//------------------------------// // Desperate times... // Story: Lost in Conflict // by YoshiBrony //------------------------------// Chapter 13 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy and Isaac held each other for the next few minutes, no words needed to be said so they both enjoyed the blissful silence. Unfortunately Zecora had to enter the room at some point, a small smile on her face appeared as she saw the couple in her home. "I have returned to make my brew, but you both should head home too." The zebra's voice startled Isaac, he immediately let go of the yellow mare and stumbled over. He heard Fluttershy's giggle from next to him and he quickly regained his footing. Outside he noticed a dark cloud approaching Ponyville, and just as he noticed it, the cloud spat out a large spray of lightning. Thunderstorms never scared him, but Fluttershy didn't feel the same, she jumped and hid under a nearby table, whimpering from the loud noise. He looked over at Zecora who now had an empathetic look on her face, she turned to her cauldron which was now starting to bubble, "I would allow you to stay, but this dangerous brew must be made today." Isaac shrugged off the almost irritating rhymes and slowly made his way over to the cowering pegasus and reached his hoof out to her. "I...I don't want to go out there..." The mare was almost crying now, Isaac decided he'd had enough, hoisting the mare onto his back, he cast a protective barrier around the the yellow pony. The green aura illuminating the room, Fluttershy blushed as the colt held her on his back, but was brought back to her scared state when a loud rumble of thunder appeared overhead. "It's alright, once we get outside i'll place a sound barrier around us. You won't be able to hear anything, so just close your eyes and we'll be home soon." Isaac's calming voice made the yellow mare feel that much safer, she held onto the unicorns body tight as he headed outside. Fluttershy held on even tighter as she heard the door open, expecting to be showered with freezing rain and loud noises, but instead she felt warmer than when she was inside. She opened one eye and smiled as she saw Iridescent's green glow surround her in a bubble, she looked down and noticed the spell stopped just past her body. Isaac, meanwhile, was soaking wet and muddy, his body more than determined to get his fillyfriend home safely. Fluttershy felt bad for the colt pushing through the storm, but also felt overjoyed that he cared so much for her. "Don't be scared Fluttershy, i'm here." As they exited the Everfree forest, Isaac looked up to the sky and saw that the storm wasn't going to die down anytime soon, luckily Fluttershy's house wasn't too far from the forest entrance. Isaac pushed through the wind and rain which was getting worse every second, he heard the mares muffled voice through the barrier, "Irrie? are you sure you can keep this spell up?" Her voice was quiet and soft, but Isaac could still hear her voice despite the raging storm. "We're about to find out, were almost home. Don't worry, you'll be alright." He spoke between gasps as the freezing raindrops pelted him from the front, but Isaac didn't care, he would do anything to make sure Fluttershy was safe. Isaac then realized he cared about her more than anything in the world, and he would do anything to make her happy. A few minutes of paced walking brought the pair to the door of the cottage, Isaac opened the door and levitated the mare, placing her inside the cottage. "I'll see you later Fluttershy." Isaac was about to leave when he heard Fluttershy's voice call out to him. "Irrie? Can you um....Stay with me tonight?...I mean, if that's okay with you..." Isaac felt a huge grin creep up on his face while he slowly entered the pegasus' cottage. As he closed the door behind him, he noticed that the cold water was still dripping freely from his mane and coat. "Oh....Oops?" Fluttershy let out a soft laugh as he quickly went to a closet door and took out a large towel, quickly wrapping it around Isaac, she noticed the huge blush on his cheeks. Isaac had no idea what was going through his mind, but every time he was near Fluttershy his heart soared, he felt his hoof move out of control and lightly wrap around the yellow mares' own. Fluttershy gasped at first, jumping when his hoof connected with hers. But she quickly moved closer to her coltfriend, Isaac closed his eyes, feeling bliss in the mares warm embrace. "Thanks..." Isaac couldn't find any other words to say, but he knew he did something right when Fluttershy held onto him just a little bit tighter. Isaac peeked open once of his eyes and looked out towards the storm still raging overhead, feeling tired from the long journey out of the forest, he decided to let go of Fluttershy and walk towards the couch. "Umm.. Is everything alright?" Isaac looked back to the mare, his matching eyes staring deep into hers. "Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just a little tired is all..." He was about to continue but an extremely loud bang of thunder made him wince in his seat. In the blink of an eye, a yellow blur whizzed across the room and Isaac found himself holding a shivering Fluttershy in his hoofs. Using his magic, he shifted the couch so that it was facing a dark fireplace, and lit a warming fire in the home. He felt Fluttershy move close to him, resting her head on his shoulder, he kissed her on the cheek and stroked her mane. Before staring out the window at the raging storm, the night coming quicker than usual due to the sunset being blocked by the dark clouds. The lightning lighting up the room in small bursts, Fluttershy moved as close as she could to Isaac, burying her face in his chest as she relaxed. "Stay with me, Irrie. Don't leave." Fluttershy pleaded, Isaac felt a tear drop onto his coat as he stroked the mares flowing pink mane. He kissed her on the forehead before closing his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, Fluttershy. I'll stay as long as you want me to." The pair felt the warmth of the fire heat them up as they closed their eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep. ------------------- Cadance stood silent as her husband exited the room, despite the danger of what was to some she couldn't stand by and let Twilight and her friends die. As captain of the royal guard, Shining Armour had the authority to rally all forces in a time of need. But Cadance had almost no authority when it came to politics, but despite that, she still felt the need to do something. Looking outside at the storm, she thought deeply about her next move and after a few moments, grabbed a dark cloak from a hanger on the wall and headed out into the night. As she looked out into the night, she noticed thunderclouds slowly making their way across the dark sky. She easily slipped past the two guards lazily patrolling the area outside of her home, and after a few scares and one bribed guard, The disguised alicorn finally made it to the train station. There she saw the conductor beckoning travelers to buy a ticket, when he saw Cadance, he was none the wiser as she quietly payed for her ticket and hopped onto the train. A few minutes passed before the train shot off into the night, as it rounded a cliff, Cadance looked out of the window to see the storm passing over a distant Ponyville. She feared the thought of losing her sister in law, and who lived in the town. How could the princess be so close-minded, there had to be another way to save Equestria. It was times like this she needed her Shining Armour, but Cadance understood the importance of what he was doing. A secret, last ditch effort to save everyone. "It won't be long now, hurry Shining. Please." A few more hours passed until the train finally stopped in Ponyville. The storm drenching her cloak, Cadance would normally stay out of this kind of weather, but she would go through a storm a thousand times worse than this if it meant a chance to save the town. Ponyville was unfamiliar to Cadance, but Shining once told her about how her sister lived in a library, laughing at the fact it was inside a tree. After a few minutes of wandering, she found the treehouse. She would have laughed knowing her husbands story were true, but the current situation kept any kind of smile from reaching her lips. She knocked on the door and was greeted by a familiar purple dragon. "A little rainy to be outside.....Cadance?" The dragons eyes widened at the sight of the alicorn. "Hello Spike, it's good to see you again. But i have to speak to Twilight, urgently." "Sure, i'll just go get her, come on in." Cadance stepped inside and hung her cloak on a hanger while Spike hurried up the stairs. A few moments later Twilight came rushing down the stairs, a huge grin on her face. "Cadance! Sunshine sunshine..." "Not now Twilight, i'm sorry. But there is a matter of great importance, where is Isaac?" Twilight's upset expression changed from sad to curious when she heard her new friends name being mentioned, she thought for a moment before responding. "He's probably over at Fluttershy's house, stay here tonight and i'll take you in the..." Cadance shook her head and interrupted Twilight's offer, "Sorry Twilight, but we have to go now." Twilight was about to object, but the concerned and serious look in her sister in law's eyes made her understand that whatever Cadance wanted with Isaac, it was extremely urgent. the purple mare led the focused alicorn out of the door and into the stormy night. One long, wet trip later, the pair found themselves outside the small cottage on the edge of town. Cadance wasted no time in knocking, immediately throwing the door open and letting the cold winds and rain inside. The sudden chance caused Fluttershy to yelp out of her seat before clinging onto Isaac for dear life, Cadance closed the door after Twilight made her way in the room, still shivering from the cold. Isaac was about to call out to who was in the house, but Twilight's voice made it abundantly clear. "Irrie? I'm here with Princess Cadance, she has something important to talk to you about." Isaac took a deep sigh before heading over to Twilight. "Alright, what is it?" Isaac was immediately taken aback from the sight of yet another alicorn, assuming she was related to Celestia, he narrowed his eyes slightly before continuing. "This isn't good is it?" "Not in the least. Twilight, you and Fluttershy find the rest of the elements, i'll go and find the mayor. We'll meet back at the library in 15 minutes." And with that one sentence, Cadance left the room, heading back out into the storm. Twilight looked towards Fluttershy who refused to leave the house due to the storm, with a sigh, Isaac lifted the still-startled mare onto his back, casting his barrier around her once again. The mare kissed him on his cheek, but he was too focused on figuring out the events to notice. Without a second thought, the three ponies headed out to gather the rest of the so called "elements". "What did Cadance mean by elements?" Isaac shouted to the purple unicorn over the bangs of thunder. "It's a long story. But the short version is, Me, Fluttershy and a few others are known as the Elements of Harmony, we harness the magical energy of friendship and are able to channel it between us. It's saved Equestria more than once."" "Okay, that's a lot to take in, come on, lets get to the others!" A few minutes passed before all the elements were together, speeding through the storm towards the library. Although Applejack and Pinkie Pie came along without much reasoning, Rarity refused to go outside into the storm, forcing a struggling Isaac to hold both the mares onto his back and encasing them both in his barrier. Rainbow Dash was up in her cloud home above the storm, so while the others took shelter in a nearby shed, Isaac teleported himself above the clouds and reappeared below with a still dazed Rainbow mare. She was largely irritated being awoken from her rest but jumped back into action after a brief explanation. When the seven ponies finally reached the library, Cadance was already waiting with the mayor in a still confused state. They dried themselves off quickly and sat in a circle of the library. the alicorn wasted no time in explaining the situation. "Now, I understand that you are all confused as to why you're here. I'm afraid I bring extremely grave news, there is a chance that Equestria will fall."." Large gasps and murmurs of panic erupted in the group. Only Isaac remained silent, still staring Cadance right in the eyes. "Please, be silent. I bring even worse news simply by being here. But please, you must listen, we only have a short time to prepare." The room fell almost silent, only the storm outside and the soft sobs could be heard from Fluttershy, Isaac holding her close in an attempt to calm her down. Pinkie Pie vibrant hair fell straight and changed to a dull color. "Eons ago, there was a being known as the Leviathan. A monster of gargantuan proportions, that almost wiped our entire world from reality. It is now known that it is going to return, along with an army of unknown strength. Shining Armour has gone against Celestia's orders, as have I, in order to save Ponyville." "What d'ya mean, save Ponyville? What about the rest of Equestria?" Applejack said, looks of worry and fear. Cadance sighed heavily and closed her eyes before continuing. "Celestia said that the only way to defeat the Leviathan was bring in a force from outside our own reality, Isaac, you were brought here for a reason, to become the hero you were born to be and save us. But Celestia believed that you would be unable to realize your full potential if you knew about the danger. The Leviathan would come across Ponyville as the first area where it's destruction begins." Isaac immediately let go of Fluttershy and stood up, anger fueling his eyes as he yelled out to Cadance. "That bitch! She decided to just leave all of us to die!?" The others in the room also spoke out in defiance. "Isaac please, you have to understand. Celestia is right in the fact that you will not be able to defeat the Leviathan if you know about it. Which is why Shining Armour is forming an army from everywhere in Equestria. While the Leviathan crosses a valley beyond the Everfree Forest, I have come to make sure we evacuate Ponyville, so that no innocent lives will be lost." "So you want me...To fight a giant...Monster....While a battle destroys Ponyville?" "I'm afraid so..." Isaac looked around the room and thought to himself, he then looked back at Cadance and frowned. "You do realize the huge hole in your plan, right?" "How do you mean?" Isaac gave Cadance a scheming grin as he responded with his proposal. "It's obvious....The Leviathan has to head across a valley to get here, right? So, we ready our army, and meet the Leviathan halfway."