Into The Fires of Tartarus
Into The Fires of Tartarus
Ares stood on top of a hill looking down at Manehattan, the Alicorn Amulet clutched in his telekinesis. Below, the mortals were busy preparing for the day, completely oblivious to the change about to take place. Ares smirked; an attack here would be just what he needed to start his war, and images of hundreds dying began to fill his mind.
“And all the world shall tremble as the rumblings of war fill the sky.” Smiling wider, Ares raised the Alicorn Amulet into the sky, pouring more of his power into it. The jewels set within the Amulet began to glow, casting a red haze over the surrounding area before a glowing rift formed in the sky. Ares released his power, allowing the natural energies of the Amulet to do their work.
Out of the portal came the creatures, the harbingers of the world’s destruction. Some were small, about the size of a pony, while others towered over Ares himself. Some looked like deformed, mutated ponies, while others bore shapes and appendages that no normal creature would ever possess. Some wielded weapons, be they cursed swords and spears or broken rock clubs, while others brought with them only their claws and teeth. The demons and monsters took a moment to adjust to their new surroundings, all of them eyeing the city below with barely contained bloodlust.
As his “army” assembled, Ares began to channel his magic again. Black armor wrapped itself around his legs and body, and a large sword materialized next to him. Once his armor was ready, Ares stepped forward and pointed his sword towards Manehattan.
“Go, my friends!” he shouted. “Slaughter the mortals, but leave enough alive so that they remember your strength and wallow in their fear.” the monsters roared before charging towards Manehattan, with more pouring out of the portal to Tartarus. Ares would have joined them, but he had more important things to worry about.
Such as the interference of a certain Amazon.
.................
Diana, Soarin’ and Twilight teleported just outside of Manehattan, the Amazon dusting herself off before looking around. There were few ponies out and about in this section of the city, and she was thankful for that. But her attention did not linger on the condition of the city for very long; instead, her eyes were drawn upwards, towards the sky.
“My magic feels off.” she heard Twilight say from behind her. “It usually doesn’t feel like this when I teleport.”
“Ares has opened the portal to Tartarus.” Diana pointed to the sky, indicating the dark red color it had shifted to. “The magical feedback is probably affecting you.”
“It’s not just her.” Soarin’ said. “This whole thing is giving me an odd feeling.”
“See? This is why I didn’t want you to come; you mortals are not ready to face the might of Ares, let alone the monsters of Tartarus.” Diana turned back to her companions. “But it doesn’t matter now. What does matter is that we must keep those creatures out of the city for as long as possible, even if it means we’re killed in the process.”
“And you have a plan?” Soarin asked.
“Somewhat.” Diana looked to Twilight. “What are your casting capabilities?”
“Well... I know a few combat spells, and a few shield spells.” Twilight said, shuffling her hooves.
Really? Celestia takes a student and doesn’t even bother to teach her how to defend herself? Diana shook her head before speaking again.
“We’ll make due with what we have." she turned towards the hills before continuing. "I want you and Soarin’ to act as my rearguard; keep the monsters out and the civilians as far away from here as possible. My guess is that many of them will be larger than you, so you may be able to use your size to outmaneuver them.”
“And what about you, Diana?” Soarin’ asked. Diana said nothing at first, instead pulling her lasso out before speaking.
“I am going to face Ares and close the portal. You will know if I succeed or not.”
“Diana-” she heard Soarin’ approaching her, but she waved him off.
“Soarin’ I know you do not wish me to be fatalistic, but I am going by my own accord. It is an Amazon’s duty to throw her life down for those that she cares about and... I do care about you. You may be a colt, but you have guided me through the mortal realm and have helped me understand more about this world. Don’t try to come with me or stop me, for I do not want to place you in too much danger.”
“... I was only going to wish you good luck.” Soarin said. Diana faltered, turning to face Soarin’.
“I know you need to do this, but I don’t want you to think that you’re alone. I’ll always be here for you, and I know that if your mother was here right now, she’d probably say the same thing.” He continued.
This was not the kind of stallion Diana’s mother and sisters had told her about; Soarin’ was not trying to hold her back, or keep her down, but offer words of support and encouragement. Just like a true hero. Without saying anything, she pulled him into a tight hug, a smile forming on her face.
“Thank you, Soarin’.” She said before breaking from their embrace. “May the gods protect you in the battle to come.”
“Same with you.” Diana nodded before taking off, flying as fast as she could towards the portal. She did not have to go far before seeing her enemy approaching; demons and monsters all, prepared to reap a slaughter of innocents.
“Hera, give me strength!” she cried before diving towards the leading monster. The creature barely had time to react before Diana leveled out and struck, her hoof colliding with the beast’s skull and knocking it to the ground. This drew the attention of many of the monsters, all of them turning to her and preparing to attack.
“Come, you spawns of hell! Come and face me, and I swear by Athena and the gods of Olympus that I shall send you back to the pit from whence you came!” the demons roared before charging, Diana returning with a battle cry of her own before slamming into the ranks of the enemy full force.
....................
Soarin’ watched the battle unfolding before his eyes. Hundreds of monsters and demons rushed towards Diana, clawing and biting at the Amazon. Diana darted around to avoid their attacks, striking back with all her strength and knocking many of her opponents out of the sky.
But there were still many more that the Amazon would have to fight through... and many more that he would have to face as well.
“They’re coming!” Twilight cried, causing Soarin’ to shift from Diana’s fight to the oncoming horde that had ignored her attack. It was then that Soarin’ began to see a flaw in his attempt to stand at Diana’s side; he did have some combat experience, but never against demons from Tartarus, and he was currently lacking a weapon to face them.
“Okay, we just need to hold them off until Diana closes the portal.” he turned to Twilight. “Can you put up a shield?” Twilight nodded and closed her eyes to focus, her horn glowing with energy. There was a pop before a large dome formed over her, Soarin’, and several nearby buildings, but he frowned when he saw that most if not all of Manehattan was still uncovered.
“Too small.” he said. “Do you think you can make the shield bigger?”
“I’ve never made one that big before!" Twilight cried. "My brother’s the expert in shield spells, not me.”
“Then just increase your power.”
“But then I wouldn’t be able to control it all that well! What if something distracts me and I make the shield explode and then a bunch of ponies will die and they’ll all blame me and-”
“Twilight, calm down!” the unicorn bit her lip, but nodded a little. “We need to make sure that shield spell is up, or else the monsters can just go around us.”
“But I can’t make a shield spell that big...”
“Then use those artifacts Celestia mentioned.” Twilight blinked.
“I-I can’t do that." Twilight pawed at the ground. "What if I end up hurting you or somepony else?”
“We’re all going to be hurt quite a bit if we just do nothing.” Soarin’ shook his head. “Twilight, you need to put the artifacts on. They might give you the power boost you need to save everyone.”
“But-”
“We don’t have a lot of time left! I really don’t want to pressure you into doing this, but you have to put the artifacts on.” Twilight continued to chew her lip before closing her eyes and nodding, reaching into her saddlebag and pulling the helmet and amulet out. She quickly slipped the amulet on followed by the helmet, pausing to see if anything changed.
“I... I don’t think it’s working.” she said finally, her voice muffled by the helmet. “My magic doesn’t feel any diff-” Twilight failed to finish her sentence before she was hoisted into the air. Soarin’ backed up, trying to stay away in case something happened and Twilight’s magic overloaded, while Twilight herself was wrapped in a curtain of white light.
"Okay... this isn’t good." Soarin’ looked away, noticing the ever nearing horde or monsters. “Really not good.”
Diana was gone, Twilight was incapacitated. The only thing standing between those monsters that slipped past the Amazon and Manehattan was Soarin’. He looked around for a weapon, something that would give him a fighting chance, but could not find anything.
“... Screw it. I’ve done crazier things before.” Soarin’ took a deep breath and charged, his hooves aimed at the head of the closest beast.
.............
Twilight was confused. She remembered putting the helmet on, but then the world around her had went black. Now, she found herself floating in a black void, her limbs and magic useless.
“Um... hello?” she called, hoping that somepony would hear her. When there was no answer, she tried again. “Hello? Manehattan’s in danger and I need to help.... where am I?”
Within your mind, a voice rumbled in the void. Had she been on solid ground, Twilight would have bolted and ran away, but she could do nothing but hang in place. Who are you, and why have you awakened me?
“I-I didn’t mean to.” Twilight stammered. “Do you want me to leave?”
No. You have not answered my question: who are you, and why have you awakened me?
“My name’s Twilight Sparkle. I’m Princess Celestia’s personal-”
I care not for names and honorifics, the voice said, and Twilight felt as if something was staring down at her. Who are you?
“I-I don’t know what you mean. I told you my name and you said that it wasn’t good enough.”
Do not be so reserved, child. Open your mind, and tell me who you are. Twilight was still unsure just what the voice meant, but tried to open her mind as much as possible. Images of her, her friends and her family all appeared, each one flickering in and out of existence in the blink of an eye.
“Is this what you wanted?” she asked. The voice said nothing, and Twilight continued to allow her memories to flow through her mind. Her nervousness was beginning to recede, replaced by curiosity; what was this voice, and why was it concerned with her memories.
I have seen enough, the voice finally said. You will be fitting.
“Fitting? Fitting for what?”
To be my vessel. I am Nabu, Lord of Order and Balance. It was by my power that Athena ended the War in Heaven. My wisdom helped seal Discord in this plane for one thousand years, and it was with my aid that Celestia triumphed over Nightmare Moon. I have maintained balance for ten thousand lifetimes, and I shall continue to maintain balance for ten thousand more. By putting my helmet on you have opened yourself to receiving my power, and I shall return balance to this world once again.
“That’s great, but... what about me?” there was a pause.
What about you?
“You mean you were just going to possess me and let that be the end of it?" Twilight asked. "What kind of pony would do that?”
I am not a pony, therefore I am not bound by your arbitrary rules. I maintain balance though the world-
“But you said you weren’t bound by the ‘rules’ of the world. What’s to keep you from going too far?”
I know my limits.
“Oh, that’s so reassuring.” Twilight did not want to sound too rude, but she could not help herself. “Listen, you say you’re an all powerful ‘Lord of Order’, but you don’t seem to have a lot of respect for other ponies’ needs.”
You would dare place your vanity before the stability of the world?!
“I never said anything like that. I’m just saying that maybe possessing me without my permission is not the best answer to the problem at hoof. Maybe... maybe if we worked together, then we’d have a better chance at stabilizing the world.” there was a lengthy pause before "Nabu" spoke again.
... Explain your reasoning.
“Well, a few years ago one of my friends decided to do an entire harvest by herself. I tried to talk some sense into her, but she didn’t listen to me and worked herself nearly half to death, and even then she never came close to finishing. But with help from me and my other friends, she was able to finish the harvest in time.”
I fail to see what this has to do with anything. Twilight dismissed that as she continued.
“By herself my friend could only do so much, but with help from friends she was able to do so much more. Likewise, you may be really powerful, but if we work together as equals then we might actually make sure that the world stays balanced.”
You would ask me to consider you my equal?
“Well... yes, yes I would. But failing that, can we at least be friends?” there was a long pause. Twilight expected Nabu to respond with something along the line of “Friendship is beneath me”, so she began to think of some better arguments to convince him. She was interrupted when he spoke again.
After reviewing your memories, I see that there is some weight to your argument. Very well, we shall try your method, but if I deem it inadequate in maintaining balance I shall take direct control.
“... I suppose that might be fair.”
Good. Let us begin.
...............
Diana tossed her lasso around the neck of an attacking monster, tightening the loop in order to choke it. With a cry she spun her lasso around, using the creature at the other end as an improvised meteor hammer against another wave of enemies. Once she had more room to maneuver, Diana retrieved her lasso and kept moving towards the portal, swatting and kicking at anything that approached.
The portal itself was massive, larger than many of the buildings Diana had seen on her journey. At the top of the portal was the amulet Diana had seen Ares wearing, glowing bright enough that Diana had to blink a few times in order to keep looking at it. Diana scanned the portal, looking for anything else that might be keeping it open, and when she could find nothing she readied her lasso and flew towards the amulet.
She was interrupted when a bolt of magic struck her in the side, sending her tumbling through the air. When she hit the ground, she looked up and saw Ares hovering over her, the alicorn grinning as he raised his sword.
“I was wondering when you would show yourself, Amazon.” he said before striking, a bolt of lightning hitting the ground mere seconds after Diana took off again.
“Ares, this fight is between you and my kind, is it not? Close the portal, and we will settle this like true warriors.” It was a lame attempt to stall for time, but Diana could not think of much else. Ares laughed at this.
“And why would you care? What has the mortal realm done for you except exploit and mock your proud history? These ponies are weak, wrapped up in their petty desires without a care for true power and honor. Wouldn’t you be glad to see them destroyed?”
“Stop.” Diana said, lowering her lasso. “I realize that the mortal realm has its problems, and I have come to terms with that. Before I came here, I would have agreed with you and said that mortals, stallions and colts especially, were amoral, greedy and uncultured, but during this trip I have seen more than that. I’ve seen a colt go out of his way to defend me not because he think I’m weak, but because he cares for me just as I would care for one of my sisters. I’ve seen children eager to find their place in the world rather than just accept what their elders tell them is the norm. I have seen dreamers, lovers, fighters, and allowing them to die would hurt me more than any punishment or torture you may bestow upon me.” she took a fighting stance. “So let’s end this, Ares. Attack me, but remember this: as long as I draw breath, I will never allow you or anypony like you to harm these ponies!” Ares was silent for a moment, as if he was confused by Diana’s defiance. Diana waited, her tension rising, before Ares brought his sword up again and smirked.
“As you wish.” With that he charged, sword raised high above his head. He swung it towards Diana, but she deflected it with one of her bracelets. Ares lunged forward with another strike, but once again Diana deflected the blade away with her bracelets. Ares pressed forward, his sword against Diana’s speed as she deflected attack after attack. Finally, Ares overstepped his lunge, and after dodging his attack Diana spun and kicked him in the face, knocking him back and allowing her a chance to maneuver. She rose up in the air before diving, hitting Ares with three punches to the face before he backhoofed her into a tree. She tried to recover, but then Ares slammed a hoof down on Diana, pummeling her relentlessly.
Before he could continue to strike her, Diana rolled away and bucked, catching Ares in the side. Her legs shook from impacting Ares’ armor, but she was still able to knock him away again. Ares turned and fired a bolt of magic at her, but Diana had leapt into the air and thus dodged the attack. She tossed her lasso and snagged one of Ares’ legs, tripping the alicorn up. Diana dove down to strike again, but Ares was ready for her and swatted her away again.
Diana recovered quickly, just in time to deflect another blow from Ares. She backed up before pouncing on him, wrenching his helmet from his head before slamming her hooves into his face. Ares backed up, trying to regain his bearings before Diana struck him with a hammerblow. Diana would have attacked again, but Ares grabbed her with his magic and drove her into the ground, dirt and rocks clouding Diana’s vision. She tried to get up, but Ares stomped down hard on her body, only breaking away when Diana caught one of his strikes and redirected it as a means of breaking free.
Growling, Ares charged forward, tackling Diana before she had the chance to escape. She managed to block the first punch, but the second and third connected and disoriented Diana even more. Ares grabbed her by the throat before slamming her into another tree, but this had the added bonus of freeing her from his grasp once again. She kicked him in the face before ducking beneath him and striking upwards, hitting Ares in the gut and almost managing to knock the alicorn over. Before he fell, Ares grabbed Diana by the throat, spinning her around before slamming her into the ground.
“Insolent child.” he snarled, pressing his hoof into Diana’s throat in an attempt to choke her. “You should have stayed on Themyscira with the rest of your misbegotten kind.” Diana responded by pushing Ares’ hoof off her throat, gasping for air before throwing a punch at his face. Ares easily deflected the attack, but it was enough of an opening for Diana’s second strike to connect. Diana tried to escape again, but Ares was not about to let her get away so easily.
“You won’t flee again, Amazon!” Ares roared, tossing Diana to the ground once again. “Nothing you do now will change anything! I have started my war, and you shall not take my prize away from me! Now, you die!”
................
For much of her life, Twilight had sought out knowledge of all kinds. She had gone through most of Celestia’s personal library by the time she was twelve, and had memorized many spells that scholars had thought lost. But now, as she hung in her dreamscape, she received an image of power and knowledge far beyond anything she could have imagined. She had been fearful at first, but soon began to accept what Nabu had been showing her
I have told you enough. the voice said, and Twilight’s mind calmed. This is only a glimpse of my power, enough to help you through the task at hoof. Now, open yourself fully to my power, before our enemies have a chance to break through. Manehattan... Twilight thought before mentally smacking herself. I forgot about Manehattan! But what can I do? I mean, I have the power, I just... don’t know enough.
“There has to be more you can teach me!” Twilight cried. “I have no idea how to control the powers you showed me. What if I mess something up and ponies get hurt?”
I shall be here, guiding you. If your plan works, it will take awhile for you to reach your full potential, but it is time that we do not have at this moment. Open yourself to my power. Twilight nodded and closed her eyes, relaxing her body and calming her magic. She continued to hang in space before going rigid, power pouring into her mind like a flood. She wanted to cry out, but she knew that only Nabu would hear her, and she would lose control otherwise.
Are you ready to step forth as a Champion of Order?
“... I’m ready.”
................
Soarin’ had managed to acquire a sword and a few bits of armor from the monsters and demons he had been fighting. Even with something to defend himself with, he was badly outnumbered and running out of energy. He ducked and dodged multiple attacks, using every ounce of training Firefly and Spitfire had rammed into his brain during his time as a Wonderbolt.
Twilight was still incapacitated, still suspended in a glowing ball of light. Fortunately, or unfortunately, many of the attacking monsters had decided to try and take out the glowing ball of light, dozens of them smacking against it only to be thrown back without causing a lot of damage. Soarin’ tried to move towards the light, in order to fight off a few of the monsters in case Twilight got free and was surrounded, but he was just one pony against a multitude of beasts and other nasties.
Hopefully Diana closes that portal soon before we all die. Soarin’ was interrupted from his thoughts by another monster, this one looking like a red pony with two heads. He swung his borrowed sword around, lodging the blade in one of the creatures heads before it bowled him over. The thing tried to bite his head off, but Soarin’ still had enough strength in him to keep it at bay.
At least, until a crossbow bolt caused its head to explode like an overripe piece of fruit. As Soarin’ tossed the body off of him, he saw a young, terrified looking unicorn mare in a police uniform, a crossbow and several bolts grasped in her telekinesis.
“Who are you?” Soarin’ asked as he recovered his sword and blocked another attack.
“Officer Golden Star of the MPD.” the mare cried, firing another shot at an approaching monster. “I was called out here because of a noise complaint, and now I find there’s a friggin’ army trying to kill us all!”
“Believe me, I had the same thoughts four minutes ago.” Soarin’ pulled back behind the glowing ball of light that held Twilight. “Please tell me you called for backup.”
“They won’t be here for another ten minutes... and we’re just cops, not soldiers; we’re not supposed to be fighting armies of monsters.”
“I think that’s a general rule for most ponies.” Soarin’ and Golden Star backed up as the attackers prepared to surround them, many of the creatures grinning in anticipation. They prepared to charge when the front rank was consumed by a purple beam of light, dozens of attackers crying out in surprise and anger before they were banished back to Tartarus.
Soarin’ looked up and saw Twilight descending from the dissipating ball of light. The unicorn was now clad in a blue suit and golden cape, her eyes glowing white with power from behind her helmet. Two balls of magic had collected around her hooves, and her cape billowed in some unseen wind.
“I would advise that you stay back while I clear a path to the portal.” she said, her voice reverberating with power. Soarin’ was not about to object, so he watched in silent awe as Twilight confronted what remained of Ares’ army. The monsters and demons attacked, but Twilight’s counterspells and banishments were too fast for them; dozens were sent screaming back to Tartarus, while others were simply vaporized by one powerful spell after another. Twilight advanced forward, channeling more power into her attacks, and soon the attacking creatures were beating a hasty retreat, trying and failing to escape the new Champion of Order’s might.
Once the immediate threat of attack was dealt with, Twilight turned back to Manehattan, her horn glowing bright. There was a pause before a bright beam of light shot from her horn before exploding over the city, covering Manehattan in a massive dome of energy. Soarin’ moved forward to stay outside the shield, although he still kept some distance from Twilight as the unicorn landed.
“That shield should be able to hold off any further attacks until the portal is closed.” she said.
“Wonderful.” Soarin’ said, looking off towards where Diana had gone. “Now we just need to make sure the portal gets closed... You wouldn’t happen to have a spell for that, would you?”
“I may. I just need to be close to the portal in order to cast it.” Twilight rose into the air once again. “Come, we must hurry before our enemies have a chance to regroup.”
“Hey!” Soarin’ turned as Golden Star sprinted towards him. “Take my crossbow; you’ll probably need it more than I will.”
“Um... why? Aren’t you coming with us?” this earned a mild glare from the unicorn mare.
“Listen, I’ve had to put up with flying Earth Ponies, an army of monsters and a mare whose voice sounds like Nightmare Moon got her head stuck in a trash can. I have had enough weirdness for one week, and I don’t want to get involved in any more.” a pause, Golden Star massaging the back of her head. “I’ll just stay here and make sure that when help arrives, they’ll know where to find you.” Soarin’ said nothing, instead shrugging and turning back to Twilight.
“So, is there a plan?” he asked.
“We must find Diana and make sure that she defeats Ares. Only then can we close the portal.” Twilight’s horn shimmered before a glowing ankh appeared before her. “Come; while I do not doubt your friend’s fortitude, we must hurry before Ares can overwhelm her.”
“She’ll be fine.” Really, he was not sure; he had seen Diana defeated by Ares before, and there was no way she had fully recovered from that fight. Maybe this was just to keep him calm and focused, to keep his spirits up.
She’ll be fine... she has to be.
...............
Ares struck the ground with a crash, Diana following with a hoof planted between his wings. As he recovered, Diana wrapped her foreleg around his neck, hanging on tightly as the alicorn tried to throw her off. Already she could feel her grip weakening and her fatigue creeping up on her, her entire body aching. But she pressed on, trying her best to wear Ares down.
“I can sense that you are tiring, Amazon.” Ares said, finally finding purchase and flinging Diana from his back. “You are just like a mortal in that regard. You hope to stand against a god, yet your own body betrays you.” Diana pulled herself into a fighting stance, causing Ares to chuckle. “Yet your defiance is strangely endearing. I admire a strong warrior who is unwavering in their stance.”
“And I thought that you were trying to kill me.” She spat.
“That still does not mean I cannot admire your strength. Perhaps...” he stepped towards her. “You would be willing to fix the mistake your mother made.”
“... What?”
“Your mother spurned my advances, but you have a chance to change that. Surrender now, and and I shall place you and all that follow you at my right hoof." Ares gave a smile, a smile that for fleeting moments did not seem truly cruel. "Your name shall be revered among all mortals, and thousands will cower in fear at the sight of you and your host. You shall be the greatest warrior to have ever lived, and all of Equestria will know the strength of the Amazons once again.”
“... I already made my vow, Ares," Diana firmed up her stance. "I will only submit to you once my life has been beaten out of me.” Ares was silent, but he leveled a cold stare at Diana.
“You are just like your mother; headstrong and prideful.” he growled. “You will not survive to remedy that.” Ares lunged forward, grappling with Diana. It took all of Diana’s strength to keep Ares from overwhelming her, but even then she was pressed back. Ares glare shifted to a twisted smile as he pressed Diana back, and before Diana could react he shifted upward and brought a hoof to her gut, Diana crying out in pain as she felt three of her ribs crack like dried wood. Diana collapsed to the ground, clutching her side as Ares circled.
“Is this it?” he asked. “Do you give up so easily from a few broken ribs?”
“... Never.” Diana pulled herself up, blocking out as much of the pain as possible before charging. It did not matter if her attacks had any effect on Ares; as long as she pressed on, the alicorn would remain focused on her. She struck Ares once, twice, three times, each blow sending stabbing pain down her body that she continued to ignore. Ares sidestepped another strike from Diana, tripping her before slamming his right hoof into her back. Strike after strike rocked Diana, Ares not relenting even as she curled into a ball to minimize the damage.
“Did you honestly think you could challenge me?!” Ares shouted, rising up over Diana and blasting her with a beam of magic. “I am the God of War! I killed thousands during the War in Heaven! I drove Nightmare Moon from the steps of Olympus, and I broke the walls of Tartarus! Why do you not see that anything you do is pointless, Amazon?!”
“My name...” Diana growled, standing and glaring up at Ares. “Is Diana.” Ares face clearly showed his rage, and he sent another blast of magic at Diana. Diana raised her bracelets to deflect the blast, the force of the impact causing her rear hooves to dig into the ground. She strained, pouring more of her energy forward to hold Ares' attack back, and gradually she could feel her strength holding, however tenuous a hold that was.
She would not be broken here. Not by Ares, not by any of the monster of Tartarus, no one.
As Ares’ spell dissipated, Diana heard the pop of another spell behind her. She did not even look as Soarin’ and Twilight rushed to her aid, although she was caught by Twilight’s apparent change in attire as the unicorn stepped in between her and Ares.
“Diana!” Soarin’ cried. “Are you alright?”
“No, but I thought I said I didn’t need you to worry about me.”
“It’s been a really weird week for me, okay? You’ve got to excuse my slightly frayed nerves... and you’re still my friend, you know.”
“Can we please focus on the task ahead?” Twilight asked, throwing up a shield spell to deflect Ares attack.
“It seems that the universe wishes to give me an audience for my triumph.” Ares said, firing another blast at the entourage. “It has been some time since we have seen each other, has it not, Nabu?”
“In this form, you shall refer to me as Fate, Ares.”
“I am not some mortal to be intimidated, Nabu. I am a god, and you will show respect to those that are your superior.”
“When I find somepony that fits that description, I will be more than happy to listen to them.” Twilight rose into the air, putting up more defensive barriers to deflect Ares’ attacks while Diana and Soarin’ turned to the portal.
“I don’t suppose you know how to close this, do you?” he asked, drawing a scowl from Diana.
“Oh yes, because Themyscira is just covered in portals to the Underworld.” She paused. “Sorry, it’s the pain. But no, I don’t know how to close it.” There was an explosion above. Diana and Soarin’ looked up and saw Twilight getting forced back by Ares, the alicorn’s frustration mounting.
“Okay, running out off time... lovely.” Soarin’ scanned the portal. “Where’s that amulet he was using? Maybe you can use that to close the portal.”
“I’m not a unicorn, Soarin’; I couldn’t use that amulet even if I tried. And unless you want to go up there and fight Ares I’m not sure if we’re going to get one in time.” Diana frowned. She thought of flying up and trying to pull the amulet from the portal, but there was no way of knowing if she would make it clear in time. Even if she did fly up there, Ares might spot her and intercept her. If only there was some way I could reach it without actually leaving the ground.
As she looked up, she spotted the rim of her tiara. Her mother had said that, if thrown, it was a potent weapon, but Diana had no way of knowing if it would be enough to close the portal. Still, she had few other options, so Diana reached up and plucked her tiara from her forehead. She took a moment to get a feel for its weight, spinning it around her hoof a few times before looking up at the amulet.
All I have to do is cut the knot.
Diana drew back, and with a cry she hurled the tiara at the portal. The tiara spun through the air, giving off a faint whistling sound, before it collided with the Alicorn Amulet. Although the magics protecting the Amulet were strong, the enchanted bronze of the tiara was stronger, and with a crack the tiara sliced through the amulet and shattered it into several pieces.
I did it.
As her tiara returned, Diana watched as the portal to Tartarus began to collapse. Any demons or monsters still outside the portal were sucked back in, all of them crying out in fear and rage. Ares stopped from his fight with Twilight and looked, his anger replaced by terror.
“No... No!” He cried, trying and failing to stabilize the portal with his own magic. “You destroyed it! All of my plans, and you destroyed it!”
“Is Ares always this panicky?” Soarin’ asked over the sound of the portal collapsing.
“As far as I know, yes, but then I did receive a bit of bias from my mother.” Ares looked down at Diana, his eyes filled with rage.
“You meddling little whore!” he screamed, summoning his sword once again. “I will tear you apart for what you’ve done!” Ares prepared to dive down and attack Diana, but his plan to attack became a struggle as he was dragged closer to the collapsing portal.
“We must move from here; the portal will pull us into Tartarus if we stay here any longer. I will go and make sure that my shield over Manehattan holds.” Twilight summoned a portal of her own and stepped through it, disappearing and leaving Diana and Soarin’ alone. Diana dug her hooves in, but already she could feel herself being dragged towards the failing portal.
“Soarin’! Get out of here.” she called. Soarin’ opened his mouth to protest, but Diana raised a hoof. “I’ll be fine, just get out of here!” Soarin’ said nothing, but nodded before spreading his wings and taking off. As Diana continued to slip, she tossed her lasso and snagged the largest tree she could see. Digging her hooves in, Diana held on as tight as she could, her muscles and bones straining from the forces being exerted on her.
She could have held on longer had not an aura of magic uprooted her. Diana was yanked off the ground and hoisted into the air, and as she turned she saw Ares’ horn alight with power.
“I said you would not escape me, Amazon!” he said, pulling her towards him. “If I am to be banished to Hell, you’re coming with me!” Diana struggled to break Ares’ grip, her desperation growing as they were dragged towards the event horizon of the collapsing portal. She reached for her lasso before remembering it was still tied to a tree on a ground, and her attempts to break free continued to fail.
She was getting close to accepting her sacrifice when something wrapped itself around her hoof. Diana looked up and saw her lasso, its magic having broken through Ares’ aura. And she was more surprised by who was holding on to the other end.
“Soarin’!” She cried, giving the colt a wide smile.
“You still don’t get that I don’t want you to die, do you?” Soarin’ called back, pulling Diana away from Ares as best he could. The alicorn tried to pull Diana back, but by then it was too late; with a roar of anger he was sucked into Tartarus, disappearing in a flash of light. Diana reached forward and held onto her lasso, winding it around her hooves a few times for better grip.
After what felt like an eternity, the portal finally closed fully, returning the sky to its normal color. Soarin’ pulled Diana away towards Manehattan, the mare loosening her grip now that the threat had passed. She continued to ignore the pain in her side, if only to make sure that she got somewhere where she could be treated before allowing anything to come through.
You have done well, Diana. the voice of Athena whispered, causing Diana to smile.
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Haha, a very audacious little interlude for twilight and Nabu. Love any that can say equality is for all, even for eldritch artifacts of power. But ooh, the revenge angle, haha. Fun and fun.
Ares, asshole to the end.
Also, have you seen or read Defender222s' "Crisis of Infinite Twilights" Iowaforever? Maybe you could have that be what happens to Twilight Fate here during the JLE:Origins fic. While that fic is humor (Defender went completely insane half-way through it), at least it is an explanation to what she isn't a part of the initial team. Just give him permission to use it, and you got your out for not using Twilight in JLE: Origins. Just something to consider trying out.
Edit: here's a link- http://www.fimfiction.net/story/133109/crisis-of-infinite-twilights
I think you did pretty good on how you worked Doctor Fate into this.
Yep, Fate still has his ego.
Cool as Dr. Fate is, I now have something nagging at the back of my mind.
How terrifying would an MLP version of The Spectre be?
3927179 A little pony that's the personification of God's Wrath? I'd be scared of that
Let's give thanks that Fate didn't meet Trixie, or the size of their combined egos would have covered Equestria
Huh, after you said you'd get Dr. Fate out of the way by sending him to an alternate dimension of eldritch horrors, I thought for sure you'd suck him into that portal.
Another great chapter. Keep up the good work! And thank you for sharing!
I just assume Twilight needs to grow into her OWN power before she becomes an Alicorn, bonding with Nabu having nothing to do with her destiny, the only difference being HOW she gets to Alicornhood. Was fun to see Diana kick Ares ass good and hard, the guy is a jerk.
“Listen, I’ve had to put up with flying Earth Ponies, an army of monsters and a mare whose voice sounds like Nightmare Moon got her head stuck in a trash can. I have had enough weirdness for one week, and I don’t want to get involved in any more.”
Personally, I'd be with the cop.
Great chapter, but I found something you may want to edit.
I'm pretty sure that should be "to".
3927902 Fixed (when I really get rolling with my writing, I slip up)
Yay twilight is dr fate
Hopefully you decide to let her join in when the jl is formed when darksied comes
Impressive. Can't wait to see more. But it would have been awesome to see Ares cut off by a Supermare hoof to the face!
3931217 ... excuse me while I go and reconfigure the tendons in my hand
Why do I keep making mistakes like that?
But I'm glad you still like the story
3934359 Nope
I get the feeling nabut will take control when you do your justice league crossover. Also I really hope u and hobbit will do a crossover with your justice league and his avengers. I would love to see that.
Very nice, but how did Soarin manage to fly away from the portal when Ares couldn't?
3955065 Magic (Ares' exposure to the amulet tainted him with some of it's power, so when the portal collapsed the taint dragged him in. Soarin' has no taint, and thus was less effected by the collapsing portal)
The..distracting and yet necessary part of this chapter is in regards to the fact that although this is primarily Diana's origin story, the prescense of Twilight in this story also means that it's also her origin story too. Only, an origin much more closely tied to dianas, and also far simpler as well, which is probably why you included it here rather than give her a story of her own. All she has to do is put on the helmet, and that's the beginning of her origin. But, let's look at this wholisticly rather than focus too much on the small parts.
Let's start with Diana vs Ares round 2. What's interesting about this battle is that it's essentially the same battle from last time, in that while diana is skilled, she still can't take ares in a straight fight. At least, not conventionally. And while Diana can certainly irritate and draw ares's attention, she isn't supermare in the same way that in fighting her arch enemies, they're essentially equal. Diana will always be somewhere below ares in terms of combat experience. Yet it is in her will that she will at least keep him occupied.
Next, let's talk about the muggles of the chapter. Sorin and the officer. While they might not be conventionally powerful like the other 2, they still have their own roles to play in terms of pushing things or holding the line. It's interesting that you don't take the "everyone badass normal can still take on the supernatural/unusual", and instead show the regular struggles and difficulties that they had, even when they also were doing as much as they could.
However, by far the action with the most potentially far reaching consequences was the moment that Twilight put on the amulet and donned the helmet, temporarily putting herself in "transformation" mode, though she couldn't do anything directly then. Hmmm, do you think Celestia knew about Nabu when she handed him off to twilight?
Well, regardless, Nabu was a mighty warrior indeed. A man who helped win the war with darkseid, beat discord and defeated Luna with Celestia. Hmmm, does that mean that nabu is inherently a parasite God, if he needs a vessel to work? Especially since he doesn't show in equestrian history books all that much before. Maybe he was more of a consultant for celestia during the discord/nightmare incidents? I could see him having a body in the god wars, but still a bit confused with other things.
Anyways, it's interesting the way that Twilight managed to keep her individual ego by appealing to a sense of balance to the lord of order. That she'll help him balance out his detachment from ponies by helping and working in harmony with him rather than just giving him full override. Learning far more than even celestia could teach her, she now is the new lady of order and balance. Fate. (what? Not a doctor? Or is she lady fate now?) Nabu and Twilight together. Hmm, since Nabu is a lord of balance and order, do you think he ever was tempted to join with the tyrant of order Darkseid? Anyhow, it'll be neat to see how nabu learns friendship and how that can help balance out one's life/superiority feelings. And given that he'll be sharing space with the last kryptonian, there'll be plenty of time for the 2 of them to catch up on balancing each other out with biological powers and magic. Also, I found it funny the way Nabu gives Ares the cold shoulder, even when they were technically on the same side during the great war. It appears that the peace made ares turn to wanton violence, while all Nabu has to do is hold the scales still and fight the chaos.
And like before, Diana cut the knot of the amulet, reversing the flow, and being saved at the last second by sorin. My hero.
Looks like this part of Diana's story is over.
And now Twilight is Doctor Fate.
nice job; also, I guess you could say that Ares...
😎
...just met his FATE
Glad that Nabu doesn't just get to overpower Twilight. His character always pissed me off in lore, as such tyranny as he lives by is evil, no matter how much good he does. Twilight showing him a better path is the only way of doing it that can redeem his character in my eyes, and she's probably the best pony for the job. She can match wits and reason with him and show him how stupid (and evil) his line of thinking is, helping him be an actual hero for once.