Chapter 34 - Pandora's Box
Calm. That is the only word Twilight could use to describe where she was. She had just stepped through the portal to make sure it was safe for her friends, but instead of ending up back in the Everfree Forest as she’d expected, she had ended up somewhere else entirely. She seemed to be floating in some sort of ethereal plane. It brought to mind the time Celestia had made her an Alicorn. Only this time, she felt calm.
She couldn’t explain it, but it seemed all of her worries and stress had just melted away. She couldn’t bring herself to panic, even though she clearly should have been on the verge of a nervous breakdown at this point. She felt at peace.
Suddenly, Twilight noticed a faint glow being cast upon her. And sure enough, she soon began to notice a distant light floating towards her. As it got closer, the glow only grew brighter and brighter, forcing her to shield her eyes as this miniature sun floated its way towards her. Before she knew it, the light stopped approaching and began to dim to a bearable level as it hovered before her.
“H-hello?” she asked, not entirely expecting a response. This only made her more shocked when she actually received one.
“Hello, Twilight,” the light responded.
Utterly dumbfounded, Twilight asked the only question that came to mind. “Who are you?” Twilight couldn’t explain it, but the more the light sat in front of her, the better she felt. Almost as if the light was emitting a sort of pure energy in a form she couldn’t describe. She only knew it made her happy. She didn’t try to fight the smile that found its way to her face.
“That is not important right now,” it responded. Its voice sounded calm, caring, and exuded a sort of confidence you can only find in those with unfathomable wisdom. It almost reminded her of Celestia herself. “Twilight, you have done well. You have saved a few from succumbing to the darkness that presides over the land. However, there is much work left ahead of you. If you do not act soon, many more will fall. And it will soon spread. All of Equestria will be overrun with pure darkness. You must stop it before it is too late.”
Despite the foreboding nature of the light’s words, Twilight could not bring herself to drop her smile. “But how? Brimstone is more powerful than even the princesses. How will we ever defeat her?”
“Who did you come to the island to find, Twilight? When the filly’s heart finds its place, she will be able to unlock the island’s power. A power that has the ability to stop this darkness once and for all, and bring new light to Equestria… or the power to destroy it. You must unlock this power, and save Equestria before it can all come crashing down. Many will perish, and you will not all make it out with your lives, but many more will perish if she is not stopped.” As she said this, the world slowly started to turn around them, as shapes and colors became distorted. “It is time for you to go, Twilight. I know that you will do what is right when the time comes.”
Twilight tried to speak. She had to find out more. What does she mean Scootaloo holds the key? She’s just a filly! What does it all mean? Before she knew it though, she found herself lying on the floor of the Everfree Forest. All her anxiety and panic quickly rushed back to the forefront of her mind, but she had to hold it back. She had to help her friends.
She quickly threw the portal open and watched as all of her friends started jumping through one by one. Applejack and Applebloom were first, followed soon after by Pinkie Pie, then Rarity and Sweetie Belle, Honeydew, Tidal Wave, and finally Blazing Fire. After he appeared, however, there was a pause. Their worry grew exponentially with each second that ticked by. As the seconds turned to minutes, Twilight finally grew tired of waiting. “That’s it, I’m going i—”
Twilight was interrupted as Fluttershy came tumbling through the portal, her wings cradling around a sobbing orange pegasus filly. Everypony rushed to her side, even as Twilight forced herself to hold the portal open.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight yelled. “What happened?” Suddenly, as if the universe decided to answer Twilight’s question itself, the portal slammed shut, confirming their worst fears.
Twilight’s mind kicked into autopilot, as she frantically tried to reopen the portal. “Tidal Wave, Blazing Fire, and Honeydew take Fluttershy and Scootaloo back to her cottage. Look after them and try to help where you can.” They gave a swift nod of approval as they helped Fluttershy to her hooves, and Tidal wave lifted a sobbing Scootaloo onto her back.
“Rarity and Applejack, take Applebloom and Sweetie Belle there as well. I have a feeling Scootaloo’s going to need help getting through this, and I have no doubt you two will be able to help Fluttershy.” Once again, she received a swift nod from both of them and they set off, each carrying their younger sisters on their back, who were remaining silent. Whether it was out of respect for Twilight, who seemed to know what she was doing, or shock, nopony knew.
Twilight, having finally given up on reopening the portal, turned to the last pony left standing there. “Pinkie Pie, I need you to go find the mayor. Tell her that we need to be ready to evacuate the town at a moment’s notice. I don’t know if we’re actually going to need to, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Once you’re done with her, head to Zecora’s place and try to get as much information out of her as you can.”
Pinkie Pie felt her mane reinflate some at that. She needed a distraction, and this was a perfect distraction. Now that she had a purpose, she didn’t need to focus on… that. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she looked up at Twilight and smiled determinedly. “I won’t let you down.” The two shared a quick hug before Pinkie turned and bounded off through the forest. Twilight chuckled at that. Even at the darkest of times, Pinkie’s antics somehow still found a way to amuse her.
The amusement didn’t last long, however. The words she had heard just after coming through the portal still echoing through her mind. As much as she hated to admit it, Twilight Sparkle was clueless. She had no idea what the buck was going on, and that pissed her off. She pushed her anger aside, however, and focused. She knew of only one mare that might have the answer to her problems. A lot of concentration and one magical flashbang later, and she found herself standing before a very startled looking Princess Luna.
“Twilight Sparkle! What is the meaning of this? Thou could have warned us.”
“There’s no time!” Twilight yelled, causing the ruler of the night to recoil in shock. “Where’s Princess Celestia?”
Sensing the urgency in her voice, Luna realized there was a serious problem. Whenever Twilight got like this, there was either some big threat about to overtake Equestria… or they were on the verge of another ‘Smarty Pants incident’. Luna shuddered at the thought. Whatever it was, something had to be done, and quickly. “Our dear sister is asleep in her chambers. We shall send for her at once.” Luna’s horn flared up for just a moment before she spoke again. “It is done. She will be along shortly. Now, what matter could possibly warrant such a visit at this time of night?”
As she asked this, Princess Celestia came rushing in, sans her usual regal attire. “I came as quickly as I could, sister. What is the matter?” Twilight cleared her throat, catching the attention of the princess. “Oh, hello Twilight. I almost didn’t see you there. How nice of you to visit, although I must comment on the impromptu nature of your visit. Surely you did not come to us at such a time on a social call?”
Twilight looked up at her mentor and gave a weak smile. Even in the direst of circumstances, seeing the princess always brought a smile to her face. With a sigh, she got on with it. “I’m sorry to say that you’re right, princess. I wish this could just be a social call, but there are much bigger problems at hoof. It's about Brimstone."
***
“Hey, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle whispered into her sister’s ear. They had managed to catch up with the others, and they were all trotting in silence towards Fluttershy’s cottage.
Rarity swiveled her ears back towards her sister but chose to keep her eyes on the path in front of them. “Yes, Sweetie Belle? What is it?”
Rarity couldn’t have seen it, but Sweetie’s gaze locked onto an orange bundle of fur on Tidal Wave’s back. Scootaloo’s chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. Tear streaks lined her face beneath her closed eyelids, the filly having long since cried herself to sleep. Her mane was a mess, and it was obvious by the frown on her face that, even in sleep, her demons refused to leave her. “Is she gonna be ok? Sc-Scootaloo I mean. I’ve never seen her cry like that before. Not before all of this started happening anyways. I can’t say I really blame her, but…”
“But you’re worried about her?” Rarity asked, a knowing smirk spreading across her lips.
“Mm-hmm,” Sweetie Belle affirmed, nodding. “Is that… weird? I don’t know why I’m so worried. I’ve never worried about one of my friends this much before. I mean, I know this is a lot worse than anything we’ve ever been through before, but still… it feels different.”
Rarity, to her credit, managed to avoid squealing in delight at the feelings that she recognized all too well in her little sister. She could not, however, help the massive grin forming on her face, despite the situation. “Not at all Sweetie Belle, it only shows that you care about her. That’s very sweet of you.” “You’ll figure it out soon enough,” she added under her breath, too softly for the little filly to hear.
Sweetie Belle seemed to accept this answer and laid her head down on her sister’s back. The fact that her gaze never left the sleeping pegasus filly next to them did not escape her sister’s attention, whose smile only seemed to grow at this.
Not long later, they arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage. It was the middle of the night, so most of her animal friends were asleep, but even the nocturnal ones seemed to be able to tell Fluttershy was upset. Dozens of pairs of eyes watched them from the roof of the cottage and the limbs of various trees as they approached. Yet, not one of them approached. They knew the mare needed space, so they were happy to provide her with it.
Upon entering the cottage, Fluttershy made her way towards the stairs leading up to her room, before stopping and turning back to the others, just as Applejack entered and shut the door behind her. The noise seemed to awaken Scootaloo and Applebloom. Sweetie Belle, having never actually fallen asleep, simply raised her head.
“Umm, Applejack… th-there’s a guest room if you go up the stairs and to the right. W-would you mind putting the fillies to bed for me?” she asked with a shaky smile. It was all she could manage at the time.
Applejack just smiled back at her confidently. “Of course Sugar Cube. C’mon Rare’s, Tidal, let’s put these fillies to bed. I think it’s long past their bedtime.” A hearty yawn coming from her back punctuated her statement.
As they all turned towards the stairs, a quiet voice spoke up from Tidal Wave’s voice, stopping them in their tracks. “W-wait,” Scootaloo croaked out, her voice cracked and strained from her crying. They all turned to look back at her, but the filly’s eyes met Fluttershy’s. “C-could I maybe… g-go with you?” she asked weakly.
Fluttershy smiled at this. Not a weak, fake smile like before, but a real smile. Without saying a word, she walked over to Tidal Wave, who was smiling as she turned to allow Fluttershy better access to the filly on her back. Fluttershy leaned in and rubbed her muzzle gently across Scootaloo’s cheek. The filly blushed but returned the nuzzle nonetheless.
The two pulled back, smiling softly. “Of course you can Sweetheart.” Scootaloo blushed at the name but did not object. A moment later, she felt herself being lifted up in a warm magical glow that quickly moved her over and deposited her on Fluttershy’s back. Fluttershy turned back to Rarity, silently mouthing the words ‘thank you’ before she turned back to the stairs and began heading up the stairs for her room. Making a left-hand turn at the top of the stairs, she arrived in her bedroom. It was a simple affair, consisting of little more than a wardrobe, a plain bed, and a few simple birdhouses that dangled from the rafters.
Trotting right over to the bed, which was right next to the back window, she pulled back the blue duvet, and let Scootaloo gently slide off of her back and on to the soft sheets below. She quickly hopped up into the bed herself, curling her body protectively around the filly at her side and gently laying a wing over her now sleeping form. She couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight. The instant her wing made contact with the filly, her face shifted from a slight frown to a content smile. The sight warmed her heart. Leaning her neck down, she planted a soft kiss on Scootaloo’s forehead, who’s smile only grew in her sleep. “Goodnight little angel. Sweet Dreams.” At that, Fluttershy lay her head down next to the sleeping filly and slowly began to succumb to sleep’s sweet embrace.
However, right as she was beginning to lose herself to sleep, the creaking of her bedroom door alerted her to a new presence in the room. Raising her head, she was just barely able to make out a small white unicorn filly standing by her door. “Sweetie Belle? What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be in bed?” she asked in a soft tone, trying not to wake Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle grew visibly nervous. She suddenly found the floor to be a very captivating and interesting sight, as her hooves began fidgeting and tracing the lines in the boards. “U-um… well, the thing is… um, err…”
Fluttershy saw where this was going and shushed her. “Shh,” she said, lifting her wing ever so slightly to reveal the sleeping pegasus to her friend. Sweetie Belle looked first at Scootaloo, and then back at Fluttershy, giving her a questioning, maybe even somewhat pleading, glance. Fluttershy simply nodded.
Sweetie Belle lit up visibly. Darting across the room with much more drive than when she had entered, she climbed up onto the bed, pushing her back against Scootaloo’s chest as she lay down on her side. Somehow, Scootaloo managed to sleep through all of this, even if she did put a hoof around Sweetie Belle to pull her closer. Fluttershy looked down at the two fillies pressed up against her. Her smile from earlier came back in with a vengeance, as she threatened to keel over right then and there from sheer overload of adorableness. Her wing quickly found itself draped across the two fillies and she let her head fall to the bed, her eyes shutting as she did so. Seconds later, she was asleep.
***
Luna sighed. "That is what we feared. Please tell us what has happened."
"Were you able to get your friends out of there?" Celestia asked.
"Well, that's just it. Almost all of us got away. She took Rainbow Dash and closed the portal before we could do anything about it. I couldn't even open it back up!"
Now, it was Celestia's turn to sigh. "I feared that was the case. Tell me, was it Rainbow Dash that she went after initially?"
"I-I don't know. I was already on the other side of the portal... Oh! The portal! That's right! Celestia, when I jumped through the portal, I didn't just instantly pop out on the other side like I thought I was going to. For a minute, I was stuck in some sort of... in-between area. That's the best I can describe it. It was a lot like that place you met me when I finished Starswirl's spell all those years ago."
"You didn't happen to meet somepony there, did you?"
"As a matter of fact, I did. Or, at least, I think I did. I didn't actually SEE anypony, but I did see this really bright light, and it spoke to me. It sounded almost like you, but different."
Luna chuckled at this, "You always did take after her the most, dear sister."
Celestia dismissed this with a wave of a hoof. "Twilight, go on, tell us what she said to you."
So, Twilight recounted everything she had heard the voice say to the best of her memory. It wasn't exactly word for word, but it was close enough. When she finished, she looked up to see two frowning alicorns in front of her. "What? Did I do something wrong?" she asked nervously.
"No, Twilight. You did nothing wrong. It is just... we were hoping that our suspicions were not correct."
"Suspicions? What suspicions?"
"Twilight," Celestia began as Luna trotted over to take a seat beside them. "I believe it would be easier if I were to just tell you the whole story from the beginning. It all started back when Luna and I were just little fillies. It wasn't always just us though. We had an older sister. She was always the most powerful out of us, and our parents knew this. Ever since she was born, they were grooming her for great things. Sadly, however, not all ponies can handle that kind of power. Our parents saw it in her heart. She had been corrupted by power and there was nothing they could do to save her. It broke their hearts, but they knew that if they were to do nothing, Brimstone's power would grow until even they could not stop her. That is why they sent her away. They stripped her of most of her magic and transported her through a portal to a faraway land. the only way to travel from one location to the other is through the portal. They knew that Brimstone would gain her power back eventually, and they knew she would come looking for revenge.
"There is a reason they sent her to this island specifically. They both knew that the island itself harbored great magical power. This power could not be accessed by just anyone, however. Only both of our parents combining their powers was enough to even reach the magic of the island. They knew this, and they used up every last bit of strength they had in order to tie the island's magic to one of the ponies that Brimstone managed to pull along with her when she was banished. They found the pony that was the purest of heart and tied the power to their direct lineage."
"Wait, so you're saying that Scootaloo is some distant descendant of some random pony that got thrown onto the island with Brimstone? Well, if it's passed down from generation to generation, how come there is only Scootaloo left? Wouldn't there be more?"
Celestia smiled. "Excellent observation Twilight Sparkle. You would be correct, but the spell they cast does not exactly work like that. They had the foresight to see that as being an issue in the future. For this reason, they crafted the spell so that the key only gets past down to one member of the next generation, and it only gets passed down to the descendant with the purest of heart. Once it is passed down, the parent loses the key soon after. As soon as the child is old enough to bear it alone."
"But how is the key accessed then?"
"Twilight, our parents were very smart. They knew that not even the strongest ponies could bear that kind of power alone. That is why they wanted to ensure the pony who would bear the power would never be alone in it. The power can only be accessed when the pony embraces true love for the first time."
"So... you're saying our only hope of saving Rainbow Dash, and apparently the world, lies in a little filly finding her true love."
Celestia chuckled. "In a way, yes."
Twilight groaned. "Ugh. Since when did life get so cliche?" Even Luna couldn't hold back a little laughter at that.
"Twilight, you must return to the island with your friends tomorrow. Bring the fillies with you. It will be easier for Scootaloo to access the island's power if she is on the island herself, and I have a feeling she will find the key in one of her two closest friends."
"If you say so, Princess," Twilight said with a small smile. "Oh, I almost forgot. Who was that? The pony that talked to me after I went through the portal?"
"All in due time, my friend. But for now, you must return to your friends, and Luna and I need to make some preparations. I have the utmost faith in you Twilight Sparkle, but in the unlikely case that you do fail, Equestria must be prepared."
"Prepared for what?"
"Prepared for war."
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Great story!
I should inform you that Twilight already mentioned Brimstone’s name to Celestia in a previous chapter and told her about their adventure through the portal in Chapter 29.
Either they’re just holding it in, but most of the ponies aren’t sad or frustrated that Rainbow Dash has been captured?
Here’s hoping for a sequel, thanks!
Oof, I forgot how this story went. Sorry.
I mean, I remember enjoying it a lot, but still.
10228310
Wow. I cannot believe I did that. Sorry. I'll go back and change it now. Thanks for pointing that out. That's what happens when you leave a story for this long. I figured it would happen sooner or later.
10228323
You’re welcome!
Not the ending I had hoped for or expected, but at least it has ended by now
10228324
It is done! Thank you again. I still can't believe I did that, but it should be fixed, and give you all a little more back story now. Hope you enjoy!
10228395
You’re welcome! Thanks you!
To the author - applause👏 what a mysterious yet interesting end to great fic
no worries man life's gone mad these days but i'm doing alright. glad you're back! Oh...reply to my message in our pm thread of july 17th,2019
i can't wait for sequel whenever that comes out
I had to hop back a chapter to double check what had happened.
Oh well! Still fun!
This can't be complete when you leave it on a cliffhanger like that. Please tell me at least your writing a sequel continuing this story. But why write a sequel instead of just continuing this?
10267117
I had plans to write a sequel. I finished this here for two reasons. One, is that I have lost most of my drive for writing this story. I don't even know if I will get a second one written, as it is still in the planning phase, and there has not been much progress. On top of this, the sequel, if finished, would be drastically different. A lot more serious with a touch of darkness. It could be fit under the same tags. If I do make any significant progress, I will keep you all informed.
I really enjoyed this, but the end doesn't feel like an end. I hope you do get the motivation to finish this story in a sequel
11351597
And I posted that 3 years ago