Twilight Daylight: Psera, The Legend of Legends

by thedarktome

Chapter 33 - Maheera VS. The World Pt. 1

The lights were out. Fresh Dawn was snoring peacefully, protected by her toys. The Guards were patrolling, protection were their weapons. Way more than usual now thanks to the attack that day. Early that day at lunch. The castle was silent. The rooms were silent. All was calm.

Then a vibration shook the entire Eastern edge of Cop. Fresh Dawn's eyes popped open and she glanced around as the world around her shuddered. The light in her father's room turned on. Then he trotted into her doorway and whispered, "Sweetie—"

Fresh Dawn zipped out from underneath her castle of toys and onto her father's muzzle. Squeezing for dear life. At least she was up. Oh being a dad was hard at times. But it was also rewarding.

He sat down and used his hooves to pluck Dawn off. Then tossed her onto his back. The castle had stopped shaking by this time. But the question was still there: "What was that?" He whispered. "Another bomb?"

He walked deeper into Fresh Dawn's room and grabbed Sky Blue for her to hold. Then walked back out and into the living room for the door. He heard voices before he pulled it open and stepped out with a yawn. It was too late for another Psera emergency. He smacked his lips and queried, "Details?"

A pony on the side saluted and answered, "None, your highness. No reports of explosions, altercations, or even noise in Cop. We're waiting for info from the other cities as to what could possibly be making Cop shake—" The power in the building suddenly switched off, leaving the moonlight from the skylight shining on Dawn's Garden the only source of light. "And cut the power. Lights up!"

The Elite Guard switched on the flashlights their hooves bared and made them dance on the wall. The Captain Madun was speaking with raised his hoof and relayed, "Royal Suite to Castle, where's the power?"

"Energy's been wiped out across the city, and the backup generator's down. No source for cause yet. Are all accounted for?"

The Captain looked to the doorway. King Madun? Check. Princess Fresh Veola Dawn? Check. Queen Arcadia Nova... "Where's the Queen?" He asked.

King Madun looked around and actually gasped. After all this time, he hadn't realized Twilight wasn't around! If something like a tremor happened, she would be the first to go and check on Fresh Dawn. But now...

He walked back into the suite and called, "Twilight?" No answer. He looked over his shoulder and ordered, "Check her lab." Then strode further in with Dawn on his back and two more Guards.

The Captain he was speaking to raised his hoof and ordered, "Stand by for Queen Arcadia, King Madun and Princess Fresh Dawn are all accounted for."

"Standing by for the Queen. All others are accounted for." The captain walked over to the stairwell leading up to Queen Arcadia's personal laboratory. Then opened the doors and strode in with flashlights dancing. Everything was here. Tables, seats, voice recorder, the Queen's lab coat hung on a coat rack, blackboard with extremely complex equations.

But no Queen. He turned around and relayed, "The lab is Queen-less. I need eyes in her—" Another vibration shook the castle once more. This one actually made them fall and trip down the staircase. But they were back on their hooves again. "Check out her office! Where's the Queen?!"

Hooves scrambled left and right with flashlights dancing while vibrations shook the cities and her citizens awake. Rainbow was already up and peeking out of her shared room with Scootaloo. "Ugh... What now? I thought Twilight said this place was safe."

"Check all rooms!" A guard down the hall yelled. A Guard from behind brushed his way past into their room and looked around while others went into her friends.

"Ugh! Well I'll be!"

"What in tarnation?!"

The Guard in Rainbow Dash's room walked out and announced, "Queen-less!"

"Queen-less!"

"Celestia Queen-less!"

"Luna, Queen-Less!"

Rarity stuck her head out and yelled, "What is going on out here?!!"

Down the hall, a giant ball of fire ran past yelling, "Buck, already?!! Jeez, Twilight!" She flew up the staircase and zipped right up to Madun. "She's... Twilight's—"

Madun laid a hoof on Odega's shoulder and asked, "Where is Twilight? Where is my wife?"

Ah buck, he just had to make her feel guilty didn't she? "She's... On Equestria. Fighting Maheera."

~✶~

Maheera was strong. Twilight could tell the second she was snatched out of the air, pulled back, and thrown straight for the surprisingly still standing Castle in Canterlot. It almost collapsed when she collided straight into it under her shield. Not the first time she's gotten hit with something that strong.

And she was pretty sure Maheera wasn't any better after Twilight sent a purple beam straight for her face that sent her flying to the ground off the mountainside she was climbing. All around them was a canvas painted with destruction. Holes in the ground ablaze with fire from their combined magic. Remains of desolated buildings floating around thanks to Maheera's chaotic magic.

Twilight dropped down to the streets of Canterlot and swept her horn to the side, sending a wave of magic into the faces of approaching Infected. They blew back out of her radius before she took back off for the place where Maheera was at before. Now vacant.

Arcadia hummed and hovered in the air all the destruction. She scanned her environment made of high winds blowing around smoke and dust. Even though the helmet held protection, it only held so much. Queen Arcadia's ears were ringing, her head was hurting, and a bit of her horn was chipped. And that hurt a lot.

But her sword was doing just fine. As long as she had that... Right side. Twilight teleported just in time for Maheera to come flying past on the back of an Infected Hippogriff. Then soared after shortly on her tail through all the smoke and flames.

Maheera growled and silently cursed herself for thinking that would get her. What a foolish assumption. She focused back and eyed Canterlot ahead. The smoke spreading apart revealing the night sky. And Twilight raining purple on her from behind.

Maheera yelped and forced the Hippogriff to do maneuvers and evade that mystical magic. She barrel-rolled to the left and zipped to the right through a skyscraper in Manehattan. Their speed shattered windows and rained glass while another skyscraper collapsed from Twilight's magic. Maheera zipped back down to the ground and skimmed the dirt. The magic following her blew past with the wind and hit the ground, resulting in explosions that tore it apart up ahead. She leveled out and skimmed over water back for Canterlot while the crazy Queen followed after her.

"Give it up, Maheera!!" She shouted. Edging closer, she brought her sword forward and swiped Maheera in her shoulder.

She hissed and zipped up with the Hippogriff and Twilight still following on their tails. They sped into Cloudsdale and continued fighting. Only one would come out alive. Or neither would come out at all.

~✶~

Madun was running through the third floor halls repeating, "Twilight's on Equestria?!! Equestria?! What is she doing there alone?!"

Odega and the Guards followed closely behind him awaiting orders. She answered, "Queen Arcadia wanted to end this. So she created a weapon using her sword that she thinks will kill Maheera."

Of course she did. Aw come on, Twilight! He grunted with Fresh Dawn on his back and ordered, "Someone get the Princesses of Equestria up now, and have them meet me at once in the Foyer! I need a national emergency going now in Lavender! Let's move!" He jumped over the railing for the foyer below and glided down. A flash above let him know the Princesses were ready.

He landed and marched up to them. Clearly sleepy eyed and not ready for a war in the middle of the night. "Twilight's in Equestria right now fighting Maheera!" He announced. The building shook again and caused a few of the stuff in the front to fall to the floor. Thankfully without shattering.

Celestia repeated, "Twilight's in Equestria?!" She shared a quick look with her family and then focused back on the king with an unwavering steel in her eyes. "What do you need from us?"

He ran around them for the doors and ordered, "Come with me to Lavender!" They followed him out the doors and immediately zipped into the air with the... Holy buck. All the Guards were up and running. They didn't even notice the commotion going on out here. Flood lights connected to the castle were blasting down onto all the soldiers preparing military materials outside in the darkness. The only sources of light were them and the Obelisk.

And they weren't the only ponies up. Pretty much all Pserateps were standing outside their doors watching and listening to the shouts of "The Queen is Missing!" How they found out was a mystery. Madun ignored all of it and took off into the cool air with the Princesses. They zoomed over the range and out into the rest of Psera with the wind blasting in their ears and blowing back their manes.

While they soared over black grassy plains, Celestia could finally see what was causing all the shaking. Large purple explosions were streaming in from the sea and hitting the coast of Merōl. Magic from Equestria reaching Psera. Hopefully no Aquatas were hit by Twilight's spells. Those things were seriously dangerous.

The facility she built was active too. But that might be because of the alarm blaring from Lavender right next door. The lights were on and Soldiers were up and getting ready for a fight. Rushing through brightened concrete roads in Pods, and putting on their suits and armor already drenched in weaponry.

Madun and the Guards flew over that and moved for the large three level five sided building with a larger version of the Crest of Psera above the doors. The flags blew when they landed and rushed inside with the biggest sense of urgency they've ever felt in their lives. Fresh Dawn was too busy looking around for mommy to feel that though.

The second Madun was in, he yelled, "Where is Manny?!"

A Force Guard soldier they walked past saluted and answered, "She's in the command room! Sir!"

Of course she is, she rarely sleeps! That's why she was always so angry! Madun and the rest of the team from the Castle booked it for the second floor. Then rushed through those halls past soldiers and personnel, and burst through a pair of steel doors into a darkened room accompanied with LiVAMs and voices. The three big ones on the screens were of Lavender. The camera feeds were showing three soldiers lining up with more soldiers at the ports. Awaiting the go ahead.

But Madun didn't care about that. Not entirely. A majority of his brain was focused on Twilight and what the buck she was doing overseas fighting a Draconequus alone! Out of the blue! There was no warning, she just...

Madun swept that to the side and focused on getting her out. He approached the Generals and Secretary converging at the railing. "What are we doing?" He queried.

Secretary Manny faced him and saluted. But kept stern eyes on the Equestrians. "We're waiting for the Go Ahead, sir."

Madun faced the screens with the Princesses and Fresh Dawn. Now snoring away. How she could amused Cadance. She was so much like Flurry Heart. Maybe all foals could just sleep anywhere.

Madun nodded to the screens and ordered, "Send them out. Head for Equestria, five hundred miles, full speed." He looked to Celestia while the order was delivered. "Did Twilight tell you anything about a new weapon? Anything involving her sword?"

They shook their heads with honesty. They never heard of any weapons Twilight created. Celestia answered, "The only weapons she's had in her life were the Element of Magic, and The Sword of Arcadia."

Madun faced back to the screens and eyed the sea of soldiers speeding off the coast for Equestria's shores. "How long?"

General Bold Shoulder answered, "Under thirty minutes at their current speed. There's no telling what they'll find when they get there."

Madun knew exactly what they'd find. "They'll find a full out war. That's the only reason the ground is shaking. Because Twilight's angry."

~✶~

Even though they were miles out, Private Smalls could hear it. The fighting. The war going on miles away. They were speeding for Equestria's coast. Nonchalant of the sound barriers snapping apart every few seconds by at least one out of the hundreds of soldiers behind her.

She looked to her right to Captain Gliding Sword, and Captain Dark Silver beyond her in the night sky. They looked back to her and shared a nod. Then focused on the darkness beyond them. There was no telling what they were soaring into. But if the flashes of lights up ahead and explosions approaching their ears were a clue, it was a full-out battle. Not to mention the entire coast looked like a wall to a tornado. Red, dirty, and incredibly deadly.

Captain Gliding Sword gulped and spoke into her Comm Block piece in her helmet. "Equestria's shores in sight."

Secretary Manny ordered from the bridge back in Psera, "Put it on the screen!" A feed popped up at her command of Equestria's shores from their cameras. Then the door burst open.

Queen Novo strode in with the rest of IHT and a few of their own military personnel. Eyes awake and manes windswept.

Madam Singe breathlessly asked, "We just heard, what's happening?"

Celestia directed their sights to the approaching coast of Equestria. "Around seven hundred troops are going for Equestria. And it does not look good."

~✶~

Private Smalls was scared now. They successfully crossed over the coast through that wall into... What did those ponies call it? Tartarus? All aspects of life were chaotic. Everything that belonged on the ground that wasn't tied down were floating up into the air with even much smaller debris, making it harder to navigate through the air. Magic was shooting up to them from the ground with flying infected creatures clashing with them. Not to mention the fires.

But... "No sign of the Queen!" Smalls reported. Then tilted with her team to the left and fired away at the approaching cloud of infected ponies.

Back in the strategy room on Psera Celestia gulped and asked, "Any sign of Maheera?"

King Madun shook his head and held Fresh Dawn close in his hooves while she slept. "Nothing yet. But she's out there somewhere. Where is Odega and the Legends she picked up?"

"I'm... Not sure." That was a question she honestly wanted answered too. Were they helping in this fight or not?

"Queen spotted!" She directed her sights back and slowly let her jaw drop. They just landed a few yards away. Well crashed was more like it. Shooting mountains of dirt into the air. Then a large purple beam shot out and rotated around to them.

The camera pony jumped to the ground and ducked from the beam that definitely would have hurt if they didn't.

After the blast cut, and they were left with the debris of the crash, Maheera suddenly went flying out and slid into the dirt face first. Then twilight angrily trotted into sight with her modified sword. Her teeth was bared, her eyes were glowing, her mane was wild and sparking with emergy. She was furious. Ripping off her armor and randomly tossing it to areas. One even found home on the top of Maheera's head.

Twilight was worked up. And she was ready to fight. She stopped at Maheera's form and flipped her over. They glared into each other's face. Teeth barred. "You should've stayed where Narmeelah put you," Twilight growled. Then sent one hoof sailing into Maheera's left cheek. It sent her head flying to the side. "You should've left my ponies alone." Another cheek slammed to the side.

She lifted her sword and ignored the blasts and signs of fighting around her. "You should've stayed in your hole. Then none of this would have ever happened." Her sword pulled back above her head with a target on Maheera's chest. "And you'd at least still have your soul."

Maheera growled up to her and snarled, "I'll always have a soul."

As much as that should've made Twilight think twice about what she was doing, she instead sheathed in Maheera's chest anyway. Maheera yelled in pain before the deed was done. Twilight used her magic to activate the runes inside of the sword, and push out the blue gold. She saw it stream out through the tube, out the end, and... No... It pooled under Maheera. But that made no sense! Unless she wasn't here, this should have...

Twilight pulled her hoof back yelling and sent it sailing into "Maheera's" face. Which blew into grains of sand when she did. It was a fake. And she just wasted her secret weapon.

"NOOO!!!" She screamed. Then whipped around and magically threw an infected pony approaching out of her line of sight. Where was she?!

"Looking for me?" The ground lifted and Twilight shot up into the air with Maheera after she grabbed her in a claw. The real one as a Draconequus blew up out of the sand and flew up into the air with Arcadia in her grip. Her treasured prize. Twilight struggled and fired a spell at Maheera that knocked a scale off. Thinking quickly, Twilight grabbed it and hid it out of sight.

"Did you seriously think I would just let you do that without a backup plan?" Maheera laughed and shook her head. "Foolish Queen." She stopped flying up and hovered above Equestria. Then pulled Twilight up so she could watch the action below. At all the Pserateps clashing with the Infected. "They fight for you in vain. Because I always win. Narmeelah died at my hooves and you will follow along shortly. Along with your favored Pserateps."

Twilight grunted and glared over her shoulder into the window if Maheera's dark heart. "And did you think I wouldn't have a backup plan?" She shot the hidden scale back into Maheera's eye with the desired result.

She screamed and let Twilight go to fall to the ground below. That was a close one. A really close one. But there was still a problem. She lost the weapon she was going to use to knock Maheera down. Which meant Twilight had to use the one she didn't want to use. The Mecrah Portal. But first she had to land.

Twilight crashed straight through the roof of the Canterlot Castle's throne room and landed with a thud on the carpeted floor before the two thrones for Celestia and Luna. She cared none for the debris raining around her. Her entire body was in pain. She was sure something inside was broken, her right wing felt crushed, and her mouth alone were needles of agony.

She was weak. She was down for the count. But everyone—every creature... They were counting on her. They would never be able to get home if everything was controlled by Maheera. And everything was currently controlled by Maheera. It was a wonder this castle didn't come alive by this point.

Enough thinking. Twilight grunted to stand and shook dust and dirt off her body. Hot flames licked all around her. The throne room was on fire. Possibly due to rogue magic. With a swipe of her left wing, she extinguished it. Then started the painful trek back out on hoof. Her wing was hurting too much for flying.

---

Madun couldn't believe what he was seeing. Nearly twelve o'clock at night the land of Equestria's sky was on fire. Flames were reaching for the sky, things were just floating, and the Aerial Guard were doing their runs. Dropping explosives down onto the remains of Las Pegasus while more moved through what remained of Ponyville. Heading for Canterlot where Twilight was taken and where Maheera was slithering around.

But Maheera was smart. She was slamming them with every last infected pony she had. And they already lost a might hoof of soldiers to the infected.

So everyone conversed. Sending commands left and right. But no one was going anywhere.

Luna wiped her forehead and silently admitted that doing command was a lot harder here than it was in Equestria. Especially at what was the final battle.

Madun grunted and asked with his eyes on the action, "Are there any reinforcements on the way?"

General Bold Shoulder shook his head and answered, "No sir, but—" An arrow suddenly whizzed past the camera and into an infected pony. Followed by many more and a long and loud screech. Right before a horde of Hippogriffs suddenly stormed out from behind the camera. Holding bows and arrows, sticks, and a bunch more items that were surprisingly taking down the infected ponies.

One of them landed and sliced one away. Then held up his bow and shouted, "For the Queen!!!" Followed shortly by a rain of arrows flying straight into the horde. And it allowed them to move forward.

Queen Novo pointed and yelled, "How did they get all the way to Equestria?!!!"

None had an answer. But the giant and sun-bright Phoenix soaring for Canterlot high above may have one.

---

The castle was eerily quiet now that it was entirely abandoned. Twilight limped with paranoia through those lonely halls. Yeah, her hoof was sprained. Burning with discomfort and pain.

She stopped for a moment and leaned against a wall so she could assess her injuries. Sprained hoof, possibly broken wing, a lot of bruising, broken rib, and a swollen eye. She had to keep it closed. And she had to stay out of Maheera's sight so she could activate this spell. She couldn't afford another brawl.

A giant shadow swept over the roofless hall she was resting in. Followed by an explosion that shook these walls. A picture frame fell off one side and landed in front of her at her hooves. Of Celestia and Luna. Smiling. Smiling at her. She got this. This was all her. She could press on.

Twilight grunted and pushed herself off the wall over the frame to continue moving through the halls. She needed a plan. She already had the spell ready. She's ran simulations in plenty of different environments. The first thing she needed was a flat clear surface. Well that wasn't too hard to find here in this desolated Equestria.

Twilight stopped and peeked out of a shattered stained glass window to observe. So far, Canterlot was left untouched except by her and Maheera, the giant lizard slithering directly below.

"Ohhh, Arcadia~!", She sang. A claw rendered a structure to dust in search of the Queen. "Come out and play with me!"

As if. Twilight looked past her and watched the towns afar go up in flames and ashes. A few Aerial Guard soared overhead. But none stopped here in Canterlot. Between here and there should be enough flat land for the spell. As well as on the opposite side of the castle on the way to Manehattan. That last one seemed like her best bet. Time to leave Maheera and go in the opposite direction. For a trap she'll never see coming.

Author's Note:

Last bit of all action coming through next week.

I was actually contemplating Maheera snapping Twilight's horn, but I was like nah.

Comments

[XzareAce]

more badass Twilight! and now all of Equestria looks pretty much like the outlands in world of warcraft

[Eclipse_Nova]

Madun laid a hoof on Madun's shoulder and asked, "Where is Twilight? Where is my wife?"