//------------------------------// // Fourth Sign: Part 3 // Story: Equestrian Epoch: Final Hope // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// Cosmic Power And so came the fourth day of their journey. The crew of the Sentinel was all assembled on the bridge, on high alert for anything that might happen. The quadrant of space they were in was very different from the places they were at four days ago. The planets that they passed by barely had any sort of glow, many of them had it, a sort of iridescent light that illuminated the atmosphere, but the worlds they passed now were, for lack of a better word, dead. Even the stars seemed faded, and no matter what, they couldn't shake this uncomfortable feeling that they shouldn't be there, that they were unwelcome. "Alright everypony, we're basically in enemy territory now, they may attack at any moment, so keep a sharp eye out and stay frosty," ordered Twilight. "Roger," the others said in unison. One of the worlds they passed by had a sickening look to it, it was sinking in on itself, like it was turning into something rotted and vile. It didn't take them long to figure out which of the Envoy claimed this poor world's inhabitants. Another one had a strange green mist wafting around it, almost blanketing the skies. Applejack and Rainbow Dash could tell that that was Loimos' handy work. "So many worlds," whispered Pinkie Pie. "All those lives cut down before their time," said Rarity. "We won't let that happen to Equestria," proclaimed Rainbow Dash. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* "Report," said Twilight. "Uh, Twilight, it looks like we may have some company," said Rarity worriedly. Far out in front of them, space itself seemed to warp, in a matter of seconds a fleet of warships materialized into existence. Dozens upon dozens of spaceships appeared, but something was off about them. Many of the ships looked wrecked, some had holes in them, the metal twisted or scorched, and all of them seemed to ooze an eerie, ghostly light from within the bowls of the ships. None of them seemed to be part of the same army; it was an array of different ships, all different shapes, sizes, and some more alien than the last. "W-W-What are those," asked Fluttershy. "That's a little disconcerting, they have a fleet of sunken battleships," said Bright Blade. "Knight's of Harmony, BATTLE STATIONS!!!" Twilight shouted. "Rarity and Pinkie Pie, release the armaments! Applejack and Fluttershy, raise the shields! Rainbow Dash, forward all Fire of Friendship energy towards the Light Wings and prepare to enter combat speed! Bright Blade, activate the Main Cannon and have it ready to fire on my command!" "AYE, AYE!!!" "Activating Gyroscopic Gravity Stabilization Field, now!" Twilight placed her hoof into the slot on her control panel, an invisible wave of energy washed over the bridge of the Sentinel, along with the sounds of many mechanical mechanisms latching and unlatching. The Sentinel had begun its transformation, the cannons on the port and starboard sides of the ship popped out and aimed forward. The panels bellow the turrets lifted up, allowing the diamond plated projectiles to stick out, ready to be fired. Two shield layers surrounded the Sentinel, the first layer was a light blue that covered the entire ship, and the second was orange and extended outwards, forming a bubble around the vessel. The bow of opened up, revealing the giant energy cannon. The engines cut off as the Light Wings extended out and shimmered even brighter than before, flapping in unison as sparkles floated off them. The air was tense as the enemy fleet readied what weapons seemed operational on their hulls. Neither side had fired yet, the seconds passing like minutes, waiting for the first shot. The Knights knew that they were outnumbered basically a hundred to one, but with the state of the fleet, the odds may be a little in their favor. Suddenly all three-hundred ships fired a volley at the single super-dreadnought. Thousands of glowing, red hot, ordinance came hurdling towards their single platinum ship. "EVADE," shouted Twilight. The Sentinel's wings shined brightly and flapped quickly, making the ship dodge at incredible speeds. The first hundred thousand shots missed the titanic ship, a good majority exploded against the shield, jostling the Knights and making them hug their consoles for support. The last of the barrage washed over the shields yet again, but they did not break. Once the storm of ordinance was over the Knights regained their composure and brought the Sentinel back into attack position. "Rainbow Dash, full speed ahead, all weapons fire at will!" The Knight of Loyalty wasted no time in launching the Sentinel towards the Undead Armada. The Sentinel entered the swarm of wrecked battleships and began to open fire on them. The turret cannons fired multiple times in almost every direction, striking one ship after another, causing damage to an already damaged fleet. The crystal projectiles fired from there salvos and targeted the rough location of where the bridge for each ship was with pinpoint accuracy. The super-dreadnought, although massive in size, had no trouble wading through the enemy fleet, nimbly zigzagging and weaving through each wrecked vessel. "Rainbow Dash, get to higher space!" Twilight ordered. "You got it boss mare," confirmed Rainbow. "Bright Blade, prepare to clear us a path!" "Alright, charging Main Cannon," said Bright Blade. "Applejack, give us some breathing room!" "On it!" Applejack shouted. The orange energy shield of the Sentinel expanded outwards, becoming a hardened sphere of light, all the ships within the vicinity of the super-dreadnought were forcefully pushed away. The alien battleships were knocked into their comrades, jackknifing and exploding on impact. The Sentinel's bow then turned upwards at a ninety degree angle, the cannon protruding from the bow glowed with an intense golden energy within its barrel. The shipwreck fleet retrained their weapons on the Sentinel and were ready to fire, but it was too late. The Main Cannon unleashed its power and fired a powerful golden beam straight up, scorching through the ships higher above them. A series of giant explosions accompanied the blast, destroying nearby ships that were caught in the aftershock of the weapons discharge. With a single flap of its six wings the Sentinel ascended through the hole it bored with the Main Cannon. Higher and higher they went, continuing to fire their weapons at any ships that dared to get near their vessel. The super-dreadnought finally burst through the sea of wrecked ships and emerged into clear space. They quickly started to fly around as the enemy opened fire upon them again. Twilight took this time to calculate the number of battleships they had just destroyed with their first attack, her face contorted into a grimace, eliciting a worried look from her coltfriend below. "What's wrong Twi," asked Bright Blade. "We only destroyed less than ten percent of their fleet!" "With just the first run, and there are still many left to go," said Fluttershy. "Then we'll just keep going through them until there's nothing left," said Rainbow Dash. "I'm afraid I'm going to need a minute over here, my console thingy says it needs time to reload," said Rarity. "Don't worry Rarity, my cannons and I can cover for you until you're ready," said Pinkie Pie giving a salute to her partner. "I don't like it, but we'll have to swoop in and fire the Main Cannon as we flyby." "You know we only have three shots, and it takes thirty minutes before it's fully charged again." Bright Blade mentioned. "I already said I didn't like it. We'll save the last shot till we really need it – NOW ATTACK!" A wrecked vessel, much like the others, floated at the back of the shipwreck fleet, watching the battle occur from a safe distance as multiple explosions erupted like fireworks. Upon the bridge of the ship three beings stood watch from the broken windows. Polemos, Loimos, and Peina saw their enemy put up a good fight, even for a single massive vessel, it was faring well considering they were outnumbered. Loimos glanced over to his brother; the Spirit of War had a smile upon his face. "At least pretend you're concerned at the amount of ships we're losing," said Loimos. Polemos shifted his eyes in the Spirit of Pestilences' direction, he then shrugged and huffed. "Why should I!? I know the concept of a glorious battle eludes your understanding Loimos, but you can't expect me to not get a little excited! They came all the way out here just to do battle with us, it only proves their determination, not even hesitating to fly into a fleet of battleships, you have to admire that." Loimos only rolled his eyes in annoyance at his brother's outlook on the situation. "Besides, Thanatos can just resurrect them once their destroyed." "Now that you mention it, the ships aren't reforming. Is there a reason why you are not bringing back the Undead Armada elder brother," asked Peina. Hidden in the shadows of the bridge, illuminated only by the ghostly gray light coming from his horn, stood Thanatos. "You mustn't rush my dear little sister. This is a game of chess, sacrificing a few pawns is part of the strategy; the pieces must be aligned correctly on the board before the trap can be sprung. Let us see if their leader is as intelligent as we've been led to believe, that she can see this coming." Polemos turned his head to face his older brother, a disapproving gaze falling upon the Spirit of Death. "What kind of 'trap?'" "This one…Pit of Despair…" A sudden and powerful shockwave rumbled through space, shaking the ship the Envoy were on. The other three Envoy gazed outwards towards the source of the disruption. The battleships retreated back some miles away, in the center of their fleet the Sentinel seemed as if it were being drawn into something, it wobbled, struggling against whatever force was being placed upon it. "What did you do," asked Peina. "I've called check." The Envoy watched as the Sentinel was drawn down further and further, some of the Undead Armada ships were being brought down into something. It was a hole in the middle of space, a great black pit. The Sentinel forwent its Light wings and fired the engines; they blazed to life as twin streams of purple fire jetted out from turbines at the sides. But no matter how powerful the flames propelled them, the Sentinel didn't move forward, it only descended, soon the stern of the ship started to disappear. It was only a few moments before the Knights' vessel was halfway submerged into space, and then, finally, the bow of the Sentinel was completely gone, swallowed up by the Pit of Despair. With a flash of Thanatos' horn, the pit closed up, vanishing from sight, taking with it half of the Undead Armada, and one Sentinel super-dreadnought. Loimos and Peina turned to look at their elder brother with pleased expressions upon their faces. "Nicely done Thanatos," said Peina. "For all their power, they can't outmatch yours!" Loimos gloated. Polemos, however, did not join in on his siblings' jubilation. Instead he held his gaze on the spot where the vessel disappeared. A stern and stoic expression permeating his countenance as his yellow eyes burned with a fierce energy. Do not disappoint me Knights of Harmony. It was impossible, maybe even improbable, such cosmic events like this didn't just spontaneously happen without something to trigger it. But it was happening, a great black pit hundreds of miles wide just opened up, drawing them into its dark abyss, and then swallowing them. Now they floated in a bottomless space made of black and dark violet light. The bridge was illuminated by the overhead lights shining down on them, allowing the Knights to see their own hooves in front of their faces, but outside, they could barely make out anything, the only thing they did know, was that they were slowly descending further down into the pit with each passing second. "Twilight, where the heck are we!?" Applejack asked. "Shh!" Twilight hissed. Applejack was about to protest being shushed, but then she heard it. A groaning, moaning sound echoed through the hull of their ship, the sound of metal straining to keep its shape, as if something was being forced upon it. "What was that," asked Fluttershy. "I think…we might be in some sort of gravitational anomaly," said Twilight. "A what now," queried Pinkie Pie. "Listen, the noises, it's the Sentinel, the metal is buckling under some sort of pressure…" Twilight placed her hoof into the slot on her console, immediately the screen displayed multitudes of information at her mental behest. Her intelligent eyes peered over the data, her expression only darkening as she read over it. "It is…the gravity being exerted on the ship is roughly five times that of Equestria's normal." "So what does that mean, for us, and the ship," asked Rainbow Dash. "The way I understand it, gravity is the force which keeps all things situated to the ground and keeps us from floating off into space. It's also the reason behind weight as well, the more gravity there is, the more you weigh, and vice versa," explained Rarity. "Exactly, and right now that very force is increasing," Twilight rechecked the readings on her console, "it's now twelve times normal!" "So what, I don't feel any different, so the ship gets heavier, where's the danger in that," asked Rainbow. "We're fine because the Sentinel has its own gravity spell generator that keeps everything normal inside. If the gravity keeps increasing then at this rate –" Bright Blade's explanation was cut short as something exploded in the darkness outside. After that another ship exploded, then a second, and then a third. Soon they started to hear cracking sounds, like glass. The Knights examined their two shield layers and noticed that they were showing signs of breaking apart. "We'll be crushed till we eventually implode and then explode," finished Bright Blade. An audible, collective gulp was heard through the room. "Fluttershy, Applejack, stay at your posts and strengthen the shields as best you can. Bright Blade, keep an eye on the data, inform me if the gravity field fluctuates drastically or if there's a weak point." Twilight started to leave the bridge, but it was Pinkie Pie who called out to her. "Twilight, where are you going?" "I'm going to try and figure out a solution." Hours passed within the Pit of Despair, although Twilight was certain that that was relevant, the actual time spent in the pit was probably accelerated contrary to the real amount of time that was passing in normal space. Bright Blade had continued to inform Twilight of the increasing gravity, as well as the destruction of the other ships around them. It helped Twilight; some of the ships that were drawn in with them were either smaller than or half as big as the Sentinel, which provided her with a rough idea of how much longer the ship had until it eventually shared the fate of the others. Applejack and Fluttershy had been keeping up maintaining the shields, but it was becoming noticeable that it was putting a strain on them, if the shields went it meant the eminent implosion of the Sentinel would accelerate immensely. Rarity and Pinkie Pie had taken to examining the ship, making note of any signs of the hull breaking or being breached by the gravity field. All in all it was a desperate situation. The schoolmare was in the war room, the table littered with hundreds of written notes filled with equations and mathematical formulas, but sadly, she was unable to come up with a solution thus far. It frustrated Twilight, with all her smarts, her knowledge of science and magic, she still couldn't find a way out of the pit. The fact that something like this could even happen was beyond her understanding. Twilight came to the conclusion that this must've been the work of the last Envoy, or, in the worst case scenario, it was done by Erebus himself. The lavender mare shook her head violently, jostling the negative thoughts from her mind. I can't think like that – no I can't afford to think like that! C'mon Twilight everypony is counting on you to get them out of this! There has to be something I overlooked, some sort of loophole that we can use! Maybe if we use the Main Cannon and funnel the Fire of Friendship, we could use the combined energy to punch a hole in the field! The walls will collapse, and could cause a spacial warp that could through you all into the heart of a star, it's too risky… Too risky, yes, yes it is. That much power being exerted in here could do that…what if…what if we used Harmonic Resonance!? The combined power might be able to create a path for us!? If Erebus is behind this, then the Elements may not be enough to open a path…he could be waiting for that very thing, you could lose your only defense against his Envoy and the god of darkness himself, too dangerous… "AAAAAHHHHHH!" Twilight swept her hooves over the table, scattering her various notes and writing utensils onto the floor in frustration. "Then what else can we do!?" Nothing… "That isn't an option!" Why not? "Because just isn't! The lives of everypony in Equestria – no the lives all living things in this universe depends on us defeating Erebus!" Twilight argued. A god that has existed since the beginning and wields the power of darkness, against seven ponies who wield the power of a fallen goddess and have become demigods. The chances of survival were already less than ten percent… "We've beaten the odds, time and again, why should now be any different!?" DO NOT LIE TO YOURSELF! Twilight stumbled backwards, retreating, from what she had no idea, but it just seemed to be the right thing to do. Something started to anchor itself in her heart and mind, sadness, a sense of defeat. "I'm…I'm not…I just don't want to give up…" Fighting only brings you pain, life is nothing but sorrow… "No…no that's not true, there are good things…not all of it is sad…" Twilight started to feel cold, like all the warmth was being drained from her body; she swore she could even see her breath wafting in the air. There is peace, but it can only come at the end of life…death is eternal Twilight Sparkle, it welcomes all, big and small, it is not indifferent towards others, and it offers lasting rest free from strife and sorrow… "Death…offers peace…?" Yes Twilight, it welcomes you. Pain can be avoided, why suffer such a long drawn out death, when it can end quickly… "End…quickly…" Something started to hover in Twilight's range of sight. It was a shard of glass from the table when she slammed her hooves and knocked everything off. It was wrapped in her telekinetic aura. It looked sharp, very sharp. The glass shard floated closer to her, Twilight didn't know if it was really her moving the shard, but for some reason she didn't care. Soon the glass shard rested and pressed against her neck, Twilight shivered from the cool sensation of the shard against her skin. She knew from her books on pony anatomy that there was a major artery right where the shard was, it would only take a swift swipe and soon her blood would come rushing out of the self-inflicted wound. "Total time of exsanguination: less than one minute to thirty seconds upon severing of the carotid artery…" The shard pressed a bit harder. "Will it hurt…?" Only for a moment…but that's all it will take, and then you may rest… The shard pressed a bit harder into her flesh, Twilight started to feel a warm trickle of liquid coming from the spot the sharp edge was at. The lavender mare closed her eyes, it wouldn't be long, one swift motion, and sleep would overtake her… *Ba-dump* She stopped. *Ba-dump* A heartbeat…? *Ba-dump* It's not mine…it feels separate from mine… Ignore it…it means nothing… *Ba-dump* No it-it does mean something…something precious…something alive. Do not give it meaning, this is your life, and death welcomes you! *Ba-dump* *Ba-dump* It's a life…inside me…it's heartbeat…it's –! Twilight's eyes shot wide open, she then quickly removed the shard from its position near her neck, and crushed to dust angrily. Her eyes flared with hatred, shifting from amethyst to a harsh orange-red color. "My son! It's my son's heartbeat!" Twilight's mane and tail started to flicker with burning embers. The magical mare then burst out of the war room and stormed her way towards the atrium park. "How dare you try and convince me to end my life! To end my son's life before it even began! You…I will never forgive you! May you be an Envoy or Erebus himself; I will never forgive something like this!" Twilight's Element of magic tiara shined with a bright harsh light, filling the hallways with a magical flame. The flames did not damage the inside, merely; they recollected themselves around Twilight's body, moving as she continued trotting towards her destination. The doors to the atrium opened, bellowing out fire and light as the sphere of intense magical energy made its way towards the center of the large area. The flames died down and finally revealed its occupant. Twilight was dawned in her armor, two half-moon shaped plates stretched upwards from her foreleg shoulders. The head piece where her crystal cutie mark was had elongated, encompassing her now white horn, and angled upwards forming a forward leaning crescent, allowing her flaming mane to become a war plume. Twilight's coat had transformed from its smooth lavender to a bright alabaster white, the black pupils of her eyes were gone, instead were two blazing orange-red eyes. The small wound on the unicorn's neck and been healed, as if it never was there to begin with. "This place will not save you from my wrath Envoy! I'll make you pay!" Suddenly Twilight heard something, the doors to the atrium opened once more. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Bright Blade had all entered and were shocked by what they saw. "What are you doing here!? Fluttershy, Applejack, I gave you orders to maintain the shield!" "We-we all felt something, something that was happening to you," answered Fluttershy. "What in the hay happened to ya," asked Applejack. "I know…" Bright Blade began trotting towards Twilight, her rage filled gaze still holding strong. When the golden alicorn stallion reached his marefriend he looked straight into her eyes, unwavering. "Why are you like this Twi?" "The Envoy, they got into my head, just like with you, and the others! It almost made me kill myself," stated Twilight. Bright Blade flinched upon hearing this, looks of fear and surprise could also be seen on the faces of the mares behind him. "I will not have my life taken by my own hoof and by the direction of intangible voice! Nor will I let –!!!" Twilight stopped herself right there, almost revealing too much information. "I will use this power; I will rip open this pit and take the fight to them!!!" There was silence for a moment, but then it was ended when Bright Blade spoke one word. "No." Twilight's eyes went wide, then narrowed in anger. "I'm more powerful in this state; I could easily get us out of here!!! It's the only way," she shouted. "You promised me…on that scorched battlefield eleven years ago…that you would never become this thing again!" Twilight's flaming mane and tail erupted, blazing before Bright Blade. "That was a long time ago, and involuntary! This I wanted, I wanted this power, and now I can use it to break us OUT!!!" "At what cost?" "WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO!!!!?" Bright Blade took the hoof of his marefriend; the act surprised the enraged mare. He then drew her into a tight embrace, the flames were still raging around her, and a part of her feared that the magical flames might burn her coltfriend, but they didn't. "Trust in your own power Twilight, and believe in our friends…" "Bright Blade…!" "We'll figure it out, there's no way in Tartarus we're giving up right here, not when we've come this far!" Twilight's eyes fell upon her friends, they had moved closer without her knowing and each of them gave her an encouraging smile. Twilight's rage suddenly started to fade, allowing her mind to think more rationally. Indeed, relying on rage and anger to empower her was not the way, it was not the reason she was chosen by the Element of Magic, and it was not the source of her power. "We'll figure somethin' out sugarcube, so don't go frettin'," said Applejack. "Yeah Twilight, no need to go all super hot, ultra, nova on everything," said Pinkie with smile. "You shouldn't lose who you are, because that's the you we love, as our friend," said Fluttershy. "As cool as you look all flamed up, I agree, becoming a rage-aholic mage isn't going to help anypony," said Rainbow Dash. "You're the smartest mare we know darling, but you mustn't forget that we're here to help as well," said Rarity. Twilight was released from Bright Blade's embrace, she then stared at the six ponies in front of her, and all were ready to support her, to fight as one. Together they had beaten Nightmare Moon and Discord, freed the Princesses from their evil halves as Eclipse, and took down Tikara Balak. "My friends…" Something sparked within Twilight at that moment; her body was engulfed in a rosy-purple column of light. The others could feel a transformation happening within the light. A powerful build up that was familiar to those who had achieved the power. Soon the column faded away and showed its occupant. Twilight was no longer in her rage form; she had ascended to the next level of power as an Element of Harmony, Centaurus Elementus. Her body was made of purple plasma energy, her shoulder pads extended outwards slightly with her cape attached to it. On the outside it was still a shimmering blue, but on the inseam, there were many stars sparkling, as if space itself had been sewn into the lining of the cape. The golden armor held her form together, her horseshoe greaves etched with one half shining sun, and the other half a crescent moon. Her bracers had many runic markings carved into them which glowed with a mysterious white light. Twilight's tiara wrapped itself around her forehead, with the symbol resting at the base of her horn. The Knight of Magic's amethyst eyes opened, she could feel it, she had changed, the power coursing through her now was unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. Twilight then looked down at her five friends and coltfriend, they were both in awe and excited at this latest development. "Thank you, all of you." Twilight then looked up at the abyss and narrowed her gaze. "It's time we got out of here, now." A wave of pressure shot out from Twilight, her body suddenly started to rise up into the air. Her hooves left the ground, now halfway up. She kept ascending till her body touched the pressurized glass ceiling, what happened next astonished them. Her body completely passed through the glass, as it weren't even there. After a minute her whole body was out of the atrium and now floating outside the Sentinel. The others watched as she started moving away from them, making a little worried about what her plan was. "Where is she going," asked Rarity. "It looks like she's heading towards the bow of ship, let's go," said Fluttershy. With great haste the six of them galloped as fast as they could towards the bridge, the doors quickly opened up, allowing them to scramble inside. They all met at the window and stared out to see that their friend was indeed at the bow of the ship, still hovering, wrapped in a powerful aura of her magic. Twilight scanned the area, the walls of the gravity pit, the condition of the shields, and the way they entered. The lavender centaur raised her right hand and examined it, she could feel the energy all around her, much like the Mana Network from Equestria, but this was bigger. The Mana Network may have been Equestria's magical access flow, but right now, right here, in space, she was connected to something more vastly enormous than that. Twilight could feel it, the power danced on her finger tips, electrified her horn, almost begging her to wield its awesome power. "This is the Cosmic Network…the energy of the cosmos itself. I can see everything, even the flaws in this pit. You never bothered to complete this abyss Envoy, because you never imagined that there was any kind of force in the universe that could free itself from this prison. Now I'll show you the error of your ways." Twilight eyes shifted to the right, a large crack started to appear on orange shield, it spider webbed throughout its surface and continued onward. The second layer was showing signs of shattering as well; it was only a matter of time till the ship was exposed to the deadly gravitational forces outside. "Graviton density is at least two-hundred times that of Equestria's. The Sentinel's hull is strong, but not that strong. First priority, protect the ship!" Twilight raised her arms and held them out in front of her. All around her runic symbols began dancing, shining with power as they appeared. "Magnus ille defensor, factus bastion fortitudinis et invincibility, nichil valerete! Mundus vult tua currentem praesidia, quod non flectitur, neque vexabit! Sic facies mea; Nebula Aegida!!!" All at once six magic circles appeared all around the Sentinel, two up above and down below, one at starboard, another at port, and the last two were facing the bow and stern. The circles emitted a powerful force field that further extended outwards, the ship halted its descent into the abyss, the groaning strains of the hull had ceased completely. Now that the ship was safe, it was time for them to exit this depressing place. New runic symbols burned into the air before Twilight, she was combing her new found mastery of cosmic magic, with that of rune magic, a feat that had never before been attempted until today. Twilight raised her right arm high above her; she flattened her palm, making her arm straight. The power started to gather to her right hand at an incredible rate. "Potestatem in terra viventium vinculum, quod invisibilia et visibilia. Et incognitanota, sed sensi, numquam attigit. Vis omnia saecula,etnuncet pro mevocaread pugnamet voseritis mihi gladium! Scindat: Gravitas Percussorem!!!" Twilight brought down her right arm in a slashing motion, a wave of purple and violet was launched at the walls of the pit. The attack hit its mark and exploded violently against the walls. Suddenly the entire Pit of Despair became unstable, violently shaking, the energy becoming warped and distorted. Twilight turned her head towards her friends who looked at her with worried expressions. "Do worry," her voice echoed, "we're going to experience a little turbulence while we're exiting." Something started to happen in normal space. A distortion started to appear, twisting in the center of the Undead Armada. Soon a hole opened up and a pillar of energy shot forth from within it. Rising slowly from the depths, protected by a powerful shield, was the Sentinel. Though it suffered minor damage it was still battle ready. Twilight was now standing at the bow of the ship, arms crossed, cape flapping in the solar winds, her stance wide, eyes narrowed and gazing beyond the fleet of shipwrecks, to the real enemy behind it. "She knows we're here," noted Thanatos. "How is that even possible!? Nothing can escape your Pit of Despair," said Loimos. "What does it take to get rid of this damn Elements of Harmony!?" Peina shouted in frustration. "Looks like your little trap didn't work out like you planned elder brother," said Polemos smirking. Thanatos chuckled, "Polemos, I would think even you could appreciate the sense of a strategy. Now we know that six of the seven have realized the power of Epona. Plus I never said the game was over, I merely called check, not checkmate. The second round begins now!" Thanatos' horn flashed yet again, the Undead Armada started to open fire on the Sentinel from every direction. Volley upon volley was released onto the single super-dreadnought, exploding with resounding force and lighting up the area. Twilight watched as the Undead Armada blasted away at her barrier, but to no avail. The fleet's barrage was little more than mere annoyance to the empowered unicorn centaur. The others watched as the attacks barely registered on the shield, surprised that Twilight's spell could be maintained for this long, at such a magnitude. "Alright Knights, to your battle stations, we're still in a fight!" Bright Blade ordered. The other Knights nodded in agreement and were about to make for their consoles. "Belay that." Everypony stopped in their tracks and turned in Twilight's direction. The Knight of Magic didn't turn to speak; she kept her gaze fixated on the enemy before her. "I'll take care of them, all of them." "Are you serious," asked Rarity. "Twilight there's like a bazillion battleships out there! How are you going to fight them all on your own," asked Rainbow Dash. Twilight brought her hands into a prayer position, suddenly the rune symbols floated around her yet again, reestablishing her connection to the Cosmic Network. Her eyes blazed, shining brighter. "Vide lux mund ivocatus est, astra in auxilium protectionis! Descendi de inimicis meis mille soles et accusam uno lapsu ruitardor! Expugnarent eos: Jaculator Stellis!!!" The dimly lit stars within this sector of space began to shine brighter than they had ever before. Space itself looked as if it were riddled with hundreds upon millions of glimmering diamonds. Suddenly one the glimmering stars shot down from up above, whizzing like an arrow, and piercing straight through ten Undead Armada ships. All ten exploded simultaneously as even more were pierced by the single shooting star. It wasn't long before more shooting stars began to rain down upon the fleet, it was glorious. Millions of shooting stars rained down from every direction, blasting all the Undead Armada ships in the vicinity. The ships tried to fire back, but their targets were millions, if not billions, of miles away. Some of the ships tried to retreat, but were unable to as some backed into one another causing them to accidentally scuttle themselves before the shooting stars even had a chance to destroy them. A lucky few managed to fallback and regroup some miles away. The rain of shooting stars ended and now only about five hundred of the Undead Armada was left. Twilight released her hands from the prayer position and let them rest at her sides. She didn't suspect that this was over, not by a long shot. As if to prove her right, giant portals of gray energy opened up around the Undead Armada. New ships began to enter the battlefield, these alien ships were bigger than the ones they've fought thus far, not much of any damage could be seen on them, but they all still retained the eerie ghost light within their bowels. Fifteen in all of the heavily armored battleships entered the fray, and equally as heavily armed. The battleships opened their panels, priming their enormous cannons, ready to unleash a firestorm upon their enemy. Twilight didn't worry, not even when all fifteen fired at once. Their powerful beam cannons smashing against her Nebula Aegida. She did not falter and neither did her barrier. When it was over, the ship and the barrier still lived, unfazed by the attack of the hulking battleships. "My turn…" Twilight raised her left hand and opened it. Red light started to gather in the center of her palm, swirling, condensing. The energy building up was immense, and compacted into such a small form, no bigger than a regular sized ball. "Invocabo rubrum lux, una potestas, quasi decem millia astra mori! Luminum eique anglica, qui ardebat, adolebit ultimo tempore! Dissiliunt magnifice: Effusis Amplitudo Novae!!!" Twilight held out her arm and fired the small sphere of red light. Five seconds passed, and then seven, and finally, at the ten second mark, a massive explosion of red light erupted from the first heavy armored battleship. The vessel was swallowed hole, broken down by the now giant red sphere of burning light. Twilight, using the same hand, touched her middle finger to her thumb. "Multiplicamini temporibus quinque!" She snapped her fingers, and instantly, five more red spheres burst into existence around the Undead Armada, multiple explosions could be seen, made up of both the smaller ships and the heavily armored ones. None survived the enormous red light spheres as everything near them was immediately vaporized into nothingness. The six spheres disappeared, becoming particle energy that melded back into the ambient energy of space. The others couldn't believe what they had just witnessed, they knew they were powerful in Centaurus Elementus, but Twilight in such a form could wield the stars themselves as her weapon. The space between the Sentinel and the Envoy was now devoid of fleet, nothing left, not even debris. "We won! Hay yeah, who's bad, we're bad," declared Rainbow Dash. "Whoo-wee, now that was a show," shouted Applejack. The two mares hoof bumped in celebration of their victory over the Undead Armada. "It's not over yet," said Twilight. Unfortunately it was not. A second portal, hundreds of times bigger than the others that opened before them, the sheer size of this blotted out all things on their peripheral vision. Something big was coming. A new ship rumbled through the gateway, making the Sentinel retreat back from the size of it. If their ship was a super-dreadnought, then by comparison, this was an ultra-dreadnought. It was like a tomato trying to take on a watermelon. This alien ship, torn and filled with reanimating ghostly light of the Envoy, barreled out of the gate, its gargantuan form now fully shown, the Sentinel soon found itself being pulled in by the enemy ship against their will, which was more than a little alarming. "What's happening!?" Rarity asked. "That ridiculously giant ship is so massive that it's creating its own gravitational field!" Bright Blade answered. "And that's bad right," asked Applejack. "It means we're going to be pulled in a smashed against its side like bug in Dashie's teeth!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "That only happened the one time!" "We're not going to be smashed, that ship will not exist for much longer," said Twilight. Now they knew she was powerful, but even she couldn't destroy something this big. Twilight held out her arms straight out to her right and left. Her aura flared up with even more intensity than previous. The amount of runic symbols more than doubled as they began channeling the energy. Twilight then thrust her arms over her head, making the rune symbols fly and collect into a giant sphere of rosy-purple light. "Fatum non estdominus meus, cum nostrils animabus nostris facimus fata! Movet autem mundi spatium et tempus, ut det mihi virtutem tuam magnam et perturbare mutare consilium ab ipsis fatis! Percutite eos: Ultima Hasta Fatis!!!" The giant sphere elongated, transforming into a spear. The inner light of the spear was purple, made up of hundreds of rune symbols. The energy of the manifested weapon flared like a newborn star, raw power ready to be unleashed. With a loud battle cry, Twilight tossed the light spear right at the new enemy ship. The spear disappeared, appearing only as a twinkling light in the distance. Soon the twinkle faded, nothing happened, the Sentinel still moved towards the behemoth ship. Just then, a bright flash of light appeared in the same area where the twinkle faded. The hull of the ship started to expand, bubbling. The metal became red hot, glowing until a pillar of light burst from one of the sides. A second one appeared on the starboard side, then the bow and finally the stern. At the center a spherical explosion occurred destroying the ultra-dreadnought from the inside out. It broke in half as it cracked open. At that moment, the ghostly light exploded, letting loose a loud shriek as both halves were destroyed in one great magnificent detonation. The fiery inferno burned in the distance, no sign could be seen of the Sentinel. The Envoy assumed they were caught in the blast, but assuming things with the Knights of Harmony was proving to be the key reason to their underestimating them. A few seconds later something emerged from the inferno, wrapped in a magical shield, the platinum colored super-dreadnought emerged from the destruction, untouched. The shield was brought down, and all occupants were safe and sound for the moment. Twilight looked back at the bridge, still standing at the bow. Her eyes softened as she flashed a smile towards her friends and lover. "Told ya," she said smugly. Peina and Loimos' jaws hung open, their brother's entire armada, even his ultra-dreadnought, were reduced to ash before their eyes by a single mare. As much as they wanted to deny what they were seeing, it happened. "It would seem we have no choice my siblings," spoke Thanatos, "I was hoping we could avoid it, but it would seem that the time has come." A combination of hate and glee entered their blackhearts, there would be no holding back now, and the time had come to teach these Knights of Harmony a lesson about who was truly the most powerful. Polemos still watched the ship, his gaze locking onto his main opponent even from this distance. Bright Blade, Knight of Hope, soon our battle will commence, and it will be glorious, I'll see to that! Twilight has now unlocked her Centaurus Elementus powers and with it single handedly defeated the Undead Armada. But now the real battle begins. Are the Knights of Harmony ready to face the true forms the Envoy!? Will Polemos finally fulfill his ambition of a glorious battle with Bright Blade!? The answers lie within Part 4 of the Fourth Sign Arc!