Twilight Daylight: Psera, The Legend of Legends

by thedarktome

Chapter 34 - Maheera VS. The World Pt. 2

Private Smalls was having a bad night. But it wasn't too bad either. Bad news first. While doing a scan patrol of Equestria's war ridden ground from above with the Aerial Guard, some disgusting thing from the ground shot a web of green goo up into the air and caught her wing. So down she went. Straight into a donut baking shop.

Good news, she crashed in Canterlot. The Queen was somewhere in here. But bad news is this: Maheera was too. Literally right around the corner.

After the unpleasant landing, Private Smalls crawled into a closet in the back with bags of flour, sugar, and other goods. Then listened to the growling pass by. Resonating through the air and vibrating every part of her very being. She stayed silent. Still. She slowed her heavy breathing in an attempt to stop her heart from beating so fast.

"Ohhh, Queen Arcadia," Maheera taunted. She clicked her tongue. "As fun as it is to play hide and seek, I doubt you can hide from the world. So come out and face it."

Private Smalls slowly peeked out of her hiding place and eyed the multicolored scales slowly shifting past the shaved off front half of the shop in the street. The entire area was broken apart. Her rear hooves stomped by with heavy vibrations followed by her feathered tail. Then she was out of sight. And out of earshot.

Smalls let that breath she was holding go. The Queen was truly brave to face that behemoth. Private Smalls lifted her Comm Block and whispered, "Private Smalls to command... I'm in Canterlot, repeat... I'm in Canterlot. This place is Ground Zero." Then slowly pushed the door open and stalked out while keeping her ear alive.

Back in Psera the pony listening to her feed took off her headphones and reported, "Secretary! Private Smalls is in Canterlot!"

Secretary Manny gasped and ordered with a pointed hoof, "Put her on the screen!"

Headphones were thrown back on a head and buttons were pressed. The aerial feed in the middle of the three bigger LiVAMs switched to Private Smalls' action camera. She was peeking out of Donut Joe's at the brown and dusty destroyed streets of Canterlot. Everything was quiet. A sign on a shop across fell down randomly. Nothing was happening except for the booms in the distance and the soaring of the Aerial Guard above applying fire to the ground below.

Celestia nodded and confirmed, "Yeah, she's in Canterlot. Twilight is somewhere in there."

Madun looked down to the soldiers manning the stations and asked, "Where was the Queen's last confirmed position?"

One saluted and answered, "She was confirmed crashing into the Castle, sir!"

The pony manning Smalls' communications knew what they wanted. She turned back to her station and quickly relayed, "Smalls, can you get to the castle?"

Smalls darted out of her hiding spot and over to the building across. She herself had crashed in the area behind the castle. So when she turned around, there it was. The castle a few blocks away. Smoke was billowing out the windows, but it was still standing. She nodded and whispered, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm on it."

She took a quick glance of her surroundings to find it clear. Save for the dust in the air and the fighting. She ran out of her hiding space and made a dash for the castle currently in flames. Her hooves trotted loudly against cobblestone, but her main concern was getting to the Queen.

She slowed down during the trek and listened around for any movement. Apart from Maheera singing the most creepiest tune she's ever heard in her life, nothing else. All was silent.

Smalls took a moment to rest and reported, "I'm a few hooves away from the castle. Nothing yet. Advancing now." She took a few seconds for preparation and then rose up to dart across the street to the gates. Hopefully they weren't alive. She couldn't fly over it because her wing was trapped in this green goo. Ugh, it's always something.

Haphazardly, she walked past the steel gates and continued through for the doors. The lawn here was not a good place to stop and rest. Inside? Maybe. Out here? You're crazy. She raced to the doors and flattened herself against the walls next to them to not only check her back. But to listen better. Looks like someone thought a shut door would keep out a big dragon.

"I'm at the castle," she reported. Her hoof trailed down to a gas mask connected to her black ELITE vest and brought it up to her face. Once it was attached, she whispered, "I'm moving in."

Her hoof reached out and grabbed the handle to the castle. It slowly twisted. Then she rushed inside with a flashlight dancing. No one brought any night vision in fair of gas masks so they could breath through this dust and air. Her breathing was loud. Blocking out a majority of the noises reaching her ears. The snapping and cracking of fire concerned her. "Oh yeah, she's in here. I don't know anyone else that can make purple fire."

The walls on the bottom floor were consumed with violet flames reaching and licking towards the ceiling. Everything was burning, but not making heat.

Private Smalls huffed and puffed through the halls, but kept her eyes and ears out for anything other than crackling flames. Her flashlight danced while she moved further in. She opened doors and peeked into rooms. But she didn't dare call out in case something other than the Queen was in here.

"Private Smalls, Air Team just confirmed something shattered a window on the third floor of the castle."

Finally, some help. Private Smalls replied, "Ten-four. Moving now." Then she made a mad dash for the staircase. The fire seemed to be only fairly dangerous on the first floor. While the floors above were harmless, the first was making her sweat even more. Little candle burns here above while the bottom held death. The walls were black with scorch marks and some even had holes in them. Glass and pictures littered the floor. A random dresser, and... A purple feather.

Celestia stated first, "She's there. Check everywhere."

Private Smalls didn't need to be told twice. She started pushing open doors and checking everything out on this floor. The sky's red hue streamed in through holes all over the halls. The dark atmosphere was something outside of a horror movie. The air was silent save for all the explosions and fighting raging miles away . The ceiling above was partly shattered and Aerial Guard seemed to be throwing fire to Maheera. Private Smalls focused back on the task at hoof. Getting the queen out of—

Something silver suddenly swiped out of the room on her right and stopped at her neck. Private Smalls stepped back in surprise before Twilight zipped out, grabbed her hoof, and pulled her inside.

Twilight yanked her down to the foot of a wall and held a hoof up to her mouth to shush her. Then whispered, "The birds."

Apart from how crazy that sounded, Twilight looked worse for wear. Armor discarded, every bit of her was either dirty, bloody, or bruised. Her right eye was squeezed shut. And her horn was chipped.

"Holy Celestia," Novo whispered.

A bird suddenly landed on the window sill and started to open its mouth before Twilight hit it with a small spark of magic. She looked to Smalls and greeted, "Hello, Private Smalls. I take it Odega said a few words?"

Private Smalls saluted and replied, "I'm just following orders and crashed in Canterlot. Are you pinned down? You need medical assistance."

Twilight pointed to the window and answered, "No point. There's a nest of Infected birds beyond that window. We'll be able to get out of here, but thanks to these holes they'll be on us in less than a second. Birds don't do well in smoke and I don't have any smoke bombs or know any smoke spells."

Private Smalls took off her gas mask and placed it over Queen Arcadia's muzzle. The air was so dusty, she was about to pass out already. "Private Smalls to Command, I got her. We're pinned down at the Castle, requesting immediate assistance."

Arcadia's eyes darted down to the Comm Block and she asked, "Who's on the other side?"

"Lavender ma'am."

She nodded and stated, "Plan A didn't work. I'm resorting to Plan B. There's a field North of Canterlot leading to Manehattan. I need to get to that field so I can set up the spell."

Celestia shook her head back in Psera and said, "No. No, she needs immediate medical attention. She doesn't need to be fighting."

Madun shook his head and replied, "I agree but she won't listen. What spell is it?"

Private Smalls focused back on the Queen and whispered, "What's the spell?"

Twilight grabbed her sword and slashed at a few birds attempting to squeeze in through a crack. "It's a portal spell of my own design. It's extremely complex and can get rid of her once and for all until it's reactivated. I just need to build the foundation and get it connected. There's a great place to setup between here and Manehattan. I just need to get there."

Private Smalls nodded and relayed, "What do you think, Command?"

Before they could respond, Odega casually trotted in from that same doorway and blew flames from her mouth to the birds attempting to get through. Their ashes dropped to the motionless ground way below. Then she turned her sight to Twilight and her current physical state.

Before she could say anything smart, Twilight raised a firm hoof and ordered, "Save it. I need to get to the Northern Field. And I need Maheera distracted."

Oh please. Odega gestured her head out the crack and said, "Leave that to the Twins. Maheera's pinned down with those things which will give us a large window. How are you doing?"

She used a wing to help scoop Queen Arcadia up to her hooves. Then helped her walk back out into the hall. She answered behind her mask, "Plan A didn't work. So I'm doing terrible."

Odega silently cursed and asked, "How? Even I was sure it would work."

"She set me up with a clone last minute. And I wasted the Blue Gold on her instead. All I have is this spell. I think one of my wings is broken, I have a cracked rib and a sprained hoof. And my right eye is swollen."

They started descending the stairs before an explosion rattled the structure. Arcadia huffed and puffed out her words. "You... You ladies sure are... Doing a number out there."

Private Smalls stepped off the last stairwell first and helped Arcadia down with Odega. "Yeah, well..." She sighed. "When the first vibration shook the entire continent, we knew something was up. Let's get out of here." She had Twilight put a hoof around her neck with Odega, then dragged her through the purple flames eating up the bottom floor. It was a wonder how this Castle was still standing.

When they stepped out, they were surprisingly joined by... RAINBOW DASH?!! She landed in her wonderbolt getup uniform and ready to fly. Twilight gasped and grunted out, "How did you get here?!"

Rainbow Dash glanced around and answered awkwardly, "I flew? Come on, the Pserateps may be the fastest, but I'm no slouch either."

Twilight couldn't deny that. She groaned and said, "Where are the rest of the soldiers?"

Rainbow Dash pointed south of the castle. "They're fighting down there. A few Hippogriffs and Pegasi from Psera are here too. It's just an even fight. And Maheera's taking heavy hits. But... Everything is sort of at a standstill. No one is moving."

They knew what that meant. They didn't have a lot of time. Twilight nodded and answered, "I can fix that. Get me to the Northern Fields so I can set up. My wing is broken."

"Alright, Egghead!" She zipped around Twilight amongst another explosion and helped her get on Odega's back in Phoenix form with Smalls. Then they took off into the air and tilted for the North.

While they flew through the plumes of smoke and ash, Twilight focused her mind on everything. The fighting, the risks everyone was taking to get to this very moment. Despite it all, nothing was progressing. This spell was the goal of it all. And it decided whether they win or lose.

Before Twilight knew it, they were zooming down onto the dead flat plain of the Northern Cities. Between Canterlot and Manehattan used to be a grassy field. But thanks to Maheera's Dark Magic, it was now just a dirt-ridden landscape.

Odega flapped her wings and slowed down to a gentle landing on the ground. It was peaceful here, unlike the West of Equestria.

Private Smalls relayed back to Command, "We're at the Northern Plains. Awaiting command orders..."

Madun wasn't too sure about this. Twilight was deeply injured and could go down if Maheera managed to show up randomly. Secretary Manny on his right replied, "Have her set it up, but then she needs medical aid immediately afterwards. Get her somewhere safe, we're sending you some reinforcements."

Private Smalls carried Queen Arcadia's surprisingly light body down to the ground. Then softly set her hooves on the dirty ground. "Okay. What do we do?"

Queen Arcadia trudged forward through the dirt and lowered her horn with a small star of magic at the tip. "Watch my back while I do my magic." Then she started drawing with her face in the dirt.

Private Smalls kept an eye out while Twilight did whatever she did. Hopefully this would work. As sudden as it was to have her out here in this desolated wasteland in the middle of the night—which it didn't look like at all—it was great to finally get this over with.

Madun dropped down on his flanks back at the Command Center and let everyone else handle it for now. Fresh Dawn was squirming in his hooves for some reason. Her ears were flicking left and right. It wasn't a secret that she held a special bond with her mother. A mother-daughter bond of a different kind. An empathic connection. So it may be that. Or a bit of the noise reaching her.

Madun leaned down and nuzzled her head so she could sleep better. Then focused back on the screen. Whatever Twilight was drawing was nearly complete. It was just a glowing outline of a circle with mixed paths leading from twelve different points on the edges.

Drawing complete, Twilight limped to the outside of the glowing outline and turned around to face it. Then lowered her horn and started the process of transfiguration. The ground started turning into steel from her horn and into the circle. The lines continued glowing though. Until the device was complete. The input end of the Portal. A shiny sparkling dot in the middle of this desolate wasteland. The glowing lines dimmed and turned into black grooves. It was finally complete.

The steel was cool under Twilight's hooves when she took the first few steps onto it. She sighed and said, "Alright. It's complete."

Odega turned around and looked at the device. Then walked over to it and tapped the edge with a hoof. Real steel. In the ground. "How does it work?" She asked.

"I'll show you." Twilight used her magic to create a whip with her horn. Then lashed it straight for Rainbow Dash.

Once wrapped around her middle, she lassoed her in under a firm hoof. Rainbow yelped and asked, "Hey! What are you doing?!"

Celestia gasped and stood back up before Twilight stomped her good hoof down onto Rainbow's chest. Pinning her down. Then yelled, "MECRAH!!" The outer edges of the steel slab suddenly lit up and a transparent purple wall of magic shot into the sky, keeping Twilight and Rainbow Dash inside and everyone else out

Luna shot up and bellowed, "What is she doing?!" Waking Fresh Dawn up.

She wiggled in her father's hold and straightened up with her ears moving around. "Huh?! Wh-What's going on?"

Madun looked down in his hooves and kissed her head, "Nothing, Sugar Plum. Go back to sleep, okay?" But honestly, this wasn't nothing. This was scary. Twilight was dying over there. And he was five hundred miles away watching their daughter.

Rainbow Dash struggled in her binds and asked, "Twilight what do you—"

"Do you seriously think I'm that naive?" Twilight interrupted. Her purple eyes glared down to the pony trapped underneath her hooves. Her mouth turned into a growl. "The Rainbow Dash I know would have started boasting by now. That and your Wonderbolt costume is a little off. I haven't been that involved in Equestria for years, but even I know that their hooves are covered. Not to mention you said 'no one' earlier. The Rainbow Dash I know always says 'nopony.'"

Rainbow stopped squirming and looked down at her outfit. Curse these stupid ponies and their fragile bodies. Did they need every last bit of them protected? Either way, "Rainbow Dash" blinked her eyes and they turned from their gray-ish purple to a slitted yellow. Her grin turned sadistic, her teeth into fangs. "You're good, Queen Arcadia."

Queen Arcadia shook her head and reached up to grab her crown. Then she shocked everyone by throwing it out of the shield and to Private Smalls. She squealed and caught it in her hooves. Then focused back on the gas mask and sword she threw to her too.

Queen Arcadia looked back down to Maheera in disguise and corrected, "I'm not good, Maheera." Then leaned in. "I'm highly experienced. That's better than the best. MECRAH!!!"

The portal suddenly flashed and a great blast pushed Odega and Private Smalls with high winds. The shield keeping anyone from getting in glowed even brighter, turning the red sky into full day. The dust covering the continent spread outwards and cleared the air, revealing clouds, the moon, and the stars. The fighting beyond Canterlot ceased and all eyes trained directly on the glowing stick in the distance. Like a large purple neon beacon in the sky. Which was exactly what it seemed to be.

The Infected ponies screeched and left those they were fighting to get an even closer look at the command of Maheera. Followed by the soldiers of Psera.

Captain Dark pointed a hoof to the beam and looked over his shoulder. "Get to that beacon!" Then took off into the air, speeding over Canterlot.

Whatever this thing was, it was powerful. And it was strong enough to push Odega back. She looked up from the ground and stood on shaking hooves to watch the light show. Fresh Dawn was wide awake by this point. She couldn't sleep with all of this racket.

Celestia looked to Luna and asked, "What is that?"

"I-I don't know," she blubbered. "But I'm not getting a good vibe from it."

Twilight was standing above Maheera, trapped under her hooves. Her eyes held authority. "There is no escape, Maheera!!!" She yelled. Maheera was actually scared now. Whatever this was, it was seriously capable of overpowering her magic. "You lose!!! Even if you manage to get out from under me, the wormhole will have you trapped, and these shields will keep you inside!! You lose!!"

WHAT?!! Maheera struggled under Queen Arcadia's hoof and actually managed to slip out. Then made a zip for the outside. But just like Twilight said, she ran smack into it and bounced onto her back. The little stumps on the edges of the Portal flashed and shot out bright lights in the form of elastic cords that latched onto whatever part of Maheera they could grab. Mainly her hooves.

She whimpered in fear. Desperate to get these things off. But they pulled her down and dragged her across the metal screaming to the center of the portal. She was flipped over to face the sky and stretched with her hooves spread out from her body. Defenseless.

Twilight placed a hoof back on her and yelled, "Every existence of you ever since you arrived will disappear too! All of your destruction, all of your magic, all of it!! IT! IS! OVER!!!"

The approaching Infected ponies all of a sudden fell. Either from the sky or to their hooves. Like a rain of black, just falling to the ground. Then the magic embedded inside slipped out of them, leaving behind the ponies they infected and zipped for the portal like a black sea.

The steel slab suddenly flashed. Then gradually turned to darkness to create a giant hole directly underneath her that Maheera's infection flew into. The only thing keeping Maheera from falling in were the ropes holding her. But the pony standing on her chest glaring down could let those go at any moment.

Maheera growled and yelled, "You silly filly! Do you honestly think I'm this easy to keep away?! I'll find a way to break out, this can only hold me for so long!"

Twilight's smile let her know she had already planned that. "THAT'S WHY I'M GOING WITH YOU!! TO ENSURE YOU DON'T!!"

Madun's heart froze when he heard her shout that. He placed Fresh Dawn down and ordered, "Fire away at that spell!! Don't let her go!! There must be another way!!"

The Generals had already sent the command. And Private Smalls was doing what she could with her wing cannons. Purple magic rained down on the tube of magic. But it wasn't breaking. It wasn't even shifting. So Madun turned to the next best thing.

He grabbed Celestia around the neck and brought her closer. "What spell is this?! Do you know?!"

Unfortunately, she shook her head and answered quickly, "We've never seen this before! We have no idea what spell this is!!"

"Well it needs to be stopped!"

"Using her magic on it will only make it stronger!" Luna explained. "And interrupting it could wield fatal results! It must run its course!"

Madun growled and let Celestia go to hold Fresh Dawn to his chest. To keep her from watching whatever was happening. She didn't need to see or even hear really what was happening.

Out of Command's sight, Maheera struggled in her binds and snarled, "You're an insane pony, Arcadia." One bind snapped followed by three more that left one half of her flipped down and dangling in the cold darkness below her. "Whoa!! Okay, okay, you're not insane, you're not insane, I take it back!!"

Arcadia jumped off and used one hoof to grab hold of the last few dangles binding her. Now she was dangling too. One eye on Maheera's. She smiled peacefully and said, "Maheera... None of this would have happened if you let whatever feud it was between you and Narmeelah go. Now... I'm dropping both of us into a prison of darkness. And I shall be your warden."

Maheera waved her hooves around and tried to bargain with her. "Whoa! Whoa! Okay, look! Queen Arcadia, look! I know I've been a bit of a stick in the mud but—"

"No, Maheera." One more bind snapped and their weight carried them deeper out of sight. "It's too late for apologies. Equestria is destroyed now because of you. Along with every known land. So you're going to prison now."

Twilight glanced up and sighed. The Guard and a few Hippogriffs managed to soar up many miles to the very top of the beam to get inside somehow and were now speeding down to the portal. Captain Dark Silver. She could make him out leading a team of others.

All of Maheera's dark magic had long been sucked inside. There was no telling what would happen in here, or any need to continue holding on. But she knew one thing: Everyone would be safe.

So Queen Arcadia ended the war. She let all the binds snap and allowed herself and Maheera screaming to fall deeper. She glanced up at the scared eyes of the approaching guards. Then with her last signature smile they'd ever see on screen, she used her last spell and forced the portal closed.

The air around them suddenly brightened even more until no one could see anything but white. All audio was cut and eyes were closed. The ponies in command stopped talking and held a hoof up to keep from any permanent damage the light from the camera feeds were giving them. It gradually lowered and all voices stopped. No one spoke, no one talked.

Until all was dark again. Madun swiftly lowered his hoof and eyed the feed with a quivering lip and tearful eyes. The only thing that remained was the steel slab in the dirt. The only sign that Queen Arcadia was there. And the pain she left behind.

Author's Note:

Omg... Omg... Omg...

Comments

[XzareAce]

well, I kinda predicted this! well kina it was a passing idea I thought was really neat with the torn off-page of the Diary, "Until another takes my place" on the folded paper, I hope this means Narmeelah Comes back, but now we wait to see what happens :|

P.S when or if Twilight ever Comes home Madun is going to be PISSED

[XzareAce]

Wait a Minute Unless she Specifically targeted Maherras magic does this mean all of Twilight Magic is gone too i.e PDS, all of Psera Magic Reservers,
(more unlikely, the steel transformed into gold, nature, and enchantment back on psera?) yeah sorry I know Twilight of all ponies would think that through

[ValNitak Choas]

going to say twilight get ride back somehow with the help of the elements

[Just_Dandy]

Ooook someone is insane but, me no
Och and where's Discord?
By the way great story.

[XzareAce]

9826395

my theory is she will stay in the plane of darkness and uses the magic within necklaces to manifest herself outside of that plane of darkness temporarily at given times

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Oh... SHIT...

[Gboyd]

No! Twilight! No! I mean I know why you did it... But... No.....

[Dieadmirer]

God this is so tragic! I'm literally crying right now. This is just too good