//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: To Swallow a God // Story: My Little Alchemist: Friendship is NOT Science // by AppleJack96 //------------------------------// The mane 5 galloped at high speed through the crystal caverns, Rainbow flew overhead with a lantern clamped tightly in her jaw "jus alil furfur" she said The tunnel ended and they found themselves in a large dome shaped room, small tunnels branched off in all directions and a large Minotaur sat in the centre of the room, drawing patterns in the dirt "Such a pain, must deal with ponies who discover circle" it groaned "wha... who are you?" asked Rarity "Sloth, the fastest homunculus" It replied, it raised itself to it's hooves and began striding towards them chains clinked on the floor as he moved "Really?" asked Rainbow smirking "that almost sounds like a challenge" Sloth lowered it's head and charged toward the group, Rainbow shot up out of harms way, the other five didn't stand a chance and were thrown heavily into the cave wall "NO!" cried Rainbow, she accelerated as fast as the small space would allow and just as she was about to collide with sloth she stuck her rear legs forward and kicked it hard in the face, Sloth reached out and grabbed her by the wings and threw her hard against the wall. There was a loud crack as she collided, she slid slowly down and lay motionless on the ground. "Rainbow Dash!" Cried the other ponies and Spike "Ugh... Such a pain..." groaned Sloth "Silly ponies... Sloth is fastest" Pinkie Pie grabbed Rarity and started pumping her tail rapidly as she had Twilight's during the changeling invasion. However it did not fire off bolts of magical energy as it had with Twilight, but instead the gems in the walls of the cave began glowing, the light becoming ever brighter by the second. "GAAAH" cried Sloth clutching at it's eyes, it backed away as it did it tripped on it's own chains and crashed to the floor causing a small crack to appear in the floor, as Sloth stood it stomped its hooves in anger, causing the crack to grow longer, it began to charge, this time though the girls realised what was happening before it did and had just enough time to move before sloth crashed into the wall forming more cracks which spread to meet those on the floor, more crack spider-webbed outwards reaching the ceiling of the cave "Stop" cried Fluttershy "your going to bring the roof down on us all!" the usually timid pony now looking both angry and fearful at the same time, Sloth roared and charged again this time directly for Fluttershy, who just stood and watched in terror before a rainbow coloured blur threw her to the ground as Sloth collided with the wall behind her "Rainbow..." asked Fluttershy looking up and seeing a bruised and beaten Rainbow Dash lying on the ground at Sloth's hooves, her feathers were bent and one of her wings looked broken. As sloth pulled his horns from the wall the cracks finally gave way and rocks began falling from the ceiling. "Girls to me!" shouted Rarity who was now standing by Rainbow "I've never tried this but it's our only hope" she said, her horn glowed brightly and suddenly they were all at the crystal caves entrance watching as large chunks of crystal and stone fell to the floor sealing any way in or out "well I guess that's that" said Applejack Suddenly a bright red light shone out of the cave between the rocks, and they suddenly felt weak at the knees "Huh, what in tarnatio..." was all Applejack managed to say before passing out "Applejack..." muttered Rarity before she too fell unconscious "Girls..." Fluttershy wimpered, she then fell down her eyes slowly sliding closed Pinkie pie and Rainbow both collapsed fell against each other, Rainbow broken wing sticking out sideways pointing into the air Ed awoke in a dark room the only light came from a hole in the ceiling and only illuminated a small circle where Father sat atop a simple stone throne "YOU B*****D!" shouted Ed charging at him, a pillar of stone rose from the floor and knocked him to the ground. "Hmm... good to see you still have some fight in you, I was beginning to worry that my soldiers had gone too rough on you" Said father not even looking up at Ed "Brother is that you?" asked Al's voice from the corner "Fullmetal... where are you? I can't see a damn thing" came Mustang's voice from elsewhere "Al, Mustang... Who else is here?" Asked Ed "Your friend from beyond the gate, Twilight Sparkle, tour alchemy teacher Izumi Curtis, and your father Van Hoenheim" answered father simply "although I no longer need Hoenheim's assistance since you bought me a much more useful sacrifice as she allows me to join the circles across both worlds" "Both worlds... you mean you plan to destroy Equestria as well!?" asked Twilight "Of course I do, it requires a huge amount of energy to summon the worlds gate, and besides I also wish to absorb the power of your goddesses too" replied Father "You B******D"! called Ed again "There is nothing you can do now" said father "The time has come to activate the circle" "Not without a fight it's not!" shouted Ed, climbing t his feet, he charged for father only to be knocked back again "I told you it is too late" said father, Just then the whole room lit with a a red energy, Ed was forced to his feet, along with the other five sacrifices, and a large purple eye appeared on each of their chests, dark tendrils extended from each eye which Ed now recognised as their own gates Fathers black form disappeared in the bright light and was replaced with that of young man somewhat resembling Ed, possibly a younger Hoenheim, although Ed could not be sure, as the light faded the sacrifices gates closed, and Ed stumbled and fell, Twilight ran to his side and helped him from the floor, Al stayed where he had fallen and did not get up "Finally, the most powerful being in all of both worlds is within me, I have the power to create suns" said Father he raised his hand, a small yellow-orange orb appeared there "there is nothing I cannot do!" "I think you may want think again" said Hoenheim "Why, I have swallowed god, and the goddesses of Equestria "their power is my own now, there is nothing you can do to stop me" "Just as you have been able to separate your soul into eight pieces I have split mine in two" explained Hoenheim "it was a perfect split half the Xerxes citizens stayed with me, the other half travelled to Equestria, we both performed the same rituals, spreading souls to set points in the land, in just the right places to create a circle to reverse what you have just done, and return the souls of each land to their rightful bodies" Father laughed "but you have no circle, you must have a circle for the power to flow correctly" "True, but in Amestris and Equestria, I have the most powerful circles of all, their moons" said Hoenheim "But how you plan on activating the circles" said Father "On this side the moon moves naturally and the solar eclipse will form the circle, meanwhile in equestria my own 'homunculus' will raise the moon, I think you'll find that his skill is great enough" said Hoenheim simply "and who might your homunculus be?" asked Father "Non other than Prince Shining Armour" replied Hoenheim "he is not a homunculus like yours though he is a living breathing pony, a full 'human' Transmutation, creating both a new body and putting a portion of my soul into him, as I understand he got married a little less than a year ago to a Princess Mi Amore Cadenza" "Shining Armour?" Asked Twilight, confused. "He's my brother" "You are correct Twilight, however your parents never told you he was an adoptive brother did they," Said Hoenheim "I believe that would explain why he bears little to no resemblance to the rest of your direct family" "If you're quite finished" Said Father, bringing the attention back to himself "I have no use for you or your power any longer" The sun in the palm of Father's hand began to expand just as the moon reached it's peak in the sky and suddenly the orb winked out of existence "it's time" Said Shining Armour he stood from the seat he was sat at, all of his subjects in the crystal empire lay slumped on the floor. He reared onto his back hooves and bellowed "IT'S TIME MY FRIENDS!" Suddenly a bright blue lightning strike rose from the top of the crystal palace and looking to the south he could see four more pillars of lightning meaning that the circle was working "No... What... Have... You... Done!" yelled Father, taking deep breaths between each word. "I am restoring life to those you have stolen it from," said Hoenheim "without them you cannot keep that which you call god contained" "I... I will not... give up... so easily" stammered Father, his breathing becoming more ragged "I disagree" Hoenheim said simply, just as Father threw his head back and all the equestrian and amestrian souls poured out from his mouth. The souls of the amestrians flew out through the hole in the ceiling and the equestrian souls flew towards Twilight, colliding with her chest and disappearing. "NOOOOOO" screamed Father "I will not give up this power" "You're too late, dwarf" said Hoenheim "It's time to end this"