Chapter 11 - Return To Where It Began
After getting the Time Stone, it was... well, time... for Spike to find the next Stone. Celestia told him that the Space Stone was hidden in Ponyville, surprising everypony.
"Ponyville? For a supposedly small town, it has too much importance." Lobo commented.
"That's precisely why it works so well. It's small, so most villains would overlook it, while still having a significant importance." Celestia explained. "It's a 'focus' point for many mystical energies; that's also the origin of the Everfree Forest's magical creatures and plants."
"So, that's why we have manticores, flowers that play pranks on you, and half-chicken-half-reptile animals that turn you to stone living practically in our backyard?" Rainbow arched an eyebrow at this.
"And Pinkie Pie living in town." Rarity rolled her eyes.
"Aw, you think I'm as special as the Everfree Forest's monsters? Thanks!" Pinkie, giggling, hugged Rarity, who just sighed, smiled slightly and shook her head at this.
"Well, since we have to return to Ponyville now... where do we buy our train tickets?" Garble asked to nopony in particular.
"You're returning to Ponyville; the other dragons are visiting for the first time." Fumes reminded him.
"Well, about that... maybe I can use my Stones to transport all of us there." Spike commented.
"That's a good idea, Spike; however, you'd need precisely the Space Stone to teleport us." Adam informed him.
"Typical. Hmmm..." Spike then grinned. "How about, I use the Power Stone to make Twilight's magic powerful enough to teleport all of us?"
This idea was well received by everypony... and every other species... and Twilight was both excited and nervous. Usually, she could only teleport herself, and at times taking a small group with her; and she never teleported to a very long distance.
"Okay, let's go to the palace's yard so Twilight can have more space." Luna said to the group. They all started walking out of the palace, with Blue Blood walking next to Rarity, the couple exchanging sweet words to each other.
"Look at them." Spike, walking next to Twilight, used the Mind Stone to communicate with her. "It's not fair, Twilight, I loved her and she didn't even acknowledge me... I guess that Fire Ruby I gave her doesn't mean anything to her, I guess it's another trinket to her."
"Spike, that would be unfair to Rarity. You know she appreciates that gift, a lot; and not just because of its monetary value. The thing is... she loves you, but as a very dear friend." Twilight 'thought' back. "I don't approve on overusing your powers, Spike, but maybe you should use them to see what she thinks about you."
Spike nodded (in his mind) and used the Mind Stone to give Rarity's mind a very quick check-out; the dragon smiled when seeing her many beautiful thoughts; by using the Soul Stone as well, Spike confirmed what he always knew, that Rarity was beautiful on the inside, even more than her considerably gorgeous exterior. However, this also confirmed what Twilight told him; Rarity really loved him a lot, but it was the kind of love she had for her friends, or even for her little sister, Sweetie Belle. The dragon sighed a bit yet smiled; as much as it hurt to know Rarity would never love him back the way he did with her, he was happy knowing she still had many beautiful thoughts and feelings for him.
While this happened, the group was saying their 'good-byes' and 'see you later' to the Canterlot's residents. After Sally made a very formal yet still very friendly 'good-bye' with the Princesses, she walked next to Twilight, who was getting ready to perform her teleportation spell.
"Twilight..." Sally whispered at the unicorn. "You... you were 'talking' with Spike using telepathy, right?"
"How did you..."
"I've seen telepathy in action in the past." Sally admitted. "Anyway... I know that was a private thing and I don't wanna intrude, but... do you know if... Spike likes me? As in, romantically?"
Twilight, noticing the rest of the group was still saying 'bye', and Spike was focused on Rarity, smiled at Sally and whispered back at her.
"I'm no expert in romance, Sally... but I can tell when somepony is in love." The unicorn said. "And I think I can also tell the same when some other species feels the same. So, do you..."
"Yes." Sally sighed slightly. "I had been crushing on Spike ever since I first met him. Guess it's been a bit too obvious, uh?"
"Yes, it has. If Spike hadn't been away for such a long time to do his training with Adam, and start the Stones' search, he surely would have noticed by now too." Twilight smiled at her. "You should discuss this with him later, if he ever gets the courage to tell you how he feels."
"Okay, we're ready now." Adam and Spike approached Twilight, the alicorn doing the talking now. "Everypony... and Mobian, and dragon... get closer."
The group was now around Twilight and Spike; Cadence and Shining Armor had decided to join them to see how Spike found the last Stone, and also help him if necessary. The purple dragon placed his Staff on Twilight's horn, and started sending some energy from the Power Stone to her body. Twilight soon felt her own magical power increasing tenfold, and even more.
"I'm ready... here we go." Twilight's eyes were now glowing with powerful mystical energy. "Next stop... Ponyville."
The whole group got engulfed by a bright, magical, purple light , and a second later, they had disappeared. Almost immediately, they reappeared in Ponyville.
"Whoa... talk about instant delivery!" Tails gasped, surprised at this display of power.
"Yeah... hey, Spike, think you can energize me too?" Rainbow grinned at him. "Maybe I'd fly fast enough to do a Double Sonic Rainboom."
"Somehow... Ah doubt that would be a good idea." Applejack rolled her eyes.
"So, where are you gonna find the new stone?" Shakes asked Spike.
"The Space Stone got buried down here in Ponyville ages ago. It wouldn't surprise me if it's under a house." Spike shrugged while starting to use his staff to search for the Space Stone's energy signal.
"Or under a tree." Fluttershy, timidly, suggested.
"Or under a rock." Knuckles added.
"Or... Under the seaaaaa! Under the seaaaaa!" Pinkie started singing, holding a pair of 'maracas'.
"Searching now; Colt-ribbean Music later." Rainbow stopped the pink pony.
"And the stone is..." Spike finally got the energy signal. "... right under... there!"
Everyone turned at the direction the purple dragon was signaling; Ponyville's library.
"The library?" Rarity gasped.
"Spike and I had been living right over the Space Stone all this time?" Twilight groaned.
"Didn't see that one coming." Applejack shrugged.
"Yep. Another unexpected twist." Tails grinned.
Dun-Dun-Dun!
Everyone turned to see Pinkie Pie with a piano, playing 'suspense music'.
"Heh. Sorry." Pinkie giggled.
"Okay... where did that crazy mare get a piano from?" Garble groaned.
"She keeps lots of stuff hidden around Ponyville for later use." Rarity explained to him, sighing. "Don't make me elaborate. We have problems figuring her out anyway."
The group entered the library... and Spike used the Reality Stone to make the entrance a bit bigger, since the door was barely big enough for Daemon and Adam, and now the group had grown in size, both in number of members and the height of some integrants.
"Well, since the library was built over the Space Stone, we'll have go to the basement." Twilight suggested.
"Good idea..." Applejack opened the door to the basement, and little fireball dashed out of it, tackling Spike. Those who didn't know what was going on gasped at this, but soon were chuckling just like the others.
"Okay, Pee Wee, I missed you too." Spike giggled while the little phoenix rubbed his body on the dragon's chest and chin, tickling him.
"A phoenix... Wait, that bird came from the egg that..." Garble wide opened his eyes while Rarity and Twilight nodded at him. "Oh."
"What?" The other dragons looked up at their leader.
"The phoenix's nest we attacked? The night we first met Spike? The egg he saved?" Garble groaned at them. The other dragons just stared at him, not getting it yet.
"Oh, for Celestia's sake... Pee Wee is the baby phoenix that came out of that egg Spike saved!" Rainbow snapped at them. "No offense, guys, but guess this explains why you dragons can eat diamonds; your heads are even harder!"
Garble and his gang looked down, a bit ashamed by both their ignorance and the realization of all the little birds they had destroyed before hatching all these years.
"Okay, harsh feelings aside, let's handle the Space Stone issue now." Adam suggested.
"Well, the stairways are too small for all of us to go down... maybe I can make a bigger, second entrance?" Spike, now petting Pee Wee, told Adam.
"Not necessary, Spike. This is the last part of your quest; you have all the other Stones now, and you've mastered their powers, at least enough to help yourself in a tight spot, so you can search for the Space Stone on your own. The rest of us will stay here, and ready to help you just in case." Adam instructed him.
"But I'm still going with him." Twilight's tone showed she wasn't letting anypony (or other species) tell otherwise. "My house. My basement. My little brother who also helped me when Princess Celestia sent me to find the Crystal Heart and defeat King Sombra."
"In other words, it's your duty as well." Adam nodded at the purple unicorn. "Okay, Twilight, go ahead. Besides, Spike might still need your magical knowledge."
Spike nodded in agreement and went to give Pee Wee to Fluttershy so she could take care of him in the meantime... but the little phoenix just flew back to Spike's hands right after the yellow pegasus got him.
"I don't think he wants to let you go without him, Spike." Fluttershy told him. "He missed his 'daddy'."
"Heh. Well, why not? I'm already going with my sister, so this is gonna be a family trip." Spike chuckled while caressing the little bird.
"Alright then, let's go." Twilight smiled, nodded at her big brother and sister-in-law before doing the same with her friends, and she started leading Spike and Pee Wee downstairs; the purple dragon did as Twilight, giving Sally a particularly fond smile, before going after the unicorn.
As the trio went downstairs, Adam and Shining Armor used their own magic to project a defensive shield so, in case the Space Stone was protected by something dangerous, it wouldn't get out of the house.
"Something dangerous?" Shakes gulped a bit.
"Well, so far the Stones had been protected by Diamond Dogs, you dragons, magical protections..." Adam was interrupted by Rarity.
"Okay, we get it now." The unicorn sighed. "Let's hope Spike, Twilight and little Pee Wee can handle themselves."
"Rarity, Spike and Twilight practically stopped King Sombra on their own without any magical stone to help them." Rainbow grinned. "Now that Spike is supercharged and two thousand percent more awesome, and Twilight has much more powerful magic than before, I doubt anything can actually hurt them."
Sally just gave a big, worried stare at the basement's door, hoping Rainbow was right.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike moved all of the unicorn's scientific equipment she kept at the basement, so it wouldn't be in the way. The dragon detected the portal right in the middle of the basement, and realized that, even with the Stones he already had, opening this entrance wouldn't be easy.
"Okay... I guess I can use the Reality Stone to open the portal... but I don't know if I can keep it open." Spike groaned. "If we go to another dimension, the physical and magical laws in that 'reality' might be completely different."
"Wow. You impress me, Spike." Twilight commented. "That's a very accurate analysis."
"Hey, hanging around with you, anypony (or dragon) becomes smarts by osmosis." Spike chuckled. "Heh, I even know what 'osmosis' means."
"And I know how to help you." Twilight grinned. "The teleportation spell works by bending my own space and time for a few moments. If I use that spell combined with your Reality and Time powers..."
"Now you're the one impressing me." Spike grinned. "Okay, let's do this."
Twilight started summoning the magical energy necessary for teleportation, and Spike redirected it to the portal's area, combining it with the Reality and Time Stones' energies. When the purple unicorn 'triggered' the spell, Spike opened quite a big portal right in the basement's floor.
"Alright! Let's go." Spike chuckled while Pee Wee stood on his shoulder, and the dragon and Twilight jumped inside the portal, that disappeared almost instantly.
The dimension they had landed seemed to have no visible ground, as they just floated around. Twilight then looked up and saw what seemed to be a large ceiling... and then saw how Pee Wee, who had started flying around when they entered the dimension, stood on the ceiling, upside down.
"It seems Pee Wee is using this floating-around-stuff to stick himself to the ceiling." Spike commented while approaching the little phoenix.
"Or maybe, since we're looking for the 'Space' Stone, that ceiling can be used as a floor or ground." Twilight deduced. A moment later, she and Spike 'landed' a bit too roughly on the 'ceiling', and when they looked 'down', they realized the whole ceiling now seemed to work as the ground, and the area they had been floating was now the 'up' part.
"Okaaaay... definitely, space doesn't work normally here." Spike groaned and, when looking at Twilight, she now seemed to be half a mile away. "Twi, why did you go that far?"
"Far? I'm next to you!" Now the unicorn was precisely in front of the dragon. "Hey, where's..."
They heard Pee Wee's chirping now, and the little bird was so far away from them, they almost lost sight of him. Spike and Twilight started running towards him, but they didn't seem to advance an inch... and when Pee Wee saw them, he joined the pair in a couple of seconds.
"This is ridiculous." Twilight groaned while Spike petted Pee Wee. "It's almost like the time we went to the Crystal Empire and..."
"Yeah... this works a lot like the stairway trap King Sombra set in the palace." Spike frowned a bit before using his staff to locate the Space Stone. "Mmm... the Space Stone is that way... and seems to be several miles away."
"Spike, in this dimension, one mile can be the same as one inch." Twilight pointed out. "Don't try to reach the stone physically... Use your mind!"
"Literally." Spike grinned and used the Mind Stone; a moment later, his 'mind self' was crossing the enormous area between the Space Stone and himself. A couple seconds later, Spike, still focusing his mental energy, extended his hand... and the Space Stone, that a minute ago seemed to be so far away it would take several days to reach it, was now right in front of his fingertips.
"Mind and Time can go beyond Space." Spike smiled and, after getting a little nod from Twilight and Pee Wee, touched the Space Stone. As before, the stone's magical energy covered him with a bright glow; in this case, the glow was purple. Spike could feel how his whole self was now connected to the whole space around them; every inch of terrain and apparently non-existent limbo. He could feel Twilight and Pee Wee, and the area their bodies were covering. And he also felt...
"Somepony is here... and it's coming..."
The ground started shaking, and, a moment later, it disappeared, with such violence Spike dropped the Space Stone, as he wasn't in full control of its power yet. Twilight used her magic to stabilize herself while Spike (via his instant makeshift wings) and Pee Wee started flying, to keep themselves in place.
"Okay, guess we found the Space Stone's obstacle!" Twilight groaned.
"No, the other Stones' obstacles stopped working the moment I grabbed them! This is different. Something's trying to steal it for its own, but who?" Spike extended his hand to try getting the Space Stone again, but a dark, gigantic figure stood in his way.
"I'm more than a simple 'something', Little Dragon."
Pee Wee paled a bit when hearing this unknown, scary voice, while Twilight and Spike got defensive stances.
"Who are you and why are you stealing the Space Stone?" Spike growled.
"I guess it's hard to distinguish me considering that, in this dimension, space and size can be deceiving." The dark figure moved a bit, and seemed to shrink a bit, until getting the same size of a large alicorn. Spike and Twilight now paled as much as Pee Wee.
"KING SOMBRA?" The duo chorused.
"That's my 'pony' name. I've been known with several names in many dimensions." The evil, dark alicorn glared at the duo. "Did Celestia ever tell you how I became King Sombra?"
"Yes... you searched for forbidden, dark magic that corrupted you." Twilight growled.
"A magic that turned me into an interdimensional creature. And in order to adapt myself to any dimension I'd be connected when using this magic... I fused myself with the essence of a creature that has 'shapeshifting' as its primal nature."
"A changeling... You're a unicorn and changeling hybrid!" Spike deduced.
"A power I got thanks to a certain Queen you two are very familiar with." King Sombra smirked evilly at them. 'Chrysalis helped me become the most dangerous unicorn in Equestria; one so dangerous that even Princesses Celestia and Luna feared enough to exile me with magic; a creature that is a king of his own right. I'm The Changeling King!"
The villain then grabbed the Space Stone with one of his hooves, that morphed into a large claw.
"And when you and the Crystal Ponies destroyed my physical form, my spirit became trapped here again, where I've been searching for the Space Stone... but the only way to do it is with the correct use of the Mind and Reality Stones. Thanks for helping me, Dragon; guess this compensates for your contribution at my previous defeat."
"That defeat you suffered was very well deserved, Your Highness; if we allowed you to return to the Crystal Empire, you'd enslaved the Crystal ponies like you did last time, before Celestia and Luna sealed you in the Ice of the Frozen North." Spike growled before using the Reality and Power Stones. "Which reminds me... You hate cold!"
Spike then used the Stones to change his normal fire breath into a freezing one, breathing a large blizzard-like blast against The Changeling King, but the large villain just laughed at him. Spike, Twilight and Pee Wee gasped when realizing the freezing attack was now apparently moving at slow motion.
"I have the Space Stone, remember? An inch and a mile can be the same; your attack has to cover an infinite distance to touch me!" The villain glared at Spike. "Or I can change it's direction."
Spike barely had time to use the Reality and Power Stones to project an energy field around his companions and himself, as the freezing attack hit them back.
"Great! I can't even touch him!" Spike growled.
"This dimension... Sombra, or Changeling, or whatever..." Twilight communicated mentally with Spike. "Spike, you are the Infinite Stones' legitimate master. He's using this dimension's energies to get control of the Space Stone. If we return to our own dimension, his powers will get diminished."
"Good idea." Spike replied mentally, and then, concentrating a bit, sent a mental command to the Space Stone. Even if he couldn't get full control of it, he had touched the Space Stone long enough to establish a little link between them.
"And now I will destroy..." The Changeling King didn't end his phrase, as the Space Stone opened a portal behind them. "No! What are you..."
"TWILIGHT, TELEPORTATION SPELL, NOW!" Spike yelled. The unicorn lost no time to engulf her companions, herself, and the villain in her teleporting energies, and a moment later, they got into the portal and back to Ponyville.
At the library, Adam felt a cold, nasty sensation running down his back; at the same time, Pinkie Pie got into one of her 'combos', and it was a very serious one.
"Uh, oh. Something very bad is coming?" Sonic asked the pink pony.
"Yes... and it's very unexpected... my Pinkie Sense can't tell exactly what it is." Pinkie explained.
"And it must be quite powerful and of magical nature, because I can feel it too." Adam added; Shining and Cadence cringed a bit, feeling the same sensation in a lower grade.
"Well, it can't be worse than the Changelings Attack." Fumes shrugged; a moment later, both Lyco and Leeta covered his mouth.
"Don't tempt fate!" The twins chorused.
"Too late!" Fluttershy, who was the closest to a window, gulped when seeing the portal opening outside the library, and then everypony saw the huge changeling-unicorn creature falling out from it, followed by Spike, Twilight and Pee Wee.
"What is that thing?" Knuckles gasped/growled.
"King Sombra! Ah'd recognize that monster anywhere!" Applejack finally recognized the villain, while Cadence and Shining deactivated their defense shield so they all could get out of the library.
"I don't know how you got back, Sombra, but we're gonna crash you again!" Rainbow Dash, being her usual self, charged at KS the moment she was out, and Sonic was soon right at her side.
"Crashing things; I like how you think." Sonic grinned. The super fast duo was about to connect a double impact on Sombra when they disappeared and, when reappearing, they were on the way to connect the attack on Knuckles and Daemon; the blue speedsters couldn't stop on time, and hit their friends with such force they almost knocked them out.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" Knuckles groaned.
"I... what... how'd this happened?" Sonic gasped as he and Rainbow tried to figure out what was going on.
"He has the Space Stone!" Twilight informed the group as she moved in front of them, keeping a defensive position. "Teleportation, distance manipulation, change of directions... he can control it all! Don`t attack him or he'll turn the attacks against you!"
"Twilight is right." Adam growled while flying ahead, glaring at King Sombra. "He knows exactly how to use this Stone; he had studied its properties since forever."
"Oh, I see you hadn't forgotten about me, Adam." King Sombra grinned at him. "Oh, and I'm now the Changeling King; you can't have too many titles, you know?"
"You know Sombra? Why I'm not surprised..." Spike rolled his eyes while getting a defensive stance as well. "Let me guess; you helped Princesses Celestia and Luna to defeat him the first time."
"No; they didn't let me do it. They knew how much I'd hate to fight my brother." Adam continued while still glaring at Sombra.
"Your brother?" Practically everyone chorused at this.
"Hold it." Pinkie took out a glass of water, took a sip, and then spit it out. "YOUR BROTHER?"
"Yes; Drake Warcolt." Adam frowned. "He got corrupted by Chrysalis magic... or, more precisely, he was already corrupt; Chrysalis just finished the work and gave him the abilities to master his own dark magic to full extent."
"And you didn't move a hoof to stop our dear 'aunties' from vanishing me, Adam." Sombra growled while growing even more.
"Drake, you became a tyrant, and did things that make any other villain's deeds to pale in comparison. You pretty much destroyed the Crystal Ponies! You crushed their spirits and did all kind of atrocities to them! It took a thousand years to clean up your mess." Adam snapped at his brother.
"Aw, my dear brother; always cleaning up my messes. I think you deserve a vacation, Adam." Sombra's eyes now glowed an intense purple and red light. "How about a weekend in the sun? LITERALLY."
Sombra started using the Space Stone's energies to teleport Adam, but Spike protected his mentor by using the Reality and Mind Stones to deflect the Space`s power back at the villain. Sombra was mostly unaffected since, after all, he was the one controlling the teleporting effect, but he soon realized he wouldn't be able to teleport Adam.
"Smart. But you won't be able to stop me forever, Dragon." Sombra grinned.
"Why not? After all, I have all the 'Time' I need. Get 'real'." Spike grinned at Sombra and then, using the Reality and Time Stones, Spike morphed himself into his older, teen, muscular winged self, and then changed his body armor as well, getting back the technological one he had previously used against the Changelings. Sally blushed when giving him a good look.
"Not bad; you might have more raw power than me, but I have the experience on my side." Sombra smirked and then used the Space Stone to punch Spike; due to Sombra's manipulation of distances, he only needed to move his fist a bit to hit Spike, regardless of how close or far he was. However, thanks to Spike having the Power Stone, the punch didn't hurt him that much even if now Sombra was as big as an adult dragon.
"My turn." Spike shot several energy balls at Sombra, and charged them with the Time and Reality powers so they could cover the distance in a few moments regardless of Sombra's manipulations of space; Sombra could still use it to dodge and avoid most of the impact, but now that they were out of the other dimension, the villain no longer could use the Space Stone at full power, limiting his own attacks as well.
"They need space to fight." Twilight said and then raised a hoof when Pinkie opened her mouth. "Not talking about the stone now, Pinkie."
"Twilight is right! We need to evacuate town or somepony can get hurt." Tails added.
"I'm on it." Pinkie took out a megaphone. "EVERYPONY, GET OUT OF TOWN!"
"Loud but effective." Lobo groaned while rubbing his ears; luckily, Pinkie's noisy warning worked perfectly, and all the villagers started evacuating.
Spike, meanwhile, was summoning energy shields to protect himself from Sombra's own magical blasts. The dragon noticed Pee Wee was trying to attack as well, with little to no effect.
"Pee Wee, you can't hurt this guy!" Spike groaned but then grinned. "Wait... you can, if I give you a hand."
Spike used the Time and Power Stones on Pee Wee, and soon changed him into an adult, much-stronger-than-usual phoenix. Pee Wee covered himself in high intensity flames and charged again at Sombra; the light and heat were so intense that Sombra had to cover his eyes, getting distracted by this attack.
"Perfect!" Spike used this momentary weakness moment to strike Sombra with an energy blast, thanks to the Power Stone, making the villain to drop the Space Stone. Pee Wee caught the Stone in mid air, and brought it to Spike.
"NO!" Sombra roared in anger when realizing he no longer had the Stone.
"You're an adult, Drakey. Get over it." Spike smirked at the villain while holding the Space Stone; the dragon smiled at Pee Wee, thanking him, and then concentrated on the Stone, soon getting covered in its purple glow as he started controlling it.
"You know what will happen once Spike masters this Stone, right, Drakey?" Adam grinned at a very furious King Sombra. "Heh, I like how that sounds."
"This isn't over yet." Sombra growled and then, before Spike could use all the Stones against him, the dark villain morphed into his huge, dark mist form, and extended himself all over Ponyville.
Daemon, who had been helping Rainbow and Fluttershy coordinate the evacuation by flying over the crowd, realized this was a power he could counter; the wolf archangel summoned a mighty wind, and soon dissipated all the mist. His own magical powers made him realize, however, that Sombra was no longer around.
"This was a distraction." Adam frowned. "He is surely very far away by now."
"But next time we face Sombra..." Spike grinned, approaching his mentor, and covered in a white glow, "... we are ready to defeat him."
Adam looked at Spike, and got a proud smile. The white glow only appeared when all the Stones' energies were working at once, and in perfect harmony; Spike had finally mastered them all.
"Well done, Spike... but we don't need to defeat him." Adam then got serious. "We need to do what we couldn't a thousand years ago. My brother is sick; we need to heal him."
"I couldn't agree with you more, besides I sense that you've missed him for some time."
"He's family." Adam shrugged. "Missing him is on the job's description."
Spike smiled and then morphed himself and Pee Wee back to their normal selves; they'd need to talk with their own relatives now before trying to heal Adam's.