Rose-Colored and Jaded

Chapters

Chapter 1- An UNCONVENTIONAL Encounter; A Mysterious Woman Appears
Chapter 2- Pressing Circumstances; Ranger and Senshi, FALL IN!

Chapter 1- An UNCONVENTIONAL Encounter; A Mysterious Woman Appears

Chapter 1-

An UNCONVENTIONAL Encounter;

A Mysterious Woman Appears

Early morning light filtered between thin, cheap curtains, the hum of the AC unit under the window filling the empty space. A single bed occupied the room, along with the meager furnishings of a desk, TV, and stand, and a couple of night tables. Covered in the sheets, a young man in his late teens, dishwater-blonde hair matted to the pillow as he snored away.

The dim glow of the rising sun was halted abruptly by the piercing light of a fluorescent bulb springing to life from under the bathroom door. A shadow could be seen through the crack where the wooden door stopped, and the floor began. It swayed back and forth as the person inside clattered something loud into the bathroom sink. Next came the sound of something hitting the floor, followed by a hushed, “Fuck.” The figure inside scrambled to collect its belongings from the linoleum floor, then continued to rummage around noisily for an extended period of time.

This continued for well over an hour, the young man simply slumbering away before a loud, chaotic rhythm suddenly filled the room. A low groan billowed from the blond, his hand reaching out and slapping around on the end table, searching for the unseemly noise. Unfortunately, he extended a little too far and knocked his phone onto the floor, a loud thud joining the alarm. “Fuck,” he muttered, sitting up on the bed as he threw the sheets away. He sat for several moments in his shorts before he took a moment to glance at his still screaming cellphone. He grunted and reached out with a toe, turning the alarm off. With the sound deceased, he leaned forward and scooped up the device, using the momentum to stumble out of bed.

His back arched as he yawned, scratching his stomach as he thumped towards the bathroom. His head hit the door first, hand knocking soon after. “Peeeggyyy,” he moaned loudly, forehead still pressed on the door. “You in there?”

The closer to the bathroom door he got, the easier it was to make out what the person inside was saying. “-gonna throw this eyeliner outta third story window!” She grumbled. Swiftly, she chucked the little bottle of black liquid into the sink and huffed. After a moment of contemplating how to murder a makeup product, she finally noticed the voice on the other side of the bathroom door. “Yeah, babe, I’m in here-” She called out, reaching over to pull the door open. “You gotta piss?”

“Just checking on you,” he answered, scratching at his chin. “Everything okay in there?”

She glanced back at the sink to shoot the glorified eye paint a death glare before opening the door. “Yeah, just gotta stop by the hardware store on the way home from the convention.” She smiled at him as she stepped out of the bathroom. “I’ve gotta fit my eyeliner for a pair of cement shoes…” She was already in her costume, ready for their trip. She adjusted her bright yellow skirt, then tucked a piece of orange and silver hair behind her ear. “So, whaddaya think? Look okay?” She twirled in place, then posed with her hands on her hips.

Green eyes traveled up and down her form, taking in her costume. The loose, white blouse, tied together at the neck with a lovely blue bow, thigh-length goldenrod skirt, blue stockings to match the bow, and chocolate brown flats. A small smile grew on his face. “Beautiful as ever,” he complimented, eyes lingering for a moment before meeting her gaze.

The newest accompaniment to her ensemble was her flushed cheeks. She nervously gripped the edges of her skirt, avoiding eye contact with him. “W-well, thank you for saying so…” Her flat heels clicked against the floor as she turned her back to him and walked towards the bed to sit. “I worked real hard to look this way…”

“And it certainly shows,” he replied, still smiling as he walked over and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. He gave a little chuckle at her blush before he turned and started on his way to the bathroom. “Now it’s my turn.” He grabbed a large duffel bag as he went, the sides slumping without any form of support. He turned and flashed a little grin before closing the door. There was a bit of a commotion as he began to get ready, a bit of hushed singing accompanying it.

She flopped onto the bed, her hand pressed firmly against the cheek that he had kissed. She leaned back against the headboard, her arms crossed in front of her. One quick button press and the cheap television clicked on. Her brows furrowed as she contemplated their interaction. “He always makes my heart pump like crazy…” She mumbled to herself, then smiled. “Derrick, you’re such a good person…” She glanced at the closed bathroom door, then focused on the TV once more.

About twenty minutes passed before the door opened up again, the light casting a shadow into the room. “Whattaya think?” Derrick asked, widening his arm as he held a helmet under the other.

Peggy sprung up from the bed to look him up and down. A colorful coat collar, sharp, metallic shoulder armor spilling clean-cut rainbow lines of sewn fabric across his chest, then down to the middle of his shins and out along the bottom edge of the white trench coat. Each arm was adorned with a silver band around the bicep and silver and blue bracers around the forearm. Under the coat was a white and silver full-body suit tucked neatly into a pair of two-toned silver leg bracers and a pair of white boots. The whole costume was held together by a silver belt with an electric blue morpher as the buckle. The helmet shared the outfit’s color scheme of white with rainbow lines, the colors cascading from around the visor and out around the back of the helmet. Two sharp, white accents stuck out from the forehead of the helmet, not unlike the pincers on a beetle, held together in the middle with a gold, shield-shaped emblem. “Well, now, don’t I just feel underdressed?” She finally spoke, now circling him like a vulture. “You’re a real pretty sight, Derry.” She stopped in front of him. Her whole body leaned forward as she pressed her lips to his cheek to return the romantic gesture from earlier. “So many folks are gonna wanna take a picture with ya.”

"People'll want just as many with you," he beamed, his cheeks tinting a bit at the edges of his grin. "At least the true fans. Might've drawn in a few more stares if you'd gone all out."

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” She crossed her arms, leaning back onto her heels. “I just didn’t feel like drawin’ that much attention to myself…” She glanced down at her outfit, frowning. “Though I regret it a bit now.” A smile that wasn’t entirely happy spread across her face. It turned into a grimace as she held the bow on her chest. “Damn thing woulda been better if the broach I ordered hadn’t been trashed in the mail.”

The young man's smile took a small hit at that, a frown starting to form. "I'm sorry, babe," he consoled, a lot of the previous energy leaving his voice. He reached out and gently rubbed her shoulders.

A few seconds passed before his eyes lit up again. "But, hey, who knows," he said, a little cheer returning to his tone. "Maybe we'll get lucky and find a stall that's got one!"

Peggy couldn’t help but giggle a little, her warm brown eyes meeting his in an intense gaze. “Oh, Derry, you always know just what to say to cheer me up. I don’t know what I’d do without ya...probably punch a wall…” She grinned wide, then plopped down on the bed. She grabbed a small, brown backpack adorned with several blue and yellow bows to tie in the colors from her costume. With one swift motion, she pulled open the flap and unzipped the main pocket. Inside was a sewing kit, a couple of snacks, a large journal, a few haphazardly scattered pencils, and-

“Tada!” She reached into the bag and pulled out two round canteens. The first was silver and white with a strap made using the leftover rainbow fabric from Derrick’s costume. The second was silver and blue with a yellow strap and several yellow bows and blue rhinestones. In a flourish, she tossed the metal container that matched his outfit to him.

Derrick caught the container with practiced ease. “Water these for?” He asked, smirking as he managed to slip his pun into his question.

Peggy snorted, nearly dropping her canteen. “Oh hardy har, Mr. Comedian. You’re hilarious.” She unscrewed the lid of her canteen, then took a large drink from it. “Joke’s on you, mine is full of lemonade.”

The blond raised an eyebrow, shooting a glance at his canteen before unscrewing the lid and taking an experimental sip. Surprise sparked in his mind as the sweet, smooth, and tangy flavor of blue Dominade washed over his tongue. “Oh, wow,” he breathed, taking a moment to lick his upper lip clean. “You really did think of everything.”

Peggy nodded, then closed her canteen. “I like to be prepared for every eventuality. What if the bus drops us off in Arizona, and we’ve got nothing to drink?” She stuffed her belongings back into her bag as she contemplated. “Well, I mean, I think we’d notice if the damn thing drove us several hours outta our way, but you know what I mean.” Two chocolate brown shoes tapped onto the floor as she stood, slinging the bag over one shoulder. “Can’t ever be too prepared.”

“Amen to that,” he agreed, picking his backpack off the floor and depositing his helmet and canteen inside. He threw the strap across his back and went over to the end table, picking his phone up and moving his coat out of the way to reveal the rest of his belt. He moved his arm to his back and stuffed it in a small pouch, adding it to a cylinder with a handle and some sort of rectangular grip. “You ready to go?”

“Sure, lemme just-” She strode quickly to the bathroom to gather her makeup from the sink. She stuffed all of it into her bag, then zipped it back up and walked out to stand beside Derrick. “There, now I’m ready, dear.”

A slight chuckle escaped him as he watched her. “Let’s go, then,” he said, starting towards the door. “That bus isn’t going to wait for us.”

“Remind me to sell a kidney when this is all over,” Peggy grumbled to Derrick under her breath as she tried to disappear into the side of the bus. She pressed her cheek against the window, her eyes watching as the yellow dashed lines on the road flew by. “I’m gonna get a damn car if it kills me.” The bridge of her nose crinkled as a stench worse than death invaded her senses. “Which one of these assholes had beans for lunch?” She whispered, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Try to relax, Peggy,” her boyfriend replied, eyes drifting to look around at the other passengers. “It’s just a twenty-minute trip, and we’ll be at the convention hall. And by the time we have to ride it again, no one will be on.”

“It’ll be the longest twenty minutes of my life in the meantime.” She huffed, then reached over to lace their fingers together. “These folks are lucky you’re here to keep me on my leash.”

“Something tells me I wouldn’t be able to do much if you actually wanted to do something,” he murmured, eyes lingering on one of the other passengers before moving on. As he did, the bus began to slow down, pulling towards the sidewalk where he could see another bus stop, a single person waiting on the bench. The vehicle lurched to a halt, the sound of the air brakes screeching before the door opened. Derrick watched as the person, a woman somewhere in her early to mid-forties, walked up the steps, quickly diverting his gaze as she turned down the aisle.

He tried to keep his eyes on the seat in front of him as the lady passed, looked further down the seats, and took the seat next to them, drawing a small satchel up to her body. The doors closed, and the air brakes screamed once more before the bus began to roll again, reentering traffic. Several moments passed, and Derrick once again looked up, continuing his silent vigil. At least until he and the woman made eye contact with one another. The auburn-haired woman gave a little smile, lifting a hand to wave.

“Hiya,” she greeted a kind, warm tone to her voice. “You two wouldn’t happen to be heading to Jabada Plaza for the convention?”

The young man only hesitated a moment before flashing his own smile. “Yeah, actually,” he answered, keeping his voice friendly. “Are you going, too?”

The woman nodded, adjusting her bag. “Indeed I am,” she answered, turning shining eyes back on him. “I’m actually a vendor. Hoping to get some sales this year.”

“Oh, really?” Derrick questioned, turning a bit to face the woman better. “What kind of stuff are you selling?”

“Oh, just some little knick-knacks,” she replied, her smile seeming to widen at his curiosity.

Peggy grimaced, her eyes still laser-focused on the road. Ugh, she’s trying to sell us some shit. Just let Derrick handle it, Peggy. Act like you don’t hear her, and everything will be fine. At this point, she looked as though her body was, and always had been, part of the side of the bus. She put the straps of her backpack over her arms backward, wearing the bag across her chest.

Meanwhile, Derrick and the vendor continued their conversation, the pair seeming to get more excited the longer they went on. “So, how many cons have you attended?” The young man asked, his curious nature getting the better of him.

“Ah, well,” she started to answer, looking away for a moment and shifting in her seat. “I haven’t been to a convention in many, many years.”

“Why not?”

The woman’s face darkened a bit at that, turning away from him as she frowned. “Well…” she started slowly before letting out a sigh. “Family came first for those years, and I let my… hobby fall to the wayside.” She stopped there, falling quiet for several moments before clearing her throat. “But, well, the kids have gone off, and my husband… well, we aren’t together anymore.”

“Oh…” the young man answered, his smile fading away as he awkwardly looked elsewhere. “I’m sorry….”

A light, mirthless chuckle echoed from the lady. “No need,” she assured, looking up and flashing a smile. “My sons and daughter are well on their way to happy lives.”

Peggy clenched her fists, caught somewhere between anger and sympathy. She didn’t want to feel bad for the woman, but part of her couldn’t help it. If her husband had been anything like Derrick, then Peggy could only imagine how hard it must have been for her to be without him. In her head, she ran circles around many different scenarios, finally settling on the belief that the woman must be lying to them in an attempt to get them to buy her wares. She inhaled, then sighed, her hands relaxing. Well, at least I don’t have much money with me. I can always say that I can’t afford her little knick-knacks.

Derrick and the woman continued to talk, going over the materials of his suit, different cosplays the woman had seen during her time as a vendor, and other miscellaneous topics, all while Peggy stewed. It wasn’t until the bus began to slow down, horns honking all around them, that any semblance of an end started to come to their conversation. The woman started to trail off, eyes darting outside of the bus while Derrick was speaking, her gaze starting to become distracted. As the bus began to pull into the far right lane, the woman’s gaze seemed to graduate from distracted to actual worry.

“I’m sorry, dear,” she apologized, turning to Derrick for a moment and holding a palm out towards his leg. “Could you give me a moment?”

“Oh, uh,” the blond answered, blinking a moment before grinning. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”

She nodded with tight lips before turning to her satchel, digging around inside of it. After a second, she pulled a little piece of paper out of it, reading from it while glancing up and out the windows. But it was what she started murmuring that started to catch the young man’s attention. “Eight-ten, left the hotel…. Eight-fifteen, get on bus…. Bus leaves main traffic and enters rightmost lane…. Eight-twenty-three, bus turns and….” She stopped and looked up, her lips drawn into a tight line.

Peggy perked up when the woman started listing off times. She ran through their day in her head, realizing that 8:10 was when she and Derrick left their hotel. 8:15 was when their bus pulled up to the bus stop. She quickly slipped her hand into her skirt pocket, pulling out her phone. With a quick press, the screen lit up, revealing that the time was now 8:21. Her whole body froze. She swallowed hard, a cold sweat forming on her brow. She shot a concerned look at Derrick, holding out her phone for him to see.

His green eyes glanced for a moment, his frown and a nod letting her know that he understood. He cautiously looked back to the woman, finding her staring out the front window. “Um, is everything alright?”

The woman didn’t answer at first, her posture tense and her features unmoving. “...No,” she finally muttered, her eyes narrowing further.

Derrick’s brows dropped, following her gaze to the front of the bus. The driver was visibly upset, pounding on his wheel and screaming, occasionally sticking his head out the window to yell while the passengers nearest him looked highly unsettled. “What’s going on up there?”

“The driver is about to meltdown,” the woman answered, eyes locked on him and the traffic outside. “Soon, his anger will get the best of him, and he’ll try to drive around three vehicles at a standstill. When he tries to turn, another bus, which has lost its brakes, will ram ours, pushing us into that building,” she nodded to the building beside them, a mass of glass and concrete held up by thin concrete pillars, “collapsing the front half, crushing many of the remaining passengers that did not die on impact with the other bus.”

Peggy felt her stomach drop, her face losing all color. She shoved her phone back into her pocket, her brows furrowing. She grit her teeth, making direct eye contact with the woman. When she spoke, her voice trembled. “How do you know? Don’t try to tell me you’re psychic.” She leaned over Derrick’s legs, then poked aggressively at the woman’s shoulder. “How do we know that you haven’t been following us this whole time? What kind of fuckin’ game are you playing, lady?”

“The most dangerous kind.” The woman’s answer was stated as absolute fact, the vendor turning her deep blue eyes on Peggy, swirling vortexes appearing for just a moment before seeming to fade away. “In less than sixty seconds, we will all die.”

Peggy felt her eyes start to water, pulling away from the woman. She glanced out the window of the bus, then flinched when she heard the driver shout again. She gripped one of Derrick’s hands, her brown eyes locked on his as she felt panic wash over her. “Then what the fuck are we supposed to do?” She asked the woman, her voice cracking as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

“You need to trust me,” the woman answered, turning to face them properly as she set her bag on the floor, flipping it open completely to reveal many small, shimmering objects. “Take these.” From her bag, she pulled two trinkets. She held a small red device that looked like an old school tape with an image of a phoenix set off to one side in her left hand. In her right, a broach in the shape of a sunflower seed with gold, looped accents on the sides.

Derrick’s confusion only grew further as he looked at the objects. “How is a Beast Tape supposed to-”

“Thirty seconds.”

“Done!” The spandex-clad teen snatched up the small item, a small tingle running up his fingers.

The woman nodded and turned to Peggy. “Your turn, girl,” she intoned, once again turning her eyes on her. “Take the broach.”

Peggy’s eyes darted from the woman to Derrick, then to the broach. “What if you’re lying to us? How do we know that this isn’t all some elaborate trick? I-” The whole bus lurched as the driver cut a car in the adjoining lane off. Their time was growing short. She looked to Derrick, her hands moving from their place in her lap to hold his face. She pressed a fearful kiss to his lips, her eyes closing. When they parted, she looked to the woman again, her mind racing.

“Fifteen seconds!” The woman announced, fear and worry replacing the calm, omnipotent tone she’d had before. “You’re running out of time!”

Peggy stole one last glance out the front of the bus, watching as the driver careened around three cars and barrelled towards the intersection. She tried her best to dry her eyes, then took a deep breath as she quickly snatched up the broach. When a small tingle ran up her fingers, she dropped the trinket. She caught it as it fell, gripping onto the jewelry so hard that her knuckles turned white.

“Be safe,” the woman intoned, raising her hand as if to push them forward. “And live well.” Before either could contemplate the sentence, they felt their seat fall out from under them. The pair found themselves falling into a void, darkness surrounding them as the hole in space grew smaller. The last thing they saw before the emptiness swallowed them was the woman disappearing before the bus exploded into shrapnel.

On the outskirts of a quiet little town, once made famous by its host of heroes, stood a dark, lonely castle. Its crystal branches still reached for the heavens, purple walls looming protectively over the countryside. Golden accents glinted in the full moon of the night, contrasted by the darkened windows pockmarking the outside.

Nothing stirred within its halls, the numerous rooms within having not been filled in a very long time. Stairwells stood untrodden, railings gathering dust, and bookshelves left abandoned. No heat came from the stoves of the kitchen, and no water flowed through the showers. It truly was the playground of ghosts in the form of memories.

However, at the very heart of the sleeping giant sat a table. Around this table, seven chairs sat planted to the floor, long having gone cold. Atop each throne was a colorful symbol, a mark for each of their previous owners, though the characters hadn’t shown in ages. The table in the center faired no better, layers upon layers of dust resting on its surface. What had once been the most beautiful display of what the world had to offer was dark and barren.

However, the winds of change always blew strongest when none were watching. Through the open windows, the breeze blew in, arching and snaking through empty halls. A sound like a thousand whispers followed in its wake, giving the proud architecture a voice once more. They beat against the greatest of the closed doors, hammering into it relentlessly until it finally gave way, not with a boom but a soft squeak. Invisible forces flowed over the table, unfamiliar designs blowing into the dust as it swirled away into the air.

A cloud rolled across the sky, moonlight twisting into the room and shining down on the flat surface, like a spotlight on a prized performer. The crystal glinted, its dim surface unflinching until a soft light began to emanate from its very core.

Author's Note

A new adventure begins. Though... something seems off. Where- or better yet, when- will Derrick and Peggy land? What kind of powers will they develop? Who was the woman on the bus? So many questions and only one way to get answers....

Whelp, I feel like shit. But you guys aren't here to be my therapists. You're here for entertainment! And that's exactly what I'm here to give. This is a new project that has actually been available for a while now over on my Patreon. If you guys want to get a hold of content much earlier than usual, or even want to decide which stories get uploaded next so you get your favorite stories sooner, check it out.

Anyways, I won't keep you guys. Tell me what you guys think in the comments below and stick around for a little while. More teasers are coming here in a few weeks. Until then, have a good one!

Chapter 2- Pressing Circumstances; Ranger and Senshi, FALL IN!

Chapter 2-

Pressing Circumstances;

Ranger and Senshi, Fall In!

Five sets of steps echoed through the lightly colored crystal halls, blue and purple banners accenting the white walls and lighter blue floors. Three sets made metallic clicks as they walked, one much more padded followed by three separate, quieter clicks, the last being simplistic clops amplified by the material of the floor. Princess Twilight Sparkle held her head high, a smile prominent on her face as her mane flowed underneath her golden crown, arms folded behind her back to better show off her magenta and gold a-line ball gown. Spike walked beside her with a dress collar and pants, a red tie laying against his chiseled, puffed-out chest as he held his arms behind his back, hiding the dress cuffs he’d put on. A pair of crystal guards guided them, marching just ahead of them with spears in their hands as the final member of their party lagged behind.

Luster Dawn held her head low, trudging behind her teacher and the Friendship Ambassador, her own red dancing gown dropping down to just before her hooves. The pink unicorn glanced at the pair, not really listening as they spoke back and forth excitedly. The young mare sighed and looked back to the floor. She had tried to object to coming along to this event, insisting that she could better use the time to study. The princess, on the other hand, had insisted on her attendance, claiming that nothing could be more studious than witnessing history in motion.

The magic student scoffed and rolled her eyes. Or get involved in stupid politics that I could have listened to on the radio, she monologued to herself, irritated thoughts swarming her mind. Honestly, Princess Twilight shouldn’t even be here. She’s got more important things to do than to bolster some brat’s ego, even if she is her niece.

“I’m sorry, princess,” she suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of the alicorn and interrupting her conversation with her dragon companion. “But why exactly are we here so early? You could have made an appearance during the ceremony, said a few words, and it would have been enough to cancel out any political backlash you might receive from not showing up at all.”

Twilight was silent for a few moments before she let out a small giggle, lifting a hand to her chin as she smiled. “Oh, Luster,” she began to answer, slowing her step so she could tread beside her student. “Today is about more than keeping a good political standing with the Crystal Empire. Today is about the life of a very unique filly, about how she has come into her own as a mare, and how she’ll lead her kingdom when the time comes.”

“Right,” Spike added, falling back to the unicorn’s other side. “Today isn’t about old bonds. It’s about bonds that still exist and the friendship therein.”

There it was again. That same old theme. Friendship. Princess Twilight had boasted its importance ever since she’d joined the School for Gifted Unicorns as a filly. And it wasn’t like Luster was trying to ignore or discount the princess’s teachings. She just… didn’t get it. What part of having others around could be so beneficial that one would sacrifice more precious resources just to appease someone else and keep their company? It just didn’t make any sense.

A pair of hard thumps drew her attention back to the front where the guards had stepped out of the way, giving them a good view of a large set of double doors, two more silver armor-clad stallions standing guard. “We’ve arrived, your highness,” the guard to their right announced, his face remaining stoic.

“Thank you, Azure Bolt,” the princess replied with a smile and a short curtsy, somehow remembering the guard’s name despite all of them looking exactly the same under the enchantments of their armor.

“It was our pleasure, princess,” Azure answered, crossing an arm over his chest and bowing, hiding the fact that the corner of his lips had lifted a little. A slight chuckle escaped the princess before she looked forward once more. The guards in front of the doors took hold of the handles and swung the doors open, stepping out of the way as the party entered the room.

“Really, Miss Rarity, there’s no need to go through all this trouble.” Luster’s ears perked up a little at the young voice, like chimes in a gentle breeze. Standing on a pedestal stood Princess Flurry Heart, her slim, beautiful body out of sight yet complemented by a gorgeous dress. The bulk of the dress was a baby blue satin overlaid with transparent, holographic organza. The dress began with a sweetheart neckline that led down into two bishop-style sleeves and a fitted bodice. The skirt started at the middle of her waist and fluffed out in a traditional ball gown. Under the superficial organza and blue layers of the dress was a generous collection of ruffled pink tulle. The entire ensemble was peppered with hot pink, dark blue, and white rhinestones, focusing on areas like the ends of the sleeves, the top of the bodice, and the waistline. It was truly a sight to behold.

“It’s no trouble at all, darling. This is your coronation, after all,” Rarity voiced as she sewed a few more stones into the skirt. “Your big day deserves my finest work and nothing less. Now, turn to face me. I’ve got to add the final touches to the front hemline.”

Flurry only chuckled in response before she nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” she replied, turning slowly so as not to disturb the seamstress. Only then did she look up, spying her aunt beaming at her alongside her faithful dragon. “Aunty Twilight!” She cried out, blatantly restraining herself from jumping from the pedestal to wrap the purple princess in a hug.

“Hello, Flurry,” the older alicorn replied with a small laugh, walking further into the room. “Happy twenty-first birthday.”

“Thank you,” her niece answered with a slight blush and bow of her head.

Twilight beamed proudly at the filly before her, her eighteen years of life having molded her into a fine young mare. She continued to admire the younger alicorn for a moment before turning her smile to her long-time friend. “And how have you been, Rarity?”

Rarity had just finished the hem when Twilight spoke to her, her ears perking up as she stood. “Things on my end have been just spectacular, dear. My boutiques are flourishing all over Equestria. Yona is showing such talent, as well. I’m confident that she’ll be able to take over the Ponyville boutique soon.” She strode over to her, now, much taller friend to wrap her in a hug. “You look stunning as ever, Twilight. How are things back in Canterlot?”

“The nobles are upset, we can’t get the new trade routes finished, and we’ve got a diplomat who doesn’t seem to understand the importance of ‘friendly relations,’” the princess rambled off, looking tiredly to the ceiling before smiling again and embracing the shorter unicorn. “I miss you guys so much.”

“We miss you too, darling. Things lately have just become so complicated, haven’t they?” Rarity lamented, smiling sadly. She looked up at Twilight reassuringly before turning to Spike. She reached up, pinching both of his cheeks. “How is my favorite Spikey-wikey doing? You seem bigger than the last time I saw you.”

Spike gave a low chuckle, his cheeks blushing slightly as he smiled. “Thanks, Rare,” he replied, trying to keep from pressing into either of her hands. “Hit a bit of a growth spurt. Turns out that sleeping in places asides from ‘cramped’ rooms allows a dragon’s body to grow at an accelerated rate. Even Ember was surprised by that one.”

“I’d imagine so, darling. You’re twice her height now.” Rarity examined him, taking notice of his cufflinks. “These are quite lovely. This shade of red looks good on you. You simply must let me design an outfit for you sometime in the future,” She beamed, her gaze meeting his once again.

“That would be great, Rarity!” Spike answered, his smile widening until his teeth flashed.

Luster Dawn watched the entire interaction with a withdrawn stance. She couldn’t remember the last time her teacher had smiled so brightly. While it was true the princess never went without one and was especially showing when it came to her own successes, the caliber of joy radiating off the alicorn was in a whole new league. Which only proved to further the young unicorn’s mistrust of friendship. Why go through so much trouble when you were obviously more miserable when a pony wasn’t there? Wouldn’t it be better to play it safe and not allow that sort of pain any chance of reaching you?

Rarity glanced behind Spike, her eyes landing on the contemplating Luster Dawn. “My, my, darling, your gown is exquisite. Wherever did you get it?” She asked, examining the fabric. She looked the young mare up and down, resting her chin in her hand as she thought. “You look familiar. Have I met you before?”

“Oh, um,” Luster stuttered, suddenly pulled from her thoughts. “I’m the princess’s student, Luster Dawn. We met once when I was first accepted as her student.”

“My goodness, darling! I haven’t seen you since you were just a filly. How are you, dear? How are your parents?” Rarity clasped her hands together, excitedly awaiting Luster’s answers. “Oh, are you enjoying your studies? I imagine with Twilight as a teacher you’re doing wonderfully.”

The younger mare blinked at the bombardment of questions before she composed herself with a small smile. “I’m okay.” I wish I wasn’t here. “I haven’t seen mom and dad in a while, but they’re very busy.” Taking care of other creature’s kids. “And the princess has been the best teacher. She always keeps me on the tips of my hooves.”

“That’s marvelous, dear- though I’m sure that you must miss your parents. Running an entire school isn’t easy for them, but neither is attending magic school in Canterlot, oh so very far away from home,” Rarity spoke, glancing off to the side. “It would be good for you to go home every once in a while. I know how enchanting Canterlot can be, but I, myself, would trade it all away for Ponyville in a heartbeat...that is, if I had to choose, of course.”

Luster gave an awkward chuckle at that, diverting her gaze. “I wouldn’t want to get in their way,” she muttered, waving a hand. “I go visit during the summer when they don’t have as many students, but it always feels like such a rushed visit, y’know? Besides, Ponyville’s a bit lacking when it comes to publicly available literature.”

Rarity nodded softly. “I suppose you’re right. Ever since the Golden Oak Library was destroyed, Ponyville hasn’t had a place like it since.” She sounded somber as she began to reminisce about their past in the library, from the welcome party Pinkie threw for Twilight to the day it was destroyed.

Luster fell silent alongside the unicorn, not really adding anything to the conversation as she put an arm behind her back and held on to her other. Several long, weighted moments passed between the two unicorns before the younger spoke up. “I, um… didn’t know Ponyville ever had a library….”

“Yes, darling. That library is where Twilight moved when she first came to Ponyville,” Rarity recounted, picturing the library in her mind’s eye. “That day, all our lives changed for the better.”

Again, Luster was silent, although, this time, instead of continuing to keep eye contact with her speaking partner, she looked over to her mentor, who had moved over to talk with Princess Flurry Heart. For some reason, Twilight seemed older than she ever had before. As if there were some sort of history there that she had never noticed before.

As if feeling eyes on her, the purple alicorn looked up from her conversation, flashing her student a quick smile. “Oh, Rarity!” She called, something suddenly coming to her mind. “I was wondering where the other girls were.”

Rarity turned to face her friend, responding quickly. “Oh darling, they’ve already taken their seats for the coronation. I finished up their gowns back in Ponyville.”

“Speaking of the coronation.” Everyone in the room turned towards the door to find Princess Mi Amore Cadenza standing in the archway, her powder blue and rose dancing dress flowing to the floor. “The ceremony is set to begin shortly.” She paused and looked at her daughter. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

Flurry beamed at the compliment, her cheeks turning rosy. “Thanks, mama,” she answered.

Luster watched the whole affair from afar, looking between each of these older, legendary ponies, and, for the briefest of moments, she understood what it meant to be amongst history. The young mare jumped as a hand jostled her shoulder, looking up to find her teacher standing behind her with a smile. “Come on, Luster,” she beckoned, turning her prodigy towards the door, "let’s go take our seats.”

Just like seventeen years before, several hundreds of miles away, the streets were crowded with round, four-seated tables organized so that every creature present would have a good view of the raised platform upon which the Crystal Heart shed its light out over the crowd. And out in front, easily the best seats in the entire city stretched a long, singular table with twenty-two evenly spaced seats. It was at this table that only the most influential figures of Equis sat.

At the farthest of stage right sat the Pillars of Equestria, or those who remained. Flash Magnus in his armor, Rockhoof in all his Gaelic glory, Somnambula with her soft-spoken voice, and Mage Meadowbrook, medicine mask on the table before her, all of whom had grown gray in their years, the wrinkles of time wearing on them.

On the opposite side of the table at stage left sat the newest heroes of the world known to most as the Young Six. Gallus, wings slightly outstretched as he smiled with watching eyes. Silverstream, her excitement evident in her chatter. Ocellus, her form on full display as her wings buzzed with her laughter. Sandbar, hand in hand with Yona even as they each went about their own conversations. Smolder, leaned back in her chair, a bit of smoke billowing from her nostrils as she recalled one of their more fantastic tales.

Closest to the Pillars sat the most recognizable of the table. Former Princesses Celestia and Luna, the solar diarch chatting brightly with her neighbor while her sister sat quietly, enjoying her drink with a small smile.

Finally, organized amongst the middle of the table sat the majority of the Mane Seven. Rainbow Dash and Applejack together, their seemingly inseparable friendship having evolved into something more. Fluttershy, her namesake unapparent as she smiled and laughed. Pinkie Pie, ever the life of the party as she squirmed in her seat. Starlight Glimmer, the bags under her eyes outshone by the light of joy in her eyes.

Just like every other table, the front and center table was abuzz with chatter, every creature enjoying themselves as they conversed among themselves. So much so that they didn't realize when the tables around them began to hush. Then, without warning, the soft touch of feathers landed on the ex-princesses and those of the Mane Seven, catching the entire table by surprise.

“What have we missed?” Twilight asked, a shining smile lighting them up as she wing-hugged her greatest friends.

“TWILIGHT!” Each and everyone one of the Mane Seven jumped from their seats, wrapping their arms around her in a group hug.

“It’s so good to see you. We were worried that you wouldn’t be here to sit with us in time,” Fluttershy murmured, looking up towards the Princess of Friendship with a calm yet cheerful grin.

“I knew you wouldn’t miss the party, Twilight. After all, I drew up the seating chart myself,” Pinkie exclaimed, tucking a wild, pink hair behind her ear as she took her seat.

“Of course, she wouldn’t miss it, darling. Your parties are always exquisite,” Rarity interjected as she took her seat beside Applejack and joined the group. “Though I must say Pinkie, you’ve outdone yourself this time. I’ve never seen such magnificent decorations.”

Pinkie giggled, leaning out of her seat to better see Rarity. “Thanks, Rarity. Only the biggest, best, and shiniest for Flurry’s big day. It’s gonna be a birthonation bash!”

“And what a birthonation it will be!” Celestia agreed with a broad smile on her face as her former student, and the rest of her party sat down, Luster Dawn ending up right beside her.

The young unicorn’s amber eyes looked all around, taking in the details of the celebration. Her gaze traveled about until her vision was filled with magenta orbs. She jumped a little as she found herself face to face with Celestia. “So,” the alabaster alicorn began, seeming not to take notice of the mare’s reaction. “You must be the notorious Luster Dawn my old student has told me so much about.”

“Um…” Luster hummed, her mind flatlining as she stared at the former diarch. “...Yes…?”

Celestia’s voice lilted with the sound of her laughter, turning her head from the young mare before her and lifted a hand to her muzzle. “No need to be so nervous, dear,” she assured, placing a calming hand on the unicorn’s pink arm. “We’re all friends here.”

Yeah, right. Luster shook her head at the sudden intrusive thought. “Sorry,” she apologized, rubbing the back of her head. “It’s not every day you meet so many important historical figures. Heroes, rulers, scholars, there’s so much to learn just from being here.”

Magenta eyes blinked at that before Celestia’s smile returned. “I see,” she said, tone full of experience as she eyed the pink unicorn more closely. “Well, today is certainly a chance to learn something.” She paused and looked behind her towards the crowd. “But you shouldn’t miss the chance to meet some new friends either.”

Luster’s ear twitched before the alicorn could turn back to her. Again with friendship, she thought to herself, forcing back a frown. At least now I know where the princess got it from. Before she could continue the conversation with the ex-ruler, the music of trumpets and drums filled the air, bringing everyone’s eyes to the platform.

An orange and white stallion in a spangled cloak walked out carrying a large book in his arms. He laid the book on the podium, flipping the cover open to reveal the speech inside. The music faded off as the stallion cleared his throat. He ran his fingers through his ginger-colored beard as he collected his thoughts. He looked out over the crowd, finding Luster Dawn. He offered her a smile, then began to speak.

“Welcome, everyone. My name is Sunburst. Today we are all here to celebrate the birthday and coronation of one very special mare. Flurry Heart,” Sunburst glanced to the side. His gaze fell on Flurry, who was waiting patiently for her cue to come out. He then looked back out over the sea of creatures before him. “I look out over the crowd and see so many faces, some of family, some of friends, and I think how lucky we all are to be here to witness history in the making. From the day she was born, her parents knew that she was something special. I have been fortunate enough to not only be her Crystaller but also her teacher. I’ve watched her grow and change as a pony from a young filly to the mare she is now. I’m confident that not only will she be a benevolent ruler but also a true friend. But don’t take my word for it. See for yourselves. Your princess, Flurry Heart.” Sunburst closed the book, then stepped to the side to welcome Flurry to the platform.

The youngest alicorn nodded her head, beaming as she walked forward, her mother and father trailing behind, Shining holding a pillow with a beautiful white gold carcanet, set with a large, heart-shaped crystal, an almost perfect replica of the Crystal Heart which floated behind them, and a matching tiara, the blue gems decorating it the same color as the replicated heart in the necklace. She stopped beside Sunburst, giving a curtsy before straightening up and hugging Sunburst.

Sunburst hugged back, then pulled away to look at her face. “We’re all so proud of you, Flurry,” he whispered as he pulled away to take his place beside Shining to grab the necklace. Then, with a gentle motion, he placed the carcanet around her neck, clasping it quickly before turning to address the crowd once more. “This amulet, bestowed upon her, represents her people and her heart. It is a symbol of her love for all whom she will come to rule,” He announced, stepping back beside Shining Armor to let the crowd see their new princess.

The crowd applauded and cheered, the uproar bringing a blush to the young princess’s face. The cheers continued for several moments before finally quieting down as Princess Cadance stepped forward and turned to face her daughter. “Princess Flurry Heart,” she began, voice loud and clear as the crystals for which her kingdom was named. “My most proud and beautiful joy. Since the day you were born, we’ve watched and cared for you as best as we could, hoping our love for you would reach your heart, never allowing doubt to take its place. You have shown us that not only did you receive our love, but are ready to return it tenfold, not only to us but to your people. And so, Princess Flurry Heart,” she paused only long enough for her daughter to bow her head as she reached for the tiara, “I name you the next ruler of the Crystal Empire.” The crowd exploded into cheers as the headpiece was slid past the young mare’s ears and into her mane, her blue eyes shining with happy tears as she raised her head. Teary gaze met teary gaze before mother embraced daughter, each squeezing the other with everything they could muster.

The audience continued to applaud as the two hugged, only starting to fade as they released each other and turned back to the crowd at large. Sunburst stepped over to the podium, reaching underneath to pull out a small, wooden box. He lifted the lid, then spoke as he used his unicorn magic to pull out a familiar crystal. “Now, everyone, we will use the power of our love to charge the Crystal Heart.” He touched the crystal to the ground in front of him, watching as the love of the crowd flowed into the conduit crystal like water into a glass. With each bow, a new creature’s love melted into the ground and through the street towards the ceremonial gem. In a flash, it shone brighter than any crystalling before it, the light radiating over the city with an almost blinding glow. “And now,” he spoke, giving the crystal to their new Princess. “Flurry Heart will give the power in this gem to the Crystal Heart.” Sunburst stepped aside, using his magic to draw back the curtains and reveal the Kingdom’s most prized possession.

The Heart levitated in place as it always had, staring out over the kingdom like a watchful guardian. Voices hushed as everyone assembled watched the newly crowned princess turn towards it, the magical battery floating just above her hands. She closed the distance with quick, fluid steps, coming to a stop just in front of it. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her features before levitating the crystal in her yellow aura and pressing it into the Crystal Heart. The gem melded into the ancient artifact, the Heart starting to spin in place while light began to pour out. Flurry backed away a bit, a smile coming to her face as a wave passed over her and spread out.

The wave continued out, washing over every creature present and turning their appearance to crystal. Attendees gasped as they looked at themselves and each other, happy cheers and laughter ringing out. From all except one.

“Something’s not right.” Luster nearly jumped as her teacher murmured, turning to see the Princess’s eyes still locked on the stage. With a quirked brow, the young unicorn followed her gaze and her eyes widened. The Crystal Heart was only spinning faster and faster, the light it was emitting growing stronger and more blinding. Flurry Heart raised her hands in front of her face and eyes, taking several steps back.

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror as screaming started to fill the air like nails on a chalkboard. “Shining!” She shouted, thrusting a hand forward as their horns ignited. A pair of shields leaped to life, one pink, the other purple, and expanded to cover everyone present before the Heart gave one last piercing cry and shattered, the magic within exploding out in a vicious shock wave.

Silence followed the detonation, the members of the audience very slowly uncovering their eyes and faces, a nervous chatter starting up as some looked to each other.

Shining Armor ran to his daughter, his portion of the shield slowly lowering. He quickly wrapped her in his arms, then pulled away to check for injuries. “Flurry, are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay? What happened?”

Sunburst frantically followed Shining, checking to make sure Flurry was okay before turning his gaze on the shattered remains of the crystal. “I don’t understand. This shouldn’t have happened. Unless-” Sunburst turned to look out at the frightened crowd, his complexion growing pale as a realization flooded into his mind. “It was too much...too much magic. There’s too many creatures here…” he mumbled, his eyes wide. He ran to the end of the platform, his eyes falling on the princesses in the crowd.

Twilight let out a breath as she dropped her barrier, her wings folding back in as she turned around. “Is everyone alright?” She called out, placing a hand on Luster’s shoulder and quickly checking over her before moving to her friends.

“All good here,” Rainbow Dash answered, hands supporting Applejack. “What in Tartarus was that!?”

“The Crystal Heart overloaded,” Starlight spoke up, throwing a look to her husband from where she’d appeared next to her daughter. “It was made to absorb and hold the love of the Crystal Empire, not the love of creatures from around the entire globe.”

“Forgive an auld soul, lassie,” came Rockhoof’s gravelly voice, drawing the headmare’s attention to him. “Bit whit does that mean fur us?”

“I don’t know,” the mare answered in a hushed voice, shaking her head as she looked back to the pile of shards that was the Heart. “The last time a magical surge like this went through Equestria-”

“We took down Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow.” Wide eyes turned to Twilight Sparkle as she stared up at the sky, gaze narrowed. “Meaning anything could be happening.” The others followed her gaze, most taken aback as they watched as a hole ripped itself open in the sky.

The breath left Peggy’s lungs as she realized that she and Derrick had now left the void and were plummeting to their deaths. She frantically reached out to him, trying to clasp his hands. That fucking bitch...that fucking bitch! I’d have rather been hit by a fucking bus than this- we never should have trusted her- oh god. Peggy looked to where Derrick’s eyes should have been, only to be met by the helmet he had spent weeks crafting. “Derrick,” she spoke only for the wind flowing around them to steal her voice. “Derrick!” Finally, her voice carried enough that he could hear it. She grabbed onto his hands, trying her best to pull him towards her. “I,” she stammered out, her voice cracking. “I, I love-“ her eyes began to pour tears up from her eyes as if at that moment they had started to defy gravity.

A crack in the air shifted their gaze to their right, spotting the giant crystal tower in the near distance for the first time. But, what truly drew their eyes, were the twin explosions of light and color followed by the streams of the same colors, one rainbow, and the other gold and red. “I’ve got you!” Peggy found herself snatched out of the air, arms wrapped under her arms, keeping her suspended. “Flash, get the other one!”

“On it!” The gold and red streak raced towards Derrick, who was still falling. The rainbow-clad teen could only watch as the amber stallion raced towards him. He reached his gloved hands out, his rescuer’s fingers straining towards him. Miles passed with every second, but they only grew closer by centimeters. “I… got… you… HAH!” Flash lurched forward, swiping at Derrick’s hand and missing completely.

The Pillar’s eyes widened in shock. He had no choice but to pull up as the ground raced to meet them. There was nothing he could do as he heard the sound of crystal smashing against the force of a body. He clenched his eyes shut as he shot upward, coming to a stop next to Rainbow Dash.

“What in Tartarus, Magnus!” The mare shouted, rose eyes still locked on the ground as she carried her rescuee.

“I-I-” The older pony stammered, hundred-yard stare locked in horror at the crater in the city street below. “I… wasn’t fast enough….”

Peggy felt her heart stop, her body going limp in Rainbow Dash’s arms. It took her mind what felt like hours to process what she had just seen, yet only seconds passed. When the realization that her boyfriend had just hit the ground hit her, she began to take notice of a sound ringing in her ears. She listened for over a minute before she recognized it as her own voice, screaming. She began to thrash wildly, trying to get out of her savior’s arms to get to Derrick’s motionless body. “Noooooooo! Noooooooo! Noooooooooo! Derrick!!!”

“Hey! Hey! Wow!” The blue pegasus shouted, struggling to keep a hold of the distressed girl. “Hold on! Flash, back me up!” Without waiting for a response, the mare began to drop as quickly as safely possible. In less than a minute, she planted Peggy’s feet on the ground and let her go, landing behind her.

Peggy’s feet slammed into the ground, tears pouring from her frantically wide eyes. As she neared his body and the subsequent crater it had made, her knees went weak. She fell onto the hard, crystalline ground, crawling along as she continued to scream his name. She lifted his helmet from his head, tossing it aside like a ragdoll. Her trembling hands cupped his face as she spoke. “Please, no- I beg of you, don’t leave me- not like this, please don’t leave me here alone.”

Only silence followed her cries. Rainbow Dash could only stand behind her as she wept, hands tucked behind the back of her military attire. A soft thump landed beside her, Flash Magnus coming in to land behind her left shoulder. "I don't know what happened…" he whispered hoarsely, voice tight. "I just… I wasn't…." He stopped and let out a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, Magnus." The older pegasus winced at that before the mare began to stride forward. She stopped just behind the weeping girl, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come on…" she said gently. "There's nothing we can-"

A low groan interrupted her as the young man's face tightened up before relaxing again. The entirety of his armor glowed with iridescent light before it rushed off of him in millions of tiny, multicolored orbs, leaving him only in the black unitard he'd put on underneath his costume.

“Derrick? Derrick,” Peggy whimpered, cradling his head in her hands. She looked down at his body, trying to understand what had happened. She glanced over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash, her eyes still pouring tears. “Help,” she pleaded, turning her head back to Derrick. Her frantic hands slid underneath his back and knees as she lifted him off of the ground. She held him close to her chest as she shakily stood and turned to face her savior. “Help him,” she spoke, her voice still trembling. “Help him!”

“Oh, sweet Celestia,” Rainbow breathed, rushing forward and placing her hand to the side of his neck and her ear to his chest. Several seconds ticked by before the mare’s eyes widened. “Magnus!” She snapped, turning and pointing at him as if drilling one of her cadets. “Go get a med team. NOW!”

The stallion jumped in surprise, quickly whirling around and taking off as quickly as his aging bones would allow. The prismatic mare let out a snort before turning back to the panicking young woman. “Lay him back down,” she instructed softly yet urgently, guiding the unconscious boy back to the ground. “Keep him still. We don’t want to irritate any existing injuries.”

Peggy did as instructed, still trembling. She held onto Derrick’s hand, squeezing tightly. “Please, hold on- please,” she stammered, trying her best to stop crying, but it was impossible. It was only now that she really looked at their surroundings. Everything was made of crystal, from the streets to the houses to even the people. Wait, not people...horses? She froze, slowly looking over to the rainbow-haired creature beside her. A shaky breath filtered into her lungs as she stared, eyes wide. All at once, the question in her mind sprung to life as she blurted out, “Why are you all fucking horses?”

“Why are you a flat-faced primate?” Rainbow answered without skipping a beat as she monitored the young man’s heart rate.

“I can’t believe you tried to bite the doctor,” Rainbow muttered, hand covering her eyes as she bowed her head.

“He told me that I couldn’t go back there with them. I shouldn’t have let Derrick out of my sight,” Peggy grumbled, arms crossed over her chest. The clicking of her heels echoed through the halls as she paced back and forth. “How do I know that these horse doctors even have the knowledge to treat him? How can I be sure they won’t O.D. him on tranquilizers or some shit?”

“These are some of the best doctors in the world,” RD answered as if reiterating something she’d already said, taking her hand from her eyes. “They’ve dealt with far worse than this.”

“Far worse? How much worse can it get? He slammed into the ground,” Peggy paused, glancing at Rainbow’s wings. She huffed, her eyes focused on the set of double doors at the end of the hall that they had taken Derrick through. “I guess it could be more common than I realize...you know, with the wings and all that...but I still don’t know how I feel about all of this.”

The pegasus fell silent as she watched the girl, taking in the rigidity of her stance, the strain in her shoulders. Then, after a few moments, she sighed and pushed herself off the wall. “Look, I know this has to be a huge shock to you,” she started, stepping up next to Peggy. “But I’m sure, once they put the Crystal Heart back together, Twilight and the others will find a way to get you back to your world. Heck, the egghead’ll probably just get the old mirror portal back up and running. You’ll be home in no time at all.”

Peggy didn’t relax any, still pacing back and forth. “I’d love nothing more than to go home, but I’m not leaving without Derrick,” she spat, her footsteps quickening as she began to feel more frantic. “He’s gotta be okay. He’s gotta. He’s all I’ve got,” she felt her eyes start to water again as she spoke, her fists clenched. “If I ever find that woman again, I’ll wring her neck.” Then, all at once, Peggy came to a stop, her mind honing in on something Rainbow had said. “Wait, Crystal Heart? What are you talking about? How long will that take?”

The mare shrugged. “Five minutes, give or take,” she replied, crossing her arms and taking on a relaxed pose. “Not the first time the thing shattered into a million pieces. Princesses’ll hold it in place, Sunburst’ll collect some magic from the empire’s people, Starlight’ll cast a spell, and just like magic duct tape, all will be well again. Just another Tuesday.”

Peggy relaxed a little, taking a deep breath. “Thank god, at least that won’t hold us up on getting home- wait, magic? Magic duct tape,” her tenseness began to fade ever so slightly as she spoke, her brows furrowed with curiosity. “You all can do magic?” Under normal circumstances, she would have laughed at such a ridiculous concept, but she herself saw these creatures fly, so why couldn’t they do magic?

"Some more than others," Rainbow replied, her wings flaring slightly. "Just about every creature has some form of innate magic, but creatures like unicorns can harness and control magic in the form of spells."

Peggy sat for the first time since they got there, holding her head in her hands. “You gotta be kidding me. Just where the hell did we end up?”

“Well, you’re currently in the Crystal Empire,” the cyan pegasus continued to explain. “Part of the country of Equestria on planet Equis. And, according to Twilight, waaay less boring than Earth.”

“So, this Twilight has been to Earth? I feel like I’d have noticed a half-horse half-human hybrid walking around,” Peggy said skeptically, crossing her arms. “Either way, I’d take boring over falling from the sky any day.”

“To be fair, she did say she turned into a hu-”

“Captain Dash!” Rainbow was cut off as her name was shouted, turning to find both Gallus and Flash Magnus running towards them, the older pegasus being the one to call her. “We’ve got a problem!”

“Fuck,” the mare muttered, pinching the bridge of her muzzle before letting out a moan. “What’s gone wrong?”

The young griffin spoke next, his voice strained. “What hasn’t gone wrong? The relic spell isn’t working on the Crystal Heart. The storm is closing in, so we’ve had to begin allowing citizens to take refuge in the castle, and now there’s a massive dragon that’s appeared, one the likes we’ve never seen before,” Gallus took a deep breath, trying his best to remain calm, but under the circumstances, it was nearly impossible. “We need you, Captain.”

“You,” Peggy interrupted, stomping over to the older pegasus. “You’re the reason we’re in this stupid hospital in the first place. How dare you!” She pulled her fist back, poised to knock Flash Magnus out cold. “If you knew you couldn’t save him, then why did you even try? Why didn’t you let her save him instead?” She pointed angrily to Rainbow Dash with her other hand.

Everyone present stopped cold, blinking at the young woman. The first to blink was Flash, though his face quickly fell to a solemn expression. “I’m truly sorry, miss,” he said softly, fists balled up as his graying hairs fell over his neck and shoulders. “I haven’t been in the field in many years and… I’m not exactly in my prime anymore. That’s no excuse for what has happened, and I do not deserve your forgiveness. I simply ask for your understanding.” He looked up into the woman’s brown eyes, a dying spark in his dull turquoise gaze.

Peggy’s anger wilted as she dropped her fist. She grit her teeth, refusing to look him in the eyes. “All I can say is that he’d better be okay because if he’s not...there’s no telling what I’ll do.” She stormed back over to her chair, flopping down on it like a scorned child.

Gallus looked up at Flash sorrowfully, placing a hand on his elder’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay, sir. You did the best you could.”

“My best wasn’t good enough, I’m afraid,” Flash replied, his gaze falling to the floor for a moment before he cleared his voice. “But there’s no time for that right now. The kingdom is in danger.”

“Right,” Rainbow agreed, head nodding as she drew her mouth in a line. “Tell me about this dragon.”

“It’s terrifying, captain,” Flash answered, straightening his shoulders with a stern expression. “It came out of nowhere and may be the biggest dragon ever recorded. If it can even be called a dragon.”

RD raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“It doesn’t have any arms or legs,” Gallus blurted, taking a step forward. “And it isn’t made of flesh and blood. It looks like it’s made of some sort of metal.”

Peggy perked up, something tugging at her memory. “A mechanical dragon?” She thought to herself, holding her chin in her hand. “Why does that sound so familiar?”

The captain of the Wonderbolts glanced at the girl for a moment before turning back to the two bearers of Harmony. “Show me,” she barked, the two nodding before turning back to the way they’d come. Rainbow glanced over her shoulder at Peggy, her eyes iced over. “Stay here.” With that final order, the Element of Loyalty began to march off after the others.

Peggy flinched at Rainbow’s cold stare, still seated. She watched as they left, her eyes filled with worry. “Hmph, maybe I will stay put, but not because you told me to,” she grumbled, looking away. Some time passed, her eyes focused on the floor as she tried to think of why that mechanical dragon seemed so familiar.

“What the actual fuck!?” Rainbow shouted, a vein pulsing in her forehead as she watched the enormous dragon fight off wave after wave of guards and soldiers from different countries. True to Flash and Gallus’s description, the beast was long and serpentine, crown-like decorations on its head, sharp fins on either side of its head, and a kite-shaped crest on its forehead to frame its jaguar-isque features. Jagged, razor-shaped spines ran down two-thirds of its length, some of them hidden behind large wings, each with seven fins, each “feather” a different, muted color of the rainbow, tail tipped in the same kind of decoration. Even worse, it truly did seem to be covered in dark gray armor, not a bit of flesh visible on its length, which was possibly almost twice as long as the Crystal Palace was tall, its burning red eyes leered at those below. “Where did that thing even come from, and how did we miss it!?”

“No one seems to have an answer for that,” Flash replied, eyes locked onto the ferocious beast.

Dash glared before she tore her eyes off it and started to stalk towards the other Element Bearers and royals. “Why haven’t we blown this thing out of the sky yet?” She growled as she stopped behind the crowd of others. “There’s four sets of Bearers here.”

“Ya don’t think we haven’t already tried that?” Smolder answered with a roll of her eyes, smoke drifting out of her nostrils. “When we tried to call on the Elements, it was like trying to draw syrup through a straw. The connection’s there, but we just can’t pull enough magic to do anything with.”

Rainbow’s eyebrow raised. “Any ideas on why?”

Sunburst piped up to answer her question. “It could be because of the Crystal Heart shattering. Think about it. The area around us is hyper-saturated with magical energy,” he held his hands up as he spoke as if to illustrate his point. “It’s like trying to siphon water through moist sand. Like Smolder said, the connection is there, but as long as all this extra magical energy is floating around, we’ll never be able to use the magic of the elements to blast this monster out of the sky.”

“So, until the crystal is repaired and the magic is pulled back into it, we’re practically defenseless,” Gallus interjected, looking around the group as he spoke. “So, how do we fix the heart? The relic spell failed.”

Silence followed the griffon’s question, each of them looking to one another as if searching for an answer.

Once again, Sunburst was the one to speak up first. “Well, when the crystal was first shattered, it wasn’t because of a magical overload,” he explained, motioning towards the shattered pieces. “So many different magical creatures from all across Equis are here. It may be that, because of all of that different magical energy that flowed into it, it will no longer respond to just anyone anymore. It may only respond to the subjects of the Crystal Empire, which would mean that the only Alicorn who can fuse it back together is Flurry Heart.”

The others were once more silent at the explanation. “...I’m sorry, Sunburst,” Cadance finally began, taking several steps forward with narrowed eyes. “But what exactly does that mean for my daughter?”

Sunburst swallowed hard, looking up at the much taller mare. “Well,” he began, speaking carefully. “Flurry would need to perform the crystalling again by collecting all of the magic in the air around us by funneling it into the crystal around her neck. After that, the other princesses would need to hold the crystal heart together while she breaks the gem in her necklace in half and places that half into the Crystal Heart,” he nervously continued, looking from pony to pony as he explained. “Under normal circumstances, she would just need to perform a second crystalling with only the crystal subjects, but if she did that, then we still wouldn’t have access to the elements. All of the residual magic needs to be scrubbed from the air before the full connection can be restored.”

“...Let me get this straight,” the princess started, bringing a hand to her forehead for a moment. “You want Flurry Heart to absorb all these creatures’ magic into a much smaller conduit, split it in half, and hope that it doesn’t blow up while it’s around her neck?”

Sunburst swallowed hard once more, standing firmly in place. “I know how awful it sounds, but it’s the only chance we’ve got. If the empire doesn’t fall to the snowstorm outside then, it most definitely will fall to that beast hovering above our heads.”

Cadance glared, not necessarily at the unicorn but definitely at the ideas being presented to her. She looked to the shards still lying on the ground, eyes narrowed as she processed the plan of action. She stayed silent until she felt a light pressure on her arm, looking up to find her daughter smiling up at her. Cadance looked at the hand on her arm and back into her daughter’s eyes, worry filling her own. “Sweetheart….”

Flurry only nodded and smiled wider. “It’ll be okay, mom,” she reassured, her mother placing a hand over her own. “We’ve faced a lot worse, and if we don’t do something soon, so many creatures could be hurt.”

The elder alicorn was still for a few moments before she let out a sigh. “Alright,” she relented, giving her own little smile. “I trust you.”

Flurry’s smile widened even further before she squeezed her mother from the side in a small hug. “Thanks, mom,” she whispered before letting go and turning to Sunburst. “How do we get started?”

“Whatever we do, we need to do it fast,” Shining Armor interrupted, eyes locked on the sky in horror. “The last of our troops have fallen. There’s no one left, and that thing is approaching, fast.”

Sunburst followed Shining’s line of sight, tensing up. “Then there’s no time to waste.”

“Flyer’s,” Twilight barked, turning away from the shards of the Heart and looking to the looming dragon as it began to attack the outermost portions of the city. “I need all of you up there with me. We need to slow that thing down as much as possible. Magic users should remain here with Flurry Heart and act as a final line of defense. Everyone earthbound or with medical expertise should help to accelerate the evacuation and keep creatures calm. All in agreement?” Shouts of agreement met her ears, and she nodded. “Go.”

Everyone shot off like rockets, Gallus, Ocellus, Dash, Smolder, Spike, Flash, Somnambula, Cadance, Celestia, and Luna all taking off towards the monster while Pinkie, Yona, Fluttershy, Rockhoof, Meadowbrook, AJ, Silverstream, and Sandbar all ran to assist the evacuees. Everyone else stayed behind, leaving Luster Dawn to blink all around her at those who had much more experience than her.

“Luster.” The mare jumped as her name was called, looking to her mentor as the princess fixed her with a hard stare. “Go to the medical wing and make sure the humans get moved to the bunker.”

Luster stood stunned for a moment before she shook her head. “Yes, ma’am,” she answered before rushing off into the castle, secretly glad she’d been dismissed.

Twilight watched her student go before looking back at the dragon, her friends already engaging it in their own ways. She turned her head to see Flurry Heart watching as well. Then, ever so tenderly, she reached over and put a hand to her niece’s shoulder, drawing her attention. “Good luck,” she said, giving a large smile before turning back and launching herself into the air.

Flurry watched her go, her chest tightening as she watched the creatures she loved engage a monster thousands of times their size. Then, after a moment, she sighed, steeled her features, and turned to face Rarity, Stygian, Sunburst, Starlight, and her father. “Let’s do this.”

A soft, repetitive beep echoed through the room as Peggy squeezed Derrick’s hand. She looked at his face intensely, watching for any movement. Through the door, which had been left slightly ajar, she could hear the sound of hooves on the crystal floor. It sounded as though everyone was leaving. She didn’t question where they were going or why. Instead, she continued to focus on Derrick, the slow rise and fall of his chest bringing her comfort.

Another set of hooves joined the fray, louder and growing constantly closer until the door slammed open, a pink mare with a sunset orange and blond mane sliding to a stop.

Peggy immediately sprung from her chair and spun around, the sudden motion knocking the wooden seat to the floor. She looked the mare up and down before glaring into her eyes. “Who the fuck are you, and what do you want?”

"Thank Twilight," Luster breathed, ignoring the girl's blatant aggression. "We've got to get to the bunker. There's a huge dragon on the way, and they are barely slowing it down."

Peggy looked back at Derrick, eyes wide. “Shit,” she muttered, reaching down to unhook the heart monitor. Then, all at once, the series of soft beeps were replaced by one harsh flatline. With one swift motion, Peggy had scooped the unconscious young man into her arms. She turned to face Luster, taking a few steps forward. “Lead the way,” she started to say, looking down at Derrick’s face. She wasn’t sure if she could trust this new face, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

"With pleasure," Luster muttered worriedly before turning and starting to speed walk down the hall.

Peggy followed closely, eyes locked on the pink mare. “So exactly how bad is the situation? Still as bad as before or worse?”

"How much did they tell you?" The unicorn asked, keeping her eyes forward as she led them through the halls.

“There’s a massive, mechanical dragon about to stick its dick in the city, some spell didn’t work, and some crystal bullshit is blown to kingdom come. Not to mention there’s a blizzard,” Peggy half-spoke, half-shouted as they ran through the hall.

"Yeah, that's about how it's going," Luster muttered, taking a left. "We've only got one plan and no forces left except the Element Bearers, but there is a bright side. The dragon will probably kill us far more quickly than the blizzard would."

A groan kept the mare's terror from continuing as Derrick stirred in Peggy's arms. "Nnn… anybody get the number on that truck?"

Peggy skidded to a stop, her eyes starting to water. “Derrick?” She looked down at him, pulling him closer to her face. “Oh, Derrick- are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

"My everything hurts," he answered with a wince. "Feels like I got hit by every linebacker at once." He took a moment to rub his face before looking around. "What's going on?"

"There's a giant mechanical serpent about to turn the city to rubble," Luster Dawn interrupted, coming back to them and trying to lead Peggy by the arm. "And if we don't hurry, we'll be the first ones under it."

"Mechanical serpent?" Derrick questioned, his mind still processing the fact that he was talking to an upright horse.

"Yeah, with rainbow wings and bright red eyes, now let's go!"

Derrick was quiet for a moment before he looked up at Peggy. "Why aren't I dead?"

“I don’t know,” Peggy admitted, readjusting her grip as she continued to run. “It might be because of the armor you were wearing. It didn’t seem like it was the armor you made for the convention,” she insisted, eyes still focused on Luster. “What matters is that you’re okay. Now we can figure out what the fuck is happening together.”

"Armor?" The young man questioned, brow quirked as he seemed to be trying to put a puzzle together. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened. "Babe. Put me down."

“What? No! Baby, you fell from the sky,” Peggy exclaimed, tightening her grip on Derrick. “I’m not gonna put you down. You could break your legs or some shit.”

"Or I could stop the thing about to crush us under a city."

Luster stopped dead, eyes widening as her pupils turned to pinpricks. "...Excuse me?"

Peggy stopped beside Luster, brows furrowed. “Baby, no offense, I know you’re strong, but you’re not that strong,” she looked down at him, taking extra care to examine his head. “You must have hit your head pretty hard.”

"Peggy, I'm serious," he urged, trying to stop her and climb out of her arms. "If this is adding up like I think, then I might be the only person that can stop that thing."

Peggy struggled to keep hold of Derrick but found herself unsuccessful when his feet hit the ground. “Dammit, Derry, what are you planning on doing? It’s too dangerous, and you’re just one person,” she grabbed onto his hands, trying to keep him close to her. “I can’t lose you. Please, I just got you back.”

"You won't," he promised, putting a hand to her cheek. "I just need to try something. If I'm wrong, we go to the bunker, no questions asked. Okay?"

Peggy looked into his eyes, slowly letting go of his hands. “Okay…”

Derrick nodded and took several steps back. He widened his stance and stared ahead, a slight smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye. "Beast Player," he chanted, reaching into the air where the waist device from his suit appeared. "Equip on!" He slammed the device to his waist, a black belt wrapping around him to hold it in place while his suit's braces appeared on his forearms, another small device on his right wrist that matched the first. He stared for several moments before looking up with a giddy grin.

“What the actual fuck,” Peggy breathed, taking a few steps forward to look at him more closely. “Where did those come from?” she reached out towards his belt, stopping just short of touching it. “It’s just like that show you watch- the one you based your costume on...but why?”

"I don't know," Derrick answered excitedly, a large smile on his face. "But if I can do this, then the thing outside might be Rai Amphithere!"

"I'm sorry, are you saying you know what that thing is?" Luster interjected, drawing their attention.

"Better," the man answered, raising his right wrist. "I can fend it off."

The unicorn's eyes widened. "Then why are we still here?" She asked, rushing past the pair, grabbing his arm and dragging him along. "The princess needs help."

“Wait,” Peggy ran after them, keeping up with Derrick’s pace. “Where are we going now?”

"I'm taking him outside so he can help the Bearers," Luster replied without breaking stride. "You should go wait in the bunker. Just two more rights and a left. What guards are left will take care of you."

“Fuck you,” Peggy exclaimed unabashedly, continuing to follow along. “You’re not gonna just take my boyfriend and throw him into the line of fire alone. I’ll jab that dragon bastard with a grapefruit spoon if I have to,” she clenched her fists, running now to keep up with Luster. “If you’re so damn worried, then you go sit in the bunker with the guards.”

"Do you know how to get to the Bearers?"

“Well...no,” Peggy admitted. “But if you think I’m gonna sit on my ass while Derrick is in danger, then you’ve got another thing coming.”

"Then come along," Luster grunted with a roll of her eyes. "We can be useless on the sidelines together."

"Actually," Derrick spoke up, putting a finger up. "You might not have to sit on the sidelines, Peggy."

“Whaddaya mean?” Peggy asked, starting to get slightly winded. “I don’t have any fancy powers. I didn’t cosplay in full garb.”

"No, you didn't," Derrick agreed before pointing at her head. "But you did dye your hair. Hair that is now back to brown. Then there's the brooch that's around your neck now."

“Wait...it’s brown again? Are you fucking shitting me? It took a solid week of bleaching it to get it that white,” her steps grew louder as she stomped angrily, her fists clenched. “Brooch...brooch? The sunflower seed? Around my…” she grabbed at her chest, her hand landing on the hard, metal locket. It sprung open with a loud, sparkling noise, revealing the small gem shard inside. It began to glow, the light pulsing as little, glittering particles poured off of it and disappeared. “No way…”

"Ooo-hoo-hoo," Derrick said in awe, a sparkle in his eye. "I think we both know what that means."

"Can it wait until after we've stopped the city from being swept away?" Luster questioned as they reached a door, the unicorn thrusting it open with her magic. The trio raced out onto the platform where the unicorns and Princess Flurry Heart stood around a barely held together Crystal Heart.

"Luster?" Her mother questioned, a look of confusion on her face from their sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"The humans say they can help," the young unicorn answered, waving a hand at the humans next to her. "They say they know what that… that… what did you call it?"

"Rai Amphithere," Derrick answered, stepping forward, his expression serious after eyeballing the mecha in the distance. "A destructive fighting machine powered by the soul and magic of an ancient mythical beast. If I'm correct, then it's currently under some sort of mind control."

Sunburst stepped forward. “Mind control? Is that why it’s attacking the empire?” he looked to Derrick, stroking his beard. “Then who’s controlling it? And how do we stop them?”

“Can’t we just kick it in the dick? How do they beat it in the show?” Peggy stepped up beside Derrick, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, in the show," he began, looking to the robot as it fought the airborne combatants. "The Raitorangers used half their mecha to distract it while the other half destroyed the satellite that was being used to control the Amphithere."

“Okay,” Sunburst began, thinking to himself. “So, we need to distract that thing and then find this ‘satellite’ and destroy it? Do you know where it is?”

"Upper atmosphere somewhere," the man answered with a shrug. "I can definitely distract it if you guys have anything that can reach the satellite and knock it out in one shot."

“The Elements of Harmony could do that,” Rarity interjected, looking to Derrick. “With all our power combined, we would be able to take it out with one hit.”

“But first, we need to buy time for Flurry to fix the Crystal Heart,” Sunburst gestured to the collection of shards being held together by every available unicorn.

"Leave it to me," Derrick announced, stepping forward. Before he could continue, a 'whoosh' filled the air before a purple blur slammed into the wall behind them.

Starlight and Luster each ran over to Twilight Sparkle, the princess's attire torn and damaged as she slumped out of the crater in the wall. The two unicorns propped the alicorn up, her head lolling onto Starlight's shoulder with a groan. "...No offense," the elder unicorn started looking up at Derrick with fear in her eyes. "But how are you going to fend that thing off when it can take down the strongest of us?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Like this," he said, hand reaching down and hitting the red button on his belt device. The front popped open like a tape player, the blond pulling a pearlescent tape with an amphithere emblem on it out.

"Sound off!" He shouted, raising the tape over his head with his left hand as he pulled his right arm back. "Amphithere, gear up!" He brought the tape down and shoved it into his wrist device, blinding light pouring out. A suit of light appeared around him before it unzipped, revealing the undersuit and armor of his costume. The light made to fall away only for him to catch it and throw it back on like a jacket, the light shattering and leaving behind his multi-colored long coat. His hand released the collar and swept it over his head, his helmet sliding down over his face.

The entire sequence took only a matter of microseconds, but the effect was still astounding. Derrick stood in full armor, the roar of the Amphithere in the distance accenting his transformation.

Rarity gasped audibly, eyes wide. “Darling, your outfit is so fashion-forward- though I suppose there’s no time to gush about it now.”

Peggy stepped forward, ogling Derrick briefly. “I guess it’s my turn, isn’t it? Here goes nothing.” She swallowed hard, placing her hands on either side of her brooch. It floated off of her chest as she rose her hands over her head. “Cockatiel fragment power!” All at once, her body was covered in a curtain of amber-colored sparkles that clung to her skin like droplets of water. The brooch repositioned itself on her chest, releasing ribbons of gold light that wrapped around her, bursting into feathers to reveal each new portion of her outfit, from her warm grey thigh-high boots to her matching gloves, bright orange stockings, medium grey partial skirt, bright yellow leotard, medium grey crop top, bright yellow shoulder armor, and her long, medium grey cockatiel tail. Affixed to her waist was a medium grey belt with a gold and orange buckle in the shape of a sun. Warm grey feathery accents formed around the sunflower seed brooch like a bow. The last thing to take shape was a large, orange gem in the middle of her forehead. Light radiated out from its center, fading the brown color of her hair until it was silver and orange. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal that her chocolate brown irises were now accented with tiny specks of amber. She did one final spin before posing, a warm, gentle smile spreading across her face.

When the light faded, so did her smile as she struggled to maintain her balance. “Shit,” she muttered, rubbing her back. “How does Himawari bend her back like that every single time?” Each movement shed more sparkles which seemed to blink out of existence just before hitting the ground. She looked down at herself, sticking one of her legs out to admire her shoes. “I can’t believe that actually worked.”

“I’ll say it did,” Derrick whistled, his eyes hidden behind his visor as he looked at her. “I think you pull that off better than Himawari ever could.”

Peggy’s cheeks burned as she took a step back. She tugged at the little skirt that was poking out on either side of her legs as she tried her best to avoid making eye-to-visor contact. “T-thank you for thinking so, Derrick. I appreciate the compliment. You look really good as well,” she mumbled, straining as she spoke in an almost robotic way which made it abundantly clear that she still wasn’t used to getting compliments. “Any- anyway, let’s go fuck this big bastard up.”

“Let’s,” Derrick agreed, raising his left hand where a red tape slid out of the dispenser under his left bracer. “Rai Phoenix, red beat on!” He slotted the red tape into his belt, the device clicking shut before he used his thumb to flick the gold lever above the belt’s screen. The background turned from silver to gold, the red emblem of a phoenix appearing. A holographic copy of the symbol projected from the screen, expanding until it was bigger than the teen before starting to slide back and over him. The white parts of his suit turned red as the hologram passed over them, the red stripes turning to silver. When the emblem was entirely past his back, it shattered into particles that raced around to the front of his helmet, forming a red visor that resembled cliche pointy anime sunglasses, the points following almost the same path as the antenna of his helmet, his black, shield-shaped visor slightly visible underneath.

Without another wasted second, Derrick jumped into the air, flaming wings sprouting from his back as he raced towards the raging Amphithere.

“Holy shit,” Peggy breathed, watching as Derrick approached the great beast. She cracked her knuckles, stretching as she tried to remember what Himawari did to grow wings. She waved her hand over her brooch, the stone inside glowing as she held her arms out to either side. Then, with one swift movement, she slammed her arms down and backward, bending them at the elbow. Two orange, shell-shaped spheres formed behind her back, three separate feather shapes floating around each one.

Peggy jumped upwards to follow Derrick, only to zoom backward. “Fuck-“ her heels skidded along the ground as she tried to stop, her strangely shaped wings flapping frantically. She spun around, rocketing into the sky, watching as the creatures on the ground got smaller and smaller. She glanced behind herself, deafened by the wind blowing past her ears. “Turn around, turn around, turn-“ using her arms and legs to flail, she managed to turn to face the sky. She came to a stop, floating in place. “Fucking shit, why is flying so hard?”

Meanwhile, Derrick rushed the Amphithere in a ball of flame. Most of the skyborne Bearers had been knocked out of the fight, leaving only Luna, Smolder, Rainbow Dash, Gallus, and Ocellus. The young man reached into his coat, pulling out a knuckle duster that resembled an adjustable handgrip. “‘Scuse me, pardon me, coming through,” he apologized as he swerved through each of the fighters, squeezing the duster. “Let’s see how you like this!” His shout drew the mecha’s attention away from Smolder, who continued to spew flames at her adversary even after being ignored, only to have the ranger’s reared back fist deck it in the middle of its snout. A loud ‘boom’ filled the air, and the mechanical serpent’s head was knocked back, the beast letting out a cry.

“Yeah!” The young man cried, coming to hover in midair above the titan. “How’d ya like tha- Wow, shit!” He only barely had time to drop several hundred feet to avoid being slapped across the city by the Amphithere’s tail.

“That was nuts!” Gallus shouted, his grip tightening on his gold and blue sword. He flew down the side of the beast, trying to find any opening to plunge his sword into, but with the armor, it was almost impossible.

Meanwhile, Ocellus, who had taken the form of a bugbear, was busy punching the beast with four clawed fists. “This thing’s armor is too thick,” she yelled as she flew backward to avoid being hit by the beast.

Peggy whistled, still floating in place below the battle. “Now that is a huge bitch,” she commented as she clapped her hands together. As she pulled them apart, a staff began to take shape out of thin air. It was a long rod with golden spirals running the length of the staff. It was decorated at the end with several sunflower seed shaped metal pieces. She grabbed onto it with both hands, admiring the ornate weapon. All at once, she swung it, but nothing happened. “What the fuck? Where was the energy slash?” She questioned as she shook the wand angrily, her brows furrowed. “Unless,” she thought to herself, remembering scenes from her favorite show. A flash of light had accompanied each attack. It was only now that she realized the truth.

“Oh...oh! That was censorship! That means that this is actually meant to bludgeon...or slash? Fuck it,” she grumbled, flying full speed at the Amphithere. As she drew nearer and nearer, she held the weapon over her shoulder like a baseball bat. The other fighters barely had enough time to get out of the way before she swung, slamming the staff into the beast’s head. The momentum of the hit sent the mechanical dragon flying several hundred yards back. Unfortunately, the same happened to Peggy. She let out a shriek as she barreled across the sky. The creature screeched to a halt, letting out a pained yet angered cry as it began to quickly close the gap she had made between it and the other bearers.

The serpent curled, swinging its head up and around until it bore down on them like a cobra bears down on a rat. A glow began to build up in its maw. Smolder's eyes widened as she watched the build-up. "Guys!" She shouted, wings starting to flap more rapidly. "Scatter!" The Bearers rushed away from each other as the light built to a crescendo.

"Not this time!" The ampithere's head shot upward with another loud 'boom' only to be followed by a second, more deafening sonic boom. The serpent's head reared back, the prepared beam rocketing up into the sky. Derrick flew back, fiery wings blazing as he stopped next to Peggy, right arm and knuckle duster smoking.

"I got one more shot left," he warned, hovering in the air. "Anything after that is going to be seriously ineffective."

Peggy looked to Derrick, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Then I guess it’s my turn,” she chimed as she cracked her neck to release some tension. A sinister grin formed on her face as she flew back into the fray.

Ocellus took advantage of the beast’s moment of immobility to jab at its neck a few times before flying out of the way for Gallus. The griffin sliced at the dragon’s neck, trying to break through and do damage. “Why is this thing’s armor so tough,” Gallus grumbled as he flew backward to avoid the beast’s jaws.

“I don’t know, but I can’t get through either,” Ocellus answered, coming to a stop beside him.

Peggy barreled through the group of bearers, staff in hand. “Swingin’ for the cheap seats!” she yelled as she slammed her weapon into the beast’s head a second time. She and the beast were forced away from each other again, but she recovered much more quickly as she got a better grasp on her new powers. She began to barrage the dragon, smacking its face from side to side. The great beast put up with the series of attacks for a short time before retaliating. It rose up its head which resulted in Peggy’s last attack missing. She stopped short under its jaw, trying to regain her bearings. The mechanical dragon’s neck twisted as it brought its head up. It immediately slammed it downwards, knocking into Peggy hard enough to send her rocketing towards the ground. She stopped just short of making contact with the crystal below as she tried to catch her breath. “M-motherfucker…”

Rai Amphithere stared down at the Senshi, starting to draw in light and dust particles once more. “HEY!!!” The shout drew its attention to its left, where Derrick still hovered in the sky, a new device in his left hand. The new gadget almost resembled a wide tube with a flip-top and handle on the side, the handle and top a dark gray while the body was white. “Pick on someone your own size!” He lifted the Rai Duster to his Rai Saber, clicking it into place at the base of the body, opposite the handle. He lifted the new blaster configuration and pointed it at the serpent.

A loud, mechanical hiss drew out of the amphithere, the dragon fully turning and starting to snake its way towards him. A roar thundered through the air, shattering windows and forcing several of the remaining fighters to cover their sensitive ears. Derrick remained in the air, unmoved, as he aimed the pistol at the oncoming beast. “What’s he doing!?” Rainbow shouted, staring in disbelief at the man she’d watched slam into the ground.

“Something seemingly very foolish,” Luna muttered, her horn starting to glow. “I’ll retrieve-”

A roar cut her off as the dragon surged towards the man with a speed they had yet to witness, jaws opening wide as if to swallow him whole. “No!” Dash screamed, shooting forward and leaving a rainbow trail. Her save never came, though, as Derrick pulled back the lever of his duster three times. “Raito Buster! Mach three!” He pulled the trigger of his blaster, and a beam half as tall as himself fired out, erupting from the barrel with a dangerous and deafening hum. The beam slammed into the beast’s mouth, stopping the entirety of its momentum like a train wreck, its body piling up like the cars of a locomotive. Then it started moving back, its head leaving the rest of its serpentine body behind as it was forced away by the power of the blast. It traveled quite a distance before slamming into a building, letting out a scream before sinking to the ground, the building collapsing over it. The ranger let go of the trigger, huffing, and puffing as smoke rolled off his blaster and shoulders.

Gallus blinked a few times, unsure of what he had seen. “No way,” he whispered in disbelief as he eyed Derrick. “How did he do that,” he asked, looking around at the other bearers.

Peggy barely had time to look up before it was over. Several emotions washed over her, starting with fear, surprise, fear again, and then relief. She managed to compose herself enough to fly again, her wings carrying her through the sky to Derrick. “That- that was amazing! How did you do that?” She flew around him in a circle, stopping to look through his visor, which was nearly impossible. “You kicked that fucker’s ass, babe.”

The young man's shoulders shook with a tired chuckle, raising his blaster shakily. "Just had to charge it up to full blast," he explained, still panting. "That blast is usually reserved for a finishing move."

"Whatever it was," the young man stopped as Smolder flew up beside them. "It was awesome!" She turned to look at the dust cloud under which lay the Rai Amphithere. "Really showed him."

"It won't last long," Derrick murmured with a shake of his head. "We should gather up the fallen and move them back to the others. Hopefully, by now, they've got everything ready."

"Right!" The orange dragon replied before turning and flying towards Somnambula.

“You gotta teach me how you do that,” Gallus interjected before flying down to scoop up two crystal guards.

With a swift motion, Peggy scooped Derrick up in her arms, holding him bridal style as she descended from the sky. “We’ll see if they’re ready or not,” Peggy muttered, holding the ranger close. “But I have my doubts….”

Ocellus trailed close behind them, a guard under each of her bugbear arms. “They’ll be ready. Just wait and see. This isn’t the first time they’ve had to heal the Crystal Heart. The princesses can do this. Then, we’ll use the elements to fix everything.” She flew around the two humans, making her way towards the palace.

Peggy rolled her eyes as they got closer and closer to the ground. Once her feet were firmly planted on the crystal platform, she stood Derrick back up, looking him up and down for injuries. However, there didn’t seem to be a single bit of fabric out of place on him, even his gun and shoulders having stopped smoking.

“I’m okay, babe,” he assured, reaching his hands up and removing his helmet, and tucking it under his arm. “See?” He smiled and pointed a thumb at his face before dropping his hand and looking at those assembled.

All of the unicorns save Sunburst surrounded the Crystal Heart, holding its thousands of shards in place while Flurry Heart stood in front of it, the heart-shaped gem of her necklace levitating in her hands, gold light shining from it like an aurora. The young princess glanced nervously to her Crystaller as if searching for assurance while the flight force portion of the Bearers tended their wounds.

Sunburst watched, looking between the heart and the princess. “Good, Flurry. Now break the crystal down the middle. You can do it,” he encouraged, taking a step forward. “I know you can.”

“I believe in you, sweetie,” Shining Armor added, ready to shield them should things go wrong. He stood beside Sunburst, looking from his daughter to his wife and the other princesses as they held the heart together.

Flurry looked around at those who had supported her through the years. Her teachers, friends, family. All of them had been by her side through thick and thin, guiding her and lifting her up. All to get to this day. The day when she would take up the mantle of ruling and caring for her people. She hardened her features into steel, her magical aura appearing over her horn. A line slashed down the middle of the gem, separating it into two even pieces. She drifted one piece towards the Heart while the other went towards the clasp of her neckpiece, gently pressing them in simultaneously.

A blinding light filled the area, making everyone present cover their eyes. Once the light began to fade, they looked back to find Flurry Heart hovering in the air, eyes shining with her wings outspread, her tiara and carcanet having been warped into platinum, now accompanied by wide bangles and solid horseshoes that extended up her shins like armor. She landed, her body gently folding a little before straightened up, closing her eyes and spreading her arms out. Slowly, the glow faded from her body, and she relaxed, opening her eyes as the now completed gem in her necklace shone with the same light as the Crystal Heart.

All stood stunned for several long moments before it was interrupted by a certain purple and green dragon. “Alright! It work-” Spike’s celebration was cut short as an angry roar shook the palace, everyone turning their attention to the pile of rubble from which the Rai Amphithere burst, raising up the majority of its length to tower over them, red eyes shining with malice.

The look was enough to make all present freeze in place, terror filling their souls. “Starlight! Stygian!” The two ponies were ripped from their paralysis, looking back to where Twilight Sparkle had taken a knee, Spike at her side. “Go collect the others! Bring them here! Hurry!” Both unicorns nodded and disappeared in a flash without a second word. “Everyone else shields up!”

“Peggy, off the platform!”

It took several seconds for Peggy to realize that someone was speaking to her as she stared up at the beast, eyes wide. She grit her teeth, letting out a frustrated growl. “I’ve got a proposition for you, ugly,” She taunted as she flew off of the platform towards the mechanical dragon. She readied her staff, holding it over her shoulder. “This time, when I hit you, how about you stay down!” She slammed her weapon into the Amphithere, expecting it to be thrown back as far as before, but this time the beast was ready for her attack. Instead, it was only sent back a couple hundred feet. “You fucker,” she sneered, flying after it to hit it again.

Derrick watched her, his helmet back on as he grit his teeth. "Shit," he muttered, preparing to fly back into the fray.

"What are you doing!?" He glanced behind his shoulder to find the pink and sunrise-maned mare from before, hands pressed against the swirling, multicolored surface of the barrier.

"We need a distraction!" The man answered, a roar accenting his reply and drawing his gaze to where the dragon was trying to swallow his girlfriend. "Me and Peggy got this while you guys get ready!"

"Wait!" Her warning fell on deaf ears as the armored teen rushed off in a blaze.

“I’m gonna make you wish your momma never squirted you outta her...armored womb? Fuck it, I don’t need good shit talk to beat your ass!” Peggy smacked the behemoth of a creature again, noticing that her hits were sending it smaller distances each time. She growled, deciding to attack the back of its head next. When that did even less damage, she backed off, holding out her staff. “Sunflower staff, level two, shelled metamorphosis,” she called out, watching as her wand transformed. The sunflower-shaped pieces floated off the end, held in place with something akin to a magnetic field. Gold-colored light radiated off of it as she rocketed towards the front of the machine’s head. She pried its mouth open with her legs then pointed the staff towards the inside. “Roast ‘em, shushi,” Peggy smirked, watching as the wand glowed intensely. The sunflower seed-shaped metal pieces parted as the staff fired a concentrated, golden energy beam into the mouth of the Amphithere. “Now be sure and swallow for me, sweetie.”

Rai Amphithere screamed in pain as the beam entered its maw and hit the back of its throat where its particle canon emitter rested. The cry cut off, and the serpent, eyes shining with hate, lurched forward, digging her boots in further. Crushing power started to press in on the young woman, the mecha driving to bite her in half.

Peggy gasped, her wings flapping frantically as she tried to break free. She began furiously battering the beast’s face, trying to push its jaw back open with her legs, but it was no use. She wasn’t strong enough. “Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck- hrgh,” she cursed, starting to panic. She fired off an energy beam into the creature’s eye, then tucked the wand inside its mouth beside her waist. She took a deep breath, then fired off another full-strength blast inside its mouth. She winced as her boots burned off of her legs, sweat forming on her brow. “Let the fuck go, now,” she half-snarled, half-whimpered as she leaned back, her eyes scanning the sky. She finally focused on Derrick, her eyes full of fear.

Another roar filled the air before a seemingly mechanical voice drowned it out. "Burning Passion brings Phoenix Wings!" Derrick slammed into the side of the amphithere's head with a flaming kick, the beast crying out and releasing the Senshi as it lurched many dozens of feet away. The woman found herself in Derrick's arms, a reversal of their usual position.

"You okay?" He asked, a tired tone in his voice as the red of his suit disappeared alongside the 'V' shaped glasses, returning him to his base form as they landed.

All Peggy could muster was a nod, her eyes full of tears. She quickly dried them, not wanting to show weakness. She glanced down at her feet, noticing that the material left of her boots was still smoking. She looked back up at Derrick, swallowing hard. “T-thank you, Derry.”

He nodded his head before letting go of her feet, supporting her with an arm under her own. "We can't keep this up," he stated, looking back up to where the mecha was recovering.

“You’re tellin’ me, babe. This thing is nuts. I was almost lunch,” Peggy panted, her knees still weak. She leaned on Derrick, gripping his coat sleeve.

"We've got to finish this s-" He stopped as light caught his attention. On the platform, all of the Bearer's save the remaining Pillars, stood with their arms outstretched to one another. Light shone around them in a corona of rainbow colors, each of their eyes shining with pure light as they began to hover. Derrick let out a sigh of relief as he watched the eight creatures building up energy. "Final-"

A scream filled the air, forcing him to grab the sides of his helmet. He wasn't the only one drawn to the light show. Rai Amphithere stared down at the Bearers and those behind them, wings spread out. Its eyes brightened for a moment before light began to build up in its maw. The young man reared back at the realization.

"Peggy! Strongest attack! Go!" Without another word, the ranger raced off in a flash of gold, appearing in front of the platform. He reached into his coat and pulled out his Rai Buster, pressing the handle three times.

“Right,” Peggy responded, holding her wand over her head. The staff changed into a radiant chalice floating between her hands. “Magnificent Lutino Chalice Power!” The lid of the chalice opened, feathers made of light spilling out and over her body. Her outfit changed to mimic battle armor, the colors changing from grey to white and pale yellow. She held the chalice close to her chest, watching as it pulled in the light from her brooch. The golden light poured into the cup, filling it to bursting. Finally, Peggy spoke in a voice almost too quiet to be a whisper as she pointed the open end of the chalice at the beast. “Scream.”

Light built up around the barrel of Derrick's blaster, the colors of his coat shining. "Mach! Three!" Each of their three beams fired at once, each enormous in their own right. However, as Peggy and Derrick began to slide back, it soon became clear that the pure might of the mecha was more than they could handle. At least, alone.

A rainbow of color boomed out, the beam far larger than even Rai Amphithere's, and raced over the two defenders' heads. It met the dragon in midair, depleting its beam and forcing it back several hundred yards. A cry ripped from its jaws as the wave of harmony blew past it, following an unknown path. Cracks of light started to form on its armor, revealing kinks and seams that had been unnoticeable. The lines grew and grew until, all at once, the mecha shattered. The beam died, seeming to leave nothing in its wake.

The chalice faded out of existence as Peggy’s transformation wavered. All at once, her outfit disintegrated, leaving behind her cosplay. Her hair transitioned back to its natural brown color as her eyes lost their light. Her legs buckled under her as she fell against Derrick.

"Wow," Derrick said, catching her shoulders and gently lowering her to the ground. "You okay?"

Peggy managed to nod, laying down beside his feet. “Just gonna...nap here for a bit,” she mumbled, closing her eyes.

The young man watched worriedly for a moment before sighing. "Always overworked," he muttered with a smile, preparing to rest as well.

"Hey, what's that?" He looked up at the words of the pink feathered bird… pony… hybrid… girl, finding her pointing to something in the sky. Derrick followed her gaze, squinting to try and make it out. At first, the small speck was indiscernible. However, as it grew closer to the ground, his eyes widened.

"Shit!" He shouted, scrambling up and using every ounce of energy he had left in his already burning legs to sprint across the debris-filled landscape. He dodged and weaved, keeping his eyes up the entire time. Then, just when it looked like he wouldn't make it, he dove forward, arms outstretched as a tiny bundle fell into them. He pulled it in and curled around it, shoulder slamming into the ground as he slid to a halt.

Peggy sat up and watched as Derrick slammed into the ground. “Derry,” she stood shakily, then took off running towards him. She stopped beside him, falling to her knees to see if he was okay. “Derry, are you alright, baby? What was that?”

The man gave a little grunt, pushing himself up on one arm while his other laid cradled against his chest. "Yeah, I think we're good," he muttered, leaning against a bit of rubble.

She cupped his face, leaning in to look at him closely. “Are you sure you’re okay- wait, we?” She looked down at the arm that was still cradled against his chest.

In his arm laid a miniature, organic version of the amphithere they'd been fighting, iridescent, pearl-white scales glistening in the light as it shifted and whimpered.

Peggy gasped, getting on her hands and knees to lean down and look at the little creature. “Babe, what the fuck? It’s so cute! Is that little shit what we were actually fighting, or,” her voice trailed off as she continued to stare, her chocolate brown eyes intensely focused. “Is it still hostile? Can I pet it, or is it gonna bite the shit outta me?”

Derrick chuckled quietly, tucking the tiny serpent closer to his chest, the beasty curling up a little tighter in response. "He'll be okay," he answered, trying to stay steady as exhaustion caught up with him. "He's just super scared and confused right now."

“Poor little noodle. C’mon babe, let’s go pass the fuck out,” Peggy joked, trying her best to lift Derrick off the ground. She got about halfway up before her legs buckled, and the two of them hit the ground. “Shit, might just have to pass out right here, huh?”

"Heh," he huffed, his grin fading slightly as he used his other arm to wrap around his girlfriend, pulling her closer. "Sounds like a plan…." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, his breathing slowing almost immediately.

She rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut. Among the scent of dust and blood, her nose caught the smell of his cologne. She breathed it in deeply, letting the world around her fade away. “I love you…” she whispered to him, hoping that he was asleep enough not to hear her. She drifted off, her body relaxing into sleep.

As the three drifted off, the sound of hoofsteps and other assorted paws and claws ran towards them, many shadows falling over them, conversing in hushed tones.

Author's Note

Our young couple finds themselves in free fall, literally, and after an intense battle with a new ally, they find themselves worn out. However, with all the new happenings, it leaves many with unanswered questions. How will the pair cope with their new surroundings? Will this be the last spot of danger they find themselves in? Or is it all downhill from here?

A little late, but I did get it out. I'm really sorry guys, with everything happening right now, things are kind of hectic. And by kind of, I mean super. New job, new apartment, new city, new life. It's a lot, but I am trying to get everything down. Please have some patience for me. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter, and until the next, have a great one!