Among Canterlot’s elite, there were few ponies as unflappable as the Court Bard, Delta Requiem.

A pegasus mare gifted with the rare ability of spellsinging, in effect enabling her to cast spells via song, she had a reputation for keeping calm in the middle of crises, and was almost always wearing a smile or smirk of some kind, as though she knew things that others didn’t. Which was very often the case, given both her power and the fact that she was one of Celestia’s most trusted agents and advisors, able to entertain guests and carry out covert operations in equal measure.

But she wasn’t smiling right now.

Delta had not participated in the Nightmare Night celebrations this year, as she’d recently come home from abroad in the Griffon Kingdom on a trip that was half concert tour, half diplomatic mission. She’d normally not trust Discord with such festivities or alone with the Princess any further than she could throw him, but the Princess had insisted he was trustworthy as long as he was having fun, and she knew Celestia well enough to realize that she was—unbelievably—looking greatly forward to some quality time with her former Draconequus drakefriend and the chance to cut loose, knowing Discord could cover her tracks and give her the perfect excuse to do so quite readily.

In the end, Delta had acceded despite her misgivings, simply out of fatigue more than anything else. With everything that had happened on her overseas trip, from concert scheduling snafus to locking wits with an Ibexian agent that sought to undermine her negotiation of a new trade agreement between Equestria and the Kingdom, she found she wished only for a few days of rest. Unfortunately, fate was against her tonight, as she was woken up by what, to her, sounded like a magical bomb going off in Canterlot.

She was out of bed and at her window in moments, her ears tracking back and forth, trying to locate the source of the disturbance. For Delta possessed a uniquely sensitive set of ears; as an adjunct of her powers she could ‘hear’ the ebb and flow of magic throughout her general vicinity quite keenly. And something had happened that threw the local magic severely off-kilter.

It took her a few moments to track the source, and another to actually spot it. When she did, she sat back heavily. “Princess? But How?!” she asked, as she watched what was clearly a magically corrupted Princess Celestia fly off in the direction of Ponyville, her mane filled with fire and possessing what looked to be male attributes as well as a much greater level of power—or perhaps she simply wasn’t restraining herself any longer as a byproduct of whatever evil magic had grabbed hold of her. “How did this happen?” she wondered again.

Her first guess was that Discord was somehow to blame, but she didn’t sense him at all, which was in itself very odd—if it WAS him, he’d no doubt be nearby gloating to anyone and everyone while laughing in his usual, uproarious tone! she realized, and then picked up several other odd magical signatures that she recognized as belonging to Pinkie Pie’s curious means of movement. A moment of focus however made it clear only one belonged to the Element of Laughter; the others were similar, but not quite like that of Pinkie Pie. Altogether there were four unique signatures, and the earth pony magic that underlay them seemed… different, somehow. Enhanced but twisted in a manner she couldn’t yet quantify.

With that, she woke up fully. “Canterlot Castle to Delta; Magical Crisis on dragonfire gem one…” she muttered to herself as she splashed some water on her face to try to refocus and gather herself for the difficult and critical tasks ahead. Sighing, she grabbed her cloak and clasp from where it lay beside her bed and donned them, outfitting herself in her usual regalia.

Once she was sure they were securely in place, she went out to her balcony again, preparing to go after her tainted princess. “Priorities,” she murmured to herself, half wondering if somepony had arranged all this just to deprive her of sleep. “As per contingency plans, I’m Celestia’s failsafe if she goes rogue. We’ve planned for this; I just have to contain her until the Elements can purify her, then find out what the hay happened to cause this and shut it down.” She allowed herself a wry smile as she stretched her wings and prepared to take flight. “Given that we’re heading for Ponyville, the first part shouldn’t take too long…”

In comparison to their earlier conquests, the CMC had little issue with invading Silver Spoon’s abode and converting both her and her entire family.

For the latter, they had allowed her best and longtime friend to do the deed, sending Diamond Tiara into her bedroom while they stayed downstairs and took her parents and grown older sister, who’d already been driven halfway mad by a simple walk home in the rain and were making out hard on the downstairs couch while Silver Spoon slept upstairs.

In the end, they surrendered themselves to the enticing and overpowered Crusaders quite easily. Before long, the three former fillies had added another Kirin, Cyber Pony and Timberwolf to their ranks, leaving them to their lovemaking and stated desire to find their neighbors while the newly adult Crusaders collected their friends for further fun.

“Welcome to the new and improved CMC, Silver Spoon!” Fireflight invited her newly adult, newly Kirin and newly very well-endowed friend, giving her an affectionate hoof noogie that quickly turned into a fresh makeout session as the other Crusaders looked on in delight and approval. They couldn’t help but note Silver Spoon’s exotic Kirin features, her brilliant silver mane and tail tassel to go with a slightly darker gray coat an addition to very dark gray mask around her eyes and the striped reddish horn jutting out of her forehead, far more curved than a unicorn horn would be.

“Thanks! Wow, I really needed that. I love these new abilities, too!” She disappeared in a flash of fire to rematerialize across the room, only to frown at the smoking hoofmarks she’d left. “May have to watch myself now, though…” she admitted as Cyber Belle extinguished the flames. “Sorry, Mom and Dad!”

“Quite all right, dear!” her equally Kirin but formerly unicorn mother, Fine Flatware, answered slightly breathlessly as she was rutted hard in her tailhole, her tongue lolling out as her husband, Copper Cutlery, rode her to orgasm once more. Her climax caused her own form to briefly ignite, scorching the floorboards beneath her.

“Well, as it seems I have the same issue, we’ll just have to fireproof everything. Tomorrow, though! Are you going out with your friends again…?” Fine Flatware asked while her Timberwolf husband rumbled happily as he knotted her tail, turning around so he was facing away from her with a sigh of relief and a goofy grin on his muzzle as their oldest and now-androidified daughter Fruit Fork recorded the festivities through her eyes for future playback and fun, pleasuring herself by stroking her new cybernetic organ all the while.

“Yeah! If that’s okay? Diamond Tiara says we’re gonna go visit Ms. Cherilee!” she announced to eager nods from the others.

“Oh!” her mother blinked, then nodded. “Oh. Well, okay, then—you’re an adult now, after all! But before you leave, come and give your mother a kiss!” she invited, and Silver Spoon promptly took her up on that, kissing each of her parents and then her big sister passionately in turn as her friends looked on, thoroughly enjoying the scene.

“Sure ya don’t wanna stay here?” Timberbloom asked as Silver Spoon joined them again, her tapered half-equine, half-leonine erection drooling glowing and slightly smoking liquid on the floor. “They look like they’re havin’ a whole lot of fun!”

But Silver Spoon only shrugged. “Ah, they’ll still be here later! We were supposed to go to the park tomorrow, so I’ll have more fun with them then. And besides, Ah wanna get Ms. Cherilee before anypony else does! I wanna be the one to convert her!” she said to eager nods from the others, then led their next cheer.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, Teacher Transformators, YAY!”

“Or wait, is that even a word…?” Fireflight wondered as she hovered on her fire-tipped Phoenix wings and led the group out the door.

“It’s not in my dictionary!” Cyber Belle noted, more text scrolling across her eyes.

“Ah don’t know. But reckon we can ask Ms. Cherilee when we see her!” Timberbloom pointed out. “Last one there’s a rotten apple!” she announced as they alternately raced, flew, phased through the floorboards or teleported out the door.

Starlight Glimmer was certain the fates themselves were toying with her as she witnessed one of her greatest nightmares brought to life, silently praying she could just close her eyes to wake up and find it had all been a dream.

“I’ve traced him here! Now WHERE IS HE?” the altered Alicorn that had previously been Princess Celestia thundered again in her Royal Canterlot Voice, her mane and tail ablaze and immense Alicorn energy radiating off her. Its intensity was redoubled by whatever the curse had done to her; her sheer level of power even giving Nightmarity pause.

“Where is my darling DISCORD?” she demanded of all present, and then her fiery pupils fell upon his limp form. The formerly potent Chaos God stared back at her in shock as Fluttershy bravely interposed herself, flaring her large membrane wings protectively and trying to ward the crazed Sun Princess off with her stare, to no effect.

“Greetings, Princess Celestia,” Eclipse offered carefully to her enraged regent, bowing low and flaring her wings before her like she was but her student and subject again. “Be assured Discord is temporarily immobilized and depowered but otherwise unharmed. And I will be more than happy to return him to you—once I can be assured he will serve me.”

Celestia, or whatever she had become, was completely unplacated by her promise, scanning Discord with her magic and quickly determining his condition. “He can’t move or cast? What sorcery is this?” She attempted and failed to remove the amulet around his neck herself before rounding on her student again. “Just what have you DONE to him, Twilight Sparkle?

“Nothing permanent, I assure you. He’s trapped by a simple application of Harmony magic, and thus, it will take all the Element bearers to release him from it. I simply couldn’t let him interfere in my plans until he’d been… properly reconditioned. And I am no longer Twilight Sparkle, Princess. No longer a Princess either! As of this moment, you may call me Queen Eclipse!” She stood up straighter before her former regent.

“What? A Queen? You?” Celestia, or whatever creature she had become, openly laughed. “Spare me such ridiculous notions. You know nothing of power or ruling a nation, my overly-ambitious apprentice! But in time, you will learn. I am ruler of this realm, and no longer will I take a passive role! I will rule not just Equestria but the entire WORLD! Not as Queen, but as Empress, with my sister and my beloved Discord at my side!” she proclaimed grandly as a still-bound Starlight was certain that somehow, this was her fault as well, and worse, simply switching cutie marks wasn’t going to cure it.

“I am Power Incarnate; the Avatar of the very Sun! So call me Celestia no longer, for that weak and worthless being no longer exists! Now and forever, I… am… DAYBREAKER!” she announced for all to hear, releasing a massive wave of fiery magic that let all present know she could consume them in an instant in her sun-fed flames if she wished.

“Remarkable…” The unperturbed Nightmare considered her lazily as she listened to her former enemy’s speech. “I knew you had a dark side, but never thought it was this potent, my dear Daybreaker.”

It was only at the sound of Rarity’s voice that Daybreaker noticed the Nightmare. “YOU!!!!” she all but snarled and took a menacing step towards the possessed mare, who regarded her coolly even as her flames burned hotter, causing Annie Smith to take a nervous step back and find a patch of wood in case she had to make a rapid exit. “You DARE show your face in my presence again, Nightmare?”

“Why, hello, Tia,” The Nightmare greeted with a mock bow that went no deeper than her neck, not moving from her lounge. “I must say, it’s so good to see you finally embrace your inner evil. I must admit, I never knew you had this level of repression within you. Such a pity. For if I had, I might well have attempted to possess you instead of your sister!”

“Foalish demon! I am NOPONY’S puppet, least of all to a failed usurper like YOU! I spared you once, but this time, I will NOT be so merciful!”

“Ah, but you didn’t, for the sake of your sister. And if you attempt to do away with me now, you slay one of your very own element bearers. So tell me, Tia—are you that far gone?” she asked in only idle curiosity.

“Far GONE? I have in fact arrived, Demon, in my purest and most powerful form! I am finally free to rule this realm properly, unhindered and uninhibited! And I will start by removing ALL threats to my rule!” She charged her horn, which crackled with raw magic before Eclipse interposed herself.

“Stand down, Princess,” she requested politely. “I will not let you harm my friends—even a possessed one—or rule this realm as a tyrant,” she warned.

“HA!” Daybreaker mocked. “It would appear, my deluded former student, that I have coddled you too much! That in the course of your training, I neglected the most important lesson of all—how to be a proper ruler! Perhaps if I had made you my lover as I did Sunset Shimmer, you would have remained loyal to me! But perhaps there is yet time to rectify that oversight!”

Her grin turned evil and lascivious all at the same time; her massive stallionhood rising to erection beneath her belly, reaching proportions even impressive for her larger size. “So be it! I will teach you all my considerable erotic arts in addition to the Imperial ones, and when it is over, you will be both a loyal lover and a worthy satrap to my eternal rule! Before long, all beings of BOTH worlds will worship the glory of the sun!”

“Or sunbutt,” Pinkamena couldn’t resist a dig, earning her a fiery glare and shocked looks from her sisters and the corrupted weather team, who immediately stepped or flew back from her.

“Such insolence will NOT be tolerated, Pinkamena Diane Pie! Not even from a former Element Bearer!” Daybreaker warned. “For I am not the Celestia you once knew! In place of a weak Princess, you will have a mighty Empress, as dark and as terrible as the dawn! As treacherous as the sea! Stronger than the foundations of the very earth!” Her mane blew in a summoned tempest as raw magical power crackled around her in a display none present could match or hope to resist. “All shall love me and DESPAIR!”

“How original.” The unimpressed Pinkamena rolled her eyes and picked at the grooves of her hooves with the edge of her knife.

Eclipse looked upon her mentor’s assets in something close to longing, her own stallionhood rising to attention for it. But nevertheless, she forced herself to deny her own desires. “As fun as being your student and lover might be—I can only imagine all the sensual spells and tricks you know from your long life!—I’m afraid I cannot allow that, my former instructor. For it is clear that you have lost your way even as I found mine. And for it, it is time that I ascend to my proper place as ruler of Equestria, as I now realize was always my destiny to be!”

“What? You dare to stand against ME, Twilight Sparkle?” Daybreaker demanded to know, baring her large and pointed teeth. “Without the Elements, you cannot hope to defeat me! I have been an alicorn for far longer than you, and with my true self unleashed, my power dwarfs even yours!”

“It’s Eclipse. AndI dare, my former teacher. You intend to rule the world with an iron hoof? I intendto rule through friendship and love; though the sharing of my gifts and sensual arts with others, as is my place as the Element of Magic and Avatar of Friendship! And if you cannot see that and seek to resort to brute force in your rule, then you must be stopped. Fortunately, I have the means to do so.” With that, she cast a complicated incantation that encased Celestia in a shield while also summoning her tentacles again, which quickly wrapped around her mentor to restrain and pleasure her.

“Such impressive, if not sorely misguided, delusions.” Daybreaker looked more amused than alarmed at her constructs. “But fear not, my wayward student. For I will quickly disabuse you of such foalish notions of superiority! Over the course of my tutelage, you will learn your place, Twilight Sparkle, and how to properly pleasure your Empress! For your destiny lies where it always has been—at my side!” The castle shook as she began to break her magical bonds with contemptuous ease, snapping them one by one with a toothy grin while a series of spreading cracks appeared in Eclipse’s shield.

Despite the overwhelming display of power, Eclipse did not flinch. “I’m afraid you’ve got it backwards, my mentor,” she said, and then summoned a small crystal in a vial from right out of the floor, and, instead of taking it in her aura, she picked it up in her gilded hoof and threw it right at the corrupted Celestia, who smirked at the small projectile.

She attempted to pluck it in her aura only for it to pass right through it and the faltering shield completely unaffected, and land at her hooves where the restraining runes were. It broke and, upon contact with the ground, the crystal inside began absorbing the magic of the runes like a sponge, its mass instantly expanding and spreading throughout the runic area, turning them to an exact crystal copy. Within moments its effect had reached Daybreaker herself… and didn’t stop.

The crystallization effect crept quickly up her legs, likewise turning them to the same exotic gemstone, immobilizing her rapidly and shortly spreading onto her torso, progressively consuming her body with chilling ease.

“What is this? Twilight Sparkle, WHAT HAVE YOU—!” Daybreaker shouted just before she lost the ability to speak, the crystal rapidly overtaking her entire body, freezing her vocal chords.

“What have I done? Simple. This is a curious crystal I discovered and named Anticantite. It has the singular property of converting a magically-infused item or being to more of itself, imprisoning but not killing them in the process, putting them into something akin to crystal stasis,” she explained quickly, and with no small measure of regret.

“It is unaffected by most magic, and the more magically powerful you are, the easier it captures you, because the more fuel you are feeding it,” she recited, watching as a shocked Daybreaker was quickly consumed by it despite several frantic attempts at counter-spells. They all failed, but her former student was not quite able to keep the pain off her face for it.

“I synthesized and refined it in the course of my alchemic studies, but decided to keep it secret as it could be very dangerous in the wrong hooves—and because it was an excellent failsafe in case you or Luna ever turned evil again. Or if some other world-ending magical threat emerged when the Elements of Harmony were unavailable,” she noted as only her mentor’s head now remained free of the effect, a look of shock on her features.

“But don’t worry, Princess. My research on it was quite thorough, so I also know how to undo its effects and release you from it. And I will—once your evil side is purged and your loyalty to me is assured, that is,” she promised as the transformation completed and all that remained of her former teacher was an exact crystal replica of her, the very tip of her horn crystallizing last, ending the threat of the power-mad princess. “For you are right about one thing—I do wish to be your lover. I do want to learn as much of the erotic arts from you as I can! And so I will! In due time.”

“Whoa…” Thunderlure spoke first as the process completed and all was quiet again, the magical effect diminishing to reveal a fully crystallized Daybreaker, her form perfectly preserved and rendered by the crystal.

“Wow…” Annie Smith called out. “I’ll say it, Clipsie—I’m impressed.”

“As am I,” Pinkamena granted in what Eclipse realized was high praise. “Have to admit, I never knew you had that level of deviousness in you, Queenie.”

“Wow. I wouldn’t mind having her as a home statue,” Maud granted in total deadpan, going up to and inspecting Daybreaker’s exquisitely shaped erection. “If it was me, I’d put her right beside a Discord statue and enjoy them daily,” she said matter-of-factly, causing the paralyzed Chaos God’s eyes to dart to her in very real fear.

“I did what I had to do,” a numbed Eclipse said as much to herself as the others as she closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then turned her gaze on her possessed friend, her emotions roiled and voice clipped as she addressed the entity within her. “I trust, Nightmare, that this display is not lost on you.”

“Quite,” Nightmarity said from her lounge with a suddenly dry voice, but then smiled. “It would appear I have misjudged you as well, darling. For all your airs of Friendship and Harmony, you are clearly every bit as ruthless as me if you would do such a thing to your own mentor,” she noted before relaxing fully. “But I am not worried. For you would not dare use such power on me. Not so long as I possess the portal. Or your friends.”

“That remains to be seen, demon,” Eclipse replied through a clenched jaw. “But if we are to negotiate over such matters, let us go to the map room, where we may do so formally,” she invited as in the floor above them, the map completed its call to the human realm and the two circling cutie marks faded from view.

As the night wore on, Spike found himself feeling strangely restless.

As his new family brought him a steady stream of additional mates, some more willingly than others, he converted them all in turn, adding them to his still-growing harem. Occasionally, they at least weakly objected, but the barest whiff of his smoke and the sight of his large twin erections quickly weakened their will and silenced their voices… and if that didn’t work, his organ filling their muzzles did the trick nicely; he found he took particular pleasure in making stallions orally pleasure him—or better yet, watch them writhing in helpless pleasure as their tails were impaled on one of his double drakehoods.

In this manner, he converted pony after pony to join his new family, receiving their cries of pleasure, transformations, and oaths of allegiance in turn, and soon found himself with a roomful of half-dragon, half-equine ponies who were openly lovemaking, sitting among them as their king—as their Dragon Lord, he corrected himself; finally understanding his true destiny.

Wow. Who’d’ve ever thought that the contest I helped Ember win also applied to me? he couldn’t help but recognize the irony even as he made out with his two newest arrivals, Lyra and Bon-bon, taking them both in the tail at once.

With now nearly thirty ponies under his thrall and more arriving by the minute, he called a halt to the gathering, feeling strangely troubled.

“What is it, Spike?” Carrot Cake asked as he rode a young filly to orgasm, giving her double drakehoods of her own and making her grow to adulthood for it. “Is there something wrong?”

“I’m not sure…” the now-mature seven-foot tall drake answered, getting up and going to the window to look out over the town, crossing his arms over his erect organs, idly pleasuring a newer unicorn mare arrival with the spade of his tail; she shortly climaxed with a burst of magical sparkles, screaming his name. He smiled at that, but then turned forlorn again.

“I just don’t get it, Mister Cake. I have everything I could ever want or need. All the love and loyalty a Dragon Lord could ever desire. And yet… I still feel unfulfilled,” he admitted, looking down for a moment as his erect organs, which he guessed hadn’t subsided once in the past several hours; as ready to go as ever. “For something is still missing…”

“But what could that be, dear?” a returned Cup Cake asked, now nursing and nurturing not only her foals but all her new harem mates, as two stallions were locked on to her teats, drinking down her motherly milk eagerly. “We all love you. But maybe there is somepony specific you need. Maybe Twilight…?” she suggested gently from her back.

He thought about that. “Maybe…” he finally conceded, rumbling softly as he scratched his chin, allowing Noteworthy and Amethyst to begin pleasuring him anew, laying a paw on each of their heads in turn. “I admit I do miss her. It does seem a bit unfair to not be with her,” he granted, looking out the window towards the Friendship castle in the distance, backlit by lightning as it was. “But no… I think it’s something else I’m missing. But what…?” he asked again, only to suddenly freeze as the answer occurred to him, his slitted eyes going wide. Then, to the surprise of all, he began to laugh.

“Spike, you utter foal…” he told himself as the rest of his forty-pony harem looked on in some confusion. “You forgot the most obvious ponies of all!”

“Obvious ponies?” Noteworthy asked around a mouthful of his Lord’s left organ. “But who?”

“My first loves. My first lovers. The fillies who rescued me when I was in despair over Rarity, ridiculous though I now find my onetime feelings for her,” he explained somewhat cryptically, and then raised his voice for all to hear:

“I give you new orders, my beloved ponies! There are three fillies without whom I will not be complete or happy! Three fillies who earned their ascension and their place at my side!” he proclaimed grandly.

“And who would that be, dear?” Cup Cake asked as she continued to nurse more ponies, finding her milk never running out.

“I guess you wouldn’t know, because we kept it a secret, but… no longer! All of you! Go forth and bring me the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

The courtyard outside Canterlot High was alive with nervous chatter from students and administrators alike as Twilight and Sunset readied to cross the portal.

For her part, Twilight had packed an assortment of technological toys, even though she wasn’t sure how they’d be affected by the portal passage or the magic of the other side. “I think they’ll make it through,” Sunset decided after giving it some thought. “Past experience has shown that stuff in a backpack or satchel tends to pass through the portal intact.”

“Forget that stuff, Sunset! You need backup to deal with this ‘Eclipse!’ So we’ll come with you!” Rainbow promised.

“Me too!” Flash stepped up, his earlier fear of crossing the portal forgotten.

“No!” Sunset insisted. “No. I appreciate the thought, guys, but the map called us specifically, and from everything I’ve heard, it summons only those needed. I don’t know what bringing along more people would do, but it’s probably best not to find out now.”

“But…” Pony Trixie was beside herself, her eyes darting wildly as she tried once again to convince her new human friends to stay, some part of her wondering what had possessed Sunset Shimmer to not only cross over, but decide to stay in the human realm, which was even more alien and unsettling than she’d imagined. “But that doesn’t make any sense, Sunset Shimmer! If just you two go to Equestria, you’ll be breaking up the element bearers here to do it! And Starlight’s plan required that the human elements be activated! Which means you all have to be present in the same place!” she pleaded.

“Don’t worry, Trixie. The Elements of Harmony actually work a little differently here,” Sunset promised to knowing grins from the others. “See these stones we’re wearing? They’re each infused with magic and grant us each our own specific powers. Mine is memory absorption, as you’ve already seen. And the others…?”

“Super-speed!” Rainbow proclaimed, zooming around the grounds leaving a rainbow trail before finally coming to a stop with her elbow resting on the shoulder of the human Trixie, who flinched.

“Super-strength!” Applejack lifted a full apple bobbing barrel.

“Crystal constructs,” Rarity demonstrated next, forming a shield, and then encasing herself in some elaborate armor. “As you can see, I’ve been practicing…”

“Explosive confetti!” Pinkie added with a demonstration, throwing some up and causing a series of sharp cracks and sparkles in the air. “And it’s so cool!”

“Seriously?” An unimpressed Sugarcoat rolled her eyes over crossed arms.

“And I talk to animals,” Fluttershy shrugged, looking up and frowning. She then whistled and called down a series of bats to hang from her arm. “Oh, you poor dears. We’re disturbing you? I’m sorry. Would you like some fruit punch, then?” she asked them to a series of chittering sounds she took as a collective yes while she walked over with them to the bowl.

“Aw, come on, Fluttershy! I’m not drinking from that now!” Rainbow stuck out her tongue as her friend held the bats upside down over the surface to let them have their fill.

“So as you can see, even separate, we’re not defenseless,” Sunset noted, only for Trixie to shake her head even harder.

“But Eclipse is sure to know that! This is Twilight Sparkle we’re talking about, and if yours is anything like her, you know how she overplans everything! N-No offense…” she added with a nervous glance at the human one, still uncertain if she really was any better than the pony one she’d fled from. “The point is, it’s beyond belief that she wouldn’t be prepared for your crossing or have the means to deal with you when she crosses!” she spelled it out, terrified that the human bearers were about to make the same mistake of underestimating Eclipse that Starlight had.

That gave Sunset and Twilight some pause. “She’s right,” the latter admitted. “If it was me, I’d have contingency plans for everything I could think of. And I can think of a lot…”

“Point taken,” Sunset granted, her Widget face turning frowny for a moment even as it was still muted. “But I keep coming back to this: the map summoned us, and us specifically. Isn’t that right?” she prompted Trixie.

“Y-yes…”

“And has the map ever been wrong?” Sunset followed up.

Trixie had to think about that, but was clearly unhappy at the conclusion she reached. “Not that Trixie knows, but—”

“Then we have to trust in it—trust in Harmony itself. It says we’re needed, so we’ll go. It’ll be okay, I promise. Stay here, Trixie. My friends will take good care of you.”

“Don’t worry,” Trixie told her even as she wondered if, as Eclipse said, her refuge in the human world was only temporary. “For where could Trixie even go here?”

“Oh, we have to show her all around!” Pinkie spoke up. “There’s so much to introduce her to! The school… the mall… Camp Everfree… and all our favorite movies!”

“Pinkie, if you suggest showing her Coital Convent, then by my Granny’s special reserve cider, Ah swear Ah’ll—”

“What? No, silly! I was thinking more of some BoobTube videos! I mean, she should at least know something about who we’re all costumed as, right?” She began flipping through her phone functions.

“Well, maybe…” Applejack granted as Trixie listened in some confusion and Flash approached Sunset.

“Sunset… are you sure I can’t come with you?” he asked. “I really want to!”

“Positive. I’m sorry, Flash, but you wouldn’t know your pony form and wouldn’t be able to do much right now,” she told him honestly.

“But it’s my Twilie we’re talking about! I want to help!” he begged her, still attired in his speedster costume.

“And you can!” She put her hand on his shoulder, then raised her voice so the entire student body could hear. “Everyone, listen up! I’ve thought about it, and maybe there is a way that magic cast here can get through the portal. Get your instruments! For the level of spell we’ll eventually need to fix all this, we’re going to need a massive amount of power!

“And for the amount of ambient magic around Canterlot High at this point, it isn’t just the Rainbooms who can generate it any longer—you all can!” she proclaimed, to some sounds of surprise from their costumed classmates. “You need to guard the portal and, when the time comes, generate a counterspell song the same as the Rainbooms did to defeat the Sirens!”

“A counterspell song? But how?” Flash asked. “Our bands haven’t ever practiced together!”

“Just trust me,” Sunset’s smile turned sly as she squeezed his shoulder. “Trust me that as long as you believe in your friends and your friendships, when the time comes, it won’t matter.”

“If you say so…” he answered with a dubious look at his bandmates, but nevertheless left with them to obey, heading for their lockers.

“We’ll do what you say, Sunset. But there’s still one unanswered question: how do we open the portal if it’s been closed from the other side?” Rarity asked.

“With our own magic,” Twilight answered instantly, reaching into her bag to pull out a second pendant, nearly identical to the one she wore around her neck. “I can use this to drain magic from us and then transfer it to the portal. Simply infusing it with Equestrian magic should open it again—at least temporarily. The magic can come from any of us, and by my calculations, one person’s magic will be sufficient for one transit.”

“Nice. But you keep those with you?” Rainbow pointed at the pendant.

“With so much unfamiliar magic flying around here lately, you just never know when they’ll be needed or some new magically-infused supervillain will need to be drained. But don’t worry—I’ve got much finer control over it this time,” Twilight promised as she saw the dubious looks on her friends’ faces. “The magic we need doesn’t have to all come from one person, either. I just need a little from each of you, and by my calculations, I can charge the portal enough to allow for two passages.”

“See why I like her? She’s smart, and she’s sexy!” Lemon Zest announced, leaning against a sorely annoyed but still aroused Sour Sweet, her elbow jauntily resting on her classmate’s shoulder.

Twilight’s cheeks flushed even as everyone else glared at Lemon Zest, but then the former got a slightly fiendish smile that almost made Sunset think she was channeling Midnight. “But then again, it would be more efficient to take the magic from one person. And for our first volunteer…” She turned the pendant towards Lemon Zest and switched it on, causing it to immediately suck all the magic out of the Shadowbolt girl, who had just enough time to realize what was happening before she suddenly slumped forward, to be caught by Sugarcoat.

“Hey! No fair…” she got out just before she fell limp and shortly asleep to the cheers of her classmates.

“She’ll be fine in a bit,” Twilight promised with a smirk as an approving Sunny Flare attended her. “Might wake up with a splitting headache, though.”

“That all? Pity!” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Reckon Ah still wanna slug her… okay, so that’s one. Who’s the other one?”

“Me!” Flash stepped forward to Sunset’s surprise. She started to object only for Flash to hold up a halting hand. “I’m doing it, Sunset. You and the Rainbooms are our best line of defense, so you guys need to save your magic. If I can’t come with you, then let me at least help you by giving you mine!”

“You’re sure, Flash?” a genuinely touched Sunset asked. “For that matter, are you sure you have enough magic in you?”

“Yeah…” he said, if a bit uncertainly. “After all the time I’ve spent with Twilie, I’m sure I’ve got enough. I can’t sit this one out, Sunset! I gotta help Twilie somehow!”

Sunset exchanged a look with Twilight, who nodded gravely and instantly raised her opinion of him by several notches. “Okay, Flash. Just sit down and hold still…” the latter instructed, then waited until he had obeyed before turning her device on him. As it visibly siphoned him, his bandmates caught him before he slumped forward in a full faint, then laid him out on the bench.

“Poor Flash,” Fluttershy said, releasing the bats to tend him instead, tucking her backpack under his head as Rarity rushed him some water.

“Sweet feller,” Applejack agreed. “It’s funny, though. Ah mean, we went without magic for so long, you’d think we wouldn’t have this reaction to suddenly not having it again.”

“It’s because of magical withdrawal,” Sunset explained as she likewise felt a pang of pity for her former boyfriend. “It’s a thing in Equestria among unicorns, though it can happen to the other pony types as well if you spend all your magic. When you’ve had magic in you for so long, your body feels its absence keenly and can’t immediately function without it. You become exhausted and in extreme cases, quite ill.”

“Really? That makes it sound like a drug!” Indigo pointed out as she helped fan Lemon Zest, who they’d laid out on the grass.

“Trust me, friendship’s a hell of a drug…” Rainbow shared a knowing glance and smile with Applejack as Twilight stepped up to the base of the Wondercolts statue and hit a second control, causing the pendant’s absorbed magic to flow back out and into the portal. It glowed dimly at first, and then with increasing brightness as Twilight continued to feed it more power; Sunset tested it by pushing her arm into it and noting it instantly transformed into an equine foreleg and hoof past the barrier.

“Okay, we’re ready!” the former unicorn mare announced as she mentally centered herself, preparing to become a pony again, reminding herself of how her body would work on the other side as she’d kept trying to walk upright the last two times she’d passed. “I’ll go through first to deal with anything on the other side—we’ll trust the map that we can get through, and even if Eclipse did trap it, reckon I know a few magical tricks she doesn’t after all the time I spent in the restricted wing of the Canterlot Archives back when I was Celestia’s student.” She closed her eyes and smiled.

“So wait about thirty seconds, and then follow me, Twilight. And don’t worry—since you already know how to use magic, you’ll be able to adjust to your pony form just fine.”

“It’s not myself I’m worried about…” a newly nervous Twilight muttered as she gathered her courage and then looked down to realize she was still in the blue business suit and red tie of her favorite character, while Sunset likewise had on her yellow blazer and skirt, white shirt and blue tie. “Um, you know… we’re not exactly dressed for an infiltration mission to Equestria, Sunset.”

Sunset chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry—the portal will take care of that. As soon as we cross, we’ll be ponies and naked.”

“Oh. Then I guess it’s… wait—what?” Twilight called out to some scattered snickers and whistles as Sunset stepped through and was instantly swept forward, out of sight.

Eclipse and Nightmare had been negotiating for twenty minutes by the time the portal flared back to life in the spa it still sat in, now guarded by the Nightmare’s servants. The magical surge was instantly picked up by all present as it disgorged a new arrival, who instantly put down the surprised sentries.

“And now what?” Nightmarity asked, not recognizing the aura’s owner but sensing she was a powerful unicorn mare if she’d been able to overcome her siren servants so easily.

Eclipse instantly recognized the magical signature of the latest arrival, and smiled happily, baring her teeth as she realized her plans to cross the portal and convert the human element bearers were about to come to fruition far sooner than she dared hope. “And now a new challenger appears…”

Author's Note

Another month, another chapter... with at least one more coming and hopefully two in time for Halloween.

I mentioned in the earlier blog posts that this chapter would plug a plot hole in the MLP movie, and specifically, it was what the three princesses were hit with that so easily overcame them and turned them to stone. It was never explained what it was or where it came from, so this chapter sought to.

In a nutshell, it was Twilight's own invention turned her against her, very similar to what happened in the DC comics movie Justice League: Doom where Batman's contingency plans for neutralizing the various members of the Justice League if they ever went rogue were stolen and turned against the team. In my view, Tempest Shadow therefore stole the crystal from Twilight and perhaps tweaked it to make sure any countermeasures Twilight had developed for it wouldn't work. That's something I would incorporate into an eventual fix-fic for the movie if I ever got around to writing it.

Thanks as always go to Denim_Blue, Silentwoodfire, and AJ_Aficionado for prereads, as well as to Leo Archon for contributing a big chunk of the opening section with Delta Requiem, whom you may remember from the original Unleash the Magic: Midnight Rising. She's Leo's character, and appears in many of my works under different guises with the same basic power and personality. My including him is a bit of a thank-you to him for his contributions and help, as Delta's an interesting individual with a rather unique set of abilities and take on things. Her role here? You'll see in due course, as well what she meant by saying she was Celestia's failsafe.

More is on the way. In the meantime, hope you enjoyed the latest!