Friendship is Magic

Rarity and Pinkie were down, injured terribly, I was alone against the three Shadowbolts, and there was no sign of Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash.  I hoped that we would be able to keep them occupied until she was able to return with Rainbow Dash and bolster our numbers.  I hadn’t expected the Shadowbolts to chew through us with such speed, even with what happened to Pinkie.  I would have to ask her about that later.

If we survived.

I took an involuntary step back, fighting the urge to flee.  I couldn’t leave Rarity and Pinkie at the mercy of these thugs.  I could never forgive myself for abandoning them, but we were in over our heads.  We needed Fluttershy and her healing techniques.  Without her and the others, I didn’t stand a chance.

A powerful wind blew through the clearing, knocking Descent and Nightingale askew.  The monster, Haze, merely braced himself against it, but did not budge.  My heart leaped as I looked to the source of the wind.

Fluttershy had returned.

Haze noticed as well. “Ah, the daughter of Gaia has reappeared.”

His voice caught my attention.  He had been so silent that I had nearly forgotten that he was even there.  I felt rage blossom and grow inside of me as I took him in.  He had hurt Pinkie and Rarity.  He showed no remorse, no emotion whatsoever, for his actions.  To him, we were no more than pests to be swatted.

I would make him pay.

I prepared my Stella Magna.  Fluttershy’s distraction had bought me time and opportunity to charge it properly.  I fed my magic and my rage into it.  I would see him wiped from the earth, leaving nothing more than a stain and a bad memory.  When the charge was at its peak, I launched it at point blank range.

The explosion was deafening, throwing up dirt and debris.  Smoke billowed as I hunched over, panting from the exertion.  Sweat rolled down my brow and cheeks and I nearly vomited from the nausea rolling in my stomach, but I managed to remain standing, albeit on shaky legs.

As the smoke cleared, I noticed a hazy shape, standing tall within the destruction.  The shape became gradually clearer and the pit of my stomach dropped out.

Haze remained, a poison-green shield standing between he and I.

I blinked back tears of frustration.  That was everything I had and he was completely unaffected.  What did it take to defeat these things?

He stared at me, expressionless, before giving a single grunt. “Poor, naive sorceress.  You thought your power was enough to vanquish me.  You still have much to learn about magic.”  He began to advance, drawing ever closer.  I wanted to run, but I was rooted where I stood.

“Though this makes me wonder.  If you couldn’t defeat me, what hope do you possess when the day comes that you stand before my master?”

My blood turned to ice. “Luna is that powerful?”

He reached out, cupping my cheek in a hand, his thumb massaging soft circles into the skin.  A shiver ran down my spine.  The hand worked its way to the back of my neck and he yanked me closer. “Silly girl, did I ever say that Luna was my master?”

Luna wasn’t his master?  If that was true, how was he a Shadowbolt?  How had he infiltrated them and for what purpose?

“Get away from her!”

Fluttershy’s scream startled me as vines erupted from the ground, twisting and flailing for Haze, who had sensed the danger and flown to safety.  With a grunt, Fluttershy landed beside me.

“Are you okay?”

I rubbed my brow, the drain on my magic had given me a powerful headache. “Yeah.  I’ll be fine.”

“That remains to be seen, but I doubt it.”  Nightingale snickered.

“Where are Pinkie and Rarity?”

I nodded to their bloody and broken bodies.  “I tried to heal them, but I’ve already used too much magic.  Did you have any luck with Rainbow?”

“I hope so,” she said quietly, her voice sounding less than hopeful.

“Ah, how sweet,” Nightingale said mockingly, landing in front of Haze with Descent at her side, “Seems like Rainbow’s crying friend decided to join the fun.”

Fluttershy’s mouth worked as she stared over Pinkie and Rarity in shock, seeing their battered forms for the first time.  “You three did this?  You fiends!  How dare you?!”

Nightingale chuckled. “Aww, what a sweet compliment.  You’re making me blush.”

Descent looked uneasy and a little...ashamed?  That’s what caught my attention.  Ever since Pinkie had spoken to him, he seemed to be going into this fight with less and less enthusiasm.  Even when he did mirror Nightingale’s actions, it seemed forced.

What was up with him?

Haze turned, stepping away from the group.

“Where do you think you’re going?”  Nightingale challenged.

“This confrontation serves no purpose for me.” He replied. “I have no interest in fighting girls, particularly those of their caliber.”

“But, Haze-”

“I’m confident that the two of you are more than capable of ending this battle efficiently.  Furthermore, though she doesn’t want to show it, Fluttershy is terrified.  She only received her abilities yesterday and hasn’t had any chance to develop her powers.  She is, by far, the least experienced of the group and the most likely to try to avoid any direct confrontation.

“And Twilight.  She’s been fighting since the battle began.  She dared to use the Stella Magna, an ability that draws substantial magical energy, twice in quick succession.  She’s exhausted and it’s a miracle that she’s still standing, much less able to fight.”

As if his words had broken the spell, my shaky legs finally buckled and I sank to the ground.  Fluttershy was beside me in an instant, but I waved her away. “I’ll...be fine.  Just...tired.”

“Finally, despite the fact that you two have been fighting since the battle began, neither of you are showing fatigue.  That’s because Luna has been feeding magical energy into you from her place.  She may not be able to act directly, but she knows enough to act without risking direct intervention from Celestia.”

Was that true?  If it was, it would explain how they could fight so viciously without exhausting themselves and it would also explain how we had only lost ground since the battle began.  If only there was some way for me to get in touch with Celeste.  If Luna could feed them power through an indirect means, there was no reason why Celeste couldn’t do the same.

“You’re right.”  Nightingale conceded. “You took out the last two, so it’s only fair that we finish off these two runts.  Go ahead and sit this one out.”

I quickly thought of a plan.  It was risky, but we had no other option.  I reached out to Fluttershy, mentally calling her.

Twilight, is that you?  You can communicate telepathically?  How?

I’ll explain later.  Right now, we need to finish this battle.  Listen carefully.  Neither of us have the power to defeat them.  We’re going to need Rarity and Pinkie.

But, they’re injured.  I would need to heal them before we even think about going into battle, but I can’t get anywhere near them with those three in the way.

That’s why I’m going to be a distraction.  Once I have their attention, you’re going to move in and do your healings as quickly as possible.  We’re only going to get one shot at this, so it needs to work.

Are you sure you’re up to the task?  You’ve used a lot of magic so far and you’re so exhausted, you can barely stand.

Don’t worry about that.  I can out-perform them, provided Haze stays out of the battle.  I get the feeling that the other one, Descent, is working against his will.  I can use that to my advantage.  The only one that might cause trouble is that Nightingale.  I’ll just have to keep an eye on her.

If you say so, Twilight.

I shifted my weight, preparing to charge in and put my plan into action. When I say so, cover your eyes.

I narrowed my eyes, bringing my targets into sharp focus.  Launching, I charged at Nightingale.

She laughed as she braced herself.  “So you wish to be the first to fall?  Very well, Twilight.  I’ll oblige you.”

“Now, Fluttershy!”  I cried as I cast out a spell.  A brilliant flash illuminated the clearing, blinding Nightingale, who screamed in pain and surprise and threw herself to the ground.  That left a very shocked-looking Descent open.  I launched myself at him, pushing everything I had left at the move.  Catching him around the waist, I threw both of us into the air.  Descent beat his wings in an effort to escape, dragging me up with him.

Nearby, Fluttershy focused her magic on Rarity, having the worst injuries.  Slowly, flesh began to knit over wounds and shattered bone realigned.  Despite all of this, the girl did not stir.  Fluttershy desperately wished that Rarity would wake up so that she wouldn’t be so defenseless, but there was no time to waste.  She moved on to Pinkie.

I had Descent cornered while Nightingale was otherwise occupied.  I had noticed that Pinkie’s words during their earlier battle had an effect on the Shadowbolt.  He had become hesitant and reluctant, only working when egged on by Nightingale.  This was something I hoped to exploit.

“You don’t have the power to defeat me.”  He snapped.

“I’m not looking to defeat you,” I replied, “I just want to talk.  I’m not blind and I’m not stupid.  You’re conflicted about what you’re doing here.  You’ve had the opportunity to finish us off over a dozen times and you’ve taken none of them.  Pinkie was right.  You’re not a bad person.”

“Knock it off!  You’re just trying to mess with me like Pinkie did.”

“Pinkie wasn’t trying to mess with you.  Why can’t you see that she just wanted you to show your true feelings?”

That hesitation appeared again.  “We owe Luna so much.  She came and healed us without knowing who we were, without a single condition or demand of repayment.  We were the ones who tracked her down and begged her to let us return her kindness.”

“There are more ways to pay a debt than the ones that conflict your morales and ethics.”

The doubt raged in his face.

“You have the last word in all of this.  You can make all of this stop or you can let it rage.  You can decide-”

My words were cut off as a powerful blow caught me between my shoulders, launching me through the air.  One particularly large tree loomed in my vision as I rushed towards it, unable to stop.

This was going to hurt.

x----x

“I’ve healed them both, but they’re still out.”  Fluttershy began to panic as she reached over, gripped Pinkie’s shoulders, and gently shook the girl.  “C’mon, Pinkie.  Wake up.  Please wake up.”

A low, heavy voice chuckled behind her.  “Poor girl.  You may have healed their wounds, yes, but don’t confuse that for restoring consciousness.”  He tuttered. “It certainly looks like Twilight’s plan to bring you all together as a combined force has failed.”

An  incredible crash sounded behind her and she turned to see Twilight slumped against a nearby tree.  She hurried over and knelt beside Twilight.  “Don’t worry, my friend.  You’ll be fine.”

x---x

I awoke to find a pale, sweaty, shaking Fluttershy kneeling over me.  I sat up, feeling small aches and pains all over.  She sat back on her legs and shook her head.  Carefully, I helped her to her feet.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.  Only a little dizzy.  I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t like our options.  Fluttershy was looking terrible and probably felt worse.  Rarity and Pinkie Pie, despite being healed, were still down, and my magic was seriously depleted.  We had no option, but to retreat before we were all killed.  I would grab Rarity.  She would get Pinkie, and we would make a break for it.

“Fluttershy…”  I began, trying to get her attention.

She threw out a hand. “Don’t worry, Twilight.  I’ll protect you.  Just stay behind me.”

She closed her eyes and concentrated.  A bubble of air rushed around us, creating a thin shield.  What was she planning?

Though I couldn’t hear past the wind roaring in my ears, I saw Descent and Nightingale having a heated debate.  It lasted only a moment before she shouted him down.  They spread their wings and threw out their hands, a swirling black vortex forming between them.

That didn’t look good.

I tried to get Fluttershy’s attention again.  She had to stop this.  We needed to leave before they had a chance to complete whatever spell they had started.

“Don’t...Don’t worry...Twilight.  I...I will protect you.”  She gasped, visibly weakening under the strain of maintaining her shield.

The vortex charged, battering against the weak shield that was the only thing that stood between us and certain destruction.  With each blow, Fluttershy cried out, as if being physically harmed by the attack.  Sparks ran along her headband and bracelets, which began to fade.  And with it, our protection.

In a final desperate bid, I used the last of my magic to call a shield of my own, which flared brightly before disappearing and taking my armor with it.

Together, we were drawn into the darkness.

x----x

A massive black tornado met Rainbow Dash as she burst into the clearing.  She had chased Fluttershy back this way and was surprised when her friend had outdistanced her by a wide margin.  When had she become so fast?

“What is this?”  She whispered as she took in the scene.  The three Shadowbolts stood near the cyclone, completely unaffected by the winds.  None of the foliage was moving and, while she was no egghead, Rainbow knew it would be impossible to stand so close to the windstorm.

Inside the tornado, she recognized the shapes of two people, spinning so quickly that it made them difficult to recognize.  However, one distinct feature, a long mane of pink hair, was clearly visible.

Fluttershy was in that monster.

But Fluttershy had magical wings, couldn’t she just fly out?  Rainbow searched for some sign of the bright, golden feathers but they had disappeared along with the rest of the strange things Fluttershy had been wearing.

Suddenly, the cyclone vanished, but the momentum it had created did not.  Fluttershy and that Twilight girl were cast over the cliff.

Rainbow broke into a sprint, running faster than she ever had.  She rushed past the Shadowbolts and, without a second thought, leaped from the cliff.  Her slim, but strong fingers wrapped around the wrists of her friends, and she caught herself against a massive exposed root of a tree.

While she was strong for her size, she did not possess the strength necessary to pull her friends to safety.  She grunted and strained, trying to pull them up onto the root.  Footsteps sounded in the dirt above her and she turned her head, catching a glimpse of Nightingale out of the corner of her eye.

“What are you doing here, Rainbow?”  Nightingale growled.

Rainbow fought against the tears in her eyes.  It felt like the weight of her friends would pull her shoulders clear from their sockets.  “Help me.  I can’t hold them much longer.”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing.  After all of the pain and misery those two have caused you, you still want to save them?  I thought you’d be glad to be rid of them both.”

Rainbow felt her grip begin to slip.  “Please, I’m begging you.  Help me.”

“Certainly. I’ll be more than happy to help you.”

Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.

“Just as soon as you let go of them.”

Rainbow’s face twisted in a snarl. “Never!  Fluttershy is my best friend.  I’d never dare let her down.”

Nightingale frowned for a moment, thinking.  “Alright, Rainbow, I’ll make you a deal.  We’ll save you and Fluttershy.  I think we can even convince Luna to let her join.”

“Yes!  Anything you want.  Just, please, help me save her.  My grip is slipping!”

“We ask only one thing in return.  Let Twilight fall.”

Rainbow’s breath caught in her throat. “W..what?”

“Well, she’s not your friend, is she?  Not to mention, she and her friends caused your fight with Fluttershy.  They nearly cost you your best friend, didn’t they?  She doesn’t deserve your help.  She’s to blame for everything.  Just let her fall!”

Rainbow’s grip tightened around Twilight’s wrist as the girl dangled unconscious and oblivious to the danger she was in.

“No!  This was all my fault.  They only wanted to be friends with Fluttershy and me, but my jealousy made me blind to that.”

Promise me this: no matter what life throws your way, no matter what problems come between you, never forget what you are.

“I’ll never abandon my friends!”  Rainbow declared loudly.

Nightingale’s face twisted into a sneer. “As you wish...Bearer of Loyalty.  Be with your friends, stay by their side, even in death.” She hissed.

The root beneath Rainbow lurched and snapped with a thunderous crack and she plummeted down to the water below.

As she fell, she pulled Fluttershy and Twilight in close, holding them tightly.  I’ll never leave them, no matter what, because Loyalty to my friends is the most important thing I have.

A power she had never known surged through her, causing her to gasp and spasm.  Sharp pain wracked her spine as something grew.  An overpowering instinct took over and she followed it, stopping their descent short and causing them to rise.  Opening her eyes, she noticed that she, like Fluttershy, now had wings.  She didn’t care how they had come to be where there were no wings before.  All that mattered was that they were the most beautiful things she had ever seen and they were carrying her, and her friends, to safety.

Atop the cliff, she set her friends down in the grass and admired the bladed gauntlets that surrounded her forearms.  Curious fingers reached up to the weight on her brow to find a metal band encircling her head.

Finally, she took in the two Shadowbolts staring at her with a mixture of  amazement and horror.  She had begged them to help her when she needed it and they had actively tried to kill her.

Rage filled her as she stared into their cold eyes.

It was going to be a really bad day to be a Shadowbolt.