Time Traveling Kids of the Mane Six! Chapter 54

MLP Chapter 54: Love's Farewell

(Story Edited: See description below if you've read this chapter already)


Mother and daughter faced each other amid the ruins of Applejack’s barn. Blackened clouds hid the stars from the sky, flashing and rumbling in the darkness. A wind picked up around them, fanning the flames that surrounded them into a searing tornado of destruction. Andromeda’s eyes still glowed green from the dark magic enveloping her, but Twilight saw something glistening against her face.

As ‘Dark Andromeda’ stumbled towards her, shuffling through the wreckage of burning wood and splinters, Twilight could see tears streaming down her daughter’s cheek. The sinister unicorn stared her down.

The sick bubbling of the dark magic could be heard over the roar of the fire. Even its power pierced through the overwhelming heat, sending an cold chill down Twilight’s spine. She knew that she had to still keep a distance from her assailant.

Twilight braced herself with another shield bubble just as Dark Andromeda unleashed a second vicious attack at her mother. The violent blow shattered her magic protection and launched her into the apple fields, pieces of burnt rubble scattered all around. Time appeared to slow down as Twilight flew backwards in the air. The smoke from Applejack’s barn could be seen billowing high into the clouds, peppered with floating embers and rippling heat.

‘Andi,’ her mind whispered.

The mad unicorn had lost all remaining empathy or hesitation. Only the dark magic remained, its unrelenting fury screaming in her eyes. Even though Andromeda had never meant to activate this dark energy intentionally, Twilight knew that she could not only rely on convincing her daughter to stand down. Andromeda was now a dangerous threat to herself and others, and at this point, only the darkness that controlled her was left. Before long, reality returned to Twilight when her back hit the grass and dirt with force.

“AACKKK!” she coughed aloud, the collision knocking the wind out of her.

Twilight gasped for her lost breath, but the smoke in her lungs made her attempts strenuous. She tried to force herself up, but the pain from the impact had paralyzed her. Her shoulders felt like they had been detached from her body. All she could do was rest on her back, trying desperately to inhale and exhale properly. Dark Andromeda, however, had other plans.

“Where’s your FIRE, mom?!? Where’s your fight?!?” she taunted, taking her time when approaching her opponent. “I heard the stories of the villains you faced! Nightmare Moon! Discord! Sombra! Tirek! You may be more inexperienced now than in my time, but I expected more of Equestria’s savior!”

She slid down the dirt banks towards the motionless mare ahead. Twilight winced. This wasn’t her daughter speaking. Not anymore. If she was going to survive, she was going to have to fight back.

‘Get up,’ her subconscious willed her. ‘Get up!’

Twilight rolled onto her side and clutched her chest. She was starting to get her breath back, but could now see Dark Andromeda standing above her. Tears welled in her daughter’s eyes.

“My friends are dying!” the dark magic-possessed mare winced, its horrifying energy still spewing around her like storm clouds. “You are NOT… going to stop me from helping them! I will not let them suffer any longer!!!”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


Radiance and Applejack tended to Granny Smith and Applebloom while Bismarck, Big Macintosh, and Tempest attempted to put out what was left of the flame-engulfed barn. Berry had pulled his sister out and knelt beside her at a safe distance. He hovered over her, impatiently waiting for a sign of consciousness other than her almost-motionless breathing. Dark Andromeda’s attempt on her life had almost succeeded. The other stallions were having even less luck.

“The barn’s done fer!” Big Macintosh shouted.

“We can still save it!” Bismarck said, but his uncle placed a powerful hoof on his shoulder and shook his head.

“Look!” he said, pointing inside.

Bismarck squinted past the blazing white furnace to see remains of Andromeda’s dark magic. Its malevolent energy could be seen stoking the flames like kindling. There would be no way anything short of the fire department would be able to put it out.

“Our barn!” Granny Smith cried in horror over the roaring flames and cracking wood beams. “Oh mah goodness, our barn!”

“We can’t worry about it now, Granny! We’ve gotta go!” Applejack said, pulling her away. “C’mon!”

“The boys need our help!” Granny persisted.

“They’re comin’ with us!” Applejack coughed, wincing through the flying smoke and embers around them. “We can’t stay here! It’s too dangerous!”

“Where are we goin’, Applejack?” a frightened Apple Bloom asked, clutching close.

“Zecora’s! The fire department should be here soon! Radiance, grab’em and let’s go! We can’t let anypony else see y’all!”

“Got it!”

As Radiance bolted towards the stallions, Applejack’s eyes caught a glimpse of the distant battle in the fields.

“What in Equestria is happenin’ over there?”


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _



“It’s the end,” Dark Andromeda said solemnly as she charged her horn for the killing blow. “It’s you or us… and I choose us.”

“Wait,” Twilight cried, her hoof outstretched. “If you kill me, you’ll erase your own existence! You’ll never be born!”

“It’s funny you mention that. I’ve been giving that some thought,” Dark Andromeda sneered. “Let’s say you force me to kill you. I will be killing my own mother, resulting in me never being born, although it would also mean that I never went back in time to kill you. Such a conundrum! But then…”

Dark Andromeda leaned down, her head lowered near her mother’s.

“I realize now that my friends have suffered long enough, and that the only way to save them is to put them out of their misery. However, that still doesn’t atone for my sins. For YOUR sins.”

“What sins!?!” Twilight cried, choking on her words.

“TIME TRAVEL!” Dark Andromeda answered forcefully. “IT’S YOUR FAULT ORION IS DEAD!!! Yours AND mine! His blood is on OUR hooves, but you and I are going to change that!”

Twilight shook her head fervently.

“Don’t do this! If you do this, we could be caught in an endless loop! Or we may both fail to exist! Even worse, your actions could have consequences that could impact all of reality!!!!”

“I know!” Dark Andromeda smiled wickedly. “Isn’t it poetic?”

She stretched her neck a few seconds, as if to savor the moment.

“Yes, it may impact reality,” she continued, “or… it may just erase our existences, reversing our actions! The world would still return to normal without us us! Don’t you see? I didn’t realize it at the time! Time isn’t a branching path! There IS no butterfly effect! There are no events that will change the future. Time is an unstoppable river! We can’t stop or change time with a few pebbles of actions or existence! It flows on without us!”

She stood back up, her horn charged once again.

“With the both of us dead, the time travel spell will never destroy the lives of our friends and loved ones ever again. They will live on without us, and if saving THEM means that I have to sacrifice my own life… and yours …. then so be it. Or it’ll kill us all. Either way. It makes no difference.”

Twilight gazed up at her daughter with shock. She couldn’t believe what she had heard.

“Makes no difference?!?” she repeated. “Everything you just said is MADNESS! The Andi I knew would NEVER sacrifice the lives of others!!! She wouldn’t give up!!! She would find the solution, NO MATTER WHAT!”

An overwhelmingly bright flash shone from Twilight’s horn, blinding Dark Andromeda before she could shield her eyes. Scrambling to her hooves, Twilight charged another spell and shot her back with a blast of energy. As if in slow motion, she could see her daughter recoil from the magic before hitting the ground. Dark Andromeda coughed aloud before slowly picking herself back up again. Twilight faced off against her, this time in fighting stance.

“You’ve been consumed by dark magic!!! Don’t you see?!? It’s not power! It’s a disease that will eat you from the inside-out! If you don’t snap out of it, it WILL kill you!”

“A small price to pay! Now get out of my way, or I will finish this once and for all.”

“I will not,” Twilight replied, her horn charging with incredible power. “I’m sorry.”

With a growl, Dark Andromeda screamed and charged towards her opponent.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


Berry lowered his sister onto Zecora’s bed, her hoof still in his. While Zecora rushed to find something to help her breathe, the Apple family settled in her crowded home. Bismarck and Tempest stood at the door, looking back in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. They remained motionless as they gazed up at the billowing smoke clouds in the distance. Radiance and Flora joined them outside. Their arrival was hesitant.

“Everypony’s here,” Flora announced softly, standing besides them.

“Now what?” Radiance asked.

Tempest and Bismarck looked at one another, silently in agreement. They had been bruised and broken many times since they had arrived, but they knew what needed to be done.

“Now,” Bismarck answered, “we save Twilight.”

“And Andi,” Tempest added.

Radiance froze in place, her mouth agape.

“You’re still hurt from last time you tangled with Andi, and that was before she blew up half the farm!” she objected. “You can’t…”

“No,” Flora conceded, interrupting her friend. “They’re right. If Andi kills her mom, she could be gone forever.”

“But…”

Bismarck exhaled slowly and approached his wife. Radiance drew close, looking up at him. His shoulders sat so tall when compared to her, a massive structure which was something to behold, but she was not focused on his build. Instead, she peered into his emerald eyes. They were still, pensive, as if meditating their future at that very moment.

“We’ll bring her back,” he assured her.

Radiance’s eyes flooded with tears.

“I know you will,” she said, hugging him tightly. “It’s just…”

She began to sob. Her body convulsed involuntarily as she squeezed her husband. They had said so many things that they would forever regret since they arrived. She had been so mad at him for so long. They had kept so many secrets from their closest friends and family, in this timeline and the next, but none of that mattered one bit. All she could think of was losing the one stallion she loved more than life itself.

“Who will bring you back?” she collapsed, pulling Bismarck down to kneel on the ground as he held her.

Her blurred eyes stared back at him.

“Who will bring you back to me?” she cried. “To us!”

She took hold of his rough hoof and placed it onto her flat belly. Though no bump could be felt, Bismarck could still feel life emanating from it. Radiance clutched his hoof, looking up at him.

“You feel it too,” she said. “You have given so much of yourself to help us, but… if I lose you…. if our baby loses its father….”

Tears flowed faster down her cheeks, causing her long sky-blue hair to stick to them. Bismarck smiled tenderly and pushed it aside, holding the side of her face. Pulling her with a soft touch, he kissed her. The country stallion’s embrace was powerful but gentle. Whenever he held her, she felt safe and protected, as if nothing in the world could ever hurt her.

“Please,” she whispered when their lips finally parted. “Please don’t go.”

“Ah would move heaven an’ earth fer you… and our child,” Bismarck answered. “Ah would give anythin’ and everythin’ ah have to protect you both, an’ right now, savin’ Andi is mah best way of savin’ y’all. She’s our ticket home.”

“Then let me go with you,” she whispered. “You and Tempest can’t handle Andi’s dark magic alone.”

“Radiance...”

“I’m not the best at magic, but…”

“Radiance…”

The white unicorn wiped her tears.

“I know. I know what you’re going to say,” she murmured, trying to regain her stoicism. “The baby.”  

Bismarck placed his hoof on her belly again. She could feel his warmth and confidence spread through her soul like the sun itself had shone directly onto her.

“You an’ ah are gonna build a house together. A life together!” he smiled. “We’re gonna raise our child, you and ah, and we’ll be a family. When this nightmare is finally done, we are gonna live the way we have dreamed of since ah first asked you to marry me. No more guilt. No more secrets.”  

Radiance nodded lightly, trying not to cry again.

“An Apple’s word is his bond,” she croaked. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”

Bismarck leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

“And ah’ll keep it. Ah love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too... you big idiot,” she laughed weakly, holding him tight.  

To the side, Tempest and Flora watched. Seeing her friend distracted by the conversation, Flora gave Tempest a big hug. The gesture caught him by surprise, but he retaliated with a gentle return of her embrace.

“Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” she said worryingly.

Tempest nodded confidently.

“We’ll be fine. Take care of Cherry for me. And Berry. Celestia knows he needs all the help he can get.”

“I will,” Flora replied with a smile.

And that was all that was said. Letting the girls go, Bismarck and Tempest approached the edge of the forest clearing by Zecora’s house. Before they took off into the forest, they looked back one last time. Flora waved mildly. Radiance had one hoof gently on her tummy. With a nod, the two stallions faced forward once more and disappeared into the forest. After a few moments, the girls could no longer see them. A gust of wind blew through the trees as if to signal that they were alone.


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _



Several trees exploded into thousands of fiery shards while Twilight dodged her daughter’s onslaught. Dark Andromeda fired wave after wave of lethal magic at her opponent, shattering rock and tree alike. Fire consumed their surroundings, laying waste to the once picturesque edges of Sweet Apple Acres. Further and further into the apple fields they fought, the smoldering barn growing smaller in the distance. Only its billowing smoke could be seen in detail.

With both sides being unicorns of above average magical ability, it was a war of attrition. Twilight, a mare of incredible magical talent, faced off against Andromeda, whose dark magic amplified her own skills to a level beyond normal magic. Twilight knew that she would need to be smart in stopping her daughter.

She lay gasping on the ground, her body torn to shreds as Dark Andromeda stood above her with a horn charged for the final kill. Twilight could hardly breathe without pain and was unable to move. Bracing herself, she shut her eyes tight for the end.

But nothing happened.

A loud thump was all she could hear in the dark. Opening them up again, she saw that Andromeda had been tackled by Tempest, who was standing over her crumpled body in the distance. The blue pegasus stallion stood ready for an immediate retaliation, but his target remained on the ground.

“Andi, you’ve got to snap out of this!” he exclaimed, hoping to reach her. “I don’t want to have to keep you from hurting your own friends and family!”

Dark Andromeda slowly began to pick herself up, trembling from the impact. To Tempest’s shock, the dark magic had shielded her from some of the blow. He did not want to injure one of his oldest friends, and knew full well how powerful she was, but he still could not bear to go full strength. He soon began to see the mistake in his decision.

“Tempest,” she hissed, wearily standing up, her amethyst hair hiding her face.

A chill shot down the blue pegasus’ spine when she looked back up at him, her glowing green eyes in full view. Tempest had never seen dark magic up close like this, but anypony could tell what was happening. The air around her was charged with an evil that could not be explained. Andromeda’s aura had become almost monstrous.

“Andi,” he whispered aloud, “what have you done to yourself?”

Bismarck arrived on the scene soon after, kneeling next to Twilight.

“Yer hurt!” he exclaimed, checking on her condition. “We need to getcha to a doctor!”

“Forget about… me,” Twilight winced, gasping for air.. “You need….”

Twilight coughed. Her windpipe felt like it had been crushed. As Bismarck tried prevent her from moving until he knew whether or not she had a spinal injury or anything else serious, she pulled his head down towards her, trying to warn him.

“You need to…. stop her.”

“I need to put an end to this!” Dark Andromeda shouted, picking herself back up. “Get out of my way, Tempest!”

Tempest glanced back at Twilight and Bismarck. Earlier she had tried to kill Berry and Cherry and now she was letting him go to attack her mother? What was going on?

“Bismarck and I are here to help!” he announced to Andromeda. “Just take it easy and let us.”

“You can help by staying out of this! I need to do this! For all of us!”

“She’s gone mad!” Bismarck said to himself.

“So do you think that by killing your mom and erasing your own existence that you’ll save the rest of us?” Tempest demanded. “Is that your plan? What about us? What happens if you’re wrong?”

“I don’t expect you to understand, Tempest!” she answered, approaching him slowly. “It’s our only chance left! I’m doing it to save all of you!”

As she drew closer, the dark magic in her eyes flared like a furnace, and though he had no magical ability of his own, he could feel the mane on the back of his neck stand as a result of its evil charge. In that moment, something shifted in him. Where he was previously ready to fight, he found himself lowering his defenses. She glared at him suspiciously as he suddenly began to chuckle aloud. Bismarck and Twilight listened as his laughter slowly grew louder until it stopped sporadically, only to start again.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I shouldn’t laugh.” I even told Flora earlier that I was done talking.”

Bismarck’s eyes widened. Andromeda had stopped in her tracks! He knew the situation was dire, but Tempest’s change of attitude had thrown her off! The blue pegasus continued.

“It’s just… even under the spell of dark magic, you’re always thinking of others.”  

The others stared at him in disbelief. Then, slowly, he approached Andromeda, his wings folded as a sign of trust. Her anger subsided slightly with a puzzled stare. While the purple mare steadied himself, he sighed.

“You know, I’ve spent my whole life thinking about myself,” he said. “When we were young, I would get myself in trouble over and over because it felt good. I loved the thrill of avoiding being caught, you know? Pushing the limits of what I could get away with, trying to outdo my mom. And for what?”

He took a few steps closer.

“I got myself thrown out of the Wonderbolts. I ruined my own legacy. I hurt my family’s name. But you? You were different!”

Andromeda remained frozen in place.

“For years I’ve watched you help others. Everything you’ve done was for the benefit of others. You tried to make a name for yourself in the world and so did the rest of us. We’re the sons and daughters of Equestria’s greatest heroes! We all had huge horseshoes to fill, but you…”

The distance was growing short.

“You cared about others a whole lot more than I ever did. Just look at what you’ve done to save our lives! You’ve risked body and mind to find a way back home! You took the reins and led us through this nightmare. You have sacrificed yourself… time and time again…. just so that we can survive!”

He smirked for a moment.

“As a colt, I was jealous of the friendships you had with your Cutie Mark Crusaders. I was too stubborn to ask if I could join, but you treated me like a member all our lives. You were kind to me when others thought I was a troublemaker… and I never… forgot that.”

Tempest shook his head and grew quieter.

“What kills me is that it took me this long to realize this. I’ve been horrible to you and the others. I’ve burned more bridges than I can count. I’ve let my temper destroy my life. Worst of all, I’ve hurt you over and over again, and still you’ve forgiven me.”

Andromeda’s breathing was beginning to slow. With a look, she began to approach him slowly. Standing right in front of him, she placed a hoof on his injuries. It hurt, but he did not flinch.

“I just wanted you to know… and,” he said quietly. “And I…”

He struggled a bit, but powered through it.

“I'm sorry."

Her eyes shot wide open. Looking up at him, he could see the green and purple mist of the dark magic fade away, slowly revealing her sunset irises.

“You're what?” She whispered, disbelievingly.

Tempest pulled her close, but he did not kiss her. Instead, the loner stallion held her head against his chest.

"Look, I'm not good at this kind of stuff, but,” Tempest murmured, “if we do die, I’m glad I spent my last moments with you.”

She could hear his heartbeat. It was faster than usual. They did not speak for a long while, simply embracing each other instead.

"You know what?" Andromeda replied. "Me too."

The two shared in the laughter for a while Bismarck stood to the side in mild confusion. His smile grew even more at the sight of Andromeda’s eyes.

“Twilight!” he said, kneeling beside the crumpled mare. “The dark magic is disappearin’! She’s returnin’ to normal!”

Twilight’s head shook, trying to move itself to get a look, but she was too exhausted and collapsed. Instead, a small smile showed her reply.

“Thank Celestia,” was all she could muster.

Through all the pain They and suffering, they had found each other. They each had a pillar to lean on.

“Let’s go home,” Tempest whispered softly, leaning into their hug.

Andromeda sniffled a bit.

“Okay.”

As she and Tempest embraced, Andromeda began to feel a pressure on her shoulders. It was as if he was putting all his weight onto her, and she was too tired to hold him up.

“Tempest,” she wheezed, “you’re really heavy. I can’t…”

Just then, Tempest’s limp body rolled off of her and hit the ground hard. She and Bismarck rushed to his side in an instant.

“TEMPEST!!!!” they cried in unison.

With magenta eyes wide open, a weak gasp emanated from the blue pegasus’ mouth. Tempest’s lips opened and closed like a fish out of water. He couldn’t breathe. In an instant, every ounce of strength had been sucked out of him.

He couldn’t even move! As he lay on the ground paralyzed, he glanced up at his friends. Andromeda and Bismarck both knelt by him, their horrified forms growing more and more blurred.

“TEMPEST!!!” she screamed. “Please, no! Not again! Please no! Tempest!”

Hearing her daughter’s cries, Twilight Sparkle began to force herself up again. Andromeda, meanwhile, clutched Tempest’s hoof, but she could feel no warmth. Memories of her dying brother rushed back to her as she watched the one stallion she loved fading away.

“Please, don’t die! I can’t!” she sobbed. “I can’t do it again! Tempest!”

A tear fell down Tempest’s cheek as his childhood friend stood over him, watching him die. He tried to muster the strength to speak, but his lips did not obey him. All he could do was cry; not for his final end, but for Andromeda, the mare he never realized he had come to love.

As the corners of his vision began to darken and blur, he closed his eyes for one final time and exhaled his last breath.

Andromeda trembled by his side. Her eyes clamped shut. Twilight, still in rough shape, slowly shuffled towards her mourning daughter. Bismarck removed his hat and placed it on his chest. The stallion was separately crying as well, his massive shoulders shuddering in silence.

Andromeda clutched Tempest’s limp body with clenched teeth, her tears falling onto his still face. Her cheeks burned with such a rage that none of them had even seen before.

“He died in pain,” she growled. “They ALL…. died… in pain.”

“I’m so sorry,” Twilight said, reaching out touch her daughter’s shoulder.

Suddenly, a flash of light shone from her horn and eyes again. Twilight and Bismarck stepped back in horror to see dark magic consume Andromeda’s body once more. Pure hatred bubbled all around her as her growl turned into a roar.

The darkness had consumed her once more.