The Last Sunny Days of Equestria

In truth Princess Twilight Sparkle had laboratories in Canterlot and Ponyville, in case she ever needed one in a hurry. She'd teleport between them, transferring equipment as needed, never far away from her latest projects. While the succubus and lamia were currently docile, allowing her to run some tests unimpeded, she'd need more help to finish.

Thankfully her double stepped in, mane tied up in a ponytail, glasses on her snout, and a lab coat she borrowed wrapped around her. “Ready to work anytime!” Her eyes poured over the notes scrawled out on a blackboard.

Sonata hung around to watch, staring at the spirits of her sisters hovering nearby with a tilt of her head. She'd paid Flash Sentry a visit in the hospital with Sunny, then Tempest had collected and deposited the mares here at their request.

“Uh-uh. Hmm. I don't know.” Fluttershy nodded and looked skyward, lost in thought while she chatted with the captive creatures. “Um, they want to make some sort of deal with us? Or more specifically, with the Dazzlings?”

“Huh, for realsies?” Sonata looked between her siblings then trotted forward. “So, let's hear it!”

Fluttershy listened to their chatter which no one else could interpret. “It seems they'll soon be whisked back to Tartarus since they're spirits who've taken flesh, unless...unless they unite with somepony here. They think if they combine with Adagio and Aria, maybe they'll be able to fool the afterlife and stay in Equestria? Do you think it can be done?”

“I've heard about similar deals with demons,” noted Princess Twilight. “They usually don't end well. But maybe with a little science we'll be able to avoid any treachery? Well, ultimately it's up to the Dazzlings to decide, I suppose.”

“We'll, er, confer or whatever?” Sonata waltzed into a corner to chat with the spirits.

Princess Twilight jotted down some more notes. She'd sent Nurse Redheart to her Flash Sentry to help him get over his reason troubles, hoping it would enable him to mend faster. Hopefully Tempest Shadow wouldn't mind him getting some side action too much! She still wasn't certain where they all stood in their little open relationship, as they constantly tested the waters.

She drew a few runes on the tubes where the monsters were stored, which would send a jolt through them if they lied or attempted to break free. While she didn't like to do this, there wasn't any harm in taking precautions, right?

Tempest Shadow marched into the lad. “Princess, trouble in Canterlot. Another portal has opened.”

“On my way. Twilight, could you take over for me?” She smiled at her twin then cantered off.

Sonata rejoined them. “My sisters'll do it!”

“Good. Think I can complete the formula,” the formerly human Twilight stated. “But I'll need complete concentration, okay? I'll need to borrow Adagio and Aria. Oh, and privacy, too, so do you all mind leaving us alone for a while? No distractions.”

Fluttershy nodded and headed out. Sonata frowned, and studied the hovering colored orbs, shooting them a sad smile before she reluctantly abandoned the lab, too. Once they left Twilight closed and locked the door. “You, over here.” She directed Adagio to where the succubus was, until she hovered within the tube. “And you here.” Aria rested where the lamia was. “Good.”

She'd rigged up some of the equipment stored here to resemble some of her inventions back home. To bolster it she'd rerouted all the power she could hear. Magic was a wonderful thing, almost without limits. She'd seen the results with all the damage Sombra, Tirek, and so many others twisted by the darkness had caused in her world. But now she'd turn the tables!

She flipped a heavy switch. The room went completely black, save for the glowing tubes where all the power funneled, the monsters screaming as jolts of electricity crackled through them. They thrashed, while Adagio and Aria found themselves bound to the creatures, sharing the same searing agony as they were slowly melded to their souls.

Twilight watched, seeming indifferent over her spectacles which reflected the pair. “Don't think I've forgotten what you did to my brother.” While upon her momentary ascension Sunny had tried to banish all the darkness from the world, small traces still remained, one rooted deep in her heart. A seething resentment after the Dazzlings had murdered Shining Armor that she'd locked away. But it smoldered and grew over time, unable to accept that they hadn't ever been properly punished.

Before her the abominations started to twist while their souls melded, the succubus taking on a likeness similar to Adagio's, and the lamia Aria's, their half-mare forms exceedingly lovely to hide the she-devils Twilight knew they really were. She tapped on the reinforced glass as the shocks whirred down. “I know you can hear me. Too bad nopony else will. This place is sound-proof. That means you're both mine, to do whatever I wish with. I'll say it was a freak accident. By then, you'll both be back in Tartarus! And who knows? Maybe Shadow Scythe will tear your souls to pieces!” She managed a humorless cackle.

“Wh-what do you expect us to say?” Aria sniffled as tears pooled down her face. “No matter how many times we apologize, we can't bring him back. We can't do anything but try and make amends for the rest of our lives.”

“This isn't like you,” observed Adagio who pursed her lips. “Yes, we're monsters, but are you? I don't think so.”

Throwing the switch again, Twilight briefly sent another round of volts through them, making them shriek as she upped the intensity. “Don't try and manipulate me, Adagio! I know what you're like!” She huffed and turned off the torture device.

Memories flashed through her aching head, reminding her of the mad scientist she'd almost been twisted into by the darkness, but she shook her hesitation aside. If she didn't act, who would? She couldn't allow them to get away with what they'd done! If she forgave them, it would be like betraying her brother, saying it was okay that they'd murdered him!

“It's okay,” whispered Aria who choked on sobs. “I know I'm terrible. I'm ready to face whatever you think I deserve.”

Adagio shook her head. “If you think we got off too easy, take it before Celestia and let her decide. But do this, and you'll be a step closer to being like us. Can you truly live with that? Think it over, carefully.”

Shadows fell over Twilight's face while she bowed her head and momentarily pondered her words. “I know you're still trying to play with my head. It's what you always do. You almost destroyed my relationship with Sunset Shimmer, after all.” Stomping a forehoof, she threw the switch again, hitting them with such intensity this time their bladders messily emptied.

“How undignified,” she mocked when she paused their treatment, remembering the way they'd drank her brother dry and left his pallid, naked carcass on the bloodied streets. “But still way better than you treated him!”

“Please...I'm the one who made Aria this way,” murmured Adagio. “Her sins are mine. But I know she can be better. So please, let me take responsibility. I'll do whatever you want for as long as I live, just please let her go.”

“Sister,” whispered Aria who teared up even more. “No, I couldn't let you-”

“You don't get to play the heroine,” said Twilight who let loose her ponytail and ruffled up her scraggly mane. “And you don't have any options, either! No more of your pitiful begging, demons! I'm sending you straight to Tartarus where you belong!”

She was about to throw the switch one last time, only now she wouldn't stop until they were both dead. No doubt after the thousands they'd murdered the underworld would be eager to gobble them up; and she hardly felt any remorse for a pair of demons caught in the mix. However, a forehoof closed over her own, stopping her. “Who the-?”

*****

Despite all the monsters that spilled through the portal, between the Pillars and Element Bearers from both worlds, plus lots of help from their friends it took less than an hour to clean up the bedlam that beset the area. Sunny watched from the sidelines, unable to contribute more than an occasional push from her telekinesis, disappointed she was once again obsolete.

“This is almost too easy,” said Discord with a snap while he turned a pair of nagas into a bed of flowers. “Bored, bored.”

“I think we've had enough excitement for the time being,” replied Tempest Shadow who launched another series of beams. Beside her Spike took to the air, torching the devils and driving hordes of them back into the glowing rift. “I swear, all this clean up duty while we flit between Ponyville and Canterlot...” She sighed heavily.

While there was a fair amount of property damage, by the time the dust cleared there were no casualties on their side, those who were able to fight much having helped with the evacuation. “That's a relief.” Sunny wiped her sweaty brow. “Oh, hey Flash.”

“Hey yourself.” He smiled, hovering in place beside her with beats of his wings. “Luckily, my double will be okay. Nurse Redheart's, um, taking good care of him.” His cheeks colored a bit. “Anyhow, nice to see you're well.”

“Suppose so. Really need to practice some more. Without any advanced spells I'm dead weight.” She plucked another flower, gnashing it between her chompers. It had an almost sickeningly-sweet flavor, no doubt Discord's doing.

Princess Twilight wandered up. “Sorry, didn't mean to listen in, but maybe I can help with that? Invite the other 'me' and Rarity, too! Heck, everypony might as well come, I'm sure AJ's, Dash's, and Shy's new powers could use some practice, and they're pretty much the same as magic from what I can tell! I'd love a chance to study them, anyhow!”

“That's a nice offer. Sure,” answered Sunny with a laugh.

“And I'll train with Flash Magnus if he'll have me,” said Sentry. “We'll need all we can muster to deal with these Titans.”

“Yes...” Twilight bowed her head, remembering what she'd read in some of Starswirl's scrolls and suspicious of where these Elemental Titans may have come from. Hit with a sudden bout of inspiration, she turned. “Discord-?” But he'd vanished.

*****

Twilight Sparkle adjusted her glasses as she did a double-take. “Trixie?!”

“Close enough.” The stranger smirked. The coloration was all wrong, more inline with Twi's own but a lighter shade, the hat and cape decorated with rows of closed eyes and lips. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Beatrix Belladonna, traveler from a parallel dimension, daughter of Trixie and Shining Armor from where I come from, who happened to stumble upon this Equestria!" She doffed her wide-brimmed hat with a theatrical bow. "But that's not important right now.”

She circled the room, her cloak closed at the neck by an eye-shaped piece of jewelry. “What matters is that Sunset Shimmer's still out there...in a sense. I don't know who's behind this, but Shadow Scythe's working with them. I barely managed to give her the slip. I couldn't speak with Sunset directly, but I could feel her presence in the portals, helping me take control of them momentarily. She saved my ass. I'd like to return the favor, but all I could sense is she's somewhere in Tartarus.”

“Probably with whoever Shadow Scythe's allied with,” replied Twi and the witch nodded. The darkness threatened to die away inside her, yet one look back at Adagio and Aria almost brought it rushing back to the surface.

“Actually, Sunset sent me here specifically for a reason, I'm sure.” Beatrix pursed her lips while she studied the Dazzlings. “She sacrificed herself to save them, too. Isn't that the best way for them to atone? By continuing to fight for Equestria?”

“But I...I...” Twilight's wails echoed and she stumbled into Belladonna's grasp, burying her face while she wept for her brother.

The venom in her heart bled away, banished to the dark where it belonged, until only her sorrows remained. Maybe she'd never be able to forgive the Dazzlings, but somewhere deep down she knew she'd have to work with them, if she ever wished to recover Sunset Shimmer. By now Adagio and Aria had fully molded to their new forms, their souls united with their hosts.

Using her aura Twi pressed a few buttons and opened the tubes. “Thank you,” said Adagio.

Aria shook her head. “We'll spend the rest of our lives making amends, I swear it!”

“I'll hold you to that,” replied Beatrix with a smirk. “Now, let's find Sonata, okay?” She unlatched the door and told them all a bit more about herself while they headed out, figuring she could fill in all the details on their way.

Twilight barely heard her, still distant. She wiped her glasses and rubbed her eyes. What had come over her? It was like she'd been possessed, trapped in a nightmare, almost completely falling to the residual evil left behind by the machinations of Tirek and Sombra. Keeping her distance from the Dazzlings, she continually mulled over their current predicament.

*****

In the depths of Tartarus a hulking creature cast a shadow over its prize. “You've been very bad, Sunset Shimmer.” A hoof rubbed over an artifact he'd dubbed the Coffin of Light and Darkness; a sarcophagus-like cocoon where the savior of the other world now remained entombed. “Who could have know you'd be able to interfere with the portals from within?”

Siphoning her power, he'd fused the two parallels worlds together, and once united they would be his to rule over. But he'd need far more power to break down Sunset's resistance, and thus far, his Elemental Titans and Shadow Scythe had been hampered in their duties. Perhaps he'd have no choice but to take a more direct approach in the times to come?

“Huh, cozy little place you have down here.” Discord chuckled, casually popping up next to the coffin. “Is that-?”

“You.” Grogar stomped forward. “You're a fool to come alone.”

“Oh?” With a raised paw over his mouth Discord yawned. “And what can you possibly do to-”

Before he could finish, a Titan tunneled up from the rock, bursting to the surface and wrapping its rocky arms about him. He recognized it as Crunch, a sturdy sentinel he'd believed long dormant. Discord tried to blink away, and when that failed to alter his shape, but no matter what he thought up his ability to warp reality was immediately neutralized. “Curious. Now how exactly are you-” His eyes went wide as he started to turn back into stone.

“My territory, my rules.” Grogar snorted. “Some would-be hero.”

Resigned to his fate, Discord summoned up all his power, trying to channel it at once in the hopes he could overturn the neutralizing effect. “Forgive me, Fluttershy.” He closed his eyes, the air around him seeming to unnaturally churn. Was Sunset Shimmer somehow helping him now, from her prison? He thanked her silently, his consciousness fading.

Cracks rippled through the golem, Crunch's core overloading as energy was funneled into it. The one it had absorbed from Squirk to make it stronger also doubled as a weakness, proving too much to contain now that Discord charged it up with what magic he could still drawn upon, the almost impossibly hard shell turning brittle under the impact. “M-master-”

A boom sounded amidst an explosion of light. Tossed backwards along with the sarcophagus, Grogar tumbled as clouds of debris filled the hellish caverns and temporarily blinded him. By the time it cleared, all that remained of his servant the the intruder was a nasty black stained on the cracked floor. He rose to check on his artifact, still seeing Sunset sleeping inside, the unicorn curled up in a fetal position below the translucent surface. “No matter. I have plenty more servants...”

Almost on cue Shadow Scythe reappeared. “Forgive me. The interloper escaped.”

His nostrils flared. “And how will you make amends for this blunder?”

“I still have Inky Rose's soul,” she reminded him. “They'll return for-”

“No.” He stomped with such force the interior quaked and she reflexively shuddered. “I can't have them snooping around here anymore. For now, I'll retreat even deeper into the labyrinth. As for you? Return to Equestria and lure them into a trap. Use your minions to whittle their numbers down. Do so, and you'll be well-rewarded. I don't think I need to explain the price of failure...” His blazing eyes settled on the dark spot, like a twisted silhouette forever etched on the earth's core.

“As you wish.” Trying to hide a sneer, the Grim Reaper mare hurried off to enact her latest plan.