A Tale of Sparkles and Black Magic

All the festivities across Equestria, before so vibrant and energetic, came to a screeching halt as the horror unfolding in Canterlot became known. In every city and town with access to Crystalvision, all the children were herded away from sets while most of the adults watched, eyes glued to their screens, nervously holding their breaths. Those who weren’t aware of Black Magician Girl’s arrival quickly realized her intention to protect Canterlot Castle, and also horrified to see her surrounded by hundreds of zombified ponies. The monster wearing a chimera’s body stood before her, a sight somehow more intimidating despite only being a singular entity.

Rarity had arrived back to Ponyville with all of the train’s passengers, quickly informed everyone of what was happening, and joined them in watching and praying for Black Magician Girl to emerge victorious. She, along with all of her closest friends, stood at the forefront of the crowd clustered around the town’s Crystalvision. The feed remained trained on the castle gardens and the unfolding confrontation between the monster now known as Dio Brando and Black Magician Girl.

“You don’t think something happened to the princesses, do ya?” Applejack asked, looking up at the star-strewn night sky, devoid of either the sun or moon.

Rarity looked around at all the ponies joining them in watching the Crystalvision. It was impossible to know what they were all thinking, but it stood to reason that at least some of the concern and fear etched into their faces was a result of the ominous change in the sky. That was certainly the case with all the foals constantly asking questions to the adults tending to them.

“We should believe in Black Magician Girl,” she said after a few moments. “She has indicated that her teacher can revive the dead, so the stakes aren’t as grave as we might think.”

“Oh crap!” Rainbow shouted.

On the screen, Dio Brando’s mouth moved and he made a motion with his tiger’s paw. All at once, the zombie ponies charged. Black Magician Girl took flight on her staff, but all the pegasi among the crowd were still able to swarm her. Magic blasts filled the screen as she fought back like a cornered rat, blasting zombie ponies away with reckless abandon. The desperation in her face was clear even with the distance between her and the camera crystal and with a golden barrier in the way. A good number of the zombie ponies rushed past her instead. A second later, ripples began running through the barrier as, presumably, they began bashing it in an attempt to break through to the castle.

“She needs help!” Rainbow shouted, taking flight.

Applejack glared at her. “Rainbow Dash, don’t you go doing anything stu—”

She didn’t get to finish her warning as Rainbow was little more than a blue speck in the distance in a split second.

“Oh, horseapples!”

Rarity put a comforting hoof over her orange friend. “Everything will turn out okay, Applejack,” she soothed. “I am certain.”

Applejack sighed. “I get that. But you’d think she’d’ve learned to think before actin’ by now. Ya know?”

“True. True.”

“Zombies, break down that shield!” Dio instructed. “And kill that girl if she gets in your way!”

Black Magician Girl took flight on her staff, but all the pegasi were still able to charge her. She fired off Black Burnings one after another, knocking around the zombies like bowling pins. Holding her own against the pegasi was easy enough, but the constant sounds of zombies bashing against the shield were a constant reminder that she didn’t have much time. Dio watched her with sadistic glee.

“Surely you have the power to overcome all these zombies?” he taunted. “Or perhaps you don’t wish to be responsible for hundreds of innocent deaths?”

Black Magician Girl grit her teeth at him. She had promised that her mentor would revive everyone Dio killed, either directly or indirectly, but using Resurrection of the Dead hundreds of times? That seemed like too much to ask for even him as his student. At the same time, reversing zombification didn’t seem like a possibility. Her hesitance towards utilizing her most powerful magic was chipped away with each passing second.

“That hesitance is the mark of your pathetic humanity!” Dio shouted.

A new round of laser vision shot from his eyes, directly towards her. She summoned her Magic Cylinders, catching and redirecting the attack back at him. But she didn’t have time to see the results as another pegasus charged her. It reached before she was able to get another attack off, resulting in her being knocked off her staff from its blow. She landed hard on her bum, only having a second to wince at the pain before a horde of ground-bound zombies rushed her. She turned and ran across the gardens, hopping over a hedge before calling her staff back to her. It appeared back in her hand and she hopped on it, taking to the air again just a second before a zombie’s jaws snapped the air where her foot was. She repositioned herself high above, firing off a few more Black Burnings at some pegasi and dodging another round of laser vision from Dio.

I have no choice, she finally decided. Mahad, please uphold my promise.

Dual pink rings formed at the tip of her staff, gathering power with each passing second until they were the size of her entire body. Dio continued watching with sick amusement as she pointed her staff at the crowd of zombies. She shot a brief glance up at everyone on the balcony watching the fight. No, everyone in Equestria watching. She said a silent prayer that they’d forgive her for what she was about to do.

The magic discharged from her staff, sending the dual rings shooting at individual ponies, over and over, all throughout the crowd. Each hit vaporized its target on contact, leaving no trace of their bodies behind. Dio watched, smug, as she proceeded to vaporize every single zombie in the gardens over a chorus of shocked gasps and protests from those up on the balcony. He didn’t try to attack her, content just to watch her get her hands dirty. Stallions, mares, even foals, and non-pony creatures were all killed by her hand. The fact that it was in self-defense did nothing to lift her spirits, but she couldn’t let her sadness cloud her judgment. The final dual ring projectile sailed towards Dio, but he effortlessly dodged it, leaving it to crash into a pony statue, shattering it into many tiny pieces.

“How do you feel, knowing now that you’ve murdered more people than even myself?” Dio taunted.

Black Magician Girl didn’t give a verbal reply. Instead, she raised her staff towards Dio again. He had proven to be near indestructible, but she still had a few attacks to try to beat him into submission with.

“Thunder Bolt!”

Electricity gathered at the tip of her staff, shooting forth at blinding speed towards Dio’s head. In the time before the attack reached him, he was only able to move his enormous chimera body about a centimeter to the left. The thunderbolt struck dead on, covering his form in a blinding light, the crackle of electricity filling the air. Dio’s agonized howl filled the air, but it was impossible to see how effective the attack was through the light.

The light faded after a few moments. The smell of burning flesh reached her nostrils; a good sign. Dio’s form laid on the ground, charred black spots littering his body which spasmed every other second. On the balcony, she could hear the ponies cheering with glee. She wasn’t, not when she knew a vampire’s strengths and weaknesses.

Dio’s laughter reached her ears, silencing everyone. His forelegs dug into the ground, hoisting him up, revealing the horrifying, disfigured state of his face. A single good, maniacal eye stared at her. She stood her ground, matching his evil gaze with her defiant own as his face reformed itself.

“Do you really not know what you’re up against!?” He then proceeded to slice off his tiger’s paw, letting it fall to the ground. A second later, thick tendrils sprouted from the resulting stump which immediately got to work reattaching the severed arm. The whole recovery took less than a few seconds. “My body is enhanced beyond that of puny humans! A mere bolt of lightning means nothing to me! The only thing that can kill me is sunlight, and I’ve removed the only pony who can use it against me. For now, at least, but my reign will be eternal regardless.” He pointed at her, his posture resulting in a very awkward, yet flamboyant pose. “I’ve seen your power for myself, and I know you have nothing capable of defeating me, Black Magician Girl!”

“Then how about this, bub!”

A blue blur with a rainbow contrail shot across the gardens in a fraction of a second. Dio had no time to react before his face was caved in, blood flying from his mouth in response to a blue hoof attached to a very pissed-off pegasus mare giving him a venomous look. Time seemed to slow down, allowing Black Magician Girl to take in all the details of Dio’s pain. His body careened across the gardens, smashing through several more statues and plowing through the ground, eventually coming to a rest at the edge of the gardens.

The pegasus zipped over to Black Magician Girl, the burst of wind kicking up her skirt, making her yelp, and shove it back down.

“Here to help,” the pegasus said, saluting.

Black Magician Girl blinked, off-put by the pegasus’ sudden appearance. Their choice to help seemed more the result of recklessness than bravery. She was more of a liability than anything, regardless of her speed and strength.

“You’re Rainbow Dash, right?” she asked.

“In the flesh!” the pegasus answered, puffing out her chest with pride.

Black Magician Girl kept Dio in her peripheral vision while she continued talking. “I understand you want to help, but if you don’t have magic, then you’re only putting yourself in danger against Dio’s power.” She put herself between Rainbow and Dio. “Leave this to me.”

“As if! Two heads are better than one. Let me weaken him for you.”

“Wait, no!”

Rainbow Dash shot off like a blazing bullet just as Dio recovered from his injuries. He didn’t have any time to prepare before Rainbow Dash launched into a barrage of punches, zipping all over his giant chimera body to strike each body part. Murderous rage colored Dio’s face beneath the resulting agony. Rainbow Dash gave one final punch, sending him careening across the gardens again, this time into the barrier protecting the castle. He bounced off it, falling onto the ground in a tangled, bloody heap. Black Magician Girl seized the opportunity, charging up for another Thunder Bolt. It fired successfully, striking Dio before he could get up. But nothing happened, aside from a large plume of steam rising off his body.

Seeing that confused Black Magician Girl. Then seeing Dio’s smirk made it clear he’d done something to protect himself. Rainbow Dash took flight, charging towards Dio for another assault. In the short span of time before she reached Dio, Black Magician Girl realized what Dio was doing.

“Rainbow! Stop!” she cried.

Rainbow’s hoof reeled back for her first punch, aimed directly between Dio’s eyes. Everything happened at a breakneck pace but was still clearly discernible to Black Magician Girl’s perception. Rainbow’s hoof iced immediately upon contact with Dio’s head, her scowl melting away, replaced with confusion and fear. The ice quickly spread along her entire hoof, freezing everything below her shoulder.

“What the—?” She fell to the ground, her frozen foreleg shattering upon impact. Her resulting scream was drowned out by Dio’s laughter.

“I was feeling thirsty,” he said. “Fortune once again favors me.”

He dug his claws into Rainbow’s coat, drinking her blood while she attempted to push away, her face contorted with pain.

“Yes,” Dio said, intrigue mixing with his evil grin, “your blood is very powerful. I suppose having my face disfigured was worth it for such a meal.”

“Stop it!”

Black Magician Girl fired off another Black Burning, but Dio managed to dodge the attack at blinding speed, disappearing and reappearing several meters away in the span of a second with Rainbow in tow.

“Yes, yes!” Dio laughed maniacally. “I have the ability to claim the magic that courses through you ponies alongside your blood. That sweetness, that tangible burst of energy… it’s only fit to be wielded by one of my genius!” He easily dodged two more attacks, all while Rainbow’s attempts to escape grew more sluggish, eventually stopping by the time her face was as dead and hollow as all the other zombies.

Black Magician Girl felt tears run down her eyes. All the innocent deaths that she couldn’t prevent were becoming too much for her to bear. Trying to attack anymore was pointless, so she didn’t try, instead stopping and watching as Dio drank the last of Rainbow’s blood before tossing her undead carcass to the ground. Soon enough, she rose on her hooves, staring at Black Magician Girl with the expected blank stare. She readied her staff, waiting for Rainbow to charge with wide, hungry jaws.

“J-Jerk.”

Both Black Magician Girl and Dio adopted looks of surprise. That surprise visibly grew as Rainbow turned around, staring up at Dio.

“Die jerk!”

She lunged forward, sinking her newly sharpened teeth into Dio’s body. He winced in pain, but it was a simple matter for him to push her off.

“Why are you attacking me!?” he asked, pointing to Black Magician Girl. “That’s your target, minion! My vampiric essence should have a complete hold over you!”

Shakily, Rainbow stood up. Black Magician Girl caught a brief glimpse of the defiance in her face before she turned to face Dio again.

“I never abandon my friends,” she croaked out in a raspy, guttural voice. “Including my friends’ friends.”

Dio scowled. “Useless!” He lifted his forelegs, bringing them down upon Rainbow’s head. Her skull was instantly smashed against the ground, scattering bone fragments across the gardens. Black Magician Girl was too stunned by her ironclad defiance to react.

“No matter, I have all the power I need just with her blood. Although, I suppose I should commend her for being strong enough to resist my control,” he said, kicking away what remained of her body. He turned his attention back to Black Magician Girl. “It’s time to finish this!”

He sped across the gardens towards her. She barely had any time to react as he took a swipe at her with his paw, jumping out of the way before taking flight on her staff. Dio shot round after round of laser vision while she swerved in midair. She wracked her brain for a plan, anything that could take him down now that he was supercharged. The only thing that could kill him was sunlight, but the only thing she could do was try to beat him down enough until he couldn’t fight anymore. She needed her mentor to fix everything, but leaving to go after him would mean abandoning the ponies long enough for Dio to potentially take over. There was no easy solution, but the longer she was forced to be on the defensive, the more she was afraid there wasn’t a solution at all.

“Is there nothing you can do, Black Magician Girl!?” he shouted gleefully. “Then perhaps you aren’t the obstacle I assumed you to be!” He pointed to the barrier. “That barrier can’t withstand my power, but I haven’t been attacking it because I assumed you would at least give me a good challenge! It’s time to claim the princesses’ thrones for myself!”

He turned to face the barrier protecting the castle and shot another round of laser vision. A very sizable crack was left where the pressurized fluid struck. The ponies watching from up on the balcony shrieked with alarm. Dio continued striking against the barrier while Black Magician Girl charged up a Diffusing Wave. It was the only attack she had left which could potentially defeat him. It had a set charge time, so she was forced to watch Dio hammer against the barrier with reckless abandon, enlarging the crack into a spider web pattern.

Silently, so as not to alert him, Black Magician Girl launched the Diffusing Wave while Dio’s back was turned. It sailed through the air, a single dual ring that would annihilate him upon contact. Dio raised his paw into the air, preparing to bring it down upon the barrier for one final, critical blow. Instead, he swung it around, slicing off his tail with one clean strike. It ended up taking the hit in his place, vaporizing instantly. Black Magician Girl felt her heart sink.

“Now, one final strike!” Dio exclaimed. “Finally, the thrones will be mine! I’ll finally have a world to call my own, free of Jonathan Joestar, all the power and riches I could ever want, and without anyone who can stand up to me once I destroy the Window!”

He raised his paw again, bringing it down. The despair clutching Black Magician Girl was heavy. She had failed everyone. There was nothing left she could do to protect this world. More tears streamed down her eyes.

“I’m sorry, everyone!”

“I hope that includes me, Mana.”

Black Magician Girl had all of a split second to register the voice before a purple blast of magic sailed past her, kicking up a short burst of wind that lifted her skirt. But she was too distracted by the sight of the magic hitting Dio’s head, blasting it apart like a watermelon, scattering bits of his brain all over the gardens. His body slumped to the ground and began twitching, no words coming from him. She turned, slack-jawed, as she saw Black Magician step up next to her, brow furrowed with worry but even more disappointment.

“Mahad...?” The sight was unbelievable.

“We’ll discuss your punishment for running away after we deal with this monster.” He prepped his staff as Dio’s exploded brain began regenerating.