The girls are excited to be going to Camp Everfree for their Spring Break. The only downside is that the forest is on the verge of destruction, and only with the help of a mysterious girl called Gloriosa can the girls save the Everfree Forest...
After a long term at Canterlot High School, the Rainbooms and Human Twilight can't wait to go on their camping trip to the Everfree Forest. A veritable utopia of flowers, trees, wildlife, and more, it seems the perfect place to bunker down and relax for a while.
Or at least, it would be, if it wasn't facing the threat of being cut down by the ruthless Ms Miasma, who wants to create a new city in place of it. With the forest almost bankrupt, it's up to Sunset Shimmer, her friends, and a mysterious girl named Gloriosa to save it from the wicked Miasma.
But what secrets does the forest hold? What is Miasma's true intentions? And who is Gloriosa?
In the darkness of night, six men armed with flashlights and batons rushed through the endless forest, barking commands at each other as they ran. All dressed in navy blue clothes with a logo patched onto their right shoulders, there was almost nothing distinguishable between the six of them.
The emblems on their clothes depicted a skull with an etheric blue light shining in both eye sockets, with a foreboding aura around the skull itself. Laid around it was a desolate world with nothing more than dust, rocks, and howling wind. Underneath it was a name. "Miasma De-Forestation Co."
The treetops rustled as a figure leapt between the leaves. They were moving so fast and were masked by the lack of light that it was almost impossible to make out who they were.
The chase went on for five minutes until the men in pursuit came to a clearing. A wide circle of trees now surrounded the uniformed security forces as they ran into the middle of the ring and stopped when the rustling shifted from one tree to another. They thought that their target was trying to escape throughout the whole process, until a little chuckle could be heard coming from the leaves.
"You know, for being Treekillers, you're giving me a lot of fun, boys," the voice was female and sounded laid-back. "Making me break a sweat, which isn't really normal for me—especially on a cool night like this."
"Whoever you are, stand down and come back with us immediately!" One of the guards pulled out his baton and made a combat gesture.
"Why?" the girl asked. "Is Miasma gonna be saddy-waddy if I don't?"
"This isn't a joke, girl!" A second guard pulled his own baton out of his belt. "Ms Miasma is very upset with your actions, and she's giving a promotion and raise to the guard who can bring you back to her!"
"Aww. How cute." The girl swung from the low-hanging branches; her face still obscured by the shadows of the trees. "Well, I'm not going back to that wretched place. Rather, I'm gonna ask you cuties to deliver a message to the big, bad wolf in charge." After a while, she landed and pulled out a number of stones that were tied to strings. "Something is going to fall tonight" —She launched them at the guards, smirking as they tied themselves around the feet of the men and forced them to fall over— "but it won't be my precious trees!
"Tim-ber!" She joked before darting back into the depths of the overgrowth before the guards could get themselves free from their constricts.
It only took fifteen seconds for the guards to get free from the bolas, but once they got up, the mysterious girl was long gone, and the trees now stood still. The only thing that remained of her was her laughter echoing on the wind, but even that was not enough to pinpoint the direction she took.
One of the guards slammed the ground with his fist, groaning with clenched teeth before he grunted and stood back up. He then pulled out a walkie-talkie, pressed the button and brought it to his face.
"This is Apothecon Three to Queen Chupacabra," he said. "The target got away, but we did get some valuable information. The one who trashed your site this evening was a girl."
"A girl?" A raspy female voice came from the box. "Report back to the site at once, and bring your men as well," she said. "I will deal with you all once you return."
"Roger. Apothecon Three signing off." He put the walkie-talkie away before he followed the footsteps back to where he came, with his allies following closely behind.
The girl who had been fleeing from the men was now running on the ground, her breathing heavy as she leapt over roots and swung on the vines that barely touched the streams below. She was wearing an orange sleeveless skirt with a tiny green belt around her stomach. Her feet were covered by hand-carved wooden shoes with carvings of different shapes and sizes. Her hair was half-pink and half rose, with a fringe concealing her forehead. Her last feature were her green eyes that shimmered in the moonlight.
She eventually came to a hole in the ground, stopped in her tracks and looked down. She took a deep breath, clapped her hands together, and dived straight into it, landing gracefully in the small – yet deep – pool of water at the bottom, with a small stretch of land nearby when she resurfaced.
"Well, that was fun if I do say so myself." She chuckled and shook like a dog to get the excess water off of her. "But seriously. If that's all that Miasma has to throw at me and my friends, then I don't think we've got anything to worry about."
She found a spiral staircase that portruded out of the walls and climbed it all the way to the top. It took her five minutes, and she was well and truly out of breath when she made it, but she finally finished her ascent and was greeted with a truly dazzling sight.
The girl was now at the treetop, which had a roof made of leaves to protect her from the rain. In front of her was an opening to the branches around the top, giving her a clear view of most of the forest. She could see for miles around, including a place that was now governed by black and yellow machines with bright lights. She scoffed at the steel constructs before climbing up one more flight of stairs –much shorter than the one she had just scaled – and found a bed that had been crafted out of logs and leather, with bedsheets made entirely out of leaves with a simple pillow gently nestled by the headrest.
"Well. It was fun while it lasted, but now I think it's time I get some shut-eye." She climed into the bed, pulled the leaves over her body, and laid her head down on the white pillow. "I wanna see just how good Miasma's goons are when they can acutally see me..."
The six men walked into a large office with a single desk at the far end of it. They all gulped and approached the desk, hearing the door slam shut behind them. The sudden noise caused them to yelp and jump backwards before they recomposed themselves.
"You know, my company has never had failures before, gentlemen." The female voice from before was more sultry as an arm was flexed out to the right side of the chair, which had been turned to face away from the staff. "This disappointing performance you have put on cannot be overturned, regardless of whatever pleas you may throw at me."
"We didn't know she was armed!" One of the men spluttered, throwing his arms out. "Just please give us another chance, Ms Miasma!"
"No. If I did, that would encourage you to believe that I just give out mercy willy-nilly." Miasma turned to face the men, but her face was still blotted out by the light illuminating the men. "You are not my children, you are my workers. And disobedience will be punished."
"No, please! We'll do anything!" Another guard fell to his knees. "We'll give you all of our earthly possessions, sell our houses and give you the money, ANYTHING!"
"Do you know what a miasma even is?" She stood up from the chair and tapped a button on the side, causing a console of buttons to rise up from the edge she had been sitting by. Silence fell for a few minutes before she hunched herself over the buttons. "No. I didn't think so."
"Wh-what are you d-doing?!" A guard quivered as he watched one of Miasma's fingers hang over a big red button in the middle of the board.
"Allow me to educate you..." She pushed the button and leaned towards the light, revealing a woman in her fourties with a red pair of glasses, white hair, and a devilish grin.
All of a sudden, a trapdoor opened up below the six men, causing them to fall screaming into the gaping chasm where the floor once stood. They cascaded down a wide shaft before they took another drop; one that sent them straight into the heart of a colossal garbage incinerator, where they were quickly swallowed by the great pillar of flame.
Back in the office, the trapdoor closed, and Miasma turned towards the window that overlooked part of a massive city with smog rising from the factories that hung on the outskirts. From her position, she could faintly make out people coughing as they took in the fumes and almost choked on them.
"Svengallop!" Miasma shouted over to a man dressed in a suit, with ginger hair. She watched him nearly trip over as he came up to the desk. "Have we met the quota on the destruction that miserable forest?"
"Almost, Ms Miasma," Svengallop rubbed the back of his neck and darted his eyes all across the room. "The only thing that's stopping us is that stupid little girl. Why, if she hadn't been there to destroy our machines, we would've been done by now!"
"Don't hamper me with excuses! Give me results!" Miasma slammed her hands on the desk before returning her finger to the console. "Or would you rather suffer the same fate as those that I lay off?"
"N-No!" Svengallop's knees were knocking as he looked his boss in the eyes. "I'll have my men bring in twice as many logging machines! You'll have that forest shredded by the end of the week!"
"You'd better, Sven." Miasma tapped the side button, watching as the console vanished back into the desk. She then turned her back to him and walked over towards the window. "Our world has to evolve. This city is getting more and more polluted by the day," she said. "If that forest isn't torn down by one to midnight this Sunday, you can kiss your job, your family, and your precious benefits goodbye!"
"But, my family needs the money and priviledges we get to survive!" Sven shouted, then lowered his brows. "You wouldn't dare!"
Miasma got right in his face, her reflection visible in his diluted pupils as she glared at him. "Try me, Svengallop..." she said menacingly.
"I'll get right on it, Ms Miasma." He swallowed before running out of the office as fast as he could.
Miasma scoffed at his exit and pulled out two different stacks of paper. One was shown for the bankruptcy of Camp Everfree, nestled within the forest; and another one had over fifty-thousand signatures for the destruction of the forest, signed by everyone in the city beneath her.
"Irksome little trees! They're getting in the way of our glorious new world!" Miasma stood up once again and walked over towards a table where darts had been place in a cup. She picked one up and aimed it at a dartboard where a picture of the forest had been put in place of the bullseye. "I'll cut them down one way or another. Branch by branch!" She launched one dart which hit dead centre. "Leaf by leaf!" She shot a second dart which also hit the centre of the board. "And no matter who or what gets in my way, they will NOT stand against me! Ms Miasma the Third!" She launched one final arrow which joined the other two in the centre of the dartboard.
Sunset Shimmer was leaning against the statue outside of Canterlot High, looking at the latest message that Princess Twilight had sent her from Equestria. Ever since the Friendship Games last term, she had been using the book just to communicate with her, rather than to call her for help or advice.
Dear Sunset.
How are you doing over in the other world? How's that other me doing at CHS? Did you do any cool research into more on that world? Here in Equestria, things have been rather quiet. Apart from the expected birth of my new niece or nephew, there's really been nothing of interest for me or my friends. All we do nowadays is meet at Sugarcube Corner for a few snacks here and there. That's all.
But anyway, I've heard that Spring Break is just around the corner for your school. I know, it's something to be really excited over. When I was a little filly at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, I would squeal in delight when Spring Break was announced. It was finally the time for me to catch up on playing with Shining Armour and my parents after all the hard work I'd put in.
Anyway, have fun, Sunset. I'm sure that you and your friends deserve it after everything you've had to face in that world.
Your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle.
P.S. If you just want to talk, my book's always open.
Sunset's smile widened as she closed the book and slipped it into her backpack. Hearing the bell ring, she walked into the school for her next period.
Students charged out of the school during the final ring of the bell. All of them had their bags slung over their shoulders and were rushing to get home as soon as possible. It was now the end of the term, and now they had a whole two weeks to spend however they wanted, be it with parents, by themselves, or with their friends.
"Hoo-whee! I'm so excited for this, girls!" Applejack beamed as she and the girls casually walked out of CHS and walked towards the city. "It's the perfect time fer me to get started on getting a ticket for Harvest Fest!"
"Yeah!" Rainbow fist-pumped. "This Spring Break's gonna be awesome! Especially with the Final Epoch World Championships coming to Canterlot!"
"And I have just enough time to get started, and possibly even finish my latest collection of dresses." Rarity pulled out a book and opened it up to the page with a blue bookmark. "With all of the free time we have before coming back to CHS, I should at the very least have the first set ready by the weekend."
"Sounds like you all have plans, huh?" Sunset shrugged and slumped into her shoulders. "As for me, I'm not sure what I want to do or where I want to do..."
"Lighten up, silly." Pinkie Pie patted Sunset on the back. "Everyone starts Spring Break confused during their first time, but you eventually roll with it as the years go by."
"Oh! This is your first Spring Break, isn't it, Sunset?" Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I'm just not used to all of the customs of this other world yet." Sunset craned her neck skyward. "I have managed to handle the seasonal holidays for the most part, but when you get these things that just happen out of the blue, then I'm pretty much lost."
"I think I know how you feel, Sunset." Twilight adjusted her glasses. "Since you came from Equestria, I assume you're quite bored of living a small life like this, right?"
"Yeah. That's exactly it, Twilight," Sunset replied. "And to be frank, I think I've grown more accustomed to when our world gets attacked. Think about it. The Dazzlings and Cinch. They gave some life into my dull and repetitive cycle of weeks at CHS. They pushed the world to the breaking point with their dark ambitions and powers, and it made things a bit more exciting, if not world-threatening."
"Are you saying that you like and want the world to be in danger?" This time, it was Rainbow's turn to cock an eyebrow.
"N-no! Not in that way, Rainbow Dash!" Sunset frantically shook her hands. "It's just that, don't you all think that there's something more to being a student at CHS, being gifted with Equestrian Magic, and being the protectors of peace?"
"What's going to happen when we all graduate, look for jobs, and eventually forget about each other?" Twilight asked, getting the whole group to stop walking completely. "We all move on eventually, and our friendships do break after time."
There was a long silence after that sentence. All of the girls were now deep in thought. They hadn't planned for the future at all, and now Sunset and Twilight were reminding them that their time together was coming to an end, and that there would be no way to stop it. Their emotions were mixed, but they finally hung their heads.
"I guess I never thought of it that way before," Rarity said.
"Me neither," chorused the rest of the girls before they stood back up.
"We don't have much time left, so we've gotta make sure that our last moments together are ones to remember." Sunset readjusted the straps on her backpack. "Aside from what you all have planned, does anyone have any ideas for what we could do together as a group?"
"Well, I've been thinking of getting out of this city for a while now." Rainbow Dash kicked the ground. "It's just that I spend every Spring Break here, and apart from the Final Epoch World Championships, I've really wanted to be more adventurous. Kinda like Daring Do in a way."
"As much as I already have plans, I wouldn't mind going camping again." Applejack leaned by a wall and tipped her hat over her head. "It's truly how I like to live. Sitting around a fire, roasting marshmellows, singing songs, telling stories, the whole nine yards."
"Hang on a second." Rainbow Dash said. "Camping. Adventure. Friends by our side..."
"Camp Everfree!" Twilight and her friends cheered out together before pulling each other into a big hug.
"What's a Camp Everfree?" Sunset asked, elicting a string of gasps from the whole group.
"You don't know what Camp Everfree is, Sunset?!" Pinkie Pie's hair burst out and became much frizzier. "Only the bestest, most memorable, and most super fun-tacular camping spot in the history of forever?!"
"Well, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I still don't know everything about this world, placewise or traditions." Sunset shrugged. "You girls are gonna have to fill me in on this whole thing."
"Camp Everfree's one of the oldest camping sites in the whole country, Sunset." Applejack wrapped her arm around Sunset's shoulders and stretched her other one out for emphasis. "Lush forests for adventures, clean water for rafting, and plenty of wood for campfires."
"As kids, we had lots of fun playing in the forest, singing songs at the camp, and doing all those arts and crafts activities," Rarity said. "It truly felt like a home away from home."
"Every year, we would go back to the camp at some point." Pinkie sighed and picked up a branch. "Whether we were little toddlers, elementary schoolers, or even teens, we would always find some way to make the money to go back to Camp Everfree."
"Even I have to admit that it was pretty fun." Fluttershy put her hand in front of her mouth and chuckled. "Especially when Rainbow Dash had to cuddle up with me when we were told a scary story."
"I wasn't scared!" Rainbow shot back. "We were just kids back then, Fluttershy. We thought differently when we were young. That's all."
"In any case, Camp Everfree seems to be a perfect place to visit this time of year." Rarity tipped her hand. "The sunlight was forecast for the whole of our time off, and there's no rain forecast during the evening as well."
"And as luck would have it, we've got just enough money to go again this year too!" Pinkie pulled out everyone's wallets and spilled the money out. "Twenty-five dollars for everyone over the age of sixteen. Add the seven of us, and we've just got the one-hundred and seventy-five bucks to pay for it!"
"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity scrambled down to pick up her money and wallet. "I appreciate the high-spirits, but in future, could you please refrain from doing that ever again?!"
"Oops. Sorry, Rarity." Pinkie Pie picked up everyone else's money, counted it out, and handed it back to them with their respective walles.
"You all make this Camp Everfree place sound so nice, but I don't really think that you should go out of your way just for me." Sunset put her funds away. "In recent months, you've been treating me like I still need support."
"Well we're not going to let you feel abandoned, Sunset," said Rainbow Dash. "You've been through a lot of hassle in Equestria, and after the Fall Formal, you did kinda paint yourself a bad image..." She rubbed the back of her head.
"But I've moved on from there, and even saved this school twice from the forces of evil. If it wasn't for me, The Dazzlings would still have trapped you and the rest of CHS's students under their spell.
"Not to mention what Principal Cinch made me do back at the Friendship Games." Twilight took a small step forward. "If Sunset hadn't saved me, I would've badly hurt you, the Shadowbolts, and everyone else on this planet..."
"Even so, we can't take the risk of you feeling left out, neglected, or abandoned, Sunset." Applejack shook her head, getting the other girls to murmur in agreement.
"I appreciate that you're all looking out for me, but I think after all that I've done to redeem myself, I can pretty much manage on my own this Spring Break," Sunset said.
"Aww, come on, Sunset. It'll be super-duper fun with you at Camp Everfree too!" Pinkie Pie jumped on the spot. "We can make cupcakes, create little totem poles, and maybe even find treasure there!"
"And besides, if you decide to stay behind, you'll just feel lonely again, won't you?" Applejack added.
"Well, when you put it like that, I guess I can't really say no, now can I?" Sunset chuckled and put her hands behind her back. "So why not? I'd be interested to see what makes this Camp Everfree so special to you."
The rest of the girls all cheered and pulled Sunset into a group hug.
"We're going to Camp Everfree!" The Rainbooms all said together.
A single van drove on the mud-soiled road towards the Everfree Forest. A single arch stood at the entrance with the forest's name, wide enough for the vehicle to go through it. Despite being made entirely out of wood and paint, there were vines climbing up the sides of it.
Applejack was driving the van with Rainbow Dash sitting next to her, looking at a map. The rest of the girls were sitting behind them, talking about all of the stuff that they had planned for when they got to the camp. The girls were all lost in their thoughts and didn't even notice when the van stopped at the end of the road.
"Come on, everyone! We're here!" Rainbow Dash called back as she shot out of the door and walked over to help her friends.
Everyone climbed out of the van and made sure that they had gathered all of their belongings before Applejack locked the van and slid the keys into her pocket. When they were secure, she made her way deeper into the woods, where Camp Everfree laid.
"It feels like forever since we were last here." Applejack put her hands behind her head and smiled as she inhaled a scent that widened her smile. "And these plants still smell the same, even after all this time."
"Yep. It truly feels like we're back in the Everfree Forest." Rainbow nodded as she leapt over a root. "You girls might wanna watch your feet."
"And you came back here every year?" Sunset looked at how the leaves in the tree were covering up most of the sunlight. "It kinda looks like somewhere kids would be afraid of when it gets dark."
"When you're alone, Sunset," Pinkie said. "But with friends, it's fun to explore the forest!"
As the girls started to walk down a thick trail towards the camp, the girl who had been chased by Miasma's men the other night watched from afar and started to follow them, using the trees as cover.
"Only a little bit more to go, Sunset." Fluttershy held Sunset's hand as they continued their trek. "Trust me. Once we get there, it'll all be worth it."
"I just hope you're right, Fluttershy," Sunset said. "Because we've been walking for five minutes straight and I haven't seen a single camp, other person, or any sign of food or water."
"The walk's always long, Sunset, but Fluttershy's right. There's gonna be some great stuff to do and some great grub after each activity." Rainbow Dash stopped and patted Sunset on her back before the two of them went forward again. "We've been here every year, and we pretty much know this place like the back of our hands."
"Except for that!" Pinkie Pie pointed towards a number of trees with words on them written in a dark shade of red.
"Well, I certainly don't remember this being there before." Applejack ran towards the message.
"What does it say?" Twilight asked as she gently grabbed her glasses and readjusted them.
If you're camping here, you'd best beware, because danger's lurking everywhere. Miasma's forces will return. Treekillers who want to see the forest burn.
All of a sudden, a thick fog rolled in, shrouding all of the girls entirely.
"Fog? That wasn't here the last time we went..." Twilight pulled out a handkerchief and began to wipe the mist out of her glasses.
"Maybe the camp decided to invest in some fog machines?" Rainbow Dash shrugged.
"Or maybe there's a bigger campfire than usual?" Fluttershy raised her index finger.
"Whatever the case, this isn't normal for the forest." Applejack crossed her arms. "Something's going on, and I don't really like it..."
After a while, the fog died down, and Pinkie Pie looked back at where the message was. Her jaw then hung wide open as she noticed that the words had been removed entirely and were replaced with simple trees. She stepped backwards slowly and fell over a root behind her, smashing against another tree and banging her head in the process.
The noise had caught the girl from before off-guard. She fell from the trees and landed heavily on the ground by Sunset's feet. The girl groaned before climbing to her feet and attempting to run away, only to be stopped by Rainbow Dash grabbing her shoulder.
"Were you spying on us?!" Rainbow tightened her grip slightly.
"Ow, ow, ow! Sweet lord, let go of me!" The girl winced and contorted as Rainbow Dash refused to let go.
"Who are you?" Sunset stepped forward and gently pulled Rainbow Dash's hand off of the girl's shoulder. "And what reason did you have for following us?"
"Sorry about that." She stood up and brushed some leaves and dirt off of her dress. "My name's Gloriosa. I've lived in this forest for over a few years now, and I was worried you girls were Treekillers."
"Treekillers?" Applejack cocked her left eyebrow.
"They're dressed up in these grey outfits with patches on the side. You can't miss 'em." Gloriosa walked over to the tree she had fallen out of and hugged it. "They're trying to destroy my babies, but I won't let them! Geoffrey, Sam, Teresa, Joshua, and many more trees that I've named in this forest are all at risk of being chopped down by that witch!"
"This girl's even kookier than me, naming almost every tree in a forest," Pinkie Pie smiled. "Can we make her our friend?"
"We barely even know the girl, Pinkie!" Applejack threw her arms outwards. "Didn't your mom ever tell you not to talk to people you don't know, let alone make them your friend?"
"Well, we technically do know her by now. Isn't that right, Glori?" Pinkie gave Gloriosa a little hug.
"Yeah! You totally know me if you know my name, Pinkie!" Gloriosa's hug transitioned from the tree to Pinkie. "And I'm sure I'd like to know your friends as well! Any enemy to the Treekillers is a friend of mine!"
"Who do these so-called Treekillers work for, Gloriosa?" Rarity stepped forward.
"They work for some mogul called Ms Miasma." Gloriosa pulled out a ripped off patch from another pocket, showing the emblem that each of the de-forestation employees wore. "Miasma De-Forestation Co. They're the biggest name in the destruction of forests. Their reputation proceeds them, and Miasma decided to bring them all to this one."
"Miasma?" Rarity parroted.
"Miasma's a woman in her fourties. White hair, black eyes, business suit, and a very large vocabulary that would have you believe she's someone from a play or something..." Gloriosa used her fingers to list off each detail.
"Kinda reminds me of Principal Cinch..." Twilight crossed her arms. "Do you think they might be in league with each other?"
"I highly doubt it." Sunset shook her head. "Cinch was ruined at the Friendship Games, and I don't think that she'd have the guts to stoop so low to the point where she'd want to destroy an entire forest just to spite us. But this Miasma woman, on the other hand, sounds like the kind of person who would do that without a second thought."
"It doesn't matter what forest is on the chopping block for her. Just as long as she gets paid for its' destruction, she doesn't care about anyone or anything in it." Gloriosa balled her hands into fists.
"That's just plain mean!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Would she do it even if there was a petition to save the forest, or if the government deemed it a historical landmark?"
"Miasma hates anything that gets in the way of her payday," Gloriosa said. "Children, rival companies, even the law. She'll always find a way past them just to complete her destruction of the forest and get paid."
"Why would she ever need the money?" Sunset put her hands by her hips.
"I overheard some of her Treekillers saying that she's going to donate it to her city's mayor so that he can oversee the construction of a brand new city in place of the Everfree Forest." Gloriosa put the patch back in her pocket. "Heartless. I know."
"Well, we're not gonna let her do that!" Rainbow Dash fist-pumped. "This forest holds a special place in our hearts, and I'd rather eat worms than see the day it gets torn down by some old hag who sits in some fancy-schmancy skyscraper!"
"But how are we gonna stop her?" Sunset asked. "I mean, you alone, taking on a whole de-forestation company? That seems like million-to-one odds. And that's not even taking into account how many men and women work for Miasma."
"That's where you'd be wrong, Sunset." Gloriosa smiled and leapt back into the trees. "There is a legend buried deep beneath the soil here. The Legend of the Everfree."
"The Legend of the Everfree?" Everyone chorused.
"It's an old tale. I was told it each and every night by my father when I was a baby." Gloriosa hung down from the branch she was standing on. "It's also a long one—one that would take days for me to tell without getting bored. But for now, you girls can rest easy."
"Why can't you just tell us the story now?" Twilight tilted her head.
"The Treekillers' latest site was wrecked by me, and now Miasma's main concern is looking for me, rather than cutting the place down. Unless she's multitasking and doing both, in which case I really need to be getting back to the Housetree..." She swung up into the leaves.
"Don't you mean treehouse?" Rainbow Dash deadpanned.
"No. I mean Housetree. Geez. There is a difference, after all..." Gloriosa darted off into a deepre part of the woods, her voice echoing as she left. "Find me at the lake tomorrow!"
"Well. That was weird," said Sunset as Gloriosa's voice vanished.
"Anyway, we'd best be getting to camp." Applejack looked down the path they had been walking on. "Camp Everfree's only thirty seconds away."
"Wait. A random stranger just showed up out of nowhere, telling us that an evil woman is planning to tear down this forest, and you just want to keep going?" Sunset twitched.
"Whether it's true or not, we haven't seen any of those Treekillers so far, and I don't hear the sound of logging machines revving up in the distance." Rainbow looked back at Sunset and the gang before heading off with Applejack. "We'll simply have to wait for now, and I'm not getting back in that car until we've had the camping trip of our lives."
"Rainbow's right, Sunset." Fluttershy walked Sunset and Twilight over towards the camp. "This Gloriosa girl seems nice and all, but she hasn't really shown us any evidence that the forest is under attack."
"Either way, we should be on guard." This time, it was Sunset's turn to cross her arms. "The message we saw and Gloriosa's arrival were no coincidences," she said. "I have a feeling that this won't be any normal camping trip..."
"And you're sure the new machines will work, Svengallop?" Miasma held a phone to her ear as she leaned back against the chair in her office.
"Yes, Ms Miasma," Sven's voice was partially garbled through the phone. "The Chimera units are equipped to burn, shred, and blow up any trees that the team mark. That forest will be turned to dust within the deadline or your money back."
"It'd better be, Sven." Her eyes twitched. "You know what I do the employees who fail me."
"Worry not. Each machine also has a built-in DNA tracker, so if anyone who isn't one of the de-forestation crew tries to intervene, such as that girl from yesterday, the machines will alert us immediately, and we'll apprehend and identify them for you," said Sven.
"Very well, Sven. I am putting my faith in you." Miasma pushed a button on the phone and hung up on him.
All of a sudden, the massive TV screen behind Miasma flashed into life with a picture of a black silhouette shrouded in shadows. There were red streaks projected on the screen, with a logo of the planet on the top-right hand corner. Some source code was visible within the red lines, but just barely.
"Miasma!" The voice boomed. It was very distorted and completely unrecognizable. "What is the status on Project Inferno?"
"It's all going to plan, Grand Master." Miasma turned around quickly and bowed. "Svengallop has assured me that the forest will be destroyed by the end of the week."
"Why do you put your faith in your allies, Miasma?" the figure said. "Beings that cannot keep their promises have no place in New World, and if this so called Svengallop fails you, he will not survive the aftermath."
"I'm well aware of that, Grand Master." Miasma cracked her knuckles. "I have already warned him that if he fails, his life will be snuffed out in the blink of an eye.
"But I am not here to monologue about betrayal and heartache." The figure flexed their arms briefly before returning their gaze towards Miasma. "I am here to remind you that one of our other council members has already embarrassed our order, and another failure will force us to speed up the cleansing, and cut down on your leisure entirely."
"Grand Master. What could possibly defeat the most powerful de-forestation company in the world?" Miasma shrugged.
"These six girls." Six images appeared showing Sunset Shimmer and her friends, as well as their skeletal structures, blood types, and vitals. "One of the council has reported that they are a threat, and wield an otherworldly power that threatens the balance of order. If you see these girls, do not take them hostage. Rather, I want you to put them down before they poison your mind with friendship and talk of another way."
"I hardly see how six teenage girls are a threat, and I'm not sure whether or not you're starting to slip into dementia with this talk of otherworldly power..." Miasma raised an eyebrow.
All of a sudden, the images of the six girls were replaced with perfect recreations of the Fall Formal, Battle of the Bands, and Friendship Games battles, where the magic was on full display. As each video repeated over and over again, Miasma's jaw hung wide open.
"Destroy these brats by any means necessary, Miasma." The voice removed the videos from the screen. "If they ruin Project Inferno, then we'll simply have to begin Project Doomsday six months earlier."
"Those freaks will get everything they deserve, Grand Master." Miasma made her hand into a fist and shook her head. "I will personally crush their hopes and dreams before putting them out of their misery!"
"Very well. But I must warn you, that after the Friendship Games, failure is not an option..." The voice leaned in closer to the screen before it vanished, leaving nothing more than a blank rectangle.
The Rainbooms pushed a bush aside to reveal a huge campsite, all set up with tents, an outhouse, a stream, a fire, and more. Everything was very well kept, with very few sticks and leaves on the fabrics that had been laid out for each camper. The water that flowed went off into the deeper parts of the woods, and there was no clear sign of where it was going, where it stopped, and if got deeper or wider.
There were already a nimiety of teenagers at the camp, leaning against trees, playing games with each other, or just washing their faces with the stream water. Each one of them wore bright clothing, had smiles on their faces, and seemed to be having fun with the friends that they already had, and the new ones that they would be making.
"Well, here we are, Sunset." Twilight wrapped her arm around Sunset's shoulders and stretched the other one out to the side as she escorted her down towards the center of the campsite. "Welcome to Camp Everfree!"
"Wow," said Sunset, looking at how neatly everything was set up. "For a camp, this place sure seems organized..."
"Why, of course, Sunset." Rarity ran off ahead towards the campfire. "Camp Everfree has won a multitude of awards over the past few years. Some of which include 'Best Children's Vacation Spot', the 'Silver Star River Award', and most recently, 'Oldest Forest.'"
"With those kinda trophies, you can tell that this place is really, really fun!" Pinkie bounced towards the stream and dunked her face in it. She then pulled it out, flicking water towards a patch of grass.
"I'm starting to see why you girls always come here every year." Sunset chuckled briefly.
"It's not just that, Sunset." Rainbow walked over towards an empty tent and laid down her supplies. "Camp Everfree has some totally awesome things to do when you're not roasting marshmallows, sailing on the lake, or making arts and crafts stuff. And that's why I bought..." She reached into her bag and pulled out an orange plastic launcher loaded with foam darts. "These bad boys!"
"Ooh! Are those the new Sure-Shot guns from S.N.U.F.F.?" Pinkie ran over and gently rubbed the side of it. "Those'll be fun for games of dart tag later."
"Yep! I got the whole line-up!" Rainbow Dash reached in deeper and pulled out more foam dart guns, all of which were orange. One by one, they were thrown out and clattered into a pile by her tent. "I've got Rose and Thorns, Hurricane, Master Blaster, Laser-Eye, and the most expensive one of them all – and my personal favourite – The Eviscerator!" The last one was the biggest and longest one of all with a drum magazine fed into the massive contraption. "Make sure you don't lose the darts when we play with 'em. They're like, ten bucks each to get more."
"Sounds like someone's gonna have a little fun in the woods..." A girl with blue hair, both dark and light approached Rainbow Dash and the gang. She wore aviator goggles, golden earclips, white trainers, and a yellow shirt with a thundercloud on it.
"Indigo!" Rainbow came over and pulled her into a quick hug with back pats. "What're you doing here at Camp Everfree?"
"I figured me and my friends could use a break from the hustle and bustle of Crystal Prep life." Indigo peaked over Rainbow Dash's shoulder at the guns. "Didn't expect you and yours to be here either, I gotta say."
"Anyway, we were just setting up camp when you showed up out of the blue, Indigo." Rarity neatly laid out her folded clothes inside another tent and placed them beside her pillow. "I hear that Rainbow Dash says that you've changed a lot since the Friendship Games, am I right?"
"Yep! Sure did, Rarity!" Indigo put her hands to her side. "I'm not that rowdy, 'win-by-any-means-necessary' Indigo Zap now, and neither are my friends. We've all changed since Twilight moved to Canterlot High, and now that you're all here, I think you should swing by our tents and see how we're getting on."
"That would be lovely." Fluttershy put her bag down in her tent and pulled out a book on birdwatching. "I think it would be much better to get to know you girls rather than play against you."
"I hear that, Fluttershy," said Indigo.
After that remark, everyone burst out into a short giggle fit before they finished putting everything away in their own respective tents. Once they were done, they climbed out and followed Indigo to another part of Camp Everfree.
After a few seconds of walking, the group arrived at five tents where four girls were stoking the fire. They were of course Indigo Zap's friends: Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Sugarcoat, who had all shed their Crystal Prep uniforms for more casual attire. Lemon wore a simple pink shirt with pictures of lemon slices on it. Sour Sweet now wore an ocean blue dress with a heart emblazoned on the bottom. Sugarcoat, who had let her hair down for the first time in her life, was wearing a yellow and magenta t-shirt. And Sunny Flare, who had swapped out her bowl cut for pigtails, was now dressed in a pink skirt with a small leather jacket covering her arms.
"Hey, girls! Look who I found at Camp Everfree!" Indigo announced as she arrived back at the tents. "Sunset Shimmer and her friends from Canterlot High!"
"No way!" Lemon Zest immediately shot up from where she was sitting and ran over towards them. "Pinkie? I haven't seen you since that radical dance-off back at Club Neon!"
"Lemon Zest! Nice to see ya!" Pinkie Pie high-fived Lemon immediately, jumping as she did so. "Ya still looking for challengers on Dance-off Night?"
"Yeah, but they're never gonna be as fresh as you, Pinks." Lemon pulled Pinkie by the hips. "You've still got the best moves out of any Dance-off challenger I've ever seen at that club."
"Thanks, Lemon," Pinkie blushed.
"Applejack. How are you holding up at Sweet Apple Acres?" Sugarcoat asked with a smile on her face.
"I'm doing fine, Sugarcoat. What about you and your family?" Applejack readjusted her hat.
"Fine. Aside from Fudge Numbers getting good grades in kindergarten, there's not really been much change involving her, me, or my parents." Sugarcoat gently put one of the small logs onto the fire to try and intensify the flame.
"Hey, Fluttershy!" Sour Sweet ran over and gave Fluttershy a big, long hug. "How are you doing?"
"Oh. I'm doing well, Sour Sweet." Fluttershy pulled herself out of the hug and helped brush some dirt off of Sour's dress. "Are you still doing well with my lessons?"
"Yes. There is the occasional blip here and there, but other than that, I have to say that my life's changing for the better." Sour Sweet wrapped her arm around Fluttershy's shoulders and took her towards the tent she was sleeping in. "Mr Ted's with me, I've got my stress ball, and I'm still remembering to treat others as I'd like to be treated."
Fluttershy let out a tiny chuckle. "Good to know that my anti-bully lessons are still helping you out, Sour."
"Hello there." Rarity slowly walked towards Sunny Flare. "I don't think we've met outside of the Friendship Games. My name is Rarity, or Miss Rarity if you prefer, darling."
"Nice to meet you, Rarity. My name is Sunny Flare." She graciously stood up and walked over with the elegance of a lady. "I've actually seen some of your work involving the outfits you provided your friends at the Tri-Cross relay back at the Games. Very avant-garde if I do say so myself."
"Why thank you, darling. I do like to break off from the repetitive types of clothing now and again to deliver a truly sensational work of art to my best friends." She took Sunny's hand and walked to the stream with her. "If you'd like, I can schedule you a fitting back at the boutique once we finish our little vacation at Camp Everfree."
"That would be nice, dearie." Sunny Flare cracked a smile as she slowly dipped her hands into the water to wash off some of the mud that had gathered when she was collecting wood for the fire.
Rainbow Dash picked up her Eviscerator and loaded it with a magazine full of foam darts, smiling as she heard the click when the clip strapped into it. She then went on to do a few poses as if she was a soldier in the military. She was going to treat the game with her friends like a skirmish.
"It's been a long time since I've had a game with S.N.U.F.F. guns." Indigo loaded both of the plastic pistols with the same ammunition. "Most of my friends are more into flowers and science these days."
"No joke? I've only been able to have games with these things with Pinkie Pie, and even then, she's only available once a month!" Rainbow walked over to Indigo and wrapped her left arm around her friend's shoulders. "With you and your friends, this is gonna be much better!"
Sunset gently scratched her chin with her fingers as she leaned against a nearby tree. She still had the thoughts of Miasma, the Treekillers, Gloriosa, and the Legend of the Everfree running through her mind. She didn't know anything about any of them, and despite wanting a break from saving her friends—and evidently the world—she was curious to know more.
"Are you alright, Sunset?" Fluttershy walked up to her and held out her hand. "You've been awfully quiet ever since Gloriosa met us."
"It's fine, Fluttershy," said Sunset. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"It's about those Treekillers she mentioned. I don't know what it is but something about them and Miasma is really starting to bug me."
"Why ever would you think about that, Sunset?" Rarity stepped forward herself and narrowly missed a dew-ridden patch of grass. "They're nothing more than a de-forestation company. It's nothing like what we've faced before."
"But this forest means so much to you and the rest of the girls, and these Treekillers seem determined to tear it down for this Miasma woman." Sunset pushed herself off of the tree. "It can't be a coincidence that they're chopping down the Everfree Forest during our visit, can it?"
"Calm down, Sunset Shimmer." Sugarcoat joined Fluttershy and Rarity, gently stepping over the roots that were poking out of the ground as she walked up to her. "Most things just tend to happen out of the blue, like when the weather changes when we think it's going to be a sunny day."
"But even when something happens, we can't be sure whether or not it's good or bad," Sunset said. "What if these loggers are after more than just the destruction of the forest?"
"I hardly see how a de-forestation company wants more than just tearing down trees—especially given how most of them make more money the larger the forest is." Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Whatever the case is, it's none of our concern—at least for the time being."
"I know. But something still has me on edge." Sunset began to pace left and right. "I can't exactly tell you what it is, but it just came to me when Gloriosa met us on the way into the forest."
"Do you think she was hiding something?" Fluttershy asked.
"Whether or not she was, we know she's gonna tell us something called the 'Legend of the Everfree' tomorrow at the lake." Sunset stopped pacing and pulled out her phone. She tapped a few of the buttons and began to type down a notice that would remind her of when and where to meet Gloriosa. "Maybe after she's told us, we can decide whether or not to trust her."
"Hey, girls! We're about to start our little game!" Indigo called out to all of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts in the area. "If you want to join us, just grab one of Rainbow's guns and meet us in the clearing!"
"Coming!" Sunset called back before slowly making her way towards the rest of the group.
The girls enjoyed playing the game with the S.N.U.F.F. guns that Rainbow Dash had bought along with her. They all took turns wielding each and every weapon, finding out what was comfortable for them, and then shooting their friends with little orange foam darts, laughing all the while.
This went on for a while until the girls heard the faint noise of chainsaws revving in the distance, a tree falling down, and the crash that echoed briefly before disappearing. The sequence of sounds stopped them dead in their tracks and sent shivers down their spines as it was replaced with silence.
"What was that?" Sunny Flare was the first to break the silence.
"That was probably those Treekillers from earlier!" Pinkie Pie leapt up into the treetops and poked her head out into the distance. She then saw more trees falling and a few pillars of steel barely higher than the trees themselves. "And it looks like they're already ripping down more trees!"
"Treekillers?" Lemon Zest put the pistols down and climbed up to join Pinkie. "Looks like a group of regular old loggers to me."
"Someone in this forest calls them Treekillers, Lemon." Pinkie Pie squatted down, put one hand on the branch she was standing on, and the other on Lemon's shoulder. "She also named every tree in the forest." She looked out at the machines again and saw specks of Gloriosa's hair flowing through the trees. "And there she is now!"
"Gloriosa? Now?" Rarity tilted her head and cocked one of her eyebrows. "While I do agree that it is amazing timing, how did she know that Miasma's men were working on that specific part of the forest?"
"Maybe she has a Glori Sense, like I have a Pinkie Sense. It's usual among kooky and bubbly people like me." Pinkie leapt down from the trees and landed gracefully on the grass. "Either way, we gotta follow her!"
"Something tells me we're gonna regret this..." Sugarcot facepalmed as she and the girls ran towards the chaos.
The men from Miasma's company all had sweat dripping from their foreheads as they continuously destroyed tree after tree with no sign of stopping. They didn't even speak except for when they used walkie-talkies to rally information to their co-workers or to Miasma and Svengallop.
The machines that they piloted were mostly black with red LED lights flashing across the bottom rims that connected to the caterpillar tracks. Portruding out of almost all of them was a massive chainsaw with the serrated edges moving at high speeds. They drove forward and bit into the trunks of each tree, shredding them and leaving stumps in their wake which were then burned by a team of employees using flamethrowers.
Gloriosa perched herself on one of the nearby trees and pulled out a little purple ball and loaded it into a slingshot made out of a tiny branch and a little red rubber band. She pulled back and aimed at the tracks at the bottom of one of the machines before releasing her grip and watching it fly. The noise of the weapon was muted due to how loud the machines were chuggering along, and no-one noticed the ball explode and coat the target's treads with a sticky substance.
And that was when it happened. The left tracks were no longer moving, meaing that the ones on the right caused the vehicle to turn and drive the chainsaw into another machines, causing it to explode and send the driver hurtling backwards, just over the flamethrower team. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and climbed out to tend to the wounded man.
"Bullseye!" Gloriosa fist-pumped and darted away from the trees and was about to make a stealthy getaway. Unfortunately, she had made a mistake.
Gloriosa barely landed on one of the branches and stumbled for a few seconds before she missed one and tumbled to the ground. She rolled a bit before she landed straight in front of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. Pulling her hed up from the ground, she said, "Oh, girls! Nice to see you again so soon."
"What the heck was that, Gloriosa?" Rainbow Dash threw her arms out to the side.
"Oh, nothing. Just more of Miasma's men being thwarted by my sticky balls." Gloriosa reached into a small pouch that barely hung from her wrist and pulled out another purple ball. "Made from lots of different tree saps and compressed into a ball, these things can cover anything up in the stickiest gunk imaginable! The only way that this stuff's coming out is if you wash with soap, and I don't think they even know that."
"Gloriosa, is it?" Sunny Flare approached her and did a little bow. "My name is Sunny Flare from Crystal Prep Academy. Might I ask, what the heck are Treekillers?"
"Treekillers are the most ruthless loggers you'll ever meet." Gloriosa put the ball back into the pouch. "Not only do they never listen to reason, but in some cases, they're allowed to hurt people who slow them down or stop them from doing their work. And all because Miasma is paying them like, a couple hundred an hour or something."
"A couple of hundred to destroy trees, hurt people, and ignore any reasoning? Seems like these men are really determined to make their money..." Sunset folded her arms. "But even so, that doesn't mean that what they're doing is the right thing."
"I totally agree with you on that." Gloriosa's ears suddenly twitched and her head violently turned towards where she had been leaping. "But we can't stay here. The Treekillers are chasing us!"
"What?! Really?!" Rainbow Dash looked at the bushes which were now shaking with muted shouts emanating from them.
"Stop her! She went this way!" One of the men said as they pushed some of the shrubs aside.
"Darnit! We gotta get out of here!" Gloriosa vaulted herself over most of the girls and ran deeper into the forest. "Meet me at the lake tomorrow! Don't be late!"
"Glori! Wait!" Pinkie reached out to her, but she was already lost in the thickets.
Before anyone else could even move, the uniformed men burst out of the bushes and surrounded the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. Their faces were all emotionless, but they were carrying batons should they need to beat someone up.
"You there! Have you seen a girl armed with tree sap bombs?" One of the men jabbed a finger at Sunset.
"Wait a minute, man," another of the men said, eyeing up Sunset and her friends. "These girls look awfully familiar..."
"Actually, now that I think about it, they kinda do..." A third man raised his finger when the realization struck. "It's them! The fabled Rainbooms! The supposed saviours of their dying world."
"Well, we lost the girl, but we found something much better. Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms of Canterlot High." The first man began to circle the girls while the rest of his colleagues closed up their circle so no-one could get out. "Ooh, Miasma's gonna give me such a promotion when I bring these girls in..."
"Bring us in?! Not a chance!" Rainbow tried to copy what Gloriosa did, but the man she was jumping over grabbed her leg and threw her straight back into the ring and right into her friends, causing them all to collapse in a heap.
"Resistance is futile, ladies. Come with us, and we'll make this much easier than it needs to be." The first man crossed his arms and lowered his brows. "Or try to copy what Rainbow Dash just did and suffer the consequences."
"As for your other friends, they're free to go. They pose no threat to Miasma or her company, and in fact, serve a higher purpose than they might think." The second man said as the Rainbooms were escorted away whilst the Shadowbolts were left alone.
"Sunset, why are you going along with this?" Indigo did her best to keep up with Sunset and her friends.
"We'll be fine, girls. Don't worry about us." Sunset looked back at her. "You and the others just get back to the camp, and we'll join you shortly."
"This seems dangerous, don't you think?" Lemon Zest ran next to Indigo and tried her best to keep up with the men. "If these guys don't listen to reason, then you might have a problem..."
"Trust me, Lemon. We'll be fine." Sunset smiled as she and her friends were taken teh way their captors had come from.
"For some reason, I don't think that's entirely true..." Sour Sweet hung her head and curled some of her hair around her fingers before shifting her expression. "If those guys lay a finger on you, Sunset, they'll have to answer to me!"
And with that, the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts had been separated once again, with Miasma's employees pulling Sunset and her friends away into the deeper expanse of the forest. Both sides felt that they would meet again, but deep down they knew that for some reason, the Treekillers had bigger plans.
Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms were escorted through one of the de-forestation sites by the men who had captured them earlier. The metallic giants of machines and the dead ground around them gave them a sense of discomfort. It was as if they were standing in a crater that had eradicated everything upon impact.
There was a small building that had been set up entirely from scratch and could easily be moved if the team disconnected each part and loaded it up onto different trucks. Just like the logging mechs, the building was painted piano black, and there were no windows on any of the walls.
"Miasma waits inside, girls," said the man who had led his team when they had been chasing Gloriosa. "Sit quietly and wait until you are called. Then you may speak."
The inside of the building was even more lifeless than the outside. There were no posters, no coloured carpet or doormat, not even the doors had anything that made them stand out. The air was colder inside too, almost giving the sensation that the girls had just walked into the winds of the arctic north without wearing enough clothes.
Rarity shivered. "I know that Miasma's the head of a de-forestation company, but at the very least, she could have sprang for indoor heating."
"Be quiet!" The second man jabbed Rarity in the back with his baton, causing her to yelp. "The word of Miasma and her employees is law for any and all guests, magic-wielding freaks included."
The Rainbooms, unable to muster up the courage to speak, decided to obey the orders and sit down on the couch. The men that watched them were devoid of any and all emotion, and their eyes were also lifeless as the grips on their batons tightened.
Sunset Shimmer looked at each of the men that were now looming over her and her friends. She was unable to make anything out from their clothes or facial expressions. At first, she believed they were under a hypnotic trance, but then she recalled that one of them had been smiling when they had captured them.
A buzzing noise was heard, followed by a voice over the intercom. "Ms Miasma will see you now, Rainbooms," said a female who had just as monotone a voice as the men. "Walk into the office quietly, and do not attempt to speak until she speaks to you. Failure to abide by these rules will result in a strict punishment."
"You heard the voice. Move." One of the men grabbed Pinkie Pie's arm while the rest forced the others off of the couch. Within seconds, they were all moving again into another room.
The next room was even darker and colder than the one before it, and the only light that could be seen was the one illuminating the chairs for each of the Rainbooms to sit down. Everything else could not be seen, even with how powerful the overhead light was, and now when the girls breathed, their breaths froze up.
Each of the girls sat down quietly, and the men who had brought them in walked out of the office before closing the door and locking it up. They couldn't exactly piece it together, but something about the lock clicking made them huddle up and start shaking, as they were unaware of what Miasma would do or say to them.
"Rainbooms. How nice to meet you." Miasma walked out of the darkness with her hands behind her back. Her brows were lowered and she was almsot glaring at the girls. "But I'm sure that you don't think the same of me, especially with what I'm about to do."
"Before things get ugly, might I ask, why did you come for us exactly?" Rarity crossed her arms and cocked on her of her own eyebrows. "Weren't you and your men chasing down that girl?"
"You mean Gloriosa?" Miasma chuckled lightly and flicked her wrist. "Yes, she is a hinderance, but she is not half as a problem as you and your friends."
"What did we ever do to you and your company?" Fluttershy brushed a strand of hair that had fallen over her face.
"You haven't done anything wrong, I admit." Miasma paced back and forth, furrowing her brows as she brushed her hand over her desk. "Not yet, at least.
"You see, girls, my company has never failed a logging job, regardless of the size of the forest, or the number of protestors we have encountered." Miasma's breath was so cold as she spoke that it too froze up. "Every time there is a little bit of resistance against the company, my men have always stamped it out. And after years of this method, everyone knows that when they mess with Miasma De-Forestation Co, they end up playing with a loaded gun pointed at their heads, unaware that at any moment, that trigger could be pulled and their voices could be silenced in an instant.
"With their favourite forests ripped down by my men, the people who used to frolick in the grassy knolls now mourn each and every day, utterly demoralized to find any sense of joy after my icy influence reaches them." She stopped and took a little drink before she hung her head slightly. "It saddens me too, I admit, but for the good of my hard-working employees, sacrifices must be made."
"But what does this have to do with us?" Sunset crossed her arms and raised her left eyebrow. "You've kidnapped six innocent teenage girls who haven't even remotely tried to stop your company from doing their job, but will now, considering how poorly you've treated us."
"Which is why I've been allowed to do this." Miasma reached into her desk and pulled out a loaded MP443 Grach pistol before pointing it directly at Sunset Shimmer's head.
The other girls all gasped and recoiled as the gun clicked. At any moment, Miasma could pull the trigger and leave a massive bullet hole in their friend.
"I know that this is a bit of a shock, but my master's orders are absolute," Miasma's voice got even deeper but she didn't move an inch.
"Absolute?! What kind of sick freak carries a loaded gun?!" Rainbow Dash's arms were thrashing about in front of her, but were quickly raised when Miasma pointed the gun at her.
"Don't say a word, you winged freak of nature! I don't want to hear it!" despite raising her voice again, she was still stationary. "If anything, you're the monster for what happened at not only the Fall Formal and Battle of the Bands, but also at the Friendship Games! My friends have been embarassed because of your pathetic and underhanded actions to defy the natural order of this world, and for that, I will waste no more time in pulling this trigger and ending you right here and now!" Her finger rested gently on it, and began to squeeze, lightly pulling it towards her. Any further, and the bullet would shoot. "Farewell, Rainbooms!"
The gun shot, and a loud and radiant flash surrounded the room for a split second. But instead of Rainbow Dash being shot in the head, the bullet just missed her and the hole could clearly be seen in the wall behind her.
And from the origin of the shot, Miasma was covered in the same sap that Gloriosa had used to destroy the logging machines. She flailed about hard, trying to break free of the sticky trap, but she was completely immobilized. Despite holding the gun in her hand, she could not fire it any more, as her finger was stuck on the pulled trigger, and the MP443 Grach was a semi-automatic gun, meaning the trigger had to be pulled rapidly for multiple shots.
"What is this gunk?!" Miasma screamed as she tried to free her other arm. "Why can't I move?!"
The sounds of guards being beat up could be heard from the room outside, and seconds afterwards, the door opened, revealing Gloriosa and the Shadowbolts standing on the other side.
"Girls! Run!" Indigo shouted from the other side of the door, using her hands to signal for the girls to escape.
Sparing no time, the Rainbooms all ran out of office, almost tripping over each other as they squeezed through the single door in groups of two. Once they were all out, they ran out of the room, with Gloriosa moving ahead with bolas armed to trip up any guard that came their way.
Once they got out, the alarms had been sounded, and the noise alerted all of the men to not just the position of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts, but to that of Gloriosa as well. After trying to run, the girls all found themselves surrounded again, causing Gloriosa to reach into her pouch and pull out a medium-sized pink stone with archaic markings etched onto it.
"There's nowhere to run, girls!" One of the men spoke through a megaphone. "Surrender quietly, and your deaths will be quick and painless!"
"What do we do, Glori?" Pinkie's knees were quaking as she asked her.
"Do you girls believe in magic?" Gloriosa whispered.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with—"
"Outta here!" Gloriosa declared as she held up the stone and threw it at her feet, engulfing her friends in a pink cloud of smoke. The guards pulled out their own guns and opened fire, only to shoot themselves and collapse around the mist, leaving a few holes with mildly trickling blood pouring out, but nothing too severe.
It was only after the smoke had vanished that Miasma stormed out of the building, shaking down the last of the sap that had ensnared her earlier. She scoffed as she threw it away before marching over to her men, tightening her hands into fists as she gritted her teeth.
When the dust finally settled, the Rainbooms, Shadowbolts, and Gloriosa were nowhere to be found, and had left no visible trail on both the ground and the trees. All that remained was a single pink stone that turned a shade of grey once Miasma picked it up. The marks also vanished once she got a closer look at it.
A quick burst of purple light appeared in the middle of the field where the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts had been playing with the plastic guns and foam darts from earlier. It quickly dissipated and the group of thirteen girls landed hard, with the Shadowbolts on their chests, the Rainbooms on their backs, and Gloriosa on her feet.
"What was that?!" Pinkie Pie quickly jumped up and clasped her hands together eagerly.
"That my friend was a little bit of energy modification combined with the spirits of every tree in the forest, choosing a random spot for us to be whisked away to by means of astronomic and chronologic distortion. Also known as a 'Teleport Stone', which allows the holder to magically land at any random part of the Everfree Forest, but only once." Gloriosa helped all of the other girls stand up and clean themselves off after their rough landing. "So basically, we're away from Miasma's men, but I have no idea where in the name of Ecoloris we ended up..."
"Ecoloris?" Sunset asked.
"He's the guardian of the forest, and the one who intrusted me to keep this place safe from monsters like Miasma and the Treekillers," said Gloriosa as she dusted Rarity and Sunny Flare off. "I would show you a picture, but he prefers not to be shown to the public."
"Alright. It's not even sunset yet, and I've already got a ton of questions and no answers." Sunset stood up and pushed the air. "First of all, why does Miasma carry a handgun; second of all, how is it that you have magical stones that can just teleport us out of harm's way at the drop of a hat; and third of all, why is it always us who makes the villain want to get rid of us?!"
"Sheesh. What pooped in your cornflakes, Sunset?" Gloriosa stopped what she had been doing and walked over to try and comfort her. "I was only trying to help."
"Gloriosa, I believe what Sunset is trying to say is that we've already seen these Treekillers of yours, and from what you've been saying and how mysterious you've been acting, we don't have a reason to trust you until you give us a straightforward answer." Sugarcoat crossed her arms and stood aside Sunset. "How do we know that you're not a spy working for those men?"
"I'll tell you everything tomorrow, girls." Gloriosa looked out into the distance and saw that the sun was beginning to set, painting the empty blue sky into an awe-inspiring shade of orange. "It's getting late, and the camp will be worried sick about where you girls are. You must rest, otherwise you'll be in no shape to save the forest." She held up another little ball and threw it, leaving a cloud of white smoke in her wake. However, a few of the girls that hadn't been struck by it could see her leap up and dart off into the trees nearby.
"What do you think, Sunset? Should we trust her?" Fluttershy asked as she walked across the dew-ridden grass. "She's been hiding an awful lot of stuff from us."
"I'm not sure, but she is right about one thing, Fluttershy." Sunset saw a small red stone that Gloriosa had left behind when the smoke cleared. She picked it up and felt some otherworldly energy resonating from it. "There's definitely something up with the Everfree Forest, and we need to find out what it is..."
The next morning, each of the Shadowbolts and Rainbooms woke up to the warm sunlight streaking through the trees and down onto their tents. They stretched to shake off any remaining drowsiness they might have had before they all walked out and went towards the nearby stream to refill their water for the day ahead.
"So, how did everyone sleep last night?" Indigo asked once she filled her flask and closed the cap.
"Fine, fine, Indigo. Except for the part where this Miasma woman had a gun pointed right at Rainbow Dash's face yesterday!" Rarity threw her arms out to the side.
"She was pretty awful..." Fluttershy let some of her hair droop down in front of her right eye.
"Awful? She's even worse than that!" Sunset filled her flask with stream water and closed it up before she quickly hooked it to her belt. "She nearly killed us!"
"But that does make me wonder." Twilight put a finger to her chin and began to scratch it. "Why does she want you gone especially? What makes you so special that Miasma has declared you a threat to her operation? Even when you did nothing wrong or anything to slow her down? It doesn't make any sense!"
"She said something about the Fall Formal, Battle of the Bands, and the Friendship Games when we met her, but I just thought that was a mere coincidence at the time." Applejack knelt down and brushed the stream with her hand before she took some of the water. "It wasn't until she called Rainbow Dash a 'freak of nature' that I really started to panic."
"How did she hear about that?" Rainbow asked. "I mean, yeah, they were battles to save our world, but there weren't any newspapers or anything about it on the news."
"Yeah! If there were, we'd be super-awesome celebrities, knighted by many different kings and queens, and so much more!" Pinkie Pie bounced energetically, almost stomping the dirt even further down into the earth.
"But Miasma saw us as monsters, so it's safe to say that not everyone appreciates our services." Rarity sat down on the blanket outside of her tent. "Which is a shame, really. I thought that we would at least get some recognition for saving the planet."
"What about Gloriosa?" Sunset looked up at the trees, watching the leaves slowly rustling on the calm morning breeze. "We don't know anything about her, what she's doing in the forest, or what she wants with us either..."
"Should we trust her? Or should we see her as just as much of a villain as Miasma?" Sugarcoat asked.
"I'm not sure..." Sunset stood back up and looked out into the deeper depths of the forest. "All that we know is that she's waiting for us on the other side of the lake so she can tell us more about what's going on. It's just a short walk down south from here to get a boat from the docks."
"And if Gloriosa does turn out to be a bad girl?" Lemon Zest raised an eyebrow.
"Then we call on the Magic of Friendship, just like before." Sunset nodded as she led the way towards the lake. "Come on, girls."
"Does it have to be magic for everything with you girls?" Sour Sweet grumbled before she put a smile on her face. "I'm sure that Gloriosa would like to talk more than fight."
"Well, we'll only find out for ourselves when we go there." Sunny Flare walked down the slope leading to the lake with the Rainbooms.
When the girls reached the end of their walk, they saw a captivating sight. The Everfree Forest Lake was completely clear with no trash or pollution and a few people were already taking a swim or riding in the boats. The lake was also very wide, with the opposite side being an extroadinarily long distance away from the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts, and a few inflatable climbing frames or obstacle courses to the sides.
"Can't we just walk around?" Indigo Zap asked once Sunset approached the boats.
"Sure, if you don't mind a fourty-five minute hike." Applejack quickly untied one of the knots before climbing into a blue boat for two people. "This is the fastest way we can get to the other side, and the fastest way to get to Gloriosa."
"Can't we just swim? That's what everyone else seems to be doing..." Sunny Flare looked at the crowd of boys and girls swimming in the lake and going for the inflatables.
"As warm as the water is, the middle is extremely deep, and with this distance, it'll sap our energy pretty fast." Twilight squinted as she readjusted her glasses. "And while Crystal Prep students are amazing swimmers, swimming in the middle of the lake is similar to swimming in the middle of the ocean with nothing else.
"Boats it is, then." Sugarcoat leisurely strolled to a boat with Sunny Flare. She helped Sunny into it before she climbed in herself.
Once everyone was in, they all untied the knots, loosened the sails, and started to drift out from the docks and towards the lake. Using the special oars that they had been given in case of a lack of wind, they began to row towards the opposite side of the lake.
As the wind whistled by their faces and the water splashed up the side of their watercrafts, the girls couldn't help but feel like smiling. They truly felt free to do whatever they wanted to do out on the water, with no-one to tell them otherwise. Some of the girls even challenged the others to a race to the opposite side.
After a fit of giggles, the girls finally drove their boats onto the shore. Once they had stopped, they all climbed out and ventured deeper into the forest to try and find Gloriosa.
"What if Glori doesn't even show up?" Pinkie Pie asked once they arrived at a clearing with markings lining the trees.
"She's gotta show up, Pinks." Rainbow Dash patted her back as they stopped at the middle. "Why would she tell us to be here and then just bail? Especially after she took down those Treekillers?"
"Forget about that, girls. Look at these trees..." Sunset slowly approached a tree that had what looked like a crudely cut version of her Cutie Mark on it. She looked at other trees and saw other marks just like it, ones for each of the Rainbooms. "It's like they knew we were coming..."
"How on earth did they make these without even seeing us?" Rarity examined the tree with the three gem mark—her Cutie Mark. "They must've grown for over hundreds of years, and it must've taken them months to cut them like that so they could carve symbols, and even then, getting our logos almost flawlessly can't be a coincidence, can it?"
"It was once said that six girls would come to the Everfree Forest after facing three great trials," Gloriosa's voice boomed, echoing across the trees. "First, would be the Trial of Purity, in which a demon would be felled, and a new hero would be born; The second, the Trial of Reason, in which the reformed girl would smack some sense into her bickering friends to defeat a new threat; And finally, the Trial of Parallel, where the events of the first trial would be repeated, but for a different girl from another side..."
"What do you mean? They were just accidents, nothing more." Sunset looked up into the treetops to try and find Gloriosa.
"Accidents? Does a supernova just happen out of a pure accident? Or does someone write a quality story purely out of an accident?" Gloriosa swiftly leapt from tree to tree. "This wasn't an accident, Sunset. This was destiny—the one that the forest itself echoes each and every day."
"Destiny? How can you say that?" Twilight asked as she checked each tree, only to find a silhouette moving through at speeds not possible for a human.
"There are many things that define us, Rainbooms." Gloriosa continued to jump through the trees. "Be it the happiness we feel from good things, or the fear we feel when we almost ruin everything for everyone, and even the way that we are passionate about stuff, we are all unique. In that sense, you girls are something special.
"Not everyone has had the power to save the world—let alone three times in a row." Gloriosa did a somersault before she landed on her feet in the middle of the group. "You are all special, but not just in mere mortal ways. It's almost as if you are completely different beings..."
"Who are you?" Sugarcoat turned to Gloriosa crossed her arms. "And don't even think about trying to lie to us. I've read Shadow Spade's novel on how to find a liar, and I will know if you make any mistakes."
"This forest is older than any of us, even me. Even when your grandparents were still babies, the Everfree Forest stood tall and proud, and with a power that no-one else would ever believe." Gloriosa reached into a bag that was slung around her shoulder and pulled out a scroll. She opened it up, revealing a series of pictures of her and her life. "I am a guardian of the forest, birthed by humans, but raised by nature. My mother and father took me here when I was a newborn, but in a tragic accident involving a forest fire, they decided to send me down the river, in the hopes that I would survive the blaze.
"I never saw them again, but I was met with someone else," she said. "A voice called out to me when I crawled out of that basket and into the woods. And when I found the voice, a magical being known as Ecoloris raised me as his own. And who is he you might ask? He is the Spirit of the Everfree, and the keeper of the Gatekey." She put the scroll away.
"Spirit of the Everfree? Gatekey? What kinda lies you trying to pull on us?" Applejack stood next to Sugarcoat and lowered her brows.
"Tell me, girls. Have you ever heard of a place called 'Equestria?" Gloriosa's voice deepened.
At that sentence, Sunset stumbled backwards into the tree with her mark. "H-how do you know about that?"
"The Gatekey has shown me hundreds of different worlds, all accessible with the magic of the forest." Gloriosa pulled out a smooth sphere with glowing markings that were exactly identical to the Cutie Marks of the Rainbooms. "But now it is beginning to fade, crying out in anguish as the life force is being stripped away from it. The trees are the lifeblood of the Gatekey and the portal it opens up, and the more that that witch Miasma destroys the trees, the weaker and less stable this thing becomes."
"You're giving us more questions than answers, Gloriosa," said Sugarcoat in a deadpan voice. "We're starting to lose our trust in you."
"This forest is magic, just like the Rainbooms that were seeded by Princess Twilight of Equestria," Gloriosa replied. "However, the magic in this forest only really calls out to the worthy, and it's with your presence that it's finally starting to show up more often. Trees are growing faster, the plant spores are actually doing stuff now, and even the Housetree is getting better.
"But that's not enough to sustain this place." Gloriosa cradled the Gatekey, feeling it vibrate softly in her hands. "When the six Spirits of Harmony succeed in the three trials, the magic would return. But in order for it to truly be resurrected, one of you will have to call upon the power of the Everfree."
"The power of the Everfree?" the girls all chorused.
"For eleven of you, you will only see your greatest fears, and will not be able to act in trying to use the power," Gloriosa leapt back up into the trees graciously. "But for one of you, you will be able to use a power unlike any other, and be able to not only stop Miasma and the Treekillers, but also ensure that the Everfree Forest, the Gatekey, and the portal it opens, flourish for all time. Follow me." And she slowly went deeper into the forest.
"The question is, should we?" Sunny Flare called, causing Gloriosa to stop.
"This is destiny, Sunny Flare. Everyone has their roles to play." Gloriosa continued to walk through the branches. "Even you and your Crystal Prep friends are part of this performance, and you should really learn to stick to the script..."
"Come on, girls. We're getting to the bottom of this." Sunset followed Gloriosa into the forest with the rest of the Rainbooms close behind her.
"Alright, but I don't really have a good feeling about this..." Lemon Zest took her headphones off and put them in a little case in her pocket.
"Tell me about it." Indigo Zap wrapped her arm around Lemon's shoulders as the two of them trailed behind the rest of the group.
Gloriosa, the Rainbooms, and the Shadowbolts all arrived at a massive tree with a massive entrance hollowed out at the base of it. The edge around it was decorated with flowers, ivy, and many more natural things. The rest of the tree had a large nimiety of branches and leaves sprouting out just above the entrance.
"Well, here we are, everyone. My humble home." Gloriosa leapt down from the branch she had been standing on and walked inside, leading her guests inside. "Thought you were expecting me to live in a teeny-tiny treehouse like most kids do these days, huh?"
"An entire house fashioned out of a tree?" Rarity asked as she looked inside and saw the many different stairs, furnishings, chairs, and books. "How fascinating..."
"Yeah! There's five floors in here, and each one caters to each and every one of my needs." Gloriosa ran towards the stairs and pointed upwards to each balcony. "We've got a kitchen floor, a reading floor, a living room—where you all are now— a playtime floor, and my bedroom's right at the top. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Yeah! Not many people can make a tree like this a home, especially not if that tree's super-humongous!" Pinkie Pie walked forward slowly and looked around.
"How did you do this, Gloriosa?" Sunny Flare was the first to ask.
"Oh, I didn't do this. Daddy Ecoloris did it all for me!" Gloriosa said. "You've all heard the story how this place is super-duper old, right?"
"Yes. How could we forget, since you blathered it out half an hour ago?" Sugarcoat deadpanned.
"Anyways, this is the oldest tree in the Everfree Forest, at twenty-five-thousand years old as of today. Happy birthday, Housetree!" Gloriosa threw her arms into the air for her quick celebration. "But anyway, onto more serious matters. From what Daddy Ecoloris told me, this tree was personally grown by his magical powers, as well as growing naturally.
"But it was his power that allowed this tree to grow big and healthy, and much bigger than a regular tree," she went on. "And this tree cannot be destroyed by any firebomb, logging machine, or even a massive explosion that could potentially destroy the rest of the forest and leave this tree with nowhere to go, but I'm sure that this big old beauty will still be standing for years and years on end." She leaned in close to Pinkie. "Believe me, the Treekillers have been trying to make a machine to cut this bad boy, but they're going nowhere fast with me around."
"Umm, Gloriosa. Can I ask you something?" said Fluttershy.
"Sure. What is it, Fluttershy?" Gloriosa asked.
"If you were separated from your parents after that forest fire, then why did you decide to stay in the Everfree Forest with this Ecoloris? And if he's merely a spirit, how could've he protected you if you were just a baby back then?"
"I believe that I can answer that question..."
All of a sudden, the lights inside the Housetree dimmed and turned green, before they were disjointed from their posts and flew towards each other. They all formed a ring which spun for a few seconds, before every orb crashed together, causing a massive green burst of light to envelop the tree.
When the light died down, a bearded human with a plain red robe around him appeared and floated down towards the ground. He had long white hair, a luscious beard, and a well-groomed moustache. He was wearing sandals, a laurel crown, and a scabbard with a sword that had archaic markings on the blade.
"Rainbooms. I have awaited your arrival," the human said in a deep and gravelly voice. "My name is Ecoloris, and I am the guardian, spirit, and overseer of the Everfree Forest. This is my adopted daughter, Gloriosa. But of course, you already knew that."
"Everyone, this is daddy." Gloriosa gave him a hug.
Ecoloris merely chuckled. "Now, now, Glori. There's no need to hug me every time I make an appearance. I'll always be here to protect you, even when dark forces threaten our home."
"Alright. What the hell is going on here?!" Sour Sweet blurted out once she had adjusted to the situation.
"I have been watching Sunset Shimmer and her friends for the longest time now, Sour Sweet." Ecoloris turned to face her. "Of all of the humans I have encountered on this planet, never before have I seen six teenagers wield the Magic of Friendship in a world that isn't Equestria. I believe that this could very well be the beginning of a new golden age for our beloved forest, provided that we act quickly."
"Again, you're giving us more questions than answers." Sugarcoat turned around and walked towards the door. "I've tried to be patient with you all, but I'm afraid that it's not working out. I'm leaving."
"I would advise that for your safety, you don't." Ecoloris waved his hand upwards, causing a wall of vines to close the door. "The Treekillers have identified the Rainbooms as a threat, and you were with Gloriosa during the escape you all pulled. If they find you, they will kill you. That is the level of darkness I have identified from them all..."
"Hey! Let me out!" Sugarcoat punched the vines and tried to pull them apart, but to no avail.
"That is another reason why you will fall to the Treekillers if you leave, Sugarcoat. You lack knowledge, despite your high IQ. It is because this is only the second time you have witnessed magic that you fail to comprehend the forces at work here. A common thing among the other Shadowbolts, I'm quite sure."
"So tell us!" Indigo Zap threw her arms forward. "Just give us a straightforward answer to all our questions! What magic makes this forest so special? Why do the Treekillers want it torn down?"
"And more importantly, what's the Gatekey? And how can it open a portal to Equestria?" Sunset interrupted.
"The magic in the Everfree Forest is actually an ancient magic, that closely ties into the Everfree Forest that resides deep in Equestria," Ecoloris explained. "Apart from the portal at Twilight's castle connecting to Canterlot High School, the Everfree Forest is the only other link to Equestria, as deep underneath it, resides the Gate, which when connected with the Gatekey, can open up portals to many different worlds. Your world is merely one of them, Sunset Shimmer."
"And if this portal can take us to Equestria, then where's that world's portal in their forest?" Lemon Zest asked.
"I'm not sure. But I do know that it is much deeper into the forest than anyone's ever ventured. Even deeper than the former Castle of the Two Sisters that Twilight and her friends have visited multiple times before."
"Alright. Next question." Sugarcoat had calmed down and now rejoined the group. "Why do the Treekillers want the Everfree Forest torn down so badly?"
"Miasma is part of a secretive cult known as New World," Ecoloris shuddered upon saying the name, and all of a sudden, the air around everyone grew colder. "I do not know much about them, apart from the fact that everyone there has a massive hold on each of the principalities of life. Education, security, food, sports—you name it. But they are all consumed by darkness; they care about nothing more than their own gains, and discard anyone who gets in their way, or fails them."
"So what's this New World planning?" Applejack was the next to speak.
"Again, I do not know. However, I do know that Miasma is under strict orders from New Order's council that if she fails, she will be punished severely by the Grand Master. No-one know who they are, what they are, or even where they are. It's like they are talking to a ghost whenever they meet them."
"So we just gotta stop the Treekillers," said Rainbow Dash. "That way, Miasma'll get a big punishment, and we can go back to our vacation?"
"Yes. But to do this, you need the power of the Everfree." Gloriosa stepped forward and put her hand on the ground, causing a magical spiral to spread out across the ground. "There is a way to get to this power, but you must first complete the Trial of Hope."
"You must raise enough money to have the Everfree Forest overturn the bankruptcy papers that allow her to cut the forest down," Ecoloris said as a portal began to open where Gloriosa had put her hand down. "This will take you back to the camp. You must work fast and weaken Miasma. Get the people to support the forest, and get the Treekillers out."
"Go now, girls! I'll be waiting for you when you get back!" Gloriosa stepped backwards, allowing the portal she was opening to take form. A single hole that led right back to the tents where the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were sleeping.
"Let's go!" Sunset jumped straight into the portal, and the other girls followed closely behind.
"Ingrates! Because of you the Rainbooms got away with that girl!" Miasma scolded two employees who had been leading the Rainbooms to her office before. "Why didn't you try to fight back or warn me about these intrusions?"
"We were unaware that those meddlesome brats had more friends," the first guy shot back, showing more confidence than the other one. "I don't care what kind of punishment you have for me, I'm not going to sit idly by and let my work be squandered by—" but before he could finish, Miasma pointed the MP443 Grach at his head and opened fire, punching a massive hole in his skull, and causing him to tumble to the ground.
Miasma shot the other man in the head and pushed a button, causing a trapdoor to appear underneath both of the men, who silently plummeted into it and were immediately crushed to death by the trash compactor. Once she saw the bodies get squashed, she closed the trapdoor and went back to her work.
"Miasma!" The room went dark again, and New World's Grand Master appeared on the TV screen once again. "I heard that the Rainbooms had escaped your clutches. Is this true?"
"My apologies, Grand Master. It is true." She hung her head before she shook it and tried to explain. "But only because they had—"
"I don't want excuses from you, Miasma! I need results!" The Grand Master boomed, and projections of snakes appeared that began to strangle Miasma. They were just fake, but she truly did feel like her neck was being constricted. "Abacus Cinch disgraced our council with the Friendship Games, and should you fail, it will paint a bad image for New World! I. Will. Not. Tolerate. Failure! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
"Y-yes! Grand... Master!" Miasma struggled to speak through her choking noises. "Those... Rainbooms will... Be corpses... By the end of the week!"
"Good." The snakes vanished. "But fail me again, and those pythons will not let go so easily next time..."
"I promise that I will not fail you, Grand Master." Miasma bowed down as the screen vanished, and the room lit up again.
Miasma had time to catch her breath before she pushed down on an intercom button and yelled, "SVENGALLOP?! What's the progress on the Cerberus?!"
"It should be done before the deadline, Ms Miasma," he said through the speaker. "The workers we hired are working exceptionally quickly today, as they've got some kind of party to go to tonight."
"Good. I need it ready soon," she calmed down and took some deep breaths. "I'm advancing the plan to phase three: Full Frontal Assault. The Cerberus will be a great asset in cutting these meddlesome trees down for New World to do their work. But do not fail me, Sven. Because I've already been threatened with termination, and I'd hate for that very same threat to be posed onto you."
"Don't worry, Miasma. You're in good hands with me," Svengallop said before the speaker hung up.
The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts all landed on their feet back at the camp. A small shock went through their legs when they touched down, but it quickly subsided once they all stood up straight. Together, they dusted off all of the leaves, dirt, and twigs that they had collected with their arrival.
"Well, that's one way of getting around..." Sugarcoat looked up at the portal just as it closed.
"Tell me about it," Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest chimed together.
"Alright. Let's try and figure out the best way to fix this mess." Sunset and the rest of the girls were gathered around a table inside of the visitor centre. She took a piece of paper and jotted down a number. "As it stands, the forest is pretty much bankrupt and Miasma is already cutting it down as we speak. Overall, we've gotta raise one-hundred-and-twenty-five thousand dollars by the end of the week, or it's bye-bye Camp Everfree, the Everfree Forest, and Gloriosa's home."
"How are we going to raise that much money before Sunday?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure. All that I know is that we can't just stand by and let this happen." Sunset looked up from the paper for a brief moment before she turned it over and wrote down a list of ideas. "Now then. Music festival?" she smiled, but then remembered what happened before at CHS and shook her head. "No. Best not to think about that..."
"What about a sports contest?" Indigo asked before she got glared by the rest of the girls. "What?! It'll be fair and square this time! No magic! I promise!"
"We tried that too, and look how that ended..." Fluttershy gently rubbed her shoes on the wooden floor.
"Ooh! How about a lemonade stand! People ALWAYS buy lemonade on a hot day like this!" Pinkie waved her arm in the air to get the girls' attention.
"Too small. Add to the fact the people who want to drink that, where you'd even get the ingredients to make it, and considering the prices we'd need to charge, you'd be setting us up to fail before we even begin." Sugarcoat crossed her arms.
"Uggh! It seems like there's nothing we can do to stop this!" Sunset ferociously scribbled out the ideas that the girls had put forward and threw the paper away.
"Can't we just declare the place a historic landmark and have Miasma and her team back off for good?" Sunny Flare stood up and tipped her hand. "If we do and she still destroys the forest, she'll end up in prison, and we'll still have won, minus the forest we all loved as kids."
"No! We can't!" Indigo Zap slammed her fist on the table. "We're not about to lose Camp Everfree! Not after everything we've been through!" She stood up as well. "This forest has given us so many happy memories, and I'm not about to just call it quits and take the coward's way out!"
"What are you saying, Indigo?" Sour Sweet's eyes widened before her brows dropped. "Are you saying that we should take the fight to them? Because I'd sure like to get my hands on that woman and just..." She started to strangle thin air as she gritted her teeth.
"Calm down, Sour Sweet. You're going to give yourself cardiac arrest." Applejack walked up to her and masssaged her shoulders. "Now, what were you talkin' about, Indigo?"
"I'm saying that there's gotta be the perfect way to attract people to Camp Everfree and get them to donate to our cause, but we're just not seeing it yet because we're under stress." Indigo walked next to Sunset. "Maybe we should just calm down and think outside the box."
Sunset took a deep breath and turned towards Indigo. "Alright. What should we do?"
"We should do something that caters to everyone." Indigo took another sheet of paper from a children's colouring table nearby and wrote down some doodles of humans and the Everfree Forest. "We could have games, arts and crafts, quiet places, and many more. And the more we appeal to the masses, the more money we make, right?
"So, I've got this super-awesome idea that'll put all of the others to shame." Indigo turned the paper over and scribbled for a few minutes more. "Together, we get some specialists from the forest, we plan lots of activities, and make sure that every cent we make goes to saving the Everfree Forest. And we'll call it..." She wrote down the name of the event high above the finished picture. "The Super-Awesome-Save-Camp-Everfree-and-the-Forest Gala!"
"That's a great idea, Indigo, but I must say that the name is a bit of a handful." Rarity grinned at the finished picture. "Why not just simply call it the Crystal Gala. It's short, sweet, and with the word 'Crystal' in the title, you'll be sure to attract some great people to the camp!"
"Why'd you pick that name, Rares?" Indigo asked.
"Because you're a part of Crystal Prep of course. It should only be fair that the person who comes up with the idea gets some recognition for it." She smiled. "I myself would have picked the Rainboom Gala, but I fear that would have cut you and the other Shadowbolts out of the picture, and I do want this to be a team effort, after all."
"But if it's the Crystal Gala, doesn't that kind of cut you girls out?" Sour Sweet looked towards Rarity.
"It's alright. We're not in it for popularity or anything like that." Sunset reached over and patted Sour's shoulders. "We're just doing this because we love Camp Everfree, and we don't want to see it destroyed by that hag."
"Being charitable and not wanting any kind of profit?" Sugarcoat's voice was apprehensive, but that mood faded away as a smile crept onto her face. "I like that. Not many people act that way these days. They're usually in it for some kind of gain."
"Nah. We've already got everything we could ever want." Rainbow Dash huddled up with the rest of the Rainbooms. "We've got great memories, amazing ideas, and most important of all, we've got each other, and that's all that really matters."
"Do you think you could teach us how to be like that someday?" Lemon Zest took her headphones off.
"I think you've already learned from us, girls." Pinkie Pie slid up to her and wrapped her arm around Lemon's shoulders. "But if you ever need some pointers, just come to me, Dashie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, or Sunset, and we'll be happy to help."
"Thanks, everyone." Sunny Flare bowed briefly. "I know that together we can save Camp Everfree and stop Miasma and New World from tearing it down."
"Good. Now we've just gotta try and keep that spirit up, because as it stands, it's six o' clock now." Sunset looked over at the clock. "We've only got five days to save the camp and defeat Miasma." She pulled out her phone and turned on the countdown function. "Everyone, put in a hundred and twenty-six hours on your timers."
The other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts did so on their phones and everyone hit the big green buttons on the screens of each of theirs all at the same time. The clocks all began to countdown as the girls turned their devices off and put them back in their pockets.
"The game is on, and we're on a race against the clock." Sunset walked out through the doors. "We either save Camp Everfree, or we lose everything."
The shot's been fired The die is cast. We come in first place Or come in last.
Whatever happens to us now, we've gotta all take action now And save Camp Everfree once and for all!
Sunset began to sing as she stepped forward to the nearby gazebo. She climbed the steps in time to the lyrics of the song and looked out towards the forest at the end of the first lines.
The flag's been dropped The whistle blown. We save the trees Or they get mown.
As the men march on their way, we won't let them get away. Miss Miasma and her machines will start to fall!
When she came up the end of the first verse, the rest of the Rainbooms followed her as she stepped down from the gazebo and added their own voices to the song.
Everything we loved as kids, is starting to slip away. Together, we'll stand hand-in-hand, and drive those thugs away. The games that we played, the times that we shared, all of them rest in our hands. That's why as friends, we'll see this through to the end, and foil all of Miasma plans!
Rarity took the first half of the next lyrics while Rainbow Dash did the other half.
What seemed to start out so peaceful, soon turned into a scare. But the twelve of us will stand together, and take risks no-one would dare. As everything seems bleak and hopeless, when others start to fall. Together, we will face the weather, 'cause friendship conquers all!
Twilight and Indigo stepped forward and sang, with Twilight having the first half, and Indigo the second.
When everything goes down the drain, When all we see in our world is rain, As long as we stand side-by-side There's no need to fear at all.
The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts all sang together now, running towards the forest as they did so.
Even when the deck is fixed, Even if we fight swords with sticks, As long as we stand side-by-side Our Friendship will Save us All!
Miasma paced across her office. Her eyebrows lowered as she balled her hands into fists. She looked at the pictures of the Rainbooms on the desk and snarled, grabbing the pictures and crumpling them up into balls.
How can it be that those very twee, Would stand in the way of prosperity? Why do they fight, for what they believe is right, Even when what they're causing is a blight?
She sang before she threw each of the balls of paper into the nearby titanium bin. Each one was thrown in time with the music.
Those urksome little pests have faced so many tests, And yet none of their foes gave them their final rests. But when fighting against me, then soon they'll all see, That facing me is like facing a giant army!
She lit a match on fire and threw it into the bin, igniting the pictures instantly.
Those Rainbooms and their stupid friends, will see how wrong they were. When my machines tear through their dreams and roast those pitiful little curs! I'll rend their camp, destroy their games, and crush any will to resist. Let's see how those little menaces deal with a colossal fifty-ton fist!
She walked over to a punching bag that had been blotted out by the darkness and proceeded to punch and kick it as she sang her next lyrics.
The game is on, The prey dispersed. Are they the best? Or just the worst?
Could they really save the day, or did luck help them on the way? We'll find out when those chlidren face my bots.
The cards are dealt, the field is set. So let's find out Who wins this bet.
When the dust begins to settle, my many men and all their mettle Will be standing proud on top of all those tots!
With a final punch, she knocked the bag against the wall completely, where it toppled over slowly.
But I fear a storm is fast approaching... How much power does Miasma hold?
Twilight's voice became less confident as she sang.
For those miscreants and their encroaching, None of their stories will be told!
Miasma continued to wail on the knocked over balloon.
This forest will soon become a warzone, One where light and darkness will duke it out.
Gloriosa sang from the highest point on the Housetree out towards the rest of the forest.
But with the Rainbooms fighting to save it, I just wanna scream and shout!
And she leapt off back into the house and slid down a slide that led to another floor.
Those Rainbooms are such a wonderful bunch, Talking friendship and candy and fun. Why, I just wanna get their autographs Once this silly nonsense is done.
I should be worried about it, and truth be told, I am. But at the same, I feel great! Maybe there's something else about these girls, and it's something we can't contemplate,
As she sang, Gloriosa ran around the room, swinging on the ladders in her library. She eventually found a book and opened it up, flipping through the pages until she found pictures on the Fall Formal, Battle of the Bands, and Friendship Games. The images moved magically, showing how the Rainbooms won their battles.
They saved our world three times over now, And I wish I could've been there too. But with everything that's been going on in this forest, I've got much more important things to do.
I wish I could help them, but it's their own journey, And it's one I can't help them complete. But I do trust them all, and I know with their bond, That there's nothing that they can't defeat!
Gloriosa closed the book and slid it back into the shelf before she ran back up the stairs. She kept on climbing the branches until she got to the very top and belted out the last lines to the entire forest.
For all that we know, The fires will grow, And this forest will suffer the fight.
But as long as we pray, Every night and day, For the selfless heroes of the light.
The battle will be long, And another new song, Will be forged to record the struggle.
But with those girls together, To brave any weather, Then their Friendship will Conquer All!
"Alright. So we'll get some bands who love Camp Everfree to come and perform a big concert at night." Sunset Shimmer wrote down what she and her friends needed for the gala that woukd save the forest. "As for the day activities, we'll need to be flexible if we're going to have yoga, floristry, arts & crafts, races, and a camp barbecue all at once."
"It's quite a big list of things to prepare for, Sunset." Sugarcoat walked over to her and examined the list. "You first need to construct the stage for the bands to perform on, then get all of the resources for the other events from some places outside the camp. A barbecue might be the most far-fetched if none of the camp staff happen to have a grill just laying around."
"I know it's a lot, but that's not gonna stop me and the other Rainbooms from going through with it all," said Sunset. "We've handled impossible odds before, haven't we?"
"Yeah. And every time, we've always come out on top." Rainbow Dash ran up to them and flexed her fingers.
"You girls seem to be forgetting about Miasma and her men." Sunny Flare approached the group. "She's armed, has a no-nonsense work force, and a plethora of machines designed to cut, burn, and destroy the forest at any given moment."
"We've faced two demons and three sirens in the past, Sunny Flare. I highly doubt that a line of logging machines scares us." Rarity but her hands to her hips. "Why, if anything, Miasma should be scared of us."
"Yeah! And don't forget that we've got Glori working on those nasty Treekillers!" Lemon Zest chimed in. "If those meanies try to stop the party, Glori'll shut them down faster than you can say 'it's time to drop the bass'!"
"Still, this whole magic thing still confuses me." Sugarcoat put her hand on her forehead and sighed. "I thought I was at a loss for words back at the Friendship Games, but now this talk of portals to other worlds, the lifeblood of the forest, and the whole Power of the Everfree that Ecoloris mentioned, I feel like I'll never be able to fully understand magic..."
"But that's not necessarily a bad thing now, is it, Sugarcoat?" Twilight held her hand and looked her in the eye.
"What are you saying, Twilight?" Sugarcoat's eyes went wide. "You yourself wanted to learn all about it back at the Games—albeit with some slight pushing from Cinch and the rest of us. So why would you want to turn your back to all this groundbreaking knowledge?"
"Magic is a powerful force indeed, one definitely worth examining to see how it works." She picked up some dirt and walked over to the stream with Sugarcoat and Sunset just behind her. "But if you engross yourself too much into it, then it can change you on a massive scale. For me and Sunset, we became monsters, wracked with power and greed. And if we'd had gone on for too long, we would've been destroyed entirely by it." She put her hand into the water, watching the dirt crumble in her hands and drift away in tiny little specks. "It's definitely worth the scientific research, but I'm not ready to put more lives on the line just because I want to learn about something that could destroy us all."
"I understand, Twilight." Sunset walked up to her and gently patted her on the shoulders. "I was a bit hesitant about using magic myself at the Friendship Games too. But after everything that happened, I knew that I had no choice but to fight fire with fire when you became that monster."
"But that was entirely different!" Twilight threw her right arm out." You saved both CHS and CPA from my actions when you used the magic. I just used it because the Crystal Prep students were jealous of what you and your friends could do, and that they wanted to make sure that they won the Friendship Games."
"I know. But at the same time, confrontation isn't always the best way to solve a dispute." Sunset looked back at the rest of her friends. "You probably don't know about this, but when three sirens came to our school, they put everyone under their spell. Whenever anyone got angry or into a little squabble, their negative aura would feed the three girls more power, so that their songs got stronger and stronger." She sighed. " My friends eventually caved in and were at each others' throats, and the sirens themselves were able to use our own power against us, all because my friends ended up fighting over tiny and insignificant little details.
"I'm sure that if we could have negotiated something with Principal Cinch and the students of your school, we could have avoided that little accident." Sunset looked up into the sky. "There will always be enemies out there, but if we just decide to give them a fight, then we'll be no better than they are. Sometimes, one little talk can end fights faster than the swing of a sword."
"How do you know this?" Sour Sweet raised her left eyebrow before they both fell together. "Did you play some sappy RPG on the PC?"
"No. I learned it back at the Friendship Games." Sunset turned to face Sour. "Violence only leads to more violence. Unless we can calm the aggressors down before they even begin, then there'll be no stopping a fight. And more often than not, they can get very ugly, very quick..."
"Why do you wish to talk to find a better way to your solutions?" Sugarcoat crossed her arms. "Miasma has made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want to talk, and would much rather put bullet holes into all of you. Doesn't that make you want to respond to her threats in kind?"
"Yes, we've tried to talk to Miasma. Yes, it did get out of hand. And I totally agree that we should face Miasma's threats head-on with the way she treated us." Sunset looked back down at the rushing flow of water and sighed. "But at the same time, I just feel like that's only just the start of something much worse..."
"Yeah. Them there New World fellas ain't gonna be happy to know that twelve teenage girls wrecked their operation and embarrased Miasma." Applejack leaned against a nearby tree. "They could retaliate against us pretty bad..."
"I know the stakes, but we don't have a choice. These people have threatened our world, our forest, and our summer vacation." Sunset Shimmer stepped forward and balled her hand into a fist. "Miss Miasma and her men have declared us a threat to their plans, and even attemped to murder us all. Diplomacy between us and those monsters has failed, so it's time to take action and put this logging company out of business for good."
"What about the Trial of Hope? Gloriosa and Ecoloris are counting on us to complete it and unlock the Power of the Everfree!" Fluttershy tapped Sunset's shoulders.
"Girls?" Gloriosa's voice echoed among the treetops.
"Glori?" Pinkie called back.
"I know what you're about to face, and let me say, you're brave. You're the bravest, smartest, most awesome-est, and most capable girls for the job," Gloriosa said. "However, there are forces at work that you would not believe."
"What do you mean?" Sunset asked. "We've beaten the Dazzlings and defeated that monster from the Games! What could possibly be in this forest that we wouldn't believe at this point?"
"If you go out at night tonight, there is another keeper of the forest that dwells here." Gloriosa leapt from tree to tree. "Watch her. See how she dispatches the Treekillers, but don't get seen by her. She's not been one to trust humans as much as I do. But if you meet her, and she allows you to live, then come and find me again." She went into the deeper parts of the forest. "Oh! And don't forget about the trial!"
"Why does she keep saturating us with questions?!" Sugarcoat growled. "I'm beginning to think that this Gloriosa has some malicious intentions of her own that she's not willing to share..."
"Either way, she's been right before." Sunset looked back at her. "And besides, we only now know about the Gatekey, the Trials, and the Power of the Everfree. If there's anyone who could answer these questions, it's this other girl. We should go see her tonight..."
"I dunno, Sunset." Pinkie's eyes darted around. "This is exactly like one of those horror films where the group all go out unprotected in the middle of the night to solve the mystery, only to find that they're being targeted by the very thing that they're trying to find, and in the end there's this big chase scene where some of the heroes don't even live to tell the tale while only a few—" Her mouth was suddenly plugged by Rainbow Dash's.
"Yeah. And besides, we've REALLY gotta try to save Camp Everfree more." She tipped her other hand. "There's no need to keep chasing fairytales just because of the Treekillers and Gloriosa."
"Yes. Save the chit-chat for later. We've got work to do!" Sunny Flare walked back to the visitor centre. "We still need to find specialists to run each of the activities and get the bands to perform at the gig at the gala, so let's be sure to take care of those A.S.A.P."
"Alright." Sunset followed Sunny. "I've just been a little tired. That's all."
Late at night, a single truck carrying resources rumbled across the barren path through the forest. The leaves and branches batted against the container and the cover on top as it moved through them.
There were two men sitting inside the truck, listening to pop music and drinking coffee. They were too focused on their job to smile at the song or to acknowledge the taste of their drinks. Instead, their eyes were fixated on the road ahead, and they turned the headlights brighter so that they could see further into the woods.
Suddenly, a nearby radio buzzed into life and a voice could be heard coming through the speakers, "This is Zulu 9 to Epsilon 6! Zulu 9 to Epsilon 6! Do you read me?"
"We read you loud and clear, Zulu 9." One of the drivers pushed a button and spoke through the speaker back to the person on the other end. "This had better be good, though. We're almost done with our delivery."
"It's an emergency! Inferno Squad has been completely wiped out!" His voice got louder and higher in pitch.
"WHAT?!" Both of the drivers chorused.
"They were just tearing down the trees when all of a sudden, some thing ambushed us!" he said. "I'm the last survivor, but every other member of the team's had their loggers destroyed, and they were crumpled up like paper balls in that monster's magical power!"
"Calm down, Zulu 9. Gloriosa is just a simple human. We'll deal with her soon enough," The second driver said.
"It wasn't Gloriosa! It's some kind of tree-human-monster hybrid!" Zulu 9's voice got more and more frantic.
"Say again, Zulu 9? What kind of tree-human-monster hybrid?"
"It's like a human made out of trees! I don't exactly know what it is, but she referred to herself as Gaia Everfree!" Zulu 9's voice was at the peak of fear as a feminine roar could faintly be heard on his radio. "Oh no! No no no no no no no! REQUESTING IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE, I REPEAT, REQUESTING IMMEDIA—" The radio fizzled and died, severing the connection between the two of them.
"Zulu 9! Come in Zulu 9! Respond, dammit!" The first driver banged on the radio with his fist. He groaned and made his own communication. "Miasma, this is Epsilon 6. I just got a distress call from Zulu 9. We have reports of a tree-human-monster prowling the woods called Gaia Everfree," he said. "If you or any other of the work force find it, get the flamethrower team on it immediately."
"Copy that, Epsilon 6," Miasma's voice came through the speaker now. "Continue your delivery, then suit yourself up and find this monster. Burn it to the ground with everything you have."
"Understood. Over and out!" The second driver turned the radio off.
"Oh, shit!" The first driver noticed the monster that Zulu 9 had described earlier right in their way. As they watched her roar and glare at them, he swerved off the path and through a thicker patch of trees.
"Punch it!" The second driver shouted as he looked in the wing mirror. The monster was chasing them, and slowly catching up.
"Allak, deimura, kalliuma! You meddlesome creatures have plagued my forest for long enough!" The monster's voice was very gravelly, much like a cartoon witch's voice would be. "You Miasma Deforestation Company animals have destroyed many of my children, so I shall take my revenge on all of you right now!"
The being raised her arms, causing a row of trees to appear two feet in front of the truck. She watched it crash against the wall hard and spilled the contents of the container everywhere. Tree stumps, large logs, and a pile of leaves all dispersed, causing the figure to let out another roar as she threw her arms out and clasped her two hands together.
A bunch more trees completely surrounded the vehicle and formed a small dome from which nothing could get in or out. The figure crushed her hands against each other, causing the tree dome to get smaller and smaller, in an attempt to flatten the vehicle and the men inside.
"This is the last day you and your filthy kind try to intervene in the restoration of the Everfree Forest!" The monster continued her motion, watching the men scream as the trees closed in on them. "I am the embodiment of the earth itself! I am the saviour and lifegiver of all trees in this forest! I am Gaia Everfree!" She screamed. "And I will not have my life's work be torn doen by you brutes! Instead, I shall crush you and your followers into dust, and watch you all cry out for mercy as I end your feeble existences!"
Gaia Everfre caused the dome to shrink so much, that the metal of the vehiche completely flattened under the immense pressure. She heard slight muffled screams coming from inside the dome, but merely shrugged it off as the men were both eventually squashed, and she could hear their bones crunch, and their flat bodies squish.
"Booramak! Saliken!" Gloriosa called to Gaia as she finished her work and caused the wall and dome of trees to vanish with a simple wave of her hand.
"Ahh... Gloriosa." Gaia's previous anger had now been warped into a simple, loving smile. "Nice to see you again! You've grown a tiny bit since the last time we met."
"It's good to see you too, Gaia." Gloriosa leaped down into her arms, and she held her like she was a baby. "So, where are you going? Off to destroy more Treekiller stuff? I'd like to come with you..."
"I know you would, Gloriosa, but it's late out now." Gaia pointed up to the trees, causing the leaves to shift by and reveal the moon. "You should get to bed. Your daddy would be upset if you didn't."
"Aww, daddy knows that I sneak out any night anyway." Gloriosa put her hands behind her head.
"Even so, you're still a human girl. And all human girls, from babies to old women need their bedtime. Come. I'll take you home." She slowly flew back and took Gloriosa to the Housetree.
As Twilight Sparkle slept in her sleeping back in the tent, she was tossing and turning erratically, throwing the covers everywhere as she did so. The experiences that she had had with magic back at the Friendship Games had been plaguing her with nightmares, and she constantly had horrific visions of her hurting her friends as Midnight.
With a yelp, Twilight woke up and sat in her bed, breathing heavily as she realized she was back with her friends.
"Twilight? What's wrong?" Lemon Zest had been shaken from her slumber by Twilight's awakening. She briefly looked up at her and gently picked up one of the corners of her bedsheets, slightly exposing her pink pajamas underneath.
"Did one of our spooky stories tonight give you nightmares?" Pinkie Pie climbed out of her sleeping bag and walked over to Twilight. "Which one was it? The Grabby Gremlins? The Barrashoeda? The Unholy Tale of Sally the Sasquatch?"
"No, Pinkie. It's not one of the spooky stories." Twilight reached out for her glasses which she had laid on the bedside table next to her. As she put them on, she said, "I'm just having nightmares of what happened in the past, that's all."
"You mean the Friendship Games?" Sour Sweet was awake now too. "Yeah, I know how you feel. That was a tough time for us all."
"This isn't about us all threatening her that's causing her that grief." Sugarcoat got out of her bed and walked over to Twilight, gently patting her on the shoulders. "If I had to hazard a guess, Twilight Sparkle is suffering from delusions of becoming that monster that appeared back at the Friendship Games. You know? The one with those raven-feather wings, glowing mask, and sharp horn?" She looked Twilight in the eyes. "I can't apologize enough for happened back there, Twilight. We were still just pawns in Cinch's little game, and we never intended to make you into that thing, let alone have you nearly destroy us all."
"It's alright, Sugarcoat." Twilight gently returned the favour by holding Sugarcoat's free hand. "I think everyone at Crystal Prep were blinded to the truth back at the Games. And if it hadn't been for me and Sunset, You would never have seen the light of the situation."
"Thank you, Twilight. And I understand how scary nightmares can be." Sugarcoat gave her a warm smile. "When I was in kindergarten, I often had nightmares about the snake collection my father used to own. I couldn't sleep well for a few months until they finally died of old age."
"Didn't your mommy hold your hand each night, Sugarcoat?" Indigo lightly jabbed Sugarcoat in the back with her elbow.
"And didn't you say you never went near kids' shows anymore?" Sugarcoat raised a brow at Indigo.
"I can't help it! Some of those new kids' shows are just weird beyond belief. Almost where it's kinda scary, y'know?" Indigo shot back.
Sugarcoat rolled her eyes and looked back at Twilight. "Just try going back to sleep and dreaming about something other than magic. Like maybe science, or Spike, or even the Rainbooms?"
"And if it gets too bad, you just let us know, and we'll be right here for you, okay?" Pinkie Pie gave Twilight a brief hug before going back over to her sleeping bag.
"Y-Yeah... Thanks, everyone..." Twilight struggled to find confidence as she watched everyone go back to sleep before she did. Taking off her glasses, she pulled the covers over herself and curled up on her side, wandering off into the realm of dreams once again.
In Twilight's dream, she found herself in a spectral plane of existence with many different colours of the rainbow making up the background. There was no ground or sky, and nothing else that she could make out with how widespread the world was. The only thing that did exist were the echoes of wind and water droplets reverbating across the cosmos.
"Hello?" Twilight called out before she took a few steps forward, hoping to find something.
Then, all of a sudden, the Rainbooms materialized in the dimension along with the Shadowbolts. All of them had smiles on their faces and held their hands as they looked out towards something to Twilight's right.
"What is that?" Twilight looked out and saw a star, shining its' bright light radiantly on the girls. For that brief instance, Twilight felt happy, and she was compelled to walk towards the star to find out just what it was. She got close to the star, and she gently tapped on it with her finger.
The star immediately went black on Twilight's touch, and she was immediately pulled into it, letting out a sudden yelp that faded away into nothingness as she now found herself falling through a vortex of dark energy, with nightmarish images of what she feared when she was a kid, to her traumatic experiences at the Friendship Games. Each and every picture made Twilight look away and cover her eyes. She didn't want to see any of it.
"Such a powerful force, wouldn't you agree?" Midnight's voice echoed in the darkness as Twilight was blitzed with more images. "Doesn't it make you want to stand up and fight?"
"No! I'm not the same as I was before!" Twilight cried out, still shielding her eyes from the imagery that she was being plauged with.
"The world is fractured anyway, so what's the point in even fighting for it?" Midnight's laugh rang in Twilight's ears, but she couldn't see her anywhere. "Besides, this whole Power of the Everfree nonsense is nothing more than a myth; a silly little ghost story that Gloriosa told you in the hopes that she could invigorate you."
"Sh-Shut up! You're nothing more than a nightmare!" Twilight finally took her hands away from her eyes and balled them up into fists as she looked around for Midnight. "And we all know what happens to nightmares. They get beaten! We forget about them!"
"And yet you can't take back the actions you've done in the past," said Midnight. "It wasn't Abacus Cinch who wanted to destroy all of humanity as we know it. It was all your fault, and it'll always be your fault!" Finally, with a burst of light, she appeared and shattered all of the images with a single wave of her claws. "But don't take my word for it. Instead, let it be the words of your friends..."
Twilight watched Midnight stand aside to reveal the Shadowbolts and Rainbooms. Despite them having the same smiles as they did before, Twilight knew that this wasn't a happy sight. She reached out to try and talk to them, but as she did, her palms fired out a torrent of energy that vaporized the eleven teens entirely. Her eyes went wide as she watched what had happened, and as she stumbled backwards, she fell onto her butt and crawled back as Midnight walked towards her.
"Don't let what you did be a horror, though." Midnight coyly flexed her fingers as she approached Twilight like a carnivore closing in on its' prey. "Instead, let this be the start of a new you. A Twilight Sparkle built to destroy; a Twilight Sparkle built to conquer! Let me take over, and I'll make all of your fears go away."
"No... No!" Twilight desperately tried to get back, but Midnight unfurled her wings and charged in on the poor and defenceless girl. She watched the demon raise her claw high and slash down on her face with breakneck speed.
"NOOOOOOO!" Twilight was woken up so hard that she tumbled out of bed, the covers falling all around her.
Twilight's scream was so loud that all of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts had been woken up and were looking out to see what all the noise was about.
"I'm so sorry, girls." Twilight scrambled out of the covers and got up to her feet. "Those nightmares about that monster are even more extreme than I thought..."
"I know, Twilight." Sunset Shimmer came over to Twilight's bed and helped her up, wrapping her arm around Twilight's shoulder as she did so. "When I became that demon and put on that crown, I had nightmares of my actions too. I was too caught up in the moment, and I could've really hurt some of the students back then. I must've been the same way you are now.
"And I also know that these things do take time to beat." Sunset gently pulled Twilight into a hug and patted her on the back. "To face your fears, and that monster back at the Games, you just have to face them head-on, stand up tall, and stare them down. Prove that you won't be fazed by what they may be able to do to you, and prove to them that you're much stronger than you were before, and you will be able to overcome them."
"Yeah! And think about this. Midnight's not in the real-world anymore, so there's nothing to be scared about when you're awake." Pinkie Pie gave Twilight an innocent smile.
"Nazareth larenyk, donquadraxok!" Gaia Everfree's voice was muffled, but everyone in the tent could hear it crystal clear. "Die, you filthy Treekillers!" She let out a roar that was much louder, followed by a series of gunshots, and the near inaudible voices of men screaming for their lives.
The noise was so loud that all of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts huddled up together and shook at the knees. They had never heard anything like it in their lives, and the language that Gaia spoke in was of nothing they'd ever heard before.
"What the hell was that?!" Sour Sweet demanded as the noise began to subside.
"Gloriosa mentioned something about another defender of the forest that would be coming out tonight." Sugarcoat pushed up her glasses and stepped towards the tent's exit. "I think that is the defender she meant."
"We can't go out this late at night!" Fluttershy whispered loudly. "It's too dangerous!"
"Fluttershy. We were all held at gunpoint by Miasma yesterday," said Rarity. "There's nothing else in the forest that's possibly more dangerous than that heathen. Is there?"
"Only one way to find out." Rainbow Dash reached into her backpack and pulled out a flashlight before she and Indigo Zap joined Sugarcoat at the exit. "C'mon. We're getting to the bottom of this little mystery."
"Girls, wait! We don't know what we could be getting ourselves into." Sunny Flare raised her hand as Rainbow, Indigo, and Sugarcoat turned towards the outside world. "This could be some sort of elaborate ploy by Miasma to hunt you down. She already pointed a gun in your face, who knows what diabolical schemes she could be planning to get you?"
"Well, we're not gonna get any answers from just standing around here, are we?" Sugarcoat crossed her arms as she glared at Sunny Flare. "I don't know about you, but I'm just sick and tired of getting all of these riddles and questions from Gloriosa without getting some answers or clues. Regardless of what you think, I'm going." She stomped out of the tent, with Rainbow and Indigo close behind her.
"We'd better follow them, just in case they get into trouble." Twilight took her glasses and went after the three girls.
"Twilight, wait! You don't know what's out there!" Sunset ran out after Twilight.
"Yeah! Remember that Sally the Sasquatch comes out at night to prey on innocent campers!" Pinkie Pie now left the tent as well.
"Please! We have to stay... here..." Sunny Flare's words didn't stop the rest of the girls from going out to follow the rest of the girls. "Fine! Whatever! Let's go out and potentially die!" She threw the sheets away, put on a coat, and went out with the rest of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts.
The forest was much darker than the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were expecting, and without Rainbow and Indigo's flashlights, they would have been well and truly lost. The moon's light had been completely cut off due to the thick tree tops, but the noise of gunfire and screams still echoed throughout.
"Enrelka, zimretpra!" Gaia roared, causing more screams to follow. They were extremely loud.
"Did you hear that?" Rainbow Dash noticed how loud the noise was and pointed her flashlight in the direction of the sound. She bent her knees and sneaked over towards a hollow where some faint light was leaking out. "Follow me. But stay quiet, 'kay?"
"This is a trap. This is a trap. This is a trap. This is a trap..." Sunny Flare whispered under her breath and crossed her fingers as the group all followed Rainbow Dash towards the noise.
Eventually, the noise was the loudest it could be, and the girls peaked through a pair of trees towards a nearby clearing. On one side of the forest were a small army of Miasma's men, and on the other side was Gaia Everfree The men were holding AK-47 assault rifles and were firing shot after shot at the creature, who threw out her arms to magically generate a wall of trees that shielded her from the metal bullets.
"Lrizel!" Gaia pushed forward against her shield, sending the trees out of their roots and right towards a large fraction of the army. She managed to flatten a good portion of the soldiers with her attack, with the others just barely getting out of the way in time. "How many more of you must die before this forest knows peace again?!"
Gaia Everfree reached both of her arms into the air and dug them into the ground, sending out green veins of magic across the grass and dirt towards the rest of the men. Her eyes went red, and with one more roar, she clapped her hands together, creating a massive trench that engulfed all of the men from Miasma De-forestation Co. She smashed her arms together, and the trench then closed up immediately, crushing the men like pancakes and leaving no trace of them left. There weren't even any corpses or blood. It was like they had vanished off of the face of the earth.
"What the fuck..." Sugarcoat's jaw dropped as she and the rest of the group watched the whole display. "Who, or what is that thing?!" She whispered so as not to be given away.
"Okay... Now that we've seen the big, scary monster. Let's just all get back to the camp." Sunny Flare stood up and slowly started to walk backwards. "We've all had our fair share of night terrors, so let's just climb back into our beds and forget that any of this ever happe—"She stepped on a twig, creating a loud snapping noise.
Gaia heard the noise and snapped her head round towards where the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were. She slowly hovered towards the gap and draped her hands across the trees, poking her head through. However, she saw nothing. Sunny Flare and the rest of the girls had gone into hiding behind the trees.
"You think you can hide from me?" Gaia's eyes glowed green, and suddenly, her vision changed to show the heat signatures of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. Coyly smiling and cracking her knuckles, she said, "Peekaboo, little worms..."
"Run." Was all that Sunset could say before the girls ran off into the darkness of the night, with Gaia chasing after them.
Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, the Rainbooms, and the Shadowbolts ran through the forest, nimbly stepping over roots and leaping over streams and plants to escape from Gaia Everfree, who was mercilessly pursuing them with her eyes glowing red.
"Lirozka amala!" Gaia swung her arms to each side, sending waves of roots out frmo the ground to cause little hurdles to try and trip the girls up. She often created them right at the girls' feet to get them right when they least expected it.
"What is this thing, and why does she want us dead?!" Sugarcoat asked as she evaded the roots being spawned by Gaia.
"Don't know! Just keep running!" Sunset Shimmer shouted as she evaded a ball of green energy launched by the being. "She can't chase us forever!"
"Stop running, Treekillers!" Gaia Everfree yelled out as she weaved green streams of energy in between her fingers and launched them at the trees, causing the branches to extend and swing back and forth to try and swat the girls back. "You're only going to make it worse for yourselves!"
"She thinks we're Treekillers?" Twilight Sparkle slid underneath the slapping branches and ran deeper with the other girls. "Why? What makes her think we're with Miasma?!"
"Well, whatever the case, she's trying to kill us, so we should try and get away before we ask any more questions!" Rainbow Dash jumped over a stream but saw that it suddenly got wider. The splash flustered her, and her pace dropped. "Don't let her get you!"
"Ya think?!" Sour Sweet gnashed her teeth as she somersaulted over a tree trunk and ran over more tree roots.
"Congreidlaren!" Gaia swirled the energy around her hands, which were now balled up into knuckles. She shot the energy forward, sending a pulse across the ground that acted like a miniature earthquake. "If you wish to destroy the Everfree Forest, then you shall know its' power first!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Applejack tried her best to run properly, but the force of the earthquake was throwing her rhythm off as she constantly had to balance herself on the shaking ground. Because of this, Gaia was getting closer and closer to her. "Look out, girls! She's got a whole bunch of tricks up her sleeves!"
"Kraidraven!" Gaia hugged herself, causing the grass itself to grow higher and higher, until the girls had no idea where they were going. Gaia wanted to make the girls run into the trees, so that she could swoop down on them and destroy them with all of her power.
"Whoa! What is this?!" Lemon Zest started pushing the grass aside as she continued to run from Gaia. "Why can't we see anything ahead?"
"This thing must have powers that not even we know about..." Sunset Shimmer scratched her chin as she barrelled through the grassy maze. It was then that she ran right into a tree and stopped dead in her tracks.
"Hah! Gotcha!" Gaia heard Sunset crashing, and she dropped into where it had happened. She pinned Sunset to the tree and glared at her with fire in her eyes. "Who are you? And what foul witch sent you to destroy my world?!"
"I could say the same for you!" Sunset poked Gaia in the chest. "Thinking that we're Treekillers? We're not associated with those freaks! We'd never want to destroy the Everfree Forest like they do!"
"Then why in Ecoloris's name were you just watching me kill them, waiting to ambush me like some kind of forest predator?!" Gaia made a claw out of her right arm. "Naughty little brats like you should learn to keep your heads out of business that's not yours to comprehend!"
Well, I guess this is it... Sunset thought as she closed her eyes and braced for Gaia Everfree to deal the finishing blow. I'm so sorry, girls. I didn't mean for it to end like this!
"Sundra! Graem bordra denblarik!" Gloriosa shouted from the treetops, causing both Gaia and Sunsets to turn their heads towards the nosie.
"Gloriosa?" Gaia understood what Gloriosa was saying perfectly, and she hesitated in unleashing her power on Sunset.
Gloriosa leapt across the treetops and landed nimbly beside Sunset Shimmer, causing the grass to shrink back down to its' normal height, revealing the other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts, who were now running to the sight of Gaia and Sunset.
"Gaia. These are not the enemies that you wish to fight," Gloriosa pleaded to the tree being and watched her red eyes turn a shade of blue.
"Whatever do you mean, Gloriosa?" Gaia put a finger to her chin as she watched Sunset Shimmer rejoin the rest of the group. "They were watching me destroy the other Treekillers, just waiting to ambush me like some kind of territorial dogs!"
"Ecoloris and I have examined these girls to be the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts of Canterlot High and Crystal Prep." Gloriosa stepped next to Sunset. "This is the one. This is the Sunset Shimmer that daddy prophesized would save the forest from the Treekillers."
"Rainbooms? Shadowbolts?" Gaia tilted her head to the side and eyed up all of the girls. "They are nothing but mere toddlers! How can they possibly defeat demons such as the Treekillers?"
"We've dealt with magical stuff in the past." Applejack put her hands to her hip. "Sunset Shimmer became some kinda monster herself at the Fall Formal, then the Dazzlings showed up for the Battle of the Bands, and then the whole nonsense with the Friendship Games happened where Twilight got consumed with magic and went evil."
"The trials..." Gaia then stumbled back when she realized what Applejack was talking about. "The very trials that Ecoloris said were a sign that the chosen ones would rise to save our world..."
"Yeah, Gaia. These are the girls that daddy was talking about." Gloriosa walked up to her and gently stroked her face. "You just got them mixed up for more of Miasma's men. And that's not their fault. They were just curious about what was going on here."
"Forgive me." Gaia floated towards the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts and kneeled before them all. "My name is Gaia Everfree. I am a spirit that has roamed the Everfree Forest ever since Ecoloris arrived. I am a natural being made up of an amalgam of different bits of foliage, have all of the powers of nature at my disposal including animal and plant control, and you, my dear girls, look absolutely beautiful." Her eyes now shone a verdant green colour as she cast the girls a smile.
"Well, thank you." Twilight stepped forward and showed off her friends. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, this is Sunset Shimmer, and these our the rest of our friends." She took a deep breath and pointed to each of the other girls. "Rainbow Dash, Indigo Zap, Pinkie Pie, Lemon Zest, Applejack, Sugarcoat, Rarity, Sunny Flare, Fluttershy, and Sour Sweet."
The other girls simply waved to greet Gaia.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all, girls." Gaia stood back up. "And you could not have come at a better time. The Treekillers are pushing their advance at a steady pace, and despite my great power, I fear that even I will exceed my limits in trying to stop them."
"With powers like earthquakes, grass mazes, root hurdles, and all sorts of other nature powers, I'd say you've got nothing to worry about." Rainbow slid forward and wrapped her arm around Gaia's shoulders, accidentally stinging herself on Gaia's leafy body. "Ouch! Are those stinging nettles?"
"Yes. A handy tool for preventing the Treekillers from getting close to me, but useless against their fire-breathing tools of destruction." Gaia glowed a bright shade of orange and transformed the leaves into a different kind. "Perhaps you'd prefer normal tree leaves. Or, I could change them into tea leaves, bush leaves, palm tree leaves, maple leaves, whatever floats your boat, really."
"I have so many questions about you, Gaia." Sunset watched Gaia use her magic effortlessly.
"I know you do. But here is not the place for talking." Gaia wrapped her own arm around the girls. "Follow me. There is much to discuss."
"So, what do you think of my friend, girls?" Gloriosa asked as they all began to walk deeper into the forest. "Told you she does things differently to me."
"Yeah. You weren't kidding around, Glori." Pinkie Pie smiled at Gloriosa. "She's kookier than you, and you were pretty kooky."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Gloriosa looked straight on as the girls disappeared into the darker areas along with Gaia.
"So, you were created by Ecoloris to defend the Everfree Forest, correct?" Sugarcoat and the others had been walking for a mile, and she still had so many answers she needed to know.
"Yes. Ecoloris was a powerful and wise being, but even in his old age, despite his magnificent strength and otherworldly magic, he is unfit to fight the Treekillers with how they just keep coming back with bigger and badder machines." Gaia flexed the fingers on her right hand. "So, to account for this little problem, he created me, a sentient amalgamation of the Everfree Forest to stand guard, as a representation of the forest's majesty and strength."
"With the power to create earthquakes, cause tree roots to appear out of nowhere, and make grass grow to incredible sizes, he must've put a lot of energy into creating you." Sunset Shimmer looked at Gaia's body.
"He did. And it was so much that it almost destroyed him as a whole." Gaia looked on into another vast stretch of trees and shadows. "He managed to hold on, though, and I have been serving him and the forest ever since, standing guard, protecting, healing, and defending the Everfree Forest from the dark forces that wish to tear it down, or use it for their own heinous purposes."
"So, you know about us?" Lemon Zest shot a wide grin at Gaia.
"Yes. I know about the Rainbooms. Broken to begin with, divided by greed, and then inspired by the holy angel known as Sunset Shimmer, they are the forest's last hope against this monstrous witch Miasma." Gaia nodded. "I also know about you, Shadowbolts. Despite the rather unfitting title that Abacus Cinch slapped onto you, you are destined to play a much greater role in the lives of the chosen ones than you know."
"Huh? Like what?" Sunny Flare shrugged.
"Just like the Rainbooms, you girls embody the six elements of the Magic of Friendship." Gaia Everfree waved her hand, showing the Cutie Marks of the Rainbooms and the Shadowbolts. "Honestly, Loyalty, Kindness, Generousity, Laughter, and Magic. There is light, and there is darkness to these six elements." She waved again, causing dark shadows to hang below the Rainbooms' marks and fall over the Shadowbolts' marks. "Divided, the light and darkness has different traits. But, combined, and the Magic of Friendship reveals its' TRUE power. A be-all and end-all to any conflict plaguing the world."
"So, what does this mean for us, exactly?" Indigo Zap raised a brow at the question.
"If both light and darkness can work in harmony to maintain peace, then the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts can work together to defeat evil." Gaia made the marks disappear. "In a more dumbed-down version of it, you six girls will fall under the Rainbooms' training to maximise your potentials with the six Elements of Harmony. You will be the apprentices, and Sunset Shimmer and her friends from Canterlot High will be your teachers."
"What?!" Everyone called out together, including Gloriosa.
"I cannot explain any further. However, I can do this..." Gaia Everfree flew ahead of the girls and lit up one of the tips of her fingers, tracing a massive circle of blue light. With a thrust of both of her hands, she turned the circle into a blue portal. "This will get you all back to your camp safe and sound. Use it, and complete the Trial of Hope. Only then will I find you again, to reveal to you the Power of the Everfree that shall save our world."
"The Trial of Hope." Sunset Shimmer nodded as she approached the portal. "Raise enough money to save the Everfree Forest from Miasma's bankruptcy documents."
"Exactly. You may use any means necessary to rake in the money, just as long as you have it and use it to overthrow Miasma's plans and get people to stand up against her." Gaia Everfree nodded again. "If you have lots of supporters fighting to save the Everfree Forest, as well as the wealth to overturn her fees, then you will safeguard the forest from her vile ways, and she will be restricted in her options."
"Then, we drive the beast out of our world for good, thereby saving the forest, all of its' remaining trees, wildlife, and animals, and effectively rendering New World's plot slowed down!" Gloriosa threw her arms into the air with glee. "It'll be great!"
"Yes, Glori. It will." Gaia gave Gloriosa a small hug before she looked at the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts again. "Go now, before it's too late. You'll need all the time you can get to safe the Everfree Forest."
The Shadowbolts and Rainbooms all looked at each other and nodded themselves before they formed a line and hurled themselves through the portal all at once. As they did, the portal closed behind them.
"The question is, though, are you sure that they can finish it?" Gloriosa asked Gaia once the portal disappeared. "There are only four days left until Gloriosa bulldozes the forest, and they've only just started their plans."
"Don't worry about it, Glori." Gaia picked Gloriosa up as she would a baby and carried her off. "The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts are very capable beings, and I know from Ecoloris's word that they have the power to defeat evil and save what remains of our beautiful little forest."
"Yeah... but I'm still not so sure..." Gloriosa looked around at the wilting leaves on some nearby trees. "Miasma's been hitting us harder and harder the more we've interfered, and soon I worry that she's gonna be coming in with some kind of giant anime mech to try and stomp us out..."
"Well, if that is the case, then we shall prepare for that day," Gaia said. "Besides, that portal has not only taken the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts back to Camp Everfree, but it has also unlocked their TRUE potentials as being worthy of the Magic of Friendship." She once more cloaked herself in the darkness as she carried Gloriosa to the Housetree. "We are all counting on them. I hope that they do not let us down..."
Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and invigorated. They threw off the covers of their beds and climbed out of their sleeping bags as they went to freshen themselves up. With all of the planning that had gone into their festival to save Camp Everfree, they now needed to be sure that they could back it up with their tight budget and limited deadline.
"Rarity, have you finished the posters for the event?" Sunset asked as Rarity pulled out a computerized tablet and a small stylus and sat back down on her bed.
"Just give me a few more minutes, Sunset." Rarity gently stroked the screen with the stylus's tip and added her own background and special decorations to the digital poster. "If we're going to attract enough patrons to save the Everfree Forest from Miasma's wrath, then the advertisments need to make an impact."
"Alright." Sunset gave Rarity a gentle nod and saw Pinkie Pie walk back in. "Pinkie, have you shared the story about Miasma trying to destroy the Everfree Forest?"
"Yep!" Pinkie showed her phone with pictures of Miasma threatening to kill Rainbow Dash, then the next one of her logging machines ripping the forest apart. "Just gonna post these onto MyStable, Facebook, and Change, and we're gonna beat that big, fat, mean, meanie pants once and for all!" She threw up her arms, firing out confetti from her sleeves.
"Miasma won't take kindly to all of the attention," Sci-Twi stood up, re-adjusted her glasses and took a drink of the nearby glass of water. "If needs be, she could use those machines to interrupt the festivities and do some real harm to people..."
"Well, Gaia and Gloriosa are the solution to that." Applejack tipped her hat over her face and leaned against the wall, chewing on a piece of grass. "Gaia's got that freaky-deaky magic of hers, and Gloriosa's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve. Together, the two of them'll bust those varmints before they even get the chance to hurt anyone."
"I don't really trust Gaia yet..." Fluttershy's hair drooped down over her right eye and half of her mouth. "She did almost try to kill you with her magic."
"But Gloriosa's able to communicate with her, isn't she?" Rarity raised a brow as she glanced over at Fluttershy. "Think about it. Both Gaia and Gloriosa speak in that archaic language of theirs, right?"
"About that... What is that language?" Sci-Twi walked out of the tent and leaned against the wall. "It's not like any language I've ever heard before, and I know a lot of different languages." As she spoke, she began to glow, and she ended up speaking in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, Arabic, and then back to English as the light faded. "But I still don't—" only then did she realize what had just happened "—whoa."
"Twilight..." Sunset stared with her mouth agape. "I didn't know you were fluent in eight languages!"
"I'm not! And that's even more strange!" Sci-Twi threw her arms out and cuddled herself. "What happened to me last night?"
"Well, I'm sure that it wasn't anything too harsh." As soon as Fluttershy walked out, she was blitzed by almost every animal she had ever loved and was being licked and cuddled all over. She let out a yelp, which soon escalated into a scream as the weight of all of the wildlife weighed on top of her.
"Fluttershy!" Sunset reached out to her and fired beams of yellow light, akin to the ones she had shot when she became her angelic form back at the Friendship Games. "Whoa!"
"Sunset!" Everyone else cried out as they ran outside, causing the animals to get off of Fluttershy, but still remain close to her.
"O...kay. Apparently, I have the ability to fire lasers as a regular teenage girl now." Sunset blinked as she looked down at her hand, which was still emitting a faint smoke from the blast.
"Does anyone know where Rainbow Dash or the Shadowbolts are?" Pinkie Pie asked.
At the precise moment she said it, a rainbow blur crashed head on into two similar looking girls, sending them all flying into a tree, spilling the leaves and covering them with dirt, mud, and sticks.
"Found her!" Pinkie Pie pointed to Rainbow Dash, but then ended up teleporting next to her in a flash of pink light. "Hey! Neat-o! I didn't know I could do that!"
"Pinkie! You too?!" Applejack came running over and helped the three girls up onto their feet. "What in tarnation's going on with—" she then looked over at the two twins and gasped "—who the heck are you?! Sour Sweet's sister?!"
"Don't ask. She's been like this all day," The first of the two Sour Sweets grumbled, cleaning herself off. "I'm just glad to be free of that dorky other half, even if it is just for a moment."
"Hi! I'm Sweet!" the other one waved giddily and bounced over to Pinkie Pie. "I wanna know everything about you and be super-duper best friendsies!" she squealed and pulled Pinkie into a hug.
"What happened to you both?!" Applejack's mouth hug open wider than it had ever been before.
"It's quite obvious what happened to Sour Sweet." Sugarcoat walked up with part of her hair singed off. "That Gaia Everfree character also gave us new magical powers when she sent us through that portal back to Camp Everfree."
"Yeah." Indigo Zap approached the group, rubbing the back of her head. As she did, lightning formed around her hand which she then shook off into the ground. "For some reason, I've been shooting electricity out of my fingertips like I'm some kind of walking thunderstorm..."
"Sugarcoat got the power to launch fireworks every time she points at something; Sunny Flare somehow got weather controlling magic; Indy got lighting powers; and Sour Sweet's personality literally split her in half!" Lemon Zest walked up, chuckling at her own joke. "And as for me..." She raised her arm, causing dubstep noises to immediately fill the air. "Whenever I raise my arms, that happens. You don't wanna see what happens when I bring it down, though."
"Wait. You're all saying that you got supernatural powers from Gaia Everfree's portal?" Sunset Shimmer asked the Shadowbolts as Sunny Flare walked up to join them.
"Uh-huh." Everyone else nodded in agreement as they gathered around.
"Honestly, it's not so bad!" Sweet squeaked. "Although Sour over here has been a total buzzkill." Sweet walked over and made a smile by manipulating the corners of Sour's mouth. "Honestly, she should learn to smile sometime!"
"Oh, shut up!" Sour promptly gave Sweet a punch in the face, knocking her into Applejack's arms. "I think this is horrible! Not only am I half the person I used to be, but now I'm stuck with some thumb-sucking, mindless, and downright baby-ish twin!"
"Hey! You leave her alone, you big bully!" Pinkie Pie ran in front of both Sour and Sweet and threw her arms around Sweet. "She's just trying to have fun, who's to say she can't have it?!"
"Me! Now move aside!" Sour tried to rip Pinkie Pie away, but Applejack reached out to Sour, firing golden lassos that tied her up both around her body and legs.
"Lassos? Really?" Applejack deadpanned as she brought Sour to the ground. "Is that because I'm some kinda cowgirl?"
As everything settled down and the other Shadowbolts took a hold of Sour with the Rainbooms cuddling a crying Sweet, Pinkie Pie and Rarity gasped together.
"IDEA!" They both chorused.
"Huh?" Sugarcoat tilted her head to the side at Pinkie and Rarity. "What is it?"
"We've got super powers. We're raising money to save Camp Everfree. And we also have to defeat the forces of evil again," Rarity started. "Why don't we benefit from this little occurence and put these abilities to good use?"
"What do you mean by that?" Sci-Twi asked.
"We could show off our super-powers at the festival!" Pinkie Pie jumped into the air, hurling more confetti as she did. "People get a real kick out of the weird and wonderful these days, and with these powers being used as part of a stage show, everyone'll be able to see what we can do, without having to worry about being called freaks or monsters!"
"You mean degrade ourselves into being circus animals? No thanks!" Sour flicked her hair to the side.
"You don't have to be a part of it if you don't want to be, Sour." Sunset Shimmer stepped forward. "But it would be nice if you pitched in just a little." She gently tapped the girl's arm, before she was pulled close as Sour got into her face.
"NEVER. TOUCH. ME. AGAIN." Sour growled before she threw Sunset into Sweet, who had stopped crying.
"I honestly can't tell which is worse now." Sugarcoat crossed her arms.
"I can. I think I prefer Sweet more than Sour now that the two have split up." Indigo flexed her fingers as she looked at the two copies. "I mean, Sour Sweet as a single person was cool to hang with, but her two attitudes are what kinda drove me away from her, y'know?"
"Oh yes. I can never forget the day she punched Fleur de Lis in the face just because she criticized her test scores last year..." Sunny Flare shuddered as she remembered the event in great detail. "That black eye is going to haunt my nightmares forever."
"Let's just keep on track here." Sci-Twi pushed her hand out to get everyone's attention. "We've been dawdling for too long, and we only have three days left to save Camp Everfree before Miasma calls in the cavalry."
"So what are we doing standing here?!" Rainbow Dash charged off to the visitor's centre to speak with the other campers and site staff about the festival.
"She makes a good point." Rarity leisurely walked into the centre with the other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts, staying close to Sweet to make sure she didn't get hurt again. "We want to save the forest. And what good is saving it if we're tardy?"
"True that." Applejack nodded with the rest of the Rainbooms as they went inside.
"Are you coming, Twilight?" Sunset Shimmer looked back at Sci-Twi as she walked over to the nearby gazebo.
"Oh. You go on ahead. I'll catch up." Sci-Twi gave Sunset a gentle wave and watched her go inside before she climbed up on to the gazebo and looked out at the trees.
Sci-Twi let out a long and exasparated sigh as she thought about everything that had happened to her in the past months. With the events of the Friendship Games still engraved into her memory, and with the encounters with Miasma and Gaia Everfree flashing in her mind, her confidence in saving the forest was beginning to dwindle.
"Why are we fighting this battle?" Sci-Twi asked as she put her elbow on the wooden railing and put her head on her chin. "Even if we defeat Miasma, this New World group that she's a part of will only hunt us down afterwards." She looked into the sky. "And then, who are this New World? Are they terrorists? A secretive magical cult? A group of malicious ponies from Equestria? I don't even know anymore!"
"How does it feel?" Midnight slithered as her voice travelled on the blowing winds. "To be given the power of magic once more?"
"You! Come out! Show yourself!" Sci-Twi remembered the voice and took up a meek fighting stance. "I'm not afraid of you!
"Oh, I think you are. You're just so blinded by this foolish thing known as friendship that you don't want to admit it," Midnight chuckled as her voice came right up next to Twilight's ears. "Why, back at Crystal Prep, you had no friends, and that was what freed me from those shackles known as your body. But what were to happen if you needed to use magic, and your friends weren't there to back you up, or got themselves killed by Miasma or Gaia Everfree?
"You can't restrain me, Twilight Sparkle." Midnight Sparkle appeared as a translucent figure in Sci-Twi's vision next to her. "I am you! And you are nothing more than a weak and feeble scientist, fighting for the wrong side! You've always been wrong! Serving that weak old woman back at Crystal Prep, and now bowing down to those feeble teenagers!"
"Shut up!" Sci-Twi threw her arms back and stared down the demon. "I'm not going to be fazed by you! Sunset's never going to leave me! And neither are the others!"
"The true right side is never one that you choose. It's always your side that's right." Midnight paced back and forth. "Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms have magic, but they don't know how to use it for its' true potential. Miasma and her de-forestation company is like me. They want to conquer, but they have to be dependent on some New World cockroaches to do it.
"And as for the Shadowbolts? What have they ever done to you other than tease, hurt, demoralize, threaten, and push you against the wall?!" Midnight charged at Sci-Twi, slamming her into one of the poles. "You're weak! You let the world walk all over you like a doormat! You didn't use the magic back at the Games because you wanted to see what it could do! You were simply the lapdog for the umpteenth time! That's the only reason you lost, because you followed the beat of someone's drum, instead of carving out your own destiny!"
"Shut up! You're just a monster! I never want to see your face again, Midnight!" Sci-Twi screamed as loud as she could, causing the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts to come running, making the illusion fade away into nothingness.
"Twilight!" Sunset ran up to Sci-Twi and gently held her hand. "What's wrong?"
"Another Midnight Sparkle vision, I presume?" Rarity tipped her hand.
"They're just getting worse and worse..." Pinkie Pie wrapped her arm around Sci-Twi's shoulders and walked her into the building. "What she needs is some good grub and her friends, stat!"
As Sci-Twi was escorted inside, she looked back and saw Midnight once again.
"Think long and hard about this, Twilight Sparkle." Midnight crossed her arms and gave her a malicious look. "Will you continue to walk all over the world and be subservient to the rest of the species? Or will you take the magic you've accrued and actually make your own decisions for once?" With that sentence, Midnight vanished again. "It's your choice..."
"Alright. Poster's set, petition's on Change, and Mystable is positively buzzing with this news about Miasma and the Treekillers." Rarity looked at all of the progress on her phone. The petition that she had made online already had over a thousand signatures, and there were so many comments on the news involving Miasma threatening to kill Rainbow Dash that her Mystable inbox couldn't hold it anymore. "People are already on their way to Camp Everfree to help with the fundraising to overturn the bankruptcy papers."
"Yeah, that's fine. But look at us!" Sour grumbled and folded her arms as she looked over at Sweet, colouring on a blank sheet of paper with her tongue stuck out. "We're all super-freaks with no control of our powers, Miasma's going to go through with her demoliton anyways, and worst of all, I'm stuck babysitting this baby over here." She gruffly pointed to Sweet with her thumb.
"Yeah. Getting these powers controlled might be a bit of a bother, considering that we have different ones for each of us." Sugarcoat tipped her hand, accidentally shooting a firework out of the door that flew into the air and exploded. "Alright. Honest to god, is the only reason I have firework powers because I have a logo that resembles a sparkler?"
"Well, mine represents a thundercloud, so maybe that's the reason why I've got lightning powers." Indigo looked down at the icon on her t-shirt and pointed over to the floor, firing a tiny bolt that vanished as soon as it collided with the wood.
"Sour and Sweet were created because together, they were kinda mean and nice at the same time." Applejack looked over at Sour and Sweet, who were both digging through their pockets to find objects that would re-style their hairs. "Splitting the two apart is kinda odd, though, especially considering that they look identical."
"We're already on it!" Sweet found two pink ribbons and clumped one side of her hair into a large ponytail. She wrapped the first ribbon around the hair before doing the same with the other side, giving her a pair of pigtails. "Don't I look cute?" she squealed at her new look.
"Uggh. Pigtails are so baby-ish..." Sour grumbled and re-organized her hair until her fringe completely covered her forehead. "Now this is a hairstyle that I can connect with. It's lifeless, mean, and doesn't want me to be associated with anyone."
"We're gonna have to find some way to get those two back together before we're done at the Everfree Forest..." Sunset crossed her arms as she looked at both Sour and Sweet, admiring their new hairstyles. "I admit that Sweet is pretty nice, but even so, if Sour's out there making trouble, it's going to be impossible for both her and Sweet to re-unite and re-form as Sour Sweet without a little hassle from the cops."
"Speaking of the cops, Miasma's probably got a lot of bad blood on her now." Rainbow Dash looked through the newspaper articles. They showed a video with a picture of Miasma speaking to a group of policemen. "Let's see how she'll respond." She hit the play button and saw the other girls gather around the screen.
"Miasma. You're under arrest on attempted murder." The first policeman showed a picture of Miasma holding the gun at Rainbow Dash's face. "Lay down your weapon and surrender quietly, or we'll have to drag you out kicking and screaming."
"Hmmph. Pitiful humans. How long will you realize that your world is tainted with such corruption like murder, scandals, greed, and other such wrongdoings?" Miasma stood up and paced left and right behind her desk. "And yet you accuse me of being a monster, when all around you are demons, animals, and zombies representing humanity's evils still plague the world? No wonder New World want this world purged."
"This isn't a joke, Miasma! You have until the count of three to surrender, or so help me, we'll do this the hard way!" The cop raised his arm, causing the others to wield their guns. All of them assault rifles with double magazines, laser sights equipped to the barrels, and elongated barrels. "One... Two..."
"Three!" Miasma hit a button, and the floor beneath the men opened up, sending them all down to the furnace where they would burn alive. She watched the cops tumble like a house of cards into the hole and calmly pressed it again lightly to close it up.
"WHAT?!" The girls all stared in horror as they watched Miasma reach over to the intercom.
"Svengallop. I'm advancing the plan prematurely." Miasma pushed on the button and spoke into a microphone. "We're tearing down the Everfree Forest at midnight. Not on Sunday."
"How?" Svengallop responded. "Even with the progress the men are making, there's no way that we can possibly shred the forest in time."
"There is one way that we can do this all, and erase those petulent babies that have been toying around with our machines at the same time." Miasma's brows lowered. "Prepare the Cerberus. I will pilot it myself, burn that forest to the ground, and turn the Rainbooms into Rainbloodstains!" And with that, she pointed her gun at the camera and shot it out completely, ending the video clip.
"She stood up to the cops, killed them all, moved the logging phase to midnight, and she's still going?!" Lemon Zest took her hands away from her mouth once the video ended. "And here I thought Abacus Cinch was evil, but this is downright demonic..."
"The Cerberus?" Sunset Shimmer rewound the video multiple times, letting the word sink in. "What is that?"
"It's quite possible that Miasma's not who we think she is." Sugarcoat looked over at Sunset, but the emotionless eyes that she had were once replaced with those of pure terror. "Of all the things that I've seen in my life, I've never seen someone as cruel, wicked, and absolutely despicable as that. Gaia Everfree was right. She's a witch."
"And one that won't stop until we defeat her..." Sci-Twi nodded.
"But how are we going to defeat her if we've only got twelve hours?!" Indigo Zap threw her arms out. "I think this is the end. Camp Everfree is doomed! And so too is the Everfree Forest!"
"There's still some time to get this done, Indigo Zap." Sunny Flare gave her a gentle pat on the back. "The logging doesn't begin until midnight, and she's already got the cops on her tail."
"And if needs be, the military will get involved with this, considering the way she butchered them back at her office." Rarity tossed her curl upwards, watching it fall right back down. "She might have rushed the project, but she's put herself at a major handicap with everything she's fighting against."
"Yeah. Gaia Everfree, Glori, the police, the military..." Pinkie used her fingers to list off everything that was on her side.
"And us..." Sci-Twi hung her head.
"Yes, Twilight. Us!" Midnight appeared behind her and licked at her ears, causing her to stumble and turn around. "Soon, the bloodbath will begin, and as Gaia Everfree, Gloriosa, the Rainbooms, Shadowbolts, and the forces of the world fall, will you finally use the magic for something other than some icky concept as friendship or togetherness? Or will you once more be a dog, trapped on the leash of your friends and unable to achieve true greatness?"
"Go away, Midnight! This doesn't concern you!" Sci-Twi threw a punch at Midnight, but saw it go right through her. She punched again and again and again, but none of her attacks landed on the demon. "I'm. Not. Afraid. Of. YOU!"
"Gyahahahahahahah! And yet you can't muster up the strength to defeat me?" Midnight cackled as more of the fists were through her chest. "You're nothing more than a worm, dancing on the hook of a fishing pole ready to catch me, and free me from my imprisonment!"
"ENOUGH!" Sci-Twi roared and headbutted straight through Midnight, hitting her head on a wall and knocking her out.
"Twilight!" Everyone called out as the spectacled girl fell onto her back and groaned from the pain.
"This isn't going well..." Applejack grimaced as the other girls picked her up and carried her off.
"Get her to the tent! Fluttershy. You can do first-aid, right?" Sunset called out.
"Yes." Fluttershy slowly nodded.
"Take care of Twilight until she recovers. Hurry!" Sunset pleaded, causing Fluttershy to run out with Applejack and Rarity so that they could tend to Twilight's wounds. Once they were gone, Sunset said, "We need all of the help we can get to defat Miasma now..."
The sounds of welding tools and clanging metal echoed throughout the warehouse walls as Miasma and Svengallop walked past all of the workbenches and offices towards a wide open space in the building. It was covered with yellow and black warning lines as a giant machine was being loaded down onto it by a massive crane.
The giant machine had three heads, was made from the strongest metals on the planet, and had the Miasma De-foreststation emblem on all four of its' legs. It also had a massive tail, and resembled a dog in most senses, but the insides of the mouths had massive laser cannons and flamethrower nozzles attached to them, with smaller hatches on the legs and back. With all of those specs, it made Miasma and Svengallop look like ants in comparison.
"The Cerberus is the most powerful and expensive land robot that New World has created, Miasma." Svengallop stretched his arms out to show off all of the details. "Equipped with laser cannons that arc between targets upon a successful hit, flamethrowers to burn down the trees with ease, and a variety of rockets, machine guns, flare launchers, and other weapons of destruction, it is the epitemy of ultimate power; the power needed to raze the Everfree Forest in minutes."
"What's the weight?" Miasma raised a brow.
"Two-thousand, five-hundred tonnes of pure steel and titanium, this thing is heavier than five depot trucks fully loaded and stacked on top of each other," Sven responded.
"Max speed?"
"Seventy miles per hour, fourty with weapon systems activated."
"Durability?"
"It'll take a nuke to even destroy this thing, let alone damage it. Regular warheads have no affect on it due to the gifts New World gave it." Sven pointed to a little green dot on the top. "A quantum shield generator, capable of withstanding some of the heaviest firepower from both regular weapons, and from those miserable little Rainbooms and their super-magic."
"May I take it for a test drive?" Miasma let out a smile as she looked over at Sven.
"You certainly can." Sven pushed a button and handed the remote to Miasma, causing a small chair to descent on a platform from the robot's underbelly. "Have as much fun as you want, but be sure to re-stock on ammo before you leave. With how powerful the Rainbooms are together, as well as that tree monster that's been slaughtering our soldiers, you're gonna need it."
Miasma took the remote, walked onto the platform, and sat down on the chair. She hit the button again, and the platform rose up into the machine, taking her into the cockpit.
The inside of the Cerberus was much different than the outside. The cockpit's console was much bigger than she was expecting, with multiple different keyboards and buttons labelled with all kinds of weaponry. There were also three big buttons overhead to control the Cerberus' heads and make them fire their weapons. Miasma clicked the seatbelt and allowed a green laser bar to scan her face.
"Identity confirmed. Welcome to the Cerberus, Miasma." A computerized voice generated a screen which showed a logo of the planet earth with the words "New World" underneath it. "On behalf of the council and myself, we hope you enjoy your bloodbath."
Miasma grabbed onto two joysticks and thrust them left, causing the Cerberus to stand up and walk down to another part of the warehouse. The massive machine's footsteps were so loud that it completely blocked out all of the noise on the outside. With a massive roar, the noise from every other part of the building was almost silenced as it impacted the eardrums of Svengallop and the other men.
The Cerberus stomped down the hall until it came to a massive firing range with pictures of the Rainbooms dotted all over the place. The test dummies that were on the ground were singing and dancing with rainbows all around the building. The songs that they had sang during the Battle of the Bands were playing throughout the range as well.
"You loathsome apes! Prophecy or no propechy, you will NOT derail New World's plans! I swear it!" Miasma furiously slammed the buttons, causing the Cerberus to open fire on everything in the room.
The heads fired out flamethrowers and lasers with phenomenal reach, hitting all of their targets instantly and causing the chaos to spread to other parts of the room. Missiles and machine guns opened fire from the legs and claws of the machine, tearing the test dummies to pieces in mere seconds, and destroying the speakers that were blaring out the music.
After a few more seconds, the bright and rainbow-filled firing range was now ladened with fires, bullet holes, craters, and smoke as the Cerberus turned around and walked towards another open door leading to the outside world.
"Now then." Miasma cracked her knuckles as she firmly grasped onto the joysticks again. "Let's see how those Rainbooms can stand up to this..." Her smile grew wider and her brows lowered as she piloted the machine towards the exit. As the machine walked forward, she sang a small song to herself.
I fell into an Everfree Forest Fire The trees fell down, down, down, and the flames rose up higher. And they burned, burned, burned!
Everfree Fire. Everfree Fire...
The Cerberus ran out as fast as it could, leaving small holes where its' feet were with every step as it went off to the Everfree Forest along with a bunch of Miasma's logging machines behind it.
At a massive stone ruin, Gaia Everfree's eyes shot open, and she clutched at her head, groaning as she felt something deep down within her. The forest was crying out to her, and it was taxing her mind.
"Gaia!" Gloriosa walked up to her. "What's going on?"
"The worst that I feared is coming, Gloriosa." Gaia Everfree picked up the Gatekey from Gloriosa's bag and planted it into a slot on the ring. "Miasma leads the very forces of hell itself to destroy us. In other words, something big is coming. And not just big. Housetree big."
"What?!" Gloriosa's eyes widened at what Gaia said. "Then, how can we defeat this?"
"Gloriosa. As you are well aware, the Gatekey not only serves as a gateway to other worlds, but also serves as a lockdown device for protecting the Everfree Forest from evil." Gaia reached her arms out, pouring green energy into the relic, making the symbols around the ring light up, which in turn, made the entire ruin glow a bright shade of white. "Miasma has clearly resorted to her ultimate weapon, and I am left with no other choice...
"Forgive me" —Gaia raised her hands high into the air and threw them down into the ground, causing an earthquake to form all around the forest— "But this forest shall exist no more!"
Hours before Gaia Everfree cast the spell, the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were greeting men, women, and their families to Camp Everfree, where the festivities would be held to raise money to stop Miasma's attack on the forest. They met each and every person with a smile, and they watched each of them donate their money to the cause.
There were much more people than they had expected, and they had also attracted a media circus, as well as a number of big name celebrities who loved the Everfree Forest. Such names as Sapphire Shores, Countess Coloratura, and the Wonderbolts arrived on the scene to pledge their support to the forest.
Past the gate and down the path, the camp was already starting to get overcrowded with people, with stands all set up doling out food, drink, and merchandise to everyone who was willing to spend their money. Every penny went towards overturning the bankruptcy papers that Miasma had on the forest, and with two-hundred thousand dollars to raise, the girls were almost halfway towards meeting their goal.
"Can you believe this?" Rarity smiled as she looked at all of the money that the camp had raised towards nullifying the papers. "The story about Miasma murdering people is blowing up on Mystable and Facebook! The news is already estimating that thousands more people are coming, to the point where almost the whole city's gonna be practically deserted!"
"This is great!" Lemon Zest squealed as she handed out shirts and buttons. "If the whole city's coming to support us, then it's safe to say that Miasma and her cronies are done! We win!"
"Now hold on, girls." Applejack walked through the crowds to meet up with Lemon Zest and Rarity. "We're not done with this yet."
"Yeah. Gloriosa did mention the Trial of Hope is still in play, and that we still have to complete it and use the Power of the Everfree to stop Miasma once and for all." Sci-Twi came up to the girls dressed in one of the shirts that the girls had been handing out.
"Miasma's just a pushover now that we've got these powers." Indigo Zap rubbed her fingers together, generating a tiny shock. "And I don't know about you, but I'm definitely getting the hang of this lightning magic."
"Honestly, I think that the Trial of Hope is just about done." Sugarcoat walked up to the girls with a big smile on her face. "Everything looked bleak, but we've pulled through in the end. If it weren't for the girls capturing the footage of Rainbow Dash almost getting herself killed, then we wouldn't have even attracted this crowd to the forest."
"Yeah. Whoever snapped that footage really saved our skins." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head and chuckled.
"Hey, girls!" Gloriosa jumped down from the trees and landed in front of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. "Gotta say, the place looks great!"
"Yeah." Pinke walked up to Gloriosa and put her hand on her shoulders. "The forest's already attracted a few thousand, and it's drawing a few extra more with the story on Miasma trying to kill Dashie. Safe to say, the forest is safe."
All of a sudden, Gloriosa's pocket glowed, and she pulled out the Gatekey, which was now starting to glow a faint blue colour as the interior of the orb started to fill up with bright white magic. "And just when I thought you girls couldn't surprise me anymore." She smiled and rubbed the Gatekey gently. "The magic in this forest is already beginning to resurface. It's almost time for the Gatekey to open up the Gate again!"
"Awesome!" Sunset Shimmer smiled at Gloriosa's happiness. "So that's the Trial of Hope done?"
"Just raise enough money to overturn the papers, and the Gatekey's power will be fully restored." Gloriosa nodded and put the Gatekey away. "And when that happens..."
"It's bye-bye, Miasma De-forestation Co!" Rainbow Dash uppercutted thin air and jumped up high.
"Keep everyone's spirits high, make them buy and donate, and that should be all that she wrote." Gloriosa was about to turn away, when she was stopped by Pinkie's hand.
"Wait, Glori!" Pinkie Pie's hand cupped on the girl's shoulder. "Aren't you going to stay and support the camp?"
"I know I'm happy, and as much as I want to support you, Gaia Everfree usually tends to go insane without someone like me or daddy to keep her in check." Gloriosa looked back at Pinkie and gently took her hand off of her. "If I'm not with her, she could have one of her berzerk tantrums."
"Berzerk tantrums?" The girls all chorused.
"Yeah. Turns out that Gaia Everfree goes completely furious and becomes a savage and mindless beast if I'm not there to keep her in check." Gloriosa gave the girls a sad nod before she went through the crowds. "I'll stay with her for as long as I can, but I'm definitely coming back to see how you're doing."
"It's fine, Pinkie Pie." Applejack held on to Pinkie's arm tightly as Gloriosa left. "Gloriosa's got her own business, and we've got ours."
"Yes. The Crystal Gala might be going smoothly, but we should be the ones who are aiding and assisting the guests most of all." Sci-Twi looked out at all of the stalls, packed to the brim with lines longer than they had seen before. "We were the ones who came up with it, after all. It'd be a shame if we didn't keep the crowd happy, right?"
"Yeah! With all of these super-duper people, it'd break my heart to see any of them sad..." Sweet came up with Sour.
"Anyone except me." Sour gruffly puffed at her fringe, crossed her arms, and looked away.
"And besides, everyone's in such high spirits. Why wouldn't we want to help out?" Pinkie jumped through the crowd with the others close behind her. "C'mon, everyone! Let's get to it!"
The sun is setting on a brand-new chapter I feel like now's our happy ever after It's been a long hard road But as the legends had foretold We were born to save the day, and Save the Camp!
Pinkie Pie started to sing with the rest of the girls joining in as they quickly took their places at the kiosk and stalls. To the beat, they handled each and every customer's request and gathered the money.
After the chaos back at Canterlot High All of these smiles do bring a tear to my eye These many supporters Who kindly took our words They all came to save the day, and Save the Camp!
Applejack took over the song, and was soon joined by Sunny Flare and Rarity, before the other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts finished the verse.
Together, the twelve of us can win Together, the twelve of us will strive If we all stand together, if we all believe hard then the forest's magic can be revived!
Together, we'll overcome the dark Together, we'll beat the enemy As our bonds grow ever stronger, and the lights shine ever longer We're the heroes that the camp truly need!
When the girls made it to the chorus, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Sour, and Sweet were now busy managing food service, shelling out the proper orders to the right people, nimbly chucking things to each other and catching them to speed up the process. Fluttershy and Sour remained behind the counter while Sweet and Pinkie were handing the food out and taking care of the mess.
The forest's purity is worth preserving All the activites are worth observing When those things come under fire And taint what we desire Then we'll come to save the world, and Save the Camp!
Rarity was busy with not only the distributing of the T-shirts, but also showing off a wide array of forest-themed dresses and outfits. There were things similar to what Gloriosa had been wearing on display, as well as a few unique pieces that Rarity had covered with jewels.
The race is on, my friend, I'm gonna beat'cha At the finish line I'll be there to meet'cha Oh, it's a bet is it? A Shadowbolt don't quit It's a race to save the world, and Save the Camp!
Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap were racing against each other in a make-shift track, the two of them able to restrict their powers during the race so that it was fair. They cast each other smirks as they picked up the pace around the track.
Together, we'll triumph over her Together, we'll fight to save our home As the clouds all fly away, it starts a brand new day For the forest's campers to freely roam!
Together, Miasma's plans will fail Together, the machines will fall apart The words we have our strong, if you'll listen to our song And believe in the twelve us of with all your heart!
In the next chorus, the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were all white-water rafting together in the same raft, holding on tight while also keeping control of their ride. There were six rows of seats, and each of the Rainbooms was sitting next to the Shadowbolt who was the most like them, with Sour watching from the side, turning away and scoffing when she saw them all smile.
As all our hard work does pay off And everyone has a great time I couldn't care less about the future Or what's to come for us down the line
Sci-Twi sang with the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts making a chorus in the background. The spectacled girl put her hand on her chest and looked up to the sky as she sang.
But with the darkness still inside of me And with Miasma's actions being quite awry I might not be able to win against Midnight But I definitely won't say I didn't try...
During the second half, she saw Midnight and Miasma appear in her vision, but when she spoke the last two lines, a smile crossed her face again, and the figures vanished on the wind as she rejoined the Rainbooms.
All of our long, hard work has been quite taxing That's why Camp Everfree's been so relaxing Crystal Prep and Canterlot High Friends, families, you and I We're all here to save the world and Save the Camp!
Sugarcoat begun the third verse, giving smiles as she and her friends showed off their powers in a magic show. Together, their unique powers wowed the crowd, and when Sour and Sweet came on with their bit, the audience couldn't help but laugh at their shenanigans.
The world around this place is really tranquil And we're not gonna put those trees through the sawmill United we stand strong, and we shall sing our song As we've come to save the world, and Save the Camp! As we've come to save the world, and Save the Camp! As we've come to save the wooooooooooooorld, and Save the Caaaaaaaaaaaamp!
The show resumed, with the other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts taking to the stage as they performed all of their magical powers at once, before Sugarcoat fired a volley of fireworks into the sky which all burst seconds later, illuminating the night sky with all kinds of alluring colours and bright patterns. As they finished the song, they all took a bow, not noticing that all of them—even the Shadowbolts—had grown their pony ears, tails, wings, and horns. It quickly disappeared once they got back up, though.
Meanwhile, Miasma's Cerberus mech was charging down the road towards the forest with a few other logging machines in tow. The beast's massive metallic feet made craters in the ground with each step, and the heads all roared as Miasma pushed on a few buttons inside of the cockpit.
"Target identified. Everfree Forest within firing range." The Cerberus' AI system spoke to Miasma as a targeting reticle appeared around the forest, which was outlined by a bright white line. "You may feel free to attack, Miasma."
"Good..." Miasma slammed on another button, sending out a barrage of missiles out towards the forest that would destroy a good few acres of the forest.
Mere seconds before the missiles could hit, though, the forest suddenly grew a massive wall of thorns that blocked out all of the trees, wildlife, and sky behind it. Some of the thorns that stuck out of the forest fired back at the missiles, destroying them instantly before the wall suddenly transformed into a dome, covering the whole forest in the sharp foliage.
"What the?!" Miasma's jaw dropped as the missiles were destroyed. "Grr! Fire second volley!" She hit the button again.
Just like the last time, the missiles were fired, and then immediately destroyed by the thorns as they shot out at the flying ordinance.
"Miasma!" the screen suddenly changed to the image of the Grand Master of New World, identifiable by the blackened silhouette and red pixels on the bottom and top of the screen. "Cease your fire. The forest is guarded."
"Guarded?!" Miasma fumed. "That's impossible! It's just a pathetic little forest! It can't have some kind of magical bubble protecting it!"
"The Rainbooms are craftier than we anticipated, Miasma." The Grand Master began scratching their chin. "Inside the forest is a powerful magical source. Find it and destroy it. Only then will you be able to tear it down."
"Magic?" Miasma parroted.
"Yes. The very same that caused a stain on Abacus Cinch's reputation, and almost had her kicked out of New World." The Grand Master leaned forward, revealing a mouth and some of the figure's hair. The skin around it was yellow, and the hair was red and yellow, just like Sunset Shimmer's hair was. "Do not let me down, Miasma. And do not let this magic destroy you as it did her..." The screen returned to normal.
"So that's your little game, is it, Rainbooms?" Miasma cracked a small grin as the Cerberus took a few steps towards the protected forest. "Well, you're soon going to learn that magic isn't meant to be hogged, and it certainly isn't meant to be used by some impudent little babies who don't even know what it's truly capable of.
"When we obtain the secret to your little magic, it shall prove greatly beneficial to New World's plans, and will make us truly unstoppable when the purge destroys everything on this miserable planet." Miasma saw the forest begin to sink into the ground and get replaced with a barren wasteland of road, grass, and trees. The Cerberus walked to the middle of where the forest used to be and began to drill heavily into the ground. "Glory to the Grand Master! And to the new world that they shall create!"
Sunset Shimmer and her friends were the first ones to feel the earthquake in the Everfree Forest. The ground beneath them rumbled and shuddered as the sound of rapidly growing trees filled the air.
"What's happening?" Fluttershy's eyes darted around as she tried to withstand the power of the earthquake.
Then, high above everyone's heads, the thorns that Gaia grew with her powers to prevent Miasma and her men from attacking were now trapping them and the rest of the crowd that had come to support them in a dome of thorns. The noise got louder once the vines were visible, and as soon as they blotted out the sky above, a bright burst of light came from where the thorns met at the top and fired a beam of light down at the ground.
The beam struck the forest floor, sending bright blue energy across the forest that not only made plants bloom and the chopped trees re-grow as if nothing had ever happened, but any other machines in the forest that had been made by Miasma and her men were completely drowned in the plantlife, and were destroyed by the energy.
The light touched Sunset Shimmer and her friends, forcing them to Pony-Up, while it did nothing for the crowd. There were some initial screams, but once they saw the magic make the flowers bloom and glow radiantly, the panic had been silenced.
"Whoa!" Sugarcoat looked at the horn that now stuck out of the top of her head. She gave it a tiny poke with her finger before she felt at how long her hair had grown. "I suppose this is just another battle for you, right, Sunset?"
"How did we Pony-Up?" Sunset looked over at how the rest of her friends had grown their extra appendages before she felt a horn growing out of her head too. "And more importantly, since when did me and Rarity get horns with our transformations? Seriously, that's never happened before..."
"This must be Gaia's doing." Sci-Twi looked at how the light shone off of the plants and danced around the trees. "Think about it. The Gatekey was being filled when we were raising money to save the camp. It must be fully charged, and the forest's magic is back."
"So... Mission accomplished?" Pinkie Pie smiled.
"Not exactly, Pinkie." Sunset rubbed Pinkie's chest. "Miasma's not just going to roll over like some dog because we overturned her bankruptcy papers—especially after what we did to her and her men."
"Sunset is right. You all know what Miasma is like." Sunny Flare walked up to the girls and nodded. "Miasma will probably be trying twice as hard to rip the forest apart now. She tends to get extremely angry when things don't go her way."
"Don't remind us." Rainbow shuddered, remembering the time that a gun was pointed at her face.
"She's also got the backing of those New World punks too." Sour cracked her knuckles and spat on the ground before crossing her arms. "I'd sure love to give each of them a pounding."
"Hear, hear. Those heinous ruffians have plauged the Everfree Forest quite enough." Rarity nodded too. "I might be into fashion and am often a pacifist, but I will rip them to pieces nonetheless!"
"Plus, we've all got superpowers!" Lemon Zest nodded, raised her hand up, and brought it down, sending out a shockwave that amplified the gravity heavily, making everyone else fall onto their bellies and backs. She raised her hand, causing the effects to vanish. "Oh. So that's what that does. Sorry." She blushed as everyone else got back on their feet.
Not a moment afterward, Lemon Zest was bombarded by camera flashes from the paparazzi, and had a number of microphones shoved towards her.
"Geez, chillax! It's just gravity powers!" Lemon whined to the crowd before she turned away.
"Alright, alright. This has gone on long enough." Rainbow stepped forward, grabbed onto Lemon Zest, and darted away with her speed magic, before coming back for the other girls. In a few seconds, both the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts had vanished, and the crowd had no way on how to follow them.
"There. Now this forest is protected for all of time." Gaia pulled her hands out from the ground and looked over to Gloriosa. The light that had hit the forest was now enveloping all of them, and blanketing the whole ruin in its radiance. "I know that it comes as a shock that the world around us has been cordoned off from the rest of the planet, but this is for the good of the forest, and to put a stop to that wicked witch once and for all."
"I still don't understand, Gaia." Gloriosa slowly stepped forward and examined the Gatekey, which was now glowing all the colours of the rainbow. "Why go to all this trouble to seal the world off when the Power of the Everfree still has yet to choose a wielder?"
"The Rainbooms are mighty heroines indeed, but unfortunately, they have all suffered from inner demons and internal conflicts." Gaia looked out of the light towards the forest. "They are pure now, yes. But the Power of the Everfree judges everything that that person has done. And if they have made any mistakes out of anger, or even evil, then it will instead blanket them in a nightmare scape that can only be ended once they wake up once again.
"Sunset Shimmer might be the hero of two of the trials, she was still a ruthless monster back in the first." Gaia hung her head and sighed. "The Power of the Everfree will deny her, and most likely the rest of the Rainbooms because of their actions." She floated back to Gloriosa. "What I did was not out of selfishness, but out of insurance. This way, we will have plenty of time to evaluate all twelve of the chosen heroes, before we finally find the one worthy enough to wield the Power of the Everfree and finish Miasma and her mechanical army forever."
"But what if none of them are worthy of the power?" Gloriosa tipped her hand. "We can't beat Miasma without it, can we?"
"No, we cannot. Which is why there is a chosen one to wield the Power of the Everfree and stop this madness." Gaia Everfree looked back at Gloriosa and lifted her up into her arms. "Trust me, Gloriosa. This is the only way. It might be the hardest and least appealing way that there is, but we cannot take any chances with that fiend out there causing chaos."
"It still seems like a bit of overkill to me that we have to not only wrap the whole forest in a thorn dome, but also to bury it underground too." Gloriosa laid back in Gaia's arms as she was carried off towards the Housetree. "Won't people realize what's going on and want to investigate?"
"The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts approach. I can feel their magical power not only on full display, but escalating and transcending that of their old magic." Gaia's eyes turned green, and she saw the Shadowbolts and Rainbooms running together through the forest with their wings and horns. "Funny. Their magic used to start off as being accessible only through an Equestrian vessel. Now, it has evolved and gone beyond what it could do in the past. Soon, they will have the power to freely control their magic, without having to do something relating to their individual Elements of Harmony."
"Sounds great, but that's still just words. Without proof that they can defeat Miasma with this power, then what good is it?" Gloriosa shrugged. "You just gave it to them without any form of training or combat regime. How are they gonna be able to use it to defeat the Treekillers?"
"The Rainbooms are no ordinary mortals. They are immortals with aging bodies." Gaia smiled. "Starting out as babies, they have quickly grown up into invincible defenders of light, hope, and justice, facing some of the toughest enemies of all time, and safeguarding their home from forces beyond their imagination.
"Don't worry about it, Gloriosa." Gaia gave her a gentle peck on her forehead before looking back to the Housetree. "I know that they will be able to save our world."
"Somehow, I doubt that..." Gloriosa looked uncertain as the two of them approached a crossroads where the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were just arriving.
"Gloriosa! Gaia!" They all ran up to the two of them and walked side-by-side with them.
"Girls!" Gloriosa masqueraded a look of happiness, when deep down, her emotions were entirely different. "How's it hanging?"
"Oh, good, good. Except for the fact that this place has been covered with thorns!" Rarity pulled up her trousers, revealing a number of small cuts where the thorns had grazed her. "If it weren't for Fluttershy and her first-aid prowess, I wouldn't have survived!"
"Rarity. It was just a few scrapes." Applejack shot her a bemused look as she pulled out some plasters and stuck them onto the open wounds. "You'll get over it. You always do."
"So why did you two do it?" Sci-Twi raised a brow at Gaia and Gloriosa. "Weren't we trying to save this forest from Miasma?"
"We are, but the Power of the Everfree still sleeps, and without it, your magic cannot reach its ultimate potential." Gaia Everfree put Gloriosa down and let her walk with the other girls. "Until it chooses its' bearer, we cannot guarantee success against Miasma or her mechanized warriors."
"So then what are we waiting for? Let's go find this magic and wake it up!" Rainbow charged ahead with Indigo Zap.
"Why the rush?" Sweet skipped after them with the rest of the group following close behind. "It's just a little magical ball, isn't it?"
"Shows what you know, Sweet." Indigo Zap balled up her hands into knuckles. "Gaia Everfree just said it, didn't she? Without the Power of the Everfree, there's a chance that Miasma could win this! I don't want the Magic of Friendship to fail for the first time in our lives!"
"It's worse. The Power of the Everfree can also be attacked while in its' dormant state by anyone, leading it to get cracked and corrupted." Gaia Everfree caught up with Rainbow and Indigo. "When this happens, it expels dark magic that anyone can get their hands on. If Miasma cracks it open and infuses herself with the darkness, then it's lights out for the Everfree Forest."
"Uhhh... Yeah, and the end of the world thing that Gaia said." Rainbow Dash looked back to the others.
"Honestly, Dashie, since when is it never the end of the world for you?" Gloriosa asked, leaping through the trees with her equipment ready.
"Yeah, it's always been that way; ever since Twilight Sparkle came from Equestria. And it's likely not going to change now that we've got this super-duper magical upgrade!" Pinkie chirped.
As the girls approached the Housetree, they heard a loud electric roar and the roaring of flames as the path ahead of them lit ablaze. Lasers shot out through the darkness and the sound of crashing trees accompanied the faint sound of the crackling fires up ahead.
"What in Ecoloris' name is that?!" Gloriosa was the first to see what was going on, causing the rest of the girls to speed up.
Miasma's Cerberus was chewing through the Housetree with all of its' weaponry. Firing its' missiles at the base, burning the surrounding trees with the flamethrowers, swiping everything behind it with the tail, and hammering into the massive tree with the mech's claws. The damage she did was extensive, and the Housetree had already acquired multiple holes and was beginning to light on fire.
"Of all of the forests I've torn down before, this has to be the absolute worst of them all!" Miasma pounded on all of the buttons inside, making the Cerberus deluge the tree with machine gun shots and more flamethrower fires causing the flames to rise and cause cracks to appear around the Housetree. "Once I'm done with this forest, not only will we have the best city of all time, but I will personally never, ever, EVER allow anyone to have their say ever again!
"In New World's new world, we shall destroy everyone and everything that does not heed our warnings, and ensure that corruption does not taint that world as it has that one!" she roared. "Now to roll out the red carpet, so that the Grand Master's plan to purge the world can go through unhindered! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
Gaia's breathing went heavy, and her eyes turned red. Her hands turned into claws, and the leaves around her turned white as she glowed brighter and brighter. Letting out an ear-piercing scream of her own, she barrelled into the Cerberus, grabbed it with her vines, and slammed it onto the ground repeatedly.
"STAY. OUT. OF. OUR. WORLD. YOU. WITCH!" Gaia screamed with every slam, but the Cerberus didn't take any damage due to the shield generator.
"Initiating Anti-Gaia measures," the onboard AI for the Cerberus spoke.
The Cerberus became incredibly hot, and lit the vines on fire. The flames danced until they spread out across the ground, and off to more trees in the distance. It also reached Gaia Everfree's body, and she was immediately lit on fire too.
"GAIA!" Gloriosa cried out as she watched her friend light on fire.
"Get out of here! Get to the Power and wake it up! NOW!" Gaia called back as the fires got higher and higher around her body, and were now up to her face.
Gritting her teeth, Sunny Flare stomped on the ground and threw her arms out to the side, causing clouds to appear inside of the dome and pour down rain extremely heavily onto the battlefield. It doused all of the flames, including the ones around Gaia and the Housetree.
"Gah! You miserable brats!" Miasma pushed Gaia away and set her sights on the Rainbooms, getting up to their faces with the heads of her Cerberus. "I should have killed you when I had the chance! Little babies like you should not have magic—especially if you do not have the proper way to control it!" She furiously pounded the buttons with her fists, sending the heads of the Cerberus out and making them bite at the girls. "DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! ALL OF YOU WORTHLESS TEENAGE TWERPS SHALL DIE!"
The girls narrowly ducked and weaved out of the way of the beast's teeth as Gloriosa fired her sap bombs down on the eyes of the monstrous machine. The sap covered the eyes, and before Miasma could react, she was blinded by the sticky goop.
"Girls! Follow me! I'll take you to the Power of the Everfree!" Gloriosa reached out to the Rainbooms, who wasted no time in following her. "Quickly! Before that monster follows us!"
"Don't you dare run away from me! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT LIKE PROPER MONSTERS!" Miasma screamed, making the heads roar once more as the girls made their escape into the darkened forest.
Gloriosa, the Rainbooms, and the Shadowbolts ran through the forest, with the Cerberus chasing behind them. Their breathing was incredibly heavy and their sweat turned into streams as they desperately tried to stay away from the giant machine trying to destroy them. Some of the girls nearly tripped up over some of the tree roots during the chase, and struggled to find their footing again.
"You're only making it worse for yourselves!" Miasma pressed some more buttons on her console, making her beast leap into the air in the attempt to crush some of the girls.
Rarity screamed and threw her arms airborne towards the falling robot, and all of a sudden, a transparent forcefield made of diamonds surrounded her and expanded, throwing the Cerberus forward and making it tumble and collapse around the other girls, almost crushing them in the process.
"Oh my..." Rarity looked at her hand before she looked at the overturned Cerberus, now helpless as a turtle on its back. "I never knew I could do that!
"Nice!" Indigo fist-pumped as she looked at the Cerberus. "It's been immobilized! Let's get going!"
"DAMMIT!" Miasma banged her head against the console of her machine as she tried to turn the machine up. All that happened, though, was that the legs of the mech simply flailer around helplessly. "WHY CAN'T I GET UP?!"
"That's the problem with these mech suits." Sci-Twi examined the legs of the Cerberus as they continued to jiggle and wave around. "They're powerful, yes. But if they're overturned—and especially with that design—then they're pretty useless."
"Let's get out of here before she gets back up, then." Sunset Shimmer and the girls continued to run farther and farther away from the immobile machine as fast as they could. "The quicker we get to the Power of the Everfree, the quicker we can finish Miasma once and for all."
"NO! STOP! DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM ME, YOU MAGGOTS!" Miasma screamed as she pounded on all of the buttons in an attempt to try and flip her mech up or fire a weapon of any sort. She ended up blanketing herself in explosion smoke and putting herself underground even more. "I WILL HAVE YOUR HEADS! I SWEAR IT!"
When Gloriosa and the girls were out of Miasma's sight, they arrived at a cave with red crystals on the inside. The stalactimes and stalagmites inside were all very close together, like teeth gnashing against each other. The stagnant stench of water and roses hit the girls' noses when they walked inside.
"We'll be safe in here." Gloriosa ran towards a giant stone wheel and pushed it against the hole. It just fit the gap and sealed everyone inside, cutting them off from the rest of the Everfree Forest. "This is probably the most safe place of them all in the Everfree Forest. Not many people know about it, and even less dare to go in."
When the cave was closed, a bright blue light emanated from an altar in the middle. The red gems that surrounded it were glowing radiantly, and a bright blue orb with markings similar to the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts' logos appeared on it. THe orb itself was pulsating with rainbow-coloured energy, and there were faint whispers radiating off of it.
"Girls. Allow me to introduce you to the Power of the Everfree." Gloriosa walked up to the orb and stood behind it, watching the other girls step towards it. "It's the heart of the magic here in the Everfree Forest. If it falls into the hands of evil, then the world we know is done."
"It's so pretty..." Pinkie Pie was lost in a trance as she walked forward towards the orb and reached out to try and touch it. She was just about to lay her palm on the orb when Gloriosa grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"Yes. And it's only for the chosen one." Gloriosa looked Pinkie in the eyes and snapped her out of the trance by doing so. "The Power of the Everfree judges all that touch it, and decides the fate of the person through all of their life decisions and actions.
"For years, it has slept dormant in orb form. Me and Gaia have been defending it for as long as we can." Gloriosa walked back towards the orb and gazed deeper into it. "But now that Miasma seeks to destroy the forest, we can only assume that she intends to hunt down the Power of the Everfree as well. We cannot, under any circumstances let that witch harness that dark power that could come from corrupting this jewel of magic."
"Forgive me for sounding so skeptical about this, Gloriosa." Sugarcoat tipped her hand and cocked a brow at her. "But what exactly is the Power of the Everfree?"
"Didn't I already say that?" Gloriosa gently skimmed her hand over the magical ball. "The Power of the Everfree controls all of the plantlife in the forest, augmenting and accelerating their growth to levels not even physically possible." With a simple tap on the ball, a blue pulse spread out far into the forest beyond. "This magic has the power to sustain all of the magic in the forest, revive any trees that were felled by Miasma and her company, but also change the forest into a true vision of beauty. Blooms of multiple different glowing colours, nighttime plants that shine brighter and more beautifully than any night light or streetlamp, and pure streams of unhindered magic dancing through the air, keeping it all in check.
"Legend has it that a chosen one shall inherit this power and be bestowed the blessing of Ecoloris himself." Gloriosa looked back up at the girls. "Someone who is pure of heart, devoid of any evil, and has just been an overall samaritan. That chosen one is one of you twelve."
"I already know it's not going to be me or her." Sour looked over at Sweet, gazing at the crystals all around the cave. "Together as one person, we did some pretty bad things back at Crystal Prep Academy."
"It has to be someone who didn't do anything wrong who can use this power." Sunny Flare turned towards the rest of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. "And I already know for a fact that we made a pretty big mistake back at the Friendship Games."
"Yeah. We were all just puppets on Cinch's strings." Lemon Zest nodded and took her headphones off. "I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad. I was just caught up in the moment and curious as to what that magic could've done for all of us."
"The Power of the Everfree judges you on everything. Not just one simple mistake denies you the right to use it." Gloriosa patted Lemon Zest's shoulders. "It will judge you based on your personality, your ideals, your actions in the past, and how you affected the world around you. If you meet the criteria, then the power is yours."
"And if we don't?" Fluttershy meekly raised a finger.
"Let's just say you'll see something that'll never leave your heads..." Gloriosa's brows lowered as she looked back at the orb. "It's a bit daunting, I agree. But if you're brave enough to be judged by the orb, then feel free and place your hand on it."
"Look at it, Twilight." Midnight Sparkle crept up behind Sci-Twi as a silhouette and whispered in her ears. "Doesn't it feel inviting? Don't you want to touch it? To learn it? To win this silly little competition with it?"
"No." Sci-Twi looked back at Midnight and gave the monster a glare. "I don't want to be involved with anything involving you ever again. You hurt so many people, and you caused nothing but pain and suffering not just for the Canterlot High students, but for the Crystal Prep Academny kids as well." She balled her hands into fists and stepped forward. "You have no right to haunt me! And the sooner that I banish you from my conscience, the sooner I'll be happier!"
"Happiness? What good is that when all that it brings you is the suffering and jealousy of others?!" Midnight screeched and slithered with her tongue. "When you're happy, the world doesn't seem to agree. The Crystal Prep students didn't like you then, and I'm sure that they all hate you now!"
"Uhh... Girls?" Sunset backed away from Twilight, seeing Midnight Sparkle materialize before her. "It is just me, or is Twilight's visions of Midnight Sparkle becoming a reality?"
"All that you've ever cared about is work, grades, and your own well-being!" Midnight's feet stomped on the ground, her wings unfurled, and her horn shone bright as she took her physical form. "You don't care about anyone or anything else deep down! You're just a mindless and soulless machine, trapped in a world of science books and exam papers! You always have been, and always will be!" With a purple burst of energy, Midnight appeared in full detail in front of Twilight. "And once you have a taste of the magic, you can never go back! I'll always be haunting your every dreams! Hiding in the darkest corners of your mind! Waiting for you to slip up and open yourself up to magic once more!"
"Midnight's back!" Pinkie Pie jumped into the air and waved her arms. "EVERYBODY PANIC AND RUN AROUND IN CIRCLES!" She screamed and yelled as loud as she could, making laps around the altar and the orb.
"Huh?" Midnight looked down at her hand and made it into a claw, creating an orb of black energy. She looked at the other one and saw the exact same result. "Hmm... Perhaps this Power of the Everfree is stronger than you thought, Gloriosa." She turned her gaze to the forest girl and lit up the tip of her horn.
"Who are you?! And how do you know my name?!" Gloriosa took up a battle stance as she eyed up the demon.
"I am Midnight Sparkle." She flapped her wings hard, sending a gust of wind in Gloriosa's face. "Mistress of the darkness, embodiment of the Crystal Prep Shadowbolts, and all of the evil desires of your precious little Twilight Sparkle here."
"Embodiment of the Shadowbolts?! Hah! Get real!" Indigo Zap taunted Midnight, jabbing her finger at her. "You're nothing more than a mistake; one that we should've never made back at the Games!"
"I beg to differ, little ones." Midnight licked her lips and gazed down at the Shadowbolts. "All of your greedy and foolish desires are what created me, and so I actually am part of all of you. No matter how many times you want to deny it, the evidence will always remain clear. The Friendship Games is your sin, and the very same that not only allowed me to rise from Twilight Sparkle, but also cut you off from the light once and for all!"
"I admit. Our disregard brought chaos not only to our school, but to Canterlot High as well." Sunny Flare hung her head and made fists out of her hands too. "But what do YOU have to gain from all of this? Why continuously plague poor Twilight with your infernal malice and desire for destruction?"
"Weak and scared little Sunny Flare." Midnight stomped forward and got right in her face. "Behind all of those big words and supposed generousity, you're nothing more than a face out in the crowd. You conformed to Abacus's rules, and your entire personality was lost as a whole! What are you now, when you are nothing more than a background character?"
"I... I..." Sunny Flare couldn't even find the right words.
"Leave her alone, you big bully!" Lemon Zest pushed Midnight away from Sunny. "You've got no right to talk to Sunny that way!"
"Bah! I reach the limits of my patience. I've no time to deal with your petty antics and sappy talk about friendship!" Midnight slammed her hands against the ground, knocking all of the Shadowbolts against the wall, almost impaling them on the rock formations. "There's a world to be conquered, magic to be discovered, and much more now that I am free from that wretched sap of a vessel." She flew over to the Power of the Everfree and drove her claws into it, causing the ball to turn purple and expel black lightning. "If it's any consolation, Miasma will also be annihilated before I leave this forest. None will survive. Not her. Not you, and especially not New World! This world is mine to rule, and I won't let anyone else say otherwise!"
"NO! STOP!" Gloriosa ran towards the cracked orb but was knocked back against the walls by a dark purple ring of energy that burst out of it. All of her arms and legs were shackled to the walls, and her entire body was chained up.
Sunset Shimmer and Sci-Twi fought against the roaring magical torrent while the rest of their friends were pushed back. They tried using their powers to fight Midnight, but the dark magic that was spewing out of the Power of the Everfree was creating a barrier around her.
"Power of the Everfree. My conquest shall begin anew." Midnight Sparkle spoke in a serene tone to the ball of magic. "Ahh. But know this. I shall use your darkness as much as I desire." The whispers rang in her ears, and she hummed in content as the rest of the ball turned dark purple. "Mark my words. You can no more be complete without me, than I without you.
"Heed me, almightiest of magics. Lend me your power, so that I might be complete." Midnight's horn grew longer, her wings got bigger and sharper, and her claws grew extra long. She contracted a new demonic look and her eyes burned a shade of dark purple. "The power to erase the foolish mortals that hinder me."
"Midnight! STOP THIS!" Sci-Twi screamed as she got closer and closer to Midnight.
"The Rainbooms, who pray and hope with their flimsy Magic of Friendship." Midnight cast glares at them as her arms and legs grew spiky purple armour.
"Midnight! DON'T!" Sunset pleaded as she made it to the altar, continuing to fight back against the blast of energy.
"The Shadowbolts, responsible for my creation." Midnight now cast her gaze on the Shadowbolts as her chest and head now grew armour as well.
"YOU CAN'T CONTROL ANY OF THIS!" Gloriosa cried out from the walls. "YOU'LL END UP DESTROYING YOURSELF!"
"And the rest of these foolish pretenders of magic and control." Midnight's grin grew wider as her horn poked out of the helmet she was now wearing. "Those fools at Canterlot High and Crystal Prep know that magic is beyond their understanding, but it's not beyond mine! MAGIC IS THE BE-ALL AND END ALL FOR EVERYTHING, IN ALL WORLDS!"
With one final blast of light, the cave was entirely destroyed, and a dark purple beam of energy shot out at the thorny dome, lighting all of the vines on fire and making them disappear as the forest began to rise back up to the world, with the night sky now visible.
Once the forest was back to where it used to be, Midnight shot another torrent of energy up into the air, causing a dark purple vortex to blot out the stars and moon that hung in the air. Lightning shot out from the anomaly, as she fired on multiple different parts of the forest, creating new cracks leading not just to Equestria, but to the other worlds that the Gatekey projected.
"I think it's safe to say that we're well and truly screwed." Rainbow Dash looked at the world as Midnight began to use her magic all over it. There were rifts everywhere, and the sky was completely consumed by darkness. "And something tells me that she's not going to be easy to beat this time around..."
"This can't be happening." Gloriosa looked into the sky as Midnight continued to rip open gateways to Equestria and to countless other worlds with her magic and claws. "This just can't be happening!"
"The Power of the Everfree must've resonated with Twilight and allowed Midnight to be resurrected." Sugarcoat examined the cracked orb that continued to spew out dark magic. "Yet for some reason, Midnight isn't in control of Twilight's body anymore. She's still here. Why is that?"
"Midnight wanted me to use magic again, and the second she found an opportunity, she leapt at it." Sci-Twi looked down at her trembling hands. "I'm thankful that she's no longer a part of me, but I'm really worried about what she's going to do as her own free-willed entity..."
"We need to stop her, and fast!" Rainbow Dash threw her arm towards Midnight as she spoke to the girls. "If she continues opening up portals like that, then who knows who could be in danger?"
"But look at the Power of the Everfree!" Gloriosa pointed over towards the orb herself. "It's been fractured, and that monster is harnessing all of the evil that now plagues it! It's only a matter of time before that darkness takes the orb entirely, and turns this forest into a nightmare scape devoid of hope!"
"Then we've gotta fix it, and fast!" Sunset Shimmer's hand glowed a bright shade of yellow as she poised her hand over the cracks. She fired a bright beam at where the darkness was pouring out and managed to hold it back. "I'll contain the dark magic for as long as I can. How we can restore it, I have no clue, though."
"So what now?" Sour asked, walking over to the orb. "Duct tape? Glue? Some flimsy welding tools? It's over, girls! Just accept it!"
"It's never over, Sour!" Sci-Twi shouted back at her before she walked over to the orb. She gently examined the crack and readjusted her glasses. "Midnight might have cracked the orb, but there's still a way that we can harness the power that lurks deep inside of it."
"And how do we do that?" Fluttershy slowly stepped forward. "It looks awfully evil, and I don't think that that crack's gonna be sealed up any time soon."
"I have a plan, but there's no guarantees that it'll work." Sci-Twi looked back at the rest of the girls. "You girls can all Pony-Up, right?"
"Yes?" They all chimed together.
"Then use that power. Make it resonate with the Power of the Everfree. Combine the six elements and strike at the orb's heart, cleanse it of the darkness, and reawaken the true power." Sci-Twi stepped backwards. "It might be expelling dark magic at the moment, but I know now. Magic only stems from the heart of the user. It has no bearing on what happens to the rest of the world. Midnight's power is strong, but you girls have something that she doesn't."
"What's that?" Gloriosa approached Sci-Twi.
"You have your friendships. You have your bonds. And you have your rainbow-coloured magic." Sci-Twi nodded at the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. "Together, you can call upon that very same power to restore the orb to normal, just as you did when you defeated Midnight back at the Friendship Games."
"It's a long shot, but I suppose that it couldn't hurt." Rarity looked at the orb, the crack only getting bigger and bigger, spewing more dark magic and making Sunset grit her teeth with her heightened concentration. "What have we got to lose anyways? Midnight's already ripping the world asunder, there's no way that it could possibly get worse."
"Alright." Sunset Shimmer took her magic away from the orb, letting the flow of dark purple energy flow smoothly once more. "Let's give your idea a shot, Twilight."
The girls all took a hexagon formation around the altar, raising their hands to the air as they all started to glow their skin colours. Gaining pony ears, wings, horns, and tails, their emblems appeared beneath their feet in the middle of a magical rune.
"Honesty!" Applejack called out as her rune glowed brighter.
"Loyalty!" Rainbow Dash added once her rune lit up too.
"Generousity!" Rarity also called out.
"Laughter!" Pinkie Pie leapt up and threw confetti out to her sides as the mark below her began to shine.
"Kindness." Fluttershy nodded calmly and clasped her hands together.
"Magic!" Sunset finished, generating the final rune.
The Rainbooms were all tethered together by a bright rainbow-coloured chain and shone even brighter than before. The runes turned clear white and fired beams that created a hexagonal prism around the altar. The walls of the prism glimmered brightly, even in the dark vortex above of them.
The six corners of the prism's inside glowed the shades of the rainbow, and thin lines of energy converged onto the center, right onto the Power of the Everfree. The most powerful blast of light then occurred, fixing the crack and negating the stream of darkness once and for all.
"Go, Twilight!" Sunset called out as the prism opened up on one of the sides. "Get to the Power of the Everfree!"
"Okay!" Sci-Twi nodded as she jumped into the prism and laid both of her hands on the orb.
The Power of the Everfree glowed brighter still, carrying Sci-Twi into the air and illuminating her eyes. The orb pulsated the colours of the rainbow once more, and as Twilight's grasp on the ball tightened, she could see an entirely different reality. She felt like she was flying through space at light speed with her hands far behind her as she saw things that she had never seen before.
Images of her entire life flashed before her. From when she was just being born, to her first day at school, to the time she spent at CPA, to the Friendship Games, and even to the discovery of the orb itself. Every picture flashed by at the speed of light, and at the end of it all, Twilight could see an extroadinarily radiant corridor of light.
"So warm..." Twilight stepped forward towards the light, reaching out to touch it. When she finally felt something, she clutched onto it tight. "I remember now. The Magic of Friendship." Sci-Twi readjusted to the light and saw all of her friends, giving her bright smiles as they gave her gentle nods. "The ultimate tool to end conflict. The final weapon capable of banishing the darkness. And the magic that will safeguard my world, and many others.
"Midnight Sparkle poses a threat not just to this world, but to many others as well," said Sci-Twi. "I want to defend them, but I can't do it alone." She looked at Sunset in the eyes and gave them all a smile. "Together. That's what you girls are known for. Together, we can defeat Midnight, save our world, and make sure that she never haunts anyone ever again!"
With another blast of light, Twilight returned to the altar looking completely different. Her hair flowed brightly and had stars twinkling in it. She wore a dress with sky-blue gloves and shoes with her Cutie Mark resting on her collar. She had a bright white horn poking out of her hair, a pair of angel wings, and her glasses were completely gone.
"Whoa..." Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest both dropped their jaws together as they looked at Twilight. "Awesome!"
"My name is Twilight Sparkle." Sci-Twi nodded as she looked at her new body. "I am the embodiment of magic, and the chosen one decided by the Power of the Everfree. I know all of my counterpart's powers and can bend the forest's power to my will. I, along with all of you, shall defeat Midnight Sparkle and save this world from decimation. For my name is..." She flew up into the sky and pushed her hands out, creating a bright burst of light that closed off all of the rifts Midnight had summoned, as well as shrink the portal that she had created. "Constellation Sparkle!"
With a swing of Constellation's arms, a giant tree-like creature was formed. The arms and legs were composed entirely out of pieces of the Everfree Forest, and the head, knees, palms, and chest had holes in them. With yet another swing, she encased the Rainbooms in bubbles and carried them into the conjured treant, making it light up with the colours of the rainbow.
"Hey! What about us?!" Sunny cried out from the ground.
"Oh. Sorry. My mistake." Constellation used her magic to teleport the Shadowbolts onto the shoulders of the treant and root them in place, securely locking their legs into the shoulders of the creation so that they didn't fall out. "Now, we shall face Midnight with pride!"
"So that's how you want to play it, is it?!" Midnight snarled as she looked ar Constellation and the giant. Swooping down to the ground, she fired a massive laser and pulled out a massive chunk of the earth. "Well, that's just fine with me. A giant-on-giant battle should be worthy of the last fight your miserable species shall ever see!"
With her own dark magic, Midnight uprooted Miasma's Cerberus mech and set it down on the ground. However, it paled in comparison to that of the one made by Constellation. Looking over at Gaia Everfree approaching her with a furious look on her face, Midnight fired a beam of darkness at her, causing her to fall unconscious and fly directly towards the Cerberus.
"Now. Let's see what this all mixes together into!" Midnight flew in between the two forces and grabbed onto both of them, imbuing her power into both of them as she and they all glowed a foreboding shade of dark purple.
A dark sphere of energy cocooned the three of them and was shot high into the air, straight into the vortex. It grew in size and shot out even more lightning before deluging darkness down onto the forest floor. The stream was so powerful that it was causing a crater to form where the beam was hitting.
What descended from the beam was the size of the Housetree that Gloriosa lived in, and was a combination of flesh, nature, and machine. Wires and vines portruded out of the legs, arms, and back, as massive wings with pulsating black veins were unfurled. Demonic red eyes opened up as the monster's claws were unfurled and conducted lightning between each clawtip. The chest of the creation was glowing black and purple, and with a massive roar, the beast threw its arms backwards and arched its head towards the sky.
"A fusion of all things evil and powerful in this forest, added with the dark side of the chosen one and the Power of the Everfree, I am the ultimate amalgamation of raw power," the monster spoke in Midnight Sparkle, Miasma, and Gaia Everfree's voices all at once. "The true bringer of the apocalypse, and the ultimate demon entity of destruction and conquest. I am Midnight Eclipse!"
"Let's finish this!" Sunset Shimmer shouted at Midnight. "I'm not going to let some monster destroy our worlds!"
"Yeah! This ends right here, right now!" Lemon Zest violently pressed her finger against the palm of her hand.
"We shall end this, once and for all. Now and forever, my dark counterpart." Constellation remained calm, despite the monster that she was facing. "To finally cleanse Twilight Sparkle once and for all, we shall destroy you, and let the light rule over these worlds once more!"
"Then bring it on!" Midnight flexed her middle finger, to taunt the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. "This final battle shall decide once and for all the true meaning of magic, as well as the fate of the world!" Midnight threw her arms back, unfurling her wings even wider. "Prepare yourself! Unlike the Friendship Games, I will NOT hold back this time!"
Midnight's claws charged together a powerful web of black electricity as she threw them up and towards Constellation and her friends. With a growl, she fired a torrent of purple energy wrapped in lightning towards the girls and their giant.
Constellation waved her hand, creating a wall of translucent energy, with twinkling stars all over it. The energy collided against her wall and vanished entirely, shattering like glass against her power. With another wave, she coated herself in stardust and shone brighter than before. She arched her body forward and dashed at Midnight, flying at the speed of light.
With this otherworldly speed, she held her hand out, firing a beam of light around Midnight and leaving a white trail all over her body. She cocooned the monster's entire body and flew right back to where she was. She clicked her fingers, and the marks she had left on Midnight glowed the colours of the rainbow and started to burn her flesh.
"ARRRRGH!" Midnight roared, casting her gaze at the girls before she was punched in the face by the giant, being operated by the Rainbooms. She had no time to react as Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat deluged her face with their powers. "INSUFFERABLE LITTLE MAGGOTS! DARKNESS IS ALL THAT REMAINS!"
"It's working!" Gloriosa climbed up the body of the giant, clinging onto the vines for dear life as it took steps backward. "The Power of the Everfree is flourishing! It's banishing the darkness even now!"
"That's what you think!" Midnight flapped her wings and held her claws up high, creating black thorns that moved with her arms. "TRY THIS!" She thrust her arms forward, sending the black plants towards the girls rapidly.
Constellation graciously ducked, weaved, and flew around the vines as they swirled all around her and her friends. Every jab that was taken at her she was able to dodge, and when her friends were being overwhelmed, she shot a blast of light towards them, destroying the vines instantly.
Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes and concentrated within the head of the giant. Gathering yellow and white magic, she sealed herself inside an orb and transformed into what she had become back at the Friendship Games. She burst out of the ball in a brilliant burst of light and placed her hands on the body of the created life-form.
The giant's body shone the colours of the rainbow as the arms and legs became gold, but was still made entirely out of natural things. The limbs grew veins that were the same colours of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts' hair and skins, to the point where it was almost a mess on the eyes with how bright it was.
"YOU'RE ALL WEAK!" Midnight stomped her feet, sending an earthquake out to topple the giant and throw Gloriosa off of it. "I WILL DESTROY YOU, CONQUER EVERYTHING, AND REIGN AS THE SUPREME GODDESS OF MAGIC!"
Gloriosa held on tightly as the giant wobbled and stumbled on the shaking earth. She waited for it all to stop so she could keep on climbing, but with no luck as her grip on the vines was beginning to slip, and the vine itself was falling out of the earth it was secured to. First it snapped, then she let go of it, and Gloriosa fell towards the ground.
Constellation saw her out of the corner of her eyes and darted down towards her as fast as she could. Mere seconds before Gloriosa splatted onto the ground like a pancake, Constellation caught her and took her up to the top of the titan. She gently set her down on the head, causing a throne to appear.
"There you go, Gloriosa." Constellation set Gloriosa down in the throne and held her hand out towards her. Magically, she was sealed into the chair by her legs and chest. "A throne befitting a queen. The Queen of the Everfree Forest." With another wave, she created a laurel crown and deftly put it on Gloriosa's head.
"Watching you befriend those cowards sickens me, Twilight." Midnight scoffed and crossed her arms, causing spikes to form all around her body. "Magic is the ultimate tool to end a life with. It's not supposed to be wielded by some prancing widdle ponies!" She used air quotes when looking at Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms. "It's meant to be used to destroy!"
"You're wrong, Midnight Sparkle. Dark Magic is meant to be used to destroy." Constellation shook her head as she stared down the demon. "True magic is meant to heal all wounds, restore all damage, and prevent any more lives from being lost to monsters like you!"
"No. You're wrong. ALL forms of magic cause death and destruction, even yours!" Midnight hissed and stared down at the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. "You blanket yourself with lies, ones that you reinforce with this stupid little nonsense such as the Magic of Friendship. Not even you know the magic's true power, or what it can do to your enemies!"
"You're the one who's lying to yourself!" Constellation fired a shot at Midnight's eyes that travelled so fast that it blinded her. She watched the demon recoil and cry out as the clutched her eyes. "You let Dark Magic seep into your system so much that you don't even know who you are anymore. Any shred of humanity you had left is now gone, and you remain a monster who's only purpose is to hurt and destroy!"
So what if I am?!" Midnight snarled, gnashing her teeth together as she tore open another rift with her bare hands. "I LIKE having the power to hurt. It's the only thing that gives me a sense of comfort in times of boredom or sadness. Anything that gets in my way is unacceptable, and a perversion of magic's true nature!"
"Do not try to philosophise your way out of this one, Midnight!" Twilight drew a line with her own magic before making a large oval around it. A bright eye formed where she had drawn and gazed at the rift, removing it entirely. "Magic's true purpose is decided by the hand that wields it, not the ones who seek raw power. All that you bring yourself to is flawed power, when in reality, the strongest life-forms are the ones who are pure of heart, and willing to help people with the magic by their side!"
"ENOUGH!" Midnight screamed and fired magic into the vortex, causing it to start pulling the forest out of the ground and up into the portal. "IF ALL THAT YOU CARE ABOUT IS SAVING THE WORLD, THEN THERE SHALL BE NO WORLD FOR YOU TO SAVE! I SHALL DEVOUR ALL OF IT AND SHATTER YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS LIKE GLASS!"
"Girls! Now!" Constellation looked down at the other girls, who all started to glow their colours once more and make their giant radiate. She and Sunset both got together and held hands as they closed their eyes and smiled.
"And so it shall be that the twelve heroes would unite on the fields of battle and destroy the darkness once and for all." Gloriosa closed her eyes too and began reciting something as the giant began to bloom all different coloured plants as the girls called on the six Elements of Harmony. "Kindness, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, and Generousity would be branded to magic, creating a force beyond anything that this world has ever seen. A force not only to purify the corrupted, but to destroy the wickedness and evil that plagues our worlds.
"That time has come at long last." Gloriosa looked over at Midnight and remembered that Gaia was still a part of her. "But what shall remain of my friend once the dust settles? Where will Gaia Everfree be when Midnight turns to dawn? Will she perish along with her, or will she live on?"
The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts controlled the giant and made it hold out its right arm towards Midnight, causing the light to get stronger and stronger as another emblem appeared by the behemoth's feet. It showed the six elements of the Magic of Friendship, as well as the emblems of the girls who embodied those elements, with both Twilight and Sunset's Cutie Marks at the centre of it all.
A tornado of light swirled around the giant, striking into the sky high above, colliding with the vortex and making it begin to dissipate. At the same time, the massive construct pushed its arm forward and gathered magic from all twelve of the girls, with Sunset Shimmer and Constellation adding their own power to it.
"NOW WE SETTLE THIS. ONCE AND FOR ALL! NOW AND FOREVER!" Midnight collected energy of her own and created a massive circular rune in front of her body, with thorns and archaic markings all around it, with a dark purple pool of black magic at the rune's heart. "I WILL NOT BE BESTED BY SOME LOWLIFE, UNDERAGED, UNDEREXPERIENCED, AND DOWNRIGHT UGLY BABIES!"
Both Midnight and the Rainbooms fired off colossal beams of magic that violently pushed and struggled against each other as their wielders gritted their teeth together. The push was strong, and both sides let out a yell that got louder and louder the more they fought back against their opponent.
"DIE! DIE! ALL OF YOU DIE!" Midnight pushed harder, making her beam of magic bigger, making a start on pushing the other one back towards the girls.
"The only thing that shall die today is the forces of evil!" Constellation flew through the beam and rammed into the darkness to keep it held back. "Your time has come to an end, Midnight Sparkle. It's time for a new day. Time to let the sun rise once more. And more importantly, to put the past behind us!"
"Weak. Do you not know that I am immortal?!" Midnight stared down at Constellation as she continued to fight back against the Rainbooms' magic. "Your darkness is what allows me to persist! As long as you have darkness, I'll just keep on coming back again and again, until at long last I achieve my goal and destroy all that remains of your precious light!"
Without another word, the Rainbooms and Constellation shattered Midnight's magic and drenched her in the beam of light. Slowly but surely, the monster's body began to rot, burn, and collapse on itself against the sheer force of the Magic of Friendship.
Midnight herself expected to feel no pain, but as soon as the blast had hit her, she felt something that she had never felt before. She could feel all of her insides burning away in the light, spontaneously combusting one after another as she clutched her chest and looked at the Rainbooms one last time. "No! This can't! You can't be—" letting out a final scream, she was completely obliterated by the light, leaving absolutely no trace of herself left as the magic overwhelmed her.
As soon as Midnight was vanquished, a flurry of black energy appeared where she was standing. It swirled and fluctuated for a few seconds before it started to engorge and turn white. The anomaly then exploded, covering the entire Everfree Forest in light and forcing the girls to all shield their eyes to avoid being blinded.
When the light died down, the sky was back to normal, the Everfree Forest was glowing a shade of light blue, and Miasma, her Cerberus, and the rest of her men were nowhere to be found. The giant vanished, and everyone floated back down to the ground before they all turned back to normal.
Gloriosa still had her crown on, and Sci-Twi was still missing her glasses. Sunset Shimmer's clothes returned to normal as her wings and horn vanished, and the rest of the girls no longer had their pony appendages. There was a long silence between all of them for a while until Pinkie Pie finally broke the silence.
"WE WON!" Pinkie cheered, looking around at the forest.
"Yeah! Midnight's gone, Miasma's nowhere to be found, and those Treekillers of hers most likely ran away!" Rainbow Dash fist-pumped in celebration. "The Magic of Friendhsip wins again."
"True. But not without a fair share of losses." Sugarcoat let out a sigh, pointing out towards the deeper part of the forest.
"Gaia..." The realization hit Sunset hard, and she walked over to a bunch of leaves and sticks. Trying to swallow back a lump in her throat, she picked up a nearby flower and laid it down by the bushes. "She gave her life to protect the Everfree Forest and save us from Miasma and Midnight. We should all be proud of her."
"Yes. We should."
Ecoloris appeared before the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts in a green aura with a big smile on his face. He came up to the kneeling Sunset Shimmer and put his hand on her shoulders.
"Gaia Everfree was a powerful being. One who I almost bled the forest dry trying to create." Ecoloris gently rubbed Sunset's shoulders as he looked down at the bushes with the flower by it. "The Everfree Forest's magic was what it required to create her, and after I did it the first time, our world was almost lost."
"Daddy..." Gloriosa slowly stepped towards Ecoloris.
"Gaia Everfree might be physical no more, but in the world of the Everfree, she lives on." Ecoloris gently put his hand on the leaves and cast a bright golden aura on them. He lifted it up and put it in a glistening bubble before tapping on it to make it disappear. "It may take some time to regenerate her, and you might not see her for a while, but she would be happy to know that you and the forest are safe."
"Wait. What does this mean for us, then?" Sunny Flare stepped forward, looking Ecoloris in the eyes.
"Gaia Everfree's disappearance has severed the supernatural powers that she granted to all of you." Ecoloris sighed and came over to Sunny, once he helped Sunset back on her feet. "Despite the fact that your powers have vanished, I am detecting a rather... different power coming from you and your Shadowbolt allies."
"The Magic of Friendship." Sci-Twi nodded, looking over at her former Crystal Prep friends. "You all got a taste of Sunset Shimmer's power as we defeated Midnight. The magic might've seeded all of you."
"Seeded?" Lemon Zest raised a brow.
"As in, you all have the Magic of Friendship, just like we have." Sunset Shimmer walked over to the Shadowbolts, nodding towards them. "It might take some getting used to with the ability to Pony-Up every now and again, but when you learn to conrol it completely, then you can all do wonderful things with it."
"What about Miasma?" Indigo Zap asked. "Is she really dead, or are we going to all get ambushed at the worst possible—" She gasped, getting everyone to frenetically look around for Miasma. No-one came, though "—Gotcha!"
"Miasma truly is gone." Ecoloris crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "The life energy of all things in this forest are fed directly to me. I know everyone's health at all times. And I can safely say, hand-on-heart, that all of Miasma's vitals are negative." He opened his eyes up again. "She's dead."
"Then New World will just be hunting us down even more." Sunset Shimmer hung her head. "We just killed one of their organization's members. These people WILL retaliate. And they'll hit back hard."
"So... what now?" Fluttershy asked.
"We brace for the future." Ecoloris looked over at Sci-Twi and gave her a wide smile. "Twilight Sparkle. As the guardian of the Power of the Everfree, I grant its blessing onto you permanently." He gently pressed his hand against her heart, inserting a stable flow of magical energy into her body. "Your power is now beyond anything that this world has ever seen before. I do hope that you will use it to save the rest of this planet from New World's malice."
"I will, Ecoloris." Sci-Twi blinked and looked up at him. "I have the power of my friends with me. And together, we can stand up to anything." She walked over to the Shadowbolts and Rainbooms, all of which hugged her tightly and smiled.
High above the sky, while everyone was hugging, the stars glistened and twinkled until bright lines were drawn between some of them. Together, the stars generated constellations of the Cutie Marks of Sci-Twi, Sunset, the Rainbooms, and the Shadowbolts. They shone the brightest in the night sky, and were accompanied by thousands more.
In a dark cave with a dripping celing, elongated stalagmites and stalactites, and a single brazier in the middle of it, a fire flickered on its last embers. The wood beneath it had been mostly burnt, and now all that remained were ashes. It desperately danced on what remained of the wood, but was getting smaller and smaller every minute.
A figure dressed in a black hood with blue lines on it walked into the room, towards the fire. It saw the flame trying to burn, reached down towards it, and blew it out with a simple breath. She then reached over to the brazier's lid and closed it up tight, looking at what remained of the lifeless and damp wood.
"And with that, the flames of Miasma and her men have been snuffed out." The figure put down the hood and revealed herself as Abacus Cinch. Only now, she wore a pendant of New World around her neck instead of her usual attire. "A pity, really. Of all of the people who wanted to see the Rainbooms suffer for their insolence, I was sure she would be the one to do it.
"But, you know what they say. Fate is not entirely set in stone." She locked the brazier up with multiple padlocks and threw the keys into the darkened cave. "Everyone thinks that they can win, and then at the end, an upset can snatch the glory, and essentially everything that they love away from them."
"You sound upset." One of three more hooded figures appeared behind Abacus, walking towards her.
"I too know what it's like to feel undefeatable, and then to lose everything at the last second." Abacus sighed and turned towards the three figures. "I was once the principal of one of the most prestigious schools on this rotten planet, but after being dealt a blow to my honour by those insufferable urchins, I, much like the late Miasma, lost everything."
"Only another reason why the Grand Master wants this world to burn." The second hooded figure nodded, their face still shrouded by the darkness. "We too know how it feels to lose to the Rainbooms."
"We are all bonded by a single goal." The third figure stepped forward. "We all hate the state that this blasted world is in, and we all want to see it torn down and rebuilt in our own image, much like an infant tears down a tower of builiding blocks only to reform it."
"When the Grand Master initiates the purge, all seven billion people we leave behind will die in a sea of explosions and fire." One of the two other figures nodded. "And sure, it'll leave the world a radiated wasteland, but in order for the world to be made great again, it's gotta die and be revived. Kinda weird, really."
"I'm not quite so sure you decided to be the embodiment's of New World's music with such philosophical tongues like that." Abacus cracked a small smile. "If anything, you should've been in charge of literature instead."
"True. But we're more into singing, not reading." The figure in front took down her hood, revealing Adagio Dazzle with a red pendant hanging by her neck, along with New World's insignia. "The Battle of the Bands opened our eyes to the beauty and fragility of life, but still, that does not mean that we care for it, either. The three of us have been robbed by this filth known as the human race, so it's only fair that we destroy them all, and only leave the chosen to survive."
"I almost feel sorry for these miserable creatures." Aria Blaze took down her hood. "But then again, they did make us lose all of our powers, give me a headache, and leave us to die on this godforsaken rock, so quite honestly, I say screw them. Screw them all!"
"Aww, c'mon, Aria." Sonata Dusk showed her face as well. "Not all humans are bad. The ones I've met are actually really friendly."
"Sonata. Everyone falls for your goofy happy-go-lucky shctick. That's why they love you." Aria grumbled and crossed her arms.
"Don't mind them. They're just bickering children, and I happen to be their only guardian." Adagio Dazzle looked back at the other Dazzlings before returning her gaze to Abacus Cinch.
"With Miasma's flames extinguished, we shall simply have to accelerate the process." Abacus looked back at the brazier one more time before she walked off towards the cave's exit. "The Everfree Forest's power should now be taken into account, and we must inform the Grand Master before they walk right into a trap."
"And the Rainbooms?" Sonata asked.
"Trust me, girls. Those infants will never see the warheads coming." Abacus left the cave, causing the Dazzlings to follow behind her.
When everyone left the cave, all that remained was an empty stillness as darkness took the whole area. The fires had peetered out and the water droplets were echoing as they landed, piercing the silence that now engulfed the epitaph. The stalagmites and stalactices from a different angle all spelt out a message.
