The Last Sunny Days of Equestria

Trapped somewhere between a state of waking and dreaming, Sunny and her team struggled to hold onto the dollhouse which was being ripped apart by a whirlwind. Above them Arabus continued to loom, laughing while he toyed with them, the Titan easily able to suck them in but choosing instead to take his time and enjoy his latest toys.

Torn beams and other debris circled skyward and whipped about. Rarity's illumination was fading, while Adagio and Aria struggled to keep hold of a badly wounded and unconscious Sonata. With gritted teeth Dagi also clasped the jar with Inky Rose's soul close to her bosom, unwilling to let it be snatched away after they'd tried so hard to claim it.

“Yo! We're kinda fucked,” called Sunny over the howling winds. “Aren't we?”

“Don't...give it just yet,” wheezed Rarity who tried desperately to call upon more of her mysterious powers. But with the Titan's arrival they were being pulled out of the dreamscape, back into the comparatively mundane reality.

“At least this punk took care of Shadow Scythe,” yelled back Aria who's tail curled around a beam for support.

“For all the good it will do us,” whispered Fluttershy who was still sniffling over thoughts of what happened to Discord.

Arabus hovered closer and looked them over. “Now, who should be first?” The cloud-like figure's gaze settled on Beatrix. “You're the one who's been interfering with master's portals, aren't you? Time to pick you apart piece-by-piece!”

The witch shivered and lit her horn, preparing a spell she knew would have little effect to defend herself. That only made his boisterous laughter boom louder, knowing that all of them combined would be no match for him under any circumstances.

But before he could strike, Mr. Spider hurtled out from seemingly nowhere and clamped onto him. Immediately the gales started to die down, the duo struggling in midair. At first they believed he'd come back to aid Fluttershy, only to see that Shadow Scythe was riding atop the critter's hairy back, scowling while she guided him to attack the treacherous Titan.

“Grogar's a fool to think he could be rid of me so easily! Unfortunately for him, I know most of his secrets!” Using her strange magic Scythe exposed the glowing core hidden in the depths of the cloud. “There! Rip it out and crush it!”

“You fool,” called Arabus while he wrestled with the arachnid. “Do you really think-”

Another portal manifested around the dollhouse, this one much larger than any they'd encountered before. Almost like a bunch of the rifts in reality had somehow been tethered together. It started to close around Sunny and her companions, a bluish-white oval that shimmered and hummed, drawing them away from a conflict between their enemies.

A howl sounded from Arabus. He'd ripped Mr. Spider open with lancing winds, splattering his guts about, only for his core to be overloaded by Shadow Scythe's magic at the same time. The glowing sphere erupted in an explosive fiery tornado, the fate of the Grim Reaper unknown as the party was swallowed up and deposited elsewhere...

*****

“W-where are we?” Fluttershy trembled while she studied the odd void of shifting colors all around them. Somehow they were standing upon air, like they were trapped in some sort of purgatory. “Wait, isn't this like-”

Rarity nodded, now returned to her normal self. “Like that place Twilight described when she became an alicorn?”

“Close enough,” came a familiar chuckle as a figure materialized before them.

“Discord?!” With a choking sob Shy ran to hug him, only to pass through his body. “Oh no, are you-”

“A ghost? Something like that, my dear. Don't ask me to explain it.” He shrugged and floated about, looping his thin body. “Grogar may have destroyed my body, but it looks like I'm not really able to pass onto the afterlife, maybe due to the nature of what I am? Guess I'm trapped in limbo forever, my spirit tethered to other dimensions?” He chuckled some more.

“Thank you for saving us,” said Shy who wiped her eyes.

“Oh, I'm not the one you should thank. It's all her doing!” He pointed at Sunny.

“Me? Um, I don't understand...” Suddenly her eyes went white. “Sorry about this. It's me. Sunset Shimmer. Don't worry,” she said with a laugh when they looked somewhere between alarmed and confused. “She's practically me so she was the easiest to possess. She won't be hurt, and I'll return her body to her soon as I can, but this was the only way to communicate with you!”

“Huh,” said Beatrix Belladonna. “Thanks for all you've done! I have so many questions...”

Sunset Shimmer nodded with a sad smile. “I'm sure you all do. I've been helping channel the portals through Beatrix, interfering with Grogar's and Shadow Scythe's plans wherever I can, but in this state my power is rather limited. He's trapped me somewhere deep within the abyss of Tartarus, in an artifact he calls the Coffin of Light and Darkness.”

Adagio frowned. “Can you lead us there? And what about Sonata...?”

“She's safe, for the moment. Time moves differently here so she's stabilized, for now. But she'll need immediate medical attention. After we're done here I'll help Beatrix open a portal and deposit you somewhere safe. Maybe I can take you right to the hospital where Flash Sentry's at?” She smiled wistfully, thinking of her old boyfriend. “Tell him I miss him.”

She walked around them in a circle. “As for confronting Grogar, that would be suicide at the moment, even if I could penetrate that far. His small army of Titans are rampaging all over Equestria right now, not to mention all the demons he has under his command. This is all due to Tirek's and Sombra's actions back in the human world; they've torn down the barriers between realities.” She softened, sighing. “Adagio, Aria, thanks for helping out. I want to think I made the right choice saving you.”

“We'll make you proud,” swore Aria who was moved to tears.

“You've become such a softy,” gently teased Adagio who smiled at her sister.

“Shut up sis, you'll ruin the moment.” The Dazzlings embraced Sunny. They held her for some time, wishing the moment would never end, but knowing there was still much that needed to be done. “Isn't there some way to bring you back...?”

“I'm not sure. When I died I was worried I'd be trapped in Hell like Tirek and Sombra forever...or my soul would be ripped to shreds. But I'd do anything to make up for my mistakes,” she admitted unable to hold back tears.

“Well, this is rather touching, but we can't do this forever.” Discord drifted over, reclining on his back. “We'll be watching over you from here, so don't let us down, will you?” He blew Flutters a kiss, and she blushed with a subdued nod.

With help from Sunset and Discord a nexus opened to transport them back. “Normally I'm limited to just a rift between dimensions,” admitted Beatrix. “I can't teleport on a whim, I'm afraid, so thanks for that!”

They filed into the rift one-after-another.

*****

Twilight Sparkle had returned to the laboratory, still shaken by what she'd almost done. Grime stained her lab coat, but she hardly carried, goggles shrouding her eyes and hiding her tears. Maybe she'd never be able to truly forgive the Dazzlings...but she knew her brother wouldn't want her to grieve forever. To distract herself, she threw everything she had into her work.

Unlike Adagio and Aria, who'd taken on the host bodies of demons and fused their souls with them, Inky Rose had no such option waiting. Instead she worked in a magical construct in her spare time; a flesh golem that was an exact replica of what the pegasus would look like. Carefully sculpted by her hooves, it was anatomically correct and fully functional.

“We're home~” Beatrix hummed a jaunty tune, carrying the jar with a purple-and-black sphere trapped within. She'd left Adagio and Aria back at the hospital, with the excuse Sonata needed them; but more accurately she didn't want a relapse if she wasn't ready to handle another meeting with the Dazzlings. “Ready to bring poor Inky Rose back?”

“We'll see if it works. I'd like some more input from the mages here, but all of the best ones are busy dealing with the latest crisis.” Carefully she accepted the jar. “But I'm sure you'll lend a hoof, won't you?”

“Of course! But I'm only a mid-tier mage I'm afraid,” admitted Belladonna who pulled the tip of her wide-brimmed hat over her eyes. She trotted next to the flesh golem and her smirk widened. “Just tell me whatever I need to do.”

“Don't worry, it's not difficult. But I could always use an assistant!”

Mostly the series of directions she rapidly rattled off involved throwing switches and turning nozzles that put on a light and electric show, which made Beatrix wondered if half of this was for mere effect. It wasn't helped by Twilight casting back her head with a mad scientist cackle, her shadows dancing over the laboratory while she spun about.

However she was all business when the time came, the bottle uncorked. “Now, help me direct the soul into its new home!”

Wrapping the slippery soul in her aura, Belladonna forcefully pushed it into the golem before it slipped away. The creation was primed to resonate with it, trapping it in place, helped by the magical currents ran through the shell. This went on for several moments, until the machines whirred and wound down, several lights blinking out from the sudden overload.

Gradually Inky Rose blinked her sleepy eyes. “What,” she rasped in a muted whisper. “What happened...?”

“You traded your life to bring Moondancer back,” said Twilight. “But we've made it all better.”

“I'm...a pony now? This must be Equestria,” noted Inky as realization dawned. “Where is everyone else?”

“It will be a long story. Just rest now,” said Twilight who hugged her. “You're with friends.”

“And Pacific Glow...?”

“Sorry...there's no way to save her.” She wiped a teardrop from Inky's cheek. “I'd like to think she's in a better place.”

“Maybe.... I don't know what I should do now. Pacific and Sombra were everything to me. But he screwed us over, and I don't have anyone or anything to return to. Maybe I should stay in this world...if that's okay.” She stretched her wings experimentally.

“I think that should be fine.” Twilight tossed aside her goggles and beamed.

Beatrix strutted up. “Nice to meet you My name's Beatrix Belladonna.” She offered a forehoof and they shook. “Say, would you like to meet your counterpart here? Or what about Pacific Glow? Maybe we could track them down...”

“Meeting myself would likely just be awkward,” said Inky. “As for Pacific Glow, she's not the one I know, and if she's happy here, I certainly wouldn't want to intrude like some creepy stalker. It might be nice to see her from a distance, though.”

“Sweet! We'll make it a date soon as possible,” said Beatrix.

Inky practiced walking on her long, thin legs, smiling at her new body. “I could get used to this. Hmm, but what about Sunset Shimmer? I assume she dealt with Sombra and Tirek? I'd like to thank her, wherever she is.”

“About that.... Well, it's quite a tale. Sunny can tell it better than us I'm sure,” said Beatrix.

The trio headed out of the lab. Twilight decided to reunite with her friends, who were still practicing to master their powers, in the hopes they'd eventually be on a level to help out. By now she could cast a few simple spells, but nothing that would make much of a difference in a heated battle. Now that Grogar had loosed the majority of his forces, they would all need to be ready...