• Published 21st Oct 2017
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The Problem of Evil - Quixotic Mage



What does it take to rule Equestria? Celestia’s vanished to give Luna a chance to find out. Twilight’s got strong opinions on just who should be in charge with Celestia gone. Meanwhile, Sombra stirs in the north, dreaming of himself on the throne

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Arc 3 Chapter 5: Those Left Behind

Nine days earlier

Twilight found the empty city comforting in its disregard. She was an introvert at heart, and months of running an army had drained her in ways she’d scarcely realized until she spent some time alone. To be alone in a library, well, there was no better balm imaginable for her bruised soul.

The past two days had been challenging. Readying an army to march in that short a time was no mean feat, even for Twilight. That difficulty had been compounded by the mission she had set herself for after the army departed. It had made so much sense at the time. When the Equestrian army left Sombra’s army would leave to pursue it, thus leaving the city empty and Sombra relatively unguarded.

Twilight had proposed that she be left behind, hidden in the city and able to seek out Celestia and/or Hvergelmir, depending on what seemed most promising. Perhaps she could even strike at Sombra himself if the opportunity arose, though she knew that such an attack was unlikely to be successful. Luna hadn’t wanted to permit it, but she’d seen the merit of the idea once they’d added an additional feature to the plan.

If Sombra knew that Twilight had split from the army, he would be on guard and he would place extra protections around important locations. If, however, they could convince him that Twilight had left the city with the rest of the ponies, he would have no reason to be so careful. To accomplish the deception Luna and Twilight had brought in Rarity. A persistent full body illusion was beyond any unicorn, except maybe Twilight, but a unicorn as skilled in minutiae as Rarity could provide the focus for the spell so long as the power came from somewhere else.

They’d hit on the plan of having the disguised Rarity sequester herself with Pinkie or stay in her tent. Both locations would have what would appear to be complicated defensive wards set up by Luna and the real Twilight. Their actual purpose would be to provide power and aid Rarity in sustaining the illusion. Luna would take over the spell while escorting “Twilight” from one location to the other under the pretense of receiving reports on her progress.

The plan itself was solid, though the gain was minute and the risk immense. After all, if Twilight were discovered she’d likely be killed or turned before anypony could help her. Fortunately for her purposes, Twilight had been able to rush Luna along before the princess had time to realize just how flimsy the plan was. Of course it was dangerous. That was the point.

Twilight found herself not particularly caring about the danger. She could feel in her bones that the city was the center of this conflux of events. Victory elsewhere would be no true victory.

So there she was, hidden deep in one of the shockingly well-preserved libraries that dotted the crystal city. A simple extrasensory spell had detected the vibrations of the Equestrian army leaving. That left her with a day or so to spend reading until Sombra’s army left in pursuit.

Twilight trotted along the rows of shelves, her hooves kicking up little puffs of dust as she scanned the ancient covers. So many of them looked tempting. It took all of her willpower not to grab the first book she saw and curl up with it until she ran out of time or the book was done. Unfortunately, even downtime like this was a precious resource. She walked among the shelves recording which books looked to contain the most useful information. Twilight was determined to be strategic in her reading selection.

One mystery troubled her more than any other. She knew, thanks to Luna and Sim, what Sombra’s end game was: dominion over Hvergelmir and the command of half the world’s magic that would come along with that. Thanks to her own efforts Twilight also knew the location of Celestia’s immortal magic. Of those two problems, Twilight was confident that the latter could not be solved via research. After all, an immortal had never before been separated from their power. However, that still left the question of where Sombra had gotten the power he’d needed to dominate Hvergelmir and possess ponies in the first place.

She paused to jot down the title and location of Crystals and You: A Treatise on Practical Applications of Crystalline Thaumaturgy in a Non-Starswirlian Reference Frame, before continuing with her musings. Sombra had been, by all accounts, an ordinary, if talented unicorn at some point. Ponies had repeatedly compared him to Twilight herself, but Twilight couldn’t think of any safe way to acquire the same level of power he’d already demonstrated.

She could think of a few unsafe ways. Equestria was no gentle fairytale land. There were plenty of beings lurking in the dark corners of the world that would be willing bargain with a summoner for power. If you didn’t care what you gave up you might even stand against an immortal, for a time. However, such deals tended to leave the pony in question bereft of crucial faculties such as self-control or sanity. Sombra, at least from what Twilight has seen, was still sane and ruthlessly self-controlled. Possession by some foul dark creature was unlikely, but admittedly couldn’t be fully ruled out.

Thump!

Twilight shot a foot in the air, her heart beating a mile a minute. A loud thump had come from the direction of her little cache of supplies. Her fear-filled mind immediately leapt to the conclusion that one of the dark creatures she’d just been ruminating on had come to gobble her up. The more rational part of her mind suspected that she’d been found already and her demise or enslavement was imminent. It was hard to say which option scared her more, but ignorance scared her most of all.

She turned, walking gingerly on the tips of her hooves as she crept back down the corridor. She said a silent goodbye as she moved past the bookshelves she’d been cataloguing, regretting all the books she’d not had time to read. Twilight had set up her supplies in a circular open area that might once have served as a reading room for visitors to the library. Fortunately, the corridor she was in made a sharp turn right before opening up, so she had a chance to get close without fear of being seen.

With the familiar shield spell ready and her mage’s blade just aching to be released, Twilight reached the turn and peered carefully around it. Instead of a monster or the possessed ponies that she’d feared, she found Spike rubbing his shin and grumbling at a nearby table.

“Stupid table, stupid limbs. I am never changing size again, it takes forever to get used to it,” he was muttering.

Still cautious, Twilight kept her spells prepared as she came around the corner. “Spike?” she called, “what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.”

Spike brightened up at the sound of her voice. “Twilight? Ha! I knew it!” he grinned and punched the air in triumph. “I knew you would be here.”

“You shouldn’t be here!” Twilight repeated, growing more agitated. “You have to leave, now. If you hurry you can still catch the army. Just go!”

“Whoa, easy there, Twilight,” Spike said, startled by her vehemence. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re here and you’re planning something, right? Then my place is by your side.”

“No! You can’t be here. It’s wrong. It’s all wrong.” Twilight’s voice was filled with wild agitation and she did not walk so much as stumble into the room to lean against a table.

“What’s wrong? Why shouldn’t I be here?” Spike took a step towards. “If this is about not wanting to put me in danger I understand, but I can’t just hang back with everything that’s going on. Is that it?”

“Yes! No. You don’t understand,” she said plaintively. “If you’re here then I don’t– I can’t–“ Twilight broke down, tears flowing from her one good eye. Her body trembled, wracked by sudden sobs.

“Twilight!” Spike scrambled forward, almost tripping over himself again. Standing before her he hesitated, clearly uncertain in the face of his elder sister’s breakdown. Finally, he tentatively wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. “There, there,” he murmured awkwardly. “It’ll be alright.”

For all that Spike wasn’t great at being comforting, Twilight spent a few moments taking solace in their togetherness. There was something to be said for the fact that, even after she had hidden herself away, Spike knew her well enough to be there for her. Some distant part of her mind noted that this was the first time they had hugged since he had grown larger than her. Twilight tried to find comfort in that, in the warmth of the fire in his scales and the feeling that for just those few moments she could forget the fearful world outside.

At last, her crying slowed enough that she could finish the sentence she hadn’t wanted to face the truth of. “If you’re here, Spike,” she whispered, “then I have to worry about making it home.”

“What do you mean? Oh. Oh, Twilight, no.” Spike’s eyes widened as he understood her meaning. Reflexively he hugged her tighter. “I can’t ask you to promise that we’ll both make it home okay. We’re facing a powerful enemy and nothing is certain. But I can ask, and I will ask, that you don’t just through your life away in a futile gesture.”

Twilight pushed him away and looked down, not meeting his eyes. “I wasn’t intending to, really. I just… I kind of figured that in this situation it would just happen. I deserve it anyway. If Fluttershy doesn’t get to go home, then why should I?”

“Come on, you know that’s not how it works.” He placed a claw on her shoulder. “You know she wouldn’t want that.”

“I do know. Intellectually I know that. I just can’t make myself care.” Twilight’s horn lit up for a moment and then sparked and fizzled out. She gave a bitter laugh. “I thought so. I can’t even make myself care enough to cast that shield spell around myself anymore.”

“You first cast it to protect me,” Spike said slowly. “So, how about this? I want you to promise to protect your life as if it were my life. Because I know you wouldn’t just throw my life away. And I can guarantee you that if you don’t make it home, I might as well not either.”

Twilight looked up at her dragon. “Spike, I just showed you I can’t–“

“You can,” he interrupted her. “You can protect yourself. You have to give some thought to preserving your own life, or I swear to Princess Celestia I will pick you up and carry you all the way back to the army.

Twilight coughed, caught somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “Spike, you couldn’t do that.”

“I can and I will,” he insisted. “Just think how silly you’ll look. All the soldiers will see their former commander getting carried back into camp like a little foal that’s snuck out after bed time. It’ll ruin all that work into sneaking away too.”

Twilight stared at the floor for another moment and took in a deep breath, bringing her hoof to her chest. Then she slowly exhaled, letting the hoof fall back down. After three repetitions she felt marginally more in control of herself. “Alright Spike. You’re right.”

He shook his head. “I’m not letting this drop until you actually say it.”

“Spike, that’s not–“

“Say it.”

“Spike…”

“Say. It.”

“Ugh, fine.” Twilight flopped into a sitting position on the floor and rolled her eyes. “I promise to look after my life as if it were your life. Are you happy now? Little brothers are so annoying.”

Spike chuckled slightly. “Yeah always telling you to look out for yourself, how horrible of me.”

“So horrible,” Twilight agreed. She placed a hoof against his side. “I guess I am glad you’re here, at least a little. But I don’t think a simple promise is going to fix me.”

“Then we’ll talk about it,” Spike said gesturing wildly. “We’ll spend days and days and truly ludicrous amounts of tea trying to get over it, or come to terms with it, or just learning to live with it. But we’ll do it together. The two of us and all your friends and Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, once we rescue her, and anypony else we need. But you won’t face it alone and you can’t just give up like you were considering. Deal?”

Twilight nodded firmly. “Deal.” Spike smiled at her and she managed a twitch of the lips in response. It wasn’t exactly a smile, but at least it was better than the bitter twist she’d worn before. She clapped her hooves together sharply, and a hard focus returned to her one eye. “Now, there are certain things I need to know before we go any further.”

“Should I be taking notes?” Spike asked wryly.

“No, but maybe I should. It could be important in spotting what mistakes I made.” With a quick thought Twilight grabbed a quill and paper in her magic and levitated them before her. “How did you figure out I was missing and that I would be here?”

Spike scratched his chin as he thought. “Well, you remember that I was helping you organize the army to leave? The first oddity I noticed was that you ordered Barrel, the quartermaster, to abandon a box of dried alfalfa. Everypony was ordered to jettison as much as possible, but I know how much you love alfalfa sandwiches and a box of greens is hardly heavy.”

Twilight’s quill continued to scratch across the page as she glanced askance at Spike. “Seriously? That was enough to make you suspicious?”

“Hey,” he said, tapping that selfsame box of alfalfa nestled among her supplies, “I was right, wasn’t I?”

“So it seems,” Twilight said. “Anyway, please continue.”

“There’s not much more to tell,” Spike said, shrugging. “I kept a close eye on you after that and I saw you, Princess Luna, and Rarity go into a tent. Princess Luna and Rarity left soon after and she was disguised as you.”

“But how could you tell?” Twilight asked insistently. “I thought the illusion we cooked up was just about perfect.”

“Twilight, I’ve lived with you for my entire life. And I’ve, er, paid a lot of attention to Rarity over the years,” he added sheepishly.

Twilight rolled her eyes fondly. “Spike your crush on Rarity is the worst kept secret in Ponyville, and considering how fast gossip gets around that’s saying something.”

“Anyway,” Spike said pointedly, “the upshot of that is I have a pretty good sense of how each of you walk, your resting expressions, and all the other unique little traits that make up everypony.”

“And that let you know that it was really Rarity disguised as me?” Twilight asked skeptically.

“She hesitated before walking through a puddle that you had completely ignored on the way in. She tossed her mane twice just while I was watching and I’ve never seen you do that. She walked a pace behind the princess and referred to her as ‘Princess Luna’ when you’ve recently made a point of treating Princess Luna as an equal and calling her by name.” Spike ticked off the details on his claws. “Yeah, it was pretty clear that that was Rarity and not you.”

“Ok, so, say you were a total stranger,” Twilight proposed. “Do you think you would have been able to tell us apart? Or was everything based on your familiarity with the two of us?”

“I don’t think just anypony would have been able to figure it out. I can’t be sure of course. You were trying to trick Sombra, right?” Spike asked.

Twilight nodded. “Ideally I’ll get a shot at him when his guard is down because he thinks I’m still with the army. Hay, even if he figures out that Rarity isn’t me that doesn’t mean he’ll know where I am.”

Spike shifted in his seat and looked over at Twilight uncertainty. “So, we go on?”

“We go on,” Twilight confirmed. “Get comfy Spike, we’ve got about two days of research before Sombra’s army moves out and we can make our move.”

Spike chuckled. “It’s just like old times. Want a refreshing pot of sapphire steeped Darjeeling tea?”

That almost eked a full smile out of Twilight. “That sounds lovely Spike. There’s a box in the corner and I’m sure a packed a tea kettle near the water barrels.” Spike had turned to start brewing when Twilight called after him. “Oh, and Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Hold the sapphires.”

“One of these days, Twilight. One of these days.”

Though the library was not their library, they nevertheless fell back into a comforting and familiar rhythm. Spike would go on book runs and take care of little details like food and tea. Twilight would devour each book she was brought, skimming more quickly than she would have liked to try and find useful information. When something seemed promising they’d take a break and talk it over, with Twilight bouncing ideas off of Spike like a pony playing tennis against a wall.

Truthfully, there was more talking than reading and not all of that talking was strictly restricted to Sombra. They had spent more time apart in the past six months than at any time previously and to just have the chance to chat again was restorative for both of them. And if the talk sometimes drifted to Fluttershy and tears, well, that too was restorative in its own way.

Twilight was almost happy. For the first time since she had woken up in a bizarro-world without Celestia, she felt like she was where she belonged. The peace couldn’t last, of course, but even in its impermanence it leant Twilight the strength she needed for one final push. It was a bandage, not a panacea, but a bandage was enough.

Spike and Twilight heard the rumble of Sombra’s departing army begin early on the second day. It took until afternoon for the rumble to cease and it was evening before Twilight felt confident that the army was fully gone. Neither Spike nor Twilight wanted to venture forth in the dark, so they elected to spend one more night in their library refuge.

Bright and early the next morning Twilight and Spike gathered what supplies they could carry. Twilight donned the armor she’d been gifted by the dragons and worn in battle against the griffons. The lavender scales had been scrubbed clean of blood and darkened slightly with polish to help it stand out less against a muted backdrop. Twilight cinched it tight and nodded in satisfaction when it scarcely rustled as she walked.

“Ready Spike?”

Spike slung his own pack over his shoulder and nodded. “Ready, Twilight.”

Together the pony and the dragon walked out of the library. Twilight shot one last backward glance and, deep in her heart, knew the ending for what it was.

So passed the last peaceful days of Archmage Twilight Sparkle.

***

Spike and Twilight emerged into an empty city. Their chosen hiding spot had been slightly away from the main pony encampment, in case Sombra sent soldiers over to check if anything, or anypony, had been left behind. They were practically on the outskirts of the city, with only a single wall between them and the outside.

Unfortunately, that meant they were fairly far from the central spire. Twilight raised a hoof to shield her eyes against the glare and gazed forward. Row upon row of crystal buildings stood before her, rising in ring after ring. Looming over everything, so tall that it blotted out the sun, stood the crystal spire.

It should have glimmered in the sun, much like the other buildings occasionally fractured the light and let off sharp glints to stab like daggers into the eyes. It should have, but it did not. Instead, the crystal itself seemed smoky and clouded and the shadow it cast was darker than it had any right to be.

“That’s where we’re going?” Spike asked, following Twilight’s gaze.

“Probably. That spell I used to find Celestia will give me the general direction so I was just planning on following that.” She dropped her hoof back to the ground and glanced around the street in front of them. “I’d be shocked if it took us anywhere else, though.”

“Any ideas on how to get there?”

Twilight shot him a sardonic look and he rolled his eyes in response.

“I mean besides just walking toward it,” he clarified. “These streets don’t follow straight lines and I don’t think we want to spend too much time wandering around.”

“You’re probably right,” Twilight conceded. “But I don’t have a better idea. Let’s just start moving and see how our progress is. We’ll stick to the buildings where we can. I don’t want it to be easy for anypony he left behind to spot us.”

“Roger that.” Spike hoisted his bag and the two set off down the street.

Progress was slow. They crept from building to building, staying inside whenever possible and out of line of sight of the spire when the buildings gave out. It was frustrating playing hide and seek with the largest structure around. The lack of reaction during the times they were forced to make a run for it made all the care they were taking even more aggravating. For all they knew their efforts at sneaking were useless and they had been spotted the second they emerged from the library. Or, contrarily, no pony was even keeping watch and they could have strolled right through the city without any problems.

Despite the frustration, Twilight was committed to being careful. Surprise was the strongest weapon they had and she was not willing to surrender it out of laziness. Spike, as always, followed her lead.

The two barely spoke as they walked. They were well familiar with each other’s silences and fearful of listening ears. Only hooves and claws made noise as they clicked or thumped on the crystal cobblestones.

Around noon Twilight called a break so she could eat lunch, dipping into the supplies she’d brought from the library. As a dragon, Spike could have gone for far longer without eating, but he was certainly glad to have a chance to rest his legs as well. After a quick alfalfa sandwich the two kept moving.

Travel was easier after lunch. The sun was no longer behind the spire meaning they weren’t in or near its shadow anymore. Twilight hadn’t realized just how much that shadow had been weighing on her until it was swept away by the warmth of the sun. Though they were still careful, they felt as though they were moving much faster.

A careful casual conversation even sprung up, the usual nothings of family members that have spent forever together. They felt almost like tourists, seeing the sights of a new city. Spike pulled a tour guide impersonation, making up interesting facts about every fountain and building they passed. Twilight found it within her to briefly play along, and she insisted on looking for a gift shop when they passed a building whose wide open front doors and interior glass cases clearly marked it as a former museum.

The good humor didn’t last long, but they felt lighter for having had those moments. Any trace of normalcy helped while traversing a place made uncanny by how clearly it was meant to be teeming with life. Walking through a dead city left them with the unalterable impression of being trespassers. Worse still was the feeling that, if they stayed for too long, they would come to belong in that desolate city.

As the sun sunk below the outer walls and the shadows lengthened they felt the same weight from that morning return. Any trace of their early afternoon levity died and every step seemed a terrible burden. Still, they had made good time while their good mood had persisted, and they reached the last ring of buildings before the spire just as it was getting too dark to continue.

“Let’s rest somewhere around here for the night,” Twilight said, calling a halt. “I don’t want to reach the spire in the dark.”

“Good thinking. What about that building?” Spike pointed over to their right at a smaller building nestled right up against one of the larger mansions. By the looks of it, it had been either a gardener’s shed or the servant’s house, assuming the larger building had belonged to a Noble.

“Let’s check it out.” Twilight trotted over and opened the door. She peered inside, lighting her horn so she could see. The first room had a U-shaped receptacle that had probably one held a fire cooking pit. There was a counter next to the fire pit and an island counter in the center of the room. Even better, the wall with the fire pit was closest to the spire and, as such, had no windows giving them at least three layers of crystal building between their prospective camp and the spire.

“I think this will do nicely, Spike. You do a quick check of the rest of the house and I’ll get set up.” Spike nodded and wandered off to explore the building while Twilight settled her pack on the floor and began to sort out what she’d need.

Less than an hour later there were shades on all the windows and a dim magical lavender fire was crackling in the fire pit. Twilight had set out the one sleeping bag she’d brought for herself. She’d also brought a spare blanket which she’d spread out next to her for Spike. Between the fire and his natural hardiness, he’d insisted that that would be sufficient.

Dinner was burritos with rice and beans from the supplies Twilight had brought, easily warmed in her magical fire. Spike sprinkled his with a few gems he’d brought from camp when he snuck away and they took their first few bites while the water for tea warmed over the fire. They ate in silence, recovering from the day’s emotionally, if not physically challenging trek. As they finished their meal Spike spoke up for the first time since he’d returned from exploring the house.

“Do you think we should set a watch tonight?” he asked.

“I’m leaning toward no,” Twilight said. She leaned forward and grasped the tea kettle in her magic, pouring herself a steaming cup. “I can set some hidden wards to alert us if anypony comes close, and I’d rather we were both at our best for the spire tomorrow.”

Spike held out his cup and Twilight filled that up as well. “Won’t Sombra be able to get around any wards you set? I mean, you took weeks making the more secure ones around the library and he’s pretty darn powerful.”

“If Sombra knows we’re here than it doesn’t matter what wards I set or if we keep a watch. There’s not much we can do against him yet.” Twilight took a sip of the hot tea and sighed with pleasure as the scalding liquid warmed her from within. “The wards are just to give us time to hide if he happens to be heading this way without knowing that we’re here.”

“Alright then.” Spike threw back his cup and swallowed its steaming contents, apparently enjoying a pleasant warming sensation from what would have caused significant burns to most other species. “I guess it’s time to hit the hay.” He made to go curl up under his blanket, but Twilight stopped him.

“Wait, Spike, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.” Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Well, I’ve been putting it off too, but I don’t think I can wait any longer.”

Spike tilted his head curiously. “With that kind of lead in you’ve made me curious. You know you can tell me anything, Twilight.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Ok, here goes. You remember what I said about the memory spell that was placed on me? How it took my feelings and memories for my family and redirected those emotions to Celestia?”

“Yeah. What about it?” Spike asked, still unsure where Twilight was going with this.

“I figured all of that out because a member of my family contacted me. Or at least, somepony who claims to be a member of my family,” Twilight hedged. “I’m not fully convinced, but the preliminary tests seem to suggest…” she trailed off.

Spike had stiffened and was staring blankly ahead. With an effort of will he forced a smile on his face. “That’s great, Twilight! Really, really great.”

“I appreciate the attempt to be happy for me,” Twilight said gently. “But why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

He slumped to the floor and spoke at barely above a whisper. “I think I understand a bit better how you acted around Iolite. I want to be happy for you. And I am! But my first thought was to be afraid you wouldn’t need me now that you’ve got a pony family.”

“Oh Spike, I’ll always need you. You’re my number one assistant after all.” Twilight stood up and trotted over to Spike, sitting down so that their sides were just barely touching. “Besides I told them that we were a package deal. If they want me back in their lives, then they have to get to know my little brother too.”

“You really said that?” Spike asked, peeking over at her.

“I said it and I meant it.” Twilight confirmed. “That’s part of why I’m telling you this now. If something happens to me–“

“Twilight” Spike said warningly.

“I promised to look after my life, and I will. But as you said, this is dangerous and there are no guarantees.” Twilight sniffed, at the edge of tears again and frustrated about it. “I just want you to know you still have some family, if the worst happens.”

“You mean, we have some family to get to know after we both get out of here,” Spike corrected firmly, sitting up to his full height before softening. “But I appreciate it, Twilight, thanks for telling me. So who are these family members, anyway? Anypony I know?”

“Duh,” Twilight smacked her face. “This doesn’t do you much good if you don’t know who they are. Apparently, Captain Shining Armor is my older brother. My mother is a writer named Twilight Velvet and my father is an astronomer named Nightlight. They live in Canterlot and that is the extent of my knowledge.”

“That’s it?” Spike chuckled. “Come on Twilight, you weren’t more curious about your long lost family?”

“I’ve been a little pressed for time recently,” Twilight said defensively.

“Please, defeating evil should be old hat for you by now,” Spike teased. “New family members are much more interesting.”

“This time is different,” Twilight said sadly and Spike winced at his faux pas.

“So, Shining Armor,” he said, trying to move the conversation forward. “He seems like a good stallion.”

“Yeah, he’s been pretty essential these past few months. And he’s pretty good at magic too. Apparently it runs in the family. He’s got a wife back home, so I guess that’s another pony for us to get to know.” Twilight looked Spike straight in the eye. “Seriously though, Spike, are you okay with this?”

“Of course I am,” Spike said with certainty. “I’m looking forward to expanding our family.” He hesitated, then continued tentatively. “In that vein, though, if you wanted to spend more time with Iolite and I, well, I’d like that a lot.”

Twilight blinked. “You want me to spend time with the two of you? I thought I’d just get in the way of you learning about being a dragon.”

“It’s not all lessons, Twilight,” Spike chuckled. “Though maybe I should warn your family that that’s the best way to approach you. Mostly we just talk, you know, get to know each other a little better. I’d love it if you were there for that some of the time.”

“I didn’t realize you felt that way.” Twilight took another sip of her tea, making a face as she realized it had grown cold while they talked. “I’d be happy to join you two sometime.” Her mouth quirked slightly. “With all this talk of the ponies and dragons we have to get to know I’m really looking forward to being done dealing with this little problem.”

“That’s the spirit!” Spike encouraged, before a mischievous grin slid across his face. “So, do you think your parents have any embarrassing pictures from your foalhood?”

Twilight swatted him. “No, but I bet you were dropped as an egg. Now, serious conversation over. Time to sleep.” A quick flick of magic dragged her sleeping bag over and she was inside and fake snoring in seconds.

“Fine, Twilight,” Spike chuckled again. “We’re all done with the serious conversation. Good night.” He settled himself cozily under his blanket and yawned widely as Twilight dimmed the light from her magic fire.

Twilight rolled over and could see his eyes closing. Without leaving her warm sleeping bag she spent a few minutes cleaning up their tea and rigging up a basic warning ward.

As she finished she let her magic fade, leaving the fire as no more than a night light, she whispered, “Good night Spike. Sleep well.” Then she drifted off to sleep.

***

“Do you think he saw us,” Spike whispered. He was crouched next to Twilight and the both of them were panting from their mad dash to the base of the crystal spire.

“I think we’d know by now if he had.” Twilight chanced a glance around. The spire and its immediate environs had the unnatural stillness she’d come to associate with the empty city. They’d found that the spire was surrounded by a courtyard that once must have been quite grand. Unfortunately, it provided exactly zero cover for them to make their approach unobserved. Robbed of any way to be stealthy, Twilight had checked for obvious traps or wards and then they’d made a run for it.

Spike nodded and stretched to his full height, just a few inches taller than Twilight. “I suppose there’s no reason to linger. It’s not like there’s much we can do if we are seen. Any idea which door it is?”

“Give me a minute.” Twilight turned her attention to the spire’s supports and the doors set into each one. The ice that had covered the doors when Luna had first encountered Sombra had long since melted with the full return of the Crystal Empire, and the four wooden doors stood out clearly against the crystal of the spire. “Let’s see, Luna mentioned she found Sombra’s prison at the base of the southernmost door, so let’s skip that one.”

“That rules out one, any thoughts on the remaining three?”

“Hmm, I’m going to chance a little magic. Keep an eye out Spike.” Twilight ignited her horn and reached for the spell she had cast to track Celestia. Creating it had been challenging, but once she had identified the necessary search parameters the spell itself was little more than a glorified tracking spell. It sent out a faint wave of magic and she received a ping when that wave encountered the pattern she was looking for. Hopefully it would be too faint for Sombra to detect.

With a quick wish for luck, she cast the spell. The ping responded almost instantly, not surprising considering that magic in its natural state propagated at the speed of light. It was almost straight down from the center of the spire and equidistant from each door.

“Well that didn’t help.”

“No luck?” Spike asked.

“Celestia’s magic is basically straight down from the center.” Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “Let’s take the northernmost door. It’s the farthest from Sombra’s prison. Plus, Luna mentioned that Hvergelmir was one of two poles of the world, so it makes sense that it would be as close to the edge of the world as possible.”

“That’s as good a reason as any.” Spike shrugged. “I’m getting nervous being out in the open like this, so I’d just as soon we pick one and get moving.”

“Alright, north it is.” Moving forward, Twilight tried to open the door and was somewhat disturbed to find that it swung open at the lightest touch. “I guess Sombra doesn’t like squeaky doors,” she commented.

“Let’s take it as a good sign. He’d probably have had to visit Hvergelmir to claim it, and clearly somepony’s been using this pathway.”

“Right. Optimism.” Twilight strode forward and lit her horn to push back the encroaching gloom. Before her was a deep spiraling staircase long enough that she couldn’t see the bottom. “This matches what Luna said. Come on Spike, we’ve got a lot of walking to do.”

“Right behind you.” He stepped inside and slowly swung the door shut. At Twilight’s glance he explained, “I didn’t want anypony coming by to know that this door had been used.”

“Makes sense,” Twilight agreed, though a sense of unease permeated her and set her coat standing on end. With the door closed the purple glow of her magic threw strange dancing shadows against the walls and she couldn’t help but feel like the walls were closing in on her.

There was nothing to be done for that though, so she turned and began to descend the steps. The steady four-part thump of her hooves was matched by the two part click of Spike’s claws and settled into a hypnotic rhythm. Despite the urgency of their task Twilight’s mind began to drift. A part of her wondered if they had already fallen for some kind of infinite staircase trap and were doomed to continue descending for the rest of their lives without ever getting anywhere.

In the end, it was a mundane need that broke her from her fugue. Her stomach rumbled and Twilight realized she could really do with a bite to eat before going any further. She was comforted by the discomfort though. It served to mark their progress and assure her that they really had been moving forward the whole time. A glance upward showed no sign of the staircase’s beginning and served to confirm that they had indeed left the surface far behind.

Content with their progress, Twilight called a quick stop for lunch. Spike didn’t need to eat quite yet, but he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. A quick alfalfa sandwich from their supplies for Twilight and a few gems for Spike took care of their hunger as they sat on the stairs. Both leaned against the wall, leery of the empty shaft at the center of the staircase. After finishing they moved on, a new spring in their step.

Perhaps it was that new spring, or perhaps they had been near the bottom anyway, but after scarcely another hour of walking the stairs ended and they reached a wide open area. As best they could tell in the flickering light cast by Twilight’s horn, it was empty save for a single wooden door set across the open space from the end of the staircase.

Twilight made a rough guess that the staircase had ended on the northern part of the spiral. Therefore, the wooden door would lead them south toward the exact center of the crystal spire far above. That seemed promising.

Moving closer, Twilight saw the light from her horn reflect off of a dark crystal set into a diamond-shaped holder mounted on the top of the doorframe. It might have been solely for decoration, but somehow Twilight doubted it. She powered her horn up further in preparation for a diagnostic spell. Before the spell even had a chance to fire Twilight gasped and canceled out almost all of her magic, dimming even the light until she could barely see.

Noting the sudden change in lighting, Spike came running. “What’s wrong?”

Twilight gagged, coming close to losing the lunch she had so recently eaten. She sank to the ground, wrapping her hooves around herself with a muttered curse. “Idiot! I should have seen this coming. You remember how magic works? How unicorns slowly take in natural magic and convert it to their own brand for use?”

“Yeah, but what’s the problem with that?”

“The problem is that is that we’re exceedingly close to Hvergelmir, a source of natural magic that is in the process of being claimed by Sombra.” Twilight pushed herself to her feet. “As my body takes in new natural magic I also take in his taint, just like when the dragons ate the crystal he’d infected. I couldn’t feel it earlier because I had used so little magic.”

“So, what, you can’t use magic at all?” Spike rubbed the back of his head and looked away from her. “I know you won’t want to, but I can’t help thinking we should turn back.”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s not quite that bad. I’m nearly fully charged, as it were, and he only gains ground when I use magic and my body takes in natural magic to refill my stores. Basically, I’ll have to save everything I’ve got for the confrontation with him. I was going to keep the magic use to a minimum anyway since he probably has detection spells. This might even help me blend in and avoid his notice.”

“That sounds to me like you’re just rationalizing the decision to stay,” Spike said. He moved closer and placed a comforting claw on her trembling shoulder. “Your one tankful of magic isn’t going to be enough to beat him. Face it, staying just went from dangerous to actively suicidal.”

“Leaving wouldn’t help,” Twilight said quietly. “The effect is more obvious because of how close we are to Hvergelmir, but this effect is already spreading. After a certain point no unicorns will be able to use magic without falling to him completely. Pegasi will probably go next since they spend magic every time they fly, and earth ponies shortly after that. Then there’ll be absolutely no hope left.” She took a deep breath and her face firmed, uncertainty disappearing. “This bastard killed one of my friends and threatens everypony I care about. He’s not taking my magic from me too.”

“We go on then?” Spike asked, already resigned to his fate.

“We go on,” Twilight confirmed.

“In that case, if you’re not using magic, then I should take the lead. I am a little more durable after all.” He patted her shoulder one more time and then stepped past her.

Twilight wanted to object, but the sad truth was that without her magic there wasn’t much she could do. There was no way of knowing how much corruption it would take for Sombra to begin affecting her, meaning there was no safe amount of magic to use. Even the light spell was a risk, though on the lowest setting it used such a miniscule amount of magic that the drain was barely detectable.

“Alright,” she said reluctantly. “You lead. Be careful though. Stop the second anything looks strange.”

“Got it.” They approached the wooden door and Spike grasped the iron ring that served as a handle and swung it open.

A white light blazed out from the open doorway. The crystal above resonated with a darkness so black it stood out even in the dim cavern and seemed burned into that white light. Twilight barely had time to process that they’d activated a trap before the wave of magic washed over her.

The world was filled with white mist. Dazed, Twilight wandered forward. Her head as stuffed full of cotton as the world around her appeared to be. Thoughts moved at the speed of molasses and she couldn’t summon the concentration to even reach for her magic. Taking another step forward the mist began to thin, slightly, though the mist in her head did not.

Another step and her surroundings began to look familiar. A final step and everything was colored in, though it still wavered as if she had a fever or was seeing everything through a heat wave.

She stood in the royal court at Canterlot. Nobles filled the room, uncommonly quiet, but she could see hurriedly suppressed smiles of vindictive glee from many of them. When she attempted to take another step she understood why they were smiling.

Twilight Sparkle was wrapped in the chains of criminal before the Equestrian throne. Slowly, she raised her eye tracing the carmine carpet up to the dais and the golden throne that stood there. Hesitantly, she forced her eye that last bit upward and saw Princess Celestia, arrayed in the full raiment of her office.

Even in that predicament Twilight’s heart leapt to see her mentor after so long. Not even the cold hard face of judgment the princess wore could dampen the ember of hope that had a flamed to life in Twilight’s chest.

“Princess Celestia,” she called out. “It’s so good to see you. Please, there must be some mistake with these chains. We need to catch you up so you can help us figure out how to deal with this situation.” Twilight reached out with a hoof only to be stopped by the rattle of the chains.

“There is no mistake, Twilight Sparkle.” There was not an ounce of familiarity or care in the princess’s voice and the sheer disregard readily snuffed out that brief taste of hope. “You have served your purpose. Now that Luna has returned I have no further use for you.”

As Princess Celestia spoke, Princess Luna became apparent, seated docilely in a smaller seat one step removed down the dais.

Was she there before? Twilight wondered. She must have been. It’s not like she just appeared there, right?

“You’re abandoning me now that Luna is back?” Twilight asked aloud. There prospect hurt to be sure, but she was mostly just confused. “That seems strange.” Something tickled the back of her mind, if only she could think clearly.

“I never cared for you Twilight. I care only for Luna’s wellbeing. You were nothing more than a means to an end.” Celestia was in front of Twilight, though she hadn’t seemed to move. The trappings of the nobles and the court faded away, replaced by the plush hangings and cushions of the private royal chambers. They’d spent many hours together there as student and teacher. Only the presence of Luna differentiated the happy past from the miserable present. Her, and the chains which still bound Twilight.

“I know,” Twilight said flatly in answer to Celestia’s barb. “You made that abundantly clear when you abandoned me and Equestria because you thought Luna needed some time without you.

Celestia was caught flatfooted by the response. She opened her mouth to reply and then stopped and stepped backward, fading into mist.

Once again, the white mist covered everything and Twilight’s mind fuzzed over.

“What was I– Was Celestia here?” she wondered aloud. She stepped forward and then halted in confusion because it felt too easy, somehow, to walk forward. “I was wearing something. Clothes? Chains? Ugh, my head.”

Holding a hoof to her aching muddled head, she took another step and saw, with a sense of familiarity she couldn’t quite place, that the mist was lifting. Another step and the ground turned to solid wood beneath her, with wooden walls rising on all sides. A final step and it was clear. She stood in her home, the Golden Oak Library.

“I’m not certain, but I don’t think I’ve been here for a quite a while.” Speaking aloud seemed to help make things more real, more solid. “Still, it’s good to see my old friends again.” She trotted forward, running her hoof along the spines of her books, letting it linger on old favorites and trip lightly over those she loved least.

Before she could truly begin to take comfort from the familiarity, the door banged open and her friends rushed in.

“Twilight, you gotta come quick!” Rainbow Dash shouted, tugging her toward the door.

“Now hold on there sugarcube,” said Applejack, ever the voice of reason. “She can’t come up with a plan if she don’t know what’s going on. It’s like this.” More sounds poured out of Applejack’s mouth, presumably an explanation of the situation, but none of the meaning made its way to Twilight.

At first, Twilight thought it might be a loss of concentration on her part. She peered closely at Applejack, watching the other pony’s lips move and trying to match sounds to movements to meanings. Nothing lined up. As far as she could tell, Applejack was spitting nonsense syllables.

With a glance she confirmed that the others understood all understood what was being said. They were all nodding along, though Dash was practically jogging in place, so impatient was she to be out the door. Turning back to Applejack, Twilight almost missed her reversion to actual words.

“So Twi, that’s the sitch. What do we do?” The looked at her expectantly, all of them waiting for her to take charge and save the day.

“I’m sorry, girls, I don’t understand. I don’t know what to do,” Twilight admitted sadly.

“What?” Rainbow Dahs exploded. “What do you mean you don’t know? You’re Twilight, knowing’s all your good for!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity snapped. “That was uncalled for. I’m sure Twilight just meant to say she needs to do some research. Isn’t that right darling?”

“No, it isn’t. I couldn’t understand Applejack when she explained the problem. There’s no way for me to plan around something I can’t even comprehend.”

“Gee, Twilight, you’re kinda useless then,” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.

“Yeah, Twi. You’ve really let us down,” Applejack said. “I honestly don’t think I even want to be friends with you anymore.” Twilight’s head drooped lower as her friends chimed in one after the other to disown her for her failure.

“Now girls,” came a whispery voice practically dripping with pity and condescension. “It’s not Twilight’s fault she’s let us all down. I’m sure she didn’t mean to.”

Twilight’s head shot up and she scanned back and forth looking for the pony that had spoken. It took a moment to spot the other mare, hidden as she was behind Rarity.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked incredulously. “But that’s not possible. You died. I know you did. You died in the Crystal Empire and it was my fault!”

Twilight’s last words came out at a shout and everything around her froze. Cracks spread across the world around her as it flickered between library and mist. Pieces of wooden ceiling turned to mist as they fell and poofed into oblivion as they hit the ground.

Everything was shaking and falling and twisting into a vortex and being blown away all at once. It was all Twilight could do to curl up into a ball and shut her eye to the madness around her.

With one last terrifying rumble the ground fell still. After a moment, Twilight dared open her eye again. She found herself back in the room under the crystal spire. Or, as she immediately realized, she had never left. The wooden door stood open, but the crystal at its top glowed dark purple and sickly green threaded through with black.

Whimpering sounded from next to her, and Twilight spun in place to see Spike staring unseeing into the doorway.

“How did I get– No! I don’t want to go. Please, Twilight, don’t make me leave you behind,” he begged.

Instinctively, Twilight reached for her magic to try to devise a counter to the black enchantment that held Spike prisoner. Instinctively, too, she recoiled from the taint of Sombra’s magic that had already colored it. Looking for some other way to help, she was hit by the obvious solution.

Hurrying forward, Twilight put her full weight against the door and slammed it shut. At once the fell glow faded from the crystal.

Blinking rapidly, Spike shook his head and looked around. “Where– the Crystal Empire. But that means…” he trailed off. Spotting Twilight, he leapt forward and hugged her tightly. “You’re still here. I was in Ponyville. I thought you had sent me back and gone on alone. But you’re still here!”

“I’m still here, Spike.” She hugged him back. “I wouldn’t send you back like that. Not unless everything were hopeless.”

“Even if it’s hopeless, Twilight, please don’t send me home to die alone,” he begged.

Twilight closed her eye and wished with all her might that she had never had to hear those words from her little brother. When her eye opened again it was another little bit dimmer, and hope seemed more distant than ever.

“Ok, Spike,” she said with a ragged breath. “Ok. No matter how bad it gets I won’t tell you to run and save yourself. Because you’re right. That would just be condemning you to a slower death or enslavement.”

“Thank you.” He broke the hug and stared into her one purple eye with his two green ones. “Really. I know it’s a small mercy. But thank you.”

Not trusting her voice, Twilight merely nodded.

A moment passed in silence, the both of them trying to gather themselves back together.

Hesitantly, Spike asked, “so how do we keep moving?”

A question. Questions were good, Twilight knew what to do with questions. “Use your flame on the crystal at the top of the door,” she answered.

“Won’t that tell Sombra that we’re here?” he asked, already moving to do as she’d said.

“We set off the trap. If that didn’t alert him to our presence, then breaking it shouldn’t either. If it did alert him then I don’t want to be here when he comes to check it out. Either way, we need to move on as quickly as possible.”

“Right, one fried crystal coming up.” Spike stretched himself up to his full length and leaned his arms against the door. Up on his tip toes his mouth was only about a foot from the crystal. He opened his mouth wide and a familiar jet of green flame lanced into the crystal. There was a painful shriek like metal silverware on a ceramic plate. The sickly green and purple magic oozed out of the crystal and wailed as the dragon flame burned through it.

Spike jumped back as the strange liquid magic dripped down where he had been standing. Still, he kept his flame pointed at the crystal and after another moment they were rewarded with the painful screech skirling upwards and trailing off. Spike kept his flame up a moment longer, just to be sure.

“I think that’s enough Spike.” Twilight waited a moment after his flame cut off to allow time for the door to cool, then trotted forward and cautiously opened it by hoof. Instead of the bright light from the previous time, they saw a simple opening. In contrast with the carefully carved staircase and perfectly circular room in which they stood, the corridor in front of them was rough and unpolished. Jagged edges and rough patches marked the walls and the floor changed from even tile to uncut stone.

“This looks like the way forward,” Twilight said. “Come on, I have a sneaking suspicion that we’re not too far.” She entered the passageway and Spike hurried to keep up.

The two walked in silence for a time. Their steps often sent the pebbles underhoof scuttling forward to clack and bounce unpredictably against the irregular walls. The air was stale and close, as if no living breath had disturbed it for countless centuries. Twilight’s dim light spell confused more than it illuminated, making each outcropping of rock seem like a shadow waiting to pounce.

Perhaps to drive away a silence that had become oppressive, or perhaps simply because he genuinely wanted to know that answer, Spike tried to make conversation. “Since I’m a dragon and nominally immune to most magic, why did that trap back there work on me?”

Twilight was always willing to dispense magical knowledge, even in the direst of circumstances. “Remember how Sombra captured the other dragons? When they ate the crystal infused with his magic it counted as inviting him in and their natural defenses didn’t protect them. You physically opened the door, which I suspect served the same purpose.”

“Okay. So what did that trap do, anyway?” Spike prodded, unwilling to let the silence come back. “I mean, I know what I saw, but what was the point of it.

“I think…” Twilight’s voice faltered and then picked back up. “I think it was made to immerse us in the world of our worst fears. And I–“ she broke off again, unwilling to continue. Spike hurried to fill the gap.

“You don’t have to tell me what you saw. Going by what I saw it can’t have been pleasant. But I am curious how you managed to break free of its hold.”

Twilight didn’t answer for so long that Spike feared she was revisiting whatever nightmare she’d been trapped in. When she did finally speak it was in a small and pained voice. “That’s just it Spike. I didn’t exactly break free. It’s just that my worst fears have already come true. There was nothing left to torment me with. Celestia abandoned me for somepony else. My knowledge and understanding has failed to produce a solution to all this mess. And when one of my dearest friends was counting on me the most, I failed her as completely as it is possible to fail.”

“Twilight…” Spike moved up next to her and placed a claw on her shoulders. She shrugged it off.

“No Spike. There’s no more time for tears or grief or heart-to-hearts. We have to make a difference. Now. And only then do I have the right to grieve.”

Spike stopped walking. He opened his mouth but the right words just wouldn’t come. Twilight didn’t look back. She knew she couldn’t afford to break.

Not yet.

“Come on, Spike. We’re here.”

The tunnel opened up and the two stood before a vast stone pit. They had arrived at the bottom of the world, at the wellspring of magic, Hvergelmir. It was disturbingly brutal just to look at. Sharp sheer edges marked the rim, and even the well itself was formed from jagged lines cut into the bedrock. Twilight had always thought of magic as something beautiful and elegant, but the only beauty in this place lay in its primal majesty. No pony hooves had smoothed the rock below, or tamed it into pathways, or made regular the rough cut oval of the pit. It had stood uncaring for thousands of years and it would stand uncaring for thousands more.

Twilight let her light spell die. Hvergelmir emitted its own light. A stark light that cast no shadows and burned where it touched anything other than stone. Objects and ponies caught within it seemed painfully real. Everything it touched was imbued with power and meaning until it became more like the quintessential concept of stone or flesh than the actual living being or nonliving substance. Yet for all its strength, the light seemed muted. Approaching the edge and glancing over Twilight immediately understood why.

Hvergelmir was below, casting upwards its light and magic. But between Twilight and that light were roiling clouds of Sombra’s darkness. The light could still be seen, yes, like a light spell cast under a velvet cushion, but nothing of its true essence could rise without passing through Sombra’s veil.

Twilight knew immediately, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that should could not counter Sombra’s control of Hvergelmir. The pit was too wide, the shadow too thick, and even to cast the diagnostic spells she’d need to begin analyzing the problem would strengthen the taint that had already crept inside of her.

Briefly, Twilight considered spending all her life force in a desperate effort to burn away Sombra’s veil. She couldn’t guarantee that it would work, but nothing else offered any better odds.

“What do we do now?” Spike asked. His voice snapped through her thoughts and reminded Twilight of her promise. Would she spend Spike’s life on such an uncertain attack? Not a chance.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Give me a little time to think.” Spike nodded and took a seat, his tough scales finding the rough rock as comfortable as any bed.

The problem, Twilight mused as she settled herself beside the rim, was that she didn’t have enough magic. Sombra clearly wasn’t consciously maintaining his veil over Hvergelmir, so given enough time and magic Twilight was sure she could eventually devise a counter. However, once she started using magic, the tainted natural magic around her would take its place and she would soon be under Sombra’s control.

It was certainly ironic that she should find herself short of power while sitting next to one of the two sources of magical power for the entire world. If Twilight could just reach it, somehow, or bring it to her, she might have a chance. Idly, not really believing it would work, she started drawing up plans for a magical straw that could poke through Sombra’s veil and slurp up the raw magic beneath.

The straw was as good a plan as any and at the very least designing it took brainpower instead of spending her dwindling supply of untainted magic. Twilight couldn’t have said how long she sat there designing a spell she suspected would fail.

She was roused from her planning by a massive and familiar magical shockwave. Though they were too far from the epicenter to feel the physical effect, the release of that much magic in one place sent ripples through the fabric of magic that could pass undiluted all the way to where Twilight and Spike were buried deep underground. Spike could sense the reverberations as well and raised his head.

“That was a sonic rainboom, right? The others must be fighting.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, Rainbow Dash is pretty unmistakable. If she’s still able to pull off a rainboom, then hopefully they’re doing ok for the moment.”

“I sure hope so,” Spike agreed. A shimmer of light caught his eye and his gaze drifted out over the pit. “Twilight, quick, look there!”

Turning back to the pit, Twilight saw for herself what had caught Spike’s notice. Sombra’s veil had thinned and in places was worn through entirely. The sheer magical power of the rainboom, imbued with Rainbow Dash’s iron will, had pushed back against the dark clouds of Sombra’s veil. It was not destroyed entirely, and even as Twilight watched she saw it start to knit itself back together, covering the true light of Hvergelmir once more.

Twilight stood, her body moving on its own as if following a predetermined path. It was obvious to her what she had to do, but she couldn’t let herself face it too clearly or she’d lose the courage to actually follow through.

One step. Two steps and she stoop at the very precipice. Spike hadn’t realized she was moving forward. Maybe it hadn’t quite clicked for him yet, or maybe he was simply too far away.

“Twilight?” he asked hesitantly, reaching out to her.

Twilight turned back for a moment and offered her little brother one last smile. “I’m sorry,” she said, striving to compress her regrets and her love into those two small insufficient words.

Then she leaned back and let herself fall into Hvergelmir.

“No!” came Spike’s panicked cry. He leapt for her, his claws desperately reaching out. Twilight watched his face retreat upward as the air whipped past her body.

Far too soon her body jerked to a halt, embedded in the oily webbing of Sombra’s veil. It was gauze thin and she could easily see through it to the light below, but it held. Millimeters stood between her and her goal but those millimeters were enough. She had missed any of the full holes through and now she was caught in Sombra’s magic.

Angry tears welled up in her eye. She had come so far, through so much, only to be stymied here. Desperately, she thrashed her body, trying to break the magic through sheer force of will, to no avail.

Her mage’s blade, called by her anger and her need flashed into being. She slashed wildly at the veil below her and the blade cut easily through it. But the blade was too sharp and the cuts too thin. Each slash she made was reknit before the blade even finished its swing. It simply wasn’t enough. She wasn’t going to make it.

An emerald jet of dragonflame flashed next to her and incinerated a pathway through Sombra’s veil. Twilight whipped her head around and found Spike looking down at her with steely determination.

“I’ll be waiting, Twilight,” he called down to her. “For as long as it takes for you to return, I’ll be waiting here.”

“I’ll come back. I promise.”

“I know you will.”

Spike’s faith in her, and the path forward that he had carved gave her the strength to keep fighting. With a supreme effort she managed to use her mage’s blade to cut back a little give from the pull of the veil. She rolled, desperate to maintain her momentum. The oily darkness covered her coat and she felt as if she’d never be clean again, but she didn’t stop pushing herself forward.

It was the longest and tensest minute of Twilight’s life, frantically pushing against the palpable dark magic that held her back. All to reach the hole formed by Rainbow Dash’s far off rainboom and Spike.

Glancing upwards she could barely make out Spike, so closely did his scales blend with uneven rock face. Like the dragons of old and like the stone itself he would wait until the end of time if he had to. He had faith in her and that faith gave her the strength to do what she needed to do.

Twilight Sparkle turned and fell into the light.

Author's Note:

Apologies for the delay last week. In exchange I hope you enjoy the longest chapter to date. I thought about splitting it when they camp for the night, but nothing too exciting had happened yet and I thought this would be more fun as an ending.

As I warned, some of the later chapters just aren't as far along as they need to be, so I suspect there will be some further delays. I believe the next chapter or two should be out on time, but no promises after that.