Wherein Credits Roll
A soft wind quietly howled through the remains of the battlefield. Fur and feathers alike ruffled in the breeze while strewn weapons clanked against each other from the mild jostling. The wind passed through armor openings and sword grips, creating a low moaning sound that seemed to mourn the bodies it caressed.
Stardust lay in a heap next to Scootaloo, his wings splayed out after shoving the pegasus away in an attempt to save her from Demon’s piercing rays. It did little good, for seconds later Goddess’ sweep snuffed the life from Scootaloo just as easily as Demon’s light did to Stardust. Now both lay still, save for the gentle sway of Stardust’s and Scootaloo’s feathers against the wind.
Above the wind’s murmurs, a new sound emerged from above. A tinkle and chime followed after a small glowing yellow mote descending from the sky. The little speck drifted lazily down, completely unconcerned with the carnage it slowly fell towards. Though it bore no discernible form, its destination was clear. With pinpoint accuracy, it passed through Stardust’s back as though dipping into a puddle of water and stopped at his punctured heart. The light inside of him grew and expanded, taking on the form of a cherub. The tiny angel waved its hands, spreading out golden dust that seeped into his heart. Moments later the blood pumping organ mended itself, sealing up the wound without a trace of a scar. It beat once, twice, then continued at a steady rhythm. The cherub faded away, its task complete.
With a heaving gasp, Stardust took in a breath. He coughed and sputtered, his body spasming as it relearned how to live. Stardust rapidly sucked in heaps of air until finally slowing down to a normal level. An eye peeked out from behind his lids, slowly adjusting to the light of the world. Taking in a lungful of air, he pushed off the ground with his wings and folded his legs underneath him, settling himself into a perch. With his new vantage point, Stardust looked around and nearly threw up at all the death surrounding him.
Scootaloo sprawled out before him, her body a greyed out husk. Nearby, Derpy lay on her side with a hole in her chest where her heart used to be. Beyond her, Stardust caught a glimpse of the lower half of a pony but with no upper half. He wrenched his eyes away before he saw more. Tears began leaking out of his tightly shut eyes, a few choked sobs escaping his beak.
A tinkle from above cut through his growing sorrow. His curiosity won out against his seeing more of the morbid surroundings and he looked up through watery eyes. Stardust blinked, clearing his vision. His lower beak dropped.
Over a dozen little yellow dots floated downwards from the sky, like snowflakes. He watched, transfixed, as each light sought out a body on the ground and disappeared within. Stardust’s eyes widened further as those bodies began to twitch and struggle. He warked in surprise when Scootaloo sat up without warning and gave a giant yawn.
“Wow. Did I sleep wrong on my side or what?”
Stardust gaped further as Derpy, the hole in her chest miraculously sealed, stretched out like a cat and let out a pleasant groan. More and more Returners began to stir, some appearing out of thin air. Missing parts or even complete halves of ponies materialized, leaving behind a fully alive and aware Returner. Soon, the deathly quiet from before was replaced by movement and conversation.
Rubbing at his eyes, Stardust watched the impossible happen before him.
A slap to his back nearly toppled him over.
“It worked!” came Rainbow Dash’s exuberant voice. “Holy moley, was that a rush!”
Stardust groaned and looked up at the grinning pegasus, along with the rest of the Returners. “What are you talking about?”
“My life spells! I figured something bad was coming when we were talking with those dragons but didn’t know what. I didn’t want to take any chances so I flew around to everyone and cast something to bring us back in case the worst should happen. It was the same spell I used on Trixie when we were fighting those creeps Discord sicced at us.” Rainbow Dash landed next to Stardust and wrapped her hoof around his neck. “Thanks to Stardust’s magic potions—”
“Ethers.”
“Whatever. I had enough to get everyone. And it looks like I didn’t miss a single one!” She jumped up, thrusting a hoof to the air. “God, I’m so awesome!”
It took a few moments for everyone to process her words. Pinkie Pie ended the awkward silence with enthusiastic stomping. “Woohoo! Let’s hear it for Rainbow Dash!
“Strike that, let’s hear it for all of us! We did it, guys!”
Spotter quickly followed Pinkie Pie’s lead. It didn’t take long for others to join in and soon all the Returners whooped for joy and pounded the ground. The still intact platform they stood upon rumbled from their enthusiasm.
A piece of metal crashed next to them, nearly crushing Sunset.
All at once, the impromptu celebration ceased as a deep and all encompassing shaking began all around them. Parts of Discord’s sphere started to vibrate and crumble, the debris falling to the earth far below them.
“Ah, I vote we save the celebrations until we get out of here,” Applejack said.
“Seconded!” Rarity cried.
Their cries of agreement became cries of panic as the makeshift battlefield started to tilt. They all raced for the edge of the platform, but the magical integrity didn’t last. With little aplomb, the structure dropped like a stone, taking the screaming Returners with it.
In a flash of magic and fire, Twilight morphed. With speed that Rainbow Dash would have been proud of, she flew below the platform, gathered her magic, and heaved. Crying out in both strain and success, Twilight caught the falling slab of stone, slowing its descent. Calling on all the last drops of magic within her, Twilight brought the platform around herself and set it on a stable patch of floor. Her labor completed, she collapsed to the ground.
Sunset and Trixie were at her side in an instant, casting heal spells over her still flaming esper body. With their help, Twilight wobbled to her hooves. “We… we can’t stay…” she gasped out. “Whatever… magic Discord used… is fading…”
Trixie nodded and grabbed her sword, pointing it at a small opening letting in light from outside. “To the airship! On the double!”
The Returners didn’t need to be told twice. As one, they ran for the exit.
.o.O.o.
Shining Armor
As
Cyan Garamonde
Spotter
As
Owain Garamonde
“I’ll take the lead!” Shining Armor declared. He raised a pink shield dome in front of him and plowed through metal and rock alike, pushing them aside like water against rock and paving a way for the Returners to follow.
Riding on his back, Spotter raised a hoof and hollered, “Go daddy, go!”
Their jubilation was short lived as a section of floor collapsed under them. Shining Armor made a mad grab for anything to stop his fall and snagged a support beam sticking out of the wreckage. Spotter latched onto his father’s neck, both stallions hanging on for dear life.
“Spot…” Shining Armor wheezed out. “Can you… climb up?”
“No. But I can fall.”
“What?!”
Spotter loosened his grip and dropped.
“Spot!”
Shining Armor twisted in preparation to jump after his son, but the sound of working machinery directly below him caused him to hesitate. Moments later, a solid platform came up from below and lifted him up to the passage he had fallen from. He whirled around in time to see Spotter scamper up the top of a crane arm. Shining Armor held out his arms, allowing Spotter to jump into them.
“Did you see, Dad?! Didja?!”
Chuckling, Shining Armor ruffled Spotter’s mane. “I sure did.”
“Ahem.”
Shining Armor and Spotter looked over, seeing Trixie and the others waiting on the other side of the collapsed passage.
“As touching as this is, we’re on a deadline,” Trixie said.
“Oh, right.” Grinning sheepishly, Shining Armor cast another shield spell, this time flattening and lengthening it to form a makeshift bridge. Trixie stuck a hoof out, placed weight on it, then turned back and nodded to the others. Soon, she and the rest of the Returners crossed. Once everyone passed by, Shining Armor dispelled his bridge, placed Spotter back on his back, and raced after them.
Pinkie Pie
As
Setzer Gabbiani
The Returners emerged from a tight corridor into a large room with two heavy iron doors for exits. Applejack ran to the left one while Trixie headed for the right.
“Wait!” Pinkie Pie called to them. “Stuffy nose!”
Applejack looked back at her with a cross expression. “What does that even—?” She yelped and ducked as a cupcake soared past her and impacted the handle of the door she was heading for. The door flung open and belched a stream of flame. Applejack scrambled back from the intense heat.
Pinkie Pie helped her up. “Glad I haven’t lost my touch.” She pointed at the door Trixie had now opened and its lack of fire spewing. “Let’s go that way.”
Not needing to be told twice, Applejack threw a quick thanks and ran off. Pinkie Pie followed. “Some surprises are fun, some aren’t, ain’t they Surprise?”
Applejack
As
Edgar Roni Figaro
Big Macintosh
As
Sabin Rene Figaro
“I think this place is messin’ with us,” Applejack said. “I don’t remember any of this on the way in.”
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied.
The Returners found themselves going two by two over a metal platform suspended over a dark chasm. Light spells couldn’t see the bottom and they were in too big of a hurry for the few flyers to carry everyone down. The only way forward was another large iron door set on the end of the platform. Big Macintosh reached it first, placed a hoof over the metal, and nodded at the cool feeling.
Applejack returned his nod. “Good to see this ain’t busted.”
The stallion gave the door a push but it didn’t budge. “Spoke too soon.” Big Macintosh looked closer at the door. “Hinges are busted. Gonna need to take ‘em off.” He produced a welder’s mask and blowtorch from his pack and set to work.
The room trembled, creating a racket of screeching metal. A large girder from above wrenched out of place and began clanking down, right where Big Macintosh was standing. The noise from the blowtorch drowned out the incoming peril.
“Big Mac!”
In a flurry of speed, Applejack reached him before the girder, braced her front hooves against the floor, and kicked up. The steel beam bounced up but Applejack was able to catch it on the way back down. This managed to get Big Macintosh’s attention, but Applejack shook her head. “Keep working!”
The eldest Apple nodded and turned back to the door. “I knew I was leaving the Orchard in good hooves when I left,” he said as he fired up his blowtorch. “I wanted to help in my own way by learning as much about technology as I could. Guess I now know why I’ve got all these gadgets of mine.”
“Can you save the fancy sentimentality for later?!” Applejack cried. With a mighty heave, she shoved off the ground, sending the girder tumbling down the dark pit. It landed with a crash many seconds later.
The door soon followed as the last of the hinges burned off. The Returners continued with their escape.
Sunset Shimmer
As
Sunset Shimmer
“How’re you holding up, Twilight?” Sunset asked as they passed through a cavern. “Shouldn’t you demorph?”
Twilight shook her flaming head. “I need to be ready in case anything happens.”
Sunset held up the Ultima Weapon, grinning. “Then I’ll deal with what I can so you can conserve energy.”
The cavern wall ahead collapsed and a behemoth burst out, snarling and lashing in a berserker rage.
“Perfect timing!” Before anyone could stop her, Sunset charged for the thrashing monster. She cast a spell ahead of her advance, siphoning life energy from the creature. The overflow of power transferred into her sword, making it lengthen to over half its normal size. With a cry, Sunset brought the blue blade down on the behemoth, aiming for the head.
The weakened behemoth still had strength enough to attack back, taking a swipe at the pony with a large claw. The two opposing forces collided, each finding their mark. Sunset’s sword sliced through one of the behemoth’s twisted horns while the claw smacked the equine’s side. Both combatants fell back, Sunset losing her grip on the Ultima Sword. The blade careened away, sliced through a wall, and cut through a thin section of floor. In seconds, the sword disappeared from view.
Sunset cursed, now favoring her left leg. “You think that’s enough to stop me?! I’ll have you know that I’m practically the sun!” Gathering her magic into the tip of her horn, Sunset blasted a stream of flame, punching through the behemoth’s chest. The monster gave a defeated wine and collapsed.
Twilight was at her side in an instant, casting a healing spell. “Now who’s looking out for who?”
Smiling sheepishly, Sunset gave a weak chuckle. “Well… you know…”
“Save it. We need to find your sword.”
“Forget it,” Sunset said, already leading the way down the cavern. “We’ll find it later. Let’s just get out of here.”
Spike
As
Mog
Spike flew above the retreating Returners, his eyes darting to and fro for any obstacles. With a twirl of his spear, Spike knocked away debris falling from the crumbling ceiling. Nearby, a discarded esper container burst, sending shards of glass and contaminated fluid flying everywhere. A quick application of wind breath blew it away to harmlessly splash against the wall.
“This place doesn’t have much longer,” Spike said to the Returners below.
“At least you still have your magic breath!” Derpy chirped as she flew beside him. “It’s been really helpful.”
“Yeah…”
Derpy tilted her head, unconsciously flapping out of the way of a support pillar. “It’s strange how their power still exists now that the dragons are gone. Lucky you, huh?”
Spike declined to answer. He swatted a falling piece of plaster out of his way.
His lack of response didn’t go unnoticed. “You don’t think so?”
“I don’t know what to think.” Spike took a breath and belched out a cloud of toxic gas that quickly dissolved through a boulder obstructing the passage the Returners followed. His features fell. “What if… what if I… become one of them?”
“What do you mean?”
“I ate each of those dragon’s gems. They’re all tied to the Kaiser Dragon. Am… am I going to become him?”
“No way!” Derpy flew in front of him, keeping pace despite flying backwards. Any structures that they flew past she deftly flew around. “You’re nothing like them! In fact, you’re the opposite of them!”
Spike blinked as Derpy maneuvered around obstacles without looking. “How are you doing that?”
“Echolocation. Don’t try to change the subject.” Her mismatched eyes stared hard at the drake. “We didn’t hang around each other much but I’ve seen enough to know you’re no Chaos Dragon. In fact, with all the powers you ate, you’re probably a Harmony Dragon!”
“Harmony Dragon…” Spike repeated, his gaze losing focus.
She pumped a hoof into the air, partially covering an ear. “Yep! So think on that and let’s get out—”
Derpy smacked into a low hanging ceiling.
Umaro
As
Umaro
Trixie ran up to the next door in their path and yanked on the handle.
With a clunk of rusted metal, the handle ripped off.
Scowling, Trixie tossed it away. “Is Discord still alive, because it feels like this place is messing with us.
“Big Mac! Open this one too!”
A large male lumbered forward, but it wasn’t Big Macintosh. Umaro peered at the door Trixie attempted to open, then let his gaze linger on a nearby wall.
“Are you going to stand there or he—?”
“U’ghaaaa!”
Trixie shrieked as Umaro ran at a speed belying his girth and crashed into the wall. The patchwork structure couldn’t withstand four hundred and thirty six pounds of solid muscle slamming into it and crumbled. Umaro backed up and did it again, and again, each time toppling more of the wall. With one final ram, he burst through the other side.
The Returners cautiously made their way through, spotting another door. When Trixie tried this one, it opened without a fuss.
“Well, Trixie isn’t going to argue with the results.” She inclined her head towards the new exit. “Everyone hustle!”
“U’ghaaaa!”
“That means you too!”
Thorax
As
Gogo
The next room the Returners found themselves in contained a huge iron bulkhead against the far wall. Some Returners readied their magic to blast through, but Trixie jumped in front of them with raised hooves.
“Wait! Trixie knows this place! It leads to Blueblood’s personal bunker. It was built to withstand almost anything.”
Pinkie Pie smiled and clapped her hooves. “Perfect! We can hide out in there and let it take us to the ground.”
“I said almost! If you’re willing to risk falling from this high up, then be my guest. Trixie’s died twice today and she’s not looking forward to a third! Besides, only Blueblood can get in there.” Whirling around, Trixie stomped up to a control panel. She pushed a button and let out a relieved sigh as the power still worked and a set of panels flipped around. Trixie stood next to one of the panels, keeping her eyes wide open. A few seconds later, the dashboard showed a red warning sign. “Shoot! Two sets of Imperial retinas are needed.”
The Returners stepped aside to let Twilight and Zecora trot up to the scanners. They too got the red screen.
“Blast it!” Trixie stomped a hoof. “Uncle didn’t program either of you into the system.”
“Would two pairs of your eyes work?”
Trixie turned back to see Thorax standing next to her with a hopeful grin. “I mean… if you don’t think it will wor—”
The room shook, nearly knocking everyone to the floor.
Trixie jabbed a hoof at a scanner. “Try it!”
Nodding, Thorax stepped forward, his body becoming engulfed in green flame. The flame receded as fast as it came, revealing a second Trixie. The pair faced their scanner and waited. A beep and a green affirmative preceded a set of doors next to the bulkhead springing open. With time running out, the Returners ran through the new opening.
Thorax dropped his disguise, grinning at Trixie. “We did it!”
Rolling her eyes, Trixie thrust a hoof at the door. “Great. Wonderful. Move it!”
Derpy Hooves
As
Gau
Light that wasn’t artificial streamed through a thin crack in the wall. The sliver of daylight pushed the Returners to move faster.
The constant rumbling of the sphere spurred them on even faster.
Without warning, Derpy Hooves flew to the front of the group and blocked their path. “Stop!” The lead Returner screeched to a halt, nearly being thrown off the thin catwalk that overlooked a portion of the Magitek Factory. “I think I see a shortcut!”
Somewhere near the back, Trixie shouted out, “Why are we stopping?! Are we stuck again?”
“It’s Derpy,” Applejack called back. “She says she has a shortcut.”
With all attention on her, Derpy grinned and pointed at the beam of sunlight peeking through the machinery below. “We need to get to the surface, right? So the fastest way is to drop down where that light is.”
Applejack looked down, squinting at how far down the light emanated from. “Yeah, it’ll be fast, but it’ll probably be painful, too.”
“Oh, right. Duh.” Derpy flapped over to Applejack, smiled, and shoved her.
Applejack screamed as she fell over the edge, flailing her arms in a futile effort to slow herself. The Returners, too stunned to move, watched as Applejack plummeted to her doom. She had barely fallen a few hooves down when her body slowed and she gently glided down.
“Wha?” came Applejack’s response.
Derpy grinned and clapped her hooves. “Just like a hummingbird, I felt the air currents below. They’re strong enough to carry us down!” With a pleased smile, she pushed an unsuspecting Rarity off next, the unicorn’s shrieks echoing throughout the room. Derpy happily began working her way down the line.
Rainbow Dash raised up a hoof when Derpy got to her. “I’ll do it on my own, thanks.” With a huff, she dove and helped the non flyers work their way down.
Stardust
As
Stardust Silverlight
Derpy’s plan to speedrun out of the sphere was working as intended, but had one major hiccup. The little stream of light was surrounded by jagged scrap metal and the winds keeping them aloft were losing their strength. The flyers frantically darted from one Returner to another in a desperate attempt to maneuver them to fall into the tunnel containing the light instead of into the deathtrap. Their efforts, while admirable, still managed to miss a few.
“Help!” Sunset cried out. “I don’t want to be shishkebab!”
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo also drifted off course despite Scootaloo’s best efforts to push them back. “I can’t believe this is how it ends!” Apple Bloom lamented.
The wind keeping them from dropping finally dwindled to nothing. The ponies screamed as they plummeted towards the deadly sharp ends of the scrap metal.
Their descent came to a halt mere inches from being skewered. A magical force kept them floating over their impending doom despite no obvious means as to why. Their answer came when Stardust awkwardly flapped his way towards them, his wings encased in a white glow.
“I… got you…” The chocobo perched himself atop a long pipe sticking out of the junk and used it as leverage. With a single shove, he launched himself up and past the ponies. They took the hint and grabbed hold of the large bird as he glided by. Their unnatural weightlessness allowed them to drift towards the others.
“Moonlight… always did say… to keep as many customers… as you can…” Stardust strained. He let out a relieved sigh as Spike and Thorax came down to take his passengers. “There are only so many of them in the world, after all.”
Rainbow Dash
As
Locke Cole
The Great and Powerful Trixie
As
Celes Chere
They were getting close. Twilight could feel it. Just a little more and they would be out. She broke from the group to scout out ahead.
Behind her, the rest of the Returners navigated across an uneven metal walkway. Drop offs to parts unknown surrounded them on both sides, forcing them to take care of their footing. It was slow going, but they were making progress.
Trixie brought up the rear, keeping one eye on her hooves and the other on her companions. They were too close to the end and Trixie would be damned if she lost a single Returner now. It was as she carefully picked her way across the treacherous floor that she caught a flash of blue to her right. Chancing a glance, Trixie quickly whipped her head to the side and back. Her eyes widening, she looked back and kept her gaze locked on what she saw.
Perched precariously on a ledge only a few hooves away lay the Ultima Weapon. The sword’s pommel rocked back and forth on the thin edge it had fallen on, small sparks shooting out whenever the energy blade touched the metal flooring. Given how much the blade had eaten through already, it would only be a few more seconds before the weapon fell into the void.
Trixie reached out with her magic, probing for a grip on the pommel. Her grasp slipped, rocking the sword even more. The tenuous balancing act that kept the weapon somewhat stable came to an end and the Ultima Weapon began to fall.
Throwing all logic and reason aside, Trixie launched herself towards the sword. She skipped across the unstable floor, screws and panels falling behind her. With a desperate jump, she landed on the ledge and focused all her magic into a single point. The Ultima Weapon stopped its fall, a ring of magic surrounding the pommel. Trixie let out a relieved sigh.
The sigh became a scream as the ledge snapped.
Trixie fell face first towards complete darkness with no chance to twist and catch herself. She maintained her grip on the Ultima Weapon even as she plummeted to her doom.
She nearly lost her focus when a tug on her tail stopped her fall. Trixie craned her head up, spotting Rainbow Dash with her tail in her mouth and her wings flapping at hummingbird speeds.
“Ah whont hweet gwo!” Rainbow Dash said through grit teeth. A snap of her head tossed Trixie up and over to a stable patch of floor. Rainbow Dash landed next to her a second later. “Jeeze, you nearly died for that stupid thing! What were you thinking?!”
Trixie deactivated the Ultima Weapon’s blade and stuffed it under her cape. “Once we’re out of here, I’ll tell you everything.” She winked and ran off. “Thanks for saving me!”
Blinking, Rainbow Dash just shrugged and chased after her.
Twilight Sparkle
As
Terra Branford
Tubes.
Twilight Sparkle ground her teeth as she galloped through the very last place she wanted to be in. Large glass tubes lined the hallway she had entered. Many were smashed through. Some were not. All of them never should have been created in the first place.
Her cutie mark pulsed as though agreeing with her sentiment.
Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight stopped in the middle of the corridor. The Returners that had followed after her also came to a halt, alert and ready for any threats.
“What is it, Twilight?” Spike asked as he brandished his spear.
In answer, Twilight reached into her saddlebag and brought out a piece of magicite. The magicite glowed then floated up on its own. The red core pulsed as it spoke.
This is where we part ways, came the voice of Tritoch. I don’t wish for my powers to be used for destruction. Too many have died ever since you found me in that mine.
Know this, Twilight. When I’m gone, you will be one of the last of our kind. If you ever meet another esper, please show them a world without fear. The dream of coexisting still lives with you.
Twilight sighed and looked away. “I’m proof of that, aren’t I?”
Indeed. Fare thee well. The magicite gave one last sparkle, then dissolved away into tiny white motes.
Lifting her gaze back where the magicite disappeared, Twilight said, “I’ll do what I can. Good-bye.” She turned and faced her friends. “C’mon. We’re almost out.”
Zecora
As
General Leo
The Returners burst their way through more rooms with tubes, doing their best to ignore the increased regularity of tremors. Thorax had transformed into a copy of Umaro and the two bulky yetis crashed through broken doors and fallen debris with wild abandon. The two came up against a metal wall decorated with ragged Imperial flags and banners but the rust covering the wall suggested they could bust through it.
“Halt!”
Umaro and Thorax stumbled to a stop, inches from the wall. With confused looks, they saw Zecora trot past them and look up at the decorations.
“Now what’s the holdup?!” Trixie’s voice rang out.
Zecora held up a hoof, pointing at an ornate red mask that hung just above the Imperial paraphernalia. “This will not take long. I wish to claim something that does not belong.”
Unsheathing her crystal sword, she flung it upwards, expertly knocking the mask off the wall. The mask fell into one hoof while she caught her sword in the other. “This mask belongs to my tribe. It is important to me in ways I cannot describe.”
Zecora set her mask to the side, then faced the wall. In a flash of movement, a thin oval line appeared at its base. The zebra calmly walked forward and tapped the wall in the oval center. The cleanly cut metal fell forwards, forming a new doorway. Zecora backed away and gestured for the Returners to enter.
They took the invitation, running into the next room. Once the last one passed, Zecora took up her sword once more and jabbed it into the floor. The crystal blade sank halfway down. Nodding once, Zecora saluted the sword, picked up her mask, and followed her companions.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo
As
Relm Arrowny
They felt cool air.
No longer constrained by the amalgamation of the Empire’s old facilities, the Returners found themselves in crumbling rocky corridors. The feel of clean, chilly wind upon their coats was the most wonderful feeling they had ever experienced. A trio of fillies literally bounced with anticipation.
“What are we going to do once we’re out of here?” Scootaloo asked.
Apple Bloom grinned. “I wanna check out the zebra village! Hopefully they’re not stoned anymore and they can teach me all about their potions.”
“I wanna head back to the Opera,” Sweetie Belle said. She looked up at Rarity who was keeping pace with her. “This time you can watch the whole performance!”
Scootaloo cocked her head. “Ya know, I think I want to travel the world some more. Things are just going to be so boring back at Thamaresa.”
“Even after all you’ve been through?” Fluttershy asked from behind her.
Nodding firmly, Scootaloo said, “Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll do. Maybe Rainbow Dash would let me tag along.” She caught the eye of her friends.
Apple Bloom smirked back. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Uh, girls?” Fluttershy looked nervously between them.
Rarity frowned behind her mask. “Perhaps this isn’t the time—”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders World Traveling Mercenaries!”
Fluttershy lowered her head in defeat. “I’m never going to get my vacation…”
Rarity
As
Shadow
With a blast of magic and some yeti muscle, the Returners smashed their way through a wall of rock and out on the sphere’s surface. Open skies and blinding sun greeted them. They made it.
“Um… where’s the airship?” Stardust asked the group.
Pinkie Pie hopped over to an outcropping of rock and scanned the skies. “Limestone probably doesn’t know where we are. We need to find a way to signal her.”
“Fire off some spells,” Trixie said. She took a position with a straight shot to the open air. “Don’t hold back.”
Following her advice, the Returners cast their magic out into the sky. A booming fireworks display resulted, loud and flashy enough that the citizens of Trotzen got quite a show. Within minutes, the Paradise came into view above them and rope ladders were dropped down. Soon, Returners began to grab hold of the ladders and climb their way up.
One ladder drooped close to Rarity but was several hooves away from her grasp. Trying to catch it in her magic as it flailed in the wind proved to be a difficult task. “Blast it! We’re so close!”
“Um, I could try flying up to it,” Fluttershy said.
Rarity pulled back her cowl, her features firming up. “No. I’ve got this.” With a flourish, she stripped herself of her Mare Do Well costume, leaving her white coat exposed. Opalescence tumbled out, hissing up at her. “Sorry, dear.” Rarity looked down at her cat and smiled. “But I know how I can make it up to you.” She held out her outfit. “Shred it.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Fluttershy gasped.
“I won’t be needing this anymore. Might as well put it to good use one last time.”
Opalescence didn’t need any further encouragement. She yowled, brandished her claws, and tore into the fabric as though it had personally offended her. Within seconds, Opalescence reduced the Mare Do Well costume into ribbons.
“Perfect.” Lighting up her horn, Rarity took the shredded strips and began to tie the ends together. Soon, she had a makeshift rope that she levitated up to the ladder, wrapped it around the bottom rung, and tugged. The ladder stopped twisting around and was pulled close enough for Rarity to grab it. She smirked and offered it to her friends. “All aboard!”
Fluttershy
As
Strago Magus
Fluttershy held back, making sure each Cutie Mark Crusader made it up the ladder. The ground shook more violently than ever before but she remained resolute in getting every Returner off the sphere. At last it was her turn to make the climb. She reached up for the bottom rung—
The ground below Fluttershy fell away and she plummeted into darkness. She screamed but there were no remaining friends to hear her. In her panic she flailed her wings and legs but it did nothing to slow her fall. She didn't know how long or how far she fell, but her unfortunate descent ended when she landed on something soft, warm, and slimy.
Fluttershy groaned and spat out some mucus that had slipped into her mouth. Attempting to get up proved difficult as she felt multiple thin and slippery things wiggle around her. Her breathing became accelerated as whatever she fell upon began to move, nearly sending her tumbling to the side. Something grabbed her by the midsection and yanked her downward. A terrible, putrid smell wafted over Fluttershy, a stank so pungent that it almost knocked her unconscious then and there. A vision of the Skull Dragon flashed in her mind.
Snapping her eyes and wings open, Fluttershy let white magic radiated off of her feathers, illuminating the suffocating darkness. The light revealed a creature made up almost entirely by a large, veiny mouth. Writhing tentacles protruded from underneath the giant mouth to keep it upright while dozens of smaller buds squirmed atop its “head”. One of its tentacles currently held Fluttershy tightly as it brought her closer to its gaping maw.
“Oh! A malboro!” Fluttershy said with a squeal. “I’ve never seen one this close before.”
The malboro halted in bringing Fluttershy closer to her doom. A series of squelches and low belching noises came from its saliva filled jaws.
Fluttershy patted the tentacle holding her. “Oh, I’m very sorry about that. I didn’t mean to land on you and ruin your safety hole. Here, let me make you feel better.” Releasing the magic she had been holding back, Fluttershy sent out a gentle white glow that enveloped the malboro. The giant tentacle monster shook and let out a low hiss.
“You’re very welcome.” A tremor rocked the cavern she had fallen into, dislodging some rocks that tumbled down next to them. “Oh dear. Mr. Malboro, I’d love to stay but this place isn’t safe and I have to go. I can take you along with me if you’d like.”
The malboro swiveled its head from side to side.
“I see. Well, good luck to you.”
The tentacle holding Fluttershy jerked, flinging the pegasus up and out the hole she had fallen into. Luck was on her side as her boosted flight sent her on course to pass one of the Paradise’s ladders. She reached out a hoof and snagged a rung just as the airship pivoted away from the collapsing sphere.
And Our Readers...
.o.O.o.
“Is everyone on board?!” Trixie called out.
The Pie sisters pulled up the last rope ladder, dumping a soggy Fluttershy on the deck. They gave the hooves up.
Above them, the magical sphere cracked and shuddered, sending huge chunks of debris falling to the ground below.
“In that case, Pinkie Pie, get us out of here!”
“Roger!” Pinkie Pie took hold of the wheel and gave it a whirl. “Hold on tight!” The Paradise banked hard as the engines revved to their maximum output.
Trixie grimaced, feeling her body being pulled in multiple ways as she grasped the guardrail. She winced as a boulder half the size of the airship whizzed past. “Shining Armor! Get a shield around us!” From somewhere on the deck, she heard the stallion call out an affirmative and shortly after a pale pink glow surrounded the Paradise.
Seconds later, the airship rocked from an impact.
“I can barely see with that thing up!” Pinkie Pie yelled, straining her muscles against the controls to keep the Paradise level.
Twilight Sparkle flapped her way to the bow and took a deep, slow breath. “Follow me!” With that, she launched herself forward, passing through her brother’s shield and causing a ripple like a pebble breaching a lake. Twilight extended her flaming wings and shot out into the open air. Her esper form blazed with bright, fiery light, creating a shiny beacon against the turmoil around them. Her magic lashed out at anything that might impede their way, disintegrating and blasting apart stone and metal alike.
With a guiding light to follow, the Paradise weaved itself through an onslaught of falling wreckage. The Returners on the deck weren’t idle, firing off magic and cannons alike to keep the path clear. In a final burst of speed, Twilight blasted through a chunk of rock large enough to be a town and came out the other side into a bright blue sky.
“We made it…” she whispered. Twilight closed her eyes and took in the fresh air.
Her form flickered and dissipated, leaving behind a normal unicorn. With her eyes still closed, Twilight fell.
The Paradise emerged from Twilight’s destructive wake a moment later. The battered pink shield around it flashed and disappeared. Behind the airship, the remnants of Discord’s makeshift planet crumbled and crashed to the earth below. A huge plume of dust and smoke rose from the impact point, creating a rising cloud that stretched for miles.
The spectacle was lost on the Returners who were too busy scanning the skies. “I don’t see her!” Spike cried. “She was right in front of us!”
“There!” Rainbow Dash said, pointed a hoof over the railing. She made to jump but Pinkie Pie was faster.
The airship nosedived, rocketing towards the ground at an alarming rate. The Returners held onto whatever they could, the wind rushing past them threatening to tear them away. Twilight’s falling form grew closer but so was the unforgiving earth. Pinkie Pie wrenched the Paradise’s nose back up before it was too late. The Paradise’s engines whined and strained as the whole ship shook from the massive forces pressing against it. The very bottom of the hull scraped against rock and dirt, creating a long, shallow scar against the ground. Using every bit of strength in her hooves, Pinkie Pie yanked the wheel back and tilted the nose up to the sky.
.o.O.o.
Trixie stirred from her spot at the starboard. She let out a heavy groan as her body reminded her what being flattened like a pancake felt like. Everything ached, even her horn. Similar moans of pain came from all around her. Slowly, as every move twitched a nerve, she pushed herself to her hooves. Other Returners were doing the same and a quick headcount identified that they had all made it. Except…
“Twilight!” Ignoring her body’s protests, Trixie galloped towards the bow. At the very tip of the airship’s deck lay an unmoving purple unicorn. Trixie rushed over and held a hoof to Twilight’s throat. A moment later a weak heartbeat was felt.
Too drained to levitate her, Trixie draped Twilight over her back and made her way back to the center of the deck. Each step caused a grimace to Trixie’s face but she didn’t stop until she reached Stardust. Carefully placing the little pony down next to the chocobo, Trixie said, “Got anything left?”
In response, Stardust lifted a wing and reached into his feathers with the other. A small potion bottle was pulled out which he uncorked. With Trixie’s help, they poured the contents into Twilight’s mouth. The other Returners crowded around, silently watching.
Twilight coughed weakly, letting out a haggard sigh. With effort, she opened her eyes, taking in all the creatures crowded around. She smiled. “Thanks… everyone.”
The Returners cheered. Whoops and hollers were made, high hooves were given, and hugs were passed around.
Pinkie Pie, the loudest of them all, proclaimed, “Didn’t I tell ya? This is the fastest airship in the world!”
.o.O.o.
The land where Vectorlot once stood and ruled the continent was now an impact ladened wasteland. Tons of destroyed boulders, busted Imperial technology, and countless other oddities that had once been pony belongings now littered the ground. Low hanging dust clouds obscured the sun and would continue to do so for months to come. Anything that had survived the destruction of Discord’s patchwork planet had moved on to more fertile regions. All was still and quiet in this forsaken area of the world.
The sound of metal grating against metal broke the silence. A piercing screech split the air as barely functioning machinery ground for all it was worth. The cacophony came to an end with one final bang and clang. Once again silence reigned, but nopony was around to hear it.
Nopony, except one.
Blueblood heaved himself out of his personal bunker, tasting fresh air for the first time in hours. Cuts and bruises covered his body and he favored his front left leg as he dragged himself past the bulkhead. He took in great gulps of air, gasping as though having run a marathon, but he did not stop pulling himself forward. Finally, his body couldn’t take anymore and he collapsed only a few hooves from the bunker entrance. How long he lay there, Blueblood couldn’t say and didn’t care. He was alive and this was all that mattered in this moment.
After a time, Blueblood tried moving again. His body protested the movements but he struggled to his hooves regardless. Keeping his bad leg held to his chest, he half walked, half hopped across the ground.
He made it only a few more hooves when something bright and shiny caught his attention. Blueblood turned, expecting to see junk glinting in the weak sunlight, but instead he stopped fully and stared. A short distance away, laying next to two twisted hunks of magitek armor, was a shard of magicite.
Blueblood hurried over to it, a surge of strength forcing away his pain. He reached out with his good leg and touched the glowing green rock. Immediately, he felt his body lifting and all his injuries fading away. A bright light briefly engulfed his form before being set back down to the ground. The magicite was nowhere to be seen.
Focus came back into Blueblood’s eyes. He stood on all four legs, each properly supporting his weight. His white coat was once again pristine and his mane properly coiffed. Blueblood’s chest rumbled and he threw his head back in a long, exhilarating laugh.
Upon his once blank flank was now adorned a purple, gray, and gold compass rose cutie mark.
.o.O.o.
The Paradise cruised through the sky, a pair of vapor trails expelled in its wake. Below them the citizens of South Fillygaro waved back. Miles later a flock of chocobos ran across the desert to Fillygaro. A flyby over the zebra village saw Bon Bon, Lyra, and the zebras, both young and old, rebuilding their shacks and brewing new potions. The ponies of Mareanda cheered as they passed by, their crops growing even faster than before. Big Daddy McColt ventured out of his home to find the citizens of Neighshe had reappeared as quickly as they had vanished. Domare, though empty of ponies, was surrounded by bright and colorful flowers. Two groups of changelings came together over the lands of Triangle Island. Starlight Glimmer heaved a relieved sigh and shared a round of freshly baked muffins with her fellow villagers in Thamaresa. The ports of Nikhay and Albuck were alive with activity now that there were no more random chocolate seas to navigate. Gabby and the other griffons of Mount Chozo ventured out of their home for the first time in their lives. Discoland remarkably remained as it was.
Looking over the world as it sped by, Princess Luna gave a satisfied nod. “Tis a good world to wake up to.”
Next to her, Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Looking to rule over it again?”
“Nay, Sister. We are content to let things remain as they are.
“Though we did overhear dear Fluttershy talk about something called a ‘vacation’. I am… tempted to give that a try.”
Sunset smirked. “Sounds good to me.” She turned away from the railing, sweeping her gaze over the deck. Returners were animatedly talking about all the things they were looking forward to do once they disembarked. Sunset heard things ranging from “settling down” to “going on the next adventure” and everything in between. Rainbow Dash in particular was pestering Trixie to go looking for treasure.
Sunset’s eyes stopped on Twilight who stood once again at the bow. Her mane whipped behind her in a wave of dark blue and pink. Her eyes were closed as she let the cool wind pass by her. Sunset trotted up to her and gave her a small nudge. “Whatcha thinking about?”
Opening her eyes, Twilight looked over to Sunset. She smiled, a sereneness in her voice. “Peace.”
THE END
Stats
Page generated in 0.031 seconds
Total duration
676 users online
1,007,629 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
You know that ability kind of Saved My Life when I was at the tower of the boss when he use ultima which that instantly killed all my party I didn't know during that time because I was so frustrated with that boss
Basically Rainbow dash you saved us all that was awesome
To think that we would go on a ten year adventure in this journey, and I absolutely loved it. Great job, and thank you for all your hard work in making this story!
Me??? Gasp cool I'm in the story 😃
Life 3 never fails. Found myself whistling the ending themes as the cast names came up.
This was one hell of a ride. Thanks for all the memories from when you first started this; when I was browsing Equestria Daily in its infancy.
Man, what an absolutely amazing ride. One of the very few fics I've followed that maintained its goal, quality, and length as it barreled ahead, and managed to reach completion.
As both an active longtime reader on this site, a massive FF fan, and lover of a good yarn, all I can say is Bravo. Thank you for the awesome melding of these two worlds, I wouldn't have had this told any other way.
Here's to both the future, and a well earned respite!
Wow what a long journey of a story and it really took you guys very long to complete it but in the end it was pretty worth it so after the blast from judgement apparently everybody did died but with a little help of rainbows special ability and stardust potion and they made a spell called my life bong back everybody from the dead and with that the war is over but they need to get off this floating island because after that battle it started to collapse so everybody had to get out as fast as they can and it took them a very long time to get through it but they finally made a just-in-time with Twilight Leading The Way with her esper power she was about to fall when they finally got out but thanks to Pinkie Pie and her ship she saved her life and it looks like everything is that piece the Chaos Dragons are gone the Empire Has Fallen and speaking of Prince Blueblood is a life as well I guess he got affected by the my life as well and it looks like he got himself a esper whoever that is I hope he makes a right decision and Twilight and the returners finally can rest after all they've been through peace has come boy this was a really good story and a very interesting choice of Direction how I remember the game but it worked out pretty well and mixing with Final Fantasy 6 and My Little Pony friendship is Magic although in the ending you could have in the post-credits we could have seen the other My Little Pony new generation characters just to say A New life and everything but anyway this was a good story you guys keep up the good work
This is an excellent story and it is almost a shame that it is now over. 10/10
11128143
You can cheese that boss by using berserk on him. It makes it so he can't cast spells.
Good story, love how you ended it. It's clear to me that FF6 holds a special place in your heart. A good crossover indeed.
Oh yeah, so how did Moonlight die, and how did Chrysalis find him and learn about his relation to Stardust?
Other than that, congrats on finishing this story.
That is a really nice spell to have, but so frustrating when you just want to play the game and you dont realise what its for or why you need it for whats going to happen.
One hay of a final fight of flight to survive, with Pinkie demonstrating how to be the ultimate rock farmer?
And so, the end is here, they did it, their way.
I forgot to mention something I wonder what kind of esper is this one that blue blood has?
11128206
Thanks for being with us through this journey!
11128251
You're welcome! Nostalgia was a big reason I stuck with this.
11128258
Aw, thanks for the kind words. We're glad we were able to deliver something that kept entertaining.
11128299
Thanks for all the comments! I read each one.
Gen 5 came in too late for me to slip it into the story. I had plenty to work with as it was.
11128553
It had to end sometime. Ten out of ten, would read again!
11128867
Indeed it does! I don't think I would have made it if I didn't love FFVI as much as I do.
11128968
Moonlight's fate is left to your imagination. As for how Chrysalis knew to impersonate him, Discord said he'd help her with the changelings that Thorax lead if she did.
11129028
Many games died to bring us the knowledge of ReRaise.
Thanks again for all the wonderful comments throughout the years! Whenever I needed a reminder to keep writing, I would re-read them.
11129434
There's a clue as to what esper it is when I describe Blueblood's new cutie mark.
If you're still unsure, it's Crusader.
11129643
He almost figured out how to find the Revival Potion, but he got whacked when he got too close to the truth.
11129646
Oh ok cool but that summoning one is very dangerous it can do a lot of damage to the enemy but it can hurt you as well that's kind of dumb if you ask me
11129643
No problem this was pretty awesome