Whether they are supermen with incredible strength and speed or alicorn princesses with the power of magic, they fight a never ending battle to uphold truth, justice and friendship. They are the pillars of the world, keeping it safe when all else fails.
But what if those six pillars are reduced to one? Can a single hero hold up the weight of the world? That is what the new ruler of Equestria Twilight is trying to figure out when a superhero enters her life. Strong, fast, impossibly white teeth, the hero All Might is the lone pillar that holds up his world. And perhaps this hero can show her how to be that lone pillar.
Or perhaps she will show him why one pillar cannot stand alone.
A crack of thunder woke the Princess of Friendship from her slumber. Twilight sat up in her bed, taking a second to collect herself before she glanced out the window at the storm that was raging outside. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the rain that beat against her windows. The windows at the Canterlot castle. She still wasn't used to that.
"Guess it's as good a time as any to get up," she muttered. Twilight rose, stretched her wings and headed for a small desk at the edge of her room. Despite having lived in this castle for the better part of three years, she kept her room looking almost exactly like the one she had back at her crystal castle. She wondered how Starlight decorated it now?
Starlight...there was a pony that she hadn't talked to in a long time. Twilight scooped up a clipboard with all of her duties for the day while pondering what Starlight was up to. Had she finally become principal of the school? Were she and Sunburst finally together? Maybe she could take a day off, go visit Ponyville and see how...Nope, one look at her list told her that today was going to be as busy as the rest of them had been.
"Spike? Where are you?" Twilight called out as she walked the halls. Normally her dragon brother was always at her side when she first woke up, but recently he had been spending more time out of the castle. He said that he had been heading out on official business, but Twilight knew he was sneaking out to see Gabby. Not that she minded. She was glad that he still had some friends to talk to.
She reached the main throne room as she thought this, opening the doors with her magic and entering the throne room...her throne room. Standing next to her throne was Shoeshine, her aid who had been hired when Twilight and Spike discovered that the two of them were not enough to perform all of the royal duties. He bowed as she entered, but Twilight wasn't looking at him. She was looking at the stained glass. The tales of her and her friends. The Defenders of Harmony and all the foes they had battled. Tirek. Chrysalis. Discord.
'When was the last time we were all together?' she asked herself. When they had first split apart, they had made a promise to meet together once every moon. And for the first year they had. Every moon. But then a moon came where Rarity had a special show in Mareiland and she couldn't attend. Then there was the time Rainbow broke every bone in her body pulling off a Double Rainboom. Impressive, but still. And then this previous moon Pinkie couldn't show because she was about to become a mother. Well, Twilight could forgive that one.
But it was becoming a pattern. Her and her friends growing more apart. Leaving Twilight alone. Alone with the crown and the responsibility of an entire nation. But that was alright. That was her burden to bear. And if she had to bear it alone, then so be it. She was the princess.
"What's the day looking like today, Shoeshine?" Twilight asked.
"It looks to be another busy one, my Princess," Shoeshine replied. He bowed as Twilight walked past him and sat on her throne...her throne, she would never get used to that. "You have a meeting with the king of Yakistan this morning, have an opening ceremony for a new bakery in Canterlot at noon, a baseball game to attend in the afternoon, and a concert to hear this evening."
"Is it a band I like?"
"Sadly not, princess."
"Ugh," Twilight groaned. She then shook her head and leaned against the side of her throne, resting a hoof against her face.
"Please do not slouch, Princess," Shoeshine reminded her. Twilight snapped back up, a sheepish smile on her face. "Come now, you wish to be like your teacher, Princess Celestia, do you not? You do not wish to be like Princess Luna, do you?"
"Come on, Princess Luna wasn't that bad," Twilight said.
"She would lay upside down on her throne and blow raspberries at the ponies that entered. She is hardly what I would call a standard princess," Shoeshine said.
'I've been doing this for only three years now and I want to do that. I'm amazed she had the strength to last as long as she did,' Twilight noted. But then her ears perked up for a second and she started to look around, gaining Shoeshine's attention.
"Is something the matter, Princes?"
"Hey Shoeshine...can you hear the rain anymore?"
Shoeshine opened his mouth to answer, but before he could the ceiling exploded and rained rock and marble down upon the both of them. Twilight had a magical barrier up a moment later, narrowing her eyes as the rubble bounced off her shield. With a flash of her horn she blew away the rubble and the dust, revealing seven beings that had entered into her throne room. But what she saw caught her off guard.
It was seven humans. Or at least, six odd looking humans and some sort of monster. She started with the left side. One of the humans had long, silver hair and a white cloak that covered...her? entire body. She wore a white mask with two slits for eyes. Next to her was a man covered in gold, silver, copper, bronze...all sorts of metals. He wore only a tank top and cargo shorts, but his face was as cold as the material he was made of. Then there was a guy whose body literally had fire coming off of him. Green fire. That was odd. He wore pink glasses, had an open shirt and wore shorts, like he was going to the beach. But the smile he wore was anything but pleasant.
The others weren't any better. A man wearing all black, with rings around his arms and legs. He had fallen to his knees the moment he landed, breathing heavily as his purple hair covered his face. A woman wearing enough jewels to make Rarity envious stood next to him, along with a fur coat and a fur hat. She looked like fun. And then there was the beast. The giant, horned beast with enough fangs and muscles that Twilight wondered if it could match Tirek.
And then there was the man in the middle. A man who wore a black trenchcoat, had a bowler hat on his head and had a grey mustache/ beard combo. The man looked around the room before he locked eyes with Twilight, causing him to lower his glasses slightly as he stared at her. The others followed suit and soon most of the humans were staring at Twilight.
"What did I tell you guys? Am I a great escape plan or not?" the man wearing rings asked. When none of the others answered him, he looked up at them. "Did ya hear me? I said-"
"Warp Drive. Look up," the man in the coat said. Warp Drive looked towards Twilight, his eyes widening when he saw her. "Warp Drive, where did you take us?"
"I swear I was trying to just get us to Tokyo. I don't know what we're doing in a castle...with some kind of pegasus."
"I told you those enhancers you got were a bad idea," the man of gold snarled. "And to think you used them all at once..."
"Hey man, I panicked. And until you've had All Might barreling towards you with that freaky smile on his face, I don't want to hear it," Warp Drive snapped back. Twilight decided that she had enough.
"Hello there...humans," she said regally. All eyes were on her after she said that. "I do not know who you are or how you managed to get into my throne room, but it seems that you are lost. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and of Equestria. Now if you would please, who are you?"
"Equestria? I do not know of any Equestria," the older man muttered. He pulled out a pocket watch and looked at it for a second, before shaking his head. "Seems we are in a different land after all. Perhaps a different world altogether. Well that will be a problem to deal with later. But first, where are my manners? I am Chronostasis. Chronos for short."
"I see. Chronos. How did you and your...friends get here?" Twilight asked.
"Well you see, we were on the run from some goody hero when we had to use my power to warp to escape," Warp Drive bragged, resting an arm on the jeweled woman's shoulder. "But I managed to get us out of there, thanks to a bit of help. Seems I took us a bit too far, though."
"On the run from a hero?" Twilight picked up on. "Why would you need to run from a hero...unless you were people a hero would hunt?" Six sets of eyes glared at Warp Drive for a moment, before the humans aside from Chronos began to walk towards her. Fire flared to life, golden and silver weapons formed along arms, and the floor shook as the monstrous being started moving.
"That's what I thought. Shoeshine, reschedule my appointments. I've got to clean up my castle," Twilight said. Her horn glowed and she teleported her assistant from the castle. The humans eyes went wide at the sight, causing Twilight to smirk. "What? You thought you were the only one's with powers? I'll give you a chance. Stand down and you won't be harmed."
"A generous offer. Here's my counter argument." Chronos snapped his fingers and the six attacked.
Green fire blazed towards Twilight, who flapped her wings and took to the air to avoid the flames. Daggers of bronze ripped through the air towards her, causing her to have to twist and turn to avoid being hit. The girl with the white mask hurled blasts of energy towards Twilight, whose horn flashed once more as she created a barrier to deflect the attack. A massive hand reached up and grabbed hold of her barrier, which began to crack as the monstrous being began to squeeze. Six red eyes all looked in on Twilight as the monster lifted a fist, ready to break Twilight's shield.
"Nice try," Twilight smirked. She dropped her barrier and fired a blast of magic from her horn, catching the monster in the chest and sending it staggering back. She then whipped around and lifted the man of ore with her magic, hurling him across the room and through one of the walls. Magic bolts erupted from her horn and blast the fire man into a statue, where he slumped to the ground.
Twilight barely moved her head to the side to avoid three blades made of light, turning her attention to the girl in the white mask. Twilight fired a blast of magic towards her, but to Twilight's surprise she extended her hands and absorbed the magic into herself. Twilight's eyebrows went up as the girl laughed at her.
"Fool. I can absorb any form of energy. Even yours," the girl laughed. Twilight's response was to use her magic to tear two giant chunks of the floor up, which she then hovered over the girls head. A smirk cross Twilight's face as the girl stopped laughing and started to back up.
"Yeah, I noticed. But how good are you at absorbing five tons of marble?" Twilight asked, before she hurled the marble towards the girl.
"And that is enough."
Twilight blinked as the girl blinked out of her sight, her projectiles sailing into the wall. Agonizing pain blared across her side and with a cry she collapsed to the ground, looking to her side to see three holes in her side. Her horn flashed as she started a healing spell before she forced herself up to her hooves, noticing that all of the people were in different positions than then had been. But her eyes were only focused on Chronos.
'Did he just do what I think he did?' Twilight thought. Chronos smiled in response, as if he knew what she was thinking. Then he held out his stop watch once more. Twilight crouched down and prepared herself. That was until the entire castle shook as if something impacted against it. Then, once more, the ceiling was caved in as something fell through and slammed into the ground.
"Oh what now?" Twilight snarled. She and the humans all turned towards what had fallen through the ceiling as the dust began to clear. Twilight saw that it was another human, but this one was built like a brick house. He wore a blue suit with white and red stripes, had blond hair that stuck up like rabbit ears in the front and had one of the biggest smiles on his face that Twilight had ever seen.
But what truly gained Twilight's attention was how this human's presence affected the other humans. For the moment this new human arrived, the other ones began to back up, fear and hatred the only expressions on their faces.
"Warp Drive, I thought you said there was no chance of him following us?!" the woman with jewels snarled at him. "You said that we lost him!"
"There was no way. In order for him to go through one of my gates he would have been having to be moving..." Warp Drive whispered, only to go silent as the man in spandex rose to his full height. The man threw back his head and began to laugh, before his head snapped back down and his brilliant, blue eyes locked onto the humans.
"Have no fear," the man said, his voice shaking the room.
All of the villains eyes were on the new arrival, who towered over all of them, aside from the giant monster. Twilight didn't know who this guy was, but what she did know is that his arrival had given her a slight reprieve. The villains had forgotten all about her and were focused solely on him.
"All Might," Chronos finally snarled. "You still chase us, even across reality. You truly do not know when to give up."
"A hero never lets villains escape, no matter where they may flee to," All Might smiled in reply. "Especially when they attack castle as the princess with-" All Might's words came to a stop as he looked over at Twilight, finally seeing the princess for the first time. He stared at her for a full second before he looked back to his foes, coughing into his hand. "Attack the princess within."
"Then you have come to you death, fool," the lady wearing jewels said, raising his arms and summoning dozens of gemstones which all pointed towards the hero. "It's seven on one. And even as the almighty Symbol of Peace, you stand no chance against all of us."
"My dear Diamond Dust, do you know how many times I've heard those very same words before?" All Might asked with a laugh.
"We may not know that, but what we do know is that this will be the last time you hear them," the ore man said. He flexed his body and a moment later was covered in gold, silver and bronze armor, which stuck out with spikes in certain areas.
"Yeah, together we can beat you," the fire guy said. "We ain't the Legion of Evil for nothing! We've brought down great and larger heroes than you. And we will do it-"
A blast of magic caught him in the side of the head and sent him hurtling into the castle wall, where he cracked his skull on the marble and fell to the ground without another sound. The villains and All Might turned to look at Twilight, whose healing spell had finished and now she was radiating magical energy with an expression on her face that could only be called royally ticked off.
"I've had enough. Enough of your threats. Enough of your schemes. But above all...enough of all of you," Twilight said in a whisper that sounded like a roar. Her eyes snapped to All Might, who slightly flinched at the sight. "All Might, was it? As you are the only one who has not threatened me, I ask that you please step back and I will be with you shortly. But first I will deal with this rabble."
Twilight slammed her hooves to the ground as magic crackled along her horn, igniting the tapestries behind her. Bolts of magic erupted from her horn, slamming into the ore man, Diamond Dust and the giant monster. The other were fast enough to get out of the way of her spells, the fastest being the girl in the white mask. Blades of light formed in her hands as she lunged towards Twilight. The princess remember the girls energy absorption, Twilight took to the sky and ripped chunks of the wall out with her magic. She rained stone and marble down upon the girl, who managed to avoid most of it until a chunk caught her in the arm and forced her to fall back.
Twilight caught Warp Gate moving behind her, so she whipped around and fired a magical beam at him. His response was to smirk and throw out a ring, which grew into the size of a man. The magical beam entered the ring and vanished, causing Twilight some confusion before her own magical blast caught her in the back. She snarled with pain as she was forced to land, pain burning across her wings. She formed a small shield between her and Warp Gate as she tried to regain her thoughts.
Thundering footsteps pounded towards her and Twilight looked to her side to see that the monster was back up. The beast charged at her with all six red eyes locked onto her, extending its hands towards the princess. Twilight's horn began to glow once more as she prepared a spell, but before she could fire a mass of muscle moved between her and the monster.
"Please princess, allow me," All Might smiled at her. He then cocked a fist back as the monster reached the both of them. "Texas..."
"SMASH!"
All Might fired off a right hand right into the open palm of the monster with such force that Twilight was certain that a bomb had gone off in her throne room. The monster arm was snapped back before he was sent spiraling up into the air, crashing through the ceiling and up into the clouds. It took a moment for the wind from the punch to die down, but when it did Twilight raised her head to look at All Might. The man turned his head towards her and smiled, giving her a thumbs up.
"Do not worry about these villains, princess. Leave Monstro and the rest of them to me," All Might said. He then turned to face the villains, who Twilight had only just noticed had all been blasted back by the force of his punch. Some of them were still looking at the hole where Monstro had been launched, where as Chronos and the ore guy were focused on All Might.
"Vein Mine. Take him down," Chronos ordered.
Vein Mine let out a roar as he charged forward, only for All Might's fist to appear in the side of his head. The gold and silver in his face cracked as the punch sent him skidding backwards. The villain staggered for a second before he began to swing at All Might, who laughed as he began to swat the attacks out of the way. The two slammed their hands together and began a battle of strength, which All Might quickly began to win.
Twilight caught movement again and looked to her side to see that Diamond Dust was back up. She threw her arms back and shattered the stain glass windows, creating thousands of razor sharp missiles.
"Die beneath my boot, hero!" she shrieked as she sent her glass storm towards All Might. The hero glanced over his shoulder at the oncoming storm with a smile. But before the glass even reached halfway across the room they all shattered harmlessly against a barrier of magic. Diamond Dust and All Might both turned to look at Twilight.
Twilight's horn flashed and suddenly nearly all of the villains were encased in her magic. Diamond Dust, Warp Gate and the girl in the mask all floated helplessly in the air, while Twilight noticed that once again Chronos had moved faster than he should have been able to. All Might saw all of this and let out a laugh, before he slammed his fist into the bottom of Vein Mine's jaw. The villains eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.
Both Twilight and All Might turned to face Chronos, whose eyes were narrowed as he gazed upon all of his defeated allies. Then he turned his gaze towards the hero and the princess, both of who were approaching him.
"You've given me quite the run around, Chronos," All Might said, his smile turning darker for a second. "But it all ends here. Come quietly and I promise that you and your allies will not be harmed."
"Before you go around passing judgement, know that this man and his allies attacked me in my castle and endangered my subjects. They will answer to me first," Twilight informed All Might.
"Ah. Right."
"I do not believe that I will be doing either, All Might," Chronos snarled. He reached into his coat and pulled out his pocket watch. "I have too grand a vision to be stopped by either you or this...pegasus. So it with a heavy heart I must bid you...farewell."
Twilight caught what he was doing and created a barrier of magic around her and All Might. The moment she did so, Chronos vanished from her sight. She looked around at her throne room and noticed that all of the other villains were gone as well. Leaving only her and the man called All Might. She lowered both barriers and sighed.
"Well that was a wonderful start to my week," she muttered. She then turned to face All Might, who was looking at her. "Alright All Might, would you care to explain what the heck that was?"
"Of course I can, princess. If you don't mind explaining who you are and where the heck I am," All Might laughed in return. Twilight raised an eyebrow at his mannerisms, but let it go with a sigh. He had helped her battle the invaders. She owed him at least that much.
"I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and of Equestria. Equestria is the land that you currently find yourself in," Twilight explained. She used her magic to start to pick up her throne room, starting with gathering all the pieces of stain glass and starting to put them back together.
"Equestria...this land wouldn't happen to be a part of Earth that I've never heard of before, would it?" All Might asked.
"Nope. You're not on Earth anymore. And I would know, I've been to Earth," Twilight explained, before casting a glance at All Might. "Of course, you might be from a different Earth than what I know. I think I would remember someone like you running around. Who are you, anyway?"
"My apologies. I am All Might! The SYMBOL OF PEACE!" All Might roared. He flexed his entire body as he said this and a blinding flash of golden light went off behind him. It took about a minute of Twilight blinking before the spots left her sight.
"So are you the hero that those yahoos mentioned running from?" Twilight asked. "And who are they, anyway?"
All Might's smile fell and a serious look replaced it. "Those are the Legion of Evil. A group of some of the most evil and dangerous villains to ever set foot in Europe. I've been chasing them for about three months now. Diamond Dust. White Noise. Vein Mine. Warp Drive. Monstro. Heatstroke. And finally their leader, Chronos. They've been raiding laboratories, banks...anything that suit's their fancy. And with how powerful their Quirks are, local law enforcement has been powerless to stop them. That is why they called me in."
"Quirks?"
"Ah right, different world. Um, think of Quirks as the source of superpowers. Heatstroke has fire, Warp Drive creates wormholes: you get the idea."
"Got it. I have say, Mr. All Might-"
"Please, just All Might is fine."
"Very well. I have to say All Might, that you're taking being in a different world fairly well," Twilight pointed out. All Might's response was to smile, throw his head back and laugh boisterously at the ceiling...or what was left of it.
"Princess Twilight, please! Traveling to another dimension is practically a badge of honor for superheroes. I was afraid that I would go my entire hero career without ever traveling to another reality! Besides, I will fight evil wherever it goes! Which reminds me..."
All Might crouched down and bounced a few times, before he smiled and waved at Twilight. "I thank you for helping me out, but I must chase down those villains. Also I should probably go see where Monstro landed. So I must bid you...FAREWELL!"
All Might kicked off and launched himself at one of the holes in the ceiling, preparing to go explore this vast new world and hunt down the villains that now threatened it. That was until a barrier of magic wrapped itself around him and stopped him dead in the air.
"Sorry All Might, but I can't just have you running off on me. The villains that are now loose in my kingdom may be priority number one, but I want to keep an eye on you to," Twilight told All Might, who was now floating upside down next to her. "Not to mention that these...Quirks are new to me and I would prefer to learn about them and the villains that use them before I confront them. I am the princess and protecting my subjects falls to me."
"I see. You are perfectly right in what you say, Princess. But while this is your kingdom, these are my foes. And I must bring them to justice. They have to answer for what they did to my world," All Might pointed out.
"Then how about we work together to bring them down?" Twilight suggested. ""You have the knowledge of their powers. I have the knowledge of this land. Together we can catch them faster than alone." All Might thought about it for a moment before he smiled once more.
"Very well! It has been a while since my last team up and it will be nice to have a partner once more! Just don't get too upset if you cannot keep up with me!"
"Believe me, I am not even going to try," Twilight replied with a smile of her own. She set down the Symbol of Peace and motioned to the doors, which had fallen off their hinges. "Now come, All Might. Allow me to show you my kingdom."
"You know, when I read about other worlds in the comics, it was always futuristic cities, or run down distopias," All Might told Twilight. "Or a mirror image of our world where the good guys were bad and the bad guys were the heroes. I have to admit, the last thing I was expecting was..."
"A world full of magical ponies where harmony reigns supreme?" Twilight finished for him.
"Something like that."
"Well humanity surprised me too the first time I saw them," Twilight said. All Might gave her a look and she smiled coyly in reply. "Story for another time. But I agree with you. We have all these expectations for what another reality is supposed to look like, yet most of the time it's far different than anything we could imagine. Take you for example. You look nothing like the humans that I met. But considering you come from a world of superheroes, it makes some sense that you would look so...buff."
"Princess!" Shoeshine exclaimed. All Might and Twilight turned towards the assistant, who was racing towards Twilight with over a dozen members of the royal guard behind him. Their eyes went wide when they saw All Might, but Twilight shook her had and smiled at them.
"Shoeshine. Royal Guard. This is All Might. He is a hero from another world who will be assisting me in catching the foes who attacked me in the throne room this morning," Twilight quickly explained. "All Might, this is my assistant, Shoeshine. And these are members of my royal guards. The ponies that protect me."
"Greetings!" All Might said so enthusiastically that the ponies were all blown back slightly.
"Uh, hello there, Mr. All Might," Shoeshine said with a slight bow.
"Please, no need to be so formal. All Might is fine!"
"If you say so. Princess, what do you need me to do?" Shoeshine asked the princess.
"The first thing to do is get in contact with the other Pillars of Harmony and ask them to come here," Twilight instructed. Off to her side she noticed that All Might smiled at her words, but she would ask about that in a minute. "If there are new villains on the loose, I want my friends here. After that contact Celestia and Luna, as well as Cadence and Discord. I will want all of them to search the land. Then call the contractors and tell them the throne room is in ruin...again."
"Right away, your highness," Shoeshine said with a bow. He turned and headed off into the castle, while the royal guard stepped forward and saluted.
"Princess, what are our orders?"
"Increased patrols of the city. Be on the look out for other humans dressed strangely, but if you see them do not engage. These humans posses strange powers that might be enough to overwhelm you," Twilight order. "If you find them, contact me, any other princess on seen..." Twilight took a second to look up at All Might before continuing. "Or even All Might here. But until I know more about what we're dealing with, I want to be cautious."
"Yes, princess!" the ponies all said in unison before they took off in different directions.
"Now then, where were we?" Twilight asked.
"That was some smart thinking there, Princess," All Might said with a nod.
"Just Twilight is fine. And how so?"
"You realize that the threat is a serious one, so you gather your allies and put your security to work in a way that will minimize the risk to them. I know a few heroes who could learn a thing or two from you," All Might said.
"Why thank you. So what was that smile about earlier, when I mentioned my friends?" Twilight asked. All Might threw back his head and let out a laugh.
"I was thinking it must be fate that brought us together. Here I am, the pillar of the superhuman society, meeting you, one of the pillars of harmony! It can't be coincidence!"
"Pillar of superhuman society? What does that mean?"
"It means I am the number one hero in my world! It means that I am the pillar that they rely on! It means that we all else fails, I save the day!"
"All by yourself?" Twilight asked. "You don't have any friends or allies?"
"There are plenty of other heroes fighting the good fight, but if you mean if others fight with me...it is best that I fight alone. No one else can keep up with me...and it's safer this way," All Might said with a thin smile. Then it returned to its full size as he gave her a thumbs up. "But there's no need to fear. Trust me, I am more than enough for any threat that would dare try to harm my world or yours! All of your problems are over, princess. For I am here!"
Twilight wanted to say something about that, but she placed that thought in the back of her mind as she and the hero reached the front doors to her castle. "Now before we go out there, know that the ponies can be a little...fearful and distrusting of strange beings. No offense."
"None taken."
"Alright, then let's go!"
Twilight flung open the doors and escorted All Might out into the courtyard. She wasn't surprised in the least when she saw a crowd of ponies gathered around the front gate, with plenty of reporters talking with one another. They all started to take photos of her and ask some questions when they saw here, but they all went slack jawed when they laid eyes on All Might.
"It is alright, ponies of Canterlot. This is All Might, a hero who is here to help me," Twilight quickly told the crowd. The reporters then unloaded their questions, about what had happened in the castle, where the explosions had come from or how a tornado seemed to have formed in the middle of the castle. But there was one question in particular that really caught Twilight's attention.
"Princess Twilight, what was that giant monster that was rocketed out of your castle and crashed down in the forest below?"
"Ah, right. Monstro. I had forgotten about him," Twilight muttered. "We need to go find him quickly before he hurts anypony else."
"Relax, princess. After taking a blow like that, he won't be getting up for at least a day. I've yet to fight any villain that can take one of my smashes," All Might comforted her.
"If you say so, but I still want to have him secure as soon as possible."
"That is smart. But first I think you're going to have to talk to this young...lizard first."
Just as All Might had said, a young dragon was pushing his way through the crowd of ponies to get to Twilight. He was slightly taller than Twilight, who was already somewhat taller than the other ponies, and was pretty lanky. Yet from the way Twilight smiled at the dragon, All Might figured she knew who this was.
"Twilight!" the dragon yelled. He pushed aside the last of the reporters and threw himself into Twilight, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Hiya, Spike. How's Gabby?" Twilight asked as she returned the hug.
"That's it? The throne room explodes, a massive beast is launched out of it and all you have to say to me is to ask how Gabby is?!" Spike exclaimed.
"Just another day in Equestria," Twilight giggled as she released the hug. Spike was about to answer her, but then he looked over to see All Might for the first time and his eyes went wide. He looked at the suit, the hair, the smile, and then finally looked at All Might's muscles before nodding in approval.
"Dude...nice."
"Thank you."
"Spike, this is All Might. He's a superhero from another world. A world of humans," Twilight explained. From the look on Spike's face All Might deduced that Spike had also met other humans before. Though from the way his eyes lit up at the word superhero, none like him.
"Cool! But what's a superhero doing in Canterlot...unless..."
"You've guessed it. We've got a case of supervillains. But this time they're from All Might's world," Twilight said.
"Ugh, what a great start to the week. How many?"
"Seven, though All Might has already taken down one of them. That giant monster you saw flying through the air? That was all him," Twilight said, indicating to All Might. Spike looked over at All Might in amazement and All Might flexed an arm in response. "You didn't happen to see where he landed, did you?"
"Sure did. He crashed into the forest beneath Canterlot. Impossible to miss. Just look for the crater."
"Then that's where we're going. All Might, do you mind being teleported?"
"I've never been teleported before, but I always like to try new things!" All Might laughed.
"Alright then. Brace yourself," Twilight warned, before the three vanished in a flash of light. They reappeared at the bottom of the mountain, in a clearing of trees next to a giant, and freshly made, crater. All Might placed a hand on a trunk to steady himself for a second, before he popped back up with his smile in place. "You alright?"
"I'm just glad I had a light lunch. Now then, onward!"
All Might started marching towards the crater, leaving Spike and Twilight to share a look with one another. They both smiled and followed after him. They caught up to the human at the edge of the crater, which he was looking down into without a smile on his face. And Twilight could see why. Because at the bottom of the crater...was nothing.
"Well. That might be a problem," All Might said.
====|V|====
Chronos was the first to awaken.
The old man found himself face down on a black floor, most likely marble. He scrambled to his feet and looked around at where he was at. There were numerous torches that hung from the walls, all of them blazing with a purple fire. From their light he could make out his six allies on the ground as well, including Monstro, who was drooling. Which was bizarre, because last he had seen of him he had been rocketed into the sky.
"Where are we? And how did we get here?" the old man mused aloud. The last thing he remembered he has used his Quirk to try to buy a bit of time before All Might finished the rest of them off. But he couldn't go that far in such a short time and he knew for certain that he had not grabbed Monstro. So then how...?
"You can thank me for your timely rescue."
Chronos spun around to see that a violet throne made of crystals had appeared at the end of the room. And sitting in the middle of that throne was a pony. A pony with a black coat, a black mane, and wearing silver armor with a red cape attached to the back. But it was the red horn and the smile on the pony's face that drew Chronos' full attention. For the expression was exactly the same as the one worn by dozens of villains that Chronos had worked with over the years.
"Who are you?" Chronos asked. "And why did you bring us here?"
"I am King Sombra. Lord of Shadow. Master of Disaster. And a bunch of other titles that you don't care about," Sombra laughed. "And as for why I brought you here? Because it looked like you could use a friend."
"This will be your room for the night," Twilight said as she motioned to a nice looking door. "Luckily one of the perks of living in such a large castle is that there are plenty of rooms. This one is not that far from mine, so if there are any problems, you will be able to contact me almost instantly. Of course, if anything gives you a problem, I think you should be able to handle it."
"I am touched by your selflessness, Princess Twilight. When you come around to my world, I will make sure to treat you to all the sights," All Might replied. "Now if you excuse me, it has been a long day and I AM...going to bed."
Twilight waved to the hero with a small shake of her head before she teleported out of sight. All Might waited a moment to make sure she was gone before he entered into his room. It was nice. A desk, some chairs, a wardrobe and a large bed. All Might glanced around the room to make sure he was alone before he leaned against the door, steam coming off of him as he finally relaxed.
His muscles began to shrink down, his height went from seven feet to six and his hair lowered in front of his eyes. When he was done, standing where the symbol of peace had once stood was now an ordinary, albeit very fit, man. Toshinori let out a sigh as he leaned against the door, placing a hand to his head and wiping his brow.
"Whew. Can't remember the last time I had to hold my muscle form all day," he muttered. "But what a day it has been. Traveling to an alternate reality with talking, magical horses? Am I sure I'm not trapped in some villains nightmare? No, that can't be. It all felt too real. But that means I'm really in another world with no way to call for backup or tell the people of my Earth what has become of me. Hope things don't get too bad in my absence."
Toshinori walked over to the bed and laid down in it, sighing slightly when he realized he was going to have to sleep in costume. The costume was perfect fit for All Might, but too large for him. Not to mention he was a bit worried about one of the ponies entering in the middle of the night. Twilight seemed alright, but he couldn't let down his guard. This was a strange land and, as he had just seen, teleportation was not out of the question.
"And those villains...where did they go? None of them can teleport en mass, at least not that I've seen them do, and Chronos shouldn't be able to stop time for more than few seconds at best. And then there's Monstro. He should be out for a week after the blow I gave him. So how did he vanish?"
Pondering these questions wasn't getting him anywhere and Toshinori could feel the exhaustion creeping up on him. He also realized that he hadn't eaten today and his stomach reminded him of that. With nothing left to do but sleep, he closed his eyes and let the dreams come.
The first dream was the same as every night. His master standing against All for One. Grand Torino taking Toshinori away on a flight. The news that his master was dead. Every night, ever since he was eighteen, he had the same dream. But he knew better than to dwell on the past. So he forced his dreams to change. And change they did.
The world shifted around him and he was back in America, battling against the Syndication of Crime, his first real outing as a hero. Then his dreams shifted to when a dam was going to burst and he was the only hero around to help. They had told him that he couldn't possibly hold back the sheer force of the entire river. He had proved them wrong. Then there was a moment he had never told anyone about. When he had let a criminal go. A criminal who he truly believed could change. A person who had needed his help.
It continued on like that, through the entire night. He relived all of his adventures, all of his battles, all of his failures, no mater how big or small. It wasn't until he got near the end, with events that had happened only a few weeks ago, that he caught on that he was not the one in control of his dreams. The moment he realized this his dreams all went white. Toshinori looked around at the blank space, before a voice spoke from behind him.
"You are every bit the hero you claim to be. I am glad to see that you are truly on our side."
Toshinori spun around to see a midnight colored alicorn with a galaxy colored mane standing behind him. For a moment the two locked eyes before she smiled at him.
"It is nice to meet you, Toshinori Yagi. Or All Might, whichever you prefer. I look forward to meeting you in pony tomorrow."
Toshinori sat up straight in his bed, breathing heavily as he tried to focus. He looked around his room to find that he was alone, before looking out the door that led to the balcony to see that the full moon was shining down on him. For a moment he thought he saw the eyes of that alicorn looking down on him, but then he blinked at it was gone. Toshinori shook his head and laid back down, not sure what to make of what he had just dreamed. But he figured he would find out tomorrow.
===| V |===
Twilight yawned tiredly as she finished the last letter, rolling it up and stamping it with her seal. Her horn glowed and a moment later the scroll was gone, heading out to hopefully the king of griffons. A glance out the window showed it was past midnight. Normally Twilight would have to move the moon herself, but luckily tonight she had some help. So Twilight cracked her neck before pulling out the next letter that needed to be sent.
"How did it go?" Twilight asked without looking up.
"It went well. I went into his dreams and checked out a good majority of his past. He is the hero he claims to be," Luna confirmed. "Actually, he's a far greater hero than what you told me. He never stops. Day and night, he is out in his world keeping humans safe. And you should see some of the weirdo's he's had to fight..."
"I'm glad to hear that he was telling the truth. He was very nice and helpful, but he felt just a bit too nice. I just wanted to make sure," Twilight explained.
"It was a smart decision. But pretty soon, you'll be the one checking dreams," Luna said. That caught Twilight's attention and she turned around to give Luna a look. "I think you're ready. Ready to peer into the dreams of others and help them to sleep peacefully."
"I don't have time to help ponies with their dreams, I'm still trying to catch up with the rest of my princess duties," Twilight said, motioning to the letters she was still writing. Luna walked over to Twilight's desk and looked over some of them. "And now I've got seven crazy humans running around my kingdom with no idea of where they went. By the way, did Discord or Celestia...?"
"Neither of them have found anything. And given Discord's power, that is troubling," Luna said. Then she smirked. "Of course, I only have his word he really searched for them. He spends nearly all day with Fluttershy and get's ticked if he's forced to leave her side. It wouldn't surprise me if he just said he looked for them."
"Are they a thing now?" Twilight asked. "It's been a while since I talked to Fluttershy."
"Yeah, they're a thing. Seems like all of your friends are finding somepony. Starlight and Sunburst. Fluttershy and Discord. Spike and...well, he's still undecided."
"How so?" Twilight asked as she took up her quill once more.
"Oh it's all over his dreams. At first they all start off with him dreaming about Rarity, but then about halfway through they switch to Gabby. Then he wakes up the next morning and slams his head into the wall as he tries to make sense of it all," Luna chuckled. "It's the highlight of my nights."
"And you don't help him?"
"Are you kidding? I live for this," Luna said with a laugh. When Twilight gave her a look, she chuckled. "It is not my place to interfere. He will figure it out on his own. And you will soon be there to guide him."
"Right. When I learn how to enter dreams. Right after I finish the other ninety-nine tasks on my plate," Twilight said with a sigh. "How did you and your sister do it? How did the two of you hold up the world?"
"Don't ask me, I was on the moon for most of these years," Luna shrugged. "You want to know how to hold up the world, talk to my sister. You want to know which dreams are the most fun to watch, I'm your mare."
"It's great. Now is there any other dreams you needed me to check or can I get back to my shows?"
"You wouldn't happen to be able to find the dreams of the other humans, would you?"
"Nope. They're hidden from me too. At first I thought that maybe I couldn't sense their dreams because they were humans, but thanks to All Might..."
"Another problem added to the pile. Alright, that's enough for one night. Thank you, Luna. I'm going to bed."
"And I'm going out to party. See you at the meeting tomorrow. I cannot wait to see how they react to All Might."
===| V |===
"He's much more muscular than I thought."
All of the Ambassadors of Harmony nodded their heads in agreement as they stared up at the smiling hero. They had all gathered in the main meeting room at Canterlot castle. Twilight had been ecstatic to see her friends again, but slightly shocked at how most of them had changed. Rainbow had her mane combed back. Applejack wore Granny Smith's scarf. Fluttershy wore glasses now. Rarity had a grey streak in her mane and nearly tore Twilight's head off when Twilight mentioned it. And Pinkie had bags under her eyes, but the eternal smile was still on her face. Then she met All Might and the two of them smiled at each other with such intensity that it was blinding.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Twilight said, starting the meeting. The ponies gathered around the table, the same crystal table that had used to be at her old castle in Ponyville, with All Might standing behind her. "I wish I could take some time to catch up with all of you, but sadly, duty calls."
"It must be something serious if you called us all together so suddenly," Rarity said. "And I had a show today as well. But as I can tell from the giant hunk of man behind you, it's going to be one of those days."
"Yeah, who's the human?" Rainbow Dash asked. She flew over to All Might and examined him for a moment, before looking at his muscles.
"Nice."
"Thank you."
"Everypony, this is All Might. He is a superhero from another Earth. Not the Earth that I've been to, but one where superpowers are common and the battle between good and evil takes place every day," Twilight explained. "And he's here because seven of the most dangerous criminals from his world are here on our world. And we have no idea where they got to. All I know is that they're dangerous. So I need the Elements of Harmony. I need the Rainbow Power. I need my friends."
"Of course we're here for ya, sugarcube," Applejack said with a smile. All of her friends nodded in agreement. "Just tell us what we need to do."
"Thank you, my friends. But now I must give the floor to my guest," Twilight said. She stepped aside and allowed All Might to walk forward. Her horn glowed and brought up images of the criminals, while All Might looked at the five of them.
"Greetings, Pillars of Harmony. I am All Might. Allow me to tell you about how my world and the powers that people within it wield. Our powers come from something called Quirks. And these seven...have some of the most dangerous Quirks in my world."
"I didn't really have time to prepare, so I'll just go one at a time," All Might began.
"The first villain is Diamond Dust. She is a lady in her forties who is able to control anything that she considers valuable,so long as it is not alive." The magical image of her zoomed in to give the ponies a better look. "Luckily for us, she only considers the rarest of gems to be valuable, so they serve as her ammunition. Though in a pinch she will use anything that shines. She is incredibly vain and particular about her appearance, so we can use that against her."
"Sounds like somepony else we know," Rainbow Dash ribbed Rarity.
"Please, I am nothing like this ruffian," Rarity replied in an offended tone.
"Heatstroke is next."
"The guy who looks like a surfer dude?"
"Underestimate him at your own peril," All Might warned. "He controls fire. And I mean that literally. Unlike my fellow hero Endeavor, who creates fire, Heatstroke has full control over nearly all flames. His weakness is that he is prone of overheating if he tries to take on too much fire. That and he has no skill at hand to hand combat whatsoever. But still, he is not a foe to take lightly."
"Why not? From the sound of things I've just got to dump a rain cloud on him and he's not a problem," Dash said with a smirk.
"Heatstroke is wanted for over a dozen murders, most of which involved burning his victims alive," All Might said, his smile gone. Rainbow stopped talking after he said that. "Following him we have Vein Mine. His Quirk is that he can absorb any material he touches and make it apart of his body. He can hold up to five different materials at a time as apart of his form. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Steel are his go to, but he always leaves a spot open so he can add something on the fly. His weakness is that while he's durable, he's not particularly fast and relies on his toughness in a fight. He can take a punch."
"Didn't you drop him in a single hit?" Twilight asked.
"He can take a punch from anyone aside from me. Monstro is next. As the name implies, this guy is a real monster. Insane strength, iron like skin, and a complete disregard for strategy or forethought. He is vicious in a fight and can rip apart plenty of well trained heroes without much effort. However, what he has in strength he lacks completely in brains. It is not fair to call him an idiot, but he fights and acts like a wild animal. Outsmarting him will be your best bet in defeating him."
"Unless you just punch him really hard," Spike smirked.
"Again, I am one of a kind. And, unless I am mistaken, none of you have incredible strength?" All Might asked.
"Ah'm pretty strong mahself, but not enough to send something like that flying through the sky," Applejack agreed. "Outsmart him, huh? Sounds like yer wheelhouse, Twilight."
"Warp Drive is pretty simple. He creates wormholes and can travel between them at will. He can make them small enough so that only a pea can fit through or large enough for someone like Monstro to get through. He's crafty and always fights underhanded. But he's most likely the weakest of the group, used mostly when they need a quick getaway. Any of you should be able to take him provided you don't lower your guard."
"You've said that about all of them so far. That we shouldn't lower our guard. Right after you get done explaining that they're not really that tough," Fluttershy pointed out.
"They are not that tough for me. But they have a list of crimes a mile long and the deaths of plenty of heroes are on that list," All Might replied. He clenched his fists and cracked the table where he was grabbing the edge. After giving Twilight a sheepish grin, he resumed.
"White Noise...she is a problem. Her Quirk is that she can absorb any energy, no matter what kind it is. Heat, electricity, kinetic...and apparently even magic. And, unless it's a solid object like a rock being thrown at her, she doesn't feel any pain. Blast lightning at her? She absorbs it unharmed. Punch her in the jaw? That might put her down before she has the chance to absorb it."
"She sounds like a problem. So what's her weakness? Absorbing too much energy cause her to fill like a balloon?" Pinkie asked.
"You would think so. But according to other reports...she doesn't have a limit," All Might revealed. "She's been hit by everything I've mentioned above and has absorbed it all. What she's most know for is absorbing all of the radiation in a power plant...and then going nuclear in a city days later."
"That's a lot of power," Twilight muttered.
"It is. My advice against her is to either let me handle her or let your heaviest hitters handle her," All Might said. "I don't know how much magic she can absorb, but I do not want to find out. She can also create weapons out of the energy she absorbs, as well as fire it back in blasts or just detonate and expel all of the built up energy in her body. She's dangerous, but fragile. Blitzing her is the best option."
"And that just leaves the leader. Chronos." The table shook as All Might said his name and the ponies looked up at All Might to see that his smile was gone. "This villain has been hunted by heroes for the better part of three decades, always managing to avoid capture. His Quirk is quite possibly the most dangerous out of all of them. He can stop time."
All eyes went wide as All Might said this, all except for Twilight, who nodded as All Might's words confirmed her suspicions.
"What the heck?! Stop time? How is can you say that is quite possibly the most dangerous Quirk they've got?! That sounds pretty freaking dangerous to me!" Dash exclaimed.
"In his youth he would be the most dangerous out of all of them no question. But even with his ability to stop time, he could not stop his own aging. From what decades of fighting him has taught us, it's that every time he uses his Quirk, those seconds he freezes are added to his age. It might not seem like much, a few seconds at a time, but he's been using that Quirk for over fifty years. And the time added up."
"Chronos weakness is that he's old. He's a man who is chronologically fifty seven who moves like a seventy year old. In his youth, stopping time for a few seconds would give him time to strike a frozen foe, position himself for a better advantage, avoid a dangerous attack, or flee the scene. But in his old age he barely has the strength to freeze time, let alone act while time is frozen. Attacking him from a distance is your best bet. Even if he freezes time, he's too old to reach you before his time freeze wears off. He also has a cool down of a few minutes for every time freeze he uses. So after he uses it, he's vulnerable."
"Then how did he escape us?" Twilight asked. "I figured that he was freezing time, but if what you said is true, then he would have only been able to move to a different place in the throne room. How could he possibly grab his allies and escape from us before his time freeze ran out?"
"I do not know. And that is what concerns me," All Might said. "From what I know about them, we had them. They were bested. And yet, somehow, they slipped out from my fingers once again." Twilight didn't know why All Might was so angry with himself, but she used that momentary lull in the conversation to step forward.
"So that is what we are up against my friends. Our mission is to find these villains, put a stop to them and help All Might get back to his world. Sadly this will not be a quick mission. I am going to need you all here with me, so that we can be ready to take these guys on at a moment's notice."
Twilight had hoped that her friends would instantly agree to help her, that they would shine with the same friendship and magic that she remembered. But instead they all shared looks with one another and then looked at anywhere that wasn't where Twilight was standing.
"I mean, I've got class to teach..."
"I've already missed one show, can I afford to..."
"Little Cheese get's angry if I'm gone for too long..."
Twilight felt her heart sink as, for a long moment, she was afraid that her friends would leave her to handle this all on her own. Then the Ambassadors shared another look and smiled at each other.
"Ah what they heck, let Derpy teach class for a day. The Wonderbolts could learn how to crash."
"I've missed plenty of shows, what's one more?"
"I can pop home to visit Lil' Cheese at any time. And I'm fairly certain he's reached the point where he can visit me," Pinkie said. Then she looked up at her mane, reached her hooves inside and a moment later pulled out her son. "There he is!"
"What ah think our friends are trying to say, is that of course we'll help ya," Applejack said. She placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and winked. "It'll be just like old times. All of us together, some stranger with bizarre powers...no offense."
"All good."
"...And the fate of the world on the line."
"Yeah, just like old times," Twilight said with a smile. She wiped away a tear from her eye as he friends all gathered around her. "So let's stop these villains and make sure that the peace that we've worked so hard to maintain over the years continues to prosper! All Might, these are your villains, so what should we do next?"
"I have...no idea."
===| V |===
"I see. This truly is a strange land," Chronos muttered. For the past day he had been learning all that he could about this strange new land from Sombra, who was more than happy to give a warped view of what the world of Equis was.
"As strange and magical as they come," Sombra laughed. He then steered the old man to the side and walked with him down a dark corridor. "But sadly, the forces of good in the world posses far stronger magic than those of us who are evil. And from what you told me, the same is true of your world."
"Nearly. Hero and villains are nearly equal in my world. It is that damned Symbol of Peace All Might who weighs the scales in favor of the heroes," Chronos snarled. "His strength, speed and stamina is something no villain can hope to match. He has taken down leagues of my cohorts and made it look easy. It is not fair."
"I know how you feel. With my sheer skill and intellect I could more than keep up with the princesses and their help, but they wield magical artifacts that make my power useless. What is a villain to do?" Sombra asked.
"Indeed...what can we do?" Chronos asked. Sombra's response was to laugh before he pushed open two dark doors, revealing a room that housed only one thing within it. A vial of a black liquid that churned ominously.
"Why, my new best friend, the option is simple. We find a way to make those Quirks you and your allies wield strong enough to match that Symbol of Peace," Sombra explained. He used his magic to grab hold of the potion and levitated it over to Chronos. "This is the potion of the beast. It takes a pony and turns them into a mindless monster, in exchange for greatly boosting their speed and strength. Now normally nopony would want to give up their sentience for power. But you already have somepony on your team that already fits the bill. So if you give them this..."
"Yes. It would give him the strength to match the Symbol of Peace without sacrificing any of his brain power...do you have potions for all of us that can somehow make us stronger?" Chronos asked.
"Sadly, this is all I have on me at the moment. However, I have a few leads that may turn up something fruitful in the near future," Sombra said. "Whether or not the will help to strengthen your Quirks remains to be seen, but I have a good feeling about all of this. So what I will do is when you send that beast man of yours to attack the ponies, I will go with him so that you and your allies can discover these...items for me without fear of a hero stopping you. Besides, I owe a certain purple dragon some payback."
Chronos left Sombra to do...whatever...and headed for one of the rooms that Sombra had given to them. He opened the door and entered to find Diamond Dust sitting on the ground, while White Noise rested her masked head on her lap.
"How is she?" Chronos asked.
"She finally got to sleep," Diamond Dust said. "I was worried for a second. Her episode was longer than usual."
Chronos sighed before he placed a hand on the girls head, listening to her breath softly.
"Do not worry, I will find a way to help you. That I promise."
All eyes in the room looked up to Princess Luna, who was entering alongside her sister. All Might's eyebrows went up as he recognized the pony from his dreams, but she winked at him before smiling at everypony in the room.
"I've been doing a lot of dream watching lately, partly due to actually having time now to keep up on it and partly due to retirement being as boring as watching paint dry. And just last night, two very interesting things happened. The first is that I got to see a human's dream for the first time. Thanks, All Might," she said with another wink.
"I am...glad to have helped?"
"And the second is that after meeting with Twilight, I reached out across Equestria to see if there were any other dreams that matched the similar...wavelength?...that his had. And I found seven."
"Excellent! Can you lead us to them?" All Might asked.
"That, sadly, is where things get complicated. Yes, I could lead you to them. The problem is that where they are located is a place that might be a bit of trouble," Luna explained. "There is also a dark power there, one that even I cannot identify."
"What my sister is trying to say is that the criminals, if this is them, have locked themselves in the Eternal Tundra, a land consumed by ice since long before we were given our crowns," Celestia cut in. "It is nearly inaccessible, even with our magic. Not to mention there are large packs of ferocious yeti that have made their home there. It will be nothing short of a challenge to reach where they hide."
HA HA! A challenge you say? Well have no fear, for there is no challenge I have come up against that has stood in my way for long," All Might boasted. "I have bested the heat, so why not the cold as well? And these yeti's cannot be much tougher than Monstro and Twilight saw what happened to him."
"I am glad that you are confident. We will need all of that confidence if we are to prevail," Luna warned. "If you have anything you need to do or pack, do it now. For once we go, we go to fight." All Might chuckled at her words before he glanced back at the other ponies.
"Any of you have anything you need to do?" he asked. When all he was faced with was smiles, he chuckled before looking to Luna.
"It seems that we are all ready. Take us there."
"One sec," Twilight said. "Spike, I want you to go to Ponyville while we're away. Get into contact with Starlight and have here see if she can learn anything about that dark power Luna sensed. While it might just be the aura given off by the villains, I would rather not take that risk. If an old foe of ours has popped back up, I want to know about it."
"On it, Twilight. You can count on me," Spike said. He saluted Twilight before taking to the air and flying out of the room. Twilight's horn glowed and a moment later everypony and All Might had winter coats covering them.
"Ready."
Luna and Celestia activated their magic together and a moment later the party found themselves standing in the middle of a blizzard. The ponies held up hooves or created magical shields to protect themselves from the oncoming storm, all except for All Might, who shivered heroically in place.
"That is...quite the blizzard," All Might chattered.
"Oh yes, the blizzards in Equestria are nothing like the ones on Earth. Here, they are fueled by the very magic of the world itself," Luna said, still slightly cold despite her shield. "The magical aspect allows it to somewhat penetrate our spells and defenses. That is why exploring up here is so hard."
"i had no idea this place even existed," Twilight muttered. The blizzard made it hard for her to see and her tracker spell wasn't working either. But it wasn't because of the storm. Something else was stopping her.
"It is not a place we talk about often. Every year it claims a few fools who come to it seeking riches and treasure," Celestia grunted. Even with her magic being solar based and melting the snow around her, the strength of the blizzard still pushed her back. "The less we speak of it, the less lives are claimed by its cold."
"I-I-I c-c-can see why," Rarity chattered. "My cloak is doing nothing against this wind."
"Come on, you guys call this cold? Wonderbolts...are trained...to face way worse," Dash laughed. Yet one look at her showed that her normally rainbow mane was now solid white.
"Twi, can't yer magic do anything against this wind?" Applejack asked. "Ah can take the cold, but the wind is going to put me in the ground!"
"Hang on, I've got an idea," Twilight said. She focused her magic, aimed it up and fired a bolt into the sky. A moment later the storm began to swirl around them, creating a tornado of snow around the party. But the wind died down and only a few specks of snow fell to where the party was.
"Clever," All Might said as he looked at the swirling storm. "You created an eye for this storm, one that will keep us safe from the elements. That's some quick thinking, princess."
"That's my former student. Quick on the fly and as creative as any artist," Celestia beamed.
"Please, it's far from the most clever thing I've done," Twilight smiled. "Now come on. I've used my magic to make sure that the eye of the storm moves with us. But I don't know how long it will last."
"Aw, couldn't you have waited a bit longer. I almost had ice cream made for everypony," Pinkie sighed. She held out ice cream sticks to her friends, who all slightly wondered how she made them different flavors. "Don't be shy now, I made some for everypony."
"Sorry Pinkie, but it's a bit too cold for ice cream," Fluttershy passed. The rest of Pinkie's friends did the same, Celestia considered it, and All Might took the one that Pinkie had made to look like him. The group moved on through the tundra, with All Might and the alicorn's leading the way as their magic was key in locating where the villains were sensed. Luna walked slightly behind All Might, narrowing her eyes after ten minutes of silence went by.
"Are you alright, All Might?" Luna asked the hero. "You've been uncharacteristically quiet on this mission. Normally you're loud and boisterous. Is the cold getting to you? Or are you preparing yourself for the oncoming fight?"
All Might turned back to look at Luna and she found that the ice cream that Pinkie had given him was completely frozen to his tongue. "Did you seriously try to eat that in the middle of a snowstorm?"
"Well, Pinkie gave it to me and seemed so excited to see me try it that I couldn't turn her down," All Might explained, though his explanation was a bit more garbled thanks to the ice version of him wrestling with his tongue. Luna rolled her eyes before grabbing the ice cream with her magic, ripping it off with a yank. "Ow. Thank you."
"Are we heading the right way?" Dash asked after a bit. "I would really like to stretch my wings, but with how much ice is on them I'm afraid they'll break off if I try."
"We're going the right way. I know that to be certain," Luna said, before she narrowed her eyes. "But it seems that we are no longer alone. Elements, we have company!"
The snow exploded around the group as over a dozen creatures covered head to toe in white fur emerged. The creatures had red, beady eyes that were barely visible beneath their hair, but the claws that extended on their hands were obvious enough for the party to get ready.
"Yeti's, we are not here to fight you. We are here to-"
Twilight never got to finish. With a guttural roar, the pack of yetis charged the ponies. Celestia, Luna and Twilight fired out bolts of magic in unison, knocking three yeti's out of the air. The other ponies backed into a circle and prepared to fight, until a loud laugh echoed throughout the area.
"Have no fear, ponies. For I! AM!-" All Might leapt into the middle of the fight and sunk right up to his waist in the snow. "Stuck in the snow. Uh, hold on a moment, I'll be right out of here in a...no, now my hand is sinking. Hmm, this might be a problem."
The yeti's bellowed as they lunged towards the stuck All Might. Twilight and Luna spun around as their horns began to glow, planning on helping out the hero. But as they quickly found out, he didn't need their help.
"Montana...SMASH!"
All Might's arms exploded out of the snow, creating an avalanche of snow and ice that quickly buried the oncoming yeti's. The ones that hadn't been caught in the avalanche turned to face All Might, who had managed to pull himself out of the snow. They let out a bellow and took at step towards the hero. They would take no more.
Faster than anypony aside from Rainbow Dash could register, All Might rocketed towards the yeti. With a flurry of punches, All Might struck each yeti in their joints before swinging one mighty fist upwards. The updraft created by this punch ripped the yeti off of their feet and hurled them into the sky.
Rainbow Dash was the only one who had seen what had happened. For the rest of the ponies, it looked like All Might suddenly appeared with a fist raised in the air and then the yeti's rained down from the sky. All Might placed his hands on his hips as he looked over his shoulder at the yeti, who were either passed out on the ground or scrambling to get away from him. Twilight used her magic to scoop out the yeti that had been buried and they quickly scrambled off back into the storm.
"Well that was a nice warm up. Now that we're all nice and toasty, how about we find the real villains?" All Might asked.
"Wow," was all Celestia could say. "That speed and power...I can see how he would be the greatest hero on his world. He dealt with those creature's effortlessly."
"Yeah, but I hope he wasn't too rough on them," Fluttershy muttered. She looked over at her shoulders at where the yeti had taken off. "They didn't seem like bad creatures. I think they were just protecting their territory. You might have been a bit hard on them, All Might."
"Do not worry, Fluttershy. I made sure to hold back against them," All Might promised with a thumbs up. He then looked up at the sky and narrowed his eyes. "And I know I didn't punch hard enough to be rid of that blizzard. Anyone care to tell me what happened to it?"
Every eye snapped towards the sky and found that All Might was right. The storm was simply gone. The group began to look around nervously, while Luna nodded her head. "We're close. I can sense it. The place that we are looking for...where they vanished to...is here."
She placed a hoof against a giant sheet of ice and permafrost, one that shined in the sun. Twilight and Celestia walked up next to it as well, their eyes narrowing as they felt what Luna had felt. "I see what you mean, sister. This wall has a magical enchantment on it, one that is stronger than any I have felt in a long time."
"What does that mean, princess?" Rarity asked.
"It means that it has wards on it that will make it hard for us to get inside using magic," Luna said. Then she smiled and looked to All Might. "If only there was a strapping young man who could knock on this door to see if we could be let in?"
"Why, I would love to," All Might said. He walked up to the wall, cracked his knuckles, before drawing back his fist and smiling. "Knock knock."
All Might then threw a massive punch into the ice wall, crashing through the ice with his fist and blasting away the rest. He then stepped back to see what was behind it, his smile growing wider when he saw a tunnel that led down into darkness.
"Who's there?" Pinkie asked.
"That's what we're going to find out," All Might said. And then he dove in.
The party came to a stop at the end of a long hallway. All Might glanced around to make sure there were no traps waiting for the group before he motioned for the others to come forward. The ponies landed beside him, quickly shedding their coats as they did so. They were in a large, circular room, with black metal making up the walls. The first thing the group noticed was the heat. Next was the hallway leading away from them.
"Whew, it is boiling in here," Rarity muttered. "This humidity will do nothing for my mane."
"I guess they've got to keep it hot since it's so cold outside," Fluttershy muttered.
"Be careful everypony," Twilight warned her friends. "The walls of this place is made of a type of metal that weakens magic. I will barely be able to manage a shield spell in here, let alone bust out any of my stronger spells."
"It is as she said. Our magic is weakened in here," Celestia agreed. "All Might, would you mind going first? It seems that we will be relying on your strength in here."
"Of course I'd be happy to go ahead, princess," All Might smiled. He then turned his gaze from the room down the hallway, noticing the torches that burned silently on the wall. He advanced by himself first, keeping his eyes on the lookout for anything that looked like a trap.
He was definitely in a villains lair. He had busted up enough of them to know what they were like by sight now and this had all of the makings of one. But what concerned him as he led the ponies down the hallway was how quiet it was. No henchmen being thrown at him. No bombs or gunshots going off. Not even the tauntings of a lunatic who believed that he would be walking away victorious.
"See anything?" Twilight asked.
"No. And that is what bothers me," All Might replied. "There should be...something. Attackers, traps, anything. But all there is...is quiet. I don't like it."
"Maybe they knew we were coming?" Applejack suggested.
"Doubtful. Unless I choose to reveal myself, I am completely invisible in another beings dreams," Luna explained. "Not to mention, these humans do not have the capability of sensing my magic, based on what All Might told me. Even if White Noise sensed my magic, she would have no way to know what it meant. They should have no idea that we are on our way at all."
"And yet the place is quiet," Celestia pointed out. "I am with All Might. Where is the death traps? The henchmen? The...evil..."
The group entered a massive chamber in the center of the base, a large, circular room that had three levels, circular cushions in the middle and a large, black crystal floating ominously in the center. All Might made sure to check the room thoroughly first before he began to walk towards the crystal.
"Careful, All Might, we have no idea what that crystal can do," Twilight warned.
"Do not worry, Twilight. I am ready," All Might smiled. He walked towards the crystal, his body ready for it to try anything. Yet it floated harmlessly as he approached, allowing him to walk right up to it before a beam of light shot out of the top. Twilight blinked and found All Might standing next to her, amazed that she hadn't even registered him moving. But none of the other ponies noticed the burst of speed. For they were all looking at the beam of light that was radiating from the crystal. Forming the image of one King Sombra.
"Hello, Elements," the giant Sombra said with a smile.
"Sombra? You again?" Rainbow groaned. "How many times do we have to beat you? We blew you up, essentially melted you and yet here you are, back again. Don't you ever take a hint?"
"I don't take hints, Dashie. Just kingdom's, lives and whatever else I feel like taking," Sombra cackled.
Twilight caught All Might looking at her and she cleared her throat. "King Sombra is a dark unicorn who used his evil power to take over my sister in laws kingdom a while ago. We thought that we had dealt with him once and for all, but clearly we'd have an easier time trying to squash cockroaches than him."
"Princess Twilight. Still have all the eloquence of a barbarian, I see," Sombra smirked at the princess. Then Sombra noticed the Symbol of Peace standing next to Twilight. "Well well, if it isn't All Might. That's quite the ugly costume you have there. Haven't you ever heard three is the magical number when it comes to colors for a costume. But I will admit. The muscles are nice."
"I'm glad you think so. How would you like to see them up close?" All Might asked.
"Hmm, a tempting offer. But considering you're as large as a golem and probably hit like one, I think I would prefer to be out of your reach for now," Sombra smirked. "Also, you should stop sleeping on your face. You've got some wicked bed mane there."
"Enough of your chaff, Sombra. Where are the human villains?" Luna barked up at Sombra.
"You mean my new best friends? We were having such a wonderful sleepover, only to be alerted that some party crashers were showing up to ruin the fun," Sombra replied. "Oh don't look like that, Luna. Of course I sensed your dream magic and made sure to evacuate my friends in the nick of time to another hidden facility of mine. Nick of time. There's a hero name. Or would it be better for a villain?"
"So you are the one who helped the villains to escape me in Canterlot," All Might pieced together. "I thought they managed to slip through my grasp too quickly. Your magic is what them allowed them to escape."
"Well, look at that. Brains as well as brawn. I can see why the Legion feared you," Sombra nodded. "Yes, I helped them to escape. I saw something going down and decided that I wanted in on it. And I'm glad I did. Their powers are fascinating, but their potential even more so. I am looking forward to seeing all the evil we can do together."
"Then you are dreaming Sombra, because both you and the Legion falls today," All Might promised. "Because I am here!"
"So you are. Well I...am not," Sombra cackled. "I'm off on important business right now, so I'm not actually in. But don't worry, I'm still a gracious host. So I left you a few...friends, to keep you busy."
Four doors exploded around the ponies and from behind them emerged four, giant, crystal beings that were vaguely humanoid. The crystal was black and just by being near it the ponies could feel their magic start to weaken. All Might would be the perfect solution to this problem, except that all of the golems were twice his size and built like five of him.
"Oh, the reason I compared you to a golem earlier is because you kinda look like them. Now the question is an you hit like them? Because trust me, these bad boys can hit!" Sombra laughed.
The golem's charged the ponies, shaking the whole room as the four charged in. The alicorns took to the sky and began unloading their magic into the monsters, who were barely staggered by the magical might. "How can this be? Our magic is having no effect!" Celestia snarled.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that I built everything in here, including those golems, out of Negastone? Yeah, I know they're crystals, but the material is called Negastone. Faust knows why. Point it, it will slowly sap your magic the longer you are exposed to it. Oh, and shooting them with magic don't work either. So one again Celestia and Luna find themselves being useless, but this time Twilight get's to really experience what it's like being a princess. Have fun!"
"Back up princesses, let me handle this!" Dash roared. She rocketed past the princesses and caught one of the golems right in the center of it's head, staggering the monster and causing it to fall back. "Applejack, looks like you and I are going to be doing most of the heavy lifting! I'll keep these guys off their toes, but you gotta bring them-"
"West Virginia...SMASH!"
All Might lunged into the nearest golem and slammed his fist into the center of the monsters chest, before twisting his body around until he looked like a drill to the ponies. He drilled clean through the golem and burst through it on the other side. The golem had just enough time to look down at it's new hole before it crumbled into crystal, while All Might turned to look at the other three golems.
"I am not impressed, Sombra. I've had rock candy harder than these guys. And the dentist I had to visit afterwards far more terrifying than these will ever be," All Might smirked. All Might then hurled himself into the nearest golem, slamming a fist into it with enough force to turn the crystal being into powder. He then whipped around and fired off a punch, creating a blast of wind that took the other two completely off their feet. All Might was on the both of them in a moment, picking up one over his head and taking aim at the other.
"Here's a trust exercise for you! I'm going to throw your friend at you and you're going to catch him!"
All Might made good on his promise and hurled the golem he was holding right into the chest of the other one. Being the true friend that it was, the golem caught it's brother and the two both shattered instantly. All Might watched the crystal raining down for a moment before he turned and smiled up at Sombra. "Any other creatures you want to throw at me? Or are you going to get smart and surrender?"
"To be fair to me, I made those to combat the Elements of Harmony and their magical powers. Not a freak in spandex. Had I expected you, I would have whipped up something for you as well," Sombra smiled. "Not that it matters. So you smashed my butlers. I can build more. Besides, what you did to them is nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you."
"Do to us? You're henchmen just got smashed and you're not even here. How can you possibly..." Twilight began, but then she stopped and listened. Because she had just heard something in the background of Sombra's transmission. Something that everypony in the group was beginning to pick up on. The sound of screaming. "Sombra. Where are you?"
"Me? Oh, I took a little trip to a place called Ponyville," Sombra smiled. He then flipped his image around and showed the ponies what was going on below him.
It was a nightmare.
Ponyville was on fire, with ponies running through the streets while screaming. Monstro had somehow become even larger, now towering over the buildings and trees, and was smashing everything in his path, be it building, trees...or pony. And finally, every once in a while, Sombra would fire a blast of dark magic into a part of the town, causing the ponies there to get stuck together and unable to escape.
"It's an out of the way place in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure you've never heard of it."
"Sombra, you monster!" Celestia roared.
"Celestia, please. Don't call me a monster until you've seen this," Sombra laughed. Then he changed the image to something that made Twilight's heart sink to depths she didn't know it was capable of. The transmission showed Spike and Gabby, the two of them desperately trying to get the ponies out of town. "And who would I run into out here the middle of nowhere then the very same dragon who helped be my downfall all those years ago. And what's this? Somepony he clearly cares about? Two for one!"
"Sombra, listen to me clearly," Twilight whispered. "If you do anything to hurt them, I swear to whatever beings there are up there, that I will stop at nothing until you beg me for imprisonment."
"Ooh, listen to that. We have the makings of a villain over here," Sombra cackled. "Don't worry, Twilight. Only a psychopath who couldn't let go of a grudge would torture and kill the both of them. Good thing I fit the bill perfectly!"
"We need to go!" All Might roared. He turned to head for the exit, but before he could take a step numerous layers of crystal encased the walls around them. The moment they were incased, black tendrils shot out of the walls and wrapped themselves around the ponies, who cried out as their magic was drained from their bodies. The only one the tendrils didn't go after was All Might, who was about as magical as a drunk mall Santa.
All Might shot towards the nearest tendril and chopped at it, but his hand went clean through the magic without having an effect. Not that it matter, because a moment later Twilight let out a yell as she erupted in a violet light. Her magic blasted away the tendrils, but as she and the others collapsed to the ground All Might could tell she was spent.
"Pretty neat, huh? Now I've drained pretty much all of your magic. Good luck teleporting back home," Sombra said. "So go ahead, try to get out. Because even if you do, you've got no chance to stop me."
"I don't need to teleport. I can get back there fast enough," Dash snarled.
"Perhaps. But you are in the middle of the frozen north and quite a long way away from Ponyville. Can you make it here fast? Of course. But can you make it here in time? I doubt that very much," Sombra smiled, before turning his gaze back to Twilight. "So Twilight, is there anything you'd like me to tell that dragon for you before I kill him? Because if you get on your knees and beg, I might just say it to him."
"Sombra! I will END YOU!" Twilight roared.
"Huh. Weird last words to say to Spike. But if that's what you want," Sombra smiled. Then the crystal's image cut out. Twilight was about to roar at her friends that they needed to get out...only for the whole facility to start to collapse on top of them.
The Cake's bakery had made extra cookies and they had shared some with Spike. Spike had received a letter from Ember telling him about the going on's in the Dragon Kingdom. And finally, he had met up with Gabby to find she had gotten shakes for both of them. Nothing could ruin this day.
And then Sombra appeared in the middle of the sky and unleashed a monster the likes of which Spike had never seen upon the town. Within minutes the town of Ponyville had been set ablaze, numerous buildings had been devastated...and Spike didn't want to think about the other losses.
"Everypony this way! Head for the school!" Spike called out to the running ponies. A few of the ponies that were running for their lives took his advice, heading for the only building in the whole town that still had a magical shield around. Judging from the colors making up the shield, Spike knew that Starlight and Sunburst were there, keeping those inside safe. It was his job to make sure the others made it there.
"Spike!" Spike looked up to see Gabby flying towards him. "I've gotten as many of them towards the school as I can, but that monster and Sombra are on their way here! We need to get going ourselves."
"Okay, let's get going after..." Spike stopped talking when he saw some old mares trying to make their way through the crowd, but were quickly battered aside and thrown to the ground. Spike snarled as he flung open his wings and flew to the ponies side, using his slightly bigger size to protect them from the stampede. "Gabby! Help me get these old mares to the school!"
"Okay!"
Spike and Gabby took off towards the school, with Spike holding two of the mares while Gabby flew one of them. On the way there Spike managed to scoop up a filly that had gotten separated from her and tossed her onto his back. The two of them reached the school to see Trixie and Starlight outside, ushering ponies into the school.
"Spike!" Starlight exclaimed as he and Gabby landed. Trixie took the mares and filly and helped them move into the school. "What's going on out there? What is that...thing?"
"Sombra has returned." Starlight's face went pale at that news. "And he's brought along with him a monster that I've never seen before. All Might called him Monstro. It's as large as an Ursa Minor and hits far harder than one. So many buildings...and lives..."
Gabby placed a hand on Spike's shoulder, giving him a soft smile. "We're getting as many ponies here as we can, but there's too many and Sombra's moving too quickly. It won't be long until he's reached the school. Can your magic keep him out?"
"It...it might be able to for a time," Starlight guessed. "But even I don't know how it will hold up against...a monster...like that..."
Spike and Gabby turned around to see that, walking through the streets of Ponyville, came the monster. Monstro. The monster that All Might had spoken of. And it was heading their way.
"Spike, where is Twilight? Where are the Ambassadors?" Starlight asked Spike.
"They went to a place in the north...to hunt down Sombra," Spike snarled, the pieces falling into place. "He lured them out there. That's why they're not here now. He knew they would go after him and give him time to strike here."
"So they won't be coming," Trixie muttered as she walked up.
"Not for a while, if I had to guess. Knowing Twilight, she and her friends can escape whatever trap Sombra has set up...but whether or not she can get here in time," Starlight sighed. The dark king who was floating above the town turned and looked towards the school, giving Starlight the chills as she could see his smile from here. "Get inside the shield. Even with Sombra's magic and that things power, it should be able to hold until Twilight and the others get here."
"Come on Spike," Gabby said. She and the other ponies headed into the shield, but before Spike entered he stopped to look behind him one last time. At his burning town. At all of the destruction and death. He could feel the fire from there, he could smell the smoke...and he heard the faintest cry for help. And he spread his wings.
"Spike?!" Gabby yelled in fear. "What are you doing?"
"I have to go. It's my home. But more importantly, because I'm the only one here," Spike said. "Twilight and her friends might be who save the day, but I'm the guardian of the princess. I protect what she cares about. And stop those who would seek to harm her."
"But...but...!"
"Don't worry, Twilight will be here soon," Spike said as he gave a shaky thumbs up to the ponies. "All I've got to do is buy time. Luckily for all of us...Sombra hates me."
Spike kicked off the ground and took the sky, flying straight for the king of darkness. Spike watched as Monstro picked up a building and prepared to throw it at him, but Sombra held out a hoof to stop the monster. His smile only grew wider as Spike came to a halt in front of him.
"Spike. Spikey Wikey. You," Sombra said. "You've gotten taller since we last met."
"You mean since I last beat you?" Spike snarled.
"If that's what you want to call it. Though I remember all of your friends and the princesses having a hand...pardon me, hoof in my destruction. Forgive me, I've been around humans these last few days," Sombra said.
"Doesn't matter how I did it. I still beat you," Spike spat, literally spiting fire.
"Details. But now I don't see any of those same friends or princesses around to bail you out this time," Sombra whispered, his smile growing larger. "And yet here you are, all alone, prepared to fight me in a battle that you cannot win."
"You say that now, but I've been practicing my fire since the last time we met," Spike replied. "And I think you'll find that I've got-"
Spike barely caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and he whipped to the side, just in time to see a massive, clawed hand come slashing towards him. He rolled out of the way and just barely avoided being hit, only for a blast of dark magic to catch him in the side and send him crashing through a building below.
Spike groaned as he shook his head, getting up to his feet a moment later. The blow had hurt, but it wasn't anything he hadn't taken before. He took off once more and rocketed straight towards Sombra, spewing green fire from his mouth as he approached. Sombra smirked at his attack before transforming into his shadow mist, swerving out of the way of the fire before whipping Spike in the face with a dark tendril.
Spike flew back as he held a hand to his face, not feeling any blood. He gritted his teeth and lunged back in again, spewing more flames as he began to encircle Monstro. He didn't think he could beat Sombra, but he didn't need to win. Buy for time. That was his goal. And if he could slow the monster down, he might be able to buy the time that they needed.
That was until Monstro clapped his hands together with enough force to create a shockwave strong enough to both put out his flames and knock Spike out of the air. The dragon came crashing down to the ground, hitting on his wing hard and crying out in pain as he felt something in it break. Forcing the pain down, Spike pushed himself back up to his feet and swung around to face Sombra. The dark king was sitting on the head on Monstro, smirking down at Spike while dark daggers danced above his head.
"Well that was easy. You gave me such a heroic speech that I thought for sure this was going to be some legendary battle that our children would sing songs about for generations to come. But you buzzed around, blew some smoke and got swatted out of the sky. That's the failure I remember facing."
Spike snarled and inhaled, preparing to fire again. Monstro had other ideas and slammed his foot down next to Spike, shattering the ground beneath him and hurling the dragon back. Spike yelped as he landed on his bad wing, tears clouding his vision as he tried to lift his head.
"And the best part about this is, if you had stayed in that shield like I'm sure...Starblight? Eh, whatever her name suggested, you would might have lived. I mean, I'm sure that her shield is no match for my genius, but it would have bought you time. Probably not enough time until Twilight arrived, but maybe enough time for her to get to watch you die. But instead you're going to die here, alone, with nopony around to see. I almost feel cheated. Eh, what are you going to do? Monstro...kill him."
Monstro let out a bellow as he lunged for Spike, who didn't even have the strength to get up. He closed his eyes and waited for the end, only to snap them back open when he felt feathers brushing his nose. He was being flown through the air, being carried by a single griffon who was pouring everything into her wings to keep them going.
"Gabby?" Spike asked weakly. Once the two were an ample way away from Sombra and outside the town, she crashed into the ground and sent the pair sprawling. "What are you doing here? You should be under the shield, safe and-"
"YOU IDIOT!" Gabby yelled at Spike. "What am I doing out here?! What about you?! You leave me in there, challenge Sombra all by yourself and nearly get killed! What were YOU THINKING?!"
"I...I had to save my town. My friends. My..." Spike muttered. Before he could say anything else, a massive footstep slammed down next to them. The pair looked up to see Sombra and Monstro glaring down at them, Sombra having a smirk on his face.
"Well isn't this sweet. There's somepony...well something that cares for you," Sombra chuckled. "And for you, griffon, you have some courage in order to defy me in order to save him. Can't say it was a smart choice, but hey, that's teenagers for you. Never thinking with their brains. Well, if you wanted to save him so badly..." Monstro lifted his foot over them as Sombra said this. "Then you can die with him."
"Starlight. NOW!" Gabby yelled.
Sombra had enough time for a single eyebrow to go up before a portal appeared under Monstro's feet, sucking both him and Sombra into it. The pair were gone a moment later, giving Spike a chance to turn to see Starlight standing next to the both of them. She gave them a weak smile before she collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
"That...was one...big guy," she panted. "Had to use...nearly everything I had...to teleport him away."
"Starlight?" Spike asked. He sat up with a grunt, Gabby moving in to support Spike. "What...where did you teleport him to?"
"Heh, you see that mountain over there?" Starlight asked, pointing towards a large mountain in the distance. "Trapped them under that. Yeah, I'm sure Sombra could escape, but Monstro is going to be stuck down there for a long time. Long enough for Twilight to get back and...and..."
Starlight went silent as she felt the ground beneath her, with enough force to knock all of them onto their backs. They all turned their gaze towards the mountain, the very same mountain that she had trapped Monstro under. The same mountain that was now slightly moving. With what little magic she could muster, Starlight used a sight spell to increase how far she could see. And what she saw turned her soul cold.
Monstro, with the aid of Sombra's magic, was lifting the mountain. And atop his monsters back, Sombra was smiling at her. Darkness wrapped around the mountain as it was lifted, anchoring all of the stone, earth and rock together. Sombra mouthed the words "farewell" to her, before, using all of his and Monstro's power, they hurled the mountain towards where she, Spike and Gabby were sitting.
The three said nothing to one another as the sky went black and the hundreds of thousands of tons came hurtling towards them. Starlight sat down and stared at it. Spike narrowed his eyes and stared up at his oncoming demise. And Gabby sobbed only once, before gently taking Spike's hand in hers. And then the mountain struck. The resulting shockwave and earthquake created from the impact could not be described in mere words. Sombra put it best.
"Well that was freaking awsome," Sombra laughed as he appeared next to the mountain. Monstro landed beside him a moment later while Sombra looked to his side to see that Ponyville was still standing. "Well, you hit Spike, but missed the town. We threw a mountain at this place, how the heck did we miss it? Ah, whatever. Spike's dead, Starblight is dead and now we can take our time killing the rest. But I've really got to be more specific when I..what the?"
Sombra turned to look at the mountain with disbelief, knowing for a fact that the whole mountain had just moved. He slowly began to back away from it, as the whole mountain began to shake and slowly lift off of the ground. "That...that can't be. Starlight can't be lifting it. I know for damn sure that dragon isn't lifting it. So how...how is it...?"
"How is the mountain moving, Sombra? It is simple, villain...it is because..."
"No," Sombra whispered as the mountain was fully lifted off of the ground, revealing the blazing blue eyes of a hero who was, by himself, holding up the entire mountain. A hero who still wore a smile on his face.
Sombra backed away from the hero in disbelief, unable to believe what he was seeing. Spike, Gabby and Starlight all stared up at All Might with jaws on the ground. And then there was All Might, who stared at Sombra with the widest smile possible on his face. Sombra narrowed his eyes in response as his horn began to glow, thinking of how he would have to battle All Might.
Then his eyes narrowed further. For a brief moment, almost as if it hadn't happened, he noticed that All Might's eyes flickered. Then it happened again. Sombra thought about it for a moment, before he looked up at the massive mountain that the hero was still supporting. And his smile returned as he threw back his head and let out a loud laugh.
"Yes indeed! You are here! So what are you waiting for All Might? Let us do battle! In fact, I'll give you a free shot right now!" Sombra taunted. The dark king leaned in and turned a cheek to All Might, who narrowed his eyes at Sombra. "What's the matter? Don't want to take me up on my offer? Or perhaps it's because a mountain is quite hard to dispose of. Since you're so new to this land, you have no idea what or who it might crush if you were to throw it, would you?"
The look All Might gave Sombra answered his question.
"Of course, you could throw it at us, but it's very possible that with my magic or Monstro's might we could redirect it. But I'm always up for a bit of landscaping and I could think of a few places I would like to see that mountain on top of. How about that town right over there? That looks like a good place."
All Might's arms shook a little, but he did nothing.
"Ah, the eternal bane of heroes. Unable to act if it would endanger those around them," Sombra cackled. His horn glowed with dark power and he aimed it right at those who where behind All Might. To Sombra's surprise, All Might shifted and, with a step heavy enough to crack the ground, he moved in-between Sombra and the others. "Hmm, that is some strength. Getting close to you would be a foolish decision. Good thing I've got help. Hey, Monstro. Bring this mountain down on top of him."
Monstro roared as he was teleported into the air, aiming his fall so that he would land on the mountain the hero was holding. Even though he left All Might's sight within a second, the Symbol of Peace crouched down and braced himself, preparing to deal with the oncoming impact.
"All Might," Spike wheezed out. All Might turned his head to look at the dragon. "Gabby. Starlight. Leave me. Get yourselves out of here. I got myself into this mess. You guy's shouldn't..."
"As I said, young Spike, there is no need to fear," All Might began. Then his eyes blazed blue with an intensity that nearly blew the others back. "Because I am here."
Above the mountain, Monstro reached the terminal velocity and let out an inhuman roar. He cocked a fist back and aimed it right at the mountain...before a blast of purple energy caught him in the chest and sent him reeling. All Might and the others looked with surprise as Monstro crashed to the ground, while Sombra snarled as he looked up to see a purple alicorn looking down on him.
"You really know how to ruin my fun, you know that?" Sombra asked Twilight. Twilight said nothing as she landed at the base of the mountain, looking over her shoulder. Her eyesbrows shot up when she saw the Symbol of Peace holding up the mountain with Spike, Gabby and Starlight underneath.
"All Might...?" she asked in disbelief.
"Deal with Sombra. I've got this," All Might said with a smile. Twilight smiled in reply before she turned back to Sombra, her horn flashing violet.
"You made a mistake coming back, Sombra," Twilight snarled at him. "Attacking us in one thing. Attacking my home, my friends...my little bro? There is no tomorrow for you."
"Pity. And here I had my plans for tomorrow all mapped out," Sombra smiled. His eyes became slits as he crouched down, horn glowing. "And dancing on your grave happened to be one of my activities for tomorrow. So sorry, Twilight, but I'm not canceling my plans."
Twilight made the first move, shooting a blast of magic into the sky which exploded and rained magic down on Sombra. Sombra shifted into his shadow form and weaved in-between the bolts, closing the distance between the two of them. Twilight had expected this and, in a single motion, trapped Sombra's shadow form in a ball of magic and hurled him into the air. Sombra broke free and returned to his normal form, only for his eyes to go wide as a magic covered alicorn slammed into him.
"You're going to pay for what you've done," Twilight growled.
"I'm all out of bits. Do you take credit?" Sombra spat back.
"I'll take it out of your flesh."
The two blasted each other away before taking a moment to prepare. Twilight ripped trees out of the ground and spun them around her, adding spikes to them with her magic. Sombra crafted a barrier around himself before conjuring spears of darkness that he aimed at Twilight. Then the two resumed.
Twilight hurled her forest towards Sombra, who held his ground as the trees shattered against his barrier. He returned fire with his spears, which whipped past the trees and went to embed themselves in the princess. Twilight teleported out of the way and the spears missed her. She reappeared a short distance away, only to notice that the spears turned and continued to track her. She teleported once more and appeared behind Sombra, smirking at him before crouching behind his barrier. Sombra snarled at her as the spears approached him before his horn flashed, dissipating the spears.
He whipped his head around to see what the alicorn was doing, only for his eyes to go wide when he saw she was wielding a giant baseball bat. He gritted his teeth right as the bat struck his shield, sending him rocketing down to the land below. He slammed into the ground, his shield taking most the blow, before he bounced and skipped all the way to Ponyville. He came to a stop in the center of the town, groaning as he got up to watch his shield crumble.
"Give up Sombra," Twilight warned as she appeared above him. "And maybe I'll just have you banished instead of destroyed."
"Oh, I'm shaking in my little boots. Twilight's going to use all of her mighty power to slay me," Sombra mocked, before narrowing his eyes at her. "Please. You're strong, Twilight, I will give you that much. But your power isn't anything I haven't handled before. Now that Rainbow Power and the Elements might be a problem...but where are your friends? They aren't here? Where could they possibly be?"
Twilight glared at Sombra in response.
"Could it be? The most famous spewer of friendship herself abandoned her friends in the frozen north to come fight me on her own? That she left behind her most powerful tools because she wanted me all for herself? I'm flattered Twi, but you ain't my type. Way to preachy," Sombra smirked.
"I don't need my friends to deal with you," Twilight muttered. "You could barely handle me as a unicorn. But now, with the alicorn power, I outclass you in magic a hundred fold."
"Twilight. Both Celestia and Luna are alicorns as well. And did they beat me with their own power? No. It took them using the Element's to actually bring me down," Sombra chuckled mirthlessly. "It's not about power, it's about how you wield it. And you are a three year old throwing a tantrum in comparison to my skill. You've already lost and just don't know it."
"Really? And how's that?" Twilight asked.
"Because you didn't seem to realize I was stalling."
Twilight didn't even have time to react. The moment those words left Sombra's mouth a massive blow struck her in the back, knocking her out of the sky and sending her crashing through the streets. She came to a stop in front of the school, blood trickling from her mouth as she forced herself back up.
"It's princess Twilight!"
Twilight glanced over her shoulder to see that nearly all of the ponies from town were gathered at the edge of the shield protecting the school, eyes wide with relief when they saw the princess. And, despite her injuries, Twilight drew herself up and smiled at them, before turning to face her foes.
They didn't make her wait. Monstro barreled towards her like an out of control freight train, knocking over buildings as he charged towards her. Twilight slammed all four of her hooves into the ground before conjuring the strongest barrier that she could manage, bracing herself as Monstro crashed into it. Magic met flesh and for a moment it looked like flesh would win. Then Twilight let out a roar as she dug past her depths and poured more magic into her barrier, deflecting Monstro's blow and staggering him.
She didn't give him a second. She dropped her barrier and rocketed towards the titan, wrapping magic around his ankles and ripping him off of his feet. Without releasing her magic she let out another yell as she tossed the monster over her head, before bringing him crashing down into the hillside. The entire town shook from the force of his impact, but when he didn't get back up Twilight let out a sigh of relief.
"Wow, she beat that monster!" Twilight heard a young voice say. "She's so strong!"
"Of course she is! She's the princess of Equestria! She's number one!" another foal spoke.
"Twilight, you're my hero!"
"Kick his flank, Twilight!"
"My insurance will cover this, right?!"
"Well aren't you inspiring!"
Twilight got her shield up in time to stop the oncoming blasts of darkness, but a smokey shadow slipped past her barrier and Sombra appeared in front of her. He smiled wickedly at her before unleashing a massive blast of magical power right in her face. Twilight roared as she was sent tumbling back. Yet even as she took Sombra's blow, she delivered one of her own. With a flick of her horn, she caused her own barrier to explode on top of Sombra. The dark king roared as he slammed into the ground at the same time as Twilight.
"Come on Twilight!"
"You've got this!"
"You're our princess! You can't lose!"
Twilight could barely feel her body and what parts she could feel hurt like crazy. But with one last push she forced herself back to her hooves, glaring over at Sombra who had managed to do the same. Sombra narrowed his eyes into slits as he glared at her, his horn glowing with dark power. She matched him and caused her horn to alight, the two staring each other down.
Sombra let out a roar of hatred as he fired all he had at Twilight, unleashing a blast of dark magic so powerful that it drained the color from the air. Twilight drew forth all she had left before unleashing all of her magic at Sombra's, bringing the sky to life with violet light. The two beams collided and, for the longest moment of the ponies lives, they're magic was even. Then Twilight screamed and blasted clean through Sombra's spell. Sombra had just enough time for his eyes to go wide before her magic enveloped him, causing him to roar as her magic blasted him off into the sky.
Twilight took a moment to breath. Her body felt like she had been stepped on by an Ursa, her head pounded with such an intensity that no medicine would dull the pain, and, worst of all, her magic had fried her crown and melted it to golden soup. She would have to order another one.
But then she glanced over to the ponies behind the shield, the ponies who were now screaming her name and celebrating with tears in their eyes. And she allowed herself a small smile. They were alright. That was all that mattered. She smiled at them and lifted a single hoof into the air in victory, before looking up to see the mountain that All Might had been carrying floating over her head.
For a moment she was afraid Sombra was already back, but then she saw Celestia and Luna on either side of the mountain, using their magic to keep it from falling. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were in front of it, guiding the way for the princesses. A shockwave exploded next to her and the next thing she knew, All Might, Spike and Gabby were all next to her, while Starlight and the other Elements were racing to the school to check on those inside. Spike walked up to her, a tearful smile on his face.
"You did it!" he exclaimed. "You beat Sombra!"
"I think I did," she muttered weakly. She then walked over to Spike and examined his wing, shaking her head. "It's broken. We'll need to take you to the hospital to get it patched up. I'm sorry I let this happen."
"Are you kidding? You saved us!" Gabby exclaimed. "You beat Sombra! You beat Monstro! You...saved the whole town!"
"Of course she did! Twilight's the best of the best. My number one hero," Spike said. He and Gabby pulled Twilight into a hug, barely noticing the exhausted alicorn collapsing into their arms.
And off to the side, All Might crossed his arms with a soft smile on his face, nodding his head in understanding. Then the ground rumbled and all eyes turned towards Monstro, who was getting back up to his feet. Twilight grunted as she started to get up as well, but All Might held out a hand to stop her.
Twilight gritted her teeth as Spike rubbed medicine against her wounds. She cast a glance over her shoulder and looked at Spike's wing, which was still in a cast. "How's your wing doing? Any more pain?"
"Nah, it's starting to feel better. Luckily Nurse Redheart got her hooves on us when she did," Spike replied. A smile crossed his face. "I still can't believe that you went hoof to hoof with Sombra like that. And you beat him in front of the entire town. That was really cool."
"He needed to be stopped. And I was the only one that could do it," Twilight said.
"Come on Twi, it's way more than that. You beat Sombra and saved everypony from his monster. You're a hero!"
"Please, All Might's the real hero. He held up that freakin mountain for over five minutes. That's a feat worthy of a hero," Twilight said.
"Fine. You were both heroes. He saved us and you stopped the bad guy. How's that sound?" Spike asked. Before Twilight could answer Spike rubbed more medicine on a nasty cut and Twilight had to bite down to keep from crying out. "My point still stands. In their hour of need, you were there. And the rest of Equestria has taken notice."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember when you first took the throne how a lot of newspapers and pony speakers were concerned that you wouldn't be able to live up to Celestia and Luna's legacy?" Spike asked. "Well nearly all of your haters has been silenced after you defeated Sombra and Monstro."
"All Might dealt with Monstro. Quickly, I must say," Twilight added.
"Details. Point is, you're all anypony is talking about. Well, the only pony their talking about," Spike said with a smile. "All Might still has a quite a few ponies talking."
"Alright, enough of the hero talk. How's Ponyville recovering?" Twilight asked.
"They're recovering. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash are leading the repairs. Fluttershy is trying to relocate the animals that lost their homes when Sombra chucked that mountain. And Pinkie is working around the clock to keep all of the ponies spirits up," Spike said. "Celestia and Luna are searching for Sombra, but, once again, he's gone without a trace."
"Won't he ever stay dead?" Twilight snarled. "I should be out there. I should be helping to look for him, helping with repairing the town or..."
"Slow your horses. You've already done enough. You saved us. You're the reason that we can rebuild or search for Sombra. Rest and let us do the rest of the work," Spike instructed. Twilight let out a grunt as she lay down on her bed, closing her eyes. Spike smile at her as he rose off of her bed and headed for the door, stopping as he reached it to turn to look back at her. "And no matter how much you hate to hear it, you're our hero. You're my number one hero. And that will never change."
Spike left the room and closed the door behind him. Around a minute after he left, Twilight cracked open an eye before rising from her bed. She walked to her desk and grabbed hold of a list of tasks that still needed to be done and ponies that still needed help. She memorized it in a moment before heading to the door...only to be stopped dead when she saw All Might standing there.
"All Might. I didn't hear you come in," she said.
"It's hard, isn't it?" he asked.
"What is?"
"Being number one. Being the one they all look to. Being their hero," All Might said. Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but then she looked into his eyes and found...the same eyes as hers. All Might walked over to the desk and look at the list she had put down, nodding his head. "There's always more to do. Always someone in need of help. Even when your wounded. Even when your world is crumbling down, you still need to keep their's together. You still need to be smiling for them. Even if it kills you."
"I'd say you don't know what you're talking about, but it's clear that you do," Twilight replied. She walked over to the window and stared out at the setting sun. "You're right. There's always more to do. Always those that need help. But I have to help them. That's my duty. My duty to them.
"I see why fate brought us together. We're alike. We're both the lone pillars that hold up our world," All Might said. "No matter what is thrown at us."
"Not quite. I'm not alone. I have my friends who are always there with me," Twilight said. "Together, we're the real heroes." All Might turned to look at her, an expression on his face she couldn't read, before he smiled softly and shook his head.
"It's kind of you to say that. And your friends are great. I can tell that even though I haven't known them long. But it wasn't your friends that were there when Sombra attacked that village. It wasn't your friends that fought back the evil that sough to claim those innocent lives. And it wasn't your friends who brought hope and smiles back to the faces of those that Sombra attacked. It was all you, Twilight."
"Yeah, but...my friends and I are in this together. We're all equal heroes."
"Twilight...the sad truth about being at the top is that there is only room for one," All Might said as he stood beside her. "I am not saying this to discredit your friends or to lessen their heroic deeds. In fact, on my world there are tens of thousands of heroes who fight day and night to keep people safe. Heroes much like your friends. True heroes."
"But that is not how the people see it. Sometimes...most times, the people only see the best. The peak. The number one. In my world, that is me. I am the symbol of peace. I am the one that prevails when all else fails. And when their world is consumed by darkness, I am the light that they look for. I am the only hero that they can count on. Because I am the best. The strongest. The peak. Much like how the ponies of this world see you."
"All Might..."
"And as much as you will hate to hear this...you are the top. The number one hero of your world. I suspected when I first met you. I confirmed it when you saved us all, even me, from Sombra. I see it. They see it. You seem to be the only one blind to it. You are the one they look to in their hour of despair. You are the one who banishes the darkness. You are their princess, their hero. Their number one."
"I cannot accept that," Twilight replied. "I would never have gotten here without my friends, my mentors and my family. Without the other Elements my story would have ended at it's beginning. Together, the six of us hold up the world."
All Might stared at Twilight for a moment, before he placed his hands on the balcony railing and stared at the setting sun.
"I am the same way. I would not be here if not for my master and my friends," All Might said. He took a deep breath, as if he was contemplating something, before his eyes set like flint. "My master gave her life to save me, to make sure that I could escape the clutches of an incredibly evil foe. To make sure that I would be able to finish what she could not. To bring a smile back to the face of the populace."
"All Might...I'm so sorry..."
"Thank you. But know that I am telling you this...I am revealing this to you...to show that I know what I am saying, Princess." All Might looked at Twilight as he said this, a fire blazing in his eyes that, for a moment, looked like held seven different sets of eyes within. "You are the pillar of this world. Whether you want to accept it or not is sadly irrelevant. It is how they see you. It is a pedestal that they place you upon. Their champion that can take all of their pain, darkness and sorrow and turn it into a smile. To always save the day, no matter what. And one day, you will realize that this is what they believe you to be. What they need you to be. Their hero. And sooner or later, hopefully sooner, you will have to learn how to handle that."
All Might nodded to Twilight and headed for the door.
"How do you do it?" Twilight asked All Might. All Might stopped at the door before he turned to look back at her. "How do you always save them? How do you cast away all of their doubt and pain? How do you be the hero that they need you to be? How do you always prevail."
"Twilight...you don't. It's impossible. No hero can always save the day, no matter how strong," All Might replied. Then he flashed a smile at her. "But you make sure that they never know that. You make sure they never see the pain that you are in. All those who need saving should ever see...is a smile letting them know everything is okay. Because you are there."
All Might turned and left, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts. Uncomfortable thoughts that she had hoped she would never have to deal with.
====| V |====
"Oh, that hurts," Sombra snarled.
The dark king lowered himself into a dark pit of dark magic, gritting his teeth as the liquid seeped into his wounds and healing them. "Well that could have gone better."
"I should say so!"
Sombra glanced over to see Chronos standing next to the pool of magic, a look of fury on his face. "Not only did you fail to kill All Might, but you have lost us Monstro, the only being that could possibly match All Might's strength. Without him, we are at a severe disadvantage!"
"Don't act all surprised. Monstro was no match for All Might. Hell, he couldn't even handle Twilight, that's how weak he is," Sombra smirked.
"The very same Twilight that you lost to?" Chronos asked.
"I admit that I may have slightly underestimated Twilight. But beating her wasn't the reason for my attack. It was to make sure you and your flunkies got what you needed. So tell me," Sombra smiled at Chronos. "Did I put on a good show?"
Chronos narrowed his eyes before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black gemstone. Sombra threw back his head and laughed when he saw the gemstone. "Care to tell me what is so special about this rock?"
"That rock is a core gemstone. One that will draw all magical stones in an area to it and amplify their magical power," Sombra explained. "Which is pretty cool itself, but what's really makes it awesome is if you intend to use those gems as weapons. It's too bad that none of your allies have the ability to control shiny rocks...oh wait a moment..."
"So if I give this to Diamond Dust, it will give her enough power to kill All Might once and for all?" Chronos asked.
"Aren't you listening? That's what I just said," Sombra said. "And the best part is, I know of plenty of magical artifacts that can give all of you that kind of power boost. So what if we lost Monstro? Soon, you'll all be stronger than him. Hell, you'll be stronger than All Might."
"I see. And then, we will be able to rule with no hero able to oppose us," Chronos smiled. "Thank you, Sombra. If this plan of yours works...then you may end up ruling two worlds alongside us."
"I'm looking forward to it," Sombra laughed. Sombra blinked and Chronos was gone. Sombra chuckled before he sank deeper into the liquid, smiling to himself. "Ruler of two worlds. Mom always said I was an overachiever." Then a scowl crossed his face.
"But Twilight was much stronger than I was predicting. She and that blonde fool All Might could be a problem. Every time that mare makes a friend they turn out to be a pain in my side. And then there are her other friends. I thought she would have left them behind, but no. She really doesn't get rid of things, does she?" Sombra then lifted a hoof out of the liquid, revealing a sphere with a light burning within it.
"And speaking of getting rid of things, while I am not sad to see that fool Monstro gone, it would be a shame of his powers went to waste. I think I'll hold onto them for the time being. Never know when one could use them. Never know when one could use a whole arsenal of super powers. Might come in handy ruling two worlds."
==== | V | ====
"I see. So he wants me to use this to kill All Might."
Diamond Dust took the stone in hand and studied it, her eyes going wide as she felt power flood into her.
"Well?"
"He's not lying. This...I feel stronger than I ever have. But the fact that he would give this away..."
"I know, I don't trust him either," Chronos said. "But as I do not know the full extent of his abilities, it is best to work with Sombra for now. Teleportation is problematic enough, but with all of his other magical abilities."
"I agree. But do not worry. Once I have disposed of All Might, I will aid you in bringing down Sombra."
"Heh, what would I do without you," Chronos asked. Then he looked past Diamond Dust to White Noises' room. "How is she doing?"
"Poorly. Her quirk is hurting her again."
"I see. I'm going to go sit with her."
"Are you sure? Her quirk...?"
"I'll be fine."
Chronos patted Diamond Dust on the shoulder and walked into the room. There he found White Noise curled up in the corner, head on her knees. He said nothing as he sat beside her, gritting his teeth as pain flooded his body.
"How long can you stay?" White Noise whispered.
"My dear, I am Chronos, master of time. For you, I have all the time in the world."
The sound of clanging weights was like a siren's song to All Might. The Symbol of Peace worked his way through the castle, following the sound of metal being moved around. After stopping a couple of guards in a hallway, and taking a moment to sign a couple autographs, All Might was pointed in the right direction. Upon reaching his destination, he threw open the doors and walked inside.
Only a few of the weights were being used, with the bench press area being completely covered in royal guards. But what made All Might's smile even larger was spying a purple dragon and a griffon at the squat racks. Spike was using the rack, with quite an impressive amount of weight on his bar. But judging from the way he was shaking, and how Gabby looked at him with concern, All Might could tell the kid was at his limit.
"Come on Spike, that's enough," Gabby said. "You're entire body is shaking. You need to take a break."
"Not yet...can still do...a few more," Spike barely managed to get out.
"You shouldn't even be in here. You should be in bed resting," Gabby pointed out. "You're wing is still broken."
"I can rest...when Sombra is stopped," Spike grunted. The dragon tried to crouch down one more time, but while he wasn't listening to Gabby his body most certainly did and decided right then was the perfect time for a break. Spike had barely began to register that he was collapsing before he felt a hand on his back. Spike looked up to see All Might holding him in one hand while the other was easily lifting the squat bar.
"You should listen to your friend. Working yourself to collapsing is hardly a good idea for one who is still recovering," All Might pointed out. He racked the bar and stood to the side as Gabby wrapped one of Spike's arms around her shoulders to help him up. "And a gentleman...dragon...should never make a lady worry like that."
Spike glanced at All Might out of the corner of his eye for just a moment, but a moment was all All Might needed to know what was wrong. In Spike's eyes he saw a familiar sight. Weakness. Self-loathing. And a feeling of helplessness. Emotions he knew all too well.
"I am sorry about this, Mr. All Might, sir," Gabby apologized. "Ever since Sombra's attack, he's been pushing himself so hard. Never missing a day of pushing himself to collapsing. I've tried to tell him that he's been pigheaded, but he just doesn't listen. But don't worry, I'll make sure that he gets his rest, like the doctor said."
"I...can keep...going," Spike panted.
"Nope. You're done. Get up, we need to get you back to your bed," Gabby replied.
"It's not your fault." Both Gabby and Spike turned to look at All Might, who now had a gentle smile on his face. "You did all you could to stop Sombra. In fact, you stalling him is what gave Twilight and I the time we needed to get back to stop him in time. You were a real hero out there."
"No I wasn't. I blew smoke, got knocked out of the sky and nearly got everypony I care about killed," Spike snarled. "Ponies used to tell me that I was the reason Sombra was stopped the first time that he came back and for the longest time I believed them. That fight with him showed me that I was never a threat to him. Just an annoyance."
"Spike, you're so much more than that," Gabby softly said. She placed her head on Spike's shoulder and tried to steer him out of the room, but before she could take a step Spike broke himself free of her grasp and threw himself down on the ground. For a moment All Might feared the dragon was hurt, but then he realized that the dragon was on his hands and knees, bowing to All Might.
"Please...teach me to be strong like you. Teach me how to protect those I love," Spike begged the hero. "I'm tired of being left behind. Tired of being a burden. Tired of being...helpless. I can't be strong in magic like Twilight. I'm...not one of the Elements. But I'm a dragon. Claws and fire. Physical might. Just like you."
All Might said nothing.
"You were fast enough to run from the north and get to Ponyville in time. You are strong enough to catch a freaking mountain! I may not understand the ins and outs of magic, but I understand strength. And you...are the strongest I've ever met. Only you can teach me. Please! Help me to be...strong."
"Um, Spike?" Spike looked up at Gabby, before she motioned to the side to show that All Might was gone. "He left a few seconds ago."
For a brief second, Spike felt as if the world was falling in on him. Then in the blink of an eye All Might was back, now holding some papers in his hands. "Wow, it was a lot harder finding paper in this place than I thought it would be. I hope that librarian doesn't miss these. Now then, young dragon, you said that you wish to be strong, correct?"
"Um, yes sir?"
"All right! What I have written down here is the same workout and routine that my master and teacher made for me when I first started working to become a superhero," All Might said with pride. Then he took a better look at the list and raised an eyebrow. "Though I should probably adjust some of these. Sets like this would kill a regular person. But then again, he's a dragon, so maybe...Hmm, I may need to think this over. Regardless, I see potential in you, Spike. I think you have what it takes to be a hero."
"You really think so?!" Spike asked.
"Determined, brave, a complete disregard for your own safety. You're perfect!" All Might laughed. "That was a joke Gabby, please stop glaring at me. But I mean what I say. I will train you, but only if you listen to what I say. Am I clear?"
"Of course! Thank you so much!" Spike exclaimed. He shot up off the ground, only to wince as he held a claw to his wing.
"Good. Because my first lesson...is that you need to get some rest," All Might instructed. "Training with a broken limb is a good way to end up in a hospital bed, not getting stronger. When your wing is fully healed, then I will begin training you. You're no good to me, or more importantly, to those that need you, if you're injured like this. So go home. Rest. And let those that care about you take care of you."
"But...but All Might..."
"I believe our agreement was that you would listen to what I said, was it not?" All Might asked. Spike let out a sigh of defeat, letting Gabby wrap an arm over her shoulder and escort him out of the room. She stopped at the door to flash a grateful smile to All Might before closing the door behind her. "Rest well, young dragon. For when you are back in fighting shape, you may wish that you had the time to rest. For my training will show you what it means to be a hero"
"Hey All Might, how about instead of you standing over there talking to yourself you come over here and show us what you can do." All Might looked over his shoulder and saw that some of the guards had cleared off a bench and were motioning for All Might to join them. He smiled as he noticed the absurd amount of plates that were on the bar that they had set up for him.
"Are you certain you wish for me to join you?" All Might asked.
"Any enemy of Sombra is a friend of ours. Now come on, I bet Steel over here thirty bits that you can rep twenty sets off of this bar."
"Very well. You may wish to get out your wallet, Steel," All Might said with a giant smile. "Because I am here."
====| V |====
"It is Diamond Dust. It has to be," All Might said.
The Elements, princesses and Symbol of Peace were all gathered around Twilight's map of Equestria, looking at a location that was lit up with magic. An underground mine that was home to the rarest and most valuable minerals and gems in the nation. It didn't take a genius to tell what was up.
"Are you certain?" Twilight asked.
"She controls shiny objects, but prefers the rarest of material. That mine is home to the rarest gems in Equestria. It seems obvious to me," All Might confirmed.
"Princess Luna?"
"I can confirm. This being's mind is similar to that of another human," Luna nodded. "And it makes sense with what All Might has told us about her."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's fly in there and show that gem obsessed yahoo what happens when you mess with Equestria!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"I hope you don't think that all who are obsessed with gems are yahoos that threaten the peace of this land," Rarity said.
"I dunno Rarity, all the ones I've met sure seem to be."
As Rarity chased Rainbow around the room, Twilight stared at the map while biting her lower lip. "I think it would be best...if the five of you stayed here."
All five of Twilight's friends snapped their heads around to the princess of friendship, who wasn't looking at any of them. Applejack was the first to speak. "Ah know ya, sugarcube. Ya wouldn't say something like that unless ya had good reason. So out with it."
"I want the five of you here protecting Ponyville. Sombra already showed that he was wiling to attack our home while we dealt with his minions," Twilight said.
"I wouldn't call the Legion of Evil minions," All Might chimed in.
"Really? Because when I look at them that's what I see," Twilight replied. "Luna said that she sensed the human...Diamond Dust...there, but no trace of Sombra. Either he's hiding his presence or he's elsewhere. And if I had to wager where else he would be, it would be lying in wait, waiting for us to leave those that we love open to an attack from him. That is the kind of pony that he is."
"The princess makes a good point," Celestia said. "Sombra is an underhoofed villain and will do whatever it takes to win. I agree that we must defend our home when we go on the offensive. However, I must disagree with the idea of you leaving your friends behind. They are your greatest strength. You should take them."
"But Princess Celestia..."
"I know that you are still recovering from Sombra's attack on Ponyville. But we must be united against this threat," Celestia said. "Luna and I will stay behind. We will guard the nation while you seven go on the offensive. That way, we have our greatest heroes on the offensive, while those who have guarded Equestria for centuries will continue to defend it. How does that sound?"
Twilight glanced from the princess to her friends, who all smiled and nodded at her. She smiled back and nodded her head, getting them to cheer as the began to prepare to head out. But in the pit of her stomach, she felt that she might be making a mistake. She was the princess of Equestria. It fell to her to protect their nation. She shouldn't have to rely on her friends, friends who now had lives of their own that they were risking for her.
And off to the side, All Might was thinking almost the exact same thing.
"I've never liked being underground," Rainbow Dash growled.
"I can agree with that. Too many places for evildoers to hide," All Might agreed.
"Well, there's that, but also that it's way too hard to fly down here."
"Ah, that makes sense."
The six ponies and All Might moved through the mined out tunnels, Twilight using her horn to illuminate the way. In the back Applejack had to drag Rarity along by the tail as the mare couldn't go more than ten feet without trying to rip one of the giant crystals out of the wall. The fact that there were so many crystals did not go unnoticed by All Might. And Twilight noticed his concern.
"Worried about Diamond Dust?" she asked him.
"Yes. Something about this feels...off," All Might muttered. Twilight's horn flashed and a pulse of light scanned the tunnels.
"I don't feel anything."
"It's just something in my gut telling me that this isn't going to be easy," All Might said. "After you've been at this long enough, you'll probably develop the same feeling."
"Excuse me, Twilight and All Might? How long do you think we'll be down here?" Pinkie asked.
"Um, that depends on how much of a fight Diamond puts up," All Might said.
"Why do you ask, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
"It's just that it's story time tonight and I promised Lil' Cheese that I would read his favorite story to him," Pinkie said with a smile. "And he would just be so upset if I missed it."
Twilight was about to answer, but then she caught All Might's face out of the corner of her eye. For a moment, his smile was gone and he instead wore a look of concern. Then the smile was back a moment later.
"Fear not, young Pinkie! I promise you that your son will have you back right on time for story time! And if I get you home even a second later, then I will personally act out all the scenes from the story!" All Might promised with a laugh.
"Oooo, really? Well, I might have to take my time getting home," Pinkie teased.
Twilight smiled at the pair's antics before something set off her senses. All caught her face change and his serious smile spread on his face. The rest of the group quickly fell into line and slowly they exited the tunnel that they had been traveling in, exiting into a large chamber that was filled with numerous items to draw the eye.
The first thing Rarity noticed were the colossal gems that adorned the walls, floor and ceiling, some of them so large that her house would have been dwarfed by them. Twilight immediately noticed the woman in her forties, with greyish hair, a fur hat and coat along with a glare that showed she was not a nice person. And All Might noticed all of the miners, trapped within gemstones, frozen in place. And those were the ones that weren't dead.
"All Might," Diamond Dust said with absolute disgust in her voice. "Why must you taint a place so beautiful with your hideous features?"
"Hideous? Pray tell, my dear Diamond Dust, what part of me is hideous?" All Might asked with a chuckle. Twilight took a step forward, but All Might held out a hand to stop her advance.
"Why, everything about you. Your disgusting smile that contorts your face. Your hair style, if I dare to call it that. And that gaudy, tacky suit you call a uniform. Haven't you ever heard that three is the magic number when it comes to a costume?"
"Once or twice," All Might said.
'All Might, what's going on?' Twilight's voice said in All Might's mind. It took all of All Might's control to not react to hearing her voice in his mind. 'Why aren't we taking her down?'
'She has hostages,' All Might replied. He made a quick motion to the ponies trapped within the crystals and gems. 'And though I might be fast enough to take her down, I don't know what will happen to them if I do take her down. For now, we stall until I can think of a way to free them from the crystals.'
'I have an idea. Buy a bit more time.'
"...and that isn't even considering how ugly those muscles are," Diamond Dust finished. All Might widened his smile on his face and bowed slightly to her, making sure to take his eyes off of her.
"I live to impress," he replied. He knew what was coming. The moment he broke eye contact he knew she would make her move. Diamond didn't disappoint. With a swing of her hand she ripped two of the large crystals from the ceiling and hurled them towards All Might. He moved even quicker by leaping back and grabbing the ponies behind them, using his abnormally large body to shield them as the crystals slammed into the ground behind him.
"Cool, we fighting now?!" Rainbow asked before she rocketed toward Diamond in a bolt of rainbows. The elderly woman sneered at the mare before lifting a finger, causing a massive pillar of crystal to erupt from the ground and drive the mare into the ceiling.
"Rainbow!" Applejack cried out.
All Might leapt up to where the mare had been crushed. He landed on the crystal and threw a punch with enough force to shatter the crystal with ease. Rainbow Dash fell out of the ceiling, only to be swiftly caught by All Might. Her eyes were glazed over and she was groaning weakly, but other than that All Might didn't see anything wrong with her. He let out a small sigh, only for his super reflexes to alert him to the next attack. All Might wasn't fast enough to get out of the way, but he was fast enough to wrap his body around Rainbow. A massive crystal collided with All Might and rocketed him into the wall of the room, where the crystal crushed him a moment later.
"Okay, no more Ms. Nice Mare!" Applejack snarled. "Pinkie, give me a distraction. Fluttershy, see if you can help All Might and Rainbow. Twilight-"
"Working on something!" Twilight called over from where the miners were frozen.
"Then keep at it. Rarity, how confident are ya with yer control over gems?"
"I am a maestro with the gems."
"Great. See if ya can deflect her attacks. Ambassadors, move!"
Applejack let out a whinny before she charged forward, gaining her a sneer from Diamond Dust. The woman twitched a finger and crystals rained down on AJ from above. The mare grit her teeth, but a barrier of magic constructed itself around her. She did a quick wave to Rarity before charging into the storm. Diamond bit her lip before ripping a large chunk sapphire out of the wall and aimed it at AJ.
"HIYA!"
Diamond whipped around and hurled the sapphire at whatever had just startled her. Pinkie let out a yelp as the sapphire soared over her head.
"And just what are you?" Diamond asked in disgust.
"I'm Pinkie Pie! How are you doing?" Pinkie asked.
"I'll be better in just a moment."
"Whoopsies!" Pinkie leapt, dodged and moved as crystals erupted out of the ground, doing their best to impale her. Diamond snarled before shattering the sapphire behind Pinkie and raining down the crystals in a diamond dust storm. Yet, to the amazement of the woman, Pinkie managed to dodge all of the attacks with ease.
"How are you...so fast?" Diamond Dust panted. Her arms shook and her hair was starting to lose its luster, going from a silver gray to a dull gray. "My attacks...move as fast...as cars."
"Really? Are cars all that fast?" Pinkie asked, stepping to the side to avoid another crystal. "You seem to be missing a lot. Are you sure you can see alright in your old age."
For a moment, the entire room went silent. All of Diamond Dust's crystals fell to the ground, her attacks ceased and even the crystals that were holding the miners prisoners began to crack. The other ponies were about to reach her, Twilight had nearly gotten the miners free and All Might was picking himself out of the wall. Diamond didn't care about any of that. Her entire fury was focused on the pony that had just called her old.
"Did you just say...in my old age?" Diamond Dust whispered.
"Well, I saw your gray hair, not to mention all the wrinkles on your face, and figured that you must be pretty old. So how old are you anyway? Sixty? Seventy? I'm feeling a real sixty five."
"Gray hair...wrinkles...SEVENTY?!" Diamond Dust screamed. She pulled an orb out of her coat and shattered it in her grip, letting out a banshee screech as power flooded into her. Crystals erupted out of the ground and immediately shattered, turning into a massive storm swirling over her head. The other ponies (aside from Twilight) were blown away by the sheer force of the diamond storm, except for Pinkie, who backed up slowly into the wall.
"I'M STILL FORTY, DAMMIT! I'M! NOT OLD!" Diamond Dust then aimed both hands at Pinkie sending every crystal, gemstone and shiny object towards Pinkie. The mare dodges as best she could, her Pinkie sense giving her a chance, but there were too many gemstones. Pinkie screamed out as one of the crystals punctured her back leg, dropping her to the ground. She saw the crystal storm barreling down on her and covered her face with her hooves, yet a barrier of magic erupted around Pinkie to save her.
"How about you try me, Grandma!"
"WHO DARES?!" Diamond roared as she spun around.
"I do!" Twilight snarled back. Twilight blasted a beam of violet magic towards Diamond Dust. The woman smirked before moving dozens of crystals in front of her. The beam of magic was reflected among the crystals, bouncing the attack around the room before it came flying back towards Twilight. Twilight let out a yelp as she teleported out of the way, appearing at Diamond's side.
"Oh dear, someone wasn't paying attention." Twilight had just a moment to process what the woman was saying before her own spell, which hadn't stopped bouncing, caught her in the back. Twilight let out a cry as she collapsed to the ground. "I will deal with you in a moment, but first..."
Diamond slowly turned back around to face Pinkie, who had only crawled a short way away from where she had fallen. "I believe that I owe you for daring to call me...old...so now pony...take your lasts breathes," Diamond began as she fused all of the crystals into one, giant sword over her head and aimed it right at Pinkie. "And die."
Diamond Dust brought the sword down right onto Pinkie...only to blink and realize that the pony was gone. With only a rainbow trail to tell her where she had vanished to. Diamond Dust spun around furiously...only to come face to face with the Symbol of Peace, who had a fist cocked back and a lock of fury upon his face. And upon seeing that, all of Diamond's fury was replaced by fear. And a hope that this wouldn't leave a mark. It would.
"Deadwood...SMASH!"
All Might slammed his fist right into the face of Diamond Dust, driving her through her crystals and dropping her to the ground. She bounced off the ground before All Might's fist collided with her again and again, driving her down like a jackhammer. His flurry of punches didn't stop until the woman was practically buried in the ground, with only her legs sticking up. Only then, when he was certain she was unconscious and her crystals began to fall down around him, did All Might finally let out a sigh and look around.
Twilight was tending to Pinkie while Applejack was supporting Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy was comforting the miners while Rarity still freed those that were stuck. Which left All Might the only one to wonder how Diamond Dust could have gotten so powerful. He had tangled with her power and knew that what he had just seen was above her pay grade. Yet she had surprised him and Pinkie's life had almost been forfeit. A person...pony had nearly died...a child almost lost their mother, because he had lowered his guard for a moment. And this was the second time one of the villains had been far stronger than what he knew.
And yet his gut, which had never failed him before, told him this was only the beginning.
"Well I'm glad to see that your leg is feeling better," Twilight said to Pinkie.
"Don't worry Twilight, the doctors said that I will be out of here within a couple of days," Pinkie replied with a smile. Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy sat around Pinkie's bed, each of them having already signed the cast that was on her leg. The Ponyville hospital was quiet that day, which Twilight took a small comfort in. After Sombra's attack, she had expected it to be filled to the brim.
"I'm just happy to see you smiling. You were pretty bad when we first brought you in here," Fluttershy said. "Your leg was all black and icky."
"Yeah, it was weird. It was like something in that crystal had messed with my natural magic," Pinkie said.
"Interesting. None of the crystals that Diamond Dust threw at you were that strange crystal Sombra used against us," Twilight muttered. "I wonder if that orb she shattered gave her extra powers aside from just making her stronger."
"Are you sure that you don't need anything darling?" Rarity asked. "Do you need one of us to stay with you or maybe a book or something?"
"Don't you guys worry about me. I know that you're all super busy with your own lives. And it's not like I'll be lonely! Cheese Sandwich and Lil' Cheese are going to be visiting me in a little bit," Pinkie smiled. "I'm going to be reading to him. I haven't missed a storytime yet and I don't plan on it today."
"I'm just glad that you're alright," Twilight whispered.
"Twilight, what's the matter?" Pinkie asked. Before Twilight could answer, the door opened and the room was flooded with light from a brilliant smile.
"I! AM! HERE!" All Might laughed. He walked into the room (after a quick struggle with the doorframe) and place a small basket of fruit on Pinkie's bedtable. "Hello, Pinkie! I am happy to see you in such high spirits!"
"Well how can I help it when there are so many smiling faces?" Pinkie asked. She smiled at All Might, who smiled back, and their combined smiles blinded everypony in the room.
"Madam Rarity, Ms. Fluttershy and Princess Twilight. Do you mind if I speak to Pinkie alone for a moment?" All Might asked. The ponies looked at each other and shrugged before they left the room. All Might waited until a few moments after they had left before he turned to face Pinkie, his smile no longer on his face.
"What's up, All Might? And why aren't you smiling?" Pinkie asked. All Might's response was to get down on his knees, before bowing over and placing his forehead on the ground and his hands next to his head.
"I am so sorry. I have failed you."
"Sorry? For what?" Pinkie asked with a half smile. "Oh, you mean this? It's nothing, a scratch really."
"It is not nothing. That wound proves just how close you were to being killed," All Might replied. Pinkie didn't know what was stranger. How he managed to contort himself so that he was bowing down despite barely fitting in the room. Or that he voice was devoid of the usual joy it held.
"All Might, it's fine. I'm okay and-"
"I was there. And you still nearly died. I nearly failed to protect you. The solemn duty of any hero. I am so sorry."
"Okay All Might, cut it out. This isn't you," Pinkie replied. "You should be smiling, helping others and being silly! That's the All Might that we all know and love. So I came close to dying. Not the first time. But you saved the day and me. Why are you taking this so hard?"
"Because I can't help but think, if I had been even a second too slow...I would be saying these same things to your family...your son...and saying how sorry I was for allowing you to be killed. That I had failed them."
Pinkie didn't reply.
"I know what you are trying to say. That you are a champion of Equestria. That you've saved it time and time again. And know that I have nothing but respect for you and all you have done. But at the end of the day, the failing of you nearly getting killed...and for you even being allowed to be out there in the first place...falls to me. And I am sorry."
All Might stood up and bowed once more to Pinkie before he turned and headed for the door, giving her a soft smile over his shoulder, one that she returned. "You shouldn't have to risk your life out there. That is why I am here."
He gave her a soft wave and left the room, closing the door behind him with a sigh. He glanced down the hallway to see Twilight at the end of it, motioning for him to join her before she walked out of sight. All Might walked down the hallway to see Twilight standing out on a balcony, staring up at the sky.
"Twilight, I must speak with you," All Might said as he approached the alicorn. "About what happened in the cavern...against Diamond Dust-"
"You were right. You've been right all along," Twilight whispered. All Might's eyebrows went up in surprise, before he joined her on the balcony. "I...I shouldn't have gotten them involved in this fight. I shouldn't have brought them. It's...It's not their responsibility. Not anymore."
"Twilight..."
"For Faust sake, All Might, I brought a mother into a fight against a psychopath!" Twilight nearly screamed at All Might. "A mother who has only just recently recovered from giving birth! And a farmer and...and..."
All Might gently placed a hand on her shoulder, waiting until she had gotten herself under control before he spoke.
"How is Rainbow Dash doing? I haven't had a chance to check on her yet."
"She's fine. She's taken worse blows to the head than that one. Applejack is staying by her side just to be safe. We got lucky that she was hit with the flat part of the crystal and not the sharp part...she got lucky...she could be dead...and it would be all my fault..."
"Do not blame yourself. I am the one to blame. I should have been faster. I should have taken out Diamond Dust right away...I should have taken them all out long before they made it to your home," All Might replied. "I am the greatest hero of my world and I let them get this far. It is my failing. So if you must be angry at someone, be angry at me."
Twilight didn't answer All Might right away. She stared out at the setting sun, her horn glowing slightly to help it along as it sunk beneath the horizon.
"They were chosen to protect the world. We all were. But at the end of it all...they never wanted to be heroes, to be protectors. They did it because they had to. Because they were chosen. Chosen by the Elements of Harmony," Twilight explained to All Might. "Fluttershy wants to have a home for lost and abandoned animals. Rainbow Dash leads the Wonderbolts. Applejack is going to keep working on her farm. Rarity has her fashion line. And Pinkie...she has a family. A husband and son that need her. They've already saved the world. They've done their part."
"I'm the only one who holds her old position. All my life I've wanted to master magic to help others. And to this day I continue to do that. I chose to be a protector of the world..." Twilight went silent for a while after she said that, before looking to All Might with lost eyes. "But I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can continue to protect the world without them. I...I've never been without my friends. Throughout thick and thin...they've been besides me. We're the pillars of harmony...together."
"Twilight...perhaps I have not been as clear as I could have been," All Might said. He flashed Twilight an embarrassed smile before continuing. "Being the number one hero, the pillar of your world, doesn't mean that you don't have any allies. I have a sidekick myself."
"You? With a sidekick?" Twilight asked, an eyebrow going up in disbelief. "This I've got to hear about. What do you call them, Small Might?"
"No, but now that you mention it," All Might muttered, putting that name on the backburner. "Yes, my sidekick. Nighteye. He's...well, I wouldn't call him normal, but then I wouldn't call anyone in my world normal. We all have our own unique...quirks, if you will."
"Booo," Twilight teased. "But you have someone that you'll let fight alongside you? Even against all the threats you face?"
All Might lowered his head and clasped his hands, letting out a sigh. "On the more...basic assignments, we work together in duo. But in the more dangerous assignments, he supports me, but I do all the fighting. The point I'm trying to make, Twilight, is that being a hero doesn't mean not having allies. Having allies is a great thing. It is what separates us from the villains. My best advice for any fledgling hero is to have allies with you."
"But?"
"But for us it's different. We take on the threats that no one else can. The threats that they shouldn't take on. If I let other heroes fight the threats that I have to use nearly everything to defeat, then the world would be deprived of dozens of wonderful heroes. I cannot...I cannot risk their lives by bringing them into battle against foes that they stand no chance against. I know that the heroes code is to risk everything to protect the innocent...but that sometimes means protecting your fellow heroes."
"I guess, what I'm trying to say in my own confusing way, is that I respect your friends. They are some of the bravest, most noble souls I have met. But it is like you said...they are not ones who have given everything to being heroes. They have other lives, other dreams...and families that need them. But they aren't willing...that's not fair to them...their true desires are not to constantly fight an unending darkness. They want to live their lives. Many heroes I know have other goals and lives outside of heroing."
"But I promised my master that I would be the best hero I can be. There are too many that count on me for me to be anything less. I cannot let all those who believe in me down. No matter what I must bear...just like you."
Twilight thought about All Might's words for a long time. And she found herself agreeing with all of it. She loved her friends. They had always supported her and been there for her when she needed them. They had always sacrificed everything to help her. But now she was the leader of Equestria. She was it's champion. It's...number one hero. Was it not her turn? Her turn to support them and allow them to lead the lives they wanted to lead?
"I think...you're right," Twilight finally said. "I still want my friend to be apart of my life. I want to laugh with them, cry with them and enjoy life with them. But...I also want to protect them. To make sure they can live those lives. As their ruler...as their friend, that is my most sacred duty. To keep them safe. I guess you're right after all, All Might. We are alike."
"You summed up everything I had said in nine sentences. I should probably take a speaking class. Now if you excuse me, I have a promise to keep," All Might said before he took off."
"Promise?"
====| V |====
"...and little red riding mare packed her basket and prepared to head into the woods," Pinkie read aloud. On her side, the young Lil' Cheese giggled and reached out for the picture book, getting Pinkie to giggle as she moved it away. "She exited her home and skipped away. As she passed by one of her neighbors, he asked her where she was going. And she said-"
The door to the room swung open and standing there, with a smile on his face, was All Might, with a red hood, cape and outfit, complete with a skirt.
With a single grunt, All Might lifted a massive pillar over his head. He then gave it a small toss and catch, just for the foals that were watching, before driving down into the ground like a stake. The ponies that were all watching him began to applaud and he bowed slightly for them.
"Please, there is no need for applause. This is nothing for a hero like me!" All Might laughed. The crowd laughed with him as one of the construction pony's walked over to the hero.
"Thanks for helping us out, All Might. Construction is going pretty well with you here to do all of the heavy lifting," the pony said to him. "But are you sure you can waste time here helping us out? Don't ya have bad guys to be hunting down or a fire to be putting out or something?"
"It is not a waste of time at all, my dear friend. A hero's job is to help others, no matter what their problem is. You need help putting up buildings? Well there's no need to fear. Because I! AM! HERE!"
"Well if that's the case, we could use your muscle over at the dam. When that mountain hit the ground, it caused a lot of structures to get cracked open. We had a stopgap on the dam for a while, but it looks like it's starting to break apart. Think you can handle it?"
"Of course I can. Do not worry, for I...am on my way!"
All Might rocketed away from where the repairs were being made, zipping through the streets of Ponyville quick enough so that he wouldn't waste much time, but slow enough so that his shockwaves didn't hurl any ponies. But he also slowed his pace so he could look over the town. The town that was still completely in ruins. He knew that he had done all he could to keep them safe. He had gotten there in time to save Spike and the others. The day had been saved.
But just like with Pinkie, he had almost been a second too late. A second later and Twilight would have lost her little brother and two fine citizens would have lost their lives. He needed to be better. He needed to be faster. And he needed to take down these foes as soon as he could. He had been a hero a long time and he knew, as much as he hated to admit it, that a hero could only arrive in the nick for so long. If he kept this up there would come a day...when he wasn't there in time. That thought kept him up often.
He shook his head and put his smile back on his face as he reached the dam, surprising the heck out of the group of ponies that, from their perspective, watched as All Might appeared out of thin air.
"GREETINGS!" he exclaimed. "I heard from one of your other workers that you could use some help with this dam...heh...problem. Well do not worry, for I am here!"
"Oh, All Might. Jeez, with the speed you were moving at for a moment we thought you were Rainbow Dash. That would explain why there was no rainbow trail," one of the worker pony's pointed out. "Yeah, we're glad you're here. This dam could come cracking down at any moment. We need to put some supports up to hold the water back while the new batch of cement settles. Normally it would take a full team of unicorns to move those support beams, but with you here..."
She turned around to see that All Might was already holding up all six of the support beams.
"Just tell me where you need me."
"We need you to place them here, here and here," she said as she pointed at the dam. "Try to be careful, one bad hit could cause the dam to burst. And while I am a little bit curious to see how you would deal with a burst dam, I would rather just get it fixed."
"No need to worry, I am the image of caution," All Might replied. The mare raised an eyebrow at All Might before she smiled and shook her head with a small chuckle. He nodded to her and turned to head towards the dam.
"And All Might? Lifting that mountain was pretty awesome of you," she said softly. "And...thank you. You and Twilight both. For saving us."
"Always."
All Might walked towards the first spot, taking care to set the beams down gently. He grabbed hold of one of them and lifted it with one hand, getting a feel for its weight and how it felt to move it. He then turned it towards the dam and gripped the center with both hands. It was a cylinder that, by his estimate, might be around sixty feet in length, making it more than unwieldy. He took care as he walked forward and placed the flatheaded top at one of the weak points on the dam. He slowly exhaled his breath as he lowered the other end down, making sure that the part touching the dam never slip as he rammed his side down into the ground. He stepped back for a second to see if anything happened and, when nothing did, he sighed slightly before smiling.
"Alright. One down, five to go."
All Might had just began to turn when he saw one of the support beams move itself into position. The number one hero's eyebrow went up as it fastened itself in place, before the other four followed suit and positioned themselves to support the dam. All Might glanced over his shoulder to see the culprit for the beams suddenly coming to life: one princess of the sun, former ruler of Equestria.
"Celestia. To what do I owe this pleasure?" All Might asked with a slight bow.
"No bowing please, I'm not royalty anymore," Celestia said with a small giggle. "And I believe that I am here for the same reasons that you are. The ponies here need help and I have the power to help them."
"You would be right, Celestia. And while I had this under control, I am grateful for your help nonetheless," All Might said. He then flashed his patented smile at Celestia who had to squint her eyes slightly.
"You could outshine the sun with that smile," she replied courteously. "Of course, I am not only here to help my former subjects, but to talk with you as well."
"Of course, Celestia. But we can talk while we work. Our conversation won't bring the smiles back to these ponies faces any faster," All Might pointed out.
"I agree." Celestia's horn flashed and a moment later, both she and All Might were standing in the town square. All Might leaned against a wall to steady himself, but was back with his smile on his face a moment later. "Then let us walk and talk."
"Twilight has been acting differently lately," Celestia began as the pair began to walk through the streets. Whenever a pony needed help along their way, they would stop to help, but All Might quickly found that while he was incredibly strong and fast, Celestia could deal with nearly all problems with her magic. "She has been more driven than I have seen her in a long time, but she is also more distant. Like she is pushing others away."
"I cannot say I blame her for her actions," All Might replied. Celestia raised an eyebrow at him, but motioned for him to keep speaking. "She is not only the ruler of this land, but she is its greatest hero. That is quite a burden for her to bear."
"It is not a burden that she should bear alone. That is why she has her friends. That is why I helped her and her friends to find the Elements of Harmony," Celestia sighed. "Alone is no way for a princess to rule this land. And trust me, I know that from experience."
"I agree. Her friends should be there to support her during her rule. But there are some things only the number one can do," All Might added. He then raised an inquisitive eyebrow to Celestia. "Forgive me Celestia, it may not be my place, but may i ask why you decided to rule and defend Equestria all on your own instead of allowing others to take on the burden?"
Celestia stared at All Might for a moment before she sighed and stared up at the sky. "I originally ruled alongside my sister, but one day...she gave into her darkness and betrayed me. In order to stop her...and save myself...I banished her to the moon for a thousand years. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do."
"I am so sorry."
"Thank you. After that...I was afraid. Afraid of letting others get close to me. Afraid of losing them...afraid of them turning on me. Not to mention I was the only alicorn left in the land. My power was far greater than anything my subjects could dream of. I was the only one who could...handle...certain..."
Celestia turned to look at All Might, who gave her an understanding smile. "Twilight nearly lost one of her closest friends in the battle with Diamond Dust. Not only a close friend, but a friend who had recently became a mother. Fighting a battle she shouldn't have been apart of. If you ask me Celestia, it seems that Twilight is starting to learn what you and I learned years ago. That having allies is a gift, but sometimes...sometimes there are things that only the number one can take care of. You know what I mean."
"Yes, All Might," Celestia sighed.
"Yes I do."
==== | V | ====
"Welp, another day, another power to add to my growing collection," Sombra laughed. He tossed the crystal like orb into the air and caught it with his magic, smiling at his reflection. "But I'm going to have to start getting more creative in my lying. Chronos isn't happy that he's lost two of his number. He should be happy. I'm getting rid of the weaklings in his group and giving their powers to somepony who needs them more. Moi."
Then a faint sound caught Sombra's ear, a sound that he knew all to well. It was the sound of somepony crying in pain. Which confused Sombra. Somepony was crying in pain and he wasn't the cause of it? He needed to rectify that immediately. He followed the sound of the crying until he came to the darkest part of his base, where, sitting in a room with nothing in it but darkness, sat a lone girl dressed all in white.
"Oh hey, you're...White Noise, was it?" he asked her. Her masked face spun around to face him and a moment later she was upon him, her face barely an inch away from his. All Sombra did was raise an eyebrow. "Boundaries, girl. Don't make me get a restraining order."
"What. Do you. Want?" she seethed at Sombra. But he heard more than the anger.
"Ah, you were the one crying, weren't you?" he asked her. White Noise hissed at Sombra, before turning and walking back into the darkness. "Oh come on, none of that. Tell Uncle Sombra what the matter is?"
She glared at him in response.
"I won't go away until you do."
White Noise snarled and lashed out at Sombra with her fingers, but all she ended up grabbing was smoke. "None of that dear, I know how your powers work. You absorb energy, be it magical, physical or other. But I'm fairly certain absorbing smoke is outside your wheelhouse. Now come on, talk to me."
"My powers...constantly...hurt me," she managed to get out. Sombra raised an eyebrow as he placed her age at around eleven or twelve based on her softer voice. He had assumed she was older. "Always burning. Always seeking a way out. Absorbing power...soothes them for a time...but the pain always returns."
"Oof, that sounds like a bitch. How about this?" Sombra asked. Before White Noise could ask what he was doing, she felt a strange and dark power flood into her. But the pain slowly began to fade and, for a moment, that was all she cared about. "There, feeling better?"
"What...did you do?"
"Healing spell. One I totally invented," Sombra bragged. "Yep, back when I first came up with that, I was a pretty big deal. Then some things happened and I became to dark king we all know and love. At least, I learned to love me and really, isn't that all that matters? Now if you're done crying, I'm going to go and find some way to make that sparkler cry. If you start hurting again, just come find me and I'll do a repeat performance. Ciao."
"Thank you..." White Noise whispered. Sombra stopped at the door way to see her looking at him with what looked like...gratitude in her eyes. "That was...nice...of you. No one has ever been...nice to me."
"Oh think nothing of it. I always look out for my friends," Sombra said with a bow. He turned and left the room, waiting until he was a good distance away before he smirked and looked down at the crystal orb once more. "Especially friends with such wonderful gifts to give me."
"Oh, we're starting with this today," Sombra muttered. The dark king turned around to see Chronos walking towards him, a look on his face telling Sombra that this was going to take a moment. Sombra took a sip of his coffee. "What's up, Clock King? And can it wait, because I've got some power stones to find for you and your team, so if you don't mind...?"
"What I mind is that, due to your advice, the ponies and All Might now have Diamond Dust in captivity!" Chronos snarled at Sombra. Sombra took another sip. "I could forgive you losing Monstro, muscle can always be replace, but Diamond Dust and I have worked together for decades now! She has served with me the longest."
"Huh, and here I thought she was younger than sixty," Sombra muttered. Chronos nearly blew a gasket and Sombra held up a hoof. "Easier there, old timer. Don't want you dropping dead on me. Look, I know it's bad that Diamond Dust has been capture, but think about it this way. You know she's alive and that she's safe, right?"
"I don't know that! This isn't my world, this is yours! The jail system-"
"Well let me tell you right now, she's fine. Celestia probably has her in their most secure prison, which consists of soft pillows, five stars meals and you can walk out free after three days of spewing about friendship," Sombra replied. "But sure, we can waste time, resources and bodies to get her back. So tell me, do you think you and your crew can free her? Because from what you told me, you couldn't even handle All Might, let alone three princesses and the idiots of harmony. But by all means, go at them! Give it your all. I'll be cheering for you from the sidelines."
Chronos snarled at Sombra, but didn't say anything.
"Ah, I see reason and sarcasm have triumphed once again. So, since none of you are strong enough to take down All Might or the ponies, we will continue with my plan. Finding the stones of power that will enable your allies to beat the hero and the ponies," Sombra smiled.
"Hmph. I don't see you going out there to fight the ponies, even though you seem so confident."
"I am confident because I plan and think. Only an idiot or a hero runs into a battle headfirst without first planning out what they're going to do. And both are easily manipulated," Sombra pointed out. "Yes, we've lost a few members. But from what I've heard, Twilight has lost a few of hers."
"But we haven't-"
"There is more than one way to take a piece off the battlefield," Sombra cut off. But right now our biggest concern is to be finding the next stones. And you may be interested to hear that this next stone is actually a pair. Two of them, both of which might strengthen two of your allies. One wields the power of fire. And the other is made of the strongest material in Equis. And both are beneath the Crystal Empire."
"...there's a place called the Crystal Empire? Then why wasn't the stone that empowered Diamond Dust down there?" Chronos asked. "Since she works with crystals and other shiny things?"
"You're guess is as good as mine. Nothing in this land makes sense," Sombra sipped angrily. He regained his composure and smiled at Chronos. "Chronos, I understand that you may disagree with some of my methods, but trust me when I say that I know what I'm doing. And do you want to know another secret?"
Sombra motioned for Chronos to get in close, which the old man did. "I can break out your allies at any time. I've circumvented the princesses making and can warp them out of their cells at any time."
"Then why haven't you?"
"Because, say I break them out now. If they somehow get captured again, they aren't going back into those cells. They might get trapped in the moon or heaven forbid the sun. And if they go there, then even I can't get them out. It's best to wait to bust them out for the opportune...moment, if you catch my drift."
"Yes, I see what you mean. Let them rest up and recover under All Might's nose. Then, when we're ready, they will have to face all of us at once," Chronos caught on. He then flashed Sombra a look. "You are far more cunning and dangerous than I first believed. How do I know I can trust you?"
"Chronos, you can't trust me. And I don't trust you. We're villains, betraying each other is what we do," Sombra said with a laugh. "But what you can trust is that I hate the ponies far more than I hate you. And until I've torn down their champions, decimated their beliefs and crushed everything they've ever stood for and cared about, I promise you that I am one hundred percent on your side. And that you can take to the bank."
"Hmph, it's almost like you've done this before," Chronos smirked. "But very well. I will not betray you until after All Might is dead and the world is under my rule. Then we can hash things out."
"I'm looking forward to it. Now send out Heatstroke and Vein Mine and maybe White Noise-"
"No."
"Excuse me?" Sombra asked.
"You will not be sending White Noise. That girl has been through more than enough without you recklessly endangering her," Chronos snarled. "Allow me to make myself perfectly clear, Sombra. If you try anything, and I mean anything, to hurt or use that girl, I will tear out your throat and make you swallow it. Am I clear?"
"...you care about her?" Sombra pieced together. "I can see it in your eyes. You care for her...like a daughter."
"Am. I. Clear?"
"Oh very well, you have my word I won't do anything to her," Sombra said with a wave of his hoof. "Now can we get back to buisness?"
Chronos grunted.
"We'll just send Heatstroke and Vein Mine then. The stones at the Crystal Empire should be more than enough to make them stronger," Sombra said. "And then you can get back to your sweet, little girl. Heh."
Chronos snarled and vanished in a blink, leaving Sombra to finish off his drink before sighing. "I swear, being so smart can be so troublesome. Their stupidity just saps my mental powers. And his arrogance is getting on my nerves. Maybe I should deal with him sooner rather than later..."
Sombra then vanished into the darkness and appeared in his secret workshop. He tossed his cup into a bin before walking to his workbench, where an empty orb rested on the table. He began to work his dark wonders, infusing the orb with power and magic that was forbidden by all sane mages. Hench why Sombra loved to do it. After a bit he picked up the orb and examined it, smiling at his orb. An orb of incredible power, one that could boost the warping powers of any who used it and then suck those same powers back into the orb.
An orb perfect for Warp Drive.
"Now then. Where should I hide you?"
==== | V | ====
"This can't be right," All Might said.
He was standing in a prison in the far west of Equis, in a prison surrounded by water, one that was designed to hold any foe. The walls were made of a metal that was impossible to shatter, there were stones that siphoned the magic of any within and the guards were the greatest in the entire land. A prison designed to hold the greatest threats to Equis. And, at Twilight's suggestion, All Might had thrown his foes in here. The cell he was standing before had been altered to fit Monstro, one of All Might's greatest physical threats.
Not the seventy pound weakling who was curled up in a ball on the floor.
"It's him, All Might," Twilight said. "The guards haven't had him unsupervised once since we threw him in here. And they said was that all of a sudden yesterday his body shrunk down and he was left looking like...that. There was no trace of magical energy that could be used to take his power, so we're a bit at a loss."
"Let me in there," All Might said. Twilight nodded to the guards and they opened the cell, allowing All Might to enter. He walked over to the man that had once been Monstro and knelt down next to him. "Monstro? Can you hear me?"
The man didn't respond. All Might rolled him over to see that his eyes were pure white, staring off into nothingness while a bit of drool slipped from his lips. All Might put a finger to his neck to feel for a pulse, frowning when he felt the man was still alive. He tried a few more things to get the man to respond, but nothing happened. All Might stood up and walked out of the cell, shaking his head to Twilight.
"Nothing. No matter what I try, the man isn't home," All Might informed her.
"How could this have happened?" Twilight asked. "He's had no visitors, no spells have affected him and, until yesterday, he was perfectly normal...as normal as a giant monster gets. It's like his mind was stolen."
"Or more than his mind," All Might muttered. Twilight caught his tone and waved the guards away, waiting a moment for them to leave.
"What are you thinking, All Might?"
"I think that his quirk, the source of his powers...has been stolen," All Might suggested.
"That's...a possibility that I think is accurate. But my question isn't what happened. I agree with you, what happened is that somepony stole his quirk along with maybe his mind. My question is how. Again, no pony has visited him and I can promise none of the guards even know what a quirk is."
"Maybe a side effect of his recent powerup?" All Might put forward. "I know he's never been strong enough to throw a mountain, even with Sombra's help. That's reaching my level of power and that shouldn't be possible, not without a lot of help. Has Diamond Dust shown any similar symptoms?"
"She's been whiny, a colossal pain and screams at anypony that get's close. She's fine," Twilight promised. All Might placed a hand under his chin and tried to think of an answer, but nothing came to him.
"Who's the shrimp?"
Twilight and All Might looked over to see Rainbow Dash approaching, with about six guards behind her.
"Rainbow, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked.
"I wanted to poke the monster. Not some shrimp who doesn't even move," Rainbow joked. When Twilight gave her a look, she rolled her eyes. "Well Twilight, I noticed that you were up to something super important and thought that I would tag along to help."
"We teleported. How did you find us?"
"Just flew all over Equestria until I found you. Wasn't that hard," Rainbow shrugged. She then threw a quick smirk to All Might. "So how's it feel being the second fastest hero in Equestria? All those muscles kinda slow you down, don't they?"
"Perhaps one day we will put that boast of yours to the test," All Might said with a smile. "But wait, we already did. When I beat you back to Ponyville when Sombra was attacking."
"That was...do you know how hard it is to fly in a blizzard? My wings nearly froze off!" Rainbow snapped back. "How about we have a fair race. You and me. Across Equestria. Avoiding any icy areas."
All Might threw back his head and laughed, but before he could answer more guards came running into the prison block, turning every head towards them.
"Princess Twilight, terrible news. The Crystal Empire...the Crystal Empire is under attack! By two of the human villains!"
"What?" Twilight asked. "How? how did they slip by the princesses alert system?! We should have at least sensed their arrival or..."
"Princess, it gets worse. It seems...they've already taken the royal family hostage."
"Shining. Cadence. Little Flurry," Twilight whispered.
"Come on Twi, we need to get there yesterday," Rainbow Dash snapped, flapping her wings rapidly.
"Indeed. Rainbow Dash, stay here. Twilight and I will handle this," All Might said.
"Yeah, right. You want me to stay here...make me." Rainbow Dash kicked off the ground and rocketed off with a sonic boom, leaving All Might and Twilight to watch her go.
"Should I...?"
"No time. Teleport us to this Crystal Empire," All Might said, before narrowing his eyes and smiling dangerously. "We need to save this family...and make the villains pay."
All Might didn't think it was possible for crystal to burn. The Crystal Empire proved him wrong.
The moment he and Twilight appeared in a flash of light, he knew things were bad. The crystal buildings were burning (which amazed him), ponies were running around screaming, and meteors were raining down from the top of the giant tower in the center of the empire.
"Heatstroke. It has to be him," All Might told Twilight.
"Agreed. All Might, I'm going to deal with the meteors and try to put out the fires," Twilight instructed. Her horn flashed and six meteors were blasted to rubble. "Go. I can handle things here. When everypony is safe, I'll join you."
"Sounds like a plan!" All Might laughed.
He rocketed towards the tower, dodging meteors, extinguishing fires with his speed and rescuing those who were in danger along his way. He reached the bottom of the tower, crouched down to kick off, only to stop when he noticed something strange. A heart made of crystal floated before him, radiating a calm, but powerful, energy. He narrowed his eyes at it...then smiled once more and kicked off.
With a shockwave powerful enough to extinguish the nearby flames, All Might shot to the top of the tower, spinning a few times for effect, before landing boots down on the top of the tower with enough force to shake the tower.
"Do not worry. Because I am-WHOA!"
All Might snapped his head to the side just in time to avoid the fireball that had been launched towards his head. His eyes narrowed as he spied Heatstroke, confirming his suspicions. "Heatstroke. Only you could find a way to burn a shining city such as this one."
"It's what I'm best at All Might," Heatstroke laughed. Then he extended both palms and two, massive balls of fire appeared in them. All Might kept his smile but narrowed his eyes, noticing that Heatstoke's fireballs were five times the size of what they were supposed to be. But they weren't the meteors that had been raining down on the town. Where had those come from?
"After all, I'm the strongest fire user in the world," Heatstroke continued.
"HA HA HA! Oh, never let it be said that you don't have a sense of humor, Heatstroke," All Might laughed. He then smiled wider. "Because we both know a certain fire themed hero that has bested you before."
"That was before now!" Heatstroke roared. He slammed his hands down and created a tidal wave of fire, one that came crashing down towards All Might. "Now I'm stronger! Stronger than Endeavor! Stronger than all of the Fire Force! But most of all...stronger than you!"
All Might snapped his arms back, before swinging them both forward and clapping his hands together to create a massive shockwave. The shockwave parted the sea of fire and gave All Might a straight shot to Heatstroke. With a kick All Might tore towards Heatstroke, who had just enough time to register what was coming at him before All Might was on top of him. All Might brought his fist back, preparing to bring the evildoer to justice, but right as he swung a part of the crystal came to life and intercepted his attack.
"What in the hell?" All Might asked. His arm was being held back by a crystal shaped man, one who radiated the same power and glow of the crystal heart he had seen below. And there was only person on Equestria that could copy it's powers. "Vein Mine. So I see that you have decided to start to work together to fight me."
"You act like we're idiots, All Might. No single villain is a match for you," Vein Mine said. "But two enhanced villains...well, that might even be too much for you!"
"Enhanced?" All Might asked. He didn't have time to wait for an answer. Heatstroke fired a column of fire towards All Might and the hero had to deal with that first. He kicked off the ground and leapt over the fire, dragging Vein Mine with him. He swung a fist at the villain, but while the punch connected, it didn't do much more than snap the villains head to the side.
"Sorry, All Might, but even your freakish strength means nothing to me now!" Vein Mine roared. He threw a punch that All Might blocked, before All Might tore the villains arm free. All Might spun the villain around him before hurling the villain at the top of the tower, where he slammed into it with enough force to crack the crystal. Yet with a laugh Vein Mine got back up, no worse for wear.
All Might lunged towards Vein Mine, but another wave of fire forced him back. He caught movement and moved to the side to avoid the shards of crystals that whirled by his head, nicking a bit of his hair. All Might hurled a punch in the direction of Heatstroke, the speed of his punch create a bullet of air that rocketed towards the fire user. Yet Vein Mine stepped in the way of the attack and the air punch dissipated harmlessly against him.
Another wave of fire forced All Might back, only for his foot to nearly slip off the top of the tower. All Might glanced behind him and saw a very far drop, telling him he didn't have much more back to retreat to.
"Heh, we've got you figured, All Might," Heatstroke laughed, sending blast after blast of fire at All Might. All Might countered with air punches, able to extinguish the flames before they could reach him. Then Vein Mine stepped between the punches and the flames. The punches faded harmlessly against him while the fire washed over Vein Mine and continued on its course to All Might.
"You are strong, tough and fast. But even you need room to maneuver," Vein Mine continued. "And if you're forced into a corner, well, predicting your next move becomes easy to tell. Now come on, let's end this!"
Vein Mine ripped up a large chunk of crystal out of the ground and hurled it into the air, while Heatstroke used his power to turn it into a crystal meteor. "Time to die, All Might!"
"You are right. It is time to end this," All Might said darkly. He clenched a fist and tucked it in tight. "Detroit..."
The meteor came to a hard stop as a sphere of violet magic ensnared it. All Might felt his smile return as he looked up to see Twilight floating towards him. She flashed a quick smile to All Might before glaring down at the villains. "So you two are the ones responsible for burning down the home of my brother and his wife. What have you done with them?!"
"No need to get your mane in a knot. Your little pony friends are perfectly fine. They're just enjoying the dungeons that they've built," Heatstroke laughed. "We're keeping them nice and safe until Sombra can decide what he wants to do with them. He said I get to keep the foal if I kill All Might here. Sounds fun! I've always wanted a pet."
"Be quiet," Vein Mine snapped at him. "Let us get this done first, then we can-"
All Might was on him in a moment, driving a massive right hand into the side of his head. While his crystal form may have prevented All Might from knocking his block off, it still sent him spiraling backwards until he collided with a part of the tower top. Heatstroke snapped his hands towards All Might and summoned his fire, but a force of violet magic slammed itself on top of the villain, nearly crushing him.
"That is enough out of you," Twilight snarled. "You dare to threaten my family? Be thankful that you still draw breath. Now how about a nice nap and-"
Vein Mine rocketed off the ground and hurled himself towards Twilight. She snapped her head towards the villain and fired a beam of pure magic...only for his body to turn into a black material that completely negated her spell. She was fast enough to create a barrier around herself, yet just like with her spell, Vein Mine plowed clean through her barrier. Twilight had just enough time to ask how before Vein Mine slammed into her, tackling the princess out of the air and dragging her down to the tower top.
"Wondering why your magic isn't working? Negastones. Little gift from Sombra," Vein Mine explained. "They completely negate all magic they come into contact with. And since I can completely turn my body into any material I touch...well you're smart enough to figure it out."
"Twilight!" All Might called out. He rocketed towards her, ignoring the fire that Heatstroke shot at him. He raised a fist and prepared to hit Vein Mine hard enough that he might never wake...only for a blast of dark magic to halt his advance as it caught the hero square in the chest.
All Might coughed in pain as he was sent rocketing off of the tower, crashing down into the city below. He plowed through a few house that shattered like glass before his might and dug his hand into the ground to slow himself. He gritted his teeth as he felt crystal shards biting his back, but he rose all the same...only to narrow his eyes when he saw a dark horse standing across the street from him.
"Yo," Sombra greeted. All Might's shadow covered Sombra as the hero aimed a fist for the horse's head.
"Washington...SMASH!" All Might replied. His punch obliterated the ground where Sombra had been standing, as well as any of the buildings that had been nearby. All Might raised a hand as crystal shards rained down around him, glad that Sombra had chosen to stand in an area All Might had already cleared out. Then he looked up at the tower. "Hang on Twilight, I'm on my way."
"Might want to hold on there." All Might spun around to see Sombra standing behind All Might, holding a small foal in his grip. "After all, this foal has been wanting to meet their favorite hero. It would be rude to just leave them, especially since it seems they could use a hero right about now."
"Is there no depths to which you won't sink?" All Might snarled. Sombra shook his head with a smirk. "You may be the most vile, evil, underhanded villain I have faced."
"All Might, flattery will get you everywhere. But what it won't do is help this foal," Sombra laughed. "I know what you're thinking. What's the fastest way I can save this foal and then go rescue Twilight without risking the foals life. Well let me tell you this now. This foal is in my grasp. My magic is in their body. If you try anything, and I do mean everything, they will go boom. But if you just sit here...well, perhaps they'll live to see another day."
"You...bastard," All Might snarled. Sombra let out a gasp and held his hooves over the foals ears.
"All Might. Language. I am ashamed of you. Is that how a hero should talk?" Sombra chided, though he couldn't keep a smile from spreading on his face. "Now how about you have a seat and we have a little chat? After all, you've been fighting so hard and could use a rest. Sit, my friend. I would love to learn more about you. Or perhaps you want me to turn my attention back to this foal?"
All Might said nothing, but sat down on a piece of rubble. "There. See, we can be reasonable."
"Why are you doing this?" All Might asked.
"Well it all started when my daddy said he never loved me..."
"Why are you just sitting here with me? Why not take your cheap shots now? Why not try to kill me when you have met at such a disadvantage?"
"Well, that would be dishonorable. And I am nothing, if not...snirk...a pony...giggle...of honor," Sombra managed to choke out. He then giggled to himself for a moment before regaining his composure. "To be honest, it is simply because I am curious to see what you will do."
"Explain."
"Twilight is going to die. We both know that. With her magic, she could easily handle Heatstroke. With her princess strength, she could probably handle Vein Mine, or at least get away from him. But with the Negastone and Heatstroke now really cooking, she can't handle both. And we both know this. So I want to see what you will do. Will you sit here and allow the princess to die? Or will you go after her and allow this foal to blow up. I don't know...but I look forward to finding out."
All Might snarled and slightly began to stand up, but when Sombra smiled and placed a hoof on the foals throat, All Might sat back down. Loathed as he was to admit it, Sombra had him trapped. He knew Twilight was losing. He could see the top of the tower from where he sat and it didn't look good. She probably wouldn't last much longer. But he knew that if he tried anything, Sombra would kill the foal. He could see it in Sombra's eyes. Beneath the talk and jokes and facade...Sombra was one of the most evil foes he had faced. All Might didn't know what to do.
So it was lucky for him at that moment a rainbow colored sonicboom exploded overhead.
Twilight snarled as she rose back to her hooves, doing her best to ignore the burns on her left wing. She had let her guard down. She had let it down and now she was paying the price. She had thought that her magic would easily allow her to overpower the two humans and, if they had been how they were when she first faced them, it would have been. But now Vein Mine was completely immune to her magic and even Heatstroke's flames seemed to burn through her shields with enough time. She was in trouble...and that was before Sombra showed up to take All Might out of the equation.
But she would never give up.
"Not even close," Twilight snarled. She shot her magic into the crystal spires that adorned the top of the tower and ripped them free, shattering the crystal into thousands of shards to use as weapons. She sent the shards raining down on top of the villains, aiming for their limbs. Vein Mine crossed his arms and weathered the storm as the shards shattered against his skin. Heatstroke unleashed fires from hell that burned the crystals as they got close, but with so many he couldn't get them all.
"GRAH!" Heatstroke screamed. He fell to one knee as crystal shards tore through his leg, swearing up a number of words that Twilight wouldn't dare say. Vein Mine glanced back at his ally before turning to face Twilight.
"Not bad. But how are you going to handle me?" he asked.
Twilight's first response was to try to grab the human with her magic and hurl him off the tower. But the moment her magic touched his body, it dissipated. Magic was out of the equation and she was down a wing. All she had left was her pony strength. She wasn't the strongest pony around, she knew that. But from her time in the human world, she had calculated that she was far stronger than the average human. While Vein Mine was far from normal, she had to hope that he was at least close to a basic human's strength. It was all she had.
"The same way I handle all who attack my friends and threaten my kingdom. Swiftly," Twilight replied. She took up a fighting stance she had learned from Rainbow Dash and narrowed her eyes. Vein Mine looked at her for a moment before a smile cracked across his face.
"A fist fight? And you're supposed to be the smart one. Fine. Let's go."
Twilight charged towards Vein Mine, who advanced towards her at a slower pace. She spun around and bucked the human with all of her might, catching him by surprise and also catching him in the jaw. Vein Mine staggered back for a moment, before lowering his head and smirking at Twilight.
"Ain't bad. But ain't good, either."
Twilight threw a haymaker at Vein Mine, but now the human was ready for her. He intercepted her attack with his arm and pain shot up Twilight's limb. Punching crystal at full force was a bad idea it seemed. Vein Mine retaliated with a left jab that Twilight dodged before throwing a right hook that she ducked under. She leapt to his side and bucked once more into where his kidney's were, but this time the blow didn't even stagger the villain.
"Sorry princess, but that ain't going to work," Vein Mine told her. He began to walk forward as he threw his punches, forcing Twilight back as he did so. "I can tell from your movements. You're no fighter. You've been trained, but you've never used it. There's a key difference between knowing how to fight and actually fighting. You ain't got the killers instinct."
"So I'm no killer. Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Twilight snarled back as she ducked another punch.
"For the average Joe, nah. But you're out here putting your life on the line but aren't ready to take a life to survive. That puts you at a disadvantage," Vein Mine stated. He caught her winding up and this time when Twilight threw her blow, he blocked it with his forehead. Twilight had just a moment to comprehend what he had done before a crystal fist slammed into her jaw, knocking her flat and sending her skidding to the edge of the tower.
Vein Mine walked over to Twilight and slammed a foot down on her burned wing, getting Twilight to cry out in agony. "And in a fight, the last thing you want is to be at a disadvantage. You're too used to magic. And without that...you had no chance. Sorry about this. It ain't personal," Vein Mine began as he lifted a boot over her head. "It's just how heroes vs villains goes."
Twilight narrowed her eyes as she used her magic to grab hold of a part of the floor, preparing to rip it out and slam it into the villain. But before she could a massive explosion went off overhead and a sonicboom the color of a rainbow appeared in the sky. Both hero and villain had just a moment to register what had happened before a rainbow blur slammed into Vein mine, ripping him from his feet and sending him tumbling across the top of the tower.
"You start the fun without me, Twi? This is the last time I come to one of your parties," Rainbow Dash said. She smirked down at Twilight, who could only bitterly smile as she looked up at her friend.
"Of course I did. You always show up late anyway," Twilight replied. Rainbow chuckled and extended a hoof to Twilight, who grabbed hold and grunted as Rainbow pulled her up.
"Well, you've got me there," Rainbow Dash shrugged. She and Twilight turned to face Vein Mine, who had gotten back up to his feet. "So what's the deal with shiny there?"
"He absorbed the crystal that the Crystal Heart is made of, as well as some Negastone. That makes him immune to my magic and basically impervious to all damage," Twilight informed Rainbow. "I'm also down a wing and think I might have a concussion from his punch. I might also have a concussion."
"Got it. Well, then there's nothing else to do...but an all out attack!"
Faster than any there could register, Rainbow rocketed towards Vein Mine. It wasn't until his head was snapped back by the force of Rainbow's punch that Vein Mine registered that she had moved. He threw out a punch on instinct, only for three punches to connect with his face. He staggered back and brought up his fists to guard his head, only for the next series of blows to go right into his abdomen.
"Urgh...no doubt about it. You're a fighter," Vein Mine said.
"One of the best," Rainbow bragged. She proved her point by kicking Vein Mine right in the gut, staggering him once more.
"Your moves...I can tell. But I bet punching Negastone doesn't feel too good on your fists...hooves."
"Yeah, it hurts. So what? I've been crashing through hard things since I was a foal. Want a demonstration?!"
To prove her point, Rainbow Dash let out a yell and slammed her head right into the forehead of Vein Mine. Pony skull met Negastone and both snapped back in pain...but only Twilight noticed that some of the stone chipped off of Vein Mine's forehead. And that gave her an idea.
"You call that an attack, Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "I've seen Fluttershy throw better punches. I want you to hit this guy so hard you knock the stone...heh, right off of him!"
"Is that a challenge, Twi? Because you know I can't say no to a challenge!"
Rainbow Dash then began to unleash a storm of punches upon Vein Mine, who could only keep his hands close to his head as he tried to block all of her punches. But as her attacks got faster, more and more bits of his skin began to get chipped off of his body. Vein Mine knew his quirk well enough to know what was going on. She was breaking through him at a rapid pace. A little longer...and she just might break him apart.
Fear slithered into his heart and a moment later his body turned into the brightest of crystals, crystals as hard as the heart that fueled the Crystal Empire. Rainbow Dash threw another punch into his jaw, only to let out a yelp as her hoof cracked against his skin. She staggered back and shook out her hoof, glancing over at Vein Mine to see that his body was now entirely crystal. Which is exactly what Twilight had wanted.
Before Vein Mine had the chance to react, Twilight grabbed him with her magic and threw him. Not backwards or even off of the tower, but up. Straight up, until he passed the clouds and was out of sight. Once she was certain he was far enough, she created a barrier of magic to suspend him in the air.
"Whoa. What did you do?" Rainbow asked.
"Vein Mine had to shift to a hard substance in order to survive your onslaught. All Might showed me that beings made of Negastone can be destroyed by enough physical force. While you're not on his level, I still believed you could do enough damage to get him to switch. And the moment he did...he was mine."
"Pretty quick thinking there. So, is he going to come crashing down or...?"
"Nope. He's trapped up there in a magic bubble. Of course he could get out by switching back to Negastone...but even with his crystal body he knows what would happen if he fell from that height. He's going to stay up there nice and safe."
"Devious. I like it," Rainbow said with a laugh. "Now come on, let's go save All Might from the clutches of Sombra. I can't wait to rub it in his face when-"
That was all Rainbow had time to say before she was consumed in a tidal wave of fire.
On sheer reflex alone Twilight managed to get a magical shield up before the fire hit her.
"Did you forget about me?!" Heatstroke roared. "You heroes sure love to talk when you think you've won! But now I'll-"
Twilight snapped her head towards Heatstroke and fired out a blast of magic right into his chest. The blast ripped Heatstroke from his feet and sent him flying off of the tower, far outside of the kingdom...without most of his chest. Twilight never noticed. She was at her friends side in a moment, using all of her magic to try to keep Rainbow Dash alive. The burns were worse than anything Twilight had ever seen and she could see the magic leaving Rainbow's body. She used every healing spell she had, praying to somepony that Rainbow would live.
"Oh...this can't be good," Rainbow whispered.
"Stay with me," Twilight whispered. "You're going to be okay. I promise."
"Of course...I am..." Rainbow muttered as she slowly closed her eyes. "Gotta...get back...to...Wonderbolts..."
"Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "Rainbow?"
"RAINBOW!"
==== | V | ====
"RAINBOW!"
It was the sound All Might never wanted to hear. The sound of a being crying out in anguish at the lost of another. The sound of sorrow and lose. The sound that he had failed. But hear it he did. Both All Might and Sombra snapped their heads towards the tower, a look of terror crossing All Might's face while a large smile crossed Sombra's.
"Well, would you look at that. I send those two to kill Twilight and they get the rainbow jerk instead. Eh, good enough," Sombra shrugged. All Might snapped his head towards Sombra with enough force to create a shockwave, but Sombra's smile persisted. "But it also looks like Vein Mine is defeated and Heatstroke is...dead? Huh, wasn't expecting that. Oh well. Guess we ended up trading today, eh All Might?"
"I will end you," All Might promised.
"Ooo, so scary. We'll meet again, but I think I'm done here for today. The Crystal Empire burns, sounds like one of the annoyances of harmony is dead and I'm fairly certain we've scared Flurry Heart for like. Sounds like a win in my book," Sombra said. He then smiled at All Might. "But since you've been such a good sport, I'll leave the foal alone. Congrats, you saved it's life. Except..."
Sombra vanished into the darkness as he said this. The moment he was gone, All Might was at the foals side. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?"
All the foal did in response was smile at All Might...before its form slowly turned into smoke and dissipated. All Might realized what Sombra had done. The foal had been a fake all along. There had been no life in danger. But it had been enough to keep him there while Twilight's friend lost her life. All Might wanted to scream. He wanted to slam the ground with all of his might. To let all of his anger out.
But there were those who still needed his help. The villains might have been beaten, but there were still those in danger. So All Might rose to his feet, put his smile back on his face...and raced towards the tower, cursing himself the entire way.
That was the only comfort Twilight had. Yet as she sat next to her friend she could feel nothing but guilt. Rainbow's entire body was in one, giant cast and she was filled with enough pain-neutralizing magic to the point that she couldn't feel anything. That was good. With how bad her body was, it was best that she didn't feel anything. Twilight had barely gotten her to medical help in time. Had she been just a second slower...just like how All Might had almost been too slow to save Pinkie.
This was the second time. The second time one of her friends had nearly been killed. Fighting a battle that they shouldn't have been a part of. Pinkie's leg would take months to heal properly. Rainbow Dash might never be the same again. And all because of Twilight. All because she hadn't been good enough to protect them.
"Rainbow, I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, know that I am so sorry," Twilight whispered to her friend. "I never wanted this for you. For any of you. Had I been stronger, or faster, or better at magic, or...or..."
Twilight hung her head, unable to say any more. It was for the best, because a moment later the door to the room was practically ripped off its hinges and Applejack came running in. The mare looked around the room, barely registering Twilight before she was at Rainbow's side. Applejack's face gave away nothing, but her eyes told Twilight everything. There was fear, pain and agony within them.
Twilight stepped back and allowed Applejack to sit next to Rainbow. AJ gently took the mare's hoof in hers, before lowering her head. Twilight stayed with her in silence for what felt like eternity, before finally managing to summon up the courage to speak.
"Applejack...I am so sorry..." Twilight choked out. "If I had been faster...if I had been better-"
"Stop," AJ cut Twilight off. "Stop with that talk right now."
"But Applejack-"
"Stop it. Yer saying the same thing All Might tried to say to me. How it's all yer fault, how ya weren't good enough and all that crap. Well stop it." Applejack raised her head and glared into Twilight's eyes, AJ's emerald eyes blazing. "It's not yer fault. It's the villains that attacked yer family that did this. And All Might told me the whole story. About how Sombra had him trapped and how ya were facing two foes that were about to kill ya. Rainbow saved your life, right?"
"Yes, but she shouldn't have had to," Twilight bitterly replied. "Had I been-"
"AH SAID ENOUGH!" AJ roared. Twilight snapped up straight and shut her mouth, watching as Applejack seethed in place. Then, stunning Twilight completely, tears began to fall down Applejack's face. "Do not blame yerself. Rainbow Dash isn't like this because ya weren't good enough or because All Might isn't a great hero. He is a great hero and you are one of the greatest, if not the greatest, champions of this land. None of this is on you two."
"So ah will tell you exactly what ah told him. Rainbow knew what she was getting into. She knew how dangerous it could be. We all knew how dangerous protecting Equestria can be. But we didn't it anyway. Because we believe in ya. We believe in what we do. So yes, it hurts me more than you could know to see her like this. But ah also know that she ended up like this because she risked everything to save yer life. We all would. So please, stop blaming yerself and acting like her sacrifice meant nothing!"
"Applejack...you're right. I have been ignoring Rainbow's sacrifice. She saved my life. She saved all of the Crystal Empire. I want you and her both to know that," Twilight agreed. Then the bitterness returned. "But, and please listen to me, she shouldn't have needed to. Defending Equestria...that is no longer her job. Nor yours or Pinkie or any of our friends. We brought harmony to the world. The Elements returned to their resting place and the Rainbow power has faded. You've done your part. You've earned the right to live your lives without fear of...this."
"Twilight...listen..."
"Please. Let me finish. I am the princess of Equestria. And my job is to keep this land safe, to keep the ponies in it safe...to keep my friends safe," Twilight whispered. "I know...that you all want to help me. And I am grateful for it, I truly am. I couldn't ask for better friends. But Pinkie nearly lost a leg fighting these foes. Rainbow nearly lost her life. I fear, the next time we face one of these villains...that one of you won't be coming back."
"Twilight, ya can't be so worried about us," Applejack said.
"How can I not be?!" Twilight practically yelled. She took a moment to steady herself, before she stood up and walked to the door. "Every time we have gone up against one of these guys, I've never lost somepony I've loved. Spike against Monstro. Pinkie against Diamond Dust. And now Rainbow...I can't let this continue. I can't keep let you all get hurt. Stay here with Rainbow Dash. All Might and I will deal with the rest of the villains."
"Twilight, ya can't-"
"Stay here with Rainbow Dash, Applejack...that's a royal order," Twilight ordered. Applejack didn't say anything in reply, she simply shook her head at Twilight before turning her full attention back to Rainbow Dash. Twilight left her alone, leaving the room and entering the hallway. She stifled a sob before she headed down to the lobby, heading for a vending machine.
"How did it go?" Twilight looked to her side to see All Might leaning up against the wall, his eternal smile gone. "I heard quite a bit of yelling."
"It went as well as your talk with her did. She told me that it wasn't my fault, I did all I could and that what she did was heroic."
"Everything she said is true," All Might pointed out.
"I guess."
"It doesn't make you feel better, does it?"
"Not in the slightest."
"I've heard it all before. If I hadn't been there, more would have died. It could have been worse. They were a hero for the way they acted, don't take their death too hard. They are kind words. They don't change the fact that a person is dead or crippled and I was the one that allowed it to happen. That I was the hero that failed."
"It's like you can read my mind," Twilight smirked. "You can't, right?"
"Not with psychic powers or anything like that. But I know that look on your face. I've seen it many a times on my own face. Is...is she...?"
"She'll live. Barely. It will be a miracle if she ever flies again," Twilight said. She then forced back another sob and gritted her teeth. "She teaches the Wonderbolts, you know. The greatest fliers in the history of Equestria. She loved teaching for them. And now her dream may be dead. All because of me."
"I cannot imagine how she will feel when she learns that."
"She won't. Not for a long while, anyway," Twilight said with a sigh. "At least we got the villains that did this. Vein Mine is in custody and...what happened to Heatstroke? I left so quickly that I..."
"He...he picked a fight with the guards that went after him. They had to put him down," All Might replied.
"Hmm...shame," Twilight replied. All Might raised an eyebrow at her tone, but said nothing. She didn't need anymore guilt. Not right now. "Also...thank you All Might. For helping me with all of this. I can't imagine having to deal with all of this by myself. The villains, the attacks and...Sombra."
"You are welcome. I am simply doing what any hero would," All Might said. He then noticed a change in Twilight's face and he looked over at her, raising an eyebrow at what he saw. Twilight had a look of absolute fury on her face, one that All Might didn't think she was capable of making. "I know that look. That is the look of someone who has had enough. So tell me, Twilight...what's the plan?"
"The plan? The plan is that I'm done playing defense. Sombra wants to attack my friends, my family and hit me at the heart of where I live? Well two can play at that game. I haven't just been sitting on my flank and stuffing my face all these years since we've last fought. I've learned quite a number of things. We're not going to let him hurt anypony else. I can promise you that."
"You have a spell to find him? Neither Luna or Celestia could and they are your seniors," All Might pointed out.
"They were going about it the wrong way. See, I realized something after he attacked the Crystal Empire. If you want to find a normal pony, you use normal magic. But if you want to find a dark horse like him...you use dark magic."
"And you can use this magic...safely?" All Might asked. The smile that Twilight responded with gave him chills.
"We're about to find out."
==== | V | ====
"SOMBRA!"
"Oh, here we go," Sombra sighed. Sombra had just exited his secret workshop to find Chronos walking, well hobbling, towards him. "Are you sure it's safe for you to move at that speed in your old age? Because if you throw out a hip I'm getting my camera."
"Two. I've lost two of my allies all because of you and your plan!" Chronos snarled at Sombra. "Vein Mine has been captured and Heatstroke is dead!"
"Dead?" Sombra asked. "Are you sure?"
"Your shadows told me directly! Hole in his chest, shattered bones and ruptured organs! If that isn't dead, then-"
"So Twilight actually killed him? Ooh, I cannot imagine how that's going to eat her up," Sombra cackled, before a frown crossed his face. "Then again, she killed me twice and didn't lose any sleep over it. And those deaths were quite gruesome, mind you. Oh well, what goods a henchmen if they don't give their life serving you."
"Is that all they are to you? Pawns to be discarded?!" Chronos snarled.
"Yes, that is all any of you are," Sombra replied. Chronos took a step back in shock. Sombra's normally jovial smile was gone and his eyes were pitch black, with an aura coming off of him that Chronos had never felt before. "You, your allies and anything else I can get my hooves on are simply a means to an end. A means to my revenge. I will kill you all as many times as I must if it helps me to achieve my goals."
"You...you..." Chronos snarled.
"And you want to know something else? I am the reason your allies have fallen," Sombra whispered. "I am the one that created the spheres that boost their powers. The reason? Because those spheres will also steal their quirks when they are defeated. That's right. I've been sending your little group on suicide missions so I could harvest their quirks when they lost. All for my own, evil purpose. How's that?"
"You mean...from the beginning...you've been using us as pawns?" Chronos seethed. "Sombra, I swear I'll-"
Chronos' eyes went black and he went silent, standing up straight without moving. Sombra chuckled at the sight before walking over to the man.
"Here's a free bit of advice. Instead of screaming at the top of your lungs what you're about to do, how about you just do it? Here's an example. Instead of screaming that I was going to mind control you, I just did it anyway. And look, my plan worked. Had you just used your time stop to kill me, you might have done it. But instead, you just couldn't keep yer yap shut. What did I say? Idiots and heroes. Both so easy to control. And since you're not a hero, guess that makes you an idiot."
Sombra then shook his head and looked down at the stone. He still needed more time to hide the next orb for Warp Gate, but he also had to make some progress with White Noise. Then he glanced over his shoulder at Chronos and a wicked smile crossed his face.
"I've got to go hide this stone for that Warp Drive. But while I'm gone, I could use some help with White Noise. See, ever since I healed her, she's become somewhat attached to me. She might like me slightly less than she does you. So all I need to completely get her under my control...is a little push," Sombra smiled. "Chronos, go see White Noise and show her...how disappointing you are in her. And make it hurt."
Chronos said nothing and turned to leave, getting a chuckle out of Sombra before his horn began to glow. Yet right before he left, he heard a sound. Like a voop or a whoosh. Like somepony had made a vacuum. He used his magic to scan the area, but found no other traces of like. Sombra shrugged his shoulders and vanished a moment later, ready to lay out the next part of his plan.
All Might hadn't been to many places in Equerestria, but from the few places he had visited he found the hustle and bustle of Canterlot to be the most comforting to him. The crowded streets, the shops on every corner and pedestrians all moving around him. Made him feel right at home.
Rarity had mentioned a few stores and a massage parlor that she figured would do wonders for his muscles. He had visited the parlor first, as his body was in a constant state of being sore. The mares that worked the place had been both amazed and excited by his body. They loved his muscles (who didn't?), but also were shocked at how many knots his muscles had. They had told him that it was like he hadn't given his muscles a break in weeks. They weren't that far from the truth.
He had been holding his muscle form for nearly his entire stay in Equestria. And while normally his muscle form had no drawbacks, holding it for weeks, with only a short time for breaks, was starting to wear on him. But he took it with a smile. It wouldn't be much longer. The League of Evil were down to just two members now. Chronos, who was a problem, and White Noise...who might be their greatest threat.
Chronos would be Twilight's problem. She had shown All Might that she had a firm grasp on time magic, enough to the point that she would be able to match Chronos time stop. White Noise was his target. With her energy absorption she was a threat to all of the ponies. Physical force was the way to go.
"But Sombra is the trickiest one," All Might muttered. He sipped on the sweet tea that a pony had brought out to him at a cafe, which he had decided to take a moment to rest at. "With his dark magic he has options. With his smoke form my might might...heh...not be able to hit him. And then there is his cunning. I hate cunning villains. They are the most dangerous. Twilight and I may have to work together to bring that foe to justice."
Oh yeah, Sombra's always been a pain." All Might glanced over his shoulder to see Spike and Gabby standing next to him. "Mind if we join you?"
"By all means." Spike pulled out a seat for Gabby, who giggled at Spike, before sitting down across from All Might. "Judging from the lack of a cast on that wing, I take it you have made a full recovery?"
"Recovered and ready for the next round," Spike said. "And from how bad things have gotten since I was taken out of commission, I would say you guys need all the help you can get."
"Excuse me?"
"Pinkie is walking with a small limp, Rainbow Dash is in critical health, Applejack stuck at her side, and Twilight not talking to her friends. The mane six aren't doing so hot and you guys could use a dragon on your side right about now."
"I appreciate your offer Spike, but I believe Twilight and I can handle this," All Might politely declined.
"You're not looking too hot either," Gabby pointed out. All Might had practiced self control ever since he had received his quirk, so aside from turning to look at the griffon he did nothing, though he was impressed that she had noticed. "You seem a bit worn out yourself. You're slumping slightly, your hair doesn't have its luster, and you seem to be oblivious to things going on around you."
"How is that?"
"The fact that you have a piece of paper impaled on your hair and you didn't even notice." All Might reached up and found that indeed there was a piece of paper there. He took it down and glanced at it (it was a flier for a traveling magic act), before crumpling it up and throwing it into the trash.
"I will admit that I am a bit stressed, but trust me when I say that there is no need for you to get involved," All Might said. "There is no need for civilians to get involved. Leave this to the professionals. That is what we are here for."
"If you say so. But as for the reason I am here," Spike continued with a smirk. "I'm here because I believe that I was promised some training once my wing healed. And well, I'm all healed up."
"You are right, young Spike. You have been promised some training and training is what you will receive," All Might agreed. "But this is hardly the place to work out. Citizens don't like it when you sprint like a madman down their streets. And trust me, I've ruined more than a few streets in my time."
"That's okay. I think I've got a spot," Spike said.
==== | V | ====
"It's perfect," All Might said.
"How is this perfect?!" Gabby asked. Ahead of the three was a long stretch of deserted land, with large canyon walls stretching up around them. There were holes in the walls that housed glowing eyes and once All Might had seen a giant, eel looking creature snap out of one of them and gobble up a bird that had gotten too close. "This place is a death trap!"
"Nothing gets your blood pumping like having your life on the line," All Might replied. Gabby glared at him.
"I can attest to that. Now come on Mr. Hero, what are we going to start with? Squating rocks? Lifting rocks? Pulling rocks?" Spike asked All Might.
"Nothing so extreme. Not yet. First we need to build up your stamina," All Might said. Spike raised his eyebrows and All Might gave him a look. "You know what I mean. If you want to get a body like I have, you're going to need to work up to it. So we're going to start with these."
All Might found a few small rocks and weighed them, smiling before he walked over to Spike. He used some rope that he had borrowed from the princess and tied the rocks to Spike's wrists and ankles. "There we go. That should provide a bit of resistance to get you started."
"Are you kidding me? I can barely feel these," Spike said as he flexed a few times. "See? Easy to move with these things on."
"You say that now, but wait until you've done a few sets or ran a few laps. Then it will feel like you're dragging the weight of the world around," All Might replied. "Trust me. This is how my master did it, this is how I did it and this is how you will do it."
"And then I'll get muscles like you?"
"It will be a start."
"I hope so. Can you imagine how I would look with muscles like yours?" Spike asked as he flexed.
"Oh I can imagine," Gabby teased.
"All right Spike, cardio is the way to go. Take a few laps around this area," All Might instructed. "But stay within my sight. Those eels look like they're looking for a snack and if anything happens to you I will have an angry griffon and princess to deal with."
"If it's so dangerous here, then why did you bring us?" Gabby asked.
"Because nothing inspires you to your true potential like knowing that there is a massive carnivore coming after you," All Might laughed. Gabby glared at him once more. "That's a joke."
"Hmm," Gabby replied. Spike had already started to run, doing laps around the pair of them as they watched. All Might watched the dragon run, but after a bit he cast a glance over at Gabby. She had opened up the pack that she had brought and laid out a blanket, some bandages, a few gemstones and numerous canisters of what All Might assumed was water.
"Those for Spike?" he asked. She nodded but kept her eyes on the dragon. "He's lucky to have you, do you know that?"
"Oh I know it. He's the only one oblivious to that fact," Gabby smirked.
"Stay strong. He'll get it one day," All Might responded. "All right, that is enough for now. Come over here."
"See...nothing to it," Spike panted. All Might smirked, able to tell that the kid was acting tough. To impress him or Gabby, he wasn't sure. Gabby offered Spike some water and he gulped it down.
"Glad to see that you've got so much energy," All Might smiled. "Because that was the warm up."
"Eh?"
"Next is push ups, sit ups, and plenty of squats," All Might said. "I hear that's a great way to get stronger. And since you're feeling so energetic, we'll start now."
"Are you sure you're not a villain?" Spike asked as he got in position to do push ups.
"I'm fairly certain. Now begin."
Spike started doing push ups in rapid succession, getting All Might to nod at Spike's performance. Despite the extra weight Spike pumped them out without any sign of slowing down. Dragons were an entire beast entirely. He would have to make this harder for there to be any effect, but how?
"Heh, I thought you said that these rocks would make this harder. I can keep this up all day," Spike taunted. All Might smirked in response.
"Really? You feel rock solid?"
"Was that a pun?"
"Feel like you can keep this up all day? No chance of your arms giving out or your resolve shaking?" All Might asked.
"None in the slightest," Spike replied.
"Good. Gabby, please lay on Spike's back."
"What?"
Gabby caught on to what All Might was asking and walked over to Spike, smiling at him before hopping onto his back. The dragon gritted his teeth as she settled down, crossing her arms and laying her head next to Spike's. The dragon's speed slowed a bit as he positioned himself so that Gabby wouldn't fall off.
"You doing alright, Spike?" Gabby asked.
"Of course. This is nothing," Spike said.
"Really? I'm not too heavy?"
All Might's eyes snapped open at that and he instinctively began to move to Spike to protect him.
"Not in the slightest. In fact, I barely noticed you were there," Spike replied with a smile and wink to Gabby. All Might let out a sigh and held a hand to his heart. The kid had good survival instincts.
The workout was cut short as Twilight appeared in a flash of violet light, the look on her face telling All Might it was something important.
"All Might, there you are. We've got...a bit of a situation," Twilight said. She then glanced over at Spike, who had stopped mid-pushup with Gabby still on his back. Twilight smiled and winked at Spike before her serious face returned. "Warp Drive appeared in the middle of Canterlot."
"Then what are you doing here? We have to go back and stop him," All Might said.
"See, that's the thing. He didn't come there to fight. In fact, the moment I arrived to meet him...he surrendered," Twilight said. All Might said nothing in reply. "He doesn't want to fight us, in fact...he needs our help."
"Dare I ask what for?" All Might said.
"He said he needs us to protect him. Protect him...from Sombra."
Sombra could feel the despair before he ever entered the room. A scent that was a mix of pain, confusion, but most of all, betrayal. Seemed to him that Chronos had done his job perfectly. The dark king walked up to White Noise door, took a moment to force down his smile (not an easy task with how things had been going so well) and took on a more somber expression. He knocked twice and heard the sobs get stifled.
"White Noise? You in there?" he asked in his most concerned tone. Silence answered him. "I know that you're in there. Please, open the door."
When she didn't, Sombra smirked, forced the smirk back and used his magic to open the door. The room was a mess, with objects scattered everywhere, furniture overturned, and everything just a mess. He spied the human girl sitting in the corner of the room, arms around her legs and faced still masked. She barely glanced over at Sombra as he entered.
"Jeez, this place is a mess," Sombra muttered. He pretended to take in the room before glancing at her again. "You didn't do all of this, did you? If you didn't like the room, all you had to do was tell me. I could easily have rearranged it for you."
White Noise didn't reply.
"...you didn't do this, did you?" Sombra asked. He noticed a few bruise marks on her arms and had to bite down hard on his tongue to keep himself from smiling. "And those bruises...don't tell me Chronos did this to you?"
Even if he didn't already know, her silence would have answered his question anyway. Sombra tried to look devastated (harder than it looked) and sat down next to the girl, sighing heavily as he hung his head.
"Why would he do that to you? He always talked so highly of you and said that he saw you as...well, like a daughter to him," Sombra said. At the mention of this, White Noise sobbed once more and hung her head.
"He...he said that this was all my fault," she barely managed to choke out. "He said that if...if I hadn't caused Warp Drive's quirk to go crazy, we would never had been in this mess in the first place. That I was the one responsible for the deaths of my team...my friends..."
Had she been responsible for the villains coming to this world? Sombra didn't know, but it was good to keep in his back pocket for later. White Noise also felt responsible for the capture of the others. He could use that. But evil wasn't what he needed to be right now. What he needed to be right now...was kind. And Sombra could fake kindness like nopony else.
"White Noise...that's not you're real name, right?" he asked her. She didn't reply. "Anyway, you can't blame yourself for what happened to the others. They went up against your world's greatest hero and against six of the luckiest ponies that have ever lived. And your leader had the great idea to send them in one at a time on a fools mission. It's no wonder they got beat. None of that had anything to do with you. After all you're...how old are you? Sixteen...seventeen?"
"Thirteen."
"Thirteen? You're telling me that Chronos brought a thirteen year old into battle with him? Maybe he was a bigger villain than I gave him credit for," Sombra said with a sly smile. He then shook his head and remembered to look miserable. "He brought a thirteen year old into combat. Clearly he didn't care for you."
"He did!...he does," she whispered in reply.
"Well then he has a terrible way of showing it," Sombra muttered. His horn glowed and a moment later White Noise's wounds had healed. The girl looked down at her arms in surprise, before looking over at Sombra. The dark king rose to his hooves and started to head for the door.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"To make sure that Chronos never hurts you again," Sombra promised. "He's clearly gone senile in his old age. If he did care for you before, it's clear he doesn't now. And I may be an evil scumbag, but I'm an evil scumbag with standards. Leave this to me."
"Wait," she softly cried out. "Don't hurt him. He...he might be losing his mind and being...cruel...but he still took me in. He helped me with my quirk when the heroes labeled me a lost cause. I...can't let anything happen to him. Please. Let me talk to him when he get's back. Please."
Sombra took a moment to think. Chronos wasn't coming back. He would make sure of that. What he was concerned with was how did he respond here. Should he continue acting like he was going to stop Chronos, telling the girl it was for her own good? Or should he listen to her, tell her that he believed that she would be able to get through to the old man? She couldn't, but which of those options did she need to hear?
What, and he couldn't believe he was thinking this, would Twilight do.
"Alright," he said with a soft smile. "When Chronos get's back, you can talk to him. Try to get through to him. But I need you to know that I will be beside you the entire time in case he is too far gone. He won't hurt you again."
Sombra turned to leave the room, figuring he had done a good enough job.
"Hikari," White Noise whispered. Sombra stopped and turned around to look at her. "My name. Hikari."
"Well then let me start over. It is nice to meet you, Hikari. And don't worry. I promise that no person will ever harm you again."
Sombra left the room and closed the door behind him. He took a moment to scan the room to make sure she wasn't following him before he threw his head back and silently laughed. He had just wanted to break down her guard a bit, but to get the girl to completely open up to him? He couldn't believe it. He would have to find where Warp Drive had gotten to soon, but for a moment he patted himself on the back.
"Oh Sombra, how can somepony as evil as you be so. Damn. Good?"
==== | V | ====
Twilight led All Might into the room where the villain was being held. The room was a large chamber with only a single table in the center, where Warp Drive's hands were magical handcuffed to the table. Over a dozen pony guards in black armor surrounded the outskirts of the room and Luna and Celestia flanked either side of the human. The man, whose black hair fell across face, looked up as All Might entered and a glimmer of hope sprung to life in his eyes. That worried All Might.
"Here he is, All Might. He's been here ever since he surrendered to us," Twilight said. She then nodded to the two former rulers. "Has our guest caused any trouble since I left?"
"No, dear princess. All he's said is that he refuses to talk until All Might was in the room," Celestia informed Twilight. All Might walked over to the table and sat down across from Warp Drive, taking a moment to look over him. The man looked terrified. His eyes darted around the room, at every shadow or hidden space. All Might wondered why.
"All right, Warp Drive, I'm here. Now what is all of this about?" All Might asked. Warp Drive didn't respond. Instead, he started to stare at a particularly dark part of the room with wide eyes. "Yusuke...it's alright. I'm here. You're safe. So go ahead. Tell me what is scaring you."
"Sombra..." Warp Drive finally said. "It's Sombra. He...he mind controlled the boss. He took control of Chronos. The boss works for him now."
"What?" the sun and moon asked, while Twilight narrowed her eyes. "But why would he do that? I thought you were all working together to bring us down?"
"I...I didn't catch all of their conversation. Boss wanted me sticking close by when he went to confront Sombra, but that place of his is so confusing that it's hard for me to find anything down there, even with my quirk. I've always had issues getting lost."
"Wait a moment, you can create wormholes that can take you anywhere and yet you still manage to get lost?" Luna asked. Warp Drive shyly shrugged in response.
"Back to what you were saying," All Might cut in.
"Right. I didn't hear all of what they said, but I caught enough. I got there just in time to hear the boss say that Sombra had been using us as pawns. He started to threaten Sombra, but then...Sombra took control of him. Sombra started bragging about how instead of taking the chance to kill him, the boss had threatened him instead. And so I think Sombra took him over instead. Boss never liked killing anyone unless he had to. I guess Sombra took advantage of that."
"I have a list of names that would disagree with your assessment of Chronos, but that's neither here nor there. What else did Sombra say?"
"Well, after mocking the boss for a bit, Sombra...Sombra said...he said that White Noise had taken a liking to Sombra, but she liked him slightly less than she liked Chronos. Chronos had taken her in, ya see, when the doctors and heroes that had tried helping her with her quirk had thrown her out. She can't entirely control her quirk and it can harm others. I think for a while her family had taken her to all sorts of heroes and doctors, but after they were killed...they threw her out."
"I'm sorry. I had no idea," All Might whispered. "Please, continue."
"Um, Sombra...Sombra said that he needed White Noise to be completely under his control. So he needed boss to give her a push or something and he wanted boss to tell her how disappointed he was. And to make it hurt." All of the ponies in the room gasped at that while All Might clenched his hands together with enough force to crush diamonds. "After that I warped out of there as fast as I could and made my way here. I've been in your captivity ever since. There, that's everything, I swear."
"This changes things," Twilight said. Her mentors and All Might nodded in agreement. "Sombra, once again, could not be trusted and has turned on your villains, All Might. He set them up to fail."
"Yes, we know that he did it. My question now is why?" Celestia said. "Why would Sombra send them against us just so they could lose? Why would he send them after those stones that would increase their power if he knew they were going to lose?"
"I do not know and I do not care. All I know is that there is a young girl in the hands-hooves-grah, in the clutches of a lunatic that will sacrifice anyone to get what he wants. I cannot sit here knowing he has similar plans for White Noise without doing something about it," All Might said. He spun to face Warp Drive, who shrunk under All Might's presence. "Where is his base? Where is he holding White Noise?"
"He is hiding in a place he called the Ruined. I don't know what it looks like, I've never been outside the base, but that's where it is," Warp Drive said, before he had a thought. "And also...I think he might have been the one to make those stones that he's sent my allies after."
"Explain."
"I caught him saying that he had to hide a stone for me. I didn't think anything of it, but after hearing you guys talk, I think Sombra's been the one making and hiding those stones for us. Just a thought."
"Thank you," All Might said. "I will remember this."
"I want it to be known that I turned myself in and cooperated," Warp Drive said. "I helped you out against evil. I want a chance to go free, a shorted sentence if I can't have that. And you have to protect me from Sombra. Don't let him turn me against my allies. And please...help the boss and White Noise. They're all I've got."
"...very well, you have my word I will save your allies," All Might replied. He then turned to face Twilight. "Come. Let us put an end to this villain once and for all."
"Let's," Twilight said as she opened a vortex.
"Twilight," Celestia said before the pair could leave. "Just the two of you? Should you not call in your friends?"
"Pinkie is still recovering from her wound. Rainbow Dash hasn't woken up yet. I will not let any more of my friends lives be ruined doing my job," Twilight promised coldly. "All Might and I will end this, Celestia. Sombra will not harm anypony else. You have my word."
And with that, Twilight and All Might leapt into the vortex, both preparing for the final showdown with Sombra.
"This is the Ruined, eh? Well, it certainly lives up to its name."
All Might and Twilight stood before a large city, one that was a masterpiece of stone and metal, creating a place that looked like one, massive fortress. It would have been the most impressive place All Might had seen since arriving in Equestria, except for the fact that it was completely abandoned. Cobwebs hung everywhere, the wind whispered through the streets and an eternal grey hung overhead. Creepy.
"It was once was of the greatest strongholds in Equestria. A literal castle city. But then a dark wizard descended upon the place and turned it into a hive of black magic. Celestia and Luna managed to eventually evict the wizard, but the hum of dark magic has hung over the place ever since," Twilight explained. "No pony has wanted to move back here since. No pony except for Sombra, apparently."
"Dark magic...wasn't that what you were going to use to hunt down Sombra?" All Might asked.
"The keyword there is "was". I was gathering all my books and artifacts on dark magic, but before I could truly get started, Warp Drive showed up and told us what we needed to know. Funny how things work out," Twilight said with a shrug. "Now come on, we have a dark king to stop."
Twilight and All Might walked into the abandoned city, both of them on full alert. Twilight used her magic to try to scan the place, but the echoes of dark magic screwed with her readings. All Might kept his eyes peeled, but the darkness constantly moved in ways that made it look like someone was in the shadows, even when there was no one there. He hated this place.
"Hang on, I'm getting something," Twilight said. Her horn glowed violet and for a moment the shadows slithered back, her magic illuminating the area. All Might pretended not to notice that the shadows began to creep forward a moment later. "There's something down below. Something that feels like...tunnels. Yep, this is where his base is. I can feel it."
"Then shall I make us a path? Or would you prefer to try this quietly?" All Might asked.
"Sombra most likely already knows we're here. So smash away."
"With pleasure. Albuquerque...SMASH!" All Might spun in a circle and drilled his way through the stones. Twilight raised an eyebrow before she followed after the hero, finding him at the bottom of his hole in a large tunnel. Her horn flashed to life and she scanned the area.
"Seems you deviated a bit. You wanted to go left," she told him.
"Can never seem to get that one right," All Might lamented. Using Twilight's horn as a light source, the pair advanced deeper into the dark tunnel. The pair eventually exited the tunnel and came into a large room, one that was connected to numerous smaller tunnels and rooms. A quick look around told the pair that this was the place. There were plenty of areas that showed them were beings had been living, and from some of the clothes and discarded items, All Might could tell that humans had been here.
"Well this is definitely where Sombra has been hiding. I can sense his evil magic all over the place," Twilight informed All Might. "But I can sense more of it coming from that room up ahead. Ready to go in?"
"So is it just me or is Sombra being a far less gracious host than the first time I encountered him?"
"How so?"
"The first time I met him, he had a whole speech planned out, numerous giant monsters to attack me with and met me face to face...kinda. Now it's just all silence and darkness. Why no traps? Why nothing?" All Might asked. "Unless he's waiting for us up ahead, this has been...odd."
"Agreed. Be on guard. We have no idea what's up ahead," Twilight warned. All Might nodded and the pair moved ahead. All Might placed his hands on the giants doors and pushed them open without any issue. The pair walked into a large chamber with a circle of water surrounding the outer area. Twilight held out a hoof and stopped All Might in his tracks, while she narrowed her eyes into the darkness.
"We're not alone."
The moment she said this, blue fire erupted to life on torches that encircled the entire room. Twilight threw up a shield while All Might crossed his arms, each waiting for the attack that never came. But with light to see by, the pair of them observed the being that had been waiting for them. He wore a brown cloak that was old and worn. He had white hair that barely covered the top of his head. Numerous watches were on his right wrist. But what caught the heroes attention were his eyes. Eyes that were completely white and devoid of any consciousness.
"Chronos. So we finally get to deal with the boss, do we?" Twilight asked.
Chronos didn't respond. He barely even moved. Then he slowly lifted his head to look at Twilight. The man reached into his cloak and pulled out a small, green stone that radiated dark power. A stone with an hourglass on it. And Twilight knew what it was.
She shot a blast of magic at the stone, but time flickered and by the time it normalized the stone lay shattered at Chronos' feet and his body was radiating with black magic. His body pulsed with power and time started to go funky all around the two heroes, with torches going out and then blazing back to life as they were rewound then sped up. Then a pulse of time erupted from the man and everything in the room came to a screeching halt, a death sentence for all trapped within the temporal freeze.
Twilight had been ready. The moment she had laid eyes on Chronos she had encased herself in a spell, a spell that she had spent over a month perfecting. A spell that was designed specifically to make her immune to the effects of a time stop. A spell that would perfectly counter Chronos.
All Might wasn't so lucky. Twilight glanced next to her to see the hero frozen completely in time. She narrowed her eyes before turning back to face Chronos...who was nearly on top of her. Twilight's instinct kicked in and she threw up a barrier around the both of them, watching as Chronos slammed his fists into the barrier. She gritted her teeth in determination as her barrier began to flicker, not from the force of the punches, but from a side effect of her spell.
She shattered the barrier to push Chronos back before she flew over to All Might, wrapping her arms around one of his and dragging him across the room. After a moment of holding onto the hero her spell began to encompass him, allowing the symbol of peace to smile once more.
"Twilight? What happened?" All Might asked.
"Chronos got his groove back," Twilight explained. The human raced over to the pair with a speed that even marathon runners would envy. Twilight tried to create another barrier, but her magic nearly shorted out. All Might covered for her and threw punches with enough force to create giant gusts of wind. The gusts of wind were frozen in place a moment after they left the protective barrier, but their placement force Chronos to leap out of the way and back off.
"He's moving like he did back in the day...except he's holding the time stop far longer," All Might noticed.
"I think that stone thing Sombra made for him is allowing him to move like his younger self while also boosting his quirk," Twilight said.
"But luckily with your spell we will be immune to his time stop, right?" All Might asked.
"Yes, but there's a catch. It's taking everything I have to keep this spell up. It's taking beyond that to have it blanket you as well," Twilight replied. All Might looked closer and realized that sweat was dripping from Twilight's brow and she looked to be on the verge of passing out. "If I try another spell while in this stay I may just pass out. And then we're done. All I can do is keep us from being brought to a halt."
"Which means that it's up to me," All Might smiled. He took Twilight and placed her on his back, where she gripped his back like a backpack. If you were to look at All Might from the front, it would look like he had tiny, purple wings sticking out of his back. "You focus on your spell, Twilight. Leave the fighting to me."
All Might then kicked off, racing at an unbelievable speed towards Chronos...only to stop when he heard Twilight scream out. He slammed a foot into the ground to bring himself to a hard stop, before he looked over his shoulder at Twilight. "T-to fast," she stammered. "Nearly tore my arms out of their sockets."
All Might narrowed his eyes and turned back to Chronos, who had been watching the pair. All Might didn't know how much of the man's mind was left, but he figured Sombra would keep his processing power intact. So All Might had to assume that Chronos knew that All Might couldn't go all out without hurting Twilight and losing the shield that was allowing the hero to move. Meaning All Might was going to have to fight in a very limited way.
"Hmph, well that could be a problem...if I wasn't the number one hero," All Might smiled. He dashed towards Chronos once more (much slower than usual) and threw a punch right at the man's head, figuring that his physical strength would be more than enough to take the man down.
Chronos ducked under the punch and flashed something towards All Might's neck. All Might snapped his body back just in time to watch a knife flash by right in front of his throat. All Might took a step back and noticed that there were now a knife in each of Chronos' hands, ones that were covered in a black aura.
"Careful," Twilight warned. "There is some serious dark magic coming off of those. They might be able to cut through even you."
"Noted," All Might said. He slowly began to circle Chronos while the villain did the same. All Might just needed one good hit and this battle would be his. But he also knew that all Chronos needed was one right stab and All Might would be dead. Neither could afford to make a mistake.
All Might made the first move, throwing a haymaker at Chronos head. The man stepped back and raised a knife towards where All Might's fist was, forcing All Might to snap his arm back to keep from impaling himself. Chronos lunged forward and slashed at All Might, who was able to easily dodge out of the way of the attacks. That was until Chronos threw one of the knives at All Might at speeds that the hero had never seen before. Only with his unmatchable speed was All Might able to twist his body out of the way of the knife, which vanished from his sight in an instant.
"What the hell?" All Might asked.
"He sped up the knife the moment he threw it," Twilight said.
"How does that make sense? Time is stopped, shouldn't the knife just..." Then it occurred to All Might. He glanced around to notice that the torches on the walls were burning and the water was moving. Time wasn't stopped at the moment. And all the hero needed was this moment.
"Do you trust me?!" All Might yelled at Twilight. Before the pony had a chance to respond All Might ripped her from his back and hurled her towards Chronos for all he was worth. The moment Chronos saw All Might move he froze time once more, freezing the hero in his tracks. However, Twilight was still completely incased in her barrier...and had just been rocketed towards Chronos with All Might's full might.
Even with his enhanced reflexes and dark magic coursing through his veins, all Chronos could do was register what All Might had done right before the magic missile crashed into him and send both him and Twilight crashing across the ground. The blow nearly knocked both Twilight and Chronos out, but it had the effect All Might had been wanting. The time stop came to an end and Twilight was no longer holding onto All Might, meaning he was free to cut loose.
All Might was on the stunned Chronos in a moment, slamming a single fist into the old man's face. His head snapped back and he went limp in All Might's grip. All Might placed a finger to the man's neck to feel for a pulse, sighing in relief when he felt it.
"Well, that went well," he laughed.
"Ugh, what happened?" Twilight groaned. All Might helped her to her hooves, giving her a moment to shake out the cobwebs. She then encased Chronos in a barrier. "Stasis barrier. Think of him as frozen in time until you need him to wake up. Consider it payback, because the last thing we need is him waking up."
"Actually, I think there are several things that you don't need at this moment." All Might and Twilight spun around to see Sombra standing behind them. Or at least, a magical projection of Sombra. "Like me, for instance."
"Sombra. Still running from us, are you?" All Might asked.
"You call it running. I call it being strategic. But first, Twilight, settle a bet. Who am I?" Sombra asked. "Oh no, Canterlot is being invaded and my thousands of years of experience and alicorn magic are as useless as me. I need to quick find six civilians to entrust the most powerful magic in the world to who can fight all the evil forces for me so I can continue to keep sitting on my fat ass and stuffing my face with cake. So go on, who am I?"
"You think that you're doing an impersonation of Celestia," Twilight spat.
"HA! She got it first try!" Sombra said. Then the project warped into the scene behind Sombra and it made Twilight gasp. Canterlot was burning, the Negastone giants were rampaging through the city, and, worst of all, laying defeated at Sombra's hooves were Celestia and Luna. "Hear that, Celestia? Told you I could do a killer impression of you."
"No..." Twilight whispered.
"Well, you better hurry back, Twilight. It's Celestia's turn for an impression next and I hear she's going to be doing an impression of a corpse. And I just know she'll be really good at it."
Sombra sat atop the throne that he had conjured up out of the very streets of Canterlot, sitting in the very heart of the city. He shifted his weight in his seat, a smile on his face but eyes alert for any of Twilight's tricks. He expected her to come at him in a frontal assault, preaching about friendship, magic and all that bull. But she had pushed away her friends. She had killed a villain. Clearly Twilight was acting differently. He had to be cautious.
"You are going to lose." Sombra spared a moment of his valuable time to glance down at Celestia, who glared up at the dark king with fire in her eyes. "Twilight and her friends will defeat you. They've done it before and they'll do it again. The only question is how long will it take them this time?"
Sombra turned his head away from Celestia and went back to his planning. Would she send All Might in directly and attack him from behind? Go for rescuing the princesses and civilians first before confronting him? Nuke him from orbit and be done with it? No, she still had her love for the fools that followed her. Twilight wouldn't risk their lives. She would try to rescue all of them first.
"What is the matter, dark king? nothing to say?" Luna prodded. Sombra glanced in her direction. "Normally you are so boastful of your wit and skill, never shutting up about how today is the day that you finally win. How you finally are going to triumph. Is all that talk to make up for the fact that all you could say when Twilight first beat you is crystals?"
She wasn't going for the Elements. White Noise would alert him if she was and Twilight would never take down a child without at least talking to her first. So he knew that option was off the table. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were still in the hospital, so no Rainbow Power. Those were his two biggest concerns. But then there was All Might. The mighty hero. He might not have a magical bone in his body, but he could still prove troublesome. His speed and strength were incredible and, even though Sombra mocked him, you don't become the number one of something without some serious skill and luck. Sombra would know.
"This is rich, sister. The day I never thought would happen has finally arrived," Celestia laughed. "Sombra has nothing to say. No boasting, no scheming, no insults. He's just counting the seconds until Twilight and All Might arrive to toss him off of that cheap throne. Maybe I will make my afternoon spa day after all. It seems that he is not going to put up much of a fight."
"Do you know why you always lose, Celestia?" Sombra asked her. Both Luna and Celestia looked at him with some surprise, shocked to hear him talking to them in such a calm tone.
"No. But go on, enlighten me. You are the expert on losing after all."
"Because you got lazy," Sombra continued. "You hold some of the strongest magic in this land. You have thousands of years of experience to draw upon. And you have created the strongest nation in the world. For eons you defended this world alone, defeating each and every threat that came your way. And yet, for the past twenty years, you have lost to every opponent you have gone up against. Discord. Chrysalis. Tirek. Some clouds. The Storm King. And of course, me. All because you got lazy."
"Lazy?! I still defended this land! I taught Twilight everything-"
"Exactly. Twilight. You passed on everything to Twilight. Your knowledge of magic. All the skills you have learned...and your drive to protect this land. Once Twilight and her friends found the Elements, you went from...and this is hard for me to admit...the strongest magical being in Equestria to a loser. Because you didn't need to be the best anymore."
Sombra glanced down at Celestia, all of the arrogance and defiance gone from her face, replaced with confusion.
"Whenever a situation arrived that threatened Equestria's safety in the past, you would conquer it, because if you didn't, they would all die. So you dug down deeper than you thought you could and prevailed. As you had for eons." Then Sombra looked down at Celestia and shook his head. "But then Twilight and her friends became the defender of this world. And suddenly you weren't thinking that if you failed that was it. You began to think if you failed Twilight would prevail. It was okay for you to lose because she and her friend would win. And slowly, you started to lose your edge. You lost your drive to be the best."
"That...that's not..."
"Save me your excuses. You know I'm right," Sombra said. "You passed your job off to Twilight while you were still in charge. While you were still seen as the number one in the world. So everytime you lost, the ponies faith in you and your enemies fear of you took a hit. And after all the losses you've suffered, you've gone from being viewed as an unbeatable goddess of the sun to an old mare who should have hung up her crown a long time ago."
"My sister gave everything to protect this world! The ponies know it, our enemies know it and you for damn sure know it," Luna spat at Sombra.
"Have the two of you ever asked yourselves how I keep managing to come back?" Sombra asked. Their silence answered for them. "Because I am the King of Darkness. It is both a title...and a fact. So long as there is enough darkness in Equestria, eventually I will find a way to return. Back when Celestia was at her peak and her power strongest, she cast a light that drove nearly all shadows from the land. But with each loss...the shadows grew. As did I. And eventually, I came back."
"And Twilight defeated you."
"And then I came back."
"And they beat you once more."
"And then I came back. Catching onto the pattern?" Sombra asked. "When you ruled, I was gone for over a thousand years. When you pass the task of protecting Equestria onto Twilight, I come back three times within about ten years. And it get's shorter and shorter each time. Do I need to explain further?"
"Are you trying to tell me I made a mistake in choosing Twilight?" Celestia asked. "Ha. Now I know you spout nonsense. Twilight is the most gifted, brilliant, kindhearted mare that I-"
"She has suffered from the same problem you do now at the very beginning of her career," Sombra said. "She doesn't need to be the best. She doesn't have to push herself beyond the impossible to save the day. Because she has her friends. And it's okay if she falls, because her friends will succeed where she failed. And they think the same way. They can fall because their friends will win. But eventually they will look around and realize that they have no friends left. No pony to carry on for them when they fall. And when they fall, they will fall in vain."
"Twilight has drive. More drive than any other pony I've met," Luna snarled.
"Yes. But she does not have...a competitive nature," Sombra said. "The desire to push your past all others. To drive them down so you can stand above them. To truly be a number one, the very best there is. She lacks that instinct."
"She doesn't-"
"If I were to ask her if she was the greatest protector of Equestria, do you know what she would say? No. That she and her friends are the greatest protectors. They are so strong because they work together. And due to the nature of their magic, there is some weight to that argument. But how about now? Now that the Elements are gone? Now that her friends are scattered? Is it still all for one and one for all? Or will she finally realize that it all comes down to her? The very fate of Equestria riding on her shoulders."
"She will triumph. I have no doubt-"
"All Might gets it," Sombra continued. "All Might understands that we can't all be at the top of the mountain. That everything, no matter how important or trivial, has to have a number one. Number one song writer. Number one boxing champion. Number one hero and villain. All of it has somepony who's the best. Who stands above all others. And who can be depended upon when all others fail. All Might, for all his talks about heroes and working together, understands that he's the strongest. He's the best. And he's the one they call upon when all else fails. He get's it."
"And so do I. I am the greatest villain Equestria has ever seen. Because I am the most ruthless. Because I do not let even death hold me back. Because I have dragged myself up from the muck to the top of the mountain. And I know that no other can stand with me," Sombra said. There was no arrogance in his voice. None of his usual boasting. He believed he was stating fact. "You used to understand that, Celestia. You used to understand that it all fell to you, so you would drive yourself beyond your breaking point to prevail. But you have lost that edge. Twilight never had it. And once i dispose of her and All Might, there will be no pony left to oppose me."
"The other Elements-"
"Look to Twilight. Believe in her. See her as their number one hero. So when she falls...it will break them beyond all repair," Sombra said. "I have learned a lot from meeting with the villains of Earth. See, no matter how much I talked or schemed with them, one thing always came up. It all came back to All Might. That if they could defeat him, they could conquer their world. They didn't care that there were professional heroes on every street corner or that the governments of their would would band together to kill them. All that stood in there way was All Might. The number one. The symbol."
"And the more I thought about it, the more I realized they might be onto something. The ponies have had their reality ripped apart by Discord, had their magic stolen by Tirek, invaded by Chrysalis. But they held strong. Because Twilight, and formerly you, always found a way to prevail. They never watched her or you lose when everything truly mattered. They never truly saw their number one fail them...until today."
"There it is. I was wondering how long we were going to go until you began your speech," Luna laughed. "The whole "this is the day that I finally beat Twilight and send the world into darkness" shtick. Now I know for certain that you are going to lose. And I've got the best seats in the house."
"Just sit on the sidelines and watch, Luna. It's what you're best at," Sombra said. He rose from his throne and began to stretch, with Celestia and Luna noticing there was something different about him. His body shifted in ways it shouldn't have been able to, his muscles expanded and contracted. But worst of all were his eyes...eyes that burned with a fire that they hadn't seen since...All Might.
"And Twilight appears in three, two, one..."
A vortex of magic tore open the sky and two heroes dropped down out of it. Twilight floated to the ground with all the elegance and poise that a princess would. All Might slammed into the ground with enough force to shake the city. Both of them looked up to Sombra, Twilight's eyes like slits and All Might with the eternal smile on his face.
"Sombra, it ends here," Twilight said to the dark king.
"Really? Because I think we can still get a few more seasons out of this whole thing we've got going," Sombra laughed.
"Twilight speaks the truth. So brace yourself villain, because this is the last day of your evildoing," All Might promised.
"Is it now? Well then, if this is going to be my last day of being the villain, then I should go out in the most villainous way possible, don't you think?" Sombra asked. "Be the final boss that you've been waiting for. Well, you know me...i'd hate to disappoint..."
Sombra's muscles began to spasm and expand, causing the dark king to grow until he was the size of his house. Crystal and Negastone armor began to form around his skin...until the heroes realized that was his skin. All of the glass, crystals and shiny objects in the kingdom swirled around him, forming shining wings that hovered behind him. And time itself began to bend around him, causing objects to fade away into dust or return to their original form. His own dark magic caused the sky around the city to go black as thunderclouds swirled around it, whipping up biting wind and thundering skies. Twilight and All Might looked up at the dark king in horror as he smiled down at the both of them, his laugh shaking the city to its core.
"So what do you think? Is this final boss enough for you?!"
Spears atop chains of darkness erupted out of his back and lunged towards Twilight and All Might. Twilight started to construct a barrier, but All Might grabbed hold of her and moved the both of them out of the way just as the chains impacted. Twilight's barrier tore like tissue paper and was completely ripped apart, with All Might's actions the only thing ensuring her survival.
Sombra then let out a made laugh as he fired a beam of darkness into the sky, combining the sun and the moon while creating a whirling storm of thunderclouds overhead. Black lightning crackled overhead as the twin light from the celestial bodies cast an unholy light upon the battlefield. He slammed his hooves into the ground and pillars of darkness erupted everywhere. All Might and Twilight spent a moment dodging the pillars, until they realized that the pillars weren't aimed at them. They weren't being aimed at all.
Twilight let out a bellow as she fired a beam of pure, alicorn might at Sombra. The dark king smiled at her antics and turned his head directly into the beams path. The beam struck the face of Sombra and, following in the hoofsteps of the alicorns before it, was completely useless. The alicorn's eyes went wide as her strongest spell fizzled into nothingness. Sombra's eyes locked onto her and he fired of dozens of magic missiles, all of which began to home in on Twilight. She took to the skies while performing every aerial trick she knew to avoid being hit by the spells.
All Might was up next. He lunged towards Sombra with a speed even the dark king could barely register. In the blink of an eye All Might was on top of Sombra, screaming out the smash of a place Sombra didn't know. But while he may not know what All Might's attack was named after, he knew it was most likely going to be powerful. So with a thought he shifted his body to the ultimate combination of metal, crystal and stone. All Might's blow slammed into Sombra's face...and the dark king didn't even budge.
"What the-?" was all All Might had time to ask before an explosion of darkness sent him hurtling backwards. He skidded to a halt and snarled at Sombra, before turning his gaze to the sky as numerous explosions went off overhead. For a moment he feared the worst, only to let out a sigh of relief as Twilight slammed onto her hooves next to him. "Well, this might take longer than expected."
"Warp Drive was right. Sombra stole all of your villains quirks," Twilight deduced. Sombra decided to prove her point by unleashing all of the gems, glass, crystals and other assortment of shiny objects he had gathered into a massive storm of cutting death.
Twilight stepped in front of All Might and conjured a shield once more, deflecting the initial wave. Then a beam of black magic pierced clean through her barrier and nearly killed the princess herself. While Twilight was able to step out of the way in time, the advancing wall of sharp death insured there was nowhere for her to go. Until All Might stepped in.
"Detroit...SMASH!"
All Might threw a punch with such force that Twilight was certain a bomb had gone off right in front of her. The storm of shiny death was obliterated, along with the clouds overhead and consuming the dark king in a blast of air. All Might stood over Twilight, slightly breathing heavily...before narrowing his eyes as he saw Sombra still smiling across the way.
"I take it that was one of your stronger attacks?" Sombra asked. All Might narrowed his eyes, which answered Sombra's question all the same. "Impressive. You even managed to blow away the storm that I had created. Quite the striking strength you've got there."
"Villain. How did you steal those quirks? That is...that is impossible for you!" All Might roared.
"You want to know? You really want to know? You want me to just tell you how I managed to steal there quirks and potentially give you some idea on how to reverse it to stop me? Here's what I'll tell you. Burn."
Black fire erupted from Sombra's horn and consumed the heart of Canterlot. All Might slammed his hands together to create a thunderclap that drove the flames back, but only for a moment. Twilight grabbed the hero with her magic and took the both of them to the sky, where they watched the flames begin to consume Canterlot.
"We need to help the ponies down below!" All Might called to her.
"We need to take down Sombra. As long as he still stands, we won't be able to save anypony," Twilight replied.
All Might snarled at her words, but knew that she was right. Even now Sombra was firing blasts of darkness up at the pair and only Twilight's incredible magical might was keeping the both of them alive. But then he noticed something about the fire. Something that didn't make sense.
"That's not Heatstroke's flames," All Might said. Twilight spared him a glance to show that she was listening. "I know his fire. It has...an odd way that it burns. And Sombra's fire looks nothing like his. Now it could just be that Sombra is just using his own fire...or...?"
"Or he can't use Heatstroke's flames because Heatstroke is dead," Twilight pieced together. "So he can only use the powers of the villains that are still alive. That doesn't help us much. I will not kill the villains that are safely behind bars and even if I wanted to, we can't just let Sombra run wild while we do so. We will have to bring him down, regardless of what power he has."
"I count four," All Might said to Twilight. "Diamond Dust, Vein Mine, Chronos and Monstro. He's missing the quirks of Heatstroke, Warp Drive...and White Noise, oddly enough. Why has he not taken her quirk?"
"Unknown. Perhaps he-"
The sky exploded in a symphony of darkness, knocking both Twilight and All Might back down to the city below. Twilight landed hard on her side while All Might hit and rolled back up to his feet...just in time to see a massive hoof coming down on him. He clenched his buttcheeks and raised his hands to intercept, letting out a roar as Sombra's hoof came crashing down on him.
All Might grit his teeth as Sombra started to push All Might's body down through the streets. Sombra's strength was insane, far stronger than Monstro had been even with his quirk enhanced. It had to be Sombra's magic. That was the only way All Might could be pushed back like this. With a snarl All Might shifted all of Sombra's weight onto one hand, while he made a fist and cocked it back.
"Texas...SMASH!"
All Might threw his punch for all he was worth, aiming it right at Sombra's hoof...only for his fist to strike nothing. Sombra's laugh cackled through the air as both it and Sombra's smokey form began to encircle the Symbol of Peace, who tried to find where Sombra's body was. Blasts of magic came raining down from all sides on the hero, who threw up his arms to defend himself. One massive blast caught All Might in the chest and sent him rocketing across Canterlot, before he crashed into the side of the mountain.
"This is bad..." All Might muttered as he struggled to get up. "He's far too powerful. To beat him, I may need to use...that..."
All Might then looked up to see tons and tons of stone coming crashing down towards him. He threw up his arms just as the boulders crashed atop him, burying him beneath their weight.
"And then there was one," Sombra said. He turned to face the princess of friendship, who had just gotten to her hooves. Twilight glared up at Sombra, who let out a laugh before he smile down at Twilight. "Really princess? You think you can best me? You think you can match my power?"
"I...I have to!" Twilight yelled back. "I am the protector of this kingdom! I am the protector of this world! I have beaten bigger and I have beaten badder! You may have the quirks of four villains and all your magic...but you're still Sombra. And losing when it all matters most is your specialty."
"Well, would you look at that. A somewhat decent comeback. Maybe you do have what it takes to be the number one in this land?" Sombra mused. Then he threw back his head and let out a cackle that sounded like lightning. "And maybe I'll give up my evil ways and become a teacher at an orphanage! But there's a better chance of you winning this fight than either of those happening. After all, you can't be the lone hero this world needs. We both know that."
"I don't know what you're-"
"Save me the lies, Twilight. We both know what i'm talking about. You could never drive yourself all the way, could you?" Sombra asked. As he said this, he unleashed a storm of dark magic upon Twilight. All the princess could do in response was to shield herself against the unyielding onslaught of Sombra.
"You always had to rely on somepony else's help! Whether it be the Elements, the Rainbow power, figuring out how to move out of your home! Everything you've ever done, you've done with your friends!" Sombra summoned drills of darkness that slammed into Twilight's shield, slowly drilling through her barrier. "You've always had them to pick up your slack. It didn't matter if you failed, because your precious little friends would be there to pick you up and help you out."
"But now those little annoyances aren't here and it all rides on you. The fate of this world, the fate of your friends...all of it. And you know, as I have always known, that you just. Aren't. GOOD ENOUGH!" Sombra unleashed a beam of pure magic into Twilight's shield, shattering it and hurling the princess across the town square in a cry of pain. She crashed through a fountain and crumpled against the side of a building, collapsing to the ground in pain. She could barely lift her head, but when she did she found Sombra standing over her.
"It's the key difference between us. The reason I have never accepted that you are better than me," Sombra said softly. "You were born with talent, with a gift, and got a freaking cutie mark in magic. It's been your destiny. It always came easy to you. So you never had to work for it. Oh I'm sure you studied and learned and all that...but you never had any problems, did you? How long does it take you to learn a spell? Couple hours? A day? Some ponies spend all their lives practicing the same spell. But sadly, they don't have the talent for it like you do."
"Take me for example. I wish somepony would, I'm so lonely. Ha. Want to know my secret? I was never a gifted spellcaster. Everything I've ever done, all of my success, I had to work for it. I've spent years practicing spells, years learning incantations and motions. Studying, learning, experimenting, failing and starting all over. I wasn't giving my magical gifts by talent or destiny. I had to claw and fight for every bit of skill that I have. Where you were handed everything, I've had to take everything just to be in contention. It is one of our many differences."
"But you know what the ultimate difference between somepony that was handed the world and somepony who had to work for everything they've achieved? Ambition. Desire. And ruthlessness. You never had much ambition. You had talent in magic, so you wanted to study it. You've never pursued any path. Being a librarian. Being a princess. It was all given to you because you were born gifted. As for desire? You desire a world of peace and harmony. Congratulations, so does every idiot foal who thinks they will grow up to make a difference. Then reality sets in and they realize that nothing they do will matter. Neither do they. And ruthlessness? Ha. You're not the type of pony to climb that mountain, to knock others off of it to use them as stepping stones to reach the top. The type that would sacrifice everything and everypony so that you can say you are the best, beyond any doubt. You'd rather hold hooves and say that we're all special and equal. While that mark on your flank shows just what bull that is. That everything special about you was destined. You haven't worked for it."
Sombra then grabbed Twilight by the throat with his magic and lifted her into the air, making sure she was eye level with him before he continued.
"And that is why you lost to me. I have Ambition. I have desires. And you better damn well believe that I am far more ruthless than you will ever be. I dreamed of not only rising above my station, but making sure that I would one day be above all others. I have desired to be the greatest magical force since the day I was told I would never be anything special. And as for ruthlessness? I have not only shoved every other pony off of that mountain, but I made sure that they would never climb up after me again. I corrupted an empire of peace and love and turned it to hate. I came back from the dead numerous time. And I stole the quirks of four villains from another world and added their power to mine. I don't choose my goals based on my mark. I choose to rise to the top of the mountain, to be better than everypony else."
"That is where we differ...and why you lose. You've never struggled a day in your life. I've struggled every day of my life. So when you pit somepony who's never had to fight a day in their life against somepony who's fought all their life, well," Sombra finished as he aimed his horn at Twilight's head, black magic aimed right for her. "It's obvious who wins."
"You...you..."
"Yes? What could your final words possibly be?"
"You talk too much. All Might...NOW!"
Twilight then vanished in a flash of light, leaving Sombra confused for a moment. Then his soul went cold and he raised his eyes towards the heavens, just in time to see All Might coming down at him with a single fist cocked back. A fist that was filled with a light that Sombra had never seen before. And just as Sombra's horn began to glow, All Might threw out his blow.
"UNITED! STATES OF...SMAAAAAAASSSSSHHHH!"
Canterlot exploded. That was the only way to describe what happened. Buildings were ripped from the ground and hurled across the nation. Streets were obliterated and anything that wasn't nailed down (and even the stuff that was) was sent flying into the sky. A tornado made entirely of Canterlot was swirling at where All Might had impacted, nearly ripping the city from the mountain it was anchored to. And all of that power was poured directly into the dark king.
Then, as sudden as it had begun, the attack came to an end. All Might, who was now considerably smaller and breathing heavily, stood in the middle of a dust cloud, which was in the middle of ground zero. He looked around for the dark king, only to find that there was nothing left. A small smile crossed his face before he slowly raised a fist over his head...before his soul went cold as he realized that somepony was clapping.
"Holy shit. What a punch. Where have you been saving that all this time?"
All Might slowly turned to see Sombra walking out of the shadows. His skin was now made of a dark metal that All Might didn't recognize and his whole body was covered in black magic. But, despite everything that had just happened, Sombra still wore a smile on his face. A smile that was now absent from All Might.
"I mean, it freaking trashed the city. Good thing for you that Celestia and Luna had been evacuating the city while we were fighting or else you might have a higher body count than me and that would be very upsetting. Do you know how hard i worked to get my body count that high? Ah well, it was still the most impressive punch I've ever seen. I'm impressed."
Then Sombra looked over All Might, from his smaller, but still muscular, body, to his fallen hair and how the light in his eyes wasn't as bright as it had once been. For a moment, Sombra had a look of confusion on his face. And then the dark king laughed.
"Ah, but now I see that wasn't just your strongest attack...it was your last resort, isn't it?" Sombra asked with a smile. "You're looking a lot smaller than I remember. Side effect of using all of that power at once, huh? You know, Chronos did mention that all quirks had their weaknesses, except for yours. But now I see that even a quirk as strong as yours has a limit. So tell me Mr. Might, how long until you can use all of your power once more...and do you think I'll let you live long enough to find out?"
Violet light wrapped itself around All Might and a moment later the hero was gone, leaving Sombra all alone in the ruined city. He looked around for a moment to see if he could trace the spell, before shrugging his shoulders and letting his smile shine once more.
"Ah hell, go ahead and run. I'll find you all soon enough. And if today has proven anything, it's that neither Equestria's nor Earth's greatest heroes stand any chance against me. Finally, with all of this power, I am the top of the mountain, literally and figuratively. Now all that's left to do is finish cementing my rule and then I will go get rid of those that might cause me problems...starting with Twilight and her friends, then dealing with that hero, everypony else who would stand against me...then I finish with Hikari."
Toshinori Yagi let out a small grunt as the magic wore off, the effects of the spell bothering him far more than they did in the past. He rolled onto his side and spent a moment contemplating if he should hurl or not, but eventually he regained his composure and managed to sit upright.
"Hey. You're awake."
Yagi looked around to see that he was in a room made entirely of crystal, even the curtains to the room and the bed he was laying on. He was in the Crystal Empire. It was the only place that looked like this. Sitting next to him was Fluttershy, who had a small tray of tea and what looked like a candy bar. Yagi tried to get up, but Fluttershy placed a hoof on his chest to stop him. She did stop him. That was concerning.
"You need to rest. You are not well at all," she said softly. "You've lost a lot of muscle mass and you've much lighter than before. I don't know what Sombra did to you, but whatever it was caused your body to atrophy quickly. I've been keeping an eye on you to make sure that it doesn't get any worse."
"Thank you for your concern Fluttershy, but I am fine. See?" Toshinori then flexed and his body expanded to become the symbol of peace once more. He gave a smile and thumbs up to Fluttershy...before his body shuddered and he shrunk back down to his average person size once more. "Okay, maybe I'm not all right."
"What happened to you?" Fluttershy asked.
"That can wait. What happened to Twilight? To Sombra and Canterlot? Those that were caught up in our battle? And how long was I out?" Yagi asked all at once.
"Twilight is fine. She's with the others. Sombra...controls Canterlot now. And Ponyville. And a good chunk of the area nearby. Celestia and Luna have managed to evacuate everypony in Sombra's path to the Crystal Empire. They even have Chronos in a cell downstairs. And you've been out for a day. It seems your...small form couldn't handle the magic as well as All Might...your larger...you know what I mean. Here, have some tea. You're in no shape to be moving."
Toshinori was tempted to push the tea away and walk off to find Twilight, but sadly he knew Fluttershy was right. His whole body hurt, his legs felt like jelly and he couldn't switch back to his muscle form. He had pushed himself, and his quirk, too hard. He took a sip of the tea, surprised to find that it was jasmine, before he turned his thoughts back to Sombra.
The dark king had taken his strongest blow, which should have been impossible. The United States of Smash was his ultimate attack, his final blow against villain. There was no villain in the world, not even...him, that could stand against its might. And yet Sombra had. Sombra had defeated both Twilight and himself. So what should he do now?
"Thank you for this," Toshinori said as he handed his empty cup back to Fluttershy. He then swung his legs over the side of the bed, forced himself to stand up and grunted as he struggled to stay upright. Fluttershy moved next to him and moved his hand onto her back so that he was using her for support. "I need to find Twilight. You are not going to stop me, are you?"
"I know that look in your eye. That's the hero look. I doubt I could stop you even if I wanted to," Fluttershy said. Then she smiled at Toshinori. "Besides, a little exercise should do you some good. I bet your muscles are stiff from being in bed for so long."
And from having been kicked around by Sombra. But Toshinori didn't say anything as Fluttershy helped him out of the room and through the crystal palace. He could faintly feel his strength returning to him as he walked, but he wasn't sure how long it would take for his full might to return. He had only thrown that punch once before and it had been a long time ago.
He focused back on the here and now when Fluttershy pushed open a door and led Toshinori into what looked like a war room. Twilight was inside, along with nearly all of her friends (minus Rainbow Dash), Celestia and Luna, as well as Shining Armor and Cadence, the two that All Might had helped rescue when Vein Mine and Heatstroke attacked the empire. Twilight stopped talking and turned her head to face Toshinori when he entered, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw him.
"With how bad you looked after the fight, I was afraid that you might not get up again," Twilight said. She looked over Toshinori and shook her head, worry in her eyes. "But to see you like this...Sombra really did a number on you, huh?"
"This isn't Sombra's fault. Not entirely," Toshinori grunted. He then turned to look at a crystal map that had all of Equestria laid out on it, with the sections that Sombra controlled covered in darkness. "I need to be brought up to speed. What happened while I was out?"
"Sombra has wasted no time," Applejack said. "He's taken Canterlo, Ponyville,a good section of the Everfree forest and every village or town that is close to the mountain. Ah don't know if he's growing in power or just expanding his influence, but he is wasting no time. And we can't afford to either. Twi was just beginning to tell us the next plan of attack."
"I'll get to that in a moment. But first...I would like to know what you meant by this isn't Sombra's fault," Twilight asked. "Are you saying that you're somehow responsible for the way you look?"
Toshinori looked around the room at the other ponies, all of who were looking at him with concern, before he let out a sigh and sat down on a crystal chair.
"You have all helped me during my time here. It is only right that I tell you the truth. My name is Toshinori Yagi. And I...was born quirkless," he admitted. The ponies looked at each other in confusion, telling him he needed to clarify. "While nearly everyone on my planet has a quirk, there are a few unlucky souls who are born without any power whatsoever."
"But, we've seen your quirk darling," Rarity said. "The giant muscles, the unbelievable power, the speed...the muscles..."
"Yes. I have a quirk now. And not just any quirk, the strongest quirk in my world. One for All." As he said this, his eyes illuminated and for a moment it looked like seven stars shone over his head. "My quirk was passed to me by my former mentor. Nana Shimura. A kind and wonderful hero who saw in me the potential of a true hero. So when she believed me to be ready, she gave me her quirk. A quirk that she had received from her mentor. A quirk whose power you've all seen firsthand."
"So your mentor passed on the quirk to you...wait a moment, are you telling us that you've burned up your quirk in the fight with Sombra?" Fluttershy asked.
"Not entirely. Remember when I first told you about the villains from my world and how every quirk has a weakness? Well, mine is no different. My quirk is that I have phenomenal strength, speed and durability. The down side is that I have all of that. Throwing out that kind of power in a fight can tear apart my body if I'm not careful, destroying me as much as I destroy my opponents. My more muscular form can soften the kickback my body takes, but when I start to throw around power like the United States of Smash...well, even it can only handle so much."
"The United States of Smash...is that you're ultimate move?" Celestia asked.
"Yes. All of my might in one, single punch. Something that no villain has ever withstood...until now," Toshinori said. He clenched a fist in front of his face, before sighing as he lowered his head.
"It seems that with the quirks from your world, along with his already considerable magical might, Sombra may be a threat that none of us can handle alone," Luna pointed out.
"I agree. Even the Crystal Heart wouldn't do much to him now," Cadence added on. "Twilight, Sombra is your foe. Do you have a plan for beating him?"
"I...I have a few ideas. At best. First off, All Might...Toshinori...how long until you think you'll be back at full strength again?"
"It will be a few days before I'm back to peak form. But give me a few more hours and I'll be able to get back into the fight," Toshinori said.
"Alright, that helps...my plan is that All Might and I go to where the Tree of Harmony is and retrieve my Element," Twilight explained. "It's clear that neither All Might nor I have the power to take Sombra down on our own. So I'm bring out the big guns."
"And what about us?" Rarity asked. "You cannot just expect us to sit on the sidelines and allow the two of you to risk your lives fighting this monster alone?"
"That is exactly what you will be doing," Twilight replied. All of her friends gave her a look in reply, forcing Twilight to sigh as she hung her head. "Look, I love you all. You're all my best friends...but this is my fight. Everytime you come along with me to fight Sombra and his forces, you all get hurt. Pinkie nearly lost a leg and Rainbow Dash...I will not have you all risk your lives in this. I am the one who was chosen to protect Equestria. I was the one who chose this path, the path of protecting this world. I am the number one. So please, let me do this. Don't get yourselves killed for my sake."
Off to the side, Toshinori nodded at her words.
"Well...it's a bit late for that."
Twilight spun around to see a sight straight out of a horror movie. Rainbow Dash, covered head to hoof in bandages, was slowly limping into the room. Applejack let out a gasp as she raced to her side, while RD kept her eyes glued to Twilight. "Because from how I look, it's clear I was ready to get myself killed to help you."
"Rainbow Dash...you should be in bed. You shouldn't be moving," Twilight said.
"Oh how I wish I could. But then I heard that our resident team leader was making some stupid decisions and that was my job, so I came by to see what was up. And what do I find?" Rainbow asked with a smirk. "That you think you've got to do this on your own. That because you're the princess of Equestria and the number one hero, that means you have to bear the burden yourself. Well good luck princess, because you're going to fail."
"What?" Twilight asked in disbelief. "You...don't believe in me?"
"Of course I believe in you. I believe you're smart, you're incredibly skilled in magic and that you might be more stubborn than me," Rainbow admitted. Then her smile fell from her face. "But Sombra is far smarter. He's a far greater magician. And I promise you there is no other pony on this rock as stubborn as him. So as much as I believe in you, I also know what happens if you try to go up alone against him. You'll lose."
"But...but what am I supposed to do?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes before smiling at Twilight.
"Simple. Let us help you," Rainbow said.
"No. I can't. The last time I did that, you ended up...like this," Twilight said. "You getting involved in my fight nearly got you killed."
"And if I hadn't gotten involved, you would have died," Rainbow pointed out. "Stop trying to do all of this on your own."
"But...but..."
Rainbow Dash slowly lifted a hoof and slapped it against the side of Twilight's face. The blow barely moved Twilight's head, but the look in Twilight's eyes showed the blow had stunned her.
"Twilight, you are one of the strongest and kindest ponies I know. There is nopony other than you I would want ruling Equestria. But just because you're our number one and our princess...doesn't mean you have to do everything alone," Rainbow softly said. "All of our greatest threats, all of the challenges and foes we've faced...we've beaten them together. Not because we had to rely solely on you. Yeah there were times when you carried us...but isn't that what friends do? Carry each other through the hard times? And it looks like right now, with how bad things are and how screwed we seem, that you could use your friends."
"But...Sombra..."
"So what if Sombra's smarter than you. So what if he's tougher or far more stubborn. He might be "better" than you, he might be better than me or any of our friends...but I guarantee that he's not better than us."
Rainbow then gently moved her hoof from Twilight's face to her shoulder, smiling at her friend as best she could. Pinkie walked over next and placed her hoof next to Rainbow's, smiling at Twilight as well. Rarity and Fluttershy joined in next, before Applejack finished off by placing her hoof next to Rainbow's. Twilight looked around at all of her friends smiles, with tears welling up in her eyes.
"So come on, let us help you save the world," Rainbow asked. "Let's be the greatest heroes once again. Let us win this together."
Twilight lowered her head, hiding her eyes under her mane. For a moment, nopony dared to make a sound. Her friends were hoping that she would come to her senses, while Toshinori hoped she remembered what was important. That she wouldn't drag her friends to their potential death. Luna, Cadence and Shining weren't sure what to expect. And Celestia simply had a smile on her face, knowing her student would make the right choice.
"Heh, even after all these years, I can still be an idiot, can't I? Girls..." Twilight slowly raised her head a she said this, looking each of her friends in the eyes with a sad look on her face. Then a smile broke out and a fire burned within her eyes as all of her friends smiled back.
Toshinori could feel the power that this chamber held.
Twilight had teleported herself and all of her friends down into a chamber, one close to Ponyville that went down into the depths. There, she and the other alicorns had used their magic to open some kind of hidden door, which led to where they were now. A long pathway that radiated power. More power than Toshinori had ever felt. And perhaps...more power than he wielded.
Twilight was brave to come back here, especially with Sombra in such control of the land. He admired her bravery. But then he looked over his shoulder at her friends and questioned her decision making a bit. Fluttershy and Rarity walked ahead without issue, but Toshinori could see that Pinkie still walked with a slight limp. With Rainbow Dash, there was no subtlety about it. Ever step for her was a struggle, every breath a battle. She spent most of the time leaning against Applejack, who was doing most of the moving. But Rainbow Dash never showed the pain on her face. She was brave. Possibly the bravest out of all of them. But still...
"Twilight," Toshinori said as he walked up next to the princess. "I do not wish to sound...like a know it all, but I have to question you bringing your friends with us, especially someone like Rainbow Dash. She is in no shape to be moving. I ask that you consider sending them back home and allowing you and I to handle this."
"Your concern is valid, Toshinori. I have considered doing just that myself," Twilight agreed. Then Rainbow Dash made a crack about Twilight going too slow and Twilight smiled. "But I've come to realize something."
"What's that?"
"That Sombra was right," she admitted. "I don't have what it takes to be the number one. To stand alone atop that mountain. To handle everything by myself. I can't be like him...or you."
"Twilight..."
"Toshinori...All Might...I can admit that you are the strongest being I've ever met. Both physically and mentally," Twilight said. "To bear the weight of the world alone, as you have done for so long...it takes a strength that I do not have. But...I've never needed to be that strong...because I'm so lucky."
Then she gazed back at her friends, who were bickering with one another and cracking jokes, like the world wasn't ending. Like they were having an afternoon stroll. "I'm lucky to have my friends. Ponies who will stand with me during even the darkest times. Ponies who will always be there for me, no matter if I have to save the world...or move some furniture around. I don't have to worry about carrying the weight of the world alone...because I won't be alone. I have them."
"Yes, but they lack the power and skill we have. Bringing them into this fight...could kill them."
"I know that. They know that. And yet they follow me anyway," Twilight replied. "Because that's what friends do. That's what heroes do."
"That is...a nice notion..."
"I know you don't see it that way. And I'm sure that you've had plenty of experiences to shape the way you think. And on your world, maybe only you can handle some things. Maybe you are the only one that can stand at the top. I know that you've been doing this for a while and I think it's been even longer than I've been fighting evil...so that is why I took your words to heart. Why I tried...to be somepony I'm not. Out of respect for your experience and wisdom, I tried to be...All Might. The lone hero. The symbol of peace for my world. A single pillar."
"But now I see that i can't be you. Only you can be you. I'm not strong enough to hold up the world by myself...but with a little help from my friends..."
"Of course we help you to hold up the world. You've always been helpless without us," Rainbow Dash teased. Twilight smirked over her shoulder at Rainbow, who was smiling up at the princess. "Why don't you go ahead and tell him about the time you nearly drove yourself mad when you lost a book? Or how you made everypony in Ponyville fall in love with a doll?"
"And then there was the time you tried to put your own dress together and it ended in just absolute disaster," Rarity added on.
"Or yer first Winter Wrap Up. That was a real doozy of a day."
"I remember a time she tried to take care of the Cake twins all by herself. She practically begged me to take them back after an hour."
"Or when a bunch of birds made a nest in your mane after you had fallen asleep outside. You had to move around so quietly."
"See? They've helped me plenty," Twilight said to Toshinori.
"But these are not the same things as fighting villains. As having to save lives and stop evil. These...are everyday stories."
"You're right. But they're just as important. Because if you can't count on your friends for the small stuff...how can you count on them for the big things?" Twilight asked. "That's how I know I can trust them. How I know I need them here. Because Equestria can't be supported by one pillar. It needs all of us."
Toshinori wanted to answer her, but the moment for talk had ended. The group came out of a long tunnel to a massive chamber, where a large, crystal tree grew from the ground. And in that tree were six symbols, symbols that Toshinori could see on the ponies next to him. But what truly grabbed his attention...was the sheer power that radiated from the tree.
"The Elements of Harmony," Twilight explained. "The greatest tools of defense that Equestria has ever had. After defeating Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, we returned them to this place, where I hoped they would rest until the next generation of ponies needed to use them. But it seems that time came sooner than I was expecting."
"So then what are we waiting for? Let's get these and kick Sombra butt!" Rainbow Dash explained.
"It is simple, Rainbow. Because we are not alone."
White needles rained down from above, shattering against a purple barrier that had barely managed to get around the group in time. A girl dropped down from the ceiling and landed in front of the ponies, slowly raising to her feet as she stood between them and the Elements. Her white mask hid her face, aside from the two slits for eyeholes. Her black haired draped down over her shoulders and onto her back, while her white dress hid her arms and weapons. The ponies prepared to battle with her, but Toshinori held out a hand.
"Hold on. Let me try something," he asked. They backed down and he slowly advanced towards the girl with his hands up. "White Noise, is it? Hello there. I am...I am All Might."
White Noise gave no repsonse.
"I've...I've heard what you have been through. How the heroes and doctors back on our world have failed you. How they cast you out and left you to suffer from your quirk. I know how Chronos took you in and looked after you like a father...and I also know that he did not hurt you. Not willingly. He was being controlled."
White Noise took a step back as she heard this. She lowered her head and thought over what Toshinori had said for a moment.
"Who?" she whispered. "Who controlled him?"
"According to our informant...Sombra. Sombra commanded him to hurt you," Toshinori said.
White Noise lowered her head once more, before her body began to shake. Her head snapped back up as she raised an assortment of light based blades at the same time.
"LIAR!"
She hurled her blades towards Toshinori, who, even with his quirk deactivated, was still quick enough to dodge out of the way. White Noise then let out a primal scream as she threw her arms back, giving off a blast of white energy that sent all of the ponies and the hero skidding away from her.
"YOU LIE! Sombra wouldn't hurt me! In fact, he healed me! He made the pain go away! He gave me his magic to feed upon to sate my hunger! He comforted me after...after...Sombra is KIND!" She slammed her hands into the ground and gave off another pulse of energy, one that Twilight had to create another barrier to stop.
"But that is what you heroes do. You lie. You spread false hope. You promise to help...and then only do so when it is convenient. I've seen the truth!" She hurled dozens of needles towards the ponies, who once again took shelter behind Twilight's shield. "You couldn't save me! You couldn't save my parents! Even after the heroes promised to...even after all the poking and experiments...they all LIED!"
"Twilight, we need to do something!" Applejack called out to Twilight. Twilight nodded and tried to use her magic to restrain the girl, but to her amazement her magic was absorbed into White Noise, who didn't even notice.
"Magic isn't going to work here," Twilight told her team. "She can absorb it. Which mean that the only way to bring her down...is force..."
"Leave it to me, Twi. Ah can take her down," AJ promised. Twilight held out a hoof to stop her.
"No. I won't hurt a girl who is just a victim," Twilight said. "She has been hurt by the heroes of Earth. Betrayed by a man she saw as a father. And is being used by the best manipulator in our world. She is an innocent. And we protect the innocent, not harm them."
"A nice sentiment, Twilight, but clearly she has no issue with harming us!" Rainbow Dash said. Twilight took point and blocked another wave of energy. "So how do we stop her without harming her while she's trying to kill us?"
"The same way we brought down Nightmare Moon all those years ago," Twilight said. "Girls! Get your Element!"
The ponies let out a cry and charged forward (Dash limped) while Twilight charged towards White Noise, who created more energy blades as she prepared for Twilight's attack. Twilight got ready to wrap the girl in a magical shield to buy her friends time...only to be stopped when a wall of muscles grabbed a hold of White Noise and held her back.
"Do not worry, Twilight," the returning All Might said with a laugh. "I may not have my full strength, but I can surely keep a little girl from making a decision she will regret. Go get what you came here for. I have this."
Twilight nodded to All Might as she ran towards the Tree of Harmony, leaving All Might to deal with the squirming girl. "I know that you do not believe me. I know that you have been betrayed by those that should have helped you when you needed it most. But I promise you that I am here to help. I will do whatever it takes to help you feel better. That is my promise to you as the number one hero."
"The number one hero...the number one liar!" White Noise screamed. Energy shot out of her body like blades, slicing through All Might's arms and torso. Yet despite the pain, he didn't let go. He kept her safely tucked in his arms. "LET GO! I know that this hurts! I know you can get out of the way! So let me go!"
"Hurts? You think this hurts? Compared to what you have been through, compared to the agony I feel within your heart right now, this pain is nothing. Unleash your worst upon me. I will take all of your hatred and agony. I will not cast you aside. I will save you."
"Save me? You couldn't even beat Sombra. How can a hero who can't beat the villain hope to save me?"
The words tore through All Might in a way White Noise power never could. The hero dropped the girl to the ground, stunned as he turned around and pointed an arm at him. She fired a single way of energy, but her energy attack was quickly overpowered by another source of power. She and All Might turned to see Twilight and her friends floating overhead, a blindingly beautiful light binding them all together. The light washed over the two humans with a sense of comfort and calm, while All Might noticed that the wave had healed most of Dash's wounds.
"All Might, please back up. We'll handle this," Twilight said. All Might did as Twilight asked, backing away from the girl. White Noise turned around, staring up at the six beings of magic that looked down on her. "White Noise...I know that you have suffered greatly. I know that you feel like you cannot trust us, trust the words of heroes. But there is no need to worry. The Elements will help with all that pain and hate you feel. You'll be back to normal in just a moment. Trust us."
And then the Element's were unleashed. Their rainbow light encircled the girl and seeped into her, causing white light to shoot out of her eye slits as the magic consumed her. For a moment, they worked their magic. Then White Noise began to fight. Began to use her quirk. And the Elements began to falter.
"What is happening?" Rarity asked.
"She's...she's rejecting the Element's power," Twilight gasped. "That...that shouldn't be possible!"
With one last scream, White Noise erupted with energy, canceling out the Elements power and dropping her to the ground. She slowly got up to her feet and glared at the six ponies, who still hovered with the power of the Elements.
"Normal? You think...you can just...shoot my with some nice feeling magic and tell me I'm going to be alright? That it will deal with my pain and hatred? No. There is only one way my pain will go away. When all of you liars are brought down. When you are shown that you're not heroes. You're all frauds! And no amount of magic will make that anger go away...but Sombra will make all of you go away! Make all of you liars go away! You heroes...you pretender fathers...and you ponies!"
"White Noise..." Twilight whispered.
"Enjoy getting your Elements. They won't save you from Sombra. That I know to be true," she spat. Then she looked All Might right in the eyes. "He beat you before, hero. And he'll do it again." And then darkness wrapped around her, consuming her, and then she was gone. Leaving the seven alone with only the words of the girl and the hum of the Elements echoing throughout the chamber.
"Alright, so we all know the plan?" Twilight asked.
"Of course we know the plan, it's the same plan we use when everything goes down the tubes," Rainbow chuckled. "Fight the evil, get our flanks kicked, summon the Elements and totally own. Don't worry Twi, by this time tomorrow, we'll have Canterlot back, Sombra will be gone for the third time and you can have your throne back."
"Well I'm glad to see that you're so confident," Twilight smirked. "But your injuries..."
"Hey, the Elements worked wonders on me. I feel pretty good. I'm not at a hundred percent, but hey, when have I ever needed to be a hundred percent to lay the smackdown on evil?"
"As long as yer feeling up fer it," AJ added. "But ah'm ready to bring Sombra down once and for all."
"I hope that the Elements work," Fluttershy said. "I know that they always seem to work, but Sombra is just...different this time. He is far more vicious and terrifying than I remember him being."
"I find myself agreeing with Fluttershy. We may need more than the Elements to bring this monster down," Rarity added.
"Well then it's lucky for us that we have the number one hero with us," Twilight pointed out.
"And where is our number one guy? I've been wanting to ask him party stuff for a long time, but he always seems to be able to dodge me. Which shouldn't be possible," Pinkie said.
"Toshinori...is getting ready," Twilight said. "He's feeling better and ready for round two with Sombra. And this time he promised not to pull his punches."
"We will need all of that might if we are to stop this monster once and for all," Celestia said. "Fluttershy is right. Sombra is different this time, more...driven. I believe that he sees this as his chance to conquer the world once and for all, meaning that he will be doing everything he can to win."
"Agreed. My sister and I have battled him before with the Elements and he was not much of a threat then. You have battled with him in the past and managed to beat him. But now he has more power, a stranglehold on our strongest city, and, I hate to say it, he holds the advantage over us," Luna added on.
"I know what you mean. Sombra's greatest weakness is that he has always relied on his magic and cunning. Physical force is not his forte. But now he is arguably the strongest non-human in this land," Twilight mused. "But luckily for us, we've got some physical might on our side. Speaking of, I should probably go get him."
Twilight left the castle behind and flew out over the empire, trying to look for anything that would indicate a superpowered human was nearby. But to her concern, she flew for a while without sensing anything. It was only after she sensed the magic of Spike and Gabby that she had a direction to go. And when she landed next to them, she found the Symbol of Peace staring off at the sunset.
"Hey Twi, figured you'd be showing up right about now," Spike said.
"How'd you know that?"
"Because you always show up whenever somepony needs a pep talk. And right now, he looks like he could use one."
Twilight took the hint and walked over to Toshinori, who was leaning against a balcony and looking off at the sun. She didn't say anything as she approached, she simply placed her hooves on the railing and spent a moment looking at the sun with him.
"She was right."
"Who was?"
"White Noise. She was right about me," Toshinori said. He looked down at his opened hand, before clenching it into a fist. "I couldn't beat Sombra. I am the greatest hero of my world and I failed to beat a dangerous villain. She is right. How can someone like me save her from the villain when I can't defeat the villain?"
"Maybe you can't beat him by yourself. But I know we can beat him together," Twilight promised Toshinori. "And what happened to White Noise wasn't your fault."
"But it is. The fact that she was betrayed by those so called heroes is a reflection of me. I am the number one hero. I am their symbol. And if there are any flaws in the heroes, it is because the symbol they look to is not good enough. It all comes back to me," Toshinori whispered. He then hung his head. "But worst of all, I was not there for her. A little girl in desperate need of a hero and I abandoned her. I failed her."
He then looked at his clenched hand once more. "My master passed this power onto me, with the belief that it would be strong enough to overcome any foe. To stop any evil. And for the longest time, I thought it could. I thought it would defeat any foe. But against Sombra, a foe who is smarter and...dare I say...stronger than me, it failed me...just as I failed my master. How can I be the hero she wanted me to be...when I can never be the hero she was?"
Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but instead let out a sigh and returned to looking at the sunset. How could she answer that? How could see tell Toshinori that wasn't true when she felt the same way about herself. That she would never feel like a worthy replacement to Celestia. That she blamed herself whenever somepony she cared about was hurt. And how she felt all of the failings and suffering in Equestria was because she wasn't good enough. She had nothing to say to that.
"Are you seriously blaming yourself?" Twilight and Toshinori turned around to look at Spike, who had a smirk on his face as he shook his head. "Man, Sombra must have really done a number on you if you're doing the whole woe is me routine."
"Spike, this might not be the time for this," Gabby whispered. Spike patted her on the shoulder before he walked towards the pair.
"Yeah, you didn't save White Noise. Because you couldn't. Because, if I know you, you were busy elsewhere. You were busy saving somepony else. And even a guy as fast and strong as you can't be everywhere. And don't give me that crap about how you weren't a bright enough symbol to inspire those heroes that did fail her to be better. Some ponies...people...are just crap. They just don't care about others. And no amount of symbolism or inspiration will change that. And don't take getting your butt kicked by Sombra too hard. He finds a way to beat all of us at least once before we get him. It's kinda his things. So you lost once. Big whoop. Are you still alive and raring to fight? Then it doesn't matter if you lost once, because he made the mistake of giving you a second chance."
"And take it from a guy who has made hundreds of mistakes, while you can't change what was done, you change change what you will do. So let me ask that question. What will you do now, Mr. Hero? Are you going to sit there and blame yourself, feel bad about not helping a girl who plenty of other heroes didn't help. Or are you going to get off your but, kick Sombra in his and show White Noise that not all heroes will abandon her. That there's one that will be there for her? And if you could hurry with your answer, that would be great, because I promised to show Gabby around the Crystal Empire and this is cutting into our date time."
Toshinori and Twilight both stared at Spike for a second, with the latter looking like she was about to strangle him. Then Toshinori threw back his head and began to laugh. He laughed for a long moment before, in an explosion of muscle, he shot back up to his bulked form, smiling down at Spike as he did so.
"Spike, has anyone told you you have a real way with words?" All Might asked.
"I might have heard Twilight tell me once or a dozen times that I need to watch my mouth," Spike smirked.
"Yes, what you said was hurtful, piercing and told me things I didn't want to hear...but they were all things that I needed to hear," All Might chuckled. "You are right. I wasn't there for White Noise in the past, but I can be there for her now. I lost to Sombra once before, but I know is tricks. I know what he can do. And I know I can beat him. Because I will have the one thing he does not."
"And what's that?"
"My...friends," All Might said as he looked to Twilight.
"Well look at that. You might finally be understanding how things work in Equestria," Twilight chuckled. "But don't worry, All Might. We'll be with you against that monster. And this time, we'll banish his darkness once and for all."
"Indeed. Then Sombra should have reason to fear...because we are here."
"Glad to have you back," Twilight said.
"I am glad to be feeling better. But now I have a favor to ask you," All Might said to Twilight. "Tell me...would you mind grabbing me something from the north? I think it may be of help..."
==== | V | ====
Sombra sat alone in his throne room. His throne room. He never got tired of hearing that. For so long he had been trapped in the ice...then in Tartarus...then dead...that for a while even he had trouble believing that one day he would be here. Sitting on the throne that had always belonged to him. Ruling over those that were beneath him. And finally about to be rid of those that had dared to challenge him.
But he knew better than to be hasty. To risk falling into a trap by going to them. The Crystal Empire still had many secrets that could potential be a danger to him. But that was fine. He could wait. They would come to him. It's what idiots and heroes did. They ignored logic and reason to charge headfirst into danger. They would play right into his hooves. So he could wait. It was only a day more. They would come.
In the complete darkness of the throne room appeared a small speck of light as White Noise entered the room. She slowly shuffled over to Sombra, who gazed down at her with a smile on his face. "Hikari, my dear child. What do brings you to me at such a late hour? You should be asleep."
"It's...it's the pain," White Noise softly said.
"Ah yes, your pain. Here, let me help..."
"Actually, the pain seems to be gone," White Noise revealed. An eyebrow went up on Sombra's face at this revelation. "Ever since my confrontation with the ponies and...him...my pain has subsided. The Elements power...it's like I feel...normal again. Like the pain..."
"I see. You believe that the ponies used their power to help you, to end your pain because you were suffering," Sombra said. Sombra transformed into his smoke form and appeared next to the girl, placing a hoof on her shoulder and smiling softly at her. "And I understand why. The Elements are truly deceptive, making many believe that their power is benevolent. That they work to help those who are suffering."
"But I have seen the truth. Harmony is not kind. Harmony serves it's own purposes, regardless of those that it affects. Do you know what happened when Nightmare Moon came back? Twilight and her friends used the Elements on her. And what did they do? They ripped the rage, injustice and pain out of her and turned her back to Luna. Oh, but they made sure to keep the guilt. Made sure to make her feel that she was the one responsible for everything bad that happened."
"Was she?"
"Oh yeah, Nightmare Moon was evil. But that's not the point. The point is that the ponies didn't try to heal her, to reason with her or understand her pain. Nope, just shoot her with the friendship laser and call it a night. And that is what they tried to do to you," Sombra said.
"What do you mean?"
"They had no intention of helping you heal. They don't care about what you've been through or how bad you've been hurt. Just shoot you with the friendship laser and all of your pain and hatred go away. Congratulations, you've let go of all your pain and hatred are gone. Completely against your will."
"Is that what they did to you?" White Noise asked.
"They tried. When Celestia and Luna sealed me away with the Elements, their power tried to do that to me. But I'm crafty. I managed to separate my mind and soul from my body and yes, I have a soul. So while my body was completely harmonized, my being was unaffected. I will not let them turn me with their lies."
"They...lied to you?"
"They always lie. That is what they do," Sombra whispered into her ear. "Just like Chronos lied to you. Just like the heroes lied to you."
"You wouldn't lie to me...would you?" White Noise asked. For a long moment, Sombra didn't say anything. Then he smiled at her and let out a small chuckle.
"Of course I would. I'm evil. But that's the difference. I'm honest to you about my dishonesty. I know I'm a terrible pony and yet even I can spare that much of the truth. But the heroes? The ponies? They say they're there to help you and then they lie. So trust me when I say, I have your best interest at heart. Is it to benefit me? Yes. But am I being honest? Also yes. That help?"
"I...I think it does. You've always been honest with me, Sombra. And kind. Thank you."
"Of course me dear. I'd have to be a heartless monster to ignore your pain."
White Noise held a hand to her head and groaned, getting another smile out of Sombra.
"Go to bed, dear. Go to bed and dream of a world where heroes are good and villains are bad. Enjoy the black and white you love so much. Leave me to the grey."
White Noise nodded and turned to leave.
"Oh, Hikari?" White Noise stopped and turned around. "Did you powers do what I thought they would?"
White Noise said nothing for a moment, before she held up a hand. A hand filled with a magical power that Sombra had only felt on six certain ponies. Sombra's smile went wider than ever before and he fought back the urge to cackle. "Thank you, my dear. Enjoy your dreams. I hope they are pleasant ones."
White Noise walked out of the room, leaving Sombra alone in the darkness once more. He shook his head with a small smile on his face, before he returned to his throne.
With an explosion of magic, Twilight, All Might, Celestia, Luna and all of the Ambassadors appeared at the entrance to Canterlot Castle. When no attack came to greet them, Celestia lowered the shield that she had cast around the group. After a quick glance around, Twilight motioned for her friends to follow her and she lead them up to main entrance to the castle. There, they were stopped by the darkness that seeped through the doors, halting their advance.
"So what should we do, Twilight? Blast down the door? Dig under or around? Or do we bring out the Elements and start the fireworks early?" Pinkie asked.
"Hmm, I have an idea," All Might said. He walked up to the doors and held up a fist. "If Sombra is the gentleman that he claims to be, then he cannot resist answering when I knock. Let us see."
Bum bumbumbum bum bum, bum-
WHAM!
The doors were blasted off of their hinges, slammed into All Might, and sent both tumbling through the streets. The ponies whirled around to where the doors had been in time to see a torrent of darkness begin to pour out of the castle. Twilight, Celestia and Luna grabbed the others with their magic and took to the skies, barely getting them out of the way of the sea of darkness just as a voice spoke from within.
"Who is it?"
"You're reckoning," Twilight spat back. "Now come out here and die like a stallion."
"Alright, but you'll have to give me a moment. I'm not decent."
"Tell us something we don't know," Luna smirked.
"Did you know that there's a species of frog that freezes to death every night in response to the cold and then revives perfectly fine the next morning? There's something I bet you didn't know," Sombra replied. Luna rolled her eyes. "Alright, that should do it. Ready or not..."
Then the whole castle exploded and the giant, smokey form of Sombra rose out of it, cackling like a lunatic as he rose higher and higher into the sky. His darkness swarmed overhead and blocked out the sun, with his twin, glowing red eyes were the only source of light in Canterlot.
"Here I come."
Sombra opened his maw and a blast of dark magic erupted from within. The ponies barely weaved out of the way in time to avoid the magical beam, which sailed off into the distance until it exploded a far off mountain.
"Girls, time to pony up!" Twilight roared. She and the other princesses dropped the Ambassadors, who all began to glow with light as their Elements appeared on their bodies. The magic of the Elements allowed the others to take to the skies, flying alongside Twilight, who placed her own Element on her head.
"Sombra, you have been a plague on this land long enough," Twilight called out to the cloud of evil. "However, as I believe in chances...and the good within everypony...I will say this only once. Stand down, return the power that you've stolen and atone for your crimes. And I will have mercy."
"Mercy? From you? Please Twilight...before this battle is over, you will be the one begging for my mercy," Sombra replied.
"So be it. Girls...end this."
The girls gathered together, allowing the Elements power to reach it's maximum. They then turned all of that power towards Sombra...only for a blur of white to dive into the center of their group and snatch the Elements off of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.
"What in the-?" Rainbow barely had time to say before the Elements power was broken. Without the Elements to support them, AJ, Rarity, and Pinkie began to fall towards the ground. Rainbow took off after Applejack, Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie's tail and Twilight grabbed Rarity with her magic, leaving Celestia and Luna to try to figure out what had just happened.
"That is not possible. Nopony can just...snatch the Elements like that," Celestia said. "Their power would prevent any evil force from taking hold of them!"
"But's that just the problem," Twilight said. She pointed to one of Sombra's smokey hooves, which had caught the thief. A small girl in a white outfit. "The thief isn't somepony evil. They are somepony who has been used, tossed aside and brought under the control of true evil. The Elements didn't work against her before. Why would they do so now?"
"I see. But we still need the Elements to stop Sombra," Luna pointed out. The group landed in the middle of Canterlot, gazing up at the dark king who towered over them. "Twilight, do you think you can get them back from her?"
"I will try. But what will you all do?" Twilight asked.
"What we do best, Twilight." A pair of metal doors sailed overhead, slamming into the giant head of Sombra who roared in pain. The group turned around to see All Might standing behind them. "We will stop the villain. I leave White Noise in your hooves."
"Are you sure, All Might?" Twilight asked. "You said that you wanted to show her that there was at least one hero that would be there for her."
"I did and I still plan to. But she does not trust me right now. And after all she has been through, why should she?" All Might said with a biter smirk. "But all she knows about you is what Sombra told her. And I know you. I know that you are kind, caring and refuse to give up on others. If there is anypony here that can chase away her darkness...it is the Twilight."
"Was that your attempt at a pun?"
"Best I can do given the situation. Now go. Let us handle this false king," All Might said. Twilight looked up to see that Sombra was coming down upon them once more. She looked around at all of her friends, who all nodded at her in reply. She smirked before nodding.
"Don't worry. She's as good as saved."
Twilight took off just as Sombra brought down a dark hoof atop of the group. Celestia and Luna both threw up shields around the group, but All Might had moved first. He leapt into the air, cocked a fist back and gave the biggest laugh he had. "DETROIT SMASH!"
With the force of a thunderclap All Might hurled his fist forward, creating a punch with such force that it obliterated the smokey form of Sombra. The giant horse of darkness was blasted into nothingness, but to All Might's surprise, the dark king wasn't there.
"Looking for me?"
Celestia whipped around to take a blast of dark magic to her chest that sent her rocketing through the nearest building. Luna blasted at Sombra with a beam of lunar might, but the dark king laughed as he deflected her spell with ease. A blast from his horn sent Luna to join her sister. He whipped his head upwards and blasted All Might off into the distance, before turning his attention to rest of the group.
"Sombra! You're mine!" Rainbow roared as she rocketed towards the dark king.
"I appreciate the offer, but you're not my type," Sombra said as he turned to shadow and allowed Rainbow to pass through. He then grabbed her with his magic and hoisted her up by her throat. "To annoying, pigheaded and just a pain in my flank. But don't worry, I'm sure there's some fool pout there desperate and crazy enough to want you."
"LET HER GO!" Applejack roared as she rushed Sombra.
"And here comes Ms. Desperate right now!" Sombra laughed. AJ threw out a hell of a haymaker, but with a smirk Sombra turned into a metal unknown to the ponies. AJ's hoof slammed into the side of Sombra's head with a sickening crunch, except that it was Applejack who crumpled in pain. Sombra cackled as he hurled Rainbow into Applejack, knocking both of the mares back.
"And that just leaves you three," he said as he turned towards Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie. "The three who don't belong here."
"We are Equestria's heroes! We will stop you!" Rarity promised. Sombra's response was to turn his right arm into a mass of muscle and punch Rarity in the face with enough force to send her spiraling backwards. He then ripped crystals out from beneath the hooves of the ponies and pelted Pinkie with a shower of crystals, burying her beneath them. Then he casually turned to face Fluttershy, who held her ground while her legs shook.
"You? Heroes? Don't make me laugh," he chuckled as he walked towards the mare. "Twilight has magical powers that could potential match me. Rainbow Dash is the fastest mare in the world. Even that hick Applejack has some strength and a good head on her shoulders. But the rest of you? One of you is a dress maker that cries if she has a wrinkle. One is a wack job that has ingested enough sweets to be in a permanent sugar high. And then there's you. The coward. The pacifist. The weakest of the bunch. What can you do to me?"
"Nothing. I can't do anything to you. You're right, I'm not like the rest. I'm not magical gifted, super fast or even strong. I'm just me," Fluttershy replied. And then she smiled. "But I can buy time. And keep you distracted just long enough."
Sombra had just enough time to register what she meant before a pair of hooves slammed themselves into the side of his head. He skidded backwards and snapped his head to the side to see Applejack was back up. He prepared a spell for her, only for a blur of rainbow to assault him on all sides, not giving him a moment to cast his spell. Crystals erupted around his hooves and wrapped themselves up his body, encasing him in their light. And even as he tried to use his quirks to begin to grow larger, a giant wad of taffy slammed down atop of him.
"Good thing he likes to talk," Fluttershy said as she gazed down at the taffy that had covered Sombra.
Then a massive explosion of darkness went off, pushing the ponies back as Sombra rose back up. He stood up, cracked his neck, and then turned to face the ponies with a smile on his face. "Well look at that, you're actually putting up a fight. How cute. To bad it doesn't mean anything."
"Talk all you want. You're still going down," Rainbow spat.
"You still don't get it. Everything I just did to you was with my own power...mostly...just to show that even without the humans quirks I am still more than a match for all of you," Sombra cackled. Then he darkly smiled at the group. "But now I will crush you so thoroughly that future foals will cry themselves to sleep when they think about your failure."
"Your quirks won't help you. We can match your strength," Applejack began.
"Ruin any gem you summon," Rarity continued.
"And even break through your armor eventually," Rainbow finished.
"Perhaps..." Sombra chuckled. "But tell me, my little idiots, do you have an answer to me...stopping time?!"
The ponies braced themselves as Sombra threw back his arms...only for nothing to happen. He looked down at himself after trying again, a look of confusion on his face.
"Huh, wonder what that means? Did the old man actually kick the bucket?"
"It means you've lost."
Sombra whipped around to see Twilight floating above him, with White Noise sitting on her back while she held the Elements in her hooves. Sombra's jaw went slack as he backed up, shaking his head. "White Noise...what is the meaning of this?!"
"It seems that she has finally realized what we have known all along. You're evil. And you must be stopped," Twilight said. She teleported next to her friends and tossed their Elements back to them. With the six Elements gathered together once more, the full power of the Elements shined at its brightest. White Noise leapt off of Twilight's back as the six floated into the sky once more, leaving Sombra to look up at them in terror.
"I gave you one chance to end this peacefully, Sombra. You refused. Which means that there is only one way that this ends for you. By being your end," Twilight roared.
"Please, if you think that I am going to stand here and just take your power-" Sombra never got the chance to finish his sentence, for in the next moment a pair of massive arms wrapped themselves around Sombra and hoisted him into the air. Sombra glanced over his shoulder to see the smiling face of All Might. "You? Please, if you think your might can hold me..."
Sombra tried to turn into his smokey form, but nothing happened. He tried to teleport out, but again, nothing happened. He then looked down at All Might's arms to see he was wearing black gauntlets, made of a material Sombra knew all too well.
"Negastone," he whispered.
"We made these after we borrowed some Negastone from the golems that you sent after us when we first got here!" All Might laughed. "They work wonders at keeping a slippery villain in place."
"Release me!"
"Now why would I do that?" All Might said. "The fireworks are about to start."
"Fool! You will be caught in the Elements power as well!" Sombra roared.
"HAHAHA! Of course I will. But I have nothing to fear," All Might laughed. Then he looked down at Sombra with a dark smile on his face. "But maybe you do. Because you are here."
Sombra's eyes went wide as he turned to face the full might of the Elements, glaring at Twilight as she narrowed her eyes at him. Then, with a roar that could be heard all across Equestria, Twilight and her friends unleashed all of their power into Sombra, the full power of the Elements. Sombra watched the approaching wave of light come with absolute terror in his eyes...before a smile once more crossed his face.
"Heroes and idiots. So predictable."
The Elements slammed into their target...only for the ponies and All Might to gasp as when they saw who had stepped in their way. White Noise had moved in front of Sombra, taking on the full power of the Elements herself. She let out a scream as the Elements power coursed into her, cracks forming in her body. But then her screaming stopped and the Elements light began to waver...before Twilight and her friends started to scream as the magic was siphoned from the Elements.
"What...what did you do?" All Might asked. He dropped Sombra and tried to run to the ponies, but he was stopped when dark magic wrapped itself around his limbs. All Might roared as he strained against the bonds, but the darkness was strong. And growing stronger by the second.
"I didn't do anything," Sombra laughed. "It was all her. That little girl has quite the amazing quirk. Able to absorb any form of energy, even magic...with no limit. Even something as powerful as the Elements."
And as All Might watched, Sombra's words came true. The Elements light completely died and Twilight and her friends fell to the ground, their now dull Elements falling from their bodies and breaking against the ground. Twilight slowly raised her head as her friends struggled to rise and gazed at White Noise, who was now glowing like the Elements.
"H-how?" Twilight weakly asked. Sombra let out a dark laugh as he walked over next to White Noise, who was shaking as if she was caught in a storm. "That's not possible...how did you...?"
"It is amazing how easily I was able to pull this off. I could have easily killed you, but the Elements always have a nasty habit of stopping a villain right when they've won. I need to be rid of the Elements long enough to finish all of you off," Sombra laughed. "So I needed somepony who could either nullify or absorb their power. And then the gods dumped her right on my doorstep. So now their power belongs to me. The ponies who have bothered me for so long lay defeated at my hooves. And even another worlds hero is now bound before me. The princesses are done, Canterlot is in my hooves...do you know what this means, Twilight?"
The dark king spun around and blasted a beam of shadow magic into the chest of the hero, sending him flying into a building. Twilight took that moment to attack and lashed out with magical whips, but with a laugh Sombra conjured dark pillars to block the attacks. Blades of darkness rained down on the ponies, who were forced to take cover underneath Twilight's magic to keep them safe.
"Why do you bother resisting? You know that it's over!" Sombra laughed. His body contorted to a massive size and he drove his hoof down atop Twilight's shield, causing cracks to form along her barrier. "You've lost your Elements. You've lost your heroes. And now you've lost your friends!"
Sombra's horn glowed as he said this and dark tendrils snapped at Twilight's friends, ripping them away from her and hurling them across the courtyard. Twilight redoubled all of her power into her barrier, trying to strengthen it against Sombra's might. She was driven down to a knee as Sombra applied more might, the dark kings laugh weighing down on her soul.
"And still you fight. Despite knowing that you can't win. Despite knowing that I'm better." Sombra slammed down with two hooves this time and Twilight's barrier shattered. He grabbed hold of her with his magic and lifted her so that she was eye to eye with him. "Hmm, doesn't this seem familiar? In fact, weren't we just in this very same situation a few days ago?"
"You...will never win," Twilight spat at the king. "So long as light exists in Equestria, there will always be those who will face you. Those who will call upon the power of the Elements. Just as the darkness will never let you die, harmony will always live on in the hearts of those who live in the light."
"Hmm, I suppose you're right. But how will that light survive after the world sees its heroes die? After they watch the sun go away for the last time? When the moon and stars cease to shine at night? How can there be light in the hearts of ponies...when I remove all light from the world?" Sombra asked. "And plunge the world into eternal darkness?"
"You...I won't let you," Twilight said.
"Really? You won't let me. Oh Twilight, we've done this song and dance before. But since I'm such a showpony, I'll do one final encore," Sombra laughed. "You can't beat me. Even if you were destined to be a magical genius, even you have the magic of an alicorn...it all comes down to the fact that you can't do anything on your own. That you rely on your friends for everything. I removed your friends. I've taken out your teachers. And I've brought down All Might. You're alone...which means you've lost."
"And I cannot begin to tell you what great joy I take in this victory. To show the world that its belief in the princesses was misplaced. That those that believed friendship and harmony were the ultimate magic must now watch it die. But above all else, that a cutie mark does not decide your fate. That you can even overcome those with these great, destined powers through hard work, careful planning and a whole lot of backstabbing. The world will be forced to see that they have to choose their destinies for themselves. So whaddya know? Maybe I did do something nice after all."
"But you won't be around to see it," Sombra finished. Twilight gasped as the darkness wrapped itself around her, choking out her air, blinding her vision and dulling her mind. "Because I don't like you, Twilight. You stand for everything I hate in this world. So as you take your last breaths, take them knowing that everything I am about to do...be it to your friends, your mentors or the very world you love...is all because you weren't good enough. Because you couldn't be number one. Now d-"
"Sombra?"
The dark king ceased his attack on Twilight and turned around to see that White Noise was approaching him, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. "S-something is wrong. The Elements power...it's trying to break free. I don't know how much longer I will be able to contain this power! Please, help me!"
"So you actually do have a limit? Pity. But you have do a good job and served your purpose. I suppose I can help you one last time," Sombra said with a nod. He then turned towards White Noise and pointed his horn at her, dark lightning crackling along his horn. "So I will be nice and grant you a quick death. And destroy the Element's of Harmony along with you. Sleep well, Hikari. Sleep forever."
"So...you're even betraying me?" White Noise sobbed as she stepped back. "I...I thought you might...but I had hoped...hoped that you..."
"Thought I cared? Though I liked you? You are a tool to me, nothing more. That is the price of being number one," Sombra laughed. "That you must use all those beneath you as stepping stones so you can rise higher. And don't bother trying to tell me that you'll simply absorb this attack. You're at your limit. A little more...and you'll burst. I'm glad to see that you're not surprised by my betrayal, though. Shows you learned something from me. Goodbye, Hikari."
Sombra unleashed his darkness upon the girl, who, even though she knew Sombra was right, tried to use her quirk to absorb his magic. Then everything seemed to flicker. White Noise lowered her hands to see that she was still fine. But the old man who had moved her out of the way was not. His body was charred and blackened, he was barely breathing and he seemed to age before her very eyes.
"Chronos?" she whispered weakly. "Why?"
"Well there's a last minute twist. I thought for sure that you were dead when your quirk didn't work," Sombra said. "How'd you manage to do that? And how the hell did you get here anyway?"
Chronos didn't answer. He slowly extended a hand towards White Noise. He gently removed her mask and placed a hand on her cheek, before gently wiping away the tears that had begun to fall.
"You are...worth it," was all he said. Then he smiled at her, one last time, before his body completely crumbled away into nothingness.
"No..." was all White Noise could say before she fell to her knees. "No..."
"Taking the answers to the grave? I can respect that. To bad that his last act was to buy you a few more seconds of life. What a waste. He should have let you die and go for my throat," Sombra said with a shake of his head. "How hard is it to think? I guess it must be incredibly hard since I seem to be the only one doing it. Because he was the last being who cared for you, meaning that there is nopony left who will foolishly give their life for you. Now, before we were so rudely interrupted...die."
Once more Sombra fired a beam of darkness at White Noise, who didn't even bother to turn react this time. She stared at her oncoming death and closed her eyes, waiting for the end. The darkness impacted with a roar, but the roar didn't sound like a little girl crying out in pain. It sounded like someone fighting with everything they had. White Noise opened her eyes against to see another figure had stepped in the way. He wore a blue suit with red and blue highlights. His hair stuck up in the front, his muscles nearly tore through the suit and, despite the unbelievable amount of darkness he was taking head on, still wore a smile on his face.
"All Might?" she asked weakly.
"T-there is no need to fear. Because I am here," All Might weakly said.
"Oh here we go again. Is everypony here suicidal? Well line up one at a time and I'll deal with you shortly," Sombra snarled. "Seriously. I talk about heroes being dumb, but you take the gold medal. Why would you throw yourself in front of her? Because of your stupidity you've lost the chance to sneak attack me and suffered serious damage in the process. I don't understand. Why do something so stupid for somepony who doesn't matter?!"
"Because...she does matter," All Might spat back. "She is only here because the heroes of my world failed her. Because they cast her out and drove her into the hands of a villain. A villain that led her here and into your clutches. And because of that you used her to betray those who cared about her and threaten the world. All because of the heroes who didn't care."
"But...even if it costs me my life...I will show her that not all heroes are like that. That there is at least one hero that will give everything he has to save her! To pull her from that darkness with a kind smile! To be her hero!"
And for a moment it seemed like that All Might's sheer force of will began to push the darkness back. He took one, mighty step, and managed to push the darkness back. Then Sombra narrowed his eyes and unleashed even more of his power into All Might. The hero let out a cry as his body began to turn black and crumble, unable to handle that much dark magic.
"What a load. Your ideals and nice thoughts are mere wishes compared to what I have. And what I have is power! Power that even you cannot match. Power that will tear you apart and then destroy that girl and the Elements once and for all! So say all the nice things about how a hero always saves the day you want, because it's time you all got doused with the cold. Hard. Truth! Dreams mean nothing! Friendship is a waste! The only one you can rely on is yourself and your own power. Everything else...should be destroyed!"
Sombra unleashed everything he had into All Might, knowing that this would be it. There was no way that the hero could survive this much darkness by himself. And he was right. If All Might had taken all of that darkness by himself, he would have been blasted into nothingness. But he was not alone.
"And what is wrong with dreaming?!" A barrier of magic appeared around All Might and White Noise. It wasn't Twilight or even Celestia or Luna who conjured the barrier. It was Rarity. Using her magic to stem the darkness as much as she could. "What is wrong with dreaming of a better tomorrow? Of wanting to have friends to share in the joy with you? A life without dreams and friends...is an ugly life!"
"Dreams are a compass to point your way. But friends are the reason the dream is worth chasing," Fluttershy added. Her body glowed with the faintest trace of her Element, magic that she added to Rarity's shield. "They make the ride worthwhile. They make the impossible challenges possible. And they can show you the way when you've lost your dream."
"What one pony driven by a dream can do is great. What one pony driven by a dream with friends at her side can do is immeasurable!" Applejack roared, adding what little magic she had left into the barrier as well.
"With friends the victories are all the greater! With friends the failings aren't all that bad. And sharing a dream with friends just makes the dream that much sweeter," Pinkie added with a laugh.
"And no matter how far you've gotten by yourself, it's nothing compared to how far you could have gone with friends at your side. Take from an ego driven, pig headed mare like myself," Rainbow Dash said. Then the shield doubled in strength as violet light joined in and made it even stronger.
"What even is there for me to add? This is friendship, Sombra," Twilight snarled at the dark king. "And even all of your power means nothing to it's might. Alone we can do great things. Together? We're the pillars that hold up the world!"
"Yes...yes we can," All Might said. All Might slammed his feet into the ground and braced the ponies, helping anchor them so their could fully focus on blocking Sombra's magic. For a moment, the two sides were even. Then, slowly, Sombra's magic started to break through the barrier. Started to crumble away at their power.
"A nice sentiment. But nothing more. Now finally...finally...DIE!" he screamed. Magic dark enough to block out the sun bombarded the shield, almost shattering it completely. The ponies all dug deep to summon whatever magic they could while All Might slammed his hands into the shield, holding it together as best he could.
"...just leave me." All Might looked over his shoulder at the girl, who was sitting on the ground with her hair covering her face. "Just let me die. It's me he's after. I'm not worth-"
"Of course you are," All Might cut off. "You are worth all of this pain, this anguish and this impossibility. Because saving someone in distress is the core essential of being a hero. So don't worry..."
White Noise looked up to see all of the ponies and All Might smiling back at her, even in the face of impending doom. Then All Might gave her a thumbs up.
"We will save you."
Then the barrier completely shattered and the entire group was swallowed in darkness. The all consuming darkness nearly annihilated all of them then and there. All Might tried to take all of the darkness, but found it was too much for even him. The ponies stood with him, facing the darkness together as it consumed them.
Then a small hand touched the heroes. And light returned to their world.
Six lights as bright as the stars erupted from the mane six as the power of the Element's flooded through them once more, pushing back the darkness. Twilight let out a roar as she used her Element infused magic to create a barrier around the group.
"Girls...LET'S END THIS!"
The six ponies gathered together and took up their positions, aiming the Elements power towards Sombra. Their magic lashed out, wrapping around the dark kings arms, legs neck and body. He roared as he tried to teleport, shift into smoke, do something...but nothing happened. The Elements had cut him off from his power.
"NO! This cannot be happening! I had you beat! I had figured it all out! So how are you doing this? How are you surpassing me?!" Sombra roared.
"Together," Twilight replied. The mane six then formed a circle in the sky, preparing their ultimate spell. But this time they left a space in the middle of their circle, a circle that was large enough for only one person.
"All Might! He's all yours!" Twilight roared. "Get rid of his darkness once and for all!"
And as All Might looked up at the six ponies, his eyes went wide as he realized what he was looking at. Six ponies. Six Elements. And six shining stars that were extending their power to him. Offering to let him be the seventh. To be apart of that light. A small smile crossed his face as he finally understood.
"With pleasure," All Might smiled. He leapt through the center of the circle, bathing himself in the magic of six Elements. And with his power added, the Elements shone like seven stars that blasted back Sombra's darkness. A light that could only be created together.
"Damn you all! You were at your limit! I surpassed you! How is this...It's not...HOW?!"
"You want an answer to your question, Sombra? You want to know how we triumph even in the face of impossible odds?" All Might asked, his smile blazing as brightly as the Elements. "We do it together. We do it to stop villains like you. We do it to protect the smiles of those who have to live in the darkness. But above all else..."
And then seven stars began to shine around All Might. Seven stars that connected the same light to each pony...and to him.
Loyalty.
Laughter.
Kindness.
Honesty.
Generosity.
Magic.
One for All.
And All Might took that light into his fist.
"We go beyond," All Might whispered. "Plus..."
And then he swung with all his might.
"UUUUUULLLLLLLTTTRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The explosion of light erupting from All Might's punch ripped Sombra from the ground in an colossal blast of magical energy, hurling him not only away from Canterlot, but off the surface of the planet as well. The dark king silently screamed in confusion and rage as he was rocketed through the darkness of space, through his elements...before everything started to get really bright. Sombra had just enough time to turn to look at what he was approaching...before with one last scream, he was consumed by the light of the sun. A light with no darkness for him to survive in. A light that he would burn in for eternity.
Back on Equis, All Might crashed into the ground hard next to the ponies, every fiber of his being aching. Twilight and the others collapsed to the ground as well, the light of their Elements fading away. Yet despite the pain they were in, how badly their bodies had been mangled and the fact that All Might's punch had basically eradicated most of Canterlot, there were only smiles on the groups faces.
"Good job everypony," Twilight groaned. "Let's...let's all take five. Or a day. Or a couple of days. A week sounds good."
A few of her friends chuckled, but most of them just groaned as they laid down in pain. Except for one little girl, who walked over to where All Might lay next to the ponies. All Might, with some difficulty, turned his head to face her.
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked her.
"The pain is gone and I don't feel like I'm going to explode. So that's good," she said softly. Then she shook her head at All Might. "Why? Why do all that? You almost didn't win. You nearly died just to save me. It was a complete and utter act of stupidity! Why?"
"Because that's what heroes do," All Might replied with a small smile. "We save lives. No matter of stupid it may seem. Because seeing you alright...is all the reward I need, White Noise."
White Noise stared at the Symbol of Peace for a moment before she giggled slightly and laid down next to him and the ponies. The eight stared up at the sky, where the darkness had nearly completely cleared out.
"Hikari. My name is Hikari," White Noise said after a moment.
"Hikari. That's a lovely name," All Might said.
"Hikari. Does that mean something?" Twilight asked. All Might smiled, watching as the darkness faded from the sky once and for all as the sun began to rise once more over the mountains.
The next couple of days were spent doing the task that no hero enjoyed. Clean up.
Celestia and Luna lead the charge in repair what Sombra (and mostly All Might) had done to Canterlot. The ponies that had been evacuated to the Crystal Empire were allowed back into the city, where they began to work in tandem with the princesses to repair their homes. Celestia had told the others that it was going to take a while, but she was glad to see the ponies so willing to help each other.
"It is proof that Sombra was wrong. Darkness or light, it doesn't matter. The desire to help can be found within both," she had said.
Twilight, All Might, Hikari and the rest of the Ambassadors had buried Chronos' ashes, on a small hill overlooking a windy valley. None of the ponies said anything at his wake. They hadn't known him that well. Hikari had managed to choke out a few sentences about how he was the closest thing to a father she had since the passing of her parents and how he had saved her twice. All Might took over from there, talking about his battles with Chronos, how he was a crafty foe and always held himself in high regards. He left out the parts about his crimes and body count.
"Because when all was said and done, with everything on the line, he sacrificed himself to save someone who couldn't save themself," All Might admitted. "He did what those so called heroes failed to do. Risk everything for someone suffering. Perhaps it is not enough to redeem him for a life time of evil. But it shows me that even he had some light within his soul. Maybe that is all we can hope for."
A later talk with Warp Drive revealed what had happened. Chronos, having been freed from Sombra's mind control by being hit in the head with Twilight, had pushed his time powers to their limits. Freezing time and running as far as he could before his body started to give you. Warp Drive, who had been using his powers to keep an eye on his allies, noticed what Chronos was up to and went to his aid. After taking a day to heal, Chronos had begged Warp Drive to take him to Hikari. Warp Drive had been too terrified of Sombra to go himself, but he did warp Chronos there. Just in time to save her life. Hikari broke down when Warp Drive told her that Chronos had begged Warp Drive to apologize in his place for what he had done to her. And that no matter what happened, Chronos would always love her as his daughter.
Warp Drive was taken to the same prison where his allies had been kept. Twilight and her friends had to re-fight the old inmates, as with the death of Sombra their quirks had returned to them. The battle was intense, if quick, and was quickly ended when Twilight and the others busted out the Elements of Harmony once more. Monstro, Diamond Dust and Vein Mine had been moved into stronger cells. Warp Drive hadn't bothered to join in the fight.
Once the riot was dealt with, any trace of Sombra was thoroughly stomped out and the Element's power was used to restore the parts of Equestria that Sombra's magic had tainted, the girls returned their Elements to the Tree of Harmony once more. Until the day came that they were needed again. Every pony in that room hoped it would be a long time. They all knew better, however.
With everything finally settling down, all that was left to do was talk about the future. That was the topic on both Twilight and All Might's minds as they stood atop a small hill outside of Ponyville, looking at the sun as it started to set. The two had been standing in silence for the longest time, each trying to think of how to start to conversation. Twilight, who had spent years being awkward, decided to bite the bullet.
"We did it," Twilight finally said.
"Yes. We did," All Might replied.
"Stopped Sombra. Stopped all of your villains. And saved the soul of a lost child. I don't know about you, but I would call that a win," Twilight said.
"That's a win in my books," All Might agreed. "But with all of the villains beaten or vanquished, that means that my time in this land is coming to an end...and that means that I must return home soon. I've been gone quite a while and the people of my world are probably starting to panic without their number one hero around."
"As they should. No hero can do what you do. You're the lone pillar for a reason," Twilight said. All Might frowned at her words and clenched his hands, sighing as he looked down.
"About that...I wish to say...that I am sorry." Twilight glanced over at All Might with a raised eyebrow. "I was so certain of my way, of there only being a single hero, that I nearly got your entire world killed because of it. Had I listened to you from the beginning, had I opened my eyes and seen the power that comes from letting your friends and allies be with you, perhaps we could have beaten Sombra earlier. We almost failed because of me. I am sorry."
"You weren't entirely wrong," Twilight replied. "You, and Sombra, were both right in saying that no matter what it is, there will always be a number one. Singer, runner, flier...and hero. You are the number one hero of your world. Sombra is the number one villain of our world. There is no question about either of those. But what you were wrong about...and what Sombra was right about...is that I can't be that number one. I can't be what Celestia was. Or you. That's not who I am."
"But, at the end of the day, that's not a bad thing. Yes, I rely on my friends to win. Because together, my friends and I can overcome anything. So while all things have to have a lone number one, just because somepony is number one...doesn't mean they cannot be overcome," Twilight finished. And then she smiled at All Might. "And I never would have learned that about myself if I had never met you. So instead of saying that you're ideas are wrong or that you made a mistake, I would rather say thank you. Thank you for believing that I had what it took to be the number one hero. Thank you for fighting by my side and helping me fight the darkness. And thank you for helping me to see that I am not strong so I push my friends away. I am strong because I keep them by my side. Together, we are the pillars that hold up the world. And that's the way it should be."
"Heh, there's that wisdom that Celestia always talks about. I see know why she always calls you her superior. You've truly figured things out," All Might nodded. He looked down at his hands and thought for a moment. For the longest time, he had used his hands to carry the burden of the world by himself. And all this time, he had thought that he needed to do it alone. Because he was the only one who could carry that burden.
But what if he had allowed others to share in his burden? What if he had allowed others to help him? How many more might he have been able to save? How many foes would have been brought down much quicker. Had he allowed friends and allies to work with him...maybe these villains would have never made it to Equestria. Maybe they would have been brought down long ago.
"And you have given me much to think about. That perhaps my way of thinking is a bit outdated. And that perhaps...Hikari is better here, with all of you." That caused Twilight to snap her head towards All Might. "Hear me out. Yes, together we helped save her. But she still does not trust heroes. I cannot blame her for that. And back in my world, there is no guarantee that she would get the help she needs. But if I leave her here, I know I leave her in the hooves of those who will help her. Of those who care. And there is a lot of work to do on my world...before I am ready to bring her home. Starting with me."
Twilight found herself nodding along with All Might's words. "All right, if it's okay with her, we'll keep her in Equestria. And you have my word that we will make sure that she never feels scared or abandoned ever again. We will help her to truly smile again."
All Might found himself smiling at that. Because he knew that her words were true.
"Thank you, my friend."
==== | V | ====
Pinkie had wanted to throw a massive going away party for All Might, one that would invite nearly all of Equestria to be there to celebrate him for helping them. All Might had instead elected for only the six ambassadors, the two former princesses, Hikari and Spike to be there instead.
The party had been nice and brief. Some talking. Some laughs. Spike showing off his growing muscles. And finally, the parting. Using the combined power of the three Alicorns as well as Warp Drive's own power, the ponies had managed to create a vortex back to All Might's world. Warp Drive would be going back voluntarily. The other villains were trapped in a kind of magical stasis that would wear off after about six hours, so no human would get suspicious. So the groups found themselves standing before the vortex back to the human world, each finding it hard to say goodbye.
"I suppose I should get going," All Might said at last.
"I suppose you should," Twilight agreed.
"It was great to meet a hero such as yourself, even if you are a little slow," Rainbow Dash said. All Might smirked at her before nodding.
"Thank ya fer helping us. Ah know why they all look up to ya in yer world," Applejack said.
"I am going to miss having you around. You are quite a sight," Rarity said with a bat of her eyelashes. All Might politely waved to her.
"I'm glad that we had those talks. You are quite the listener," Fluttershy said. All Might wasn't sure what she was talking about, but he waved anyway.
"You may have gotten out of my party this time, but let me promise you, next time there will be no escape. Instead there will be candy, balloons, ponies from across the land and enough confetti that you could build a second Canterlot out of it," Pinkie promised All Might.
"I am looking forward to it," he replied.
"I'm going to be buffer than you one day. And that's a promise," Spike said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you did," All Might laughed.
"Thank you," Celestia said.
"For everything," Luna finished. All Might nodded. Nothing more needed to be said. He then turned his gaze towards Hikari, who had stopped wearing her mask and had gotten a hair cut. "Are you sure that you want to stay here? I know plenty of people back home who would be willing to take care of you."
"Thanks, but I'll pass. Live in a world where heroes act like jerks...or live in a world of talking ponies who use magic and care about me. Sorry, but there's no contest," she replied. Then a soft smile crossed her face before she gently hugged All Might's waist. "But at the very least, I know that there's one hero on Earth who cares about me. And I know that the world needs him more than I do. So don't worry about me. Just whenever you think of me, know that I'm happy and it's all thanks to you. And Chronos. I'll never forget what the both of you did for me."
"And that is all I needed to hear," All Might said. He then turned and nodded to Warp Drive, who nodded in reply before he walked through the vortex back to his world. All Might then threw in the bodies of the other villains, before stopping to look back at his friends one last time. "Thank you all, for everything you've done. I know that we live worlds apart, but should the day ever come when you feel the darkness is growing to strong and you're power might not be enough, do not be afraid to call...and I will be there."
"As will we...whenever you need us. And here. From all of us." Twilight levitated over a photograph, one that Pinkie had taken at the party. It was All Might stand in front of the ponies, Spike and Hikrai, all of who were making silly faces at the camera. "Just in case you ever need a reminder that you're not alone. That you can always call on somepony for help."
"Thank you my friends. I will never forget about this. Or any of you. Now if you will excuse me, I...am going." All Might waved to them one last time, before he too jumped into the vortex. And everything went white.
==== | V | ====
With a groan, Toshinori put down his pen and sat back in his seat. The last bit of paperwork was finished. Of course, he had to lie through his teeth about where he had ended up and what had happened to the other villains, but that had been the easy part. The hard part was convincing the police that the other villains had gone insane and that their stories about a magical land ruled by ponies was nothing more than crazy talk. It hadn't been impossible, but it had been difficult.
But a smile crossed his face as he remember all they had gone through. The impossibles that they had defeated. And all of the good that they had done. Together. Then he looked down at his hands once more, hands that were holding the picture of him and the ponies, thinking about how they had won and what Twilight had taught him. What all of the ponies had taught him. How that together, they had been the pillars to keep their world standing.
"Pillars, huh?" Toshinori asked. "Maybe it's time...I started looking into that."
Then the door to his office opened up and an elderly man walked inside. He wore yellow boots and gloves, as well as a yellow cape and belt. A black domino mask covered his face and the look under that mask made Toshinori's spin shiver as he shot up in his chair.
"Sensei...what brings you here?" Toshinori asked.
"I thought you should be the first to know. We've found him."
All of Toshinori's fear was immediately replaced with fury and he erupted into his muscular form, his eyes blazing with a blue fire that threatened to set the office ablaze.
"Are you certain?"
"Positive. It's him."
"Very well...then it's time we finally settle this..." Toshinori said as he placed the picture on his desk.
With a groan, Twilight closed the book she was reading and started to head for her door. It was going to be one of those days. She could already tell. From outside she could hear shouting, but also the sounds of her student, Luster Dawn, trying to calm those outside down. At least somepony was keeping their cool. As she approached the front gate, she was surprised to see that Spike was standing there instead of dealing with the problem, a smile on his face.
"What's this all about, Spike?" she asked. "And why aren't you out there taking care of it?"
"Because I had to see the expression on your face. Come on out, you are going to love this," Spike laughed. Twilight took a moment to steady herself, certain that she was not going to like what she saw. She then pushed open the door to her castle and took a step outside.
Saying that she was shocked would be an understatement.
All around the courtyard were over twenty humans, all of who were wearing an assortment of costumes, outfits and armor. One of them looked like a knight with a purple cape and was constantly posing. Another wore an entire yellow bodysuit and was talking with the baker. A girl with pink skin and hair was breaking dancing against a pony in shades and a black coat. There were too many of them for Twilight to wrap her head around all at once.
Needing something the focus on, Twilight instead locked onto the human that had been yelling earlier. That boy was being restrained by Luster Dawn's magic and was suspended in the air. He had spiky hair, a scowl on his face and what looked like giant grenades on his arms. And he was still yelling at the top of his lungs. Twilight had enough.
"Enough!" she yelled. As she yelled, she cast an immobilization spell across every being in the courtyard, freezing them all in place. "Okay, look, I have no idea who all of you are, so I suppose I should start by introducing myself. I am Princess Twilight, princess of this realm. And I see that you all are humans...I think. You are not from this realm. So would somepony please explain to me how you all got here and why are all of you trampling my garden?"
"That would be because of me, Twilight."
Twilight's eyes lit up and a smile formed on her face at the sound of the voice, instantly releasing her spell over the courtyard. It had been over ten years since she had last seen him. The hero who had helped her to save her world. All Might. The symbol of peace. Twilight spun towards the sound of the voice, expecting to see the smile, the muscle and the costume...only for her eyes to go wide in horror and shock at what she actually saw.
Standing before her was a man...who looked more like a skeleton than a man. His face was sharp and narrow, his eyes were sunken and hollow. His hair was a mess and his clothes hung loosely off of him. But then she saw the smile on his face. A smile that she knew all too well. What she didn't know, what she couldn't begin to fathom, was how in the world he had ended up...like this.
"All Might?" she tentatively asked.
"Hello, Twilight. It has been some time," he replied. It was him. She could tell. The voice sounded all the same, if a bit weaker than his usual, boisterous self. "It seems we both have changed in these years. I do not remember you being so tall. You truly look like Celestia and Luna now. It suits you."
"Indeed, I guess I do. What...what happened to you?" Twilight dared to ask.
Toshinori gave a small chuckle before he lifted his shirt, causing Twilight to gasp as she saw the horrendous scar on his abdomen. "I got into a fight that was a bit much for even me. Not long after my adventure in Equestria, as a matter of fact. That is why it has taken me so long to get back in contact with you. Things...haven't exactly been easy. But I beat him. I beat the man that killed my master. Even though it cost me so much."
"I can see that," Twilight muttered. She scanned his wound with her horn before a frown crossed her face. There was nothing her magic could do for a wound like that. But as her magic continued to scan the man, she found something even more unnerving. She couldn't find the fire. That fire that had burned within him the last time that they had met. "Toshinori...your quirk..."
"Yes. It is gone. Come, sit with me for a moment," Toshinori asked. Twilight nodded and the pair sat down on a bench. They watched the ponies, mostly guards, and the human kids interact. "I am a teacher now. I teach at UA highschool, where we train future heroes. And this is class 1A. They are considered some of the best of the best."
"That would certainly explain their colorful attire and their...ease with being in a completely other world," Twilight said. She then glanced at the back of the group to see Warp Drive hanging out in the darkness. "Is that...?"
"Yes, he works with us now. Not as a hero, but he helps transport people who are in terrible accidents to the hospital in the blink of an eye. He's doing this for me as a favor. I helped keep him out of prison after telling the judge how he helped me...in securing the other villains. Do you remember them?"
"Of course I could. How could I not? Are they all still in prison?" Twilight asked. Toshinori nodded. Twilight nodded as well, before an old question crossed her mind. "And...about Heatstroke...?"
"Yes. You did kill him at the Crystal Empire. He was dead long before he hit the ground," Toshinori confirmed.
"Ah. Thought so," Twilight nodded. "Oof, that's going to weigh on me for a bit."
"You did it to save your family. It was self defense."
"I know...still...so how did you lose your quirk?" Twilight finally asked. "Did a villain manage to steal it like Sombra did? Did the damage to your body prevent you from using your might?"
Toshinori chuckled but didn't say anything. Twilight raised an eyebrow in response, but before she could say anything one of Toshinori's students came up to her, gaining her full attention. He had greenish hair, a green tracksuit with white gloves and constantly looked around at everything like he was trying to mentally write down notes on all of it. A look she knew all too well. But as she looked closer at his eyes, she saw something that made her gasp. She saw the fire. The same look of fire that she had seen in only one other.
"Hello there, Princess Twilight. I am Izuku Midoriya," the boy said before bowing to her.
"Hello. It is nice to meet you," she replied.
"I am so excited to meet you! All Might has only told me bits and pieces about the world of Equestria, so I'm so excited to be here. Is it true that you're entire species has magical properties? How about a rainbow haired one that can break the sound barrier? And what the heck is a Pinkie Pie?"
For nearly ten minutes Twilight answered all of the questions that Izuku put forward, her disbelief slowly turning into amusement as she learned more and more about the boy. He reminded her of somepony. Actually, he reminded her of both herself and All Might. After a bit one of Izuku's friends called out to him and he bowed to Twilight before taking off, leaving Twilight to give All Might a look.
"Did you...?"
"Yes. I passed on my quirk to him, just as my master once passed it on to me. He has the makings of a great hero. I can see it within him," Toshinori said. And then a smile crossed his face. Not a smile that was grand and large like he used to give. Nor was it a smile of bitterness and being left behind. It was a smile of contentment. A smile that told Twilight that, despite all that had happened to him, Toshinori was happy.
Spike was the next to come over to Toshinori and the man's jaw nearly dropped. Spike was the size of a car and built like a tank. He looked the way Toshinori used to. For a brief moment the two locked eyes and then Spike glanced down at All Might's skeleton body. The dragon nodded in understanding.
"Missed a day at the gym, huh? Don't worry. It happens."
Toshinori let out a laugh at that and spent a while catching up with Spike. How he was doing, what was his max bench, how was Gabby doing, what was his max squat,Spike asking about what all the signals Gabby was sending him meant, how was his max deadlift. All the important stuff. After a bit he smiled and walked off, looking forward to hitting the gym with Toshinori next time.
"Toshinori...what's the real reason you've brought all of these students here today?" Twilight asked. Before Toshinori could answer, Rainbow Dash flew in from above, Rarity, AJ and Fluttershy walked into the courtyard and Pinkie appeared out of...somewhere, screaming about how she knew All Might had come back. The students and the Ambassadors immediately started to mingle, with friendships quickly formed between the pink haired girl and Pinkie, the twinkling boy and Rarity, and a boy who Twilight had seen talking to birds and Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash and the grenade kid immediately butted heads.
"Because I wanted to show them to you. And to tell you...that you were right," Toshinori said. "When I was last here, I believed in the number one hero. That only the best of the best could handle things when no one else could. That only I was strong enough to hold up the world. To be it's lone pillar. But it has been a long time since then, Twilight, and I have learned much."
"I learned that pushing away those that you care about won't protect them. That sometimes...they still leave," he whispered. "I learned that despite all my power and skill, I couldn't avoid age and damage bringing me down. And I learned that sometimes...you have to leave the fate of everything in the hands of others. That sometimes all the old generation can do...is trust in the young. To trust in others."
"That is why I wanted to bring these students to meet you and your friends today, Twilight," Toshinori admitted. He and Twilight gazed out over the students and ponies mingling, smiles on all of their faces (except Bakugo) as they traded tales and abilities with one another. Luster Dawn and her friends joined in with the kids as well, and after a moment it was like a painting of Twilight's students mixed in with All Might's. And that caused Toshinori's smile to grow a little wider.
"Because this is the future of my world. This is the future that I am entrusting everything, even my power, too. And all because I met you. Because you showed me the power and unity within friendship. So I have tried to take the lessons that you taught me and teach it to them as well. Because just as you and your friends held up your world, I entrust my world to them. Because Twilight..."
"These are my pillars."
"I see...you've chosen well," Twilight agreed. "And speaking of pillars..."
Then a girl walked over to Toshinori. She had black hair, wore white spandex and had a white mask on her face. As she approached the former hero, she slowly lowered her mask, revealing a smile that caused tears to well up in Toshinori's eyes.
"Hey All Might. It's been a while."
"Hikari," Toshinori whispered. He stood up and gently took her hand, smirking at how she was so much taller than him now. "You look...great."
"Yeah. And I'm actually feeling pretty great to," Hikari replied. She then lowered her head and bowed to Toshinori. "I want to thank you, for everything you did for me all those years ago. You saved me in more ways than one that day. I will never be able to repay you for what you've done."
"And you will never have to," Toshinori smiled. "Seeing you like this...is reward enough."
"Well you better watch out, All Might, because Hikari here has spent the last couple of years training hard to become a hero that can surpass you," Twilight revealed. Toshinori's eyes went wide and he looked at the young lady with surprise, who smiled back at him.
"That's right, All Might. I've finally realized what I want to do with my life. I want to be like you...and also surpass you. I'm going to become Earth's number one hero."
"WHAT WAS THAT, MASKED GIRL?! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Try it, short fuse," Hikari snapped back.
Toshinori held a hand to his face as the two began to battle, with both ponies and humans taking sides. All Twilight could do was laugh as she and Toshinori watched, both of them smiling.
"That the future of our worlds right there," Twilight said.
"Yes," Toshinori said with a smile, a smile he hadn't worn in a long time.
