Alexander finished writing his report to Celestia and tossed it to Cinis. With a colorful sneeze, the baby phoenix sent the scroll to the alicorn princess. Scratching the fiery bird's head, Alexander reclined in his chair, happy to be home. Home. After two months of sailing on a massive freighter, Alexander had finally gotten Lurgen back to Equestria. And not a moment too soon, either. Alexander thought he was going to go crazy being cooped up for so long. The first thing he had done upon arriving in Ponyville was pick up Cinis from Fluttershy. The second thing was to send Celestia his report. The third thing, actually, as he had gone to Sugarcube Corner first for a cupcake, but strangely, the bakery had been closed. At the time, he had shrugged it off as maybe Pinkie was sick while the Cakes were out of town visiting relatives, but now that he thought about it, he couldn't ever remember the bakery being closed, save for the reconstruction period following the Mare-Do-Well incident. Maybe he should go check up on Pinkie, make sure everything was okay while he waited for a reply from Celestia.
Alexander breathed in the spring air as he walked, winter having been 'wrapped up' while he was overseas. He passed Lurgen in the town square, the contemptor dreadnought deep in conversation with Mayor Mare and Twilight. A whirring buzz from behind gave Alexander ample warning to dodge a certain orange filly on a scooter pulling a wagon filled with caped foals.
"Hi Alex!"
"How'ya doin'?"
"Hi!"
Alexander chuckled as he watched the Cutie Mark Crusaders disappear over the hill in a cloud of dust. Smiling, he made his way to Sugarcube Corner. Looking into the darkened bakery, Alexander rapped on the door with his knuckles. When no one answered, Alexander shrugged and turned to return home. He froze as he heard a voice begging for help.
Help. Please.
Drawing his sword, Alexander spun and smashed the door to splinters with his bionic arm.
Five minutes earlier...
Rainbow Dash blinked at the harsh light piercing her throbbing headache. Groaning in agony, she looked up at the bare bulb hanging by a wire from the ceiling. She went to hold her aching skull, but her legs wouldn't move. Looking down, Rainbow saw that she was strapped to a vertical table. Panicking, Dash tried to buzz her wings, but found that they were stretched out to their fullest through slots in the table. Breathing deeply to calm herself, Dash tried to remember how she had got there.
She had met Pinkie in Sugarcube Corner on her day off from weather work to help the pink party pony get ahead with her baking while the Cakes took their newborn twins to meet their grandparents. Rainbow had just put eggs in a bowl when an overwhelming pain sent her crashing to the ground. Pinkie! Dash looked up, spotting the pink earth pony strapped to another table across the room, hanging limply in her restraints. "Pinkie!"
"Ah, gut, you are avake."
A unicorn the color of stale urine and wearing a stained and tattered labcoat trotted up next to Dash from the right. Rainbow recoiled in horror at the horrible scarring covering the left side of his face, half his mouth stretched permanently in a rictus grin. Gulping, Rainbow glared at the unicorn in what she hoped was a threatening way.
"I don't know who you are, but you better let us go now if you know what's good for you!"
The unicorn chuckled, the evil sound causing Rainbow's hackles to rise. "Oh, how rude off me. I am Doktor Edvard Von Richthoofen. And I am afraid I cannot let you go, fraulein." He trotted over to Pinkie and caressed her chin. "Pinkamena Diane Pie, zhe Element of Laughter. Possesses zhe unique ability to predict events before zhey occur and zhe apparent capabilities to bend zhe laws off phyzics." Richthoofen allowed Pinkie's unconscious head to loll against her barrel. He turned to the chromatic pegasus. "Und zen ve haff you, fraulein. Rainbow Dash, zhe only pony in living memory to successfully cause a sonic rainboom, und survive!" A mad light filled the unicorn's eye as he began to peruse a pile of instruments on a small table. Rainbow pulled against her restraints as she tried to get free.
"What do you want, you freak?"
The lack of emotion in Richthoofen's eyes froze Rainbow to the core. She had never seen such dead, flat eyes in her life. "I am going to see vhat makes you tick." The 'doktor' selected a scalpel and began to advance on the still unconscious Pinkie. Rainbow thrashed harder, straining at the restrains, spittle flying from her mouth as she yelled at the piss-colored unicorn. "LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU BASTARD!"
Richthoofen chuckled evilly. "Ah, yes, zhat loyalty zhat marks you as zhe Element of Loyalty. Vary vell zhen," Richthoofen set down the scalpel and selected a rusty hacksaw with his black aura. "I vill start vith you. Let's start vith your vings, shall ve?"
Rainbow's pupils dilated until they very barely visable pinpricks standing out in a sea of terrified white. "HELP! SOMEPONY! HELP!"
Richthoofen moved behind Rainbow, tsking at the screaming pegasus. "You can scream all you vant. Nopony vill hear you. I haff soundproofed zhis basement myself. Now, let us begin."
Hot spears of agony stabbed into Rainbow's back as the unicorn began his grisly work. Screaming as the pain increased, Rainbow gasped in pain as the agony dropped off to a dull throbbing. "Oh, Celestia." Tears sprung to Rainbow's eyes as she realized why the pain had stopped. Sobbing, Rainbow looked up at the glee-filled unicorn replacing the bloody hacksaw on the table. "Why?"
"Vhy not?"
As the 'doktor' selected a scalpel, Rainbow cried as she tried to keep hold of her wits and consciousness. She couldn't pass out, she wouldn't pass out. Every second she held out meant another moment Pinkie would be safe. She had to protect her friend the best she could. But, she didn't know if she could. Sobbing, she began to pray for help. Somepony, help. Please. A tear fell down Rainbow's cheek as Richthoofen held her head still in his black aura, the scalpel descending on her right eye.
With a crash, the basement door exploded into splinters as a cylinder bounced off the floor. A bright flash drowned out the world, a loud bang smashing through Rainbow's chest, pain exploding in her brain sending her to blissful unconsciousness.
Alexander entered Sugarcube Corner, rapier at the ready. Sheathing his sword, he drew his laspistol and cleared the ground floor. A sobbing drew him to the basement door. Punching the door to pieces, Alexander chucked a flashbang down into the basement, charging down the stairs on the heels of the concussive blast. Coming to a crouch at the bottom of the stairs, Alexander took in the ponies strapped to tables and sighted his gun on a familiar unicorn. The unicorn's eyes grew wide in recognition and hate.
"YOU!"
CRACK-hiss
A lasbolt blew Richthoofen's head to bloody bits as Alexander pulled the trigger. The headless body staggered back several steps before collapsing. Holstering his laspistol, Alexander drew his knife and cut the straps holding Pinkie Pie. Pinkie came to with a start, squeezing Alexander in a hug. "I was so scared."
"What happened?"
Pinkie sniffled. "I was waiting for Dashie. We were going to make cupcakes, and-and he came in. He tied me down here and did something to me. I got so sleepy. He turned into me...and-and went to meet Rainbow-" Pinkie gasped as she looked over Alexander's shoulder, her hair going flat and straight. "Dashie!"
Alexander turned around and gasped as he saw the mess that was Rainbow Dash, a scalpel hanging from her right eye and blood pooling on the ground behind her. Cutting her down, Alexander cursed when he saw the bleeding stumps that were her wings. Drawing his sword, he pressed the flat of the blade against the truncated limbs, the power field cauterizing the weeping wounds. Dash screamed in agony before passing out again. Cradling the maimed pegasus in his arms, Alexander looked up at Pinkie.
"Pinkie." Pinkie stared in horror at Dash's wounds, numb to everything else. "PINKIE!" Pinkie jumped in suprise, coming back to reality with a start. She tore her gaze away from Rainbow to stare at Alexander. "Pinkie, I need you to go get help. I'm going to do what I can to stabilize her, but she needs a doctor." Pinkie nodded, bolting up the stairs with a determined look.
Pulling out his medkit, Alexander began to dress Dash's wounds when an unnatural warping sounded behind him. Turning, he watched as black and red tendrils sprouted from the stump of Richthoofen's neck. Snarling as the tendrils began to weave themselves into a new head, Alexander drew his laspistol and sent several crimson beams screaming into the writhing body.
CRACK-hiss
CRACK-hiss
CRACK-hiss
Alexander cursed as the tendrils continued writhing despite the gaping holes in the staggering corpse. A massive group of tendrils erupted from the front leg, forming a grasping claw. Cursing as the claw tore at the ground as another mass sprouted from the other hoof, Alexander gently scooped up the unconscious Rainbow. "C'mon kid, I gotta get you outta here." Alexander climbed the stairs as the basement collapsed under the writhing mass of growing tentacles.
Alexander ran out the bakery with Dash bundled in his arms. Pinkie galloped up to him, dragging a stammering Twilight behind her. "I brought Twilight." Twilight gasped in horror at the state of her friend. Alexander kneeled before her before she could freeze up.
"Twilight, I need you to get Dash to the hospital immediately. Pinkie, go get Lurgen."
Pinkie's mane poofed up again despite herself. "There's a new pony in town?"
"Focus, Pinkie. Go get him. He's the big robot in town square." Pinkie saluted with a worried look at Rainbow before dashing off. Alexander drew his laspistol as Dash was taken by a magenta aura.
"What happened to her?"
"I'll explain later, but if you don't go now, I can't guarantee the same won't happen to you."
A smashing crack filled the air as a daemon of blood and shadow erupted from the roof of Sugarcube Corner, the bakery collapsing in a cloud of dust. An ear-splitting roar filled the air.
Behold zhe blessings of zhe God of Death.
Alexander drew his sword. "Go." As Twilight carried the comatose Rainbow to safety, Alexander gulped. Oh, sweet Emperor, he's bigger than last time. The towering draconic daemon looked down, a leering smirk cracking the unholy face. Oh frak. The daemon raised a clawed arm.
Zhis time, you die. Alexander jumped back, stumbling back as the claw crashed into the ground with a shaking thud. Before he could move, the claw snatched him up in a crushing grip. Alexander struggled to free himself, but with his arms pinned to his sides, all he could do was kick and squirm. The crushing grip tightened around Alexander. Groaning in pain, Alexander gritted his teeth as the daemon slowly began to crush him to death.
Beg. Beg for your life.
Alexander spit in the daemon's eye. "Go to hell."
After you. The crushing grip tightened. Alexander groaned as he felt his armor creak under the strain. Darkness began to creep into his vision, both synthetic and natural as the life was slowly squeezed out of him.
THWAM!
Alexander dropped to the ground, gasping for breath as Lurgen cold cocked the daemon. His assault cannon spun up to speed, unleashing a fusillade of slugs into the daemon. All too soon, however, the dreadnought ran out of ammo, his hoppers dry of millenia old ammunition. With an unintelligible scream, Lurgen charged into close quarters, his powerfist pummeling the staggering daemon. Retaliating, the daemon that was once Richthoofen slashed a clawed hand across the dreadnought's face.
Alexander scrambled to get away from the dueling titans. A shadow engulfed him, and he looked up. "OH SHIT!" Alexander barely managed to dodge the falling dreadnought as Lurgen crashed into the building behind him. <By the Allfather, I'm getting too old for this.> Lurgen lurched to his feet, and again the ground shook as the titans clashed once more. Alexander got to his feet, only to be knocked down and trampled by a stampede of panicking ponies.
"Ow." Alexander stood with a groan. He looked up and saw Twilight approaching with Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. As they approached, Alexander saw that they wore their respective Elements of Harmony, with the exception of Twilight, who was wearing the Element of Loyalty around her neck in addition to the Element of Magic on her head. Alexander eyed the lavender mare sceptically. "Why do you have Dash's Element? And how do you have the Elements? Last I checked, the Elements were in a vault in Canterlot."
Twilight gasped to catch her breath. "Princess Celestia taught me a spell that lets me summon the Elements in an emergency. And if an Element's holder is unable to wield their Element, it reverts to the Element of Magic until the holder is able to wield it again."
Alexander and the Element wielders ducked as a chunk of masonry went flying by. "What do you plan to do?"
Twilight turned to Alexander, pain evident on her face. "For what he did to Rainbow? Turning him to stone is too good for him."
Alexander nodded. "Sounds good. I'm going to run interference. Blast him once you get an opening." Not waiting for a response, Alexander charged the daemon as it grappled with Lurgen, once again sending the dreadnought crashing to the ground. This time, Lurgen was unable to get up, his motive systems sparking from crippling damage. Lasbolts boiling into his back stopped the daemon in his tracks, distracting him from the destruction of the cursing Space Wolf dreadnought. Alexander ran, firing wildly over his shoulder as he lured the daemon into position. As Richthoofen stepped into view around a building, the Elements of Harmony glowed.
A powerful rainbow of energy slammed into the daemon. Alexander shut his eyes as the light overwhelmed his senses. Opening his eyes, he tried to blink away the spots that remained on his vision. The sentinel looked at the spot the daemon had been, trying to see through the rainbow smoke billowing away.
A tentacle of black and red whipped out of the smoke, slamming into the five ponies with bone-crushing force. A red haze started to fill Alexander's vision as he watched the daemon advance on the helpless ponies. He clenched his fists as he shook with rage. "No more." The Elements of Harmony began to pulse in sympathy with his anger. "No more!" The Elements flew away from their wielders to spin around Alexander. "NO MORE!" There was a bright flash of white.
The daemon that was Richthoofen lowered his arm in time to receive a fist to the face. Tumbling across the ground, the daemon crashed into the remains of Sugarcube Corner. He looked up to see what had hit him.
Before him stood a radiant being in armor of the purest white. Twice as tall as a normal human, the armored being carried a broadsword the size of a sapling. A double-headed eagle was embossed in gold on a shield bigger than a kitchen table on his left arm. On the two massive shoulder plates were set the Elements of Generosity and Kindness. On the knees of the armor were set the Elements of Honesty and Laughter. On the helmet was set the Element of Magic. On the chest, on wings of gold, was set the red lightning bolt of Loyalty. The eye pieces of the helmet glowed icy blue.
The daemon stood, crushing an oven beneath his clawed foot. You think a costume change vill scare me? Not even zhe Elements off Harmony could stop me. Die!
The white knight lazily swung the broadsword in an arc, settling into a crouch behind the solid defense of the massive shield. At the last moment, he burst forward, slamming the shield into the daemon's midrift. Stunned, Richthoofen staggered back. The white knight swung the broadsword in an upward slash, lopping off the daemon's arm. Shrieking in agony and rage, the daemon jumped back and waited for the arm to regrow. When nothing happened, he looked at the arm to find a smoking, melted stump. Hunched over, the daemon looked up in time to catch a backhanded shield to the face, spinning him around. The sword flicked out, cutting off a leg. The daemon shrieked as it tried to crawl away. The knight followed languidly behind.
"Not so fun being on the receiving end, is it daemon?"
The daemon crawled back, groveling as it tried to escape. Please, haff mercy.
The blue-eyed knight swung the sword back. "Suffer not the daemon to live." The sword stabbed into Richthoofen's malformed skull. Mouth twisted in a silent scream, the daemon began dissolving. Alexander collapsed to one knee as the Element's magics dissipated, the gems returning to their original forms. Alexander shook his head as he leaned on the hilt of his rapier. "Whoa. What a rush. Agh." Alexander looked at the blood on his hand. He looked down at the dissolving claw lodged in his stomach. "Oh..." He collapsed as the world went black.