Deus Ex Magica
Sunset growled and her horn charged up with a blue aura. Applejack opened her mouth to warn Spitfire, but it was too late. Spitfire was launched back through the air and landed with a stomach-churning thud. Sunset stood up with an annoyed look on her face, her fur covered in blood. Applejack knew it wasn't her own blood. The barrier around them dropped as Sunset shook her head, scarlet droplets flying off of her snout.
Without even stopping to think, Applejack stumbled over to Spitfire and looked at her friend. She ignored the sounds of a fight behind her and instead focused on getting to the pegasus. Her stomach turned over at the sight. Spitfire was covered in her own blood, most of it pouring out of a big wound along her stomach. Applejack held Spitfire up with her hooves and positioned her against a tree so she’d be sitting up.
Spitfire, either through adrenaline or some kind of powerful spite, turned to look at Applejack with a faint smile. "Did I get her?"
Applejack pressed a hoof on Spitfire's wounds, but it did little to stop the bleeding. Instead, she just ended up with blood all over her fur. She looked desperately at Spitfire. "Yeah, you did," Applejack sniffled through the tears that were now flowing down her cheeks.
Spitfire frowned and craned her head to look at herself. She inhaled sharply and looked away. "I'm not gonna make it, am I?" Her voice was thick with emotion and pain.
Applejack couldn't tear her eyes away from Spitfire, her vision blurry from the tears in her eyes. "There's gotta be somethin' we can do,'' she croaked. "I can't just lose you like this!"
Spitfire placed her hoof on Applejack's. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Her breath was rapid, a lot more rapid than Applejack would have thought would be coming from somepony who'd lost that much blood. "I had fun today," Spitfire uttered between breaths.
Applejack choked on a sob. "Me too, Cap." She frowned as Spitfire's eyes flickered open and closed.
"Don't forget about me, okay 'Jack?" Spitfire smiled through her pain, and Applejack didn't know how she could ever manage to do that. Spitfire turned to look at Applejack's face, tears in her own eyes. "And tell Crash… Tell Rainbow Dash that she's really lucky." Applejack coughed on her tears. She looked at Spitfire with furrowed eyebrows. Spitfire simply laughed, blood gurgling in her throat. She turned her head and spat it out. "I know you like her." She closed her eyes and Applejack felt her body go limp. "She's so lucky," she whispered with an exhale.
And she was gone. Applejack held her in trembling hooves, staring blankly at Spitfire. At her body. She tried to hold back a sob but failed miserably. She held Spitfire's body close to her own and cried into it for a moment. “No, no, no,” she murmured. “Cap, please come back…” She hugged the cooling body tight. “Spitfire!”
But there was no response. Applejack continued murmuring into Spitfire's slowly cooling body and getting herself full of blood, but she didn't care. What she did care about was Sunset Shimmer and what she had coming to her.
The tears stopped, and the noises from the struggle behind her rushed back into her ears. She set Spitfire back on the floor gently, setting her in a position that looked comfortable and bowed her head. She removed her hat as she paid her respects to the friend that just died in her hooves, and then set it back on her head, not caring that it was stained with blood. "I'll never forget about you, Spitfire. Nopony will. The blood on my hat'll make sure of it." She dipped her head once more before turning around.
She saw Sunset Shimmer shooting wildly at the ponies around her, who were all dodging her attacks. Applejack noticed all of their cheeks glistened with tears as well. Her eyes fell on Rainbow Dash, who looked livid. She didn't have the telltale signs of a pony who had been crying, and in a way, Applejack knew that that was worse.
Rainbow Dash roared. "You bucking monster!"
Sunset shot a beam at Rainbow Dash, who took it head-on and stumbled to the floor but got up almost instantly as blood dripped from her mouth. She spat it out toward Sunset, who scowled at the pegasus.
Applejack had no plan. She just knew she had to stop Sunset Shimmer. She had to stop Dusk Sparkle. She had to avenge Spitfire. She bared her teeth and ran into the circle of ponies and charged Sunset, who turned away from her at the moment. She ran directly into her, knocking her over. Applejack wasted no time in throwing a hoof at Sunset's face. She wasn't quick enough to dodge it, and a satisfying crack filled the air as Sunset's head recoiled back and blood sprayed through the air. Sunset made no noise, though. She simply looked back at Applejack and wiped her flowing nose with a hoof.
"What's wrong, Applejack? Are you upset that I hurt your friend?" Sunset's voice was taunting as she narrowed her eyes.
Applejack's face contorted with anger and she threw another punch at Sunset, who didn't even try to dodge it. She took it with a smile and spat out blood. "Ya ain't just hurt her," Applejack roared. "You done killed her!"
Applejack lifted her hoof again to get another punch in on Sunset, who again did nothing to dodge it. That made Applejack even more upset, if that was still possible. Her vision turned red with rage. She took another shot at Sunset, and another, but before she could go through with the next one, she felt herself get dragged off of the murderer.
"Woah," Rainbow Dash's voice spoke. "Relax, AJ."
Applejack shoved Rainbow Dash off of her and frowned. "How could you say that? Spitfire is…" Her voice trailed off as she looked away.
Rainbow's face darkened. "I know, believe me." She exhaled sharply and nudged Applejack with her hoof. “But that’s not really Sunset, you know? She’s being mind-controlled by whoever or... Whatever is making Twilight do this. You don’t want to stoop to her level.”
Applejack couldn’t understand how Rainbow Dash was so calm. She had known Spitfire longer, and it seemed that Applejack cared more! Really, she knew that different ponies deal with things differently, and she knew that Rainbow cared. But Applejack just wanted to be mad at someone.
“We have to save as many ponies as we can, even Sunset,” Rainbow continued. “She has friends in the other world. We can’t just let her disappear like that.”
Applejack’s ears flattened. Rainbow had a point, as much as Applejack hated to admit it. It wouldn’t be fair to punish Sunset for something she would probably have no memory of doing later. She let herself smile a little. “I got a few good punches on her though, ain’t I?”
Rainbow Dash chuckled dryly. “You did,” she admitted. “And I think we won’t have to worry about her anymore. We don’t know her well enough to bring her back, but we can restrain her until then.”
Applejack looked over to where Sunset was and found that she was indeed being restrained. She was tied to a tree using several lengths of rope and they covered her horn with a magic-resisting metallic sheath. Despite that, Sunset didn’t look defeated. She wore a satisfied smile on her bruised and bloodied face.
The hatred that Applejack felt was soon dissipated by the sight of Starlight Glimmer back up on her hooves, albeit unsteady ones, aided by Trixie who let herself be used as a crutch. The rest of the hatred she arboured was completely stripped from her as she felt Rainbow Dash wrap her wing around her.
“We’ll make this right,” the sky blue pegasus asserted with a forced smile. “I promise.”
At that, Dusk Sparkle lowered to the ground and faced Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “The only way to make it right is by joining me,” she barked with a frown. She looked back at Sunset and shook her head, not even bothering to try to free her. “I guess she was a letdown too,” she murmured.
Without warning, she focused a laser of magic at Sunset, who let out a short scream, convulsed backwards and hit her head on the tree she was restrained to. Her body went limp from the impact. Rarity, who happened to be the closest pony, yelped and ran to her and put a hoof to her neck, then sighed in relief as she found a pulse.
Dusk Sparkle paid no mind. “Although she did do one thing right,” she snarled as she shot a look to where Spitfire lay.
Applejack clenched her jaw and took a step forward, but Rainbow Dash held her back. “Twilight, this isn't like you. I know you’re in there somewhere,” Rainbow spoke carefully, not daring to take her eyes off of the slightly taller alicorn.
“I’m not Twilight,” she snapped. “I’m everything she couldn’t be.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. So they were right all along. This wasn’t actually Twilight, of course it wasn’t. Their friend, the Princess of Friendship, would never do something like this. “And how’s that,” Applejack deadpanned. They needed to stall and try to force whatever was inside Twilight’s mind out of it.
Dusk Sparkle laughed curtly. “I have more power than she does. I could bring you to your knees right now if I wanted to,” she threatened.
“But ya haven't,” Applejack pointed out. “Why is that?”
Rainbow seemed to understand where Applejack was trying to bring the conversation. “Do you feel as though you can’t hurt us because you remember us?”
“No, of course not,” Dusk Sparkle spoke coolly after a brief moment of hesitation. “I need you alive. You would be of no use to me if you were dead.”
Applejack decided to press further, noting the slight pause on Dusk Sparkle’s half. "I don't think that's true. I think somewhere inside of you, you remember."
Dusk Sparkle shook her head. "No! Don't listen to them!" She bared her teeth, her voice sharper than before. "They're insufferable, pay no attention!"
Rainbow Dash grinned and shot a glance at Applejack. "Come on, this is just like Trivia Trot! You always lose to Team AppleDash!"
Applejack held back an amused laugh despite the situation. "Damn right!" She hoof bumped Rainbow Dash. "We're unstoppable!"
Dusk Sparkle let out a snort, a tiny smile on her face, which was quickly replaced by a frown. "Stop it!" She took a few steps back, and in front of her landed Luna and Celestia.
"Oh crab apples," Applejack muttered. "Come on now, Princesses. You can't hurt us, we're your subjects."
Luna and Celestia were quiet. The glow in their eyes flickered, and Applejack noticed that Dusk Sparkle's did as well. She looked over at Rainbow Dash who seemed to notice this as well. If we can save Twilight, then everypony else gets saved too!
Applejack nodded briefly at Rainbow Dash who nodded in return and the two mares separated, leaving Celestia and Luna behind. The two alicorns turned around with a surprised exclamation and attempted to get closer to them, but a barrier materialized in front of the alicorns. Applejack looked over to see Starlight with her horn glowing from the effort of keeping up a solid barrier in the state that she was in.
Despite being infinitely stronger at magic than Starlight, the princesses did nothing to try to get past the forcefield. They just stood there, looking on at the scene in front of them.
Rainbow Dash took the lead and marched forward closer to Dusk Sparkle. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy joined them, all with pleading smiles on their faces. Dusk Sparkle looked between them all like a wild animal trapped in a corner. In a way, maybe she was.
Rarity was the first to step forward slowly. Dusk Sparkle did nothing except watch her with a frightened expression. "Darling, we hate to see you like this," she began. "We're not sure what happened, but it could not have been good. Despite everything, we just hope you can hear us. I know you're there, Twilight." Rarity offered her a gentle smile.
Fluttershy stepped up next to Rarity. "She's... Um… Rarity's right, you know. All we want is for you to come back," she squeaked as she pressed closer to Rarity. "And I know we're all more than willing to forgive you." Fluttershy smiled kindly at Dusk Sparkle, who crouched down closer to the floor.
Applejack decided it was her turn to step up. "Darn right we are. I just know it was an honest mistake, and you're not yourself right now. But the Twilight I know is still in there somewhere.” Her voice felt thick and her throat was tight from crying before, but she kept a smile on her face. Dusk Sparkle buried her head in her hooves, mindlessly shaking her head repeatedly.
"And the Twilight I know is an egghead." Rainbow stepped up next to Applejack and grinned at Dusk Sparkle. "But she's also the greatest friend anypony could have. Other than me of course."
Pinkie bounced up next to Rainbow Dash and gave Dusk Sparkle the biggest, bright smile she could offer. "And we are so so fortunate to call you our friend. You really changed our lives for the better! I mean, look at us now!" She paused and raised a hoof to her chin. "Well, maybe not now but you get what I'm trying to say. You're the cherry on top of our six-layered, multicolour, upside down, deconstructed friendship cake!" Pinkie squeaked as she gave her over-the-top euphemism.
Over by the fence that separated the front of Sweet Apple Acres from the trail leading to Ponyville, a little figure flew in from behind a tree and to the group. Applejack couldn't believe who she saw until he stood right in front of her, facing Dusk Sparkle. A little dragon, who was a bit worse for wear, but not hurt at all.
"We will always be your friends, Twilight." Spike smiled through the obvious pain in his eyes, but he was ready to forgive. He held out a claw as an offering to Dusk Sparkle who laid on the floor, trembling.
The purple alicorn who seemed so much smaller than she did at first raised her head, her glowing eyes flickering. "My… friends?" Her voice was soft, a softness that Applejack didn't know she missed so much coming from that body. She blinked as her eyes became completely red and she hunched over, holding her head tight in her hoofs. "Stop listening to them, you fool!" The voice that came out of her body was different as if it belonged to a different pony altogether.
Applejack watched in shock as Dusk Sparkle stood, with flickering eyes, and raised her head to the sky and yelled out an incantation in a language that Applejack couldn't make out. It might have been Old Ponish, but she wasn't sure.
As she did so, a black sphere of energy encapsulated her and lifted her into the sky and her eyes shut. The dome around them, being ever closer than before, disappeared as the black aura around Dusk Sparkle entered her body through her mouth, and for a moment, she was still.
Her eyes snapped open and glowed white, as a stream of black energy exited from her mouth faster than with the speed it used to enter. Applejack and her friends began glowing as well and then began to float into the sky on level with Dusk Sparkle. No, this was Twilight Sparkle. Applejack could feel it.
Twilight held out her hooves as Applejack and Rainbow Dash took one on each side. Pinkie Pie held Applejack's hoof and Fluttershy held Rainbow Dash's, with Rarity on her other side. Their white light fought with the darkness of the other entity for a moment, and the darkness reached closer to them, invading their purity.
Applejack felt the energy physically threatening to enter her body. She wanted to give up, to let it in. But Twilight’s voice snapped her mind off of those thoughts.
"Darkwood! Your spellbook is nothing but a trap." She sounded upset, but her face showed no emotion. "I understand what you did. You trapped your soul inside the book, waiting for a powerful vessel to take." The alicorn looked to her left, then her right. "And that vessel was me. You wield a dark power that nopony should be able to have, and for that, you must be destroyed!"
Deep, distorted laughter came from the black energy that was Darkwood. "You wouldn't do that. I'll always be a part of you, whether you like it or not. There is no way to destroy me! I'll live on inside you, in every dark crevice of your mind. Every bad thought, every impulse. That's me, Princess. You may get rid of what you see before you, but you can never get rid of me."
Rainbow Dash was the next to speak. "Oh, but we found a way!" The confidence in her voice was evident and in unison, the six ponies lifted their hooves to the sky. "And we'll always beat dickheads like you through the power of-"
"Friendship!" All of them spoke in unison, and upon saying the word, a large rainbow laser shot from the white aura that surrounded them and slashed through Darkwood's disembodied spirit. Pinkie whooped from somewhere next to Applejack, but all she could feel was the surge of power that came with the rainbow laser.
"Goodbye Darkwood. May you never come back to this realm," Twilight condemned definitively as Darkwood's screams vanished into thin air.
They remained in the air for a few more seconds before being lowered back to the ground. They glowed for a few more moments, their manes flowing in the atmosphere they made for themselves, and all at once, it stopped, causing them all to blink the light out of their eyes.
Twilight stumbled and fell onto the floor. Applejack walked over to her cautiously, flanked by her other friends and Spike. She kept a safe distance in case Twilight tried to attack them again, but when Twilight opened her eyes, they were back to normal, although a bit dazed.
Applejack's heart dropped, though it was in a sense of relief. She was still reeling over everything, but the smile on her face was genuine, and for the second time that day, tears found a way to escape onto her cheeks. "Well howdy, Twilight."
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Going by this, I have to say I'm surprised. I'd think they'd stay as far away from where Twilight lives as possible. Please respond to this comment.
10956544
youre right, but i figured they wouldn't risk trying to travel and would instead make a safe zone somewhere they already have resources. not sure where you are, but theyve been holding their own thanks to their magical barrier they set up and the fact that twilight has been mostly messing with them instead of launching a full scale attack on them
also, I'll be honest, poor storytelling on my part
10956864
He was being kept in Twilight's castle. I think it was implied several chapters ago, but in hindsight it probably wasn't that obvious
I'm so glad I waited a week to read this.
10966295
yes