Insurgence

by Rose Quill

Slipstream

The tear formed above me, and I was forced into its vortex. I remembered the feeling from my confrontation with Twilight, but unlike last time, I didn't have a set destination, so I had to control the transit. Scenes of the past flipped by me like pictures in a picture book, and I found it difficult to focus on the moment I needed. If I was too far off one way or another, nothing I needed to do would work.

The snapshots of the past suddenly slowed, being frozen like a fanned out handful of photos. I looked around, confused and saw the battered form of Sorla standing nearby, looking around in confusion.

"I wondered how long it would take you to figure this out," a voice said from the darkness. "That whole not remembering bit is so inconvenient." It sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"Amara?" Sorla asked. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

A mare walked out from the shadows, form somewhere between a Changeling and a pony. She continued to shift subtly, growing longer and suddenly memory flared as she stood on her hind legs and her black coat became black clothing.

"Teleute," I breathed.

"Impressive," the Endless said, giving me a small bit of applause. "For you to remember out meeting means that you are different than most." She turned towards Sorla.

"I looked in on you when under your captivity in the hive, for it seemed you were close to entering my realm," she said, reaching out and passing a hand over the scars and wounds on the Unicorn, a look of sadness on her face. "Things are not going to be easy for you in the next several minutes, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, to speak frankly," Teleute said, running her hand through her dark mane of hair. "When time resumes, Sorla will remain here, in my realm. You alone will fall back out of the slipstream, and you will have to think fast to prevent the events you seek to alter. You will need her lifeforce to do so and to remember your purpose."

"But your realm is..." I began.

"I knew it was coming, Starlight," Sorla said. "The strain of the spells and the fact that the spell Chrysalis cast used life force instead of mana sealed that case. I was prepared for the price of penance."

I shook my head. "That's not penance," I said. "That's giving up."

"I should have been dealt with after the war," she said, looking at me. For the first time, I could make out her cutie mark, a closed book over a crescent moon. "That way none of this would have happened in the first place."

Teleute raised a hand. "Regardless, we must move quickly," she said. "If you have any final messages, I would say them swiftly."

Sorla looked at me, and nothing needed to be said. The look in her eyes was resignation and peace.

"Go save your friends," she whispered, and her body was sheathed in white light, dissipating into shards of incandescence as I felt a rush of magic soak into me, my horn sparking with the excess mana.

"This is the moment you will need," Teleute said, reaching out and causing a moment of time to freeze, the group of us facing off against Chrysalis, including Azure and Gleam Star. "Due to the nature of the spell, there will be a moment of adjustment for everyone but you. You have essentially just tied two points of non-congruous time together, so even events they have not encountered yet shall be remembered. It will be up to you to guide them through the transition."

I opened my mouth to ask a question when suddenly I was back in the world, horn still sparking.

"You'll have to take me down to get to her," Gleam growled as he scraped a hoof along the ground for traction. I thrust my horn forward and teleported him away as the telekinetic grip from the Changeling queen reached out for him. He stumbled a bit from the unexpected movement, but I used the confusion to lash Chrysalis' horn in a mantic grip.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Sorla from this moment of time fade away, and just as before the sudden separation caused Chrysalis a moment of weakness and confusion.

The Elements sparked in the light gold and silver collars glinting as the twelve ponies behind me floated into the air, myself being hauled up as well. Light lanced into me, and from the gem that reappeared around my neck shot a prismatic beam that encased the mad queen and bound her in it's chromatic bands.

"I think you've caused enough trouble with your magic, Chrysalis," I said, instinctively reaching out and severing her connection to the weave of this world. Changes were immediate as we all began shifting to human forms, and I felt as well as saw the shock in the mad queen's eyes as she beheld her new form.

"What is happening?" she shrieked.

"You stretched the boundaries of magic a little too far," Sunset said. "They're beginning to snap back into place. Soon all the damage you've done will have been reversed."

"And there is one thing you didn't consider," I said. "The spell you cast has a cost. It was meant as a sealing spell, to be used by a magus willing to sacrifice his mana or life force in it's casting. The rebound will seal your magic, instead."

The portal flared for a moment, the map table being sucked through, and Chrysalis dug her fingers into the ground to fight against a sudden pull.

"I will not be defeated this easily, Starlight Glimmer," she snarled, the tattered clothing around her snapping in a wind felt only by her. "My vengeance shall never dull, and I will revisit upon you torments you cannot imagine!"

"I've seen Equestria burned to ash through my arrogance," I said calmly. "Nothing you could do would hurt me more than that."

Screaming impotently, Chrysalis lost her grip and was pulled into the portal.

As I drifted back to the ground, damage caused by the convergence slowly repaired itself, leaving me feeling drained.

"Did that just happen?" Azure asked, looking at her hands and the leather bracers she was wearing, sword still dangling from her hip.

"Looks like," I said, grabbing her in a hug while tears streamed down my face.

---

Cadence dipped the cloth into the basin of water and went to hold it over Twilight's mouth when a flash of golden light momentarily blinded her. Blinking away the glare, she saw her sister-in-law's eyes flutter and begin to open.

"Twilight?" she asked hesitantly.

"The ladybug's awake," the lavender Alicorn said with a weak giggle and smile.

Cadence wrapped her up in a hug, tears running down her face as she laughed in relief.

---

"Are you ready?" Teleute, or Amara, or whoever it was asked.

I blinked sadly as I watched the handful of images of those friends being reunited with their families, the havoc undone but not healed yet. Time would take care of that.

"I suppose so," I said, lowering my head. "I'm ready to be judged."

"Oh, I'm not going to judge you," the woman said. "That's already been done. I'm here to carry out your sentence."

I closed my eyes. "So be it, then."

I felt a wash of cold, then a comforting warmth. It reminded me of a blanket on top of a feather bed.

"Sorla?" a baritone voice spoke. "Come along, it's time to get up. We have a meeting with the Saddle Arabian Prime minister today and we can't dilly dally."

My eyes flew open.

"Father?"

My father, Sombra, stood off to one side, a soft purple cloak slung along his withers against the chill of the morning air. He gave me an odd look.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked, his grey horn shimmering to life as I felt a gentle touch caress my forehead. "You seem a bit warm. Perhaps you should stay in bed today. I'm sure the Prime Minister will understand." He turned to leave. "I'll send Serenity to look after you. She'll know what's best."

I stared at the door as he left, the fact that I could see again paling at the fact that my father was alive, and not corrupted. I lit my horn and threw the covers to the side, looking at myself...

And seeing my unblemished brown coat, freshly washed if the way it shimmered in the morning light had anything to say on it.

"What in Equestria?" I whispered.

"Oh, that was my doing," a voice said from the air. "You see, you were willing to sacrifice everything to undo a wrong. The way we see it, you could use a little peace and happiness. I'll see you again, once the sands of your life run out."

I blinked. "How long will that be?" I asked a little nervously.

"Who can say?" the voice said. "But I'm sure it will be a long one. Make it a good one."

And just as the last word ended, the door to my room opened again to admit a glittering Crystal pony bearing a small nurses hat.

"Good morning, your grace," she said. "Your father said you were feeling a little out of sorts."

I blinked.

"That's one way to put it," I said.

Author's Note:

Ok, so this is the penultimate chapter of the story. I still plan on one more, maybe two, but the vast majority of the story is complete. Redemption for Sorla and a nice happy ending for her.

However, there are still things left to be done, and I am sorry this tale took so long to write!

Comments

[MySisterBroughtMeHere]

After all she's been through in this story, I believe Sorla has more than paid the price for what she's done and wish all her all the best in her new life.