’s split them up.”

“Split them up? If you say so,” replied Sassy. Sunset noted how Sassy shook. Whether it was with fear or anticipation, she was unsure.

“You deal with the original, I’ll take care of the fake.” Sunset’s Charm, Shimmering Justice, stepped toward Twinkleshine and her copycat.

The fake Time’s Up shot a hoof directly at Shimmering Justice, initiating a fight. With no time to test her newly acquired range, Sunset rushed forward behind the action, flanking Twinkleshine and preventing her from escaping towards the castle. Twinkleshine didn’t bother reacting to the pony, focusing on both Charms. While Sassy managed the other side, battling Minuette, Sunset would force them apart. “You really shouldn’t leave yourself defenseless,” Twinkleshine laughingly mocked, her disinterested façade dissipated as her Charm turned to face Sunset.

With a quick blow, Shimmering Justice blocked the hit with a balled up fist. Somehow, Sunset’s Charm disappeared and reappeared just in time to guard its master.

An hourglass mark now on her fist, Justice could not extend the fingers. With no time to retaliate, another strike forced a block, striking the same hand’s wrist. Sunset watched as the Charm rotated the elbow but not the hand. It’s specific to limbs, huh? The frozen fist didn’t matter as the arm still moved, striking back at the hourglass pony.

The copycat dodged. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” Twinkleshine remarked with a grin. “Sorry dear, but Minuette’s Charm only gets better with time.”

Another strike from the hourglass Charm hit Justice’s leg, freezing it in place. Unable to move, her ability to dodge became entirely reliant on upper body blows.

Instead of focusing on the Charm, Twinkleshine turned to Sunset. “It doesn’t matter what your little Shimmering Justice can do. Every mark from Minuette’s Time’s Up adds a boost of speed. That means, the more stamps you get, the faster it’ll get, and the more I get to attack!” Passing Justice, the copycat Time’s Up flung a hoof at Sunset utilizing all the speed it could muster. With barely a moment to move, Sunset avoided a direct headshot, instead, taking the bout in the shoulder. Unable to use her right foreleg, she trotted backward, keeping the stilted Shimmering Justice between them.

“Striking at the pony rather than the Charm? That’s a low blow. At least Sassy only prevented Minuette from escaping,” Sunset replied. She was breathing heavily, and it wasn’t just because of the quick dodge. If this is just like casting magic that means there’s limits. Range, velocity, circumference, mass. And that means it’ll take a toll on our bodies the more we use them. Being an alicorn, I should be able to last longer than Twinkleshine, and I think she knows that. Targeting me from now on is her best option.

Passing blows and dodges, Shimmering Justice continued to take the hits in her right arm, refusing to let the copycat strike her anywhere else. Every glancing hit, the enemy Charm would swipe at Sunset forcing both parties to change tactics last second. When the time stamp on her wrist and hand ended, Justice flexed the fingers. The Charm feigned another block to the arm only to guard with her open palm, surprising both the copycat and the owner.

With its fingers stretched out around the hoof, time froze for the hand. “Gotcha,” Sunset sneered. “Can’t target me now.”

With a downward elbow, Justice slammed into the mimic, sending a shockwave throughout the mare’s body. However, still holding the hoof locked in hand, Justice then pulled the copycat Charm up and swung it back down onto the ground headfirst. Much like Shimmering Justice, the Charm then disappeared, materializing behind Twinkleshine. However, it did not remain as a copy of Time’s Up.

Twinkleshine held her head, leaning on the mirror. “You’re clever. But nopony is cleverer than the Puppet Master. That’s why she gave me this Charm—I’ll use it to copy yours!”

As the Charm activated, Moondancer appeared, grabbing the mare by the foreleg. “Twinkleshine, forget it!” she yelled, dragging her along. “Minuette, it’s time to go! Let us return to the Darkness!”

“Lightning Dust!?” Sunset yelled, hoping Moondancer wasn’t victorious.

“Let’s go! Into the castle!” Lightning Dust appeared beside Moondancer as though they were buddies. “The underworld creatures are coming!”

Suri threw a look over her shoulder. “What!? Already? We need to hide!”

As Moondancer dragged Twinkleshine away, Minuette followed, but not before yelling, “Next time, you won’t get off so easily!”

“What’s going!?” Sunset panicked, thoroughly confused.

“Are you alright, Sunset? Can you move?” Sassy asked as she came closer. Her eyes went to the hourglass mark on Sunset’s shoulder just as it vanished. “The underworld creatures—more of the Puppet Master’s creations—only come out when the world is upside-down. When we face the crater, shadows will form the city, and they’ll be upon us.”

“Oh goodie. At noon, does a giant come and lift up the city so that we can touch the sun?” Sunset scorned the world, rolling her eyes. “I can move. Lead the way.”

Lightning Dust kicked open the door to the castle. “They’re not smart enough to open doors. If we’re up and out of the way of them, they won’t be able to find us.”

Sunset followed Sassy and Suri in, rushing up the crystal steps. Instead of continuing to the bedrooms, they headed to the top of the castle, hitting the throne room and shutting the doors behind them. “I had her on the ropes!” Lightning Dust chided herself as they entered. “Without her posse, Moondancer is beatable. I know that now!”

Though Lightning Dust glowed with excitement, not everyone in the room shared her enthusiasm. “Well, I’m glad you had a good time,” Suri scoffed. “Meanwhile, I’m now proven to be the most worthless of the group.”

“Oh, get a—” Lightning Dust started to argue, only to have Sassy’s Free Fancy block her.

“Now’s not the time,” Sassy said in a hushed tone.

“Fine.” Trotting to the throne, the pegasus sat down and kicked her legs up, spitting her anger onto the ragged rug.

What a dysfunctional bunch, Sunset thought as she rolled her shoulder. The closest window allowed her to see the shadows flood the city. Though the flames burned brightly, reaching the castle’s elongated form, the buildings below sat trapped behind the shadows. Even the edges of the Crystal Empire were coated in grey and black. She watched the darkened town until something caught her eye. “These… creatures. What exactly are they?” she asked the group.

Suri let out a grumpy grunt, forcing Sassy to sort out an explanation. “We’ve been under the assumption the Puppet Master brought the creatures north and used her magic on them. They’re big and scary, and a lot of them have three heads. They don’t speak our language. The first night was terrifying.”

“It’s terrifying every night!” Lightning Dust argued, throwing her hooves up.

“We’re unsure of what they were before, but one thing’s for certain, they’ll stomp and smash anypony caught out in the darkness,” Suri added.

“If Twilight created them, why aren’t they under her control?” Sunset asked.

Sassy shrugged. “Who says they aren’t? The Puppet Master—sorry, Twilight, she’s not biased about who gets hurt. Her little team we fought today only side with her because they know how powerful she is. They think they can get more power by sticking by her. Or maybe they really believe she’s their friend. I don’t know. What I do know is that Twilight trapped the crystal ponies somewhere. They call it the Darkness. She uses them as a heat source, though I don’t even know if that is true or if those girls are just trying to force us off a trail.”

“They could just be puppets on strings, pointing us in a direction Twilight wants us to go,” Sunset murmured, leaning against the wall. She continued watching as shadow beasts ran down streets and bumbled into buildings. “This certainly puts a hamper on things. Taking Twilight away will hopefully undo the damage she’s done, but the problem is getting to her.”

“Now you’re seeing what we’ve known all this time,” commented Suri. Her eyes were locked on a different window, staring down at something Sunset couldn’t see. Instead of wondering, Sunset came close to the earth pony, eyeing the other part of the city.

In the darkness, the theater was lit up like a bonfire. Well, that’s how they avoid dealing with haunting monsters. “I need to fill you all in on about my Charm. When I tap someone with its fists, I see their next move or actions.”

“Yeah, we kind of figured out the future seeing,” Sassy replied. “What you did with Minuette was amazing!”

“I missed that?” Lightning Dust grumbled, crossing her forelegs. “Next time, one of you gets to deal with Moondancer so I don’t miss all the cool stuff.”

“And that’s another thing.” Sunset shrugged off her backpack and plopped it on the ground. “Suri here complained about not being able to help, yet I’ve got the perfect tool to make her more beneficial.” Lifting out a pack of gum from the same pocket that her ID sat, she handed it off to Suri. “You can turn anything into a trigger, right? Chew a piece, give it to Buttons, and have it stick it in their hair. Boom.”

“Sunset…” Suri took the package, holding it to her chest. “That’s… really smart. I can’t believe we’ve never thought of that.”

Sassy bubbled into the conversation, “And she thought of the jumping out of the castle! We’ve been needing someone like her in our group. She’s got a lot of great ideas.”

“Oh yeah?” Lightning Dust remarked, moving her body off the throne. “A princess is smart, clever, and wise. You’re definitely all of the above, but I’ve never heard of a Princess Sunset Shimmer. I chalked it up to the same reasoning that Princess Luna appeared, but I’m starting to think there’s something more.” The pegasus trotted close to the alicorn, her eyes slanting as she stared with an intensity.

“Yeah? You think that’s weird, wait till I show you this.” Sunset unleashed her Charm, forcing Shimmering Justice to roll the carpet that ran the length of the throne to the doors. Underneath the rug was a trapdoor, one she entered many times now. “Thanks, Shimmering,” she said, winking at her golden Charm.

Turning, Shimmering Justice gave a thumbs up. “The rug is a duchess satin. It is an eight harness weave, which indicates the woven yarn passed over seven times and then succeeds it by going under for the culminating eighth time. This renders it curvilinear and transportable, perfect for lengthy, spacious rugs.”

Sunset stared at the Charm, her mouth wide open. She looked to the others of the room to see if they shared her reaction, and they absolutely did. “The Puppet Master must’ve been really impressed by you Sunset,” Sassy said, “Her Charm is the only other Charm that’s ever spoken. At least, as far as I know.”

“You mean it’s not a normal thing?” Sunset asked as she came close to Justice. “Are you able to communicate properly? Like, what’s your name?”

“Name. A word or set of words used to denote a person, place, or thing,” responded Shimmering Justice, about as well as Sunset expected.

“Well, that’s special.” Sunset studied the Charm. “Just, uh, keep quiet whenever those girls are near, okay?”

Shimmering Justice nodded. “Probability is at one-hundred percent that we will run into them again soon.”

Lightning Dust snickered and said, “It’s got a sense of humor. I think that’s a sense of humor… Maybe not.” She then trotted to the trap door, forgetting her earlier want of an answer. “So what’s this thing then?” she asked, replacing the old question. Shimmering Justice lifted the wood by the handle, allowing the pegasus to glance down into the darkened, looming staircase. “Is this the Darkness? It can’t be. I see light at the bottom.”

The thought of light perturbed Sunset. I don’t remember any light being down there. Only a hidden path and a door of nightmares. She glanced over the side. The pegasus was right. “What is that?”

Pushing the alicorn out of the way, Lightning Dust flapped her wings and glided down. “If you don’t know what it is, that means it’s something new!” she yelled back. Sunset chased after the pegasus, refusing to allow the mare to face whatever oddity this world presented alone.

Shadows of Sombra’s magic were not the shades within this cylinder staircase. These rippling shadows were cast from the opening left by the lack of floor at the bottom of the steps. No door, no secret passage, only the night sky and the fires imprisoning the city.

“I suppose this makes a lot of sense,” Sunset murmured, glancing at the rock, dirt, and crystal that mixed together on the edge. “You think we can escape this way?”

“I’m no chicken, but I’m not going to try it,” replied Dust.

“Right. Leave the princess to do it. How brave.” Sunset flexed her brows mockingly at the floating mare just before letting her wings fold in. She felt the gravity shift—she figured it would, like it had when she first arrived—but she did not expect the way it changed. “Huh,” she murmured, standing firm on a patch of dirt and stone. Her eyes glanced up at the night sky, then to the circular inferno. She stood upside-down, yet right-side up.

Lightning Dust appeared behind her. “Well, here I thought I was gonna get to see you thrown on your butt. Guess the Puppet Master’s barrier extends further.”

“What happens when a pony touches this invisible barrier?”

Snickering, Dust answered, “You could say it’s a shocking experience.”

“There is a ninety percent chance she is referencing electricity,” Shimmering Justice said, appearing behind Sunset before vanishing.

Rolling her eyes, Sunset wanted nothing more from the pegasus. “I’m going to see what’s up—err, down, here. Wait for the girls and let them know we can walk around out here.” She didn’t wait for a response before turning to a direction and starting her trot.

With the city completely facing the ground, the light coated the entirety of the ripped earth. It was as if the slice had been a calculated blade, cutting the soil and stone with a swift, undeterred cut. There was no jutting of the ground or little mounds of rock protruding from the disheveled earth. It reminded Sunset of the smooth lanes of a bowling alley, solid balls gliding down the slick wood. Twilight must’ve been the one to do this. If she’s powerful enough to steal magic and replace it with her own, she’s powerful enough to upheave a city. She grimaced at the notion. To steal magic…

She shivered. Fire burned the world around her, yet she felt cold. The fur beneath her fur stood on edge, bumps of skin raising the back of her neck. Every bearer has become more difficult to capture than the last. Pinkie Pie… she was difficult, then Rainbow Dash amplified it by tenfold. Applejack was tolerable, but Twilight? Her eyes drifted back to the six-pointed star atop her cutie mark. It reminded her of something. Brainwashing helmets.

Her newly forced cutie mark grew hot, and Shimmering Justice appeared, even though it was not Sunset who called for her. “Water consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. It is a liquid, can become a gas and solid, and is both tasteless and odorless.”

Sunset didn’t understand. “Why are you talking about water?”

The Charm then reached out, rubbing its thumb across the tear-stained cheek. A smile appeared, creasing its blindfold as it said, “You are expelling fluids at an alarming rate today. Please cease before dehydration occurs.”

Brushing the back of her hoof against her forehead, Sunset felt her temperature. “I guess I could use a drink. How do you know these things? You’re too helpful to be controlled by Twilight. What exactly are you?”

The Charm remained silent. Sunset could see the eyes moving beneath the blindfold, the little indentations of fluttering moving the tight cloth. It wouldn’t get the chance to answer if it was going to. “Sunset! Where are you?” Lightning Dust beckoned, even though she could very much see the alicorn.

Sassy and Suri trailed behind the leading mare, rushing to Sunset as slowly as possible, both in awe of the new landscape. “Have you found anything?” Lightning asked as she arrived. When Sunset shook her head, the pegasus glided off in a random direction, her eager recklessness bleeding through.

“Can we escape? Can we leave?” Sassy asked as she came close.

“If there’s something here, we’ll find it,” Sunset replied, nodding to the two mares. “Lightning’s off in that direction, we should split up too. Holler if you find something.”

“I’m not sure my voice can carry. Everything might be flat, but this thing is city wide—and curved pretty steep,” Suri complained, her pessimistic attitude returning. But unlike before, she gave a shrug and said, “If we came through an opening then there might be others. I’ll head this way.”

Sassy blinked, turning her surprised face to Sunset before taking off in a third direction.

Alone again, Sunset called forth her Charm. “Just you and me.” Shimmering Justice said nothing in response, but followed its master as Sunset trailed on. “Her magic is keeping this thing stable. If we remove Twilight from power, what will her magic do to this city? Will it collapse?”

That’s when Sunset stopped. “The fire would burn everything in the vicinity, but what’ll happen if the city collapses? Can we even have a hope to get out with our lives?” She looked back at her Charm, hoping for an answer, yet the Charm remained silent. “What if we’re looking at this the wrong way? The crystal ponies should be our focus, because if we let them escape, it’ll just be us. Destroying the city, it won’t matter. This is Discord’s world, after all. Canterlot is in shambles, and Las Pegasus wasn’t much better. Their lives are what is keeping us from dropping this thing like a rock in a pond.”

Shimmering Justice frowned.

“I know we don’t know where the inhabitants are being held.” Sunset paced back and forth, contemplating her own words. “If we knew that, it’d be one step to victory.” She stomped a hoof, frustrated. She closed her eyes for a moment, but as she did, the scrapped stone and soil collapsed beneath her.

A small yelp escaped her lips as she found herself pulled by her hair, Shimmering Justice’s hand wrapped in the strands from her scalp. Her other hand stabled itself to the edge of the earth. Sunset, surprised by the Charm’s quick thought, looked at the empty space beneath her. Opened, a blackened void of darkness held the stones she’d been stepping on, suspending them in the shift between gravity.

“Don’t worry, I got this,” she told her Charm as she held both hooves to the hand. Hovering with her wings, the Charm disappeared, leaving Sunset to glide to the closest floating rock. “It’s… darkness. Is this the Darkness the girls spoke about?” Her eyes glimmered in the reflection of the abyss, dark pools of swirling shadow. Though it was pure black, tears started to water her sockets as if she stared at the sun. With the back of her hoof, she rubbed her eyes. “This has to be it. How powerful is Twilight? Is this what she would become if she turned evil? A destroyer?” A Midnight Sparkle?

"You were right! I didn't understand magic before, but I do now!" The words came from her memory, another Twilight who had strayed from the path of friendship.

“Sunset! Sunset!” voices yelled from above, breaking the past from Sunset’s mind.

Pushing off from the floating pedestal, Sunset rose to the flat curvature of the city. “Careful!” she warned. “I think I found the Darkness.”

“How’d you find it?” Lightning Dust asked as she floated above the pit.

“The ground is unstable. Even the smallest of wallops could collapse more of the remaining earth.”

“Unstable!?” Suri and Sassy had come close to the edge, but their fear of falling into the darkness replaced their curiosity. “If that’s the Darkness then the crystal ponies should be there.”

“Then that’s where we’re heading,” replied Lightning Dust as she tucked her wings against her, falling like a cannonball into the massive void. Passing the floating rocks as if it were no problem, the pegasus would reach the end of the blackened construct in seconds.

“No!” was all Sunset shouted before her panic took over. Racing full force to catch the pegasus, she reached Lightning Dust, but the force of her gravity plunged both Sunset and Dust into the abyss.

Like water from a pool pushing too quickly into a nasal cavity, Sunset sneezed and her eyes watered, feeling liquid coarsely drain down her throat. It didn’t last long. Lightning Dust held onto her forelegs, and the darkness turned purple as she was pulled from the spring. Coughing and wheezing, Sunset held her eyes shut as she took a deep breath of the stagnant air. “Are you alright? You didn’t have to try and save me, you dweeb!” Lightning Dust said, smacking Sunset’s chest, hoping to aid the clearing of her windpipe.

“Really? I’m the dweeb? Your recklessness could have gotten you injured or worse! Who knows what that stuff is?”

“It’s water,” a raspy voice spoke, low and quiet.

Sunset’s anger blinded her to the underworld around her. A purple cavern barely lit enough to see the vague faces staring back at her. “Are you… the crystal ponies?”

“Me?” the raspy mare replied. “The others are, yes, but not me.” Extending a dim yellow hoof, Sunset took it and was pulled to her hooves. “My name is Stormy Flare. Are you a… princess?”

“You’re Stormy Flare!?” Lightning Dust interrupted. “You’re the captain’s mother!”

Sunset’s brows furrowed together. “Captain’s mother? You mean the mare with the Charm you were so worried about?” She turned to the older mare. “So that’s why she’s here. She was looking for her mom!”

“Spitfire is searching for me?” Stormy Flare held a hoof to her chest. “Of all the chaos in the world, I am glad I can still rely on my own daughter. Where is she? Is she with you?”

“No,” Lightning Dust replied with a guttural growl. “She’s not with us. She’d rather be on her own.”

Stormy Flare looked to Sunset who shrugged in return. “Wait!” She remembered Suri and Sassy. “The girls are still up there! They’re probably worried sick about us. Is there another way out of here?”

“I don’t even understand how you managed to get in here. The only way in is through the Tartarus Staircase,” answered Stormy Flare.

Sunset raised a brow to Lightning Dust who answered with her own confusion written all over her face. “Tartarus Staircase?” she asked as she turned her eyes to the prison of the crystal ponies. Hard purple walls of dark crystal encapsulated their existence with a few ever burning blue fires for torches. The entirety from floor to ceiling was the dark purple crystals, which made it very difficult to see the openings to other tunnels. The humidity remained encapsulated within the dark purple rooms, a stuffy air strangling the inhabitants with heat.

Stormy Flare led the two around one such undiscernibly heated path. “I don’t like this place, Sunset,” whispered Lightning as they passed crystal ponies who were sweating and melancholy. “This doesn’t feel like it should be part of the Crystal Empire. It’s all wrong.”

“I agree,” Sunset replied, but said nothing more. Her heart hurt for the exhausted inhabitants. How were they surviving? Why did Twilight do such a despicable thing to such a wholesome group of ponies?

As they reached the Tartarus Staircase, Sunset understood the name. “Cerberus.” Stormy Flare pointed. “He guards the Tartarus Staircase.”

A tall, long, white staircase sat behind a big, black, three-headed dog, and in front of him was a steel fence that went from floor to ceiling. “Cerberus? He looks just like the monsters roaming during the night!” Lightning Dust exclaimed, flapping toward the gate.

“Who are you two, anyway?” Stormy Flare asked.

“I’m Sunset Shimmer. That’s Lightning Dust. We’re trying to stop the Puppet Master.”

“Sunset! Come quick!” Lightning shouted. The pegasus had wrapped her hooves around the steel bars. “I think someone is coming!”

Pushing her muzzle through the bars, Sunset stared up at Cerberus. All three heads were napping peaceful on the lowest of steps. One was drooling while the other two snored. Behind the black beast came a set of shadows. “Get in there!” yelled a voice Sunset recognized. Twinkleshine.

A gate opened within the steel fence, and before Lightning Dust could get through, Twinkleshine shoved in a yellow mare who looked surprisingly similar to Stormy Flare. Closing the gate behind her, Twinkleshine growled, “Next time, you should be more appreciative of the gifts the Puppet Master bestows.”

As the unicorn turned to leave, she spotted Sunset. “Look what the copycat dragged in,” Sunset said in a haughty tone, grinning the smuggest grin she could muster.

“You! How’d you get in here?”

“Does it matter? Isn’t this where you were supposed to put me anyway?”

“You got that right! Have fun with the rest of the nobodies.” Climbing the steps, Twinkleshine bellowed with laughter so loud that it woke one of the heads of Cerberus, only for it to return to its slumber.

Sunset shook her head, smiling to herself. These girls are so delusional that tricking them isn’t even difficult. She hoped to ask Lightning Dust how they might break the bars, but the pegasus was too busy glowering at the newest prisoner, who in turn glowered back.

“You’ve got your mother. Aren’t you proud? All your hard work, you two-bit hack,” Lightning spat.

“You’ve got some nerve thinking you can call me a two-bit hack with a Charm like that. You’re not even a Wonderbolt, and you’re trying to rip off our brand,” Spitfire spat harder.

“Oh, that is it! There’s nowhere for you to run now. I already made you a promise, anyway.” Lightning’s Charm appeared behind her. To Sunset’s surprise, the Charm lacked a pony. Instead, an empty suit of blue and yellow with light azure goggles stood firm. It was as if somepony was invisible, yet their clothing remained visible.

Spitfire snorted. “Promises, promises. You seem to be hung up on garbage like that. If you plan on keeping your promise, you’d better be ready to feel crystal in your teeth.” Unlike Lightning, however, Spitfire did not bring forth her Charm to do battle. Or if she did, it was too small or invisible to the naked eye.

Shimmering Justice stood between the ponies, each of its arms extended in both directions. “We don’t have time for your petty squabbles,” Sunset told them. “Whatever Spitfire did—she was doing it to find her mother. Give up your grudge for now, Lightning Dust. You can resolve your differences once Twilight’s been stopped.”

“If I’d realized all it took to find you was getting locked up, I’d of done it sooner,” Spitfire spoke to her mother. “Are you under the Puppet Master’s spell?” She whipped her rump around. “With her mark, I cannot leave.”

Stormy Flare turned her tail to Spitfire. “No, she never saw me fit. All the crystal ponies are the same way.”

“Then we need to get you and them out of here,” Spitfire replied.

“If I may intervene,” Sunset interjected, pointing to the gate. “How’d Twilight get Cerberus here? I mean, if she removed him from Tartarus then who’s guarding it.”

“Does it matter?” Lightning Dust asked and tucked her chin against her chest, eyeing the beast and the stairs. “What’s the hour?”

“We’re almost right side up. Those monsters will be cowering beneath the underside soon,” Spitfire answered.

“Where does the staircase lead up?” Sunset wondered.

“Right outside the theater. Turns out, they’ve got some sort of mechanism to move the stairs to their terrible auditorium,” Spitfire once again answered.

Lightning Dust suddenly let out an angry tirade of insults against Twilight and her crew, to which Spitfire agreed with every word. As Sunset listened, she thought for a moment of how powerful Cerberus and the other monsters were. Then, a different thought burst her bubble. “Wait, if they return to the bottom of the Crystal Empire, won’t they find the—”

“Run!” Clopping hooves followed the voice that Sunset and Lightning both recognized. “They’re coming!” Sassy yelled to the ponies by the gate. Suri trailed behind with a flock of crystal ponies running from a terrible howl. The melancholy crystal ponies by the walls stood and rushed to the gates as well, becoming a hundred souls crowding Sunset and the other mares.

Shimmering Justice appeared behind the bars as Sunset attempted the knob. Of course, the door was locked, a key needed for both sides. “Probability of demise at thirty percent and rising,” the Charm commented.

Appearing from the tunnel, the monsters howled and drooled, only kept at bay by the crystal ponies who were smart enough to take torches from the walls to create a lit barrier. Each of the beasts looked like a deformed Cerberus, melting in a black pile of ooze. There were no distinguishable features between them, other than purple eyes staring crossly at the flames, cowering in fear of the blue fire.

“Probability of demise now eighty percent,” the Charm once again commented as it continued to twist the knob.

“Kick the door down!” Sunset yelled at her Charm, though the mental thought was there before she spoke the words. With enough weight and the right placement, the Charm lifted a leg and slammed into the lock directly, snapping the inner mechanisms.

As soon as the sound rang out, Cerberus awoke. Its six tired eyes turned to Shimmering Justice. Two mouths foamed while the third growled, each salivating at a tasty treat. Of course, once the gate was open the crystal ponies took no time in waiting. Their fear of Cerberus did not outweigh their fear of the shadow monsters. Rushing up the steps and pushing Cerberus aside, the ponies were a wave of life heading upstairs.

When the room cleared of crystal ponies, Cerberus snapped his head back to the remaining mares. Sunset stood at the gate, allowing Suri, Sassy, and Spitfire with her mom to pass through. The three-headed dog growled at them until its dark, oozing brethren came forward. At the sight of such monsters, even the guard dog turned tail and ran, yelping like a chihuahua. In the lining of dropped torches, the creatures slinked their way through gaps of the dimming lights. Sunset used Shimmering Justice to hold a torch out in front of her, blocking the gate. Backpedalling, Sunset was the last out, Lightning Dust followed the terrified Cerberus.

Closing the gate behind her, Sunset relaxed a little, though Shimmering Justice remained with the torch.

The darkened beasts tore at the bars, chomping at the metal, though their black teeth could not pierce the rods. As Sunset stood and watched in horror, unable to turn away, her fear grew as another monster crawled from the darkness. This one was different than the Cerberus clones. Walking on four legs like the three-headed dog, a torso rose from the body. With two arms and hands, the fluctuating blackness gave little to discern what sort of creature it was, other than beady purple eyes.

Oozing and dripping, the hands reached for the door, pushing on the knob, something the dogs couldn’t do.

Curse you Twilight! Everything you’ve done here is unacceptable. I don’t care if you’re a bearer of harmony. The gloves are coming off for this one. Sunset turned and rushed up the Tartarus Staircase. She could hear the angry howls of the abyss monsters chasing after her. Shimmering Justice remained at her side, floating along with her. “Probability of reaching safe haven zero percent unless speed is enhanced.”

“Gee, thanks for the advice!” Sunset shouted back, though her pace did increase.

Nipping at her hooves, she reached the light and heard the screams of the dark creatures as the light kept them at bay. She immediately heel turned to see if she was truly safe, but the beady eyes of the dissimilar monster stared at her. Is it frowning? The hands wringed in pain as it tried to desperately to move into the light, but to no avail. The horns of the dark beast tipped back, creating a massive shadow in the darkness. The world was safe so long as light remained.

And then the path closed. Lightning Dust flipped the hidden switch that they’d never found, closing the secret way and reconnecting the staircase up to the theater’s entrance. So that’s why we me and Lightning Dust were left in front of the theater. Had we not been found, it wouldn’t have taken them any time at all to throw us in the Darkness.

The huge dog whimpered, pouting at the group of crystal ponies who cowered around it, brushing against the black fur. Sunset noted each pony covered their eyes, hiding it from the light of the burning fires and the mixture of sun and moon above. Even Cerberus tucked a head beneath the others while covering another with a paw.

“I’m getting everyone to the border,” Spitfire told Sassy, though Suri stared at her with contempt. Whatever the captain of the Wonderbolts had done, much of their ragtag group despised the leader for it. Yet Sassy acknowledged the statement and made no move to counter or attack.

“Sunset,” Sassy greeted, turning her focus from the yellow pegasus. “What should we do now?”

Though Sassy did seem the most levelheaded, Sunset felt a twinge of surprise in the question. It was as if the command chain relinquished itself into her hooves. Sunset was in charge. Not Lightning Dust, not Sassy, and not Suri.

“We move on Twilight. Now.” Her head swiveled to stare up at the doors to the theater. “We’re ending this.”

Pushing into the lobby, Sunset led the way, only turning to watch as Spitfire and Stormy Flare led the crystal ponies and Cerberus away. For a moment, she debated on asking the captain of the Wonderbolts if she would stay and aid their fight. When she saw the pegasus hug her mother, she fell against the choice, choosing to leave the unknown mare’s Charm out of the assault.

With her quartet in the theater, Sunset closed the doors. Where are Twilight’s gang? Why haven’t they stopped us? Twinkleshine couldn’t have gotten far.

“They’re here. Time to start the show,” a voice boomed from within the auditorium, forcing Sunset to march forward.

The lone patron sat in the same seat as before, still wrapped in black clothes and a purple scarf. On stage were four ponies, three Sunset recognized, one she knew only by name. “I’ve come to put an end to this, Twilight.”

Patting the seat next to her, Twilight called for the princess. “Come now. We must at least see the dramatic turn between our comrades. I do so enjoy seeing how games turn out. Push them to the stage, if you would. Chess! Checkers! Let us duel.”

Sunset turned to the unlikely group of companions. “Head up on stage. Don’t worry, you won’t lose now that it’s four on four.” Her rump grew hot as Shimmering Justice appeared. As Sassy, Suri, Lighting Dust, and Shimmering Justice made their way up the side of the stage, Sunset sat beside Twilight. Her eyes were not taken from the stage, making sure to always have her Charm in sight. “Four versus four.”

“Amazing thing it is, your Charm,” commented Twilight, her words dripping with sincere rapture.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Sunset declared.

“I’ve seen all possible outcomes. I am unbeatable.” Lifting a covered hoof, Twilight pointed to the strings drifting down from the stage. Unbeknownst to those who once called Twilight a friend, the four unicorns became entangled in puppet strings. Not a single mare knew it was happening until the strings tugged their lips into eerie smiles. “I do hope you’re ready.”

Lifting her forelegs, Sunset inclined in the seat, kicking her back hooves up onto the chair in front of her. “Sorry. You haven’t seen anything yet.” Clapping her hooves together, she gave a nod to her Charm.

“Probability of loss is at one-hundred percent,” Shimmering Justice said.

“Your loss, that is.” Sunset turned to Twilight.

All at once, the world went at a blitz. Minuette, the unicorn whose Charm would defy their ability to move, abruptly had her strings snapped off. Twilight threw a hoof to her mouth. “What did you do?” she asked between gags. Minuette, however, ran off stage, her face a putrid green.

A bubble popped from Suri’s mouth right before she hollered, “One down.”

Angering Twinkleshine, her mirror appearing, the stage collapsed along a line, dropping the Charm and the unicorn into the underside. The strings snapped, unable to control the sudden weight and gravity shift. At the forefront stood Sassy, her Free Fancy’s shields smashed in between the floorboards. Though the sight of the choreographed team surprised Twilight, Moondancer and the yellow unicorn named Lemon Hearts both stared up at the broken strings that no longer ensnared Twinkleshine.

“Twilight!” the high-pitched voice screamed with fury. “Are you controlling us!?” Lemon Hearts turned to the seats, stomping an angry hoof.

“I have gifted you power beyond your control. I will use it as I see fit.” As if on cue, Lemon Hearts no longer disagreed. Her whole body moved toward the group of unlikely comrades, though her eyes spoke a different tune. “Two against four? Unlikely odds. Moondancer, even the playing field, if you would.”

Lightning Dust charged forward with her Charm, smashing the strings around Moondancer instead of the pony they controlled. “As much as I dislike you, Moondancer,” Lightning growled, “You’ve got to see she’s just controlling you.”

But Moondancer remained loyal. “She’s my friend. The only one I had for the longest while. I’ll destroy anyone that gets in her way.” While she focused on Lightning, she failed to note Shimmering Justice sneaking up behind her. And without the strings controlling her, Twilight could do nothing but watch as Shimmering took Moondancer in a headlock.

Sunset couldn’t help but smirk, her inner gloating slowly coming outward. As she went to speak, to say something smarmy, Moondancer was dropped to the floor. Somehow, realizing it without Sunset knowing, Shimmering Justice came to her owner’s aid. Disappearing and reappearing.

Instinctually pushing away from the surprising reappearance of her Charm right in front of her, Sunset almost yelped and hiccuped. “Shimmering?” Her eyes dragged up the body of the Charm, finding one arm outstretched above Sunset, blocking a set of puppet strings that fell from the ceiling. It wrapped around Shimmering’s arm like a snake on prey. “Twilight! You cheater!” she snapped, turning to the unicorn.

“What is a raindrop compared to my storm? What is an individual compared to my group? I control all. My unity, my creation, is full of miracles. Can you really deny my gifts?” Twilight replied as a single hoof lifted. To Sunset’s fear, each of the ponies on stage were under the control of the strings.

“You’re worse than Sombra!” Sunset insulted, pushing up from her seat to dogpile the unicorn.

Another hand blocked above Sunset while the alicorn took Twilight by the collar, staring down at the pitiless purple pony. With both hands blocked, however, Shimmering Justice could not stop from another set of puppet strings grabbing hold of Sunset and dragging her off. However, Sunset pulled the purple scarf with her, untangling it from Twilight’s neck. “My scarf!” shouted the unicorn. “I’m so cold! Stop it!” she commanded, her voice full of fear. “You’re not good enough to touch me! I’m better than you, so don’t you dare!”

The strings around Sunset tightened hard, and she felt them wrap around her chest. The screams of her friends, and even her enemies, erupted from the stage. Her eyes turned and saw the puppet strings wrap them in cocoons, much like a spider taking pride in its food.

“Recommending course of action,” Shimmering Justice bellowed above the screams. “Call for help.”

I have no choice, Sunset realized, feeling doom all around her. As Twilight shivered, pulling the scarf around her neck, Sunset called for the one person to stop the madness. “Discord! I want to use a lifeline!”

“Discord?” Twilight scoffed, her mouth covered by the scarf. “You think that he’ll actually come?”

“Oh, without a doubt I will. Sunset Shimmer wants to use a lifeline? I would say it is rare, but it is not. This will be two!” Discord greeted. He slithered around Twilight, replacing her scarf. “What a fantastic show you put on. I wonder what Sunset will use? Want to take bets?”

“She’s cheating, so I’m cheating! I want to completely negate the need to get Twilight! Get her for me!” Sunset screamed, mostly from pain.

Discord grinned. “I knew she was going to choose that one. Are you certain, Sunset? I mean, making me right? I might hold it over your head!” he said with a chuckle.

“You’re not going to do anything, Discord. You stepped hoof in the wrong domain.” Twilight’s Charm unleashed strands in Discord’s direction, the giant doll stepping behind the draconequus. And to Sunset’s surprise, they caught him with ease.

“Discord! Yes, I am certain! What are you doing!?” Sunset beckoned him free.

“I always wanted to try being a marionette, but I do love being the puppeteer.” Snapping the cords like it were nothing, Discord flexed his muscles and cracked his knuckles. With a little whistle, strings wrapped around Twilight, pulling her up out of the chair. Her clothes fell down into the seat as she fought ferociously. “Dance for me! Dance!”

Sunset fell into a seat, landing perfectly beside Shimmering Justice. The others fell on stage as well, resounding thuds echoing the theater. “You can’t do this!” Twilight hollered. “You can’t! I’m invincible!”

“No one is invincible. Not even me,” Discord mocked. “Let me get you a smaller stage.” He let out a hoot, slapping a knee. “Are you ready, Sunset? Oh, of course you are. This place is about to fall back into place anyway. Her magic no longer controls everything. Take a look.” He pointed to the stage.

The six-pointed star disappeared from Suri’s cutie mark, and Buttons disappeared with it. Lightning Dust reached up to tap the hoof of her costumed Charm, only for it to fade. And Sunset knew Shimmering Justice would soon disappear too.

“Water consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom,” Shimmering said to Sunset, clasping a hand on the alicorn’s face.

“I don’t know what to say,” Sunset said, knowing tears trickled down her cheek. “I just got to know you.”

“Probability that you will miss me, one-hundred percent.” Justice smiled. “I will miss you too.”

In a golden eruption, the Charm became a thousand butterflies, disappearing all around Sunset. It wasn’t just Shimmering that erupted, but the whole world. The theater fell apart, breaking down like the set of a television show. When the stage crumpled, the crystal map replaced it. Sunset glanced around, rubbing the tears from her eyes. “Suri? Sassy? Discord?” She rose from the ground, pacing in every direction.

“Look what the cat dragged in. Or should I say, betrayer,” Applejack remarked, rousing laughter from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

“Shut it!” Sunset spoke sharply, glancing up at the cages, which now included Twilight Sparkle.

“It’s so warm here,” Twilight said, rubbing her cheeks. “So warm, so humid, so nice. Why wasn’t my city like this? Why could I never make it feel so warm?” She let a breath go and fell backwards, rubbing her spine against the cage.

Before Sunset could answer, she found herself standing in a hallway of darkness. The glowing tube televisions burst the dark away. “My, oh my, Sunset Shimmer. You really had a fight on your hooves! I thought for a second you were going to win, too. Oh well.”

“Discord. You know you don’t need to show me any worlds, right? I’m going to continue in this one. You already convinced me,” Sunset replied.

“Really? Just like that?” Discord mourned. “How tragic. Well, it is not like that other world has anything eventful.” A screen paused on the changeling empire, while another paused on the removal of said empire by the Elements of Harmony. “I mean, the changelings returning and transforming into a force of good to defeat Lord Tirek and King Sombra? How droll.” A third screen paused on the war between bugs and villains.

“Wait what?”

“Nope. You already said it.” The screens shut off. “If we have nothing else, I suppose you better get off to finding that fifth one.”

The screens disappeared as quickly as they appeared. “Actually,” Sunset called out as the world reappeared. She looked up at the cages. “I have a request.”

“A request?” Discord ensnared her just as he’d done to Twilight, wrapping around her frame like a snake. “What sort of request?”

Her eyes turned to the mirror. The mirror. The mirror between CHS and Equestria. “Put this thing somewhere safe. Somewhere out of the way. Somewhere so that, when the girl on the other side comes back, she’ll come back to friendship.” Trotting up to the reflection, she put a hoof on the glass, and the reflection of Shimmering Justice put a hand in the matching spot.

“That is your request? Very well. I suppose you have earned a common courtesy since you have been such a good sport,” Discord replied, snapping his fingers.

Sunset watched as the Charm and mirror disappeared. “Thank you.”

Comments

[Eddy13]

Well, looks like you were true to your words. And that was an intense chapter. Two things I have to wonder though:

1) You didn't reveal the fate of Sunset's allies or Twilight's gang. Did they escape the collapsing of Canterlot?

2) How do you intend to resolve Sunset's time in Discord's world in just one more chapter? I mean, there are still two more Bearers for Sunset to find, and you can't tell me that rounding up Rarity will be that easy.

[VegaSakusa]

Was this chapter an MF JoJo reference?

[Snowkitsune]

9609649
Eyup

[Csquared08]

One chapter for Fluttershy and Rarity? Hmmmmmmm

[Blaster M]

9609649

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!