Realm of the Lost

by Orsuros

Chapter 33: Final Words

Goodbyes always felt awkward to Smolder. Dragons usually weren’t big on tearful or emotional farewells. If a dragon was in a good mood, you might get a ‘see you later,’ but if they were in a bad mood, they definitely wouldn’t be saying anything friendly. She watched as Ocellus finished her speech in the center of the village.

“I wish I could stay with you to show you how wonderful the freedom to choose your own path is, but me and my friends must go. The greatest wonders of the world and of life are out there waiting for those who choose to look for them.”

Ocellus stepped off the stage and Smolder stepped closer. She paused as a sandy yellow pony approached.

“Ocellus! You’re back! And you beat the queen. I’m not even sure what to think about that.”

“Did you hear my speech?”

“I did. I think I’d like a little more freedom, but if I can have that and still live here, I’d be the happiest.”

“That’s great to hear! If I find a way to write, we can be pen pals!”

Smolder chuckled as they smiled and hugged. Ocellus answered a few questions from the freed ponies and changelings before she came to join her.

“I think I did well. I left some instructions on how to transform into a changeling like me. The queen won’t be happy about that, but it’s the least I could do.”

“It’s always funny to see how friendship changes things in so many different places. It's even been changing the Dragon Lands, and dragons usually are very slow to change. But the best change has been my friendship with you."

She breathed out a puff of smoke as her cheeks suddenly felt warm. Ocellus blushed and nuzzled against her.

“Dragons need a lot of love, but they’re some of the most loyal friends.”

“Is that what you’ve discovered? But it’s true. We’re greedy like that.”

They laughed and walked back to Starlight and their other friends.

“The queen seems to be keeping her word about her surrender,” Starlight said. “But I’d rather not stay here too long. We need to be somewhere safe where I can set up the spell with few interruptions. It’s a very difficult spell to copy, but we have everything we need to take us back. I’ll teleport us back to Grandeur’s Bazaar. Out of everywhere we visited, he seems to have the best security. We still have a few enemies out there who would love to mess things up.”

“I’ve said my goodbyes,” Ocellus said. “Let’s get going.”

Starlight etched out a teleportation circle in the dirt. Once it was complete, they all huddled together in the center. The itch of magic made Smolder’s scales tingle as the world flashed from a humid jungle to the dry grassland outside the walls of the Bazaar.

“Hedron and Scriptus should be coming to help with the spell tomorrow. It would have been nice to say goodbye to Mirage Chaser and her village, but it would have been too draining to do two big teleport spells.”

They walked through the gate and were greeted by Glissanda and Grandeur in the open area just past the gate.

“Congratulations! I was worried about whether you could face Queen Cordys or Storm Surge, but you managed to beat her even at the heart of her stronghold. This calls for a celebration! I have the perfect place to relax and set up your spell at my manor. Follow me closely, or you’ll never find the way there.”

Grandeur chuckled and grinned. He pulled out a necklace with what looked like a compass. He adjusted it a few times as they walked down various roads, paths, and even alleyways through the market. They rounded the corner of another building, and a massive manor waited beyond it. A tall brass fence tipped with sharp crystals surrounded the entire place. A gate made to look like a fierce griffon curled its wings out of the way as Grandeur approached.

Beyond the fence, a magnificent oasis surrounded the huge red manor. Tiled pools were shaded underneath large palm trees. Carefully tended hedges, gardens, and lawns filled up the rest of the space. It was comparable to even the fanciest of castles that Smolder had seen in Equestria, although it seemed built to be more imposing and less graceful.

The inside was equally opulent. The finest seats, silverware, and table decorated the dining hall, along with many statues, portraits, and other objects that looked quite magical or very valuable. Her dragon greed threatened to well up when she thought about it all, but she focused on what they were doing instead. Grandeur sent Glissanda to organize things, and soon she returned with a few other griffon servants as they began to set the table.

“I know you don’t have long, so eat and enjoy yourselves. Scriptus and Hedron will be along shortly. Gallus, I’d love to discuss some things with you, so please, have the seat next to me.”

Smolder soon lost herself in some amazing gem cuisine. It gave her a few ideas she’d definitely have to try, or at least pass along to the school cooks. She chatted with Ocellus for what seemed like a short while, but the meal was over far faster than she expected. At some point during the meal, Starlight had left to go prepare the spell.

One of the servants announced the arrival of Scriptus and Hedron, so the other servants quickly cleared away most of the dishes and leftovers. She never really liked the strange floating crystals, and it was still hard to get her mind around what Hedron really was. Luckily, the other guest was much more to her liking. Scriptus smiled at her as he walked in and sat next to her.

“I never got a good chance to thank you for returning my three students. In all my studies, I never found a way to restore them to their proper selves, but you and your friends… you did what all the books couldn’t do through your friendship and determination.”

“I hate to see good dragons suffering. So… you’re welcome. I remember how terrible I thought things would be when Ember told me I was going to go to a school with ponies and other creatures. I thought they’d be weak, boring, or soft. But I quickly met my friends, and they showed me that all sorts of creatures can make great friends and do exciting things together. It’s not all the tough, competitive stuff we do in the Dragonlands, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“You remind me of what other wise creatures have told me. Knowledge can be found in books, but true wisdom must be learned by doing. But I’m still going to collect all the knowledge and books I can get. Who else can save it from being lost?”

They both laughed.

“Well, perhaps you should write to me. I’d like that. Many of my kobolds also wish to go with you to serve other dragons, but the spell won’t be able to take them. Saffron sends his best regards and wishes you good luck. Maybe we can work out a way to send them to Equestria later. For now, I think you need to get ready for the spell that will return you home.”

Yona was chatting happily with Hedron, and Gallus was still over with Grandeur, but the conversations slowly came to an end once Starlight returned.

“Okay, I have everything in place for us to return. Grandeur, Hedron, Scriptus, thank you for your help and for lending me your special artifacts. I will leave the other three artifacts in your care. We can only take a few small extra things with us, and no other creatures will fit with the spell. Say any final goodbyes. It’s time to go home, to Equestria.”

“And my temporal magic is reaching its limit,” Hedron added. “If you stay any longer, I can’t return you to the time when you left your world. And leaving your world without its magic for long would be disastrous.”

“That’s all the time we have for goodbyes. This way.”

Starlight took them to a large magical laboratory in the basement of the manor. They passed through a large metal door with some magical runes on it and into a reinforced chamber. A few marks on the walls indicated that Grandeur had previously used this room for other tests. A massive magical diagram was painted on the ground. Each of the six artifacts was placed in a circle on the edge of the large hexagonal lines. Many more complicated lines and runes were in place, but Starlight had a clear space for each of them to stand. Another empty space waited for her in the middle.

Starlight pointed out where they should each go. Smolder stood by Scriptus’s orb. Ocellus stood by the queen’s crown. Yona was next to a complex crystal machine. Gallus glanced down at Grandeur’s signet ring. Silverstream was staying far away from Nightmare’s armor, and Sandbar was looking away from the Cloak of Shadows.

“Okay, everything is in place. No matter what happens, hold on. We’re going home!”

Smolder could feel the magic in the air as Starlight’s horn glowed. The spell was so complex that Starlight had to power it up in several sections. More and more of the giant spell circle glowed with a blue-white light. Starlight took off her amulet and tossed it over to Grandeur. The magic of Equestria, which had long been trapped inside of Starlight, slowly expanded into a transparent blue bubble around the spell circle. A vortex appeared beneath them and drew the bubble into it.

The Realm of the Lost faded from view. They seemed to be moving, but Smolder couldn’t really make out anything right away. A colorful streak of purple and yellow chased them and slowly took form outside their barrier.

“Welcome to where my masters reside!” Storm Surge said. “I couldn’t get to you in all that security at Grandeur’s place. But I thought I’d take one last chance here.”

He snapped, but whatever was supposed to happen didn’t. He summoned massive shards of ice and threw them at the barrier. Smolder ducked as one flew at her. Instead of hitting the barrier, it swirled into a blur before solidifying on the other side and flying out of view.

“Hmm, I have to admit, that’s very good magic. I can do nothing more, but I am merely the servant of those who have been watching.”

In the darkness around them, shapes began to form. They made little sense as a whole. Swirling tentacles, jaws, and spikes unfurled. Hundreds of eyes gazed out of the darkness. She trembled as she felt the burning cold and hatred of their glare.

“Stay strong!” Starlight said. “Harmony’s magic is empowered by hope and friendship. I’ll do what I can!” She closed her eyes to concentrate as sparks of magic shot off her horn.

The creatures of madness and chaos lashed out at their little bubble of life and light. Tentacles mercilessly drummed against the side. The attacks came harder and harder. Ocellus squeaked in fear and ran over to Smolder. As she held her best friend close, she began to doubt they’d make it. The bubble around them slowly began to dent inward. Gallus and Sandbar were having similar trouble on their side.

They all backed up toward Starlight. She was still entirely focused on the spell, and the magic around her was enough to make Smolder’s scales itch.

“We need to keep going!” Silverstream said. “Harmony’s magic is strongest when we work together! I have plenty of it to share. Take my talons.”

Gallus was the first to jump up and link talons with her. Smolder took the other side. She could feel something faint that was more than the warmth of the hippogriff’s touch.

“Yona also have lots of magic! Ocellus, Sandbar, take some!”

Yona pulled the two of them to their sides and they pressed their hooves together as they sat in a circle. Gallus took Sandbar’s hoof in his other hand.

She grabbed onto Ocellus’s hoof and completed the circle. The faint feeling now turned into a feeling of warmth and peace. Her friends were here. They had been through so much, and Harmony’s magic had grown stronger each time they were loyal, kind, generous, honest as they helped each other and the creatures they had met. Each time they laughed in spite of the terrible things they had faced, it had grown. And the magic of friendship was the key to it all.

They all smiled at each other. Despite the otherworldly howls of rage and hunger at their backs, they focused on the power of their friendship. The barrier grew. It flashed. A nova of light drove back the horrors. The terrible monsters screeched and fell away.

“How is it possible?” Storm Surge asked.

A moment later, he vanished as their bubble of magic and light flew rapidly upward. It approached a small point of light. It grew larger until they could see the ceiling of the school’s basement through it. Something invisible tried to push them back, but they slowly rose up from a magical vortex. They were back where this entire journey had started.

Smolder growled as she spotted Cozy Glow. She clenched her claws. The evil little pegasus had been the cause of all this. She had turned the school against them with her words.

Starlight put out a hoof to stop her from pouncing on the brat.

“That’s not Harmony’s way. Each of you take the artifact from your race. I’ll make sure Cozy Glow is dealt with once we’ve undone her spell.”

She had to let go of the anger to feel the combined magic of their friendship again. She floated down to the artifact. She nodded as she glanced at all of her friends. They each grabbed the artifacts at the same time, and the spell was broken. Someone shouted for the other students to run. The barrier holding in the magic was quickly failing.

Starlight teleported them away from the shockwave as the barrier collapsed. The magic of Equestria rushed back out into the world, and Smolder watched with her friends at her side as it spread out across the world. She pulled Ocellus in for a hug and watched the colorful swirls of magic spin through the air.

Author's Note:

Click here for stat sheets and other information.

Yona had 12 friendship tokens left, which was the most. Silverstream was a close second with 11.

This chapter concludes the main story, but there will be one more chapter with a lot of fun epilogues to wrap things up. I'll include a note with more of my thoughts on the story as a whole at the end of the epilogue. Thank you all for sticking with it!

Comments

[Yoshifan30]

Wow they finally made it it's been a long journey for these kids and starlight so anyway they're saying their farewells to the other creatures from the alternate universe so they had to set up all the artifacts into place so the kids and starlight can go home finally and stopping cozy glow once and for all but once they teleport storm surge is not done with them yet but with the magic of friendship on their side they finally got to Equestria and finally made it back to the School of friendship and just like what happened to the school Raze play stop cozy glow and return all the magic to Equestria boy why do wild ride for them I can't wait to see the ending of your last chapter

[Xp45]

This was a very fun little adventure story and I’m glad I at least contributed early on. Can’t wait for the epilogue and to slide this one into my permanent favorites.

[Orsuros]

10597175
Thank you for the support and for sticking with it! It's been awesome to have readers like you.