Strike Back!

Ballista's body lied there on the ground motionless. The others were crying hard, they had lost two of their friends; they died protecting them, to give them a fighting chance against this…this…monster!

Rarity had ceased crying, her blue eyes fell upon the Envoy who had taken her friends away from them, and she was furious. Forgetting the pain, she rose to her hooves; shakily Rarity began trotting towards Fluttershy. The Knight of Generosity tapped her friend on the shoulder, causing the creamed colored mare to look up at Rarity. No words were spoken, there was no need for them, the fire burning within Rarity's eyes was all Fluttershy needed to see. Nodding her head, Fluttershy got up and trotted alongside Rarity to Pinkie Pie. The Knight of Laughter saw her two friends, their faces locked in a state of anger and determination. It only took Pinkie a nanosecond to rise up as well.

All three mares began trotting towards Peina, they moved slowly, the venom within their bodies was still in effect, but that would not stop them. Ballista and Broadside had died trying to help them and they would not let their sacrifice be in vain. Peina had finally stopped wailing, standing on all four hooves. There was a trickle of blood coming down from her forehead; a sizable crack could be seen on her helmet where Ballista delivered her earlier head-butt. Now able to think more clearly, Peina saw the three Knights trot towards her. A cocky smile arched across her lips as she stood proudly.

"Isn't this grand, you three are coming to me to die. Do you really think you'll fare any better than they did? Look," Peina angled her tail; the damaged part of it was starting to regenerate. "Soon my tail will have grown back and I will move on to the rest of this miserable world!"

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy stopped trotting. They called upon the power of their Elements, drawing on whatever energies they had left to rid their bodies of the poison. They looked deep within themselves, passed the surface of what they already knew, diving deeper into the true power of the Elements of Generosity, Kindness, and Laughter. Suddenly they felt something, an untapped well of power, as if it was waiting for them. They called out to this power and the well of power became like a vast, endless ocean. They allowed this new power to fill them until it happened.

The three mares were engulfed in pillars of violet, pink, and blue energy that shot up into the skies piercing the cloud of toxic rain. The lights had completely eradicated the clouds, allowing the beautiful sunlight to shine down upon the land. The dark, polluted ground, regained its fertility, becoming purified of the venom. Spike felt the wave of power as it rumbled through the air, it passed through his body, ridding him of the venom within, returning him to full strength.

Peina didn't understand what was happening; this light was powerful, far more powerful than what they were supposed to be capable of. It was at that moment that a startling revelation hit the Spirit of Famine, remembering her brother Loimos' recanting of his battle against two of the Knights of Harmony.

But that can't be possible! The ones who possess that power are far away, unless –! They all have it, they're unlocking it!!!

Soon the pillars of light broke apart, showering the area in falling sparkles of light. Rarity stood at the center, her body was no more bound by flesh and muscle, now it had transformed into a white burning light, held together by golden armor. On her lower equine half, a shimmering skirt surrounded her, held in place by a lone stretch of gold armor on her back. On her upper half she wore a chest plate, fitted with the violet diamond of the Element of Generosity. Attached to her wrists were gold bands that had the same shimmering material, floating around her back and attached to each wrist band. Her eyes glowed blue as her mane and tail were now violet plasma energy. A tiara adorned her brow, studded with the six jewels she used before that rested below her horn. Two large diamonds, shaped like a three dimensional rhombus, floated on her left and right, while a third floated above her head.

Fluttershy's body was made of yellow energy, with her pink butterfly crystal shining on her armored chest. In her right hand she held a golden metal shepherd's crook, at the top of the hook there were three wings sitting in a row ranging from small, medium, and large. The hook of the staff spiraled inward, wrapping itself around a pulsating blue pearl. Her shoulder pads had small blue pearls embedded in them as well, one in the center of her tiara, one on each wrist band, and one at the front of each horseshoe. Her teal eyes burned with power, as her pink plasma mane bellowed up and down.

Pinkie Pie was made up of different hues of pink energy, her tail and mane made of darker tint then her body. Her pauldron cape flapped in the wind generated by their power. In her hands she held two weapons; both were Wheelock pistols, with blue metallic barrels, silver handles, and a purple band around the muzzles. Pinkie Pie crossed her arms to form an X across her chest, where the blue balloon Element of Laughter shone brightly, matching the intensity in her blue eyes.

Luckily for Peina, her tail had fully regenerated, but she was still weary of this latest development. She quickly took aim at the lifeless body of Ballista, priming her tail to fire a beam of poison filled energy.

"Watch it, don't want to see your friends' bodies turn to ash now do you," she warned.

Fluttershy stepped forward from the trio; she raised her staff into the air, the pearl glowing with milky-blue light. "Ḍraigana Rakṣaka!"

All the pearls shined brightly, streams of energy poured from them all, combining into a sphere above the staff. Fluttershy then thrust the staff in Peina's direction; the sphere zoomed past the Spirit of Famine and stopped when it reached Ballista's body. The orb expanded and then exploded outwards, transforming into a large dragon that coiled its tail around the body, roaring at Peina, warning her not to even think about coming close to her. Fluttershy fired another orb; the second one became a dragon as well, protecting the body of Broadside.

"They are me, and I am them, these are extensions of my spirit, unbound by my or any physical limitations. Now it's time you felt terror Spirit of Famine!" Fluttershy raised her staff yet again. "Bhēṛiyā Paika!"

This time she hit the ground with the butt of the staff; the energy from the pearls flowed from the staff and surged forth into the ground. Twelve orbs appeared in front of her; they then transformed and became a new set of animals. It was a pack of wolves, roughly the same size as a full grown stallion pony, they growled and snarled at the Envoy, snapping their jaws and raking the ground with their claws. Peina took a step back, and then another, when she took a third step she shot up into the air.

The wolves howled and then leaped into the air, running after Peina. Fluttershy let her wings unfurl and she took off with them. Pinkie Pie reared up on her hind legs and when she landed galloped after them. Rarity stayed behind, the draconic spirit beasts took one look at her, they then nodded towards Rarity and in that same moment disappeared into wisps of smoke. The white centaur could feel the thundering stomps of Spike behind her as he approached. She turned and looked up at him, although he was surprised by her transformation, he was not scared. A kind of quiet understanding had passed between them.

Although her face was made of nothing but white energy, Spike could tell that she was smiling at him. With that settled, Rarity willed one of the three diamonds to flatten out and become a platform for her to stand on. The platform lifted the Knight of Generosity and in the next moment she had gone to do battle with their hated foe. Spike glanced to Ballista's body, and then to Broadside's, he could already feel his eyes begin to water again. He looked up to the retreating form of his wife and his eyes narrowed.

Peina could not escape them. She thought using her magic to levitate in the air would give her a better advantage, to get her away from the pack of spirit wolves, in truth, she could not escape them. They pack just gave chase, defying gravity as if it did not exist. The wolves came close to sinking their fangs in her hind legs, but a quick blast from her Venomous Decay dealt with two of them, now there were only ten to go. Two of the wolves circled around and attacked from the left and right, Peina used her horn to create the spike she had used earlier to skewer the oncoming wolf. The second leaped up and tried to bite her neck, Peina twirled around and tail whipped it, snapping its neck and making it disappear.

Just then two beams of sparkling, crackling, multicolored light shot at Peina, she nearly got hit by the first, but didn't manage to dodge the second which hit her directly in the right shoulder. The Spirit of Famine hissed and growled at the searing pain that now radiated from the area, she gasped when she noticed that a layer of the armor had been burned away. Peina looked towards the direction where the beams were fired and saw the Knight of Laughter perched on a rooftop. The metal wheels on the sides of the pistols were spinning rapidly, mimicking the effect of a spiraling sparkler.

"How do you like my Merry-Go-Rounds, not as big as my GPC's, but as the saying goes 'size isn't everything!' And on that note welcome…" Pinkie Pie crossed her arms yet again, behind her dozens of Merry-Go-Rounds pistols appeared, they formed an arch behind her, one with twelve pistols, the other had the same amount, which gave way to a third row. "…to my Caliber Carnival!!!"

Pinkie Pie released her first two weapons, both of them vanishing into thin air. To her hands two of the Merry-Go-Rounds flew into her now vacant palms, both spinning up and prepared to fire. Pinkie Pie brought up the two pistols and opened fire on Peina, her shots were quick and fluid, you could hardly tell when the first round ended and the second began. Before Peina knew it her field of vision was littered with the sight of dozens of oncoming blasts.

Peina's tail arched up and released a volley of poisonous energy blasts to match Pinkie Pie's attacks. Each beam impacted the other in midair, creating magnificent explosions that looked like fireworks. While Peina was able to intercept many, the few that got by either exploded near or on her, the pain that shot through her body with each hit only served to infuriate her more, it wasn't only damaging her body but her pride as well. Never before had any creature, from any world, cause her to feel pain and anguish like she felt now.

Suddenly the barrage from Pinkie Pie stopped, and that same time, Peina felt something sharp and hot pierce her flesh. One of the spirit wolves she didn't destroy had bitten down on her right hind leg. She was about to blast it off, but yet another appeared from her blind spot chomped down on her tail. A third bit her left hind leg, a fourth her right foreleg, and a fifth descended down on her and got its jaws around her armored neck. Peina was finding out quickly that her precious Envoy armor was no protection against these things; she could feel the fangs of the fifth wolf slowly inch their way through her armor and into her neck, causing warm blood to trickle. Peina tried in vain to shake the wolves off, even after unleashing her aura multiple times.

The Knight of Kindness flew overhead, watching the display down below her; with a wave of her staff she initiated the final move of her attack. All five of the wolves began to glow brightly, almost blindingly so, until each one exploded in a flash of milky-blue light and energy. A cloud of smoke appeared where the Spirit of Famine once was, out of the cloud Peina plummeted, she hastily regained her altitude and floated there; staring daggers at the two centaurs who dared to damage her.

"How dare you mar my beauty, undermine my power, and steal my possessions!!! BUCK this world!!! I'll just finish it here and now!!!" Peina gathered her power once again, more quickly, and with more of a harsh glow than before. "Rotting World: Last Breath!!! "

Instead of firing this attack into the air, Peina fired the sphere at the ground instead; the ball of death dealing energy fell like a lead weight, faster and faster, making the very air it flew through become old, stale, and putrid.

Three large diamonds raced to get under the sphere; they met in the center, each of their pointed tips glowing with blue light. The three diamonds separated and formed a barrier in the shape of a triangle. The ball hit the center of the shield; it crackled and hissed as the sphere tried to pierce through the barrier and to its intended target. The shield held strong, not allowing the attack to get anywhere near the ground. The three diamonds then let out a pulse of energy that shot into the barrier, the combined energy of the diamonds hit the sphere of putrid energy and instantly purified it, nullifying Peina's attack.

The Spirit of Famine now saw the perpetrator who stopped her attack. It was Rarity; she was trotting slowly on the ground towards her general location. The three diamonds canceled their barrier maneuver and returned to Rarity's side.

"We've grown tired of your presence on our world Spirit of Famine, it is time you paid for your crimes against Equestria and to the ponies who's lives you've taken, and for the deaths of our friends," said Rarity.

Peina was cornered and she knew it, her brother Loimos had a hard enough time with just two of these Knights, but she was up against three, and each with a burning hatred to see her fall before them.

One of the diamonds melded onto Rarity's left forearm, she raised her left arm allowing the tip of the diamond to open and release an impossibly bright light into the air. Peina felt the burning light; it literally hurt her to see this light, closing her eyes as to not even peek at it. Her body sizzled as the light faded, writhing and screaming from the burning sensation all over her body. Pinkie Pie took this opportunity to start her attack. She called off her Merry-Go-Rounds and summoned something else in their stead.

Suddenly large barreled muskets started to rain down from the sky, colored the same way as her previous weapons. There must've been at least two hundred plus falling, with another ten appearing in a circle around stuck in the ground around her, but none of the ones from the sky ever hit the ground. With a wave of her hand, Pinkie had each of the muskets stop in midair, with another wave of her hand the barrels of the muskets each pointed towards Peina, and with a snap of her fingers the fuses on each musket lit up. She then reached into her pauldron cape and comically pulled out another musket out of nowhere and took aim.

She pulled the trigger of her personal MMM and fired the first round, the blast created a shockwave that blew the dust and debris around Pinkie away. Peina was able to open her eyes, just in time to see as the sparkling ordinance came screeching right at her. Before she could even yelp the round hit her and exploded brilliantly with resounding thunder. Soon the other MMM's started to fire off as well, each one hitting its target and exploding on impact. While the MGR's and MMM's weren't as big as the Giga Party Cannons, they were more accurate, and more importantly, they condensed the original blasts of the cannons and more than tripled its destructive power. Something that Peina was experiencing first hand. Having spent the first round of her MMM, she grabbed the two closest ones and dual-wielded them, firing both weapons at the same time, discarding them, and then firing again with another pair.

When she was on the last two of her MMM's she fired them, and at the same time, the two-hundred floating MMM's fired simultaneously, the whole thing exploding in the shape of a smiling pink face.

Fluttershy could still sense Peina was alive, which was good, because she had a piece of her mind to give to her as well. The Knight of Kindness swiped her staff in front of her horizontally, leaving behind a pink energy wake. She then swiped two more times diagonally, combining the light wakes together. When she saw Peina through the dust cloud, Fluttershy spun her staff in the air, held out it horizontal in front her, and brought her left hand into prayer position.

The wakes combined in one long crescent shaped wave and launched itself at Peina. The wave struck the scorpion tailed mare in the midsection, grinding against her underbelly armor as it pushed against her. The Spirit of Famine held fast, gritting her teeth, she was not about to forced off this world, nor be defeated so easily. That's when she saw it, Rarity. Her right arm was stretched out; the three diamonds began to orbit her forearm. A blue light shined within them getting brighter as they spun faster around her arm. All three of them melded into one weapon around her forearm, extending nearly seven feet. Rarity widened her stance and cocked back her right arm as if preparing to through a punch. The Knight of Generosity's glowing blue eyes locked onto prey.

The diamond weapon shined with blue light, some it lapping off it like fire. Rarity used her newly acquired strength and jumped into the air, creating a crater from where she took off. When she was in range Rarity thrust out her right arm, the tip of the weapon striking Peina dead center where Fluttershy's attack was still trying to go through. Peina yelled out in agony from the two attacks. Her yellow eyes met those of Rarity's blue shining slit orbs, and she knew that there was only one way this was going to end.

Reluctantly, and with all the contempt and self-loathing she had for this, Peina engulfed her body in an orb of orange light, cancelling out the attacks. Rarity's diamonds disengaged and became three once again, with the third turning into a platform for her to stand upon. All three Knights stared in wonder at what Peina's next move would be.

"You will all pay for this! You think you've won – not even close!!! When my elder brother arrives you'll be wishing that it was me who had ended your miserable lives!!!" Peina shouted, her voice echoing intangibly.

Fluttershy readied her staff, Pinkie summoned another MMM, and Rarity's two other diamonds glowed. Sensing that her time to rant was short, Peina's sphere took off into the sky, letting loose multiple sonic booms at it exited Equestria's atmosphere.

All three centaur mares kept watch over the sky, their weapons primed and ready should Peina try to sneak attack. But after five minutes there was nothing. The lowered their weapons and let out a sigh of relief. It was over, they had won the battle, and Equestria was safe, for now. As much as they wanted to allow themselves to feel happy about their victory, they knew that wasn't going to be the case, nothing could overshadow the fact that their victory came at a high price.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all returned to where Spike was. Their weapons were dismissed but they were still in their centaur forms. Spike had been sitting on his haunches, with a tail curled carefully around the bodies of Broadside and Ballista in a protective manner similar to the spirit dragons. He had both father and daughter laid next to each other. Spike looked to see his friends arriving and uncurled his tail a little to allow them to come closer. When they were close enough, all three mares released their powers, changing back into their pony forms, their Elements clasped around their necks.

Each of them broke down into tears before the bodies of their fallen friends, Spike tried to put on a strong front for them, but he couldn't help but let slip a few tears from his eyes. The fighting was over, the danger had passed, and now, now it was time to cry…

***Unknown Location, Beyond Time & Space***

Loimos was laughing boisterously into the nothingness around them, while Polemos just stood there smirking, both brothers amused by the disheveled and rattled condition that their sister Envoy returned in.

"And you were chastising me for my retreating, HA! At least I knew when to fall back to fight another day, but you just stayed there and took it! HA HA HA!" Loimos laughed.

"This just gets better and better; now three more have new powers. I can't wait to do battle with them," said Polemos.

Peina levitated her helmet off her head and threw it at Loimos striking him in the head, hard. Stopping the Spirit of Pestilence's laughter and making him fall over. Polemos looked down at his stricken brother and let out a light chuckle at his expense.

"Do not fret sister; any experienced warrior can be taken easily when dealing with unknown weapons. We were not certain if the power that the two Knights, Loyalty and Honesty, was a unique ability of their own or one that they all shared. I think now we know what we're dealing with," said Polemos.

"Now that we know at least five of their capabilities, we can return and fight them as a unit. You and I know how much stronger we are when our powers are linked."

Loimos and Peina raised an eyebrow at that, true as his statement was, they hated such an option.

"Like it matters, you were recalled by the Master, out of the four of us, only you and our elder brother can go back to Equestria," said Loimos.

All three Envoy went silent in that instant. Ash gray light shined in the distance, it flickered like fire as it slowly approached them. It then took the shape of an alicorn, forming wings, a horn, a head, and four legs. Two eyes made of black energy stared at Polemos, Loimos, and Peina.

"Thanatos…brother…I just…" Peina tried to speak, but couldn't find the right words to explain her spectacular failure.

Peina did as her brother said, Loimos and Peina knew better then to anger their elder brother, but Polemos didn't share the same sentiment.

"Thanatos, what say the Master? Can I return to Equestria," asked the Spirit of War.

"But why, you know I've sought the perfect warrior who can match me in combat, and here I've come to find several on one planet! Why does the Master –!?"

Thanatos' body erupted with ash gray light, his black light eyes flaring in anger.

Polemos released his own blood red aura, matching his older brothers as he bared his teeth. The two stallions stared each other down while Peina and Loimos stared, personally they didn't care if Polemos died. His ideals of battle got annoying from time to time. Soon both stallions' auras returned to normal, whatever fight that was going to take place was halted by a strong pressure wave that rumbled throughout the nothingness.

"We have a new plan of attack my brothers and sister, and we must prepare. As such, the Master has allowed us the use of our 'True Forms.'"

Loimos and Peina heads popped up and they both had a sinister smile creep upon their face, full of wickedness, and sadistic glee. Thanatos turned about and trotted towards his next destination, but stopped suddenly. He turned his head and gave Polemos a sideways glance.

"And little brother. The reason you asked about, was because you were about to release your 'True Form' without the Master's permission. Remember that we are his Envoy; we conquer and destroy in his name. Your first and only priority is to carry out his will and not for the sake of your lust for a 'Perfect Opponent.'"

With that said Thanatos' form vanished, leaving the Spirits of War, Pestilence, and Famine alone to prepare.

Despite what you may believe brother, I will see to it that my fight is brought to fruition, no matter what you say…

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy have unlocked the power of Centaurus Elemnentus, defeating the third Envoy. But now it seems that something even more sinister is the works, what kind of evil plan can the Envoy be scheming? Only time will tell…

Equestrian Epoch: Final Hope

by Michael_Ravencroft

Third Sign: Part 8