Rise and Fall

Sunset, Twilight, Eve, and Moondancer had made their way through the forest and now stood before the Castle of the two Sisters. They stared over the massive chasm that stood between them and the castle. Only one problem. "Where's the bridge?" asked Moondancer.

"Um..." Twilight pointed at the half of the bridge on the other side, then leaned over to see that the other half was on their side. "So, this just got a bit complicated."

"Oh for fucks sakes," Sunset said in frustration.

"Why don't we just teleport across?" asked Moondancer.

"It wouldn't be one of the most impenetrable buildings in Harmonia if it an Esper could simply teleport over it in situations like this," Eve explained. "There's a powerful set of protective glyphs that surround the castle that prevent anyone from teleporting across to the other side."

"Well, what if we just teleported as far as possible and just hung on to the edge?"

"I mean we can't teleport from this spot; the edge of the chasm. Any other distance would be too far. Besides..." He chucked a stone over the chasm and watched as a chunk of ground crumbled and plummeted to the abyss below. "I don't thing it's wise to put our lives in the hands of ancient, worn-out soil."

"Fair point," said Twilight.

"Okay, so what the hell now?" said Sunset.

"Hm... if two of us can hold up the two halves of the bridge long enough for another to cross to the break and fix, we should be able to get over."

"So, who's going?"

"I vote Twilight," said Moondancer.

"Seconded," agreed Sunset.

"What?!" Twilight cried in shock. "Why me?"

"You are the lightest. It'd be easier to hold up your weight than anyone else's." Twilight mumbled something inaudible before moving closer to the edge.

"This is anything but safe," she said, "Or sane for that matter. Why can't one of us repair the damage from a safe distance? Like on the solid ground that is less likely to break beneath my feet and send me plummeting to my death?"

"If you can manage that kind of focus to warp matter with the required level of precision from this distance," Eve said, "Then by all means." Twilight growled. She didn't particularly hate Eve, she just didn't like his attitude. He was the type of person that would laugh in the face of certain death and make jokes his final words as he died. But the worst part of it all was his "know-it-all" attitude.

"Fine," she grumbled. She couldn't argue. She was the smallest in the group, being 5'5" and weighing 65kg. Moondancer and Eve were 5'7" and Sunset was 5'8", all weighted just over 70kg. It was a sound plan, but she couldn't help but wonder the soundness of the mind that came up with it. Sunset tapped a red and yellow sun-shaped mark on her right shoulder, her symbol, and Eve tapped his, a yellow five-point star in a swirling blue fireball. A stone on the right side of their belts lit up with similar marking.

All people gained a symbol once they discovered their magic talent. A rune can be obtained by advancing their skills, allowing them to perform more complex skills. Once said level is reached, they can engrave their symbol into a stone. Until then, all attempts to mark their symbol on anything to make a rune will be unsuccessful.

Sunset and Eve's hands glowed teal and yellow, respectively, as did the two halves of the bridge. Telekinesis was a basic Esper spell, like teleporting. Twilight mad her way, cautiously, across the deathtrap. "This is a terrible idea."

"This is a great idea," said Moondancer, who was using her own telekinesis to help hold up Twilight to the best of her abilities. Twilight tiptoed across the bridge to the center.

"Okay," Twilight said to herself. She took deep breaths and focused, drawing in all the splinters of wood to the gap in the middle. The broken wood began to reform itself, extending from one end to the other. Soon, the bridge was repaired and Twilight walked over to the other end. "It's set."

They each went across, one at a time, and were soon standing in front of the brilliant structure. The worn, dull stone structure may have looked old, but anyone would be able to see how beautiful it used to be... once they get passed the fact that it looked like a haunted house that could scare the life out of a ghost. "Okay, let's split up into two groups," Eve suggested. "We can cover more ground this way."

"True," agreed Twilight. "But whatever it is that committed those murders ripped a full grown man in half. Not sure if decreasing our numbers is a good idea."

"We'll be able to move faster than as a big group. Besides, if anyone of us gets in trouble, send a signal flare. If that's not possible, run and scream and hope the other group finds you."

"Gee, that's encouraging," Twilight said sarcastically.

"Oh! Oh! I wanna go with Sunset," Moondancer said excitedly.

"Sorry, I'm going with Twilight," Sunset said.

"Aw, come on, Sunny," Moondancer said. She ran over and hugged Sunset's arm.

"Nope." She slipped out of Moondancer's grip, grabbed Twilight, and dragged her into the castle. "We'll check the castle."

"Oh," Moondancer said, downcast. "Guess I'm going with Eve," She said, now holding his arm. "C'mon, Evie. We'll take the back."

"Please don't call me Evie. Sounds like the name of some fox-looking creature from another land."

The town of Summersville was known for many things. One was Sugar Cube Corner, a bakery that made the best pastries in the entire central region of Harmonia. Another thing was Carousel Boutique, an exotic store for the newest trending designer brand, Rare Flare, founded by the mesmerizing Rarity Belle. At only 17, she had successfully started her own brand, though with the help of a few generous benefactors, and she was the soprano for the famous singing group, the Magi Tones. In two years, she had built her own brand and name ans spread it as far as Magehattan and Los Pegasus. However, this attractive young woman was not only a master seamstress and critic, she was also a powerful Esper, having her own magic rune, engraved with three diamonds. As a woman entered the store, she was greeted by a lady with long, delicately curled purple hair, radiant blue eyes, and fair skin wearing a long white gown with slits to expose her thighs and black tights underneath, low, purple cuffed boots, and blue eyeliner. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique! How may I help you?"

The other woman had white hair with a green tint, bright yellow eyes and wore a green sweater over a black tank top, black trousers, and mint green sneakers. "Oh, hello, Rarity," she said. "I was just here to pick up the order I made for a party dress?"

"Oh, of course Lyra," Rarity replied. "Coco!"

"I'll be right there, Miss Rarity," came a reply. From a door came a young lady, about Rarity's age, with pale green eyes and hair stripped with two different shades for green, wearing a white shirt with a purple collar and red neck tie, cream trousers, and black shoes. She came out holding a bag with the costumer's dress. "Here you go," she said, handing the bag to Lyra.

"Oh, thank you," she said. She paid and walked out.

"Another satisfied costumer," said Coco. Noticing an odd silence, she turned to see Rarity, staring off into space. "Um, Rarity?"

"Hm? Oh, terribly sorry," Rarity said, shaking her head.

"Are you okay? I could take over while you get some rest."

"Well... I have had quite a number of orders lately."

"That's... not what I meant."

Rarity paused for a moment. "Coco, I am perfectly capable of handling two different, unrelated responsibilities. I've done so for quite some time now."

"I know, but I'm worried for you," Coco replied. "Last week, you collapsed halfway up the stairs of the boutique."

"That was just an unusual surge I wasn't prepared for."

"Look, Rarity. I don't want to seem ungrateful or pushy, but you need to take it easy. Neither of you jobs is easy, but both are important... and both are taking a lot out of you. So I ask you, not as your co-worker or an assistant or another person, but as your friend: go home and get some rest."

Rarity took a deep breath. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take at least the rest of the day off. Coco was a good seamstress and businesswoman. She could run the store in her absence. She could also take some time to check on the odd feeling she had last week. "Very well. If you're absolutely sure you can handle the store on your own for the day..."

"You can count on me," Coco said, proudly. "Besides, it's just half a day. What could go wrong?" She paused as the two stared at each other. "Um... forget I asked that and pray to Faust the universe didn't hear me."

"Indeed. And asked about what?" Rarity replied with a smug look. The two laughed and Rarity went up. "Don't forget t lock up when you're done."

"I won't."

Rarity entered her room and walked over to her bed. She reached under and pulled out a ring of large pearls. Her symbol, three diamonds, and her matching rune glowed as she levitated them, her hands and the beads covered in a blue aura as they floated. She spread her arms and the beads separated and revolved around her. They stopped and scanned each of them, which showed different parts of Harmonia. "Nothing unusual," she said. "So what was it?" As an enchantress, Rarity had the ability to sense fluctuations in magic, even the slightest shift in its concentration in an area, using gemstones as mirrors and monitors to watch certain areas. Few humans with magic possess such a level of focus. She put the beads away and collapsed on her bed. "Maybe a good rest should clear my head. Perhaps it was just a random surge."

As she drifted off into sleep, Rarity found herself in a forest, one she, and many in Harmonia and the rest of the world knew well: the Everfree forest. Terrifying as it was, she had seen this dream many times, but there hardly ever, if at all, a nice ending. She walked through the deathly quiet forest and found herself at a bridge. Opposite it was what she recognized as the Castle of the Two Sisters. She admired the structure and how beautiful it would look with a few improvements and restoration. Suddenly, the side of the castle burst and two people flew out. As they got up, a massive, gray figure walked out and roared. It swiped at them with its massive arms. They dodged the first few blows, but were caught off guard and slammed into a tree. One tried to shake its fallen comrade awake. However, the conscious one did not see the creature come up behind him. Rarity attempted to cry out a warning, but her voice made no sound. She only watched in horror as the creature swiped at the figure, sending it flying several feet. She gasped and backed away. The creature stood over the other body and reached down, but was hit by two projectiles. It turned to see another figure standing by the hole in the castle while another ran over to the one that had just been hit. It pushed its helper aside as the object exploded, engulfing the area in white. Once it cleared, Rarity saw the figure. She paled when she noticed it was missing an arm. The figure cried out in anguish. It fell to the ground, blood pouring from what was left of its arm. Suddenly, the background shifted and Rarity was standing by a tree on the other end of the bridge, facing the castle. All four figures were motionless on the ground. The creature approached one and picked it up. For the first time, Rarity heard a voice. "Leave... them... alone." It dropped it and turned to face on figure, which was now highlighted in yellowish-amber. It got up as did the other two, who now glowed purple and orange, who helped the third, who glowed red. The scene shifted and now the remaining figure was surrounded by bright pink flames and a similar aura, murmuring something inaudible. Behind it was what looked like an ethereal pair of wings, and in front was a symbol that looked like a flame with a series of ancient runes around it in three consecutive rings. The yellow figure slammed it's good arm into the ground and the ground beneath the other three glowed. In a flash, they were gone. The creature jumped at the figure, who slashed its remaining arm across the symbol in front. The wings covered them and there was a bright flash of white light which engulfed the scene.

Back in the castle, Sunset and Twilight were walking through the halls of the castle, looking for signs of anything odd. "So," Sunset started, "What's up with you and Eve?"

Twilight was taken by surprise. "What? What about me and him?"

"You always seem to be on his case. Any reason."

"No... yes, actually. How can Princess Celestia give him access to restricted areas? I mean, what's he done?"

"Well, he does do missions higher than his level and he has a dragon..." She stopped when she noticed Twilight's glare. "What?"

"Not my point. He doesn't attend classes or do assignments unless it's practical work, he sleeps through most of the classes he goes to unless it's a practical class, and-"

"Yet he's competing with some of the smartest people in the school?" Sunset finished.

"There's definitely something wrong."

"So you don't like him because... you think he cheats? Or he's paying off the teachers?"

"Well, there's that," Twilight responded, "But also, he always thinks he knows everything when, clearly, he doesn't. He's made mistakes many times when answering questions, especially in history!"

"So... he's... a know-nothing?"

"Grrr, you're not listening," Twilight said frustrated.

"I am, but I'm hearing jealousy talking."

Twiligh stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"Look, Twilight, I'm as curious as you, but maybe he makes up for the missed classes. He does do a lot of extra  credit work and goes on a lot of missions. Maybe he's an outside learner."

Twilight groaned. "But he never take anything seriously. He's always making jokes about everything."

"Maybe it's his way of dealing with stress or his emotions," Sunset suggested.

"Are you defending him?"

"I'm not defending anyone. All I'm saying is you should probably get to know someone better before you start judging them." Sunset paused in thought.

"What?" asked Twilight.

"I'm actually the voice of reason. in this situation." She looked to Twilight. "I think the world may be ending."

Twilight smiled. "Soon, Moondancer will stop hitting on every guy she meets."

"Shit! The apocalypse is upon us!" They laughed and continued through the castle.

"Does Twilight... hate me?" Eve asked as he and Moondancer made their way through the yard behind the castle.

"Huh? Um... I don't think it's that simple."

"Go on."

"Well, I think she's little... skeptical of you because the two of you are so different, yet so similar."

"Mhm. Keep going," Eve said as he lifted a sagging branch so it would hit them.

"I mean you're both smart and good with magic, but you're methods are entirely different. She likes to read books, you like to gain knowledge from first-hand experience. She's serious, but you make learning look as fun as playing Blackjack. You're both good at what you do. But Twilight has been the Princess's persona protégé for quite a while, and I mean a while, now, longer than the other three of us. She's probably just a little overwhelmed by how you've kept up without following the norm. Twilight's all about logic, so she has a little difficulty accepting things that don't follow the normal structure of said things."

"So I'm some kind of anomaly to her, so she doesn't like me?"

"Um... something like that. She doesn't know how to feel about someone who doesn't study as hard as she does, yet competes with her for the highest grade, so I guess what overshadows the mix of emotions might be either jealousy, misunderstanding or lack of understanding, or a mixture of any of the above."

"Is there anything I can do? The last thing I want is to have consistent bad blood with anyone, especially when I have little to no idea why."

"You don't have a lot of friends, do you?"

"Only real friends to me are my family and Ember... and Bolts."

"Why?"

"I... have a few trust issues."

"Twilight thought friends would distract her from her studies. She's learned better than that, but still keeps her circle of friends small. Sunset is... unique, and I'm, admittedly, a bit boy-crazy..."

"A bit? Last month you heard the Wonderbolts were in town and had a plan on how you were going to screw Soarin... or get him to screw you-"

"NOT THE POINT!" Moondancer said with a slight blush. "And it was a sound plan, if only Fleet Foot and Spitfire weren't involved. Adding girls to the equation was a lot harder than I thought, especially since I don't know which way they swing."

"There's an equation?"

"Yup."

Eve paused for a while. "Teach me," he said, mockingly. Moondancer pushed him playfully.

"Look, you just need to help Twilight know you better."

"How do I do that? She can barely stand being around me and avoids it when possible."

"Then make the circumstance. Find a way to, I don't know, start a conversation, or something." She placed a hand on Eve's shoulder. "You just need to show her that you aren't as bad as she thinks. Sometimes, people need a little enlightenment in order to understand why they have no need to have any negative image of something they don't fully understand."

Eve smile. "Wow."

"What?"

"You are smart?"

"I know," she said proudly. "Was there any doubt?"

"Well, since you came of age, with the number of guys you've screwed or who've screwed you, I thought your brain would be all-" He was halted by another playful shove. Suddenly, they was a rumble. "What was that?" They ran back to the castle and met up with Sunset and Twilight, both of whom were buried under a large shelf in the castle library. Eve levitated the shelf off them as Eve helped them up and out. "What happened?"

"We saw something," said Sunset. "Dark, rugged, big, about ten feet tall. We followed it in here, then suddenly, the whole shelf came down on us."

"There was a rumble," said Moondancer.

"That was the thing running away," Twilight said. They walked through the corridor Twilight and Sunset saw it go through. As they turned a corner, Twilight felt an odd feeling under her shoes. She looked down and went pale. "G-Guys?" They all looked down and saw a red stream under their feet. "Is that... blood?" The followed the trail to the door at the end of the hall. Hesitantly, Eve opened it. From the crack flowed an odor so foul, it made their noses want to commit suicide and their insides want to throw out everything in them. Eve put his scarf over his nose while the others used their hands and arms. He pushed the door open. The sight was no better than the smell and Twilight's stomach lurched. The lower half of a man was slumped against a wall on the far side of the room, the other half was pinned to the wall with massive stone spikes. The body was pale and splattered with blood, which also covered the floor of the room. It looked like a bedroom, with a large bed, drawers and tables against the walls, and a massive window to the right.

"Oh, shit," Sunset said, sympathetically.

Eve moved forward to examine the body. "Cause of death: loss of blood... rapid loss of blood."

"Yeah, no shit Captain Obvious."

"Victim was also apparently pulled in half," Eve said with an evil, smug smirk.

"Can we be serious, please?" Twilight commented, agitated at how anyone could joke about this.

"Okay, okay." Eve looked closer. "Huh. No scratching or bruising or any sign of a struggle."

"Poor bastard didn't even put up a fight," said Sunset.

"Or couldn't," added Eve. "How tall was the thing you saw again?'

"I estimated about ten feet."

"I think it was the same thing that did this."

"You figure that out all by yourself?"

Eve wave his hand over his rune and it levitated from his belt and up in front of him. A light came from the symbol on it and scanned the room, highlighting everything in a different color. Eve noticed something odd about the stone spikes: the were glowing red. Normally, inorganic material should react to the scan. That is unless it was touch by or contained magic... or wasn't organic. "I think I know what did this." At that moment, there was a rumble.

"Just like before," said Moondancer, "But closer." But instead of a bookshelf falling, there was a crash and something burst through the wall. Sunset and Twilight  moved as the massive figure charged, but Moondancer and Eve were caught in it's wake and were sent through the other wall. They landed outside the castle and got up to face their adversary. It was big, gray, and had glowing green eyes. Large, odd symbols were etched into it's arms and legs. "Is that...

"A golem." The massive stone beast roared and charged at them, swinging its arms. Moondancer tripped and the creature caught her in a swing. She flew into Eve and both slammed against a tree. Eve got up and tried to wake up an unconscious Moondancer, but was knocked away by the golem. The golem reached down to pick her up, but was distracted by a projectile slamming into its back. Eve saw Twilight throw barrage after barrage of purple bolts as Sunset came over to help him.

"We need to leave," she said. "Come on."

"Something's wrong," Eve said. "It's too smart."

"What?"

"The way it pinned the man to the wall, the way it ambushed us, the way it's been so well hidden all this time..."

"Well, it is kinda odd that this thing would be roaming around the forest and no one could notice it... or live to say they did."

"I think... I think it's..." At that moment, the golem stomped the ground, causing them to jump and Twilight to lose her balance. The golem swiped her away and looked at Sunset and Eve. The marks on its arm glowed and it roared. A ball of energy formed in front of it and flew forward, spinning into a disk. "LOOK OUT!" Eve pushed Sunset out of the way as the ball exploded in front of them.

"HOLY SHIT! EVE!" Sunset saw a bleeding stump where Eve's right arm had been. He screamed in anguish as he fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding arm. He looked up and saw Sunset, hands blazing, running towards the golem, firing a barrage of fireballs at the creature. "BURN YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Soon, everything was blurring, then everything turned white.

Eve now found himself standing on a large body of water, both arms restored. He looked around and saw nothing else. "Great," he said. "I'm dead." The water rippled beneath him. He looked down and saw Twilight and Sunset's conversation. "He never takes anything seriously." "Does.. does she really see me that way?" The image changed and now the golem was standing over Twilight's lifeless body. "No, no, NO!" He knelt down and slammed the water with his fists. "Get me out! I have to-" He was cut off when on of his fists got caught in the water... then the other. Soon, he was being dragged. "Hey! What's going on?! HELP!"

Eve's eyes shot open. The area was scorched, spots of fire scattered all over. He turned his head and saw the golem walk towards Moondancer. It turned away and walked towards Twilight. It picked her up and brought her to its eye level. "Hey," Eve groaned. The golem turned its head slowly to face him. It dropped Twilight and turned to face him. "Leave... them... alone..." he said through labored breaths. The golems hands formed into fists and the marks began to glow. Eve felt the rage flow through him, but also, some kind of control. An energy washed over him and something hit him. He held out his one good arm, the tip of his index finger glowing. He traced a shape into the air in front of him and recited:

"In Light, the darkness scatters,

In flames, the ice shall shatter,

Shifting reality,

By law of causality,

Let them be my image,

Let them extend my rage,

That you may feel my fury,

As I have felt their pain,

Before my wrath, the nature will tremble,

In the wake of my presence the sky shall shake,

You alone shall face this power,

You alone shall fall and break,

Return to rubble, crumble at your fault,

Purification be eternal as all things halt,

Pay for your crimes, blame life for your sins,

In all events, the light shall win!"

As he finished, the Sunset and Twilight helped Moondancer to her feet. They looked over at him and were shocked at what they saw. Behind him was a symbol resembling a pair of wings emerging from the center of a ring; in front of him was a spiral flame with a series of runes arranged around it in three rings. "What is he doing?" asked Twilight, still trying to process the scene in front of her.

But Sunset knew. "Oh no."

"What?"

"He recited an Ars."

"What? But... that's only done for Level 8 spells and above." They made their way over to Eve. "EVE, STOP!" A bright pink, flame-like aura formed over him and a ring of orange and pink fire surrounded him. "YOU'LL KILL YOUSELF!"

Eve looked at them. "But not you." He slammed his fist into the ground and the ground beneath them glowed. A ring appeared and a light flashed. Once the light died down, the found themselves on the other side of the chasm.

"What?" Sunset looked around, confused. "How did he...?"

"LOOK!" They could still see Eve facing the golem.

"You can take my arm, you can take my life, but you will never..." The flame grew, "Ever..." The wings grew wider, "EVER..." He raised his hand over his head. "Lay a hand... on my friends." The ground beneath them began to break and rise. They were now standing on a large, floating, chunk of rock. The golem attacked, jumping at Eve. "Endflame, Style Four: Soul Flare." He brought his hand down and cut the seal in front of him as the golem stood above him. The flames turned bright vermillion and the wings and ring engulfed the two. There was a bright flash and the white light expanded until even the girls were caught in it.

Rarity jolted up from her bed and felt a hand on her arm. She turned to see a girl with green eyes and pink and purple hair wearing a light purple dress, white button-up sweater, and purple boots. "Rarity?"

"Oh, Sweetie."

"Are you okay?" Sweetie asked in a worried voice.

"Yes, of course darling. Why?"

"Well for one thing, your eyes were glowing while you were asleep again."

"Oh..." Rarity knew what that meant. It wasn't a dream.

"Also, you're really late, like reeeeeeaaaaally late."

Rarity looked at her alarm clock. 10:49AM. "SWEET CELESTIA!" Sweetie giggle as she watched her sister hurry to get ready.

"That's my sister."