Author's Note
This is what you wanted people! (I think.)
It's Time...
After all that happened, Twilight was both surprised and relieved to see Sunset. She was able to bring Twilight up to speed on everything that happened while they were in Twilight’s study and needless to say, Twilight had a hard time processing everything.
“I honestly had no idea Sombra was even still alive, even if barely,” Twilight said. “It must’ve been a difficult fight.”
“Well…yeah you could say that,” Sunset brushed it off casually. “I’m just glad the pathway has been restored.”
“How exactly did you do that?” Twilight asked.
“I had some help…” Sunset wasn’t going to go into details. Radiant Hope wanted to stay in the shadows for now and Sunset was willing to respect her wishes.
“Well anyway, I’m just relieved everything’s been taken care of,” Twilight smiled. “Actually since you’re here-”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Starlight walked in. “Sorry to bother you Twilight but-oh…”
“It’s alright Starlight, I don’t think the two of you have been properly introduced,” Twilight said.
“You’re the new student right?” Sunset asked as the two of them shook hooves. “So what do you rate her?”
“Excuse me?” Starlight asked.
Sunset laughed. “I’m just kidding. I’m sure Twilight has been an excellent teacher.”
“Oh she has,” Starlight beamed. “She’s certainly had to put up with my antics, that’s for sure.”
Twilight sighed dramatically. “You could say that again…”
“So you’re pretty powerful huh?” Sunset asked.
“Well…I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging but…yeah,” Starlight smirked. “I’ve given Twilight a few runs for her bits a couple of times.”
Twilight scoffed. “As if.”
“Now I’m really curious,” Sunset grinned. “Twilight did tell me you were interested in a duel.”
“Well I did yes, but I don’t want to take up too much of your time,” Starlight said politely.
“It’s not a problem,” Sunset waved her hoof. “Actually, it’s been awhile since I’ve really used my full power as a unicorn. It’s…kind of different in the other world.”
“That I can agree with,” Twilight added.
“So…you’ll do it?” Starlight asked.
“I think we should let the princess decide, since this is her domain after all,” Sunset said, giving Twilight a wink.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, as the Princess of Friendship, I can’t possibly pass on this potential moment of bonding so…sure! I actually would like to see Sunset’s full potential as well. How about we schedule it for tomorrow?”
The two mares nodded in agreement. “Actually Twilight, if you don’t mind, I think I might go explore Ponyville a bit,” Sunset said. “This is my first time here after all.”
“No problem at all, I’ll have Spike prepare dinner later on,” Twilight said, waving her off as Sunset left the room.
“I can’t believe I just agreed to this,” Starlight said. She was now looking around nervously. “Am I even prepared for this?”
“You’re not getting cold hooves on this now are you?” Twilight asked.
“N-No it’s just…well from what you said she’s a very gifted unicorn!”
“Well of course she is, considering she was Celestia’s student before me,” Twilight said. “But believe me, if you can handle what I’ve thrown at you I think you’ll be just fine.”
“Maybe you’re right, maybe I’m just over thinking things. Still…” Suddenly her eyes widened. “Of course! I know what I can do! I just need somepony as a coach! Somepony who knows the way of the magic duel!”
“Well Starlight, if you really want to know…”
“And I know just the mare!” Starlight said, galloping out of the room.
“Oh Starlight, you’ve come to the right mare,” Trixie said with a wide grin on her face. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has dueled your teacher, not once but twice! It was a one to one tie but Trixie was still proud of herself.
“Gee, I wonder why that was…” Twilight muttered. The three of them were currently outside of the castle. Starlight managed to get a hold of Trixie and the magician was more than happy to help.
“Trixie admits she…had some help on the matter,” Trixie said casually. “However, I do know the ways of the duel and will do everything in my power to make you win!”
“W-Well let’s not get too carried away…” Starlight said.
“Yes Trixie, this is a friendly competition that’s all,” Twilight warned her.
Sunset was returning back to the castle when she saw the mares outside. “Hi girls…oh hi Trixie.”
“Ah, it pleases the Great and Powerful Trixie to know she’s well known even by strangers!” Trixie said with glee.
“Um…right…” Sunset said. She leaned over to Twilight and whispered, “I see this Trixie isn’t any different…”
“Not really…” Twilight responded. She then cleared her throat. “Trixie has offered to coach Starlight for the duel tomorrow. Is that alright with you?”
Sunset shrugged. “I see no reason why not. But I guess I’ll need a coach too.” She gave Twilight a slight grin.
Twilight blinked. “Oh! Me?”
“Well, considering you are a princess and an expert of dueling…” Sunset said.
“Well…I can’t possibly say no, can I?” Twilight grinned.
“Splendid!” Trixie said. “It’s only appropriate to have two such veterans teach the um…rookies everything they need to know.”
“Right…well I suppose we all better get started preparing,” Starlight said.
“In that case, let us go to my carriage, I know the perfect place to get some practice,” Trixie said.
“Then I guess we’ll have the castle to ourselves,” Twilight said. Once the two mares were gone, she looked over at Sunset apologetically. “I’m sorry, Starlight and Trixie are close friends and Starlight got the whole idea of having a coach…”
“It’s fine, really,” Sunset said. “Besides…I’ve been kinda wanting to go head to head with you anyway.”
Twilight smiled. “I admit I kind of wanted to do the same. Say, there’s a little training regiment that Starlight and I do time to time…you interested?”
“You bet I do,” Sunset grinned.
“Alright then,” Twilight grinned in return. “Keep up if you can…” She then teleported off and Sunset, chuckling slightly, followed suit.
“Now then, the first rule of any such duel is to expect the unexpected,” Trixie said. “Your opponent will do everything in her power to throw you off guard and if you hesitate for even a moment, you’re toast. Therefore, the first order of business is to test your reaction time. Trixie admits her power doesn’t quite stand up to Twilight’s but…I’ll throw whatever I can in your face and you have the full choice of doing whatever you want to counter. That’s the beauty of the magic duel.”
“Wow Trixie, you really do sound passionate about this kind of stuff,” Starlight commented.
Trixie looked away slightly. “I may have…well you know the story about my grudge against Twilight. You know how the story ends but in the process I did learn a thing or two. Honestly, considering how skilled you are I don’t think there’s much to teach you.”
“Oh stop Trixie, I’m more than willing to learn,” Starlight smiled.
“Very well…think fast!” Trixie said as she quickly summoned random objects.
Meanwhile, Sunset followed Twilight around much of Equestria, but it wasn’t just playing tag. Every now and then Twilight would throw something Sunset’s way and Sunset didn’t miss a step, attacking or dodging if need be. For Sunset, it was definitely a good warm up to get her used to her old form.
“If that’s how you start things off, no wonder Starlight is as good as you say she is,” Sunset panted slightly once they returned to the library.
“Thank you, I came up with it myself,” Twilight beamed. “Now quick question: how good is your shielding spell?”
“I think it’s pretty good why?” Sunset asked.
“Well, I’m going to give it to you straight: Starlight is all about offense and she’ll throw every spell she has your way. The trick is keeping on the offensive and she’ll have to rely on her shield magic, which is very good but as we all know, it can drain our stamina quickly.”
“I’ll keep that in mind…you’re gonna throw a huge load of magic at me aren’t you?”
“Heads up!” Twilight grinned as she attacked with a large beam of magic. Sunset managed to get her shield, a bright orange,
“Is that all you got?” Sunset taunted her.
“What’s that? Increase power? Alright!” The beam increased in power and Sunset suddenly felt herself straining to keep her shield up. She then teleported behind and attacked, which Twilight deflected with ease. Guess being an alicorn had its perks.
“Your reaction time could be a little faster,” Twilight noted. “But honestly, I’d say you haven’t missed a beat at all really. We keep working on your defenses and speed and you’ll be unstoppable in no time. Now then…” She then used a bubble shield spell which surrounded the entire room. “Shall we continue?”
About twenty minutes later, the library looked like a bomb went off. “Phew…I don’t think I’ve worked that hard since I lived in Canterlot,” Sunset said, wiping sweat off her brow.
“No kidding,” Twilight giggled. “This is going to be a duel of the ages.” Her smile suddenly froze as she heard her words.
“Oh dear Celestia, I’m going to end up destroying Ponyville aren’t I?”
Author's Note
I'm not sorry for that title.
TO D-D-D-D-D-DUEL!
The next morning, it wasn’t lost on Twilight as she came into the dining room that there was some slight tension in the air. Both Sunset and Starlight were sitting at the table eating quietly but avoiding each other’s gazes. Twilight went over to Spike, who was currently making pancakes. “Is everything okay?” she whispered.
“It’s been like this the entire time,” Spike whispered back. “Probably just nerves though…or they’re trying to read each other’s strategy.”
Twilight figured it was best to try to lighten up the mood. “Good morning girls!” she said cheerfully. “It’s certainly going to be a pleasant day!”
“Yep…” Sunset said while eating.
“Um…yeah clear skies and everything! Perfect weather for a completely friendly duel right?”
“Sure thing…” Starlight said.
Apparently she wasn’t quite getting through. “Okay, what’s going on? You two were quite excited yesterday about this and now you look like you’re regretting it.”
“Well…” Sunset sighed. “I am, really, but it’s just…” She then looked at Starlight. “I don’t want to make this a competition…I mean, it is a competition but it doesn’t matter who wins or loses right?”
“No, I understand,” Starlight said. “I was kind of worried I was making this about status and all that. To be honest, I was kind of intimidated by the fact that you’re one of Princess Celestia’s former students so…”
“So you figured I’m at Twilight’s level at least?” Sunset smiled.
“Well…if Twilight were still a unicorn, yes.”
“It’s kind of hard for me to say at this point but to be fair, Twilight’s probably still more powerful than me,” Sunset said. “But she told me you got a few tricks up your sleeves. I’ve actually never delved into Eastern Unicorn magic.”
“It has its ups and downs,” Starlight shrugged. “And I’m not quite proud to admit that I probably learned a few spells that are more or less illegal now.”
“You kidding, what do you think Twilight has in her library?” Spike asked.
“Well then I’m totally glad everything’s okay!” Twilight cut over him. She then cleared her throat and brought out a notebook. “Now then…I managed to cordon off a large space just outside Ponyville that will be contained within a large shield spell to prevent any um…falling debris or nuclear fallout.”
“Nuclear fallout? Seriously?” Sunset asked.
“Well, I’m only being cautious that’s all!” Twilight insisted. “Besides I may have once…caused a nuclear explosion near Ponyville.”
“That was with four times the alicorn power you have now,” Spike reminded her.
“Nuclear fallout is nothing to take lightly Spike.”
“Okay wait a minute,” Starlight said. “Trixie told me all you and her did was make stuff appear, and turned ponies into infants, not shoot magic at one another.”
“Yeah, it was kind of underwhelming,” Spike said, earning a glare from Twilight.
“Actually, I don’t mind the shooting part,” Sunset grinned. “Those are the kind of duels I like to partake in.”
“…Well fine then I’ll just make sure to double the radius of the barrier,” Twilight said, writing down notes.
“You know we’re not going to blow anything up right?” Starlight raised an eyebrow.
“Well I…I’m just being cautious,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “You know how exciting it can get…” She then rolled up her scroll. “So! Who’s ready to get their magic on!?” Spike could only facepalm behind her.
About an hour later, the four of them were outside a fair distance behind the castle where a large purple bubble surrounded the largely flat area. When Trixie finally showed up, she wasn’t impressed. “Sparkle, what is this?” she asked tartly.
“It’s called safety first,” Twilight said after letting her in. “Look, we both know these two are experienced unicorns and I’m not trying to dumb things down but…I just don’t want a stray spell to hit a house and cause a fire or something.”
Trixie just stared at her. “I…you know what, never mind I’m not going to even bother…”
Spike approached the middle of the field in referee attire. “Can I have both mares approach the center please?” After both Starlight and Sunset approached, he glanced at both of them. “Alright ladies, you know the rules here. I want a clean and proper duel. No cheap shots. If for any reason we need to stop the duel just wave me down immediately and we’ll take a five minute break if necessary. And…” Spike stared at the long scroll Twilight had given him. “Yeah I’m not reading all that. Point is, have fun and there are no winners or losers in this duel. Now you may go back to your corners.”
After that, Trixie did a quick check on Starlight’s horn, as well as other parts of her body. “Hm…everything seems good. You seem a little tense though. Are you ready?”
“Honestly, I was rather nervous this morning but…I’m good now.”
“Good. Just remember to draw first blood. You have to get her on the defensive right away.”
“Huh?”
“You heard me. She’s an experienced unicorn, a former student of Celestia’s, so you have to be at your A-game!”
“Um…right…”
Meanwhile, Sunset was getting a quick shoulder rub. “Mm…you know if you hadn’t ended up as a princess you could’ve been a pretty good masseuse.”
Twilight blushed slightly. “I appreciate the comment but I’m doing this to put your mind at peace. I’m not sure what Starlight is going to throw at you first but I know you can handle it.”
“I’ve handled worse. But you know, after this is all done I wouldn’t mind a second session of this…”
Twilight huffed and almost pushed the mare. “Just get out there!” Sunset grinned in reply.
The two of them met in the center of the field once more. “Now then, the two of you will opposite one another and take five paces forward. Once I give the signal, the duel will begin,” Spike said. “Understood?” Both mares nodded as they faced away from each other. “Good. Now…take five paces forward.”
As the two mares started moving, Twilight couldn’t help but feel there was a charge in the air, and it had nothing to do with her shield spell. She knew both girls well and their magical abilities, and while Starlight had a tendency to go a little overboard when it came to using spells, she wasn’t worried for Sunset, although with as much power as she had now, she wasn’t quite sure what Sunset had up her sleeve. She just prayed no one had to go to the hospital.
The two mares had taken their five paces and stood at the ready. Spike glanced at the two of them before throwing his arm down. “Duel!”
Sunset quickly turned around, ready to strike first when she noticed that Starlight was no longer there. That gave her pause, but luckily she heard the sound of someone appearing behind her and managed to dodge the attack that came, which left scorched earth where she had been standing. She turned around and fired a similar attack which Starlight managed to defend against with ease. It was then she noticed something…
“She can fly!?” Sunset suddenly glared at Twilight.
Twilight looked embarrassed as she put a smile on her face. “Um…sorry…I forgot to mention that…”
That was going to complicate things. But Sunset knew she could deal with it. She managed to glance over at a boulder and used her magic to make it levitate off the ground before throwing it at Starlight. Starlight lost her focus trying to dodge the large rock, which was exactly what Sunset wanted.
She fired off a spell that immobilized Starlight where she was floating and caused her to fall to the ground. However, she was able to break free at the last second and land somewhat gracefully. “The old distraction tactic, not bad,” Starlight grinned. “You really are what Twilight said.”
“Oh there’s more where that came from,” Sunset said as she teleported again, this time right above Starlight and fired another spell which encased Starlight in crystal.
“Well good.” Starlight was lounging in the air behind her and snapped her hoof, causing the crystal and her doppelganger to explode. “Because it’s the same for me. But you know…I really don’t think this place is just gonna do it for us…luckily I have an idea, if you’re interested.”
This seemed intriguing. “I’m listening,” Sunset replied.
Starlight grinned somewhat wickedly. “Just follow me and I’ll show you.”
Sunset wasn’t sure what the mare was up to at this point she thought, what the hell. “Sounds like a plan then.”
Starlight suddenly teleported and Sunset followed suit. It was when neither of them reappeared that Twilight knew what had happened. She took a deep breath. “Sadly, I had a horrible feeling they were going to pull that stunt…”
Sunset had managed to follow Starlight’s magical trail and upon reappearing, she had to quickly cast a bubble spell as she felt salt water rush into her mouth. Coughing and spitting out water, she looked around and saw that she was in the middle of the ocean, though she wasn’t sure which one.
“I know, I know, it kind of just popped into my mind,” Starlight said as she floated nearby. “I hope you’re not aquaphobic.”
“Not my first choice but…different nonetheless,” Sunset said. “What are the rules this time?”
“It’s very simple,” Starlight said. “First one who pops the other’s bubble wins this round.”
“This round?”
“The fun can’t stop here right?”
“Okay, how about I choose the next round? Sound fair?”
“Sure.” Starlight shrugged. “Alright enough chit-chat, look fast!”
Sunset had to move fast as what she had to assume was a whale was coming straight at her. She moved as quickly as she could, her movement slower due to the density of water not working in her favor.
Starlight meanwhile was shooting what looked like icicles in her direction which again kept her on the move. Sunset then summoned what looked like krill in Starlight’s direction, which quickly attracted the whale’s attention.
Starlight almost screamed as she moved downwards, trying to avoid becoming something’s lunch, although she had to admit her opponent certainly was clever in a pinch. Speaking of which, she was coming straight at her, probably trying to attack from close range. Starlight just smiled as she summoned something in return, something much bigger than Sunset and something that managed to swallow her whole.
She managed to hear the mare yell something that sounded like, “What the hell!?”
“Sorry, guess you lost that round,” Starlight said sweetly. “Care to pick somewhere else now?”
“…Fine but we’re going somewhere above water this time!” Sunset managed to teleport out of the horrifying-looking fish and Starlight followed suit.
The first thing Starlight noticed once she reappeared that it was dry, the second that it was rather warm. She looked around and saw that they were now in the Badlands. Dragon territory.
“Well, this is rather bold,” she said. “You sure you’re not worried about accidentally starting a war with the dragons?”
Sunset then appeared on one of the nearby rocks. “Don’t worry, there isn’t a dragon within fifty miles of here and I doubt any of them come out this time of day anyway.” The rock she was standing on suddenly floated into the air. “Now let’s finish this!”
The rock flung in her direction but Starlight managed to teleport away before firing another blast of magic in Sunset’s direction. She figured now there was nothing to hold either of them back.
The two continued their duel, causing small explosions that rocked the entire area, although surprisingly it didn’t seem to attract any unwanted attention. Sunset had to admit, after almost three years of being stuck in a different dimension, it felt so good to let some steam out, or in this case magic that could practically destroy all of Canterlot. But then something strange happened.
The two of them attacked at the same time, causing a large explosion to erupt which caused an almost bone-shattering shockwave. But that was when Sunset saw it: a hole had appeared right where the explosion took place and it was suddenly sucking them in.
“Aaah!” The pull on them was too strong to escape and both of them were sucked into the black hole which soon disappeared.
The first thing both of them noticed about the room they were in was that it was bright. The second was that the walls were all covered in monitors, which suddenly turned on and had the same picture of the two mares looking around.
“Where are we?” Starlight asked. “And what just happened?”
“I think…” Sunset didn’t want to believe it but there was no other explanation. “I think we just fell into another dimension.
“Welcome.” The voice came from behind them and they turned around. There was a large chair that sat in the middle of the room and it suddenly turned slowly, revealing an older black, gray, and brown pony.
“And who are you?” Sunset asked.
“I am the Architect,” the pony said. “The one who sees all and knows all. It seems your little game has brought you here unexpectedly.”
“Did it, or was that your doing?” Starlight asked. As she stared at the pony, she couldn’t help but feel as if she had seen this pony somewhere before.
“Oh, it was nothing of my doing I can assure you,” the Architect said. “But now that you’re here, you can finally learn the truth about your world…and others just like it.” He picked up a remote and pushed a button, causing the monitors to reveal footage of different ponies and, to Sunset’s surprise, humans as well. “It’s amazing how parallel the worlds can be. It can be a different time and different place but without a doubt there will always be a Sunset Shimmer or Starlight Glimmer somewhere, whether in equine, human, or who knows what other form. The universe, as I see it, is a fascinating place.”
“This is nice and all but we’d like to return home,” Sunset said.
“Hm…leaving so soon? I suppose it can’t be helped if such things are just too overwhelming for young minds such as yours.”
“Wait a minute…” Starlight squinted as she looked closer at the pony. “Discord is that you!?”
“What?” Sunset stared at her.
“Oh…was I really that obvious? Drat…” The pony snapped his hoof and in a poof of smoke the familiar draconequus appeared. “You know, it’s funny I really wanted to make you think all that funny conspiracy stuff that that dear mare – what’s her name…Lyra – usually spouts off about. Oh well, the cat’s out of the bag now…”
“Wait…it’s really you?” Sunset said as she stared at him.
“Oh that’s right, we never met!” Discord quickly went over and shook her hoof. “Now, I know Twilight may have said a few things but I can assure you it isn’t true!”
“What is even…” Starlight wasn’t sure what to think.
“If you’re wondering where you are, well, I consider this home,” Discord said. “Well, not this place exactly. My home is in the middle of a raging storm of chaos, so to speak. I…don’t think you want to go there, especially after what happened to the last pony who tried to deliver me mail.”
“So…you were watching us?” Sunset asked.
“Oh yes! Quite the entertainment I must say! I had a hard time keeping track of who was winning too! But I can obviously say you two are quite talented. Not as talented as me of course but…it’s not bad.”
Sunset and Starlight shared a glance. “So…can we go home now?” Starlight asked.
“Oh fine if you must!” Discord then sat back down in his chair. “The door on your left will lead you back to Equestria. The door on your right…actually that just might be a closet so I’d stick to the door on your left.”
“It was nice seeing you Discord,” Starlight said, rolling her eyes as she opened the door and went through.
Sunset was about to go through but then stopped and looked back to the draconequus. “You know…there’s a lot I really want to ask you…”
“Oh I’m sure.” Discord then went through a planner he had. “Hmm…well I am supposed to be meeting Fluttershy for tea and sandwiches tomorrow at three…I suppose I could ask if she wouldn’t mind having you come as well.”
“Uh…sure?”
“Splendid! Then we’ll have much to talk about!” Discord waved to the mare as she went through the door, still not a hundred percent sure what just happened.
The two of them were suddenly standing in the field where the whole duel had begun. “Well at least we’re back,” Sunset said. “That was weird…”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Starlight said. “You know if you don’t mind…do you think we can call the whole duel thing off now? I’m kind of…not in the mood for it anymore.”
“Yeah, if anything I feel kind of hungry now,” Sunset smiled. “Want to go somewhere?”
“You know, I think a trip to Sugarcube Corner sounds like the best solution,” Starlight grinned. “I’ll lead the way.”
The two mares went off towards Ponyville leaving two other ponies and a dragon behind. “What just happened?” Trixie asked.
“I have no idea,” Twilight replied. “I…guess it’s over then?”
“So it’s a draw?” Spike asked, looking slightly disgusted. “Oh well…I’m going back in and watching the hoofball game.” He then headed back to the castle, leaving the two mares behind.
“Well, that wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be,” Twilight said.
“Hm, well Trixie supposes we may have…pushed it a little too far,” Trixie admitted.
“Well…you know…”
“What?”
“I’m just saying if you’re interested…since I don’t really have anything else to do.” Twilight had a grin on her face. “We never did quite settle that last duel if you remember.”
Trixie stared at her for a moment and then a mischievous grin formed on her face. “I was wondering when you were going to ask me.”
“I figured we could do it this time as friends and not as adversaries.”
“That’s fine with me, but don’t think I’ll go easy on you this time Sparkle. My skills have improved since the last time we dueled.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
