Home Again
Starlight Glimmer found herself on the smaller of the two boats. It was more of a leisure vessel than Double Diamond’s old fishing trawler. As such, it jostled quite a bit more on the open water than she found comfortable. The motor rumbled as a light rain pattered away at her face.
A few confused students sat quietly around the deck of the small boat. Two in particular, Celestia and Sombra, were huddled together, attempting to keep Celestia’s abdominal injuries from getting worse. Starlight clenched a fist as she brought Dr. Twilight’s face to mind.
Could she have seen it coming? Did it even surprise her? She was left wondering if Dr. Twilight was that good a liar or if Starlight herself was so caught up in the magic that she would have accepted lessons from a literal mass murderer. She supposed that in the end, that didn’t matter as much as making things right.
She knelt beside Sombra and spoke in a low, hushed voice that wouldn’t carry as far over the water. “I want to rescue Sunset from that maniac. We can’t just let the doctor get away with what she did.”
“Priorities, madam.” Sombra rested his massive hands on Celestia’s shoulders. “We cannot fight back if we are not in a position to fight. We need to get the injured to safety, and the students out of the hands of the Prime Minister’s men.”
Starlight glanced at the ship’s wheel to see Neighsay piloting the boat. He seemed uninterested in their conversation for the moment, but the instant he thought something was funny, they needed to take him out. Followed by… where was Chrysalis? Starlight winced as she realized the changeling was nestled onboard the other boat. With her powers of disguise, she wouldn’t even know her if she saw her.
“You’re right. And I know none of us can take the doctor in a fight.” Starlight extinguished the spell brewing on her fingertips. “But what if we can save the students and take out the bad guys?”
“We cannot fight a war on three fronts, Miss Glimmer.” Sombra helped Celestia to lie down slowly, keeping things away from her side. The bandages weren’t tight enough. There was no anesthetic. There was no way to help aside from simply being there. “Fancy Pants, the doctor, the portal… Our duty is to save as many people as we can right now. And unfortunately, that means that Sunset Shimmer’s rescue must wait.”
“Please,” Celestia gasped. She reached for her side, but Sombra stopped her hand. “Please, she has a family—”
“We will not abandon her.” Sombra spoke in a low, soothing voice that Starlight had never before heard from the man. “We made that promise, Celestia. I shan’t forget.” He gave Starlight a stare forged from solid steel. “When the moment is right, we strike with all the magic at our disposal. But a premature attack will lead to nothing but destruction. You must trust me.”
“Believe me,” Starlight said, “you’re one of three people I trust right now.”
They made landfall in short order. The previous group was still waiting for them, headed by the devious, devilish Dulcimer. His smirk made Starlight want to claw his face off with her bare hands.
“Welcome, one and all, to the mainland.” Dulcimer gestured to the city with arms wide. The port was located on the edge of the capitol city of the Highborn Isles; Roc. It was an old city, with some architecture dating back a thousand years. The House of Parliament could be seen from the docks, at which some sort of commotion was taking place.
Starlight Glimmer hopped onto dry land and peered at the crowd of people gathered on the steps. It was a few blocks away, but she could still hear a commotion. “Is it a protest? What are they all doing?”
Dulcimer’s smirk elevated into an entirely too smug grin. “I expected the streets to be at their usual bustle, but if everybody’s attention is on Parliament, we’ll be able to sneak out of the city scot-free.” He turned to Starlight with a nod. “It seems that the stars aligned in our favor. Prince Blueblood is finally inheriting his father’s crown today. Protests and riots are sure to follow. I’d call that an effective smokescreen, wouldn’t you?”
Starlight Glimmer sighed deep within her chest. “Maybe it was time to leave the country anyway.”
***
The world exploded in a medley of colors and sounds around Twilight. Gravity was no longer pulling her downward, but every direction at once. Magic flowed around her, but rather than the warm tingle of a ready spell, it was a painful bite pinching its way across her body. It was as if she was traveling through a mirror pool that had gone haywire. She felt her body reformat itself hurriedly and haphazardly, fighting against the forces threatening to toss her into a thousand worlds at once. Her tail vanished. Fingers and toes appeared. Her curled horn became the smooth nails on her hands.
It was painful. Perhaps the most painful thing she’d ever felt. Maybe she’d done the spell wrong. Maybe Edgy Spike was wrong, and she’d merely consigned them all to a slow, bitter end. Perhaps this was the final revenge of Dr. Twilight Sparkle: Death to all who would pursue her.
Through the murk, she saw a hand reach towards her. It was chapped, dry, rough around the edges. Mac. She reached out to grasp it. To pull him closer. At least if this was the end—she couldn’t think about that. They had to get through it. The alternative was too horrible to imagine.
She looked up. Green eyes. The same no matter what shape his face took. Looking at her with the same promise of love that he’d given her every day since they met.
The world stopped screaming.
She lay on top of Mac’s body, her fingers gripping his red-checkerboard shirt tight. He was dizzy, but alive. She let out a laugh of relief and rested her head on his chest.
Then she felt a draft.
Her eye popped wide open as she looked over her shoulder at herself. Yep. Not a thread of clothing. She swore and pushed herself away from Macintosh. Her skin met cold, damp cement as she skuttled away.
The air behind them shimmered and reverberated with mind-numbing fractals of magic, twisting and turning the world around them into impossible shapes. The display jerked and warbled, a spell ready to evaporate the moment the conjuring was complete.
They were in an empty alleyway between two close-knit buildings. She could hear the rumbling of a city not too far away. She hunkered down beside a nearby empty crate to shield herself from view as much as was possible.
Big Mac stirred. He rubbed a hand against his head as he sat up. He moaned and scanned the area. It didn’t take him too long before he saw Twilight. “Hey, Twi—” He choked, possibly on his own tongue.
Twilight blinked; the vision spell had faded once they reached the human world. She wasn’t sure she could recreate the spell without ambient magic, so she had to make due with what fuzzy shapes she was able to make out. She knelt down and crossed her arms in front of her. “Mac. Um… You okay?”
“Eeey—nope.” Big Mac reached up to his neck and began to unbutton his shirt in a hurry.
Twilight’s cheeks turned firetruck-red. “What do you think you’re—?”
“I’m givin’ you my shirt!” He pulled the shirt in question off his back and tossed it her way. She snagged it out of the air and slipped into it as fast as humanly possible. He spent the moment examining the rifle slung across his shoulders.
Twilight groaned; even with the top button secured, Mac’s neck hole was just large enough for her skinny shoulders to be useless in holding the shirt up. “This isn’t going to work.”
“It’s the best we got right now.”
“I might as well be wearing a bed sheet.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“‘Yeah I guess’? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Big Mac spun around with his lips pressed tight together. He sucked in a deep breath, resting his hands on his hips. “Means I’m sorry I can’t help more. Better than nothin’, right?”
Twilight clutched the shirt tight as she stood up and walked to his side. “Demonstrably.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Means you proved it right away.” She rested her hand on his white undershirt. “Thanks.” She looked around, and was immediately reminded that her eyesight was terrible. “Can you see where we are? Are we back at the school, or somewhere else?”
“Somewhere else.” Big Mac eyed the portal warily. “Can’t rightly tell where. Can’t recognize—”
The portal rumbled and buzzed as magic collected within its core. Bright light flashed and nearly blinded them. Three figures were ejected from the cacophony. Even with her inhibited eyesight, Twilight could make out Shining Armor and two dogs as they lay on the ground.
Shining Armor peeled his face off of the concrete and looked around, ready to fight. When all he saw was Big Mac and Twilight, he heaved a sigh of relief and pulled himself upright. The two dogs followed on his heels, both sporting Spike’s signature purple and green hair. Shining tossed his duffle bag to Twilight, who almost lost her grip on Mac’s shirt when she caught it.
“Judging by the architecture, we’re in the Highborn Isles.” Shining pointed to Big Mac’s firearm. “And they’ve got rules about foreigners bringing guns into the country.”
Big Mac heaved a sigh. “From what I understand, they got rules about foreigners bringin’ themselves into the country.”
“Like most countries, yes.”
Twilight unzipped the duffle bag and was rewarded with the sight of her clothes. She reached for her glasses first, then followed up with the more delicate items. She lifted a finger and spun it around. “I need a wall, guys. Unless you wanna add ‘streaking’ to the list of felonies and misdemeanors we’re racking up just by being here.”
Shining and Mac put their backs to her while she dressed. Edgy and Little Spike sniffed the air as they looked around. “Have you seen Princess Twilight?” Little Spike asked. “Or Princess Celestia?”
“We only just now woke up. Or landed.” Big Mac shrugged. “Materialized? Coalesced? Appeared?”
Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth for a teasing comment, but paused when the information processed. “Highborn Isles. Where in the Isles?”
Shining Armor’s head snapped towards the road as sounds of an aggressive crowd reached his ears. “None other than the capitol: Roc. The center of commerce, politics, and rioting.”
Twilight swore under her breath. She’d wanted to rob King Sombra of his power, but not by planting him in the middle of a bunch of civilians. “How close are we to where Sunset is staying?”
“Really close. The island is only a couple miles away. If we can get a boat.” Shining Armor’s phone beeped as it regained service. He glanced at it, thumbed through the messages, and snapped a curse. “I think we’re in trouble.” He waved his free hand. “No, scratch that. Scootaloo says Sunset’s in trouble.”
He dialed his wife with the press of the touch pad. The phone rang for a few seconds while Twilight finished dressing. Shining only got to the voice mail.
Twilight sealed the last button on her shirt and pulled her jacket over her chest-mounted pistol. She gave Mac his shirt back with a muttered thanks as she walked to the end of the alley. She saw a group of police officers standing in a line, keeping a crowd away from the road as a motorcade drove past. The main vehicle was a long, black limousine. The windows were shaded too dark to see inside.
“More trouble.” Shining Armor showed Big Mac his phone. “The king of the Isles kicked the bucket. I think that’s his son headed to the cathedral for the coronation.”
A police officer staggered when somebody threw a bottle at their helmeted head. Twilight nibbled her bottom lip as the crowd jeered at the officers and the motorcade. “I don’t think these people like the idea of Blueblood being anointed with oil.”
She lifted the duffle bag beside Big Mac’s rifle and compared the two. The fit would be tight, but it just might make it. “Hide the rifle in here. If we move fast, we might be able to avoid imprisonment for possession.”
The portal flashed again, this time depositing Princess Celestia and her walking stick on the ground. Little Spike and Shining rushed to help her up, with Shining doing most of the work. Little Spike passed her the staff in his mouth, and they moved quickly away from the range of the open fissure in spacetime.
“It’s like an open wound in reality itself,” Princess Celestia said, breathless. “We were never meant to travel like that. Is everybody alright?”
“Everyone looks whole,” Edgy Spike said. “We’re still waiting for the other princess to arrive. And… the king.”
They eyed the portal with trepidation. Shining reached for his pistol, but did not draw it. “How’s the crowd look, Mac?”
Big Mac zipped up the duffle bag with the rifle inside. He held the bag carefully as he peered out of the alley to the city beyond. “Lotsa ruffled feathers. Limo’s comin’ down the street. It’ll pass us in a few.”
The portal shuddered and screeched. Even so, the sound didn’t seem to rise above the fervor of the crowd. A body tumbled from the magic fractals and crumpled at Celestia’s feet. It was Princess Twilight, her purple dress torn and shredded at the fringes. A bloody wound on her shoulder was caused by a black shard of crystal. Bruises and scrapes covered her skin.
Little Spike was by her side immediately. “Twilight! Can you hear me? Say something!”
Celestia knelt and touched a hand to the injured shoulder. Magic went out from her and laced itself into the wound. “I’ve given her a painkilling spell, but we’ll need to do real work before the end of the day. It’s protected from infection for now.”
Twilight locked her eyes on the portal. The magic had turned red as the fractals all pointed near the center. A new magic joined the mix, and a low rumble of a distant scream reached their ears. Shining pointed his pistol at the epicenter. Twilight hesitated to draw her firearm. She suspected magic would be more effective against the crystalline king.
A soot-stained cloud of smoke belched from the portal. The fractals vanished as the spell reached its completion. Darkness coated the alleyway as everyone held their breath.
A man stood slowly, moving smoothly and easily. He was seven feet tall, and seemed to be entirely encased in silvery armor. Two rounded plates covered his pectoral muscles, while two spiked pauldrons sat high on his shoulders. His boots came to sharpened, forked points. His gauntlets each ended in five claws that looked fit to tear through a man’s hide like a fire-poker through marshmallows. His face was concealed in the shadows of a curved helmet, save for the glowing eyes in the center.
Magic leaked from between every chink in his armor.
The man looked at his hand as though he’d never seen it before. Twilight suspected that was indeed the case. Her eyes opened wide as Princess Celestia approached him, her hand outstretched.
“Sombra?” Princess Celestia gripped her walking stick tightly. “Can you hear me?”
His voice was an echoing tine of metal against metal. “Celestia… if you love me…” He reached out a clawed hand. “End this suffering.”
A bolt of magic, dark as night and fierce as a rabid animal, leaped from his fingertips straight towards Princess Celestia’s heart. She countered with a wall of pure sunlight that broke his attack into shards. Crystals staked themselves into the buildings and pavement beside her.
“Get Princess Twilight out of here!” she snapped. “I’ll try to draw Sombra away from—”
Shining Armor’s pistol fired three rounds into the chest of King Sombra. Three holes appeared, but vanished just as quickly as his own magic brought his already shattered body back together. The king roared and charged the small group. He kneed Celestia aside and swept Little Spike away with a flick of his hand. Big Mac pulled Princess Twilight’s body aside before she could be trampled.
Princess Celestia rushed to her feet and entered a headlong charge after the king. Twilight froze, momentarily unsure of what to do. Firearms had no effect, so she and Princess Celestia were the only two people who had a chance of fighting King Sombra. She had to act now, or a lot of people would be hurt.
She followed the princess and the king at a sprint, calling over her shoulder to Shining Armor. “Try to keep people away from Sombra! I’ll help Celestia!”
Shining Armor called after her, but she couldn’t pay him any mind. King Sombra was already in the middle of the protesting crowd, shoving people aside as he fled Princess Celestia. He soon found himself breaking through the police perimeter and into the middle of the street.
Right in front of the motorcade.
Princess Celestia was restrained by the constables. Twilight hung back, trying to seek an alternative route.
The limo’s side window opened. A handsome man with flowing blond hair and a very, very nice suit poked his head out. Another person in the car tried to drag him back in, practically screeching “Your Highness! Please, Prince Blueblood!”
“That’s enough, Fancy Pants.” Prince Blueblood gave his blue bowtie a tug and shouted King Sombra. “Who disrupts my coronation?”
King Sombra’s head tilted to one side. A deep, hissing crackle leaked from the helmet; the laughter of a monster recognizing an easy target. “Coronation, Blueblood? This is bad comedy.”
Blueblood leaned back slightly, his brow furrowing. “Dr. Sombra? Is that you?”
Twilight ditched subtlety when she saw an armored hand glow a sinister purple. She gripped the police officers in two bubbles of telekinetic power and shoved them aside. Princess Celestia shot forward towards the limousine.
King Sombra held his palm towards Blueblood and shouted in a reverberating, metallic voice, “Here’s a hint!”
Princess Celestia stopped in front of Prince Blueblood with both feet planted firmly on the ground. She threw out her hands and blasted magic through the air. The light drizzling rain in front of her came together in a single glob and froze instantly, stopping the deadly magic attack before it could hit its mark. Crystals spotted the surface of the miniature iceberg, the largest of which had nearly split it in two.
King Sombra marched forward, his body leaking magic in a dark cloud behind him. He roared an inarticulate mangled curse as he readied another spell.
“Get back in the limo!” Princess Celestia shouted as she threw the iceberg at her foe. A flick of her wrist and a twinkle from her fingertips shoved Blueblood into his seat where he fell on top of Fancy Pants.
King Sombra laughed as he batted the car-sized chunk of ice away with a fist. “Bow or die!”
Twilight caught the large chunk of ice in another bubble before it could crush several protestors. The crowd had slowly grown from anger to panic as the fight broke out in front of them. The press of bodies was so tight that Twilight was unable to move closer to the road without seriously hurting somebody. Or herself.
“Sombra, try to think rationally!” Princess Celestia drew power from her heart to her fists as she stood between the limo and the monster. “You have no reason to hurt any of these people! Think of your kingdom! Think of m—”
Before she could say another word, the military personnel of the motorcade fired round after round of firepower into King Sombra’s chest. Steel and crystal fragmented as dozens of bullets found their home in the lost king’s body. The armored man crumpled to his knees, before a sizable slug blew a hole right through his head. The limousine sped away down the street, until it slammed into a motorcycle seconds after its owner had dismounted.
With the king’s body lying on the ground, the soldiers turned their arms on Princess Celestia. She held her hands up immediately, but only to begun waving her arms frantically. “He’s not down! Get away from his body!”
Twilight’s eyes slid over to the fallen king. As expected, the alleged corpse had begun to stir. The steel and crystal fragments flew back into place while spent slugs dribbled to the ground at his feet. King Sombra opened his glowing red and green eyes and stretched out a hand to his foes. Rather than words, he let out a feral roar as he launched a spell.
A glistening golden shield surrounded Princess Celestia and the soldiers. The king’s spell refracted off into the sky, where it harmlessly petered out. Princess Celestia’s had glowed to match as she walked towards him, her walking stick held like a short Bo staff. “Sombra! Look at me!”
King Sombra fired off a spell without a second’s hesitation. She deflected it with ease right back at him. It hit him square in the chest and sent him skidding back a few feet. He responded by lifting one of the motorcade’s black cars with two strong, clawed hands. He reeled back to fling it at her.
“I love you, Sombra!” Princess Celestia screamed. “Do you understand?”
The words sent him off-balance. The car’s rear tires hit the ground. He shut his glowing eyes and ripped the hood right off its hinges. “Shut up!”
Twilight caught the hood in a bubble of magic and slammed it into the ground. She felt a tug against her pant leg and looked down. Edgy Spike bit down on her jeans and tugged her towards the edge of the crowd. “Come on, Twilight! He’s gonna kill all of us if we don’t have a plan!”
Shining Armor, Big Mac, and Little Spike ran towards her, Princess Twilight curled up in Big Mac’s arms. Shining shoved people out of the way, shouting “Injury! Outta the way! Injury!”
Princess Twilight opened her eyes and immediately winced in pain. She looked up to see Big Mac carrying her, and Twilight could see her cheeks heating up even from several feet away. She looked around at the mayhem that surrounded her and pulled a face. “I see our situation has improved.”
Mac held onto the duffel bag tight, apparently unsure of whether he should draw his weapon. Twilight grabbed him and her brother both by their shirt sleeves. “You guys need to back off, too. He’s a magic powerhouse, and I don’t know if I can keep you safe.”
The princess looked beyond them to her one-time teacher, who was volleying spells back and forth with King Sombra. She looked down at her fingernails at the paltry sparks she was able to produce. “I can’t even make a telekinetic spell in this world. I don’t have the practice.”
Twilight grabbed her hands. “Are there any spells you can teach me? He’s not so all-powerful that he can tear the city apart. Yet.”
“I don’t know. Nothing I can think of could restrain him. At least, not without alicorn-levels of magic.”
Shining Armor reached for his pistol, but didn’t pull it from its holster. He switched to his phone halfway. “What about Sunset? Somebody needs to let her know about Dr. Twilight right away.”
“I can keep trying her on your phone.” Princess Twilight took the cellphone and fumbled with it, pressing icons here and there without realizing the touch screen was locked. “Once I get through, we can at least know if she’s okay.”
Edgy Spike shook his head, leaning his back against Twilight’s leg. “It’s crazy… even in a world without magic, it would take an army of wizards to defeat King Sombra.”
“Yeah,” Twilight said, a sinking feeling coming to her as she considered how outmatched she and Princess Celestia were. “Where do you suppose we could find one of those?”
***
Starlight Glimmer tried and failed to pick Chrysalis out of the crowd of her students. Neighsay and Dulcimer were thankfully easy to keep track of, but the changeling was a slippery weasel. She kept close to Double Diamond and Sombra, both of whom were helping Celestia to walk.
“The portal is about five miles north,” Dulcimer said. “In the country. I believe they’re located in historic ruins. So be prepared to trespass in government property.”
Double Diamond muttered a dark rumble beneath his breath. “The least of your crimes today.”
Starlight Glimmer stopped in her tracks at the sound of rapid gunfire.
Sombra acted first and took himself to one knee, gently bringing Celestia to the ground. Even as injured as she was, she still took a moment to ignite her magic to defend what she could. “Everybody down!”
The students dove for the ground at various speeds. Dulcimer brought himself alongside Sombra and drew a pistol from beneath his suit jacket. “I doubted the riots would progress this far already.”
“It isn’t the riots. That was a controlled volley.” Sombra narrowed his eyes as he focused on where the first cars of the motorcade could be seen. “The royal guardsmen are defending Prince Blueblood.”
Starlight gasped as a bright flash filled the sky. A bolt of pure magic flung itself into the air and vanished into stardust just beneath the clouds. She wiped rainwater from her brow and pointed. “Look! That… That spell is just like your magic, Sombra!”
“Spell? Impossible.” Dulcimer shook his head and waved her off with the barrel of his gun. “All of your former students have been accounted for.”
“It’s a naturally-occurring thing, Dullard.” Starlight looked over her shoulder at Double Diamond. “It’s only natural that other people would figure it out, right?”
As she turned back, she found herself facing down a stampede of people. Panicking people. They were racing away as one dangerous mass from whatever had caused the magic bolt. “Get up! Get off the ground before we’re trampled!”
Starlight put up a soft shield of magic, one that people were likely to slide around, rather than smack against. She and her students watched the people race past, their eyes wide. Starlight switched gears and looked past them, towards the source of their fear.
She picked him out almost immediately. A monstrously large knight, glowing with magic and fighting the loveliest woman Starlight had ever seen. Her hair flowed with luminous pinks and blues, and her white dress glimmered with rainbows in the light. The soldiers protecting Blueblood’s limousine gathered around the long car and could only watch as the two magical titans battled.
Dulcimer’s jaw dropped. “What on earth is that thing?”
Sombra helped Celestia to her feet, Double Diamond offering his support. The doctor frowned as he observed the woman, his mouth falling open. “Celestia… who does that look like to you?”
Celestia’s eyes widened. She looked at Sombra with a hazy glaze over her eyes. “It couldn’t be… could it?”
Dulcimer turned to a side road and motioned for the students to follow. “If we go around the city limits, we can avoid the stampede altoge—”
“But you can’t ignore the evidence.” Sombra held Celestia close, pointing at the distant battle. “She looks as you did thirty years ago.”
Celestia pressed her lips together, but after a moment’s thought, her eyes lit up. “The portal! Sunset’s world! This might be her Celestia! Or another Celestia from somewhere else in the universe! Then that would make the man…”
Sombra looked down at the brace he’d made for his injured leg, the one fashioned out of crystal. He looked to the monstrous knight, who was coated from head-to-toe with the very same armor. “My God…”
Dulcimer lost all semblance of patience as he gripped Celestia’s arm and tugged her away from the scene. “None of that matters! We need to get to—”
“Look out!”
A car soared through the air, flung by the awesome might of the black knight. Many people scattered, but there was no way they could all clear the oncoming impact. Several people fell to the ground and covered their heads in a vain attempt to survive.
Starlight Glimmer would have none of it. She ripped Dulcimer aside with a wave of her hand, freeing Celestia. She ran into the street as fast as her feet could take her, readying her magic reserves. She reached out with both hands towards the wayward vehicle.
Her spell stopped it in its tracks. She could feel her magic straining in her arms—the thing was dangerously heavy. She looked around frantically for a place to set it down without hurting even more people. She shifted a foot back to brace herself as her grip slipped.
The car grew much lighter. Another spell had joined hers in lifting it. She felt the pressure fade, then vanish entirely. She looked to her right and saw a miraculous sight: Twilight Sparkle, standing beside her, taking a portion of the burden. Twilight looked at her with a hopeful, near-incredulous expression. “You from the magic school?”
Starlight nodded rapidly. “You friends with Sunset Shimmer?”
“Heck yeah I am!”
Double Diamond and a few other students worked to clear an area of people, allowing Twilight and Starlight to set the car down at last. The two of them ran to each other, both speaking at the same time.
“Sunset’s in trouble!”
“Sunset’s in danger!”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“You go first!”
“You start!”
Starlight placed her hands on her hips and heaved a sigh. “Dr. Twilight’s crazy! She’s kidnapped Sunset and chained her up in her laboratory while she uses this weird machine to give herself unlimited power or something.”
“No! Crap!” Twilight ran her hands through her hair, keeping one eye on the magic duel down the road. “That machine’s been rigged to blow! How long do we have?”
“Explode?” Dulcimer muscled his way into the conversation by nudging Starlight back. He tucked his firearm in his jacket and reached for Twilight’s shoulder. “What do you mean ‘rigged—’?”
Big Mac put his hand on one of Dulcimer’s shoulders and gripped tight. “Kindly respect the lady’s space.”
Shining Armor gripped the opposite shoulder. “If you don’t mind.”
Both men were a clear head taller than Dulcimer. He smiled and spread empty hands. “As you request. May I remind you we are short on time—”
Starlight figured it was just best to ignore him at this point. “How do you know it’s going to blow?”
“We had a talk with her former teacher—” Twilight gestured to the monster king. “—who said he designed it to explode if anybody tried to use it. It’s likely to kill them both!”
Shining Armor sucked in a breath. “Please, can you help us get to the island?”
Double Diamond walked up with Principal Celestia and Dr. Sombra. He crossed his arms and gave Starlight a nod. “I think you should go with them. You know how to navigate the school. We’ll use what you’ve taught us and fight back against the rampaging monster over there.” He gave her a grim frown. “And they’ll need all the help they can get to fight Dr. Twilight.”
“I’m going, too,” Dulcimer said from his position between the proverbial rock and hard place. “I’m a decent enough pilot that I can sail the boat back in half the time.”
Double Diamond pointed a finger at him, which glowed with ready magic. “You’d better behave.” He turned to the gathered students. “People! We’ve got a crossroads ahead of us! That monster is going to hurt a lot of people, and we’re the only ones capable of bringing it down! If you still wanna leave, Dulcimer will give you the coordinates! If you wanna stay and fight, follow my lead!”
Coldstone raised a fist. “We’re with you all the way, Double!”
Fleetfoot rose into the air on luminous wings. “We didn’t spend all that time studying to stay cooped up inside! It’s time to show ’em what we’re made of!”
Gloriosa Daisy stomped a foot as her magic connected her with the very earth she stood upon. “I can’t just sit back and watch all these people get hurt. I’m ready to help, sir!”
Sugar Belle eyed Big Mac up and down. She twisted to look at Starlight when she realized she’d been staring too long. “Oh! Yes! Help! I’d be glad to stay!”
“So when do we leave?”
Starlight Glimmer looked down to see a dog with unkempt hair—a beagle, if she knew her breeds right—pawing at Twilight Sparkle’s leg. The voice had come from him. Impossible, perhaps, but that was the kinda day Starlight was having. “You said Dr. Twilight was in danger, right? So we gotta move now!”
Starlight Glimmer, Dulcimer, Twilight, Big Mac, Shining Armor, and Edgy Spike all ran for the harbor, while Double Diamond and the other students moved to face off against King Sombra. She crossed her fingers as her heart raced. She was in a literal race against time to save the life of her new friend. As well as the woman who had taught her everything she loved about life.
Upsetting though the thought was, she prayed for the chance to face Dr. Twilight head-on in battle, rather than merely scrape her corpse off the wall.
***
Sombra moved Celestia along carefully, brushing aside Double’s help. “I can take it from here. The other Celestia is going to need your level head more than I need your solid grip.”
Double Diamond nodded and took off like a lightning bolt.
Sombra took Celestia to the side of the road. He spotted another woman and her dog on the edge of the sidewalk, a safe distance away from the ruckus. She was mashing the screen of her phone, growing with increasing frustration. More to the point, she also shared a resemblance to Dr. Twilight Sparkle, mainly in the hair and facial structure. Perhaps she could help Celestia. He prayed it was so.
“Madam.” Sombra stood a polite distance away, but spoke insistently to catch her attention. “Will you help me?”
The woman glanced at him, confusion and concern flashing across her face. The dog’s eyes widened as its ears stood up. The woman put the phone down and tilted her head. “Is that… Principal Celestia?”
Sombra breathed a sigh of relief. “So you have met her. She has been struck with magic. Please, if there is anything you can do to ease the pain…”
Sombra gave the dog a doubletake when it spoke. “I’m sorry. We don’t have access to magic in this world.”
The woman who looked like Twilight clapped her hands together with a resounding thwack. “You must be from the magic school! Is there any way we can get a message to Sunset Shimmer?”
Dr. Sombra held Celestia close as she groaned in pain. He pointed to the retreating mass of people following Starlight Glimmer. “Your friends and mine are already headed back to the school. Unfortunately, there is no way to reach Sunset without going to her. The doctor has taken her captive.”
The other Twilight winced and put a hand to her wounded shoulder. Sombra’s sharp eye noted a similar injury to her leg. She let the cellphone slip out of her hands to clatter against the ground. “Then it’s up to them. I’m in no shape to move, and Princess Celestia needs to stay to stop Sombra.”
“Blast.” Sombra turned to the battle, which the other students had finally joined. Many worked around the edges to help bystanders find safety, while the sky mages and earth mages harried the fallen king from every angle. “Then… I suppose there is only one thing I can do to protect you, Celestia.”
He set her down beside the other Twilight and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. “Please, stay out of harm’s way.”
“Sombra, please!” Celestia gripped his hand and, for a moment, refused to let go. “What are you going to do?”
Sombra smiled at her. Perhaps the first full-blooded smile he’d had since they’d said goodbye to each other thirty years ago. A smile unfettered by the weight of the years or his decisions. He was able to simply share his love with Celestia at long last. “My dear, I am going to face the dark part of myself. I am going to march up to that wicked knight and beat him to a pulp, to protect you and the other people I love so dearly.”
Celestia squeezed her eyes tight, pushing tears down her cheeks. “But why now?”
Dr. Sombra squeezed her hand and released her. “Because it’s the right thing to do. The difference this time is… is that this time, I’m not giving you up.”
He walked slowly and steadily towards the armored beast throwing shards of crystal at his fellow students. His hands glowed mightily as he coated himself from head to toe in purple, crystalline armor. He felt power surge through his limbs as the magic took hold and made him stronger, faster, more alive than he had been even at his prime. He lowered a three-pronged helmet over his head and summoned a blade of purple crystal as long as a two-handed broadsword. He swung his sword at King Sombra’s head.
The monstrous knight lifted a hand to catch the strike. In his off-hand, he crafted a blade much like Dr. Sombra’s. He swung, and Dr. Sombra deflected with a jerk of his wrist.
And so, the battle was joined.
***
Twilight Sparkle picked Edgy Spike up to place him solidly in the boat. She climbed in herself, balanced by Big Mac’s hand. She took the duffle bag from him and set it on the seat beside her.
“I don’t see what the problem is, Starlight,” Dulcimer said, starting the boat’s motor. “Are you really so paranoid that you think I’m going to betray you at this point?”
“I’m just saying I don’t trust any government goons.” Starlight slipped aboard and began pacing the length of the upper deck. “Least of all you.”
“My ultimate goal is the survival of the school. Including Dr. Twilight.” Dulcimer backed the boat up once the others had made it in and the boat was untied. “I’m sure we can all agree with that.” He glanced up and nodded to one of the passengers. “Shining Armor can vouch for me. Right, Captain? I recall meeting you during your stay as part of the Libertas security detail.”
“Yeah, we’ve met.” Shining Armor frowned, his brow furrowed as he scoured his memory. “Back then you were just Prince Blueblood’s retainer. Viscount now, huh?”
“Duly appointed, though I admit it’s more of an honorary title. I’m still basically the resident ‘gofer.’”
“Yeah, that tracks.” Shining Armor caught Twilight’s attention, tapped the side of his eye, and pointed at Dulcimer. Danger. Watch him closely. “Still, people say you’re the actual power behind Blueblood. Or at least the smarts.”
“With any luck,” Dulcimer said as he aimed for the school’s island, “by the end of today, he’ll have neither.”
Big Mac sat beside Twilight and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She accepted the embrace, but didn’t return it just yet. She had something to look into. She patted the sides of the duffle bag, examining each of the pockets, until she felt something hard. She unzipped the pocket and was rewarded with the sight of a small item wrapped in silk. She peeled the silk away to reveal the dangerous Memory Stone.
She knew even with Sunset, Starlight, and herself working together, they might not be a match for the amoral Dr. Twilight Sparkle. She needed an ace in the hole, even if it was an ace as horrific as this one. She reached into the pocket and gripped the Memory Stone tightly.
Sonata Dusk appeared in a chair facing Twilight’s. Her aged face creaked as she split into a wide grin. “Twilight’s on the warpath again. What’s worse, ultimately? Leaving her a worm-ridden corpse, or a mindless vegetable? Either way, you’re gonna have to look yourself in the eye when you do it.”
Twilight wrapped the Memory Stone up tight and slipped it into her pocket. The instant the stone wasn’t touching her skin, Sonata vanished. She wasn’t real. She was just there to power the stone. She was just an aid to get into the right mindset.
Edgy Spike rested at Twilight’s feet, his entire body shaking with adrenaline. She leaned over to pet him on the head, just out of instinct. He looked up at her, and she saw a nearly overwhelming sorrow in his eyes.
“It’s alright, Spike,” she whispered. “It’ll be over soon. We’ll get through this together.”
Edgy Spike bobbed his head in a light nod. He kept his eyes locked on her, his breath shallow. “Twilight?”
“Yes, Spike?”
“A word of advice.” He lay his head on his front paws. “When the time comes, don’t hesitate. Don’t do what I did.” His eyes closed as the boat revved up to top speed. “Don’t let anybody else get hurt.”
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Interesting, a duel of Sombras, a Celestia and Princess Injured, twin Spikes, oh, and a doctor or two (but not medical ones). A little for everyone ...
I'm rather inclined to agree. But Sunset still needs outta there.
... Fine. You best be right.
Big Mac.
Ah nuts.
Shit.
Oh dear.
King Sombra.
Crap.
Coronation, Blueblood?
Oh my god, tell me this is going where I think it is.
Oh shit it is.
Yeah, I get the feeling this is going to do as much damage as it did to Alucard. IE: None.
Yep, called it.
I get the feeling that that would just result in needless bloodshed.
If you mean Sombra, then a monster gone mad.
God? Oh he had nothing to do with Sombra's current state.
Stop talking and start helping.
And that makes you heroes. That moment where you decide to put others before you. And save them.
He's going to die.
Uh, how?
... You're a good man, Doctor.
I suppose that's how.
Yes.
Oh dear.
... Yeah. That's all that can be done at this point.
10797419
Dude has a mustache, he would clearly be the butler/clock.
Ask that crowd how they feel about Twilight's plan.
A family problem.
So Bluey sounds like he will be a delight as a king. Seeing them magically battle like that was awesome, though it probably is going to make things even worse for the magic school after this.
The best part was definitely Pedestria!Sombra using magic just so he can walk enough to fight his darker double. It feels hopeless, but also romantic. Hopefully a bunch of wizards saving Blueblood will help him turn the Highborn Isles into a regular Disneyland... you know, the Magic Kingdom?
Also, I love that absolutely no one trusts Dulcimer an inch no matter what he says.
I wonder if anyone ever did a story about EquestriaPrime! Sombra dating Mirror!Celestia or something.
10797846
Step right up, folks! There's plenty of action and drama to go around!
10798053
I had to do it. I just had to do it.
I regret nothing!
*Kscht* Your call has been forwarded to *Kscht* Satan Enterprises. Please enjoy your eternal suffering.
When your legs start moving before you've had a chance to think.
At this point, a mercy.
10802211
Ah, yes, my mistake. Natter it is, then! He's even dating the maid! (sultry french accent not included)
I know it ain't the greatest, most foolproof plan, but I'm only arguing that the plan is a far cry better than Starswirl's "dump them on an unsuspecting populus unattended and undefended" plan that he used several times. Twilight was just hoping to make the unkillable god-monster beatable, and bring herself home while she was at it.
A family problem, a friendly problem, but definitely NOT a family-friendly problem!
They almost can't help but go public now. The cat's out of the bag, but where's the mice?
I can see it now! A vast parade full of colorful characters all dressed up as ponies and draconiqui, a zillion rides based on various mystical and wondrous locales, Seabreeze in a tutu gliding down a wire as fireworks explode behind the castle...
How's the royal vizier supposed to enact his ultimate plan if everybody's watching him? Shining's clearly not playing by the rules.
I'd love that, but I don't think I've ever seen one. People just seem to have a dislike anything IDW produces. If there had been an episode with these circumstances, I'm sure the fandom would have been all over it, but c'est la vie and que cera cera.