Chapter 11-Storm of the Century
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Chapter 11-Storm of the Century
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Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack ran quickly up the path to Ponyville, each preparing themselves for what was over the bin.
Applejack had been walking along the pathway to do some business in town when she had stumbled on the two ponies sitting around looking glum. Asking with concern for them, they told her everything that Novis had revealed, bring on a look of pure shock from the farm pony due to the graphic nature of the truth. Pinkie was staring off in her own thought, obviously having trouble dealing with it, but Twilight was clearly distraught, not by cold hard facts, but because of her attitude towards the stallion's feelings in the past few weeks. She had acted so coldly towards him, when in fact what he needed was a friend. He was dying inside, and all she could do was to be as hostile as possible towards him. If she had only known the hurt that he was feeling, perhaps she would have acted differently.
However, none of that mattered now. While Applejack had been trying to go over all that had been said, a loud, deafening boom roared through the path, which was soon followed by a mild tremor in the ground, but was strong enough that it knocked the ponies onto the earth. That was when they saw the smoke rising over Ponyville, the black plum hovering in the distance like an omen of doom. Now running as quickly as possible, they would soon have a full view of the town, but for now, they just had each other.
“What in tarnation do ya think is goin' on?!” Applejack called, eying the black smog in the sky.
“I don't know. Everything was fine before I went after Novis!” Twilight answered, imagining it to be a pretty big bonfire to be making so much smoke.
“Oh! Maybe somepony's shooting off fireworks!” Pinkie yelled excitedly, which was ignored by both mares.
The three ponies reached the final hill and climbed. They would be able to see the entire town from there, and that meant that they might be able to get an idea of the situation. They raced up the steep mount, and taking a breath, they looked out to what was Ponyville, and gasped.
“What the...?” they all said in unison.
Half of the town was on fire. Starting in the east, a trail of flames cut itself through the buildings like a river, coursing its way just outside a few blocks from the town hall. And the fire was spreading fast, branching out from the main flow into all directions, destroying the homes and businesses of ponies in its wake. This fire was raging with a fierce intensity, almost as if it was being manipulated by an unknown force, with the sole intent to incinerate the lives of hundreds.
“What the hey happened down there?!” Applejack yelled in pure shock.
They were startled by another explosion, a fireball rising up into the air above where the marketplace was. Several businesses were now set ablaze, smoldering brightly under the sun. Pinkie immediately began to panic, “Oh my gosh! It's headed for Sugercube Corner! The Cakes will be-!”
Realizing exactly what would happen to the Cake Family, Pinkie quickly ran down the hill to help, but was stopped in a levitation field that lifted her up and brought her back to Twilight.
“Pinkie Pie, you can't go in there on your own. It's too dangerous!” Twilight scolded her, saddening the pink pony.
“But the Cakes need me!” Pinkie wined.
“Twilight's right, hon. Ya only get yerself hurt or worse. Besides, I'm sure that the Cakes got out just fine.” Applejack agreed, hoping to comfort Pinkie's fears.
“But-”
“No!” Twilight yelled, silencing her, “I'll go. I'll stand a better chance than anypony else.” Twilight turned to Applejack, now handling herself in a calm demeanor, “I need you both to evacuate as many ponies as you possibly can and get them to Night Stone. Everypony will be safe there. And try to find Rainbow Dash and the others too, we need all the help we can get.”
“Alright, Twi. But watch your back, ya hear? Who knows what you're gettin' yerself into.” Applejack warned, before taking Pinkie who reluctantly followed to the part of town that had yet to be touched by the flames, leaving Twilight to gaze beyond. What can be doing this, and why? For a brief moment, she questioned whether or not it was Novis doing it, but she quickly through that thought out from her mind. Novis was typically ill-tempered, not violent, though he did have his moments. But nothing like this. This was on a different scale entirely. But then what? She tried to see if she could spot anything moving amongst the flame, but it was all for not. The fires were too hot to see anything clearly, and whatever else that would have been possible to be seen was shrouded in the black smog. This left her with nothing but theories, but there was at least one possibility that stood out from the rest. There was only one way to find out.
Twilight quickly but silently made her way to Ponyville. No matter what happened, she wouldn't allow the lives of her townspeople to be destroyed, and she would be sure to use all her power to prevent that from happening.
If only Princess Celestia and Luna were here.
////
Novis landed just outside the treeline of the Everfree forest and collapsed. His mental stability at the moment was now teetering into the direction of insanity. Living with those memories in his head was one thing, but confessing them to the world was another. He felt exposed and naked to the world, now that the horrors of his past were known. Tears fell freely from his eyes, and though he tried to wipe them away, they continued to roll down his cheeks. He could hear their voices; the wailing, the screams, from out of the past all the echoes of pain and misery he could feel all at once, plaguing his mind with the dying sorrow of billions. It was all his fault. He should have had the power to stand up against that monster, but he hadn't, and the cost for that failure was too much for him to bare. And this made him angry. Why shouldn't he be strong enough? Why should he have not had the power to have matched his? He was a Minsore, a being rivaled by only a small number of creatures that resided both in the living and spiritual worlds, why shouldn't he have rivaled him? He knew the reason why, but he didn't want to accept that. He didn't want to accept the truth.
Novis began to push his way into the forest, no longer caring where he was going. He had only briefly thought about Hoofington, but it was a fleeting thought against a flood of emotions that he now felt. Nothing mattered. His very existence had no meaning. The sole purpose of his existence was to protect the different races of this world, yet when he hadn't been able to fulfill that oath, it now called into question; what was the point of HIM being?
Novis found himself on another road leading into the forest and looked up to the sky. For days he had been searching for an answer to his prayers, a sign that he was still in communion with his master. But nothing was being returned. No answers. No promises. Nothing now was certain. He was naked to the world, abandoned by the one being in the universe that he knew cared for him. He couldn't understand why he would hide himself from him, especially now when the pain he felt made him need him most. It was stressing, it...broke his heart.
“Why have you abandoned me? WHY?!” he yelled at the clouds, “Please! I need you! I don't know what to do. Am I not your son!?” he cried out to the heavens, hoping for some sign that he was being heard, something to give him a little comfort from his past.
Nothing.
“ANSWER ME!” he screamed, his anger now mixing with the tears in his eyes. Static began to form around his horn, while the rocks around his hooves started to shift and shake mildly in reaction to his magical output. A bolt of lightning suddenly blasted out from his horn and fired up into the sky, piercing the clouds and causing them to darken slightly. The bolt lasted for several seconds until his whimpering overcame him, allowing it to die. What was the point of trying? His master didn't want to speak to him, and he couldn't blame him for feeling that way. He was a failure, and he felt completely disgusted with himself. His head hung low, Novis moved slowly down the new path, silently cursing himself under his breath. He began to wonder exactly where he was. He had lost all sense of time, though he knew that he had been walking for a while. Perhaps-
“LOOK OUT!!!”
Novis barely had time to look up before the air was knocked out of him as his body was rammed by a large red wagon, throwing him to the ground with a loud thud. He could feel the weight of several little ponies falling on top of him, while the wagon crashed into a tree on the other side of the road. There were a lot of groans around him, he himself sighing aloud, silently wishing that he could be blessed with a few moments of peace. Novis opened his eyes and raised himself up, looking around so he could assess what had happened. Five fillies laid around him, each recovering from the impact. Looking at the group, he immediately recognized one of the foals, her little black coat giving off a mild shimmer in the sunlight.
“Nyx? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?” Novis asked, lifting her onto her hooves with his magic.
“Umm...” Nyx groaned, still a little sore, but now feeling nervous after finally finding the stallion, “It's...ah, Saturday. We don't have school on Saturday. And we're here because we were looking for you.”
“Oh?” Novis raised an eyebrow, his voice changing to one of playfulness, though he still felt as if his heart was being torn out of his chest, “And what was so important that you had to track me down and run me over with a wagon?”
“Because I heard what you said to Twilight and thought that we could help.” a white filly with a purple and pink mane said, rolling off of her back and onto her belly to get herself up.
Novis frowned. She shouldn't have heard that, “Don't you know that it's not polite to eavesdrop on other pony's conversations...miss?” he asked, suddenly aware that he had never met this pony before.
“Oh, my name's Sweetie Belle,” she responded happily.
“Sweetie Belle? Rarity's sister?” he asked, tilting his head at the little girl.
“Yeah, she's my sister. And I'm sorry for e-eavsdropping, I didn't mean to. I just happened to be there when you said it.” she apologized, truly sorry for making him upset.
Novis sighed, sitting down on the path. He expected that he would have to explain a few things to these kids, “How much did you hear?”
“Umm...enough, I guess. But that's why we came to find you!” she chirped happily, despite the knowledge she possessed.
“Yeah! My sis always says that we should always help ponies in need. An' that's exactly what we're gonna do.” A filly with a southern drawl spoke up.
“And I brought some of my peppermint sticks!” The one he assumed was Peppermint Twist said.
“My mommy let me bring some muffins for you.” a slightly younger unicorn with a greyish-purple coat smiled.
“Personally,” a voice came from the bushes beside the tree that the wagon had hit, a moment later revealing a sixth pony, an orange pegasus pushing a scooter, “I came to see if we could get you to tell us that wicked story,” she said, earning a glare from all of the other fillies in the group.
“What?” she squeaked.
Novis couldn't help but smile. Children truly were his favorite, their willingness to help in the simplest ways and their honesty was both moving and...entertaining. But that wasn't enough. It was sweet that they had gone through the trouble. However, he knew that they didn't truly understand the extent of what he now felt. How could they?
“I appreciate your concerns. All of you. But I'm afraid that there's nothing you can do to help me.”
“Now what kind of nonsense is that? Of course we can help. A bad past ain't nothin' that can't be worked out.” Applebloom said firmly, stomping her hoof on the ground.
Novis only shook his head, “You're young. You wouldn't understand.”
“Why not?” Nyx asked, but was ignored by the stallion who turned away and began to leave.
“Novis!” she shouted, surprising everypony by her use of volume, and causing Novis pause, “Do you think that you're the first pony who had to deal with a bad past? You're not!”
Novis kept silent. He would listen to what she had to say.
“Being Nightmare Moon incarnate isn't an easy thing to get over. There are so many bad things that she...I? I really don't know anymore, did.” Nyx paused, going over it in her head for a moment, “And I did some bad things too when Spell Nexus took me away. I even put Twilight in a dungeon because I thought that she had lied to me, that she didn't love me anymore. I only learned the truth when it was almost too late. Spell Nexus turned her against me, and then he tried to hang her.”
Novis turned as she continued to speak, not having heard this before, “I was just so angry. I wanted to kill him for trying to take her from me. To make him suffer like he would have made me suffer. It was in that moment that I was tempted to give myself up to my past. To take away my fears, my remorse, my compassion.”
“But he hadn't been acting on his own free will. In the end, it was Nightmare Moon's spirit that was making him do all those bad things. And as far as I'm concerned, I'd rather have my friends than power, so I destroyed that monster, once and for all!”
“Novis, what I'm trying to say is, what happens in the past doesn't matter. It's what you do NOW that defines you, and if you face that, you can correct the past by what you do in the present.” she stared at him expectantly, hoping that she had gotten her message through to him.
Novis stared right back at the little girl, clearly deep in thought. He was surprised by the level of maturity displayed by a pony so young. Of course, being the daughter of somepony as studious as Twilight Sparkle would cause the development of a more intellectual mind. But there was something more to Nyx than just that. She was a filly that had been forced to take a part in adult situations and had even made a life or death decision. But, she had also faced her own demons, be they mental, physical, or emotional, and had conquered them. It was something that would make anypony stronger than they had ever been before, but for an Alicorn, it meant so much more. It was, in fact, something that he had been required to do in order to become a Minsore. It was enough to make him wonder, could she-?
Boom.
Novis's ears perked up as a loud thunderous sound echoed through the trees, as the ground beneath them suffered a mild tremor, but nothing too serious. But Novis was still alert, looking in all directions to try and pinpoint where the sound had come from. Seeing nothing but the trees, Novis looked skywards, and that's when he saw the smoke. He needed to see what was going on, but he didn't want to leave the fillies here on their own, so directing them to follow, Novis made his way out of the forest and into the clearing beyond.
What he saw was a sight that he had witnessed many a time, and had hoped to never see again. Flames had engulfed half the town, while the other half was in an uproar of anguished cries and panic. The emergency sirens were ringing loudly, and many of the town's pegasi could be seen directing an aerial evacuation of the town.
Novis almost didn't notice the yellow filly passing him in an attempt to get to Ponyville, which he grabbed by clamping down on her tail with his teeth, dragging her back behind him, “Wow, hold on for a minute, little one. Where are you off in such a hurry?”
“My big sis is in there, I gotta help her!” she affirmed, trying to get past him again, only to be held in place by his hoof.
“You're not going anywhere. It's not safe for ponies as young as you to be trying to go in there.” Novis said, again dragging her behind himself with the rest of the girls.
“But we can't just-”
“I don't want to hear it. I will not willingly allow you to put yourself or the others in harm's way. What would your sisters do, your parents do, if anything were to happen to you?” he asked, looking down on the little farm pony.
“Novis is right, Applebloom.” Nyx said to her friend, “I want to help just as much as you do, but we don't even know what's going on down there.”
“Wah? Ya agree with him?”
As the fillies continued to argue, Novis stared out at the town. He knew exactly what was happening, and, he needed to do something about it. He felt the collective power inside him build up in his horn, but it wasn't enough. He needed to charge, and for that, he needed to get higher. Looking around the area, he began searching for the highest peak in the mountain range, which would provide the best conductor to hone his powers in the shortest amount of time. He eventually settled on one, and though it wasn't very high, it would have to do.
“Alright, I want you girls to stay here, do you all understand? I don't need six dead fillies on my concuss.” he added to scare them into obedience.
Satisfied that they weren't going anywhere, Novis spread his wings and took off, flying away as the fillies sat watching. Of course, as soon as she was sure that he was gone, Applebloom slowly began walking towards town again, just as she had done before.
“Applebloom! What are you doing? Novis told us to stay here!” Nyx wined, glaring at her for lack of the ability to do what she was told.
“I don' care what he said. I know my sis is helpin' down there, and she's gonna need all the help she can get!” Applebloom argued, “Besides, we might just find our cutie-marks helpin' to put out those fires!”
Nyx would have tried to talk some sense into her, but quickly quieted herself when she noticed the eagerness building up in her other friends. Applebloom had said the magic word, working her friends up with the inviting thought that they might just find their special talents. Nyx groaned, she knew that she wasn't going to convince them to stay put now, and if she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that Applebloom had mentioned it on purpose to get them on her side.
“CUTIE-MARK CRUSADER FIREFIGHTERS, YAY!” The five other ponies shouted, hurrying ahead to get to the town.
“Ya-hoo.” Nyx let out, though none of her spirit was backing it up, slowly following after her friends, because deep down in the pit of her stomach, she knew that this couldn't possibly end well.
////
Rainbow Dash flew above the buildings and smoke searching for anypony who was still trapped in the fire zone. Most of the ponies in the town had made it out, running to find refuge in the embrace of Night Stone Castle, but there were still those unaccounted for. There had been many who had to be carried out because they had been injured, some critically, but so far nopony had been killed, thank Celestia. Of course, Dash knew that that could change in a heartbeat if she didn't pick up the pace.
And she also had to stay clear of that...thing.
Thankfully Rainbow wasn't the only one searching for survivors. Flying with her, Firefly, Soarin', and three other Wonderbolts had been dispatched to assist in the evacuation procedures. This had all happened so fast. One moment, she had been resting peacefully on a cloud dreaming of becoming a Wonderbolt, and then there had been an explosion just outside of town, just before the entire east side was lit up in flames, plummeting their lives into hell. That had only been fifteen minutes ago, but so much had happened since then. The fire had finally reached the town's small power plant, which gave electricity to everypony's homes. The power plant was fueled by raw, compressed unicorn magic that was held in large containment units, and because this unique compound was highly volatile, it didn't take long for it to ignite, taking out a three block radius with it in a multicolored explosion of green, blue, and yellow. She could feel the shockwave it created as it riveted through the air, almost knocking her out of the sky. She could also tell that it had a tremendous effect on the ground, watching as several ponies fleeing the town falling over themselves, while the outings on several buildings collapsed as a result of the tremor that the explosion generated.
It was only then that she heard the faint cry for help down below her.
Rainbow Dash looked down at the Town Hall beneath her. She couldn't see anypony, but she knew that there was somepony down there because the cries for help continued to enter her ears. Figuring she would probably need some help, she looked around, hoping to find one of the Wonderbolts around. Sure enough, Soarin' was flying nearby, scouting for anypony who might be in trouble.
Dash whistled loudly, quickly grabbing the pegasi's attention, “Soarin', get over here, quick! I think I found somepony!”
Soarin' responded with a nod as they both descended to the ground. They began searching the area for the pony in need. A large part of the side of the Town Hall had fallen in on itself, leaving boards and beams lying around in a massive mess inside the building.
“Soarin' quick! I found her!” Dash called, standing over a light-brown earth-pony. Mayor Mare laid buried under a large pile of rubble, moving around weakly as the two pegasi worked to clear away the wreckage.
“Oh, Miss Dash, thank Celestia you're here! I-”
“Try not to talk too much, Mayor.” Rainbow said, removing a board that was lying across the mare's stomach, “Are you seriously hurt?”
“I-I can't move my hind legs!” she answered. Rainbow looked down at the mare's legs, where a large beam of timber laid on top. She tried to lift it up herself, but it proved to be too heavy for her to handle. Giving up on trying to move it herself, she directed Soarin' to try and lift the beam himself while she dragged the Mayor out from underneath. She hated to admit it, but the stallion was much stronger than her.
“Alright, on three. One. Two. THREE!”
Soarin' grunted as he lifted the large piece of wood, holding it up long enough for Rainbow Dash to get the Mayor out from underneath, letting it go as soon as she was clear, “Mayor, do you think you can move?” she asked, raising the mare up into a sitting position.
“I don't-Ugh! No! No.” she hissed out as pain shot up from both her legs. Dash looked down at them, seeing that the joint on the left leg was out of place, while the right was obviously fractured by the way it bent in an area where there wasn't any normal articulation.
“Alright, everything is going to be fine, Mayor. We'll get you out of here.” Rainbow said, placing the mare's hoof around her neck as Soarin' did the same. They both helped to carry her out, while Dash hoped that this would be the last time that she would see so much devastation in her own town.
But the day had only just begun, and a storm was coming on the horizon.
////
“Now please! Everypony try and direct yourselves in an orderly fashion.” Rarity called out, trying in vain to keep in check the chaos that was ensuing around her in the courtyard of Night Stone. Ponies were running left and right, either aimlessly in a panic or rushing to help those who had been injured. She tried to keep everything under control, but she just didn't have a talent for this kind of thing. She wished she had Twilight by her side, or Applejack to handle this.
“Rarity! What in tarnation is goin' on here? Why don't you have these ponies under control?” a very familiar and welcoming voice came from behind the mare.
“Oh, Applejack! Thank Celestia you're here! This has just been positively a complete disaster!” Rarity swooned, dramatically lifting a hoof to her forehead and dipping her head back.
“Oh for corn's sake, Rarity! Cut down on the theatrics, wouldja? We don't have time for it.” Applejack scolded. Rarity would have snapped at the farm pony, but was interrupted by a Pinkie Pie who was more hyped up than normal, “RARITY! Where are the Cakes? Where are the CAKES!?”
“I, ah...?” Rarity didn't even have a chance to answer, before Pinkie shot off, covering more ground inside the castle than either of them would have thought possible in search of her employers. After only fifteen seconds of poking her head around corners and into the nooks and crannies, Pinkie was back with her friends, only looking more panicked than before.
“Rarity, please tell me you've seen the Cake family come here?” she asked desperately, a look of pleading burning in her eyes.
“I'm sorry Darling, but I haven't seen them. Rainbow Dash took some of the Wonderbolts with her to search the town for anypony who didn't get out. I'm sure that she'll find them.” she tried to reassure her friend.
“Did somepony say my name?”
The three ponies turned to face the rainbow maned pony that had just landed behind them, holding up a worse for wear Mayor Mare with one of the Wonderbolts helping her. Soarin' helped the mare to one of the medical desks, where a nurse quickly rushed over to have her examined. Rainbow looked at the girls, raising an eyebrow at the pink pony's expression, “Ah, was there something I missed?”
“Rainbow Dash! Where are the Cakes?! Did you see them? Are they okay!? Rarity said that you might have seen them. Their not hurt, are they? PLEASE tell me they're NOT HURT!” she shoved her muzzle into Dash's, her eyes beginning to twitch slightly in response to worrying herself.
“Cakes? I haven't seen the Cakes. I thought that they were already here.” she answered honestly, only pushing Pinkie closer to the edge.
“Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, OH NO!” she fell back on her rump, her eyes darting around like dirt-bobbers while she bit down on her lip, her body shaking ever so slightly.
“Rainbow Dash, could you please fly in there and get the Cakes out before Pinkie Pie has a complete mental breakdown?” Rarity asked, moving away from the pink mare just in case she decided to go off.
“She can't.” Soarin' spoke up, popping his head into the conversation, “I just checked the Hazard Manifest, which wasn't very long, by the way. Ponyville is a pretty clean town. But the power plant is another matter entirely.”
“You see that red-colored cloud rising up from the ground?” he asked, pointing to the smoke that rose above what remained of the plant, “The fire is heating the coolant, so now we've got a large pocket of PCB covering the area. It's too dangerous to fly in there unprotected.”
“Well, why is it red? I thought PCB was clear.” Applejack asked.
“Normally it is, but it's mixing in with the lingering raw magic, which will probably open up some unknown variables.”
“Isn't there anything we can do?” Pinkie wined, praying for one small ray of hope.
“Well, the wind is causing the gas to flow upwards from the ground, so it should be safe to run in and pull them out,” Soarin' paused, shaking his head, “But I would advise against it. That stuff could still be lingering in the streets, and if that gets on your skin or you breath it in, it's gonna do some damage.”
Applejack growled at this news. She had been one of the few ponies who had voted against the use of raw magic as a fuel source for the power plant, worrying about what consequences that it would reflect upon the environment due to the fact that the chemicals required to keep it stable were all potentially dangerous. In the end however, the company got their way. But, they still had to agree to use an alternative coolant system, which was safer and produced by the Pancal Synthetics Corporation based in Manehatten.
But obviously, they had been doing secret business deals behind everypony's back.
“Well then, what do we do?”
“Oh! I got an idea!” Pinkie suddenly bounced, zooming into the castle, leaving the small group of ponies looking at each other. A few moments later Pinkie came back out, walking through the crowd carrying a pair of dark-green canvas suits and a saddlebag on her back. She herself was wearing one, a full-body hazmat suit with a hose connected to the back of the headpiece to an air-filter box hooked onto a belt about her waist.
“Pinkie Pie, where on earth did you get these?” Rarity asked, examining the fabric of one of the suits as she lifted it up in her magic.
“They were in the castle laboratory along with a lot of other weird stuff. I found them a few months ago when Twilight brought those ponies from Canterlot to go over some inventory,” she answered happily, now in a much better mood than she had been minutes before, her voice coming through the suit's sound piece, making her sound like she was talking through a funnel.
Pinkie looked at the ponies hopefully, waiting for them to start volunteering to help her, only having herself being stared at by the group.
“Pinkie, I really don't think we should-”
“I'll go.” Rarity spoke up, silencing Applejack from breaking their friend's heart, “I've barely contributed to anything here, so it only makes sense that I go with you while the ponies who can actually help around here stay behind to keep things managed.”
Pinkie Pie smiled happily as she gave Rarity a suit, sliding into it with relative ease. Soarin' was soon to follow, figuring that they might need a professional in this kind of matter by their side. The three ponies soon left Applejack and Rainbow Dash to manage the chaos around them, quickly using their authoritative skills to get the townsfolk to calm down and to start organizing themselves based on usefulness. Soon they had the situation coming under their control, helping to ease the tension of reality.
“Applejack!” a tiny voice called.
Applejack turned around to see her sister Applebloom and her friends running towards her, each frowning and sweating as they halted in front of her, evident that they had been running for a while.
“A-Applejack! W-We need...need yer help!” Applebloom panted out, trying to catch the breath that was avoiding her at the moment.
“Applebloom? Thank Celestia you're alright. I've been lookin' all over for ya.” Applejack said, pulling the filly into a hug, “Where the hey have you all been? I was worried sick.”
“W-We were tryin' to help Novis not feel sad, but then we heard a bang.” Applebloom flattened her ears upon her head, “Novis told us to stay by the forest, but we came anyway.”
Applejack just stared at her for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes and began to lecture her sister, “Gosh dang it, Applebloom! I know he isn't the best of ponies, but he's still your elder. Why didn't you do what you were told?” she scolded, hoping to Celestia that the girl had a good reason for disobeying him.
“Because we wanted to help!” Applebloom admitted, all the girls nodding in agreement, “I just wanted to know that you were alright.”
Applejack turned to look at Rainbow Dash, who only shrugged her shoulders at her. She wanted to be angry but found herself unable to stay mad with the filly. She just wanted to know that her big sister was alright, and if that was the case, she really couldn't hold that against her. Applejack looked at the other fillies, imagining that their own sisters and parents were freaking out. Derpy with Dinky, Rarity and Sweetie Belle...
Wait, where was Sweetie Belle?
////
Twilight walked carefully through the destruction that was now Ponyville. It was a strange and unnerving sensation she felt going down this wreck of a street; she had just walked on it the day before, shopping for some food and supplies for the three mouths she had been providing for. But now here she was, seeing it all burnt down. Why had this come down upon them? They didn't deserve this, so what had they done wrong? That was the question with only one answer. Nothing. This was the work of a devil, a monster who was hell-bent on destroying their lives.
She rounded a corner in the street, walking past what used to be the Ink and Quill store, which was now a smoldering pile of charcoal. She had to be careful walking near and around the buildings, since several were on the verge of collapse, making it dangerous for her to be moving about them, threatening to fall on top of her at any given moment. This was turning out to be quite the disaster, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. This was her town, her home, and she wasn't about to give it up without a fight.
A low rumbling sound suddenly echoed through the street, startling Twilight into hiding behind a pile of rubble, peering over the top to see what was happening. In the street, just fifteen yards ahead of her, dust and smoke filled the air in a thick cloud impossible to see through. However, something was moving through the dust, shaking the ground with the mass of its body. A moment passed, before a large, muscular tail whipped through the air, slowly moving above her head from the left of the street and disappearing back into the cloud on the far right. The sun, for only a moment, revealed itself through the gray of the growing cloud cover in the sky, allowing her to see the outline of its body through the shroud of smoke for a few seconds before it once more vanished back into the shadows with the passing of the light.
There was no doubt in Twilight's mind that a dragon was what they now faced, but this one was far different than the ones she had previously encountered. In the brief moments she had seen it, she knew that this dragon was significantly larger than it's predecessors. Even the one that Fluttershy had convinced to leave the mountain to nap somewhere else was dwarfed by this behemoth. Also, most dragons walked on all fours, but it appeared that this one only had two, using its massive wings as forearms like a bat to grab a hold of objects and to keep itself balanced. Its tail was barbed like a stingray, it's back horned and jagged, and it's head, while most dragons resembled crocodiles, looked more closely to that of a snake, held up by a curved, powerful neck that swerved as it moved.
She couldn't see what color it was, not that she really cared at the moment. She was terrified. Never before had she faced something so fierce and menacing that frightened her so. True, she had fought the mighty Tirek on her own, but she had the power of three alicorn princesses coursing within herself along with her own at the time. But this, it reminded Twilight too much like a snake in its appearance, stirring deep into her natural fear of such creatures. What if she wasn't strong enough to face such a beast? What if she couldn't stop it from killing everypony in town, everypony she knew and loved?
Twilight quickly discarded those thoughts from her mind. She was being ridiculous, and she knew it. In no way would she allow this monster to continue to execute its dark purposes without using everything in her power to stop it.
However, Twilight was torn from her thoughts when a loud bellow from the dragon ringed through the street, followed by a swing of its mighty arm, propelling a large object through the air straight at her. Twilight stifled a scream as she moved to get out of the way, diving into a roll as a food-cart blazing with fire crashed into the ground where she had just stood. She barely had time to get to cover before the beast wheeled around and roared, swinging its tail into the buildings beside her, sending fast-moving projectiles of broken wood and debris at her. Twilight coughed a little as the dust settled around her, looking up to view the damage, going into the defensive as she half expected to be staring down the beast's throat at any moment. However, it seemed that she had still gone unnoticed, but that didn't expel her problems in the least. Ahead of her, the street was blocked off by the burned refuge of wooden beams and mortar, cutting her off from reaching the reptilian menace. Not that she couldn't just fly over the rubble. That was what she'd do! That's-
Sniffle.
Twilight paused, perking up her ears to listen. Something else was in the street with her, and it sounded like...crying. Twilight turned her gaze to the other side of the street, casting her eye on a building that had long since ceased to burn. Deciding to investigate, she walked over and peered in through the door, looking around but not daring to move inside for fear of the structure's instability. But the crying continued, and not able to take it any longer, she forced herself to enter, and walking around a desk to look at a pile of fallen boards, she found a young colt hiding underneath. Twilight stared down at the child for a few short moments that to her seemed an eternity. He was younger than her Nyx, not yet even five years old. He had probably been separated from his parents and had run in here to hide from the dangers that were transpiring outside. At first, he looked back up at her with eyes filled with fear, but after a moment, relaxed into needfulness, extending his hoofs to her in a familiar gesture that told Twilight that he wanted to be held.
Twilight bit her lip before looking out the door as uncertainty filled her mind. She needed to stop that monster before it could deal any more damage, but at the same time, her maternal instincts were coming into play, telling her that she couldn't just leave this foal here in such a dangerous place. Making up her mind, she knew what she had to do, and though she didn't like it, she knew that it couldn't be done any other way.
“Shh, it's okay. Everything is going to be fine now. You're safe.” she whispered softly as she knelt forwards and picked him up, holding him close to her body. Almost immediately the colt quieted down, gazing up at her with innocent, trusting eyes.
Twilight smiled at this, placing him across her back and headed out the door. The breeze was coming in cool now, whipping past her face welcoming and calm. She would deal with the dragon later, but for now, she needed to find the child's parents, running back into the direction of Night Stone.
All was now quiet, save for the sound of thunder rolling in from the mountains distant.
////
The three ponies walked down the street towards Sugercube Corner, cautiously preparing themselves for what might be awaiting them. The street had yet to be touched by the flames, which was still burning several blocks away for the time being. They had heard the sound of the dragon roaring in the distance moments before, but now the air was still and quiet, too quiet for any of their liking.
“We're getting close, just a few more houses and we'll get them out,” Soarin' said through the suit's microphone, trying to calm Pinkie Pie who was becoming more anxious by the minute.
“I hope we can get them out in a hurry. This suit is so itchy.” Rarity whined, “So much could be done to improve its fashion appearance. As soon as this is over and done with, I'd like to use one of these suits in a raw fashion line, though there will need to be some design changes.”
They hurried along the street to their destination, and that was where they met their first obstacle. The entrance to the store was blocked off by a pile of boards, plaster, and broken carts, all-embracing the front wall like a wave crashing into the rocks on a beach. They had most likely been cast there by the rampage of the dragon, and with the door now behind a barrier, what were they to do?
“Everypony, stand back!” Pinkie commanding rather suddenly, pulling out her party-cannon from seemingly out of nowhere.
“Darling, I really don't think blowing confetti at that mess is going to do anything to help.” Rarity said, wondering, if anything, was going through Pinkie's mind.
“Oh, trust me Rarity. I've got more packing in this cannon than just confetti,” she said in a serious tone, detouring from her normal self.
Pinkie pulled the cord at the head of the cannon with a firm tug, sending a large cannonball into the pile of debris. The projectile slammed into the mess, splintering wood and plaster in its wake, dislodging enough of it that it collapsed under itself, falling away to reveal the door hidden behind.
“What-who? How?” Rarity babbled, her jaw hanging down, “Where on earth did you-?”
“That's for me to know and you to speculate. Now come on, we don't have all day!” Pinkie said with a bounce, walking up to the door and leaned against it, pushing on it until it gave.
Rarity just rolled her eyes in response as she and Soarin' walked over the rubble into the building, shrugging it off as Pinkie just being Pinkie. The main customer reception and eating room were empty, save for the ordering counter and the booths by the windows. “Mr. Cakes? Mrs. Cake? Are you in here? Where are you?!” Pinkie called, looking around the room for any sign of life. Rarity stepped behind the counter and looked down; the floor beneath her was littered with a tray and broken glass, scattered about in the exact direction of the kitchen, and opening the door, she feared what she saw.
“In here!” she said aloud, running into the kitchen and kneeling down next to the unconscious forms of Mister and Miss Cake. Mrs. Cake was leaning against the cupboard, moving her head back and forth while wheezing profusely while Mr. Cake was lying on the floor completely motionless save for the rising and falling of his chest fueled by his shallow breath. Pinkie Pie and Soarin' entered the room, immediately coming to her side and began to try and draw a response from them.
“Mrs. Cake? Can you hear me?” Pinkie Pie asked, worried about what happened to them.
“P-Pin-kie...” Miss Cake let out, threatening to slip into unconsciousness again.
“Okay, don't do that,” Soarin' said, coming over after checking Mr. Cake's pulse, smacking her in the cheek a few times to get her to wake up. Mrs. Cake opened her eyes wide for a moment, though she appeared to be feeling a bit woozy. The world was spinning around fast, so much so that she wanted to vomit, while her eyes were darting left and right, unable to focus on one object or person.
“Mrs. Cake, you're gonna be fine, I promise.” Pinkie reassured, making sure that she had the mare's attention, “I need you to help me, alright? Where are the twins?”
U-Up...upsta-irs...” she answered weakly, before sitting up like a rocket, “M-My husband...!”
“Is going to be fine, Miss. He's just gonna be taking a little nap for a while.” Soarin' said, placing a hoof on her to push her back and get her to relax.
Pinkie Pie was quick to leave the kitchen to make her way to the stairs, hurrying up to the second floor of the building and stepping into the hall. She was relieved to find that the gas hadn't entered the upstairs, which meant that the twins hadn't been exposed. But she could still hear their cries coming from their room, rushing in the moment the sound entered her ears.
The twins lay in their cribs crying helplessly in the darkness of the room. Pinkie Pie walked over to Carrot Cake's crib, peering down to look at her face, earning a squeal of fear from the babe in response to this new entity. Pinkie looked down at herself. She was probably terrified of her because of the suit. She had to admit, to somepony as young as herself, Pinkie Pie would have appeared to them as a big, scary green monster.
“Hush, Carrot Cake. It's me, your Auntie Pinkie Pie!” She said, her voice quieting the foal. Carrot Cake looked around while she placed a hoof to her mouth as if searching for her number one favorite aunty in the world. Pinkie smiled down at the girl as she realized who she was, giggling at her as she batted her hooves in the air playfully. Pinkie grinned even brighter at this as she picked her up, taking a gas mask out from her saddlebags and placed it over her head, which prompted Carrot Cake to toy with it curiously. Pound Cake had been watching what was going on and reached his hooves out to Pinkie as well, who picked him up and did unto him what she had done with his sister likewise.
Pinkie exited the room with the twins tucked comfortably in her saddlebags and walked back downstairs to rejoin the others. Rarity had Mrs. Cake leaning on her shoulder with a blanket over her back to provide some protection from the gas outside, a breathing apparatus placed over her mussel. Mr. Cake was in the same state, though he was lying across Soarin's back, the stallion grunting as he carried him out of the kitchen. They all left the home, helping the Cakes into the street and back to the safety of Night Stone.
It wasn't until the got within three blocks of the castle that Rainbow came running to find them, skidding to a halt the moment they came into her view.
“Rarity!” she called, galloping up in front of them, “Thank Celestia I found you.”
“Rainbow Dash? What on earth is the matter?” Rarity asked, giving Mrs. Cake over to Pinkie Pie.
“I-It's Sweetie Belle!” Rainbow said, immediately causing a worried glance to form on Rarity's face, “She and her friends got separated coming back into town from the Acres. She's been gone for-”
“I don't CARE how long she's been gone, where IS she?!” Rarity barked, starting to hyperventilate.
“Applebloom said that they lost her somewhere around the floral stands on Saddle Street, but-” she tried to finish, only to be cut off by Rarity screaming hysterically before bolting into the direction of Saddle Street.
“Rarity, no! It's not safe!” Soarin' called. The remaining two mares made similar pleas but were left ignored by the unicorn as she ran down the street faster than she had ever done before.
She had to save her sister.
////
Rainbow helped Pinkie and Soarin' carry the Cakes into the confines of Night Stone Castle. She couldn't believe that Rarity had gone running off like that. Rarity wasn't exactly the brave type. Still, it was her SISTER they were talking about. She was sure if she had a sister, she would have gone off and done the same thing, no matter how stupid it was.
She carried Mrs. Cake over to one of the doctors and laid her down on the harness. Flash Sentry came over as a volunteer nurse and helped to prep her, while Rainbow turned away to look around her. Applejack had done wonders organizing the townspeople into a flowing, working machine. Ponies were running supplies, distributing water and medicine to the sick, giving out blankets. It was truly wonderful that they were so willing to work to help each other.
Rainbow felt a tug at her back hoof. Turning around, she looked down to find a dirty white rabbit that she immediately recognized staring up at her, it's eyes gleaming with fright.
“Angel? What are you doing here?” she asked, looking down at the animal. Angel began to hop up in the air furiously, desperately trying to tell her something. She tilted her head in confusion, giving him a look that seemed to be making him more upset. He began to point in the direction of the fires, thumping his foot against the ground. Rainbow Dash looked out at the destruction. Was there somepony else who had been left in the flames? No, she shook that possibility from her mind. Everypony was accounted for with that last colt that Twilight had rescued. The only pony that wasn't here-
The eyes in Rainbow's head grew wide as she took to the air, flying up above the rooftops to look beyond into the valley. The smoke rising from the buildings was contrasted by the gray of the sky, a crack of lightning striking down in the forest as the storm drew near. However, in the outskirts of Ponyville, a singular cloud of smoke rose from behind a hill. But, the only building out that far was...
“Oh no.”
////
Sweetie Belle slowly walked down the silence of the street, alone and scared. The street was hard to see for the cloud of smoke that enveloped all that was around her. She gave a suspicious glance at everything she saw as if the various buildings surrounding her would come alive and grab her. The sky was becoming dark with the coming of a storm, making it so that the sun would not shine on their town, only allowing the flames that consumed the houses in the next street in front of her to tell the world of its amber light. She was lost. She didn't want to be here, she just wanted to go home. She should have stayed by the forest like she had been told instead of listening to Applebloom and her ridiculous ideas to help. They were kids after all, what could they do?
She felt stupid for going with it, but at the same time, wasn't that the right thing to do? To try and help ponies in need, to do everything they can to carry each other through the trials and dangers? Perhaps she was just being selfish, but then again, why shouldn't she? She was the one who had been left alone.
Sweetie Belle crossed into a back alley, hoping the way leading into the street parallel to the one she was currently on wasn't blocked like so many others she had tried to use. The alley was dark and cold, the sound of water falling onto cobblestone filling the space from a broken water pipe. For some strange reason that escaped her, she felt frightened by the darkness, feeling as though it was closing in on her, choking her. Just get out as quickly as possible, and get to the castle, she told herself, beginning to gallop ahead as fast as she could, breathing a sigh of relief the moment she entered the light.
Unfortunately for her, that relief was short-lived, for what she faced on the other side of the alley was far worse than what the darkness had to offer, making her wish that she would have just stayed in the other street.
She screamed.
////
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity cried, making a hard turn to the right the moment she heard the tiny, high-pitched voice screaming out to the world. She had been running a good ten minutes before she made it to the entrance of Saddle Street, finding that it had been blocked off by several burning carts, having to go over to another street to find an alternate way in. She had then searched every building, every stand, every crack and crevice as she drove herself into desperation trying to find her sister. But she was nowhere to be found, leaving her feeling sadness and defeat.
It was then that she heard the call, the pleading cries of Sweetie Belle's voice permeating her ears with its sound, attracting her like a moth to light. It had come from several blocks away, and Rarity was quick to cut across backyards and alleyways to reach the filly. Rarity came face to face with the next alley and paused. There she was! Sweetie Belle stood before her at the other end, a guard gate at that end the only thing separating her from her sister.
“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity called, tears of happiness forming in her eyes as she galloped towards her. But Sweetie never turned, unmoved by her elder sister's acclamations of joy. She just continued to stare up at an unknown object that was before her in the gap between houses. Something was wrong. Rarity called her name again, this time with a sense of questioning in her voice, slowing to a walk as she tilted her head at the filly's hypnotic gaze. And then she heard it, the low, rumbling growl of a predator who had found its prey, causing her heart for a moment to stall in her chest. Rarity approached the gate and stared up, looking directly at what held Sweetie Belle motionless.
There, staring down devilishly at the girl, stood the mountainous form of the dragon. Its eye glowed mercilessly as it darted it's long, muscular tongue in the air like a snake, shining bright and yellow as the flames. Its head was massive, with a mouth wide enough to devour ten ponies in one bit, it's jawline up to the top of its head horned and barbed with quills, ordaining him like a crown. Its scales were metallic in color, a cross between iron and silver, its belly that of bronze. But what was most frightening about it was the way it looked at Sweetie Belle, it's gaze upon the filly altogether evil, a grin forming on its face, revealing the iron-like teeth concealed behind.
“Well, well, well,” It started slowly with a voice deep and threatening, dripping with hints of its malicious intent in the tone, “What do we have here? Are we lost?”
Rarity quickly worked on removing the lock on the gate, but it wouldn't budge. The lock had been made to resist magical tampering. She found that the hinges had been treated in the same way, preventing Rarity from saving her sister. She began banging furiously on the metal, all in a vain attempt to try and break the gate down. This seemed to draw Sweetie Belle out of her trance for a moment, turning her head to stare blankly at Rarity, tears streaming down her cheeks, making the mare attack the gate all the harder. Sweetie wanted to move, to get away, but found herself paralyzed in its monstrous gaze.
“Are you frightened?” It asked, looking down upon her inquisitively, before it's expression grew dark, “You should be.”
It reached out its arm and rested it on the roof of one of the buildings, the paneling caving in under its massive weight, but able to support it none the less. Sweetie Belle backed away as far as possible, leaning back against the wooden gate behind her as though it would provide some protection. This reaction only seemed to humor the dragon further, the grin on its face growing all the brighter.
“Get away from her!”
The voice echoed through the alley as a third unicorn entered the scene, taking a defensive stance in front of Sweetie Belle. At least, Rarity thought that it was a unicorn. The purple stallion before her was large. The horn on his head was crooked in the form of a lightning bolt, and his underside was matted with hair like a sheepdog. His tail was long and muscular, his eyes glowing green. He hissed at the dragon angrily, the hairs on his back standing on end as his ears flattened against his head. He acted more like an animal than a pony, but despite that, the connection clicked in Rarity's mind, finally recognizing the stallion.
“Spike?! What are you DOING?! What's gotten into you?!”
Spike honestly didn't know WHAT he was doing. He was scared out of his wits by this monster, and yet here he was, standing up against it like a fool. He should have ran, that's what he always would have done. But something deep inside of him had taken control, giving him strength, giving him courage. Something instinctual that told him to protect the filly at all costs.
The dragon moved his head forwards until he was only a mere three feet from the two ponies, growling as he displayed his teeth to them. He had every intent to just snap his jaws down on them and end it, but then he paused. Its nostrils flared as it inhaled the air around them, picking up on the scent of something that was strongly familiar to it.
“What are you?” It asked, continuing to smell the air, “You...look like them, these ponies. But you, you smell like one of us. A serpent.” he stared at Spike for a long moment, thinking it over in his mind, “What have they done to you? What sorcery is this?”
“I did this to myself. This was MY decision. MINE!” Spike barked, trying to address the blame away from the equines and solely on himself, knowing that the beast found disgust in this.
“You would forsake your own kind, and for what? Them?!” it sieved with rage, slamming its arm into the building on its lift, knocking the top floor clean off, “Look at them. They're weak. What is there that they could offer when you could have power?”
“What's power without friends?” Spike questioned rhetorically, “I'd rather have them than to be alone. To be weak, if power means that I'd become a monster like you!”
“Monster?” it repeated, suddenly spreading a wicked smile across its face, “And what will your friends gain you now? Look around, there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. You're all alone.” it said fiercely, as the scales on its chest and neck began to glow.
Spike went wide-eyed the moment that he realized what was about to happen, “Sweetie Belle, get back!” he commanded, backing up closer to the gate.
“If you would rather have them than your own flesh, then you can die with them!” he hissed, before he thrusted his head forwards, spewing a jet of flames at the two ponies. Spike wheeled around and grabbed Sweetie Belle and pulled her close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her just as the flames consumed them both. Rarity screamed, out of anger and horror she cried out, quick to create a barrier between herself and them before the fire could engulf her as well. She stared weakly as tears began to fill her eyes, frightened to go near the barrier for fear of the heat. What could she do? She could only watch, as her sister and friend were turned to ash.
The dragon would have continued to blow the fires into the alleyway but was cut short rather suddenly when a surge of purple magic blasted against its head. The beast wheeled it's body around and bellowed angrily as a streak of lavender soared across the sky, leading them both away.
Twilight.
Rarity was left alone in the alley, allowing the barrier to fall. The gate was glowing bright orange from the heat it had endured. The lock-in particular steaming. Rarity grabbed a pipe with her magic and began slamming it against the lock, hitting it relentlessly until it gave, falling to the ground with a metallic thud. The gate swung open, and the mare ran out and fell before the pillar of ashes that was the two ponies she knew. The form of Spike loomed over that of her sister, who remained unseen under his large body. She slowly brushed her hoof against his cheek, flakes of ash falling away as she then rubbed her face against his, tears streaming down from her eyes. They were gone, and she had been powerless to help them. She had-
“Ugh...”
Rarity gasped, backing away from the forms in surprise. The layers around Spike's front limbs began to crack, until the joints on his hooves bent outwards, shaking slightly as they fought to break free. Rarity immediately rushed over to help, pulling off chunks of ash so that he could better move, slowly able to find the strength to free his head, gasping for air the moment the ash plate covering his muzzle fell away.
“Spike!” Rarity elated. They were alive!. At least she hoped they BOTH were, “But...how? Are you alright?”
“Ohhh...Get back to me on that, would ya?” he groaned, lifting his hooves to his head so that he could reposition it and crack the muscles in his neck. His coat and mane had been completely burnt off, leaving his skin naked and exposed. But, as Rarity observed, his pink flesh was slowly beginning to recover its losses, growing new hairs that became more profound by the second. Rarity brushed a hoof against it, drawing a raised eyebrow from the kirin. His skin felt hard, like a stone under her touch, which became soft as he relaxed. It was like an armor, and no doubt it had protected him from the fire's touch.
The mare's attention was drawn away from him by a soft grunt that came from the ash casing beneath Spike's belly. Rarity looked down inquisitively as the casing cracked and fell away like an eggshell, and sitting there, dirty and coughing, was the little form of her sister.
“SWEETIE BELLE!” Rarity beamed, grabbing the filly and holding her close to her chest, laughing and crying with joy. Sweetie began to squirm from her sister's assault, not liking the fact of being smothered, only seeming to urge Rarity to hug her even tighter. “Can't...breath!” she squealed, prompting her immediate release.
“I'm so sorry, Sweetie Belle. I really am.” Rarity apologized, wiping away a tear from her eyes, failing to restrain a few happy giggles, “I just thought I'd lost you.”
Rarity then turned to Spike, “How? How did you know that the fire wouldn't hear you?”
“I-I didn't,” he admitted, rubbing his hoof through his mane, which was now halfway grown to its full length.
“You...didn't?”
“I...” Spike started, now beginning to come to terms with the fact that he was still alive, “I just figured that, that if I used my body to cover her like a shield, she couldn't get hurt. But, I didn't think I'd survive.”
Rarity stared blankly for a long moment, processing what he had just said to her through her mind. He hadn't known. As far as he had been concerned, he was going to die, and yet despite this, he was willing to sacrifice it, all to protect Sweetie. For a moment, she couldn't understand this. But soon the facts made it clear to her. Spike had undergone a change, but not of the physical. It was a change in his very nature, as he was not the bravest person she knew. She knew that his normal reaction to a situation was to run, but here he had thought of Sweetie Belle's life and her life alone, while completely disregarding his own. In the past few weeks she had been questioning her relationship with him based solely on the physical, but in that time, she should have been questioning his character. And at that moment, Rarity could see clearly what kind of man he would become. A good man. A selfless man. A man who would be there for her when she needed him, and would always put her first. That's what she wanted, and that's what she needed.
Perhaps when this was all over and done with, she'd write to Princess Celestia on what she had learned about one judging others. But that would have to wait until later. For now, she had some unfinished business to attend to.
“Spike?” she said, calling for him to give her his attention.
“Huh?” Spike only had the time to turn his head and face Rarity before he felt himself being forced back as she leaned in to kiss him. A startled groan escaped his throat. Spike hadn't been expecting this, starting to panic as she pressed her muzzle deeper into his. However, after a few moments, he began to relax into her eagerness, to the point that he began to return those affections. Rarity moaned happily. For someone as inexperienced as him, he was a surprisingly good kisser.
“What the heck did I miss?!”
Spike and Rarity's little moment was cut short by the sound of a particularly familiar party pony's voice. Both ponies separated immediately, Rarity wearing the funniest guilty expression as she blushed in embarrassment, while Spike began to whistle in a vain attempt to fake his innocence. Pinkie Pie could only laugh at their situation. These two, sharing what in her opinion was a beautifully intimate moment, and as soon as another pony saw them, they acted as if they had just been caught stealing all of Canterlot's gold.
“Well, how long has THIS been going on?” she asked in a teasing voice.
“Just-Just now!” Rarity answered, sheepish all the way, generating even more hysterics.
“I think this was their first kiss.” Sweetie Belle elated, causing both the smile on Pinkie's face to grow all the brighter and the blush on Rarity to run all the deeper.
“Awww. Really?!” she gasped, walking over to where Sweetie Belle was standing, both of them smiling ear to ear, “That's so cute!”
“Cute?!” Rarity and Spike said in unison, completely floored by Pinkie's attitude towards this, “Doesn't this even bother you?” Rarity asked.
“Nah, I've seen weirder. Besides, it's nice to see something good come out of all this.” Pinkie said with little to no care.
“Wait, why are you here?” Spike spoke up, finally questioning her presence.
Pinkie puffed out her cheeks as she dug down into her thoughts. Why was she here again? Spike and Rarity kissing had really distracted her more than she thought it would. Twilight was going to FREAK OUT when she hears about this. After all, she tended to teeter towards the overprotective type from time to time when involving Spike or Nyx. Who knows what she'd do to Rarity. Then there were their friends. Applejack would no doubt use this to tease Rarity since the two were always fussing each other, but nothing that wouldn't be in good fun. Rainbow Dash on the other hoof would be most immature about it. Pinkie could just see her now, rolling on the ground, snorting and laughing obnoxiously, making herself look like a foal. And Fluttershy...
Fluttershy.
The smile faded from Pinkie's face as the reason as to why she had come came back to her, “Applejack sent me. Something bad has happened.”
“Bad? What's wrong? What's happened?” Rarity asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
Pinkie turned her head away, “I'm not sure. But Fluttershy is in trouble, that I'm sure of. My Pinkie sense has been going haywire since all this started, and not in a way that I've ever felt before.”
“It's a pain in my heart, and it's getting worse,” she said, placing a hoof to her chest.
“What does that mean?”
But Pinkie honestly didn't know. She didn't want to know. But if one thing was for certain, it was that she knew, deep down in her heart, that it could only be one possible thing.
////
GRRRAAAAAAAAWWWRRRRRRR!!!!
Twilight banked to the left as a jet of flames barreled past her. The dragon roared furiously at her, doing everything in its power to destroy the pestful pony. However, she was flying too fast for it to follow, zipping across the sky with the agility of a fly. Not that she felt any safety in this.
Twilight had to put everything into her wing strength just to stay ahead, brushing dangerously close to being hit more than once. This made it difficult to target the beast with her magic, but when she did manage to find the opportunity to strike, the effect of the blast was similar to that of being shoot with a taser-gun. But this didn't seem to faze the dragon enough, only seeming to anger it further. Twilight swooped down and made a pass by a row of buildings, which was followed by the monster's burst stream of destruction, impacting into the structures with such force that it demolished them to the ground.
The mare reevaluated her options and sought for a higher altitude, and in response, the dragon spread its mighty wings and took flight. Soon it caught up with her, roaring out a challenge as they flew against one another in a great circle. Twilight speed up as fast as her wings would allow, but it was futile against the strength the dragon had in the air. So if she couldn't outfly it, perhaps she could outflank it, she thought as she devised a plan. The beast attacked again, blowing huge columns of fire at her. She easily dodged it, but then she dive-bombed, flaying her wings out erratically to make it appear that she had been injured. The dragon quickly followed, gaping its jaws open as it got close to make the kill. But she wasn't finished yet.
Twilight suddenly shot upwards, blasting past the dragon's head up into the sky. The beast wheeled upwards after her, firing more flames at its enemy. But Twilight had anticipated this, stopping and breaking to her right, rolling in the air away from the burning until she faced the beast, flying forwards towards it. Twilight charged up another spell, but this time it was different. The magic she was now casting was one of her most potent of spells, an energy beam that was powerful enough to cut through solid steel. It was one that she did not wish to use, but what choice did she have?
Twilight reared her head back and fired, sending the beam blasting towards the dragon with accurate precision. The spell met its mark, cutting across the dragon's abdomen, contacting on it's left side and working it's way up to the dragon's right shoulder. Twilight waited, expecting at any moment that the dragon would fall, no longer able to fly due to its injury.
Nothing.
“What?!” Twilight gasped in panic. She examined it's body quickly and found that her spell hadn't actually affected the beast at all, not even leaving the mark of a magical burn. But the state of her foe was the least of her problems. She was now on a collision course with the serpent, with no time to fly out of its way, and the distance was closing fast. She had bet on everything that the dragon would drop out of the sky from her attack, and now her miscalculation was going to cost her. She dove fast, able to avoid the hit by flying dangerously close to the underbelly of the beast. She had escaped the jaws of death, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid the flick of its tail, which whirled in the air like a whip and slammed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs as she fell to the earth.
Twilight was falling too fast. She couldn't slow down. She couldn't get her wings to open. She didn't even have the time to teleport. She could only cast a spell that covered her body in a protective shell as she crashed down into one of the buildings below like a meteor. Twilight groaned, fighting to keep herself from falling into unconsciousness. She felt so light-head like she wanted to sleep. Although, maybe that wouldn't be so bad...
No! Don't blackout, Twilight! She told herself, casting a spell that spiked her adrenaline levels. Twilight looked around. The building had ceased to burn long before, and the structure left unstable, it had easily collapsed under her impact. Therefore, she was exposed, and that was a dangerous state to be in. Twilight tried to move, only to scream in the process. She looked down at her left wing and arm, which were trapped under a heavy beam. She tried to move it with her magic, but it hurt too much. No doubt they were broken, that she was almost sure of.
Twilight's blood ran cold as the dragon let out an animalistic bellow, casting its shadow on the mare as it flew low above Ponyville. The dragon glided down and reared it's body up, flapping its wings to slow it's speed as it made a landing several blocks away, standing on top of the buildings that buckled under its weight, but otherwise stayed erect. The beast growled in maleficence, staring across the distance at Twilight with glowing, dagger-like eyes.
“Fool! Did you really think that you could defeat me with your pathetic incantations.” It asked with a cold sneer, mocking her as it began to draw closer. Twilight froze in terror, so silent that she could hear her own heartbeat, “You are not yet strong enough to even harm me with your sorcery, witch.”
Twilight became frantic, trying to move the beam without caring whether or not it put her in excruciating pain. She turned to gauge the approach of the dragon and found herself drawn into its gaze. She had heard that a dragon's most powerful of weapons were deception and the art of manipulation through doubt, and to stare into one's eyes would cause even the mightiest of men to fall under their spell. Now Twilight was under that spell. Unmoved, unable to think. Paralyzed.
“Are you injured? Oh, that is a shame. Your Princess should never have left you alone. Of course, I suppose that I would have had faith in my student after all the great things you have done.” It said, condescension dripping from its tone.
“H-How do you know me?” Twilight forced out, finding it hard to form words.
“Please. Word has spread wide of the mighty deeds done by the infamous Twilight Sparkle.” the beast answered, now standing only two blocks away above the top of the town square, “I have heard how you helped to destroy Nightmare Moon, how you reformed Discord, and threw the great Tirek back into the depths of the abyss. You have done these things as I am told, and yet, I thought you would have put up more of a challenge. How disappointing.”
The serpent smiled demonically, “Not that I didn't expect it. Your Princesses have lived for over a millennium, and in which are powerful indeed, and could drive me from their lands. But for all their strength they cannot harm me, and compared to them, you are young, weak, and broken. Therefore now there is nothing to stop me from taking your precious Canterlot and burn it to the ground, so that I may build my kingdom upon its ashes!”
“Y-You're a monster,” Twilight said, finding that she had no power left in her voice.
“Monster? That is a matter of perspective.” the dragon said with a sort of self-pride, “Your kind rules these lands as if you are safe. As if you think that you cannot be touched, that you cannot be challenged. But in reality, you are at the bottom of the food-chain. The Order of Nature is broken by the chaos. It is then that nature creates monsters to bring back the order. And it is monsters like me, that will show the world how weak you truly are.”
Twilight was silent.
The dragon grinned all the deeper, “For a moment, I considered on letting you live, so that you could see your kingdom fall, and all those you love die. Then you would know how pointless it is for you to resist. To fight.”
“But you know, you and Equestria are the same, and just like it, you need to be put out of your pitiful existence.” it hissed, the belly of the beast began to glow.
CRACK-KABOOM!!!
The sky above the two adversaries was born alight as lightning cracked violently across the clouds, forcing both of their gazes upwards. The flashes were fierce and blinding to the eye, each touching down randomly across the town that steadily made a path towards them. Then a bolt struck down in the middle of the street between them, sending sparks in all directions as the pillar of light lingered for several moments before dissipating, leaving a large white pony behind.
Twilight knew him the moment she laid eyes on him. Novis.
Novis rose from the ground that he knelt upon and stared emotionless at the beast. His form was the same as the day that Twilight had first met him, his size larger than that of even Celestia's. His mane was blown softly in the wind, making his appearance, combined with his unyielding stance and tightening muscles, that of pure strength. His countenance remained unmoved by the dragon's foreboding intimidation, for he was here to make a stand, and he wasn't backing down.
“What is this? Who are you to stand and defy me? To challenge ME?!” it shouted, angered that it had been interrupted from concluding it's sick game, “I lay low one of your 'great' leaders, and yet here before me stands another, who of which I do not know. Shall I be challenged by all, as if to be some spectacle of a sport? And now they send one, who wields no more than parlor tricks? I-”
“Be silent! Hold back your mocking!” Novis said in a calm but commanding voice, which silenced the serpent's tongue, “I am a Servant of the Light, and your words mean nothing but to dishearten and to sow the seeds of doubt in the heart, and I will have none of it!”
The dragon growled angrily, cursing Novis for his wisdom to not heed his words, “So, your will is strong. It is certainly an improvement to my previous engagement.”
“Leave her be,” Novis said defensively, stepping in front of Twilight, “She knows much of magic, but she's still only a child, and as such has much to learn.”
“Ha! It matters not. What is the conquest of one over that of a nation?”
“Indeed. But you enjoy a challenge when it is made as I have seen, so how would it be if I challenge you?” Novis asked.
This statement only made the dragon snort with laughter, “You? What hope do you have against me?”
“Well, it's not for me, but these ponies. It's my duty to protect them. I would even be willing to set up wagers. If I win, you are to leave these lands, never to return.”
“Why should I bother to wager with you, when I have already won? Look around and see all that I have wrought? You are in no position to set anything as such!” the dragon barked, beginning to lose its patience.
“Yes, I can see you've been busy. But business takes time, and time spent needlessly is time wasted. That is why I set another wager. If I lose, everypony in Equestria will leave with no protest, and you will have this kingdom freely.” Novis proposed, grinning confidently at the monster before him.
The dragon craned its head back and thought over it, for a moment considering to accept such a wager. And then the grin on its face became twisted and dark, smiling smugly at Novis, “Your offer is good, but unneeded. If it's any consolation, I was never going to let them live. After all, to let your filthy race continue would be an abomination, one that makes me sick.”
“And I think, I'll start...with you!”
The dragon roared, and rearing its head back, it sent a blaze of fire at the stallion. Novis never moved, he only closed his eyes as the flames took him. Twilight cried out in alarm, conjuring up a field of magic to shield her from the oncoming flames. Twilight couldn't believe that Novis had stood there and done nothing, allowing himself to be killed. Everything about this was insane, and now they were all going to lose their lives.
A tear fell from Twilight's eye.
The dragon ceased it's assault and laughed, “HA! So much for the noble one!” It hissed out with glee, it's tongue darting out of its mouth like the snake it was.
It continued to laugh until it noticed the flames had not died away. The flames danced around in a sphere, swirling about like hurricanes upon the Globe. It became like a fluid, rippling like water as it began to reform itself. The fire changed color. From the hot orange of embers to the soft vibrancy of blue, glowing as static ripped across its surface. Twilight watched as the sphere grew in brilliance, before it shot like a bullet, smacking the dragon in the abdomen, sending it flying back into the buildings behind.
Novis stood unharmed before Twilight, a frown burned deep in his expression as anger filled his being,
“Oh, you should've taken the offer.”
Novis turned his gaze to the sky, which as if in response to his will, darkened and contorted into the full strength of a storm. Thunder rolled across the town, the rumbling shaking the earth with its power. Twilight looked in awe at him, expecting to see him display a spectacle of magical mastery. But, his horn wasn't glowing, no aurora of magic came off from his body. He was in control of the storm, but he was in control by the principal of mere thought.
The clouds swirled in a vortex above, as lightning struck down in the street at every point. Static pulsated from Novis's limbs, his horn glowing as he casted a spell that lifted him three feet from the ground. He started mumbling back into his native language, reciting ancient incantations that attracted the bolts to strike his body, though no matter how strong any of them were, none did him any harm. With each bolt, his form changed, from that in the physical realm to a being of pure energy. Twilight watched as his body was enveloped in yet another sphere.
The lightning from the storm ceased its assault, the sphere now strong enough to generate it's own. Streams of electricity touched upon the buildings around, moving up and down the sides like a lightning orb. Symbols of his language danced in the air around the sphere as well, forming the Sorcerer's Circle.
Then it ended in an explosion of light and sound.
Twilight placed her hoof over her face to protect herself from the dust and small stones that blew past. The wind was picking up now, whipping past in short burst. Twilight looked into the cloud of smoke left behind by the orb of light. The smoke was picked up by the breeze, and clearing away the veal, revealed the form hidden behind.
Twilight gasped.
What was before her was NOT a pony. The silhouette stood on two legs, increasing it's height exceptionally. As the form became more clear, she saw that it was indeed Novis, but was also very much human. Only, he wasn't like any human she had ever seen. Twilight had estimated that the humans she had seen were just a bit taller than Cadance was, ranging around the four-foot spectrum by their measurements. But he was much larger, unquestionably greater than six feet. Also, his skin was no longer white, but a light-tanned fleshy color. His electric-blue hair danced lightly in the breeze along with the robes he wore. He wore his robes like a trench coat, long, gray clothing along with a blue cloth that he had placed around his shoulders like a pontiff, while hard metal armor was worn underneath. Yes, he would indeed be considered human, if not for one thing.
Two, magnificent wings that protruded from his shoulders, flexing and cracking in anticipation for what was to come.
An Angel.
“My God.” Twilight allowed to slip from her lips, frozen in disbelief.
Lightning lit up the street as the beginning of rain poured down, filling the scene with its sound. Yet, another sound penetrated the air with it. The dragon had picked itself back up and roared out in a terrible rage. Novis braced himself, just as the beast took a large stone that it held in its claws and through it at the biped, hoping to crush him like an insect. The stone hurled at him with tremendous speed, but Novis stood his ground, lifting his hands up in a motion to catch it. The rock made impact with its target head-on, and Twilight was certain that he would be killed, however, it was not to be. The man was forced back by the impact, his legs tearing through the mud twenty feet back, but he came to a halt quickly, holding the boulder over his head.
Twilight was astounded. The stone no doubt weight over a ton, and yet here he was, grunting under it before he tossed it to the ground beside him. Novis put his hands out, allowing a current of electricity to flow between his fingertips, until he ramped up enough energy could be fired, jerking his arms at the dragon to shoot lightning at it through his hands. Each bolt hit the beast at a different point, and with each, the serpent shrieked in anger and pain.
Novis then jumped into the air, and with a spin his form became pure light before he literally cracked like a thunderbolt and struck the dragon, sending them both up into the clouds in a display of blinding light.
Twilight squeaked in both alarm and pain the moment Novis lit up the street with his body, shutting her eyes tightly and covering them with her hoof. Twilight whimpered in agony, hissing as it shot through her brain like a knife. Twilight lifted her gaze around, trying to see her surroundings. But she couldn't, for everything she looked upon was black.
Twilight was blind.
Her world now in darkness, Twilight's hearing became hyper-focused, picking up on even the most subtle of sounds. Minutes past by, and Twilight darted her head left and right, listening and becoming ever fearful for what might come. The rain made it difficult to hear, but for a moment, the mare thought she heard...flapping. Yes, after a moment of focusing on the sound, it was clear that she was hearing the wing-beat of a creature approaching. For a moment, she became afraid. Was it the dragon returning? No, it was too soft a sound for such a massive beast. So, Twilight continued to listen curiously, and soon she found her answer.
“TWILIGHT!? TWILIGHT, ARE YOU HERE?” a voice called out, one that was familiar and pleasant to her ears.
“Flash? I'm here! I need you!” she called, soon hearing his steady approach.
“Twilight? Oh man, what happened?” he asked, walking over to the beam trapping Twilight.
“It's a long story. Please just get me out of here. It hurts too much for me to do it on my own.”
Flash Sentry complied and got into a lifting position, grunting as he picked the slab of wood off the ground. Twilight bit down on her hoof as the pain shoot up her side, muffled whimpers escaping her throat. But the pain soon past and the beam was put to the side, Flash now smiling down on the mare.
“There! That wasn't so bad, now was it?” he said, leaning down to help her up, “Can you walk on your own?”
“No, I can't see. Something's wrong with my eyes. Agh!” Twilight cried, falling to her knees the moment she tried to take a step. Flash was immediately by her side, picking her back up and allowing her to lean on his side.
“Stay with me. You've fractured your leg, so try to keep it off the ground.” he directed, taking a look at Twilight, “let me check you.”
The pegasus took a small flashlight from his bags and flashed it in her eyes, checking her pupil dilation reaction, “Can you see anything at all?”
“No.”
“Alright, it looks like there's some nerve damage to the cornea. Nothing permanent I think, but here.” Flash took two pieces of cotton and placed them over her eyes, then taking out a roll of bandages, he wrapped them around her head and over her eyes to keep the white fluff in place.
“Okay, that should keep them from getting any worse,” he said, beginning to lead Twilight away from the broken remains of the building,
“Come on, we need to get to Fluttershy's house.”
“Fluttershy's? Why?” Twilight asked, a sense of urgency in her voice.
“I don't know. Something's happened, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran off in a hurry, but I don't have the details. They told me to come find you.”
“And Nyx? Is she...?”
“Nyx is fine. She's with Applejack.” Flash reassured, calming any fears Twilight may have had regarding her only child.
Twilight lowered her head, her mind filled with discontent and worry. She was happy to know that two of her friends and Nyx were fine, but Fluttershy? She hoped to Celestia that she was okay. The two continued to walk as the rain fell, damping their coats with each drop while the stallion led the way. Twilight leaned on Flash Sentry as they moved, using him as her crutch. But she was glad that he was here, even if he was hard to talk to...
“Flash?” she asked softly, gaining his attention, “Did...you call me Twilight?”
Flash stiffened a little, feeling a sense of nervousness, “I-I guess I did.”
Twilight was silent for a moment, and then hummed happily, “Thank you.” she said, leaning just a little closer to him than before.
////
Everything was quiet, save for the falling rain and the occasional roll of thunder. But to Twilight, the world was full of sound. She could hear everything, from the rustling of leaves in the trees to the faint bellow of the dragon far up in the clouds above. After everything that had happened today, she was going to have to have a long time to evaluate matters. Her sense of smell was also sensitive at the moment, picking up the scent of the wet grass, the rain, and smoke.
They were nearing the cottage now, and Twilight could smell the smoldering fumes as they approached. She could tell that there ware multiple ponies running to and fro, shouting and running around to accomplish some task that was unknown to her, “Flash, what's happening?” She asked, now relying on him for her sight.
“The cottage is on fire! Everypony is working to extinguish the flames. They almost have it out!” he said, looking around for her friends.
“And Fluttershy? Can you see her?” Twilight asked hopefully.
“No. She's not here,” he said dejectedly, letting out a sigh.
“Twilight!” a voice called, the pony it belonged to walking up hurriedly beside them.
“Applejack?” Twilight called, suddenly feeling herself being wrapped into a strong hug, immediately recognizing the pony by the smell of green apples on her coat. But there was something else, a wetness on her cheeks. She was crying.
“Oh Twilight, thank Celestia you're safe!” she said, sniffing as she wiped away a few tears from her eyes. The farm pony looked up at the mare, and gasped the moment she saw the bandages, “Are you alright?”
“I'm...fine, Applejack. I should ask the same of you. Are you crying? What's wrong?” Twilight asked, before another question raised itself up in her mind, “Wait, where's Fluttershy?”
“She's gone, Twilight. She's gone!” Applejack cried, trembling in her voice.
“What do you mean she's gone?” Flash Sentry asked before Twilight quieted him and raised a hoof to her friend.
“Applejack, what's happened?” she asked, though she was afraid of the answer.
“Oh Twilight...” she began.
Twilight's ears drooped, for by the way that Applejack held her tone, she knew what she was going to say.
“Fluttershy's...dead.”
////
Well, THAT'S finally finished!
Coming Soon: Chapter 12: Lazarus
Bonus-New Novis Art!:
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Wow, Folklorebrony that chapter 11 was very good.
This chapter and the fighting is awesome
I couldn't stop reading it but I did go sad on fluttershy death. 
*got
7248795 what does Got*
7248841 I didn't add got to my comment and instead saying " I got sad of fluttershy death" I accidentally put "go"
7248849 oh well, on with the show.
7246642 Dude, do you have two accounts or something?
5985717 So, do you like what I've done with Spike so far?
6360241 What do you think of the new chapter?
7275677 There's an eleventh chapter, you know that right?
This comment was made by ctran03931 on Fanfiction.com
A deadly storm had indeed rage thanks to the previous events and the invasion orchestrated a dark figure, a bloodthirsty and cold-hearted tyrant of a dragon, from Novis' tragic past that followed. It's a battle of life and death as everyone in Ponyville involved and dragged into the conflict could only fight back futilely and flee to safety. At the same time, with the help of the CMC, Novis found a sense of redemption in him he never had since his race's downfall and he resolved to fight back against his dark past. But when Twilight gets word that Fluttershy was killed by the dragon tyrant, would her whole world once again be thrown into a tailspin thanks to her previous selfish actions?
This is gonna be the very thing that'll light up the tragedy fuse and the start of Novis finding his newfound resolve to confront his past, destroy it and leave it behind for good. Looks like Spike now knows the benefits he has of being a Kirin instead of a baby dragon; he can actually protect all he cares about better now for a start. Somehow, the battle between Novis and the dragon tyrant from his past brings me back to the events of Eren transforming into a Titan and then attacking to defend his friends and comrades from their monstrous enemies and during his final battle with Annie in Berserk Mode in the Season 1 finale when he succumbed to his anger in Attack on Titan.
You really went above and beyond with this one, totally amazing.
So after fighting off sleep to finish this last chapter that was well written and thought out as it has been so far you let Fluttershy die . I have read of deranged fans and people who swore they were married to the Princess, but until now I thought it all as humorous and not real in an actual sence . You let her die and I realize the pain that is felt with it as I am capable of allowing my entire being to be wrapped up into a story and using my imagination to create a new reality of that which is written and you let her die .
7276712 Well, there is still one more chapter left before Act 1 is finished(Acts 2 and 3 will be released soon after), so just wait.
7301027 She's an OC character created for the HUGELY popular Past Sins fan-fic. She's basically a reincarnation of Nightmare Moon gone wrong, but in a good way. It's a GREAT story, go look it up some time. I hope to hear more of your thoughts for the other chapters. And did you find this story from G+?
7301134 I thought so, glad someone else does.
7301164 ???
7301061 why yes. Yes I did. Lovely ending.
can't wait for an update. 
I await their asendence. If you do not understand, then you have poor memory. 
Also: Dead or missing? Is there a body to prove death or ashes thought to be flutters? I have read too many fanfics to believe she is dead. I await your plot twist.
One more: I saw what you did there.
7301447 Body. Mostly intact. MOSTLY.
7301447 asendence? What? Yes, I do have bad memory. Please explain.
7301581
, Nyx and novis thoughts
7301890 Ah yes. Of course, she already an alicorn, so that can only mean ONE thing...
7301935
7301962
7276712 On a scale of one to ten, how good was Chapter 11?
7248849 On a scale of one to ten, how good was Chapter 11?
6860607 On a scale of one to ten, how good was Chapter 11?
6630757 On a scale of one to ten, how good was Chapter 11?
6360241 On a scale of one to ten, how good was Chapter 11?
5304339 On a scale of one to ten, how good was Chapter 11?
5298557 On a scale of one to ten, how good was Chapter 11?
I will give chapter 11 a 9
-"Eavesdrop on other pony's"
*ponies'
-" I even put Twilight in a dangerous because I thought that she had lied to me, that she didn't love me anymore."
"In a dangerous position did you mean?
-“Wow, hold on for a minute"
Wow----------->Woah
-"others in harms way"
*harm's way
-"dead fillies on my concuss"
*conscious
-"large pocket of PCB covering covering the area"
*remove the extra "covering".
-" or you breath it in"
* breathe
- mass of it's body"
*its
-" than it's predecessors"
*its
-"it's back horned and jagged"
*its
-"and it's head"
*its
-"like a snake in it's"
*its
-"execute it's dark purposes"
"its"
-"swing of it's mighty arm"
*its
"-improve it's fashion appearance"
*its
-"placed over her mussel"
*muzzle
-" What on earth is a matter?”
a------->the
-" staring up at her, it's eyes gleaming with"
*its
-" tell the world of it's amber"
*its
-" It's eye glowed mercilessly as it darted it's long,"
*its
*its
-" It's head was massive, with a mouth"
*its
-"devour ten ponies in one bit"
bit----->bite
-"one bit, it's jawline up"
*its
-"It's scales were metallic"
*its
-"Belle, it's gaze upon"
*its
-"forming on it's face,"
*its
-"with hints of it's"
*its
-"found herself paralyzed in it's monstrous"
*its
-" before it's expression grew"
*its
" It reached out it's arm"
*its
-"paneling caving in under it's"
*its
-" the grin on it's face"
*its
-"Its nostrils flared as"
*its
"-It's nostrils flared as it"
*its
"-it sieved with rage"
"it" should be capitalized
-"Look at them. Their weak."
*they're
--"fire wouldn't hear you"
*harm
-"The smile faded from Pinkie's face as the reason to why she had come came back to her"
Omit "came".
-"doing everything in it's"
*its
"-to that of being shoot"
*Shot
"-Twilight speed up as fast as"
*sped
"-The dragon quickly followed, gaping it's jaws"
*its
"-firing more flames at it's"
*its
-"slow it's speed as it made"
*its
-"dripping from it's tone"
*its
-"build my kingdom upon it's"
*its
-"concluding it's sick game"
*its
-" beginning to lose it's patience."
*its
-"The dragon ceased it's assault"
*its
-"static ripped across it's"
*its
-"The lightning from the storm ceased it's"
*its
-"generate it's own"
*its
-"increasing it's height"
*its
-"filling the scene with it's"
*its
-"that it held in it's claws"
*its
-"The rock made impact with it's target"
*its
A question concerning the nature of Novis' purpose.
" The sole purpose of his being was to preserve all that lived on the planet, and he hadn't been able to fulfill that oath, so now what was the point of HIM being?"
Firstly, what do you mean by, "preserve all that lived on the planet"? As in all life? Or just sentient life?
Also, love Novis' appearance. Carries a manly, commanding presence.
What is his cutimark exactly?