//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 pt 2: Battle in the Enemy Stronghold I // Story: MLP FiM x Fairy Tail: Wizards in Equestria // by SonnL //------------------------------// At Scarlet Night’s fortress, a great conflict is taking place between the forces of those defending Equestria and the Order of Scarlet Night. After the forces of light arrived, the dark unicorns casted a massive transport spell that brought their enemies into the fortress. The Mane 7, Fairy Tail wizards, the Pillars, and the pony forces of Canterlot and the Crystal Empire have been separated and sent to different places in the stronghold. The battle that can determine Equestria’s future has begun. Erza After being sent into the fortress by the dark unicorns’ transport spell, Erza found herself alone in a large room. “I’ve been separated from everyone else. I guess splitting us up was part of their strategy.” Erza spoke to herself. Four grotesque horned humanoid monsters attempted to get the jump on Erza, but she instantly sliced them to pieces with her sword. However, more of these monsters approached her. “They just keep coming, one after another. Okay then, come and get me.” Erza gave the monsters a murderous look. Natsu Needless to say, Natsu was charging through the fortress like a rampaging bull. He just blitzed through any foe in his way while leaving behind a trail of flames. The beast monsters in Natsu’s path stood their ground, but none of them could slow him down. Eventually, Natsu encountered four dark unicorns. Two of them used water attack spells while the other two used ice beams. Their attacks hit Natsu, but they did not faze him at all. “FIRE DRAGON WING ATTACK!” Natsu ignited two streams of fire from his hands and swung them at the dark unicorns, blowing them away and defeating them instantly. “Roaring Blaze! Where are you!? COME OUT SO I CAN KICK YOUR BUTT RIGHT NOW!!!!” Natsu bellowed as he continued his rampage. Spike, Happy, and Carla The dragon and two Exceeds also encounter some enemies in the form of lizardmen monsters wielding swords. “WHITE MOON!” Carla (in her human form) performed a cartwheel and then did a dropkick on top of a lizardman’s head. As Carla fought using her kicks, Spike assisted her by breathing out a stream of green flames at their foes. Happy evaded the lizardmen’s sword strikes by flying around and attacked by bashing their heads with a metal pipe. “You know Happy, it would be nice if you have another form like Carla and Panther Lily.” Spike said right before scorching a few of the lizardmen with his fire breath. “It would be nice if you’re bigger.” Happy said back. “This is not the time to be squabbling!” Carla shouted at both of them as she kicked another lizardman away. “There’s too many of them! We have to get away!” Rather than trying to defeat all of the attacking lizardmen, the trio opted to flee from them. Happy took out a smoke bomb and used it. After making their getaway, the three took a moment to catch their breath. “The Aura bracelet’s ability to store things in a pocket dimension sure comes in handy.” Happy commented. “Don’t let your guard down. More enemies could pop out at any moment.” Carla warned. “Aren’t you two worried about Natsu and Wendy, your partners?” Spike asked. “Wendy is capable of handling herself.” Carla replied. “And knowing Natsu, he’s having the time of his life wreaking havoc in this fortress. Honestly, I feel bad for any monster or dark unicorn that is unfortunate enough to be in his path.” Happy stated. “I hope he doesn’t forget that he also needs to help find Flurry Heart.” Carla remarked. Alzack and Bisca The couple was with a small group of Canterlot soldiers battling waves of bug monsters. Alzack shot down numerous wasp monsters with his revolvers while Bisca used her machine gun to fire a barrage of magical bullets down a corridor at an approaching swarm of beetle monsters. Lucy and Wendy In another hallway, Lucy and Wendy were running from a swarm of ravenous rat monsters. “WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE RATS?!!!!” Lucy screeched. “They’re so gross!!!” Wendy cried out. The two wizards kept running until they reached a dead end. With nowhere else to run, Wendy turned around to face the monsters. “SKY DRAGON ROAR!” Wendy released a tornado-like blast from her mouth, eliminating the rat monsters. “I hope we don’t see any more of them.” Lucy sighed. “I’m worried about Carla.” Wendy said. “I’m sure we’ll meet up with her eventually, but for now, we should focus on finding Flurry Heart. Can you still trace her scent?” “Yes, but with all these hallways and corridors, this fortress is like a maze.” “I got an idea.” Lucy took out Virgo’s Celestial Spirit Gate Key. “Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!” “How may I assist you, princess?” Virgo asked Lucy right after she was summoned. “You could use your power to make some shortcuts.” Lucy answered with a smile. Before Virgo got to work, a door appeared out of thin air and a giant spider monster went through. “This one is creepy!” Lucy grimaced. Elfman and Lisanna While running through the fortress after they were separated from Mirajane, Elfman (in Full-Body Take Over: Beast Soul form) and Lisanna (in Animal Soul: Cat form) encountered a squad of rifle wielding goblins. As the goblins opened fire on the two siblings, Lisanna dodged the bullets and struck down several goblins by slashing them with her cat claws. Elfman powered through the enemy fire and crushed his foes by swinging his arms around. Laxus As for Laxus, he was just casually walking down a hallway with a trail of fallen and crumbling gargoyles behind him. He later came across a fork in his path. “Which way should I go now?” Laxus wondered. Shining Armor Elsewhere in the fortress, Shining Armor and a group of Crystal Empire soldiers were battling against ogre monsters armed with maces. Thanks to their new spears and the combat training Fairy Tail helped out with throughout the war, the soldiers were able to hold their own. Shining Armor fought with a sword, which he controlled with levitation magic. After the ogres were defeated, a troll with a gigantic iron club arrived and when it swung its club, Shining Armor used levitation magic to stop the club. He then used the troll’s own weapon to bash it on the head. While the troll was staggered, Shining Armor used his sword to slice the monster’s neck, killing it. Another troll appeared and the soldiers bombarded it with energy blasts from their spears, and they managed to stun it with headshots. One of the soldiers then slayed the troll by blowing off its head with a bomb. “Let’s keep moving.” Shining Armor commanded. “We need to find my daughter as soon as possible.” Shining Armor was also seeking one dark unicorn in particular, both to get Flurry Heart’s whereabouts and revenge for all her pain and suffering. The Mane 7 have fought their way through hordes of monsters in their search for Flurry Heart, but with the fortress like a labyrinth, they could only hope they were going in the right direction. “Gee, how big is this place? We could be in here forever.” Rainbow Dash groaned as they wandered through one of the hundreds of passageways inside the fortress. “Did you expect fighting the enemy in their element would be easy?” Starlight deadpanned. “I wonder what scary monsters we’ll be seeing next.” Fluttershy was getting anxious. “Hopefully, they won’t spit acid or anything icky.” Rarity shuddered. They then heard sounds of a struggle in the direction they’re heading. “Girls, do you hear something?” Twilight asked. “Sounds like there’s a battle up ahead! Some of our allies could be there! Come on!” Rainbow urged. The Mane 7 rushed onwards and when they went around a corner, they found the six Pillars under heavy attack by goblins and lizardmen. All of the Pillars were covered in wounds. Flash Magnus and Rockhoof struggled to fend off the monsters while the other four were inside a dome-shaped barrier conjured by Star Swirl. Mistmane, Somnambula, and Meadowbrook were lying on the floor as Star Swirl focused his strength on the barrier. However, with the monsters’ relentless onslaught and Star Swirl’s weakened state, it would not be long before the barrier breaks apart. Flash Magnus and Rockhoof were also being pushed into a corner. “It’s the Pillars! They’re in trouble, we need to help them!” Twilight exclaimed. The Mane 7 wasted no time coming to their aid. Twilight and Starlight fired magic beams, Fluttershy summoned an ethereal bear, Pinkie rapidly threw sparkly explosive cupcakes, Applejack launched stone spikes, Rarity unleashed a barrage of needles, and Rainbow Dash summoned lightning bolts. Once the monsters were dealt with, Star Swirl lowered his barrier. “You saved us. Thank you.” Star Swirl said gratefully. “I’m glad we found you in time.” Applejack remarked. “Seems like the monsters gave you all a rough time.” Rainbow chimed in. “No, it wasn’t the monsters that wounded us. It was a dark unicorn, the one with the silver number 5 on his left eye.” Meadowbrook explained as she struggled to lift herself. “You encountered the Lower 5 of the Red Moon Generals?!” Twilight’s eyes widened. “You mean new Lower 5 since this one replaces the one that was defeated.” Pinkie corrected. “Yes… and that dark unicorn is too powerful.” Rockhoof said in a depressed manner. “We didn’t stand a chance. He could have destroyed us himself, but… he said that we were not worth the effort, so he just threw us to the monsters.” Star Swirl added while also feeling defeated. “What’s the Red Moon General’s name? What are his powers?” Starlight asked. “He calls himself Nightmare Art. As for his abilities, he carries a giant paint brush with him and he can manifest and control anything he draws with it.” Somnambula answered. “He’s in the chamber up ahead.” Flash Magnus said as he pointed his hoof at the doors to the chamber where the dark unicorn resides. “Don’t worry. We’ll deal with the Red Moon General.” Twilight assured. “Will you be able to defeat him?” Star Swirl asked. “Our powers grow stronger every time we use them. And we have been using our powers a lot during this war.” Rainbow bragged. Fluttershy then stepped forward. “Hold still, I’ll heal your wounds.” The pegasus then enveloped the Pillars in a healing pink magical light. In just a few seconds, Star Swirl, Somnambula, Meadowbrook, Flash Magnus, and Rockhoof were completely healed. “This… this is incredible! All of my injuries are gone!” Rockhoof exclaimed excitedly. However, everypony then noticed that Fluttershy’s healing light had no effect on Mistmane, who was still lying motionless on the floor. “Mistmane? Isn’t she healed?” Rarity asked with a concerned look. Fluttershy used her healing light on Mistmane a second time, but it failed once again. That’s when the pegasus came to a saddening realization. “What’s wrong Fluttershy? Why can’t you heal Mistmane?” Pinkie asked with a worried expression. “It’s… it’s because… I really can’t…” Fluttershy began weeping. “Mistmane… she’s… she’s gone…” The rest of the Mane 7 and the other Pillars were stunned to learn of Mistmane’s fate. “No… It can’t be…” Rarity tearfully uttered as everypony dismally lowered their heads in grief. “Star Swirl, I’m sending you and the other Pillars out of the fortress.” Twilight then used a transport spell to send them out of Scarlet Night’s lair. “Come on girls. We need to keep going.” “But Twilight…” Rarity spoke. “There will be time for mourning later!” Twilight raised her voice. “This is exactly why we need to defeat the Order of Scarlet Night! To prevent any more tragedies! We have to end this war! And we have to do it here and now!” The Mane 7 approached the doors to the chamber and Twilight used her magic to open them. As they entered, they saw the Lower 5 sitting by himself near the far end of the chamber, while carrying a giant paint brush on his back. “Now I meet the Council of Friendship. I am Nightmare Art, Red Moon General Lower 5. Hopefully, you seven will be more entertaining than the last group of ponies that came here.” The dark unicorn said. “You abhorrent fiend! You killed Mistmane!” Rarity screeched. “Oh, so that old mare has kicked the bucket. Ha! She should have known that a warzone is no place for somepony like her.” Nightmare Art cruelly commented. “Since you only mentioned her, I guess the other Pillars are still alive. At least they got off easy.” The Mane 7 were deeply furious that the general did not show a single shred of remorse, even though they already knew it’s a common trait among the dark unicorns. “I have one question to ask.” Twilight began. “Where is my niece!?” “I got nothing to tell you. If you’re looking for her, you’re on your own.” The Lower 5 answered. “Then there’s no point in talking. We’re taking you down right now! And we’ll do it with the power that never failed us!” Twilight declared. The six ponies who represented the Elements of Harmony hovered in the air while engulfed in a bright magical light. “Oh no. They’re going to use their rainbow laser. Whatever should I do?” Nightmare Art said mockingly. The Council of Friendship emitted a rainbow wave directly at the dark unicorn, but the Lower 5 used his picture magic to create a black hole in front of him, and it absorbed the incoming rainbow attack. With his brush, he also drew a bundle of dynamite and once it materialized, he hurled it at the six mares. When the dynamite detonated, the explosion knocked them out of the air and the magical light surrounding them has ceased. “He… stopped the rainbow laser?!” Starlight exclaimed. “If you think I was going to allow myself to fall to your rainbow trick so easily, then you got another thing coming! Don’t underestimate somepony who had the honor of receiving a portion of Scarlet Night’s magical power!” The Lower 5 then laughed maniacally. “Fine then.” Rainbow Dash growled as she and her friends got back on their hooves. “We’ll defeat you with the powers Aura gave us!” “Pssh. So what if Aura gave you superpowers? You seven are still weaklings in my book.” Nightmare Art scoffed. While searching for Flurry Heart, Lucy and Wendy utilized Virgo’s ability to drill holes to traverse the fortress more easily. However, they still needed to fight monsters and a few dark unicorns along the way. Eventually, the group arrived at a botanical garden with trees, thorny vines, and flowers. “They have a forest in here?” Lucy spoke. “I guess we can expect plant-based monsters here.” Wendy added. Lucy, Wendy, and Virgo walked carefully through the garden while keeping an eye out for any monsters. They soon came across a horrifying site. They found a group of dead Canterlot soldiers, wrapped in vines and mold growing on them. “This is awful.” Wendy gasped in terror. “Stay alert.” Lucy urged. “Who or whatever did this to them may come after us next.” A vine suddenly lashed out at Lucy at great speeds. “Princess, watch out!” Virgo jumped in the way of the vine and it pierced her in the chest. “VIRGO!” Lucy and Wendy screamed. “Sorry princess. Guess I need to be punished later.” Virgo apologized before returning to the Celestial Spirit World. Shortly afterwards, a gigantic tree-like creature rose up, catching the two wizards’ attention. They also saw a dark unicorn mare sitting on the creature’s shoulder. On the mare’s left eye is the silver number 4. “Two well-known Fairy Tail wizards. Now I got something good to use as fertilizer for my plants.” The Lower 4 spoke. “Looks like we found a Red Moon General.” Lucy said as she and Wendy steeled themselves for a confrontation. “I am the Lower 4. My name is Blossom Thorn.” The dark unicorn introduced herself. “I thought you should at least know the name of the one responsible for your demise.” “Don’t think we’re going down without a fight.” Wendy retorted. “Let me tell you a little surprise. You two already lost the battle.” The general said with a smug look. “What do you mean by that?” Lucy questioned. “Just take a look at your hand.” Lucy and Wendy then looked at their hands and noticed green skin spots. “W-what’s happening to us?!” Lucy gasped. “You see all the flowers around you? They have been spreading spores into the very air you breathe. Once they are inhaled, the spores will spread throughout your bodies. The green tinge in the skin is just the first sign of infection. Within minutes, you will start experiencing difficulty in breathing as the spores infect your lungs, which will get worse by the second. And as you suffocate, your lives will come to an excruciating end.” The Lower 4 explained eerily. “Since all the flora here is controlled by my magic, the spores won’t affect me. I can just sit back and let the spores do the work.” Blossom Thorn was expecting Lucy and Wendy to panic, but instead, they remained calm, much to the dark unicorn’s surprise. “You two are awfully calm considering that you’re about to die in a few minutes.” “RAISE!” Wendy casted an enchantment that removed the affliction caused by the spores. “What just happened?! How did you negate the effects of the spores?!” Blossom Thorn’s eyes widened in shock. “I am an enchanter.” Wendy answered. “RE-RAISE!” She casted another enchantment. “And now your spores won’t affect us.” “Tough luck, Blossom Thorn. Guess you won’t be sitting back after all.” Lucy smirked. “Don’t think you’ll defeat me! You’re fighting in my turf, where my power is strongest!” Blossom Thorn snapped.