BEDLAM III: Quiet on the Set

by Gormless Wheaton

Chapter 18

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Despite the lack of magic, Celestia and Luna were able to keep the former's mechanical double off balance long enough for Flurry to help Cadance pry herself out of the tower wall she'd been slammed through, and for me to assess the rest of the situation from high above.

Despite having that horrible mockery under his control, Bedford clearly didn't have a strong enough grasp of her abilities. The garden had been burned down, sure, but the yaks had managed to haul back any guards who had been injured during the initial clash. Our unicorns had shields erected over the windows and entry points to the rest of the castle, preventing Bedford from throwing spells inside.

Down in the ashen pit that used to be the garden, the girls were harrying Bedford's Celestia from all sides and Lace and Rutherford had jumped into the fray just a moment ago.

It would have been funny if it wasn't so grim. Rainbow and Applejack used to joke about who could take Celestia in a fight, to my annoyance. Now that the two had a semblance of a chance, they were proving their respective speed and strength were enough to compete with at least a version of her when combined.

Rainbow darted low and swept her legs out from under her allowing Applejack to whirl around and kick her in the side of the head. She went sprawling for a few feet, and before she could steady herself, Rutherford bodyslammed her to the ground. As soon as he did, Lace leaped over him and hurled a set of knives into her. I winced at the sight but was immediately reminded that the poor creature wasn't alive.

There wasn't any blood, only sparks from that metal thing embedded in her. And like something out of a horror story, the unliving thing let out a hiss and let out a blast of magic, hurling Rutherford off.

A boom from near the throne room drew my attention away, and I saw Ember pinned under KS 6's hooves against the wall. I scowled and took off towards the pair in a single wing beat. As the machine craned her head back and charged her horn, I teleported right beside her and blasted her. She responded by twisting her head around and shooting my spell with a beam of her own.

The second she did, however, Ember let out a roar and snapped forward like a cragadile and sank her teeth into 6's neck. I cut my spell and rushed forward, grabbing the golem by the lower body and pulling with all my might and magic. She let out an angry shriek as Ember and I pulled in different directions.

With Ember's strength, and my magic aiding me, KS 6 came apart at the chest, and sparking glittering gemstones as well as a spray of hot, rubber-smelling ooze ruptured out, soaking me since I was lower in the air.

[EDDY!] KS 6 screamed just before Ember pulled her fangs out and clamped them on her head. The golem kicked with her remaining legs before Ember wrenched the top of her head off with a crunch. The machine went limp and crackled with magic for a moment.

Ember spat out the chewed-up metal and dropped the unmoving golem before shooting me a smirk and a nod. I returned the gesture before we took off in tandem. The ooze dripping from my mane stung my eyes and breathing it made me woozy as I flew toward Celestia and Luna. Despite that, Ember and I joined the skirmish with the mechanical Celestia just as the golem managed to snare both Celestia and Luna in a ring of magic.

The sisters struggled and cried out as the ring squeezed them, but Ember shot forward and pelted the machine with a gout of fire, distracting it long enough for me to counter its spell by cutting the ring with my horn.

[Cursed dragon!] The golem roared and snapped its wings out, blasting the flames back just in time for the sisters to slam into it again. As they did, Ember rushed forward, grabbed its horn with both claws and began violently wrenching its head around. The golem screamed in anger, and smoke started rising from Ember's claws with a sizzle.

I flapped my wings and tried to help her, but my head spun again from the fumes. I blinked a few times and let out a thick, chesty cough.

"Are you okay?" I panted and looked up to see Flurry standing over me. Blinking a few more times, I realized I was lying on the ground.

"What happened?" I croaked, wincing from a sore throat that suddenly sprung up.

"Mom saw you fall and we caught you," she replied and gestured to an overturned bucket next to her. "I splashed you with water to get that potion off you since I think it was making you sick."

"Potion?"

"Yeah, it's one of Bedlam's," she said with a frown. "I'm pretty sure it helps his golems work and think better, but I dunno for sure." I considered her words for a moment before nodding.

"Right. We just tore KS 6 apart," I struggled to my hooves and looked up. "What about..?" I squinted to try and make out anything above despite how blurry my eyes were.

"Mom and I beat the KMOON, so she flew to help Aunt Celestia with the other one," Flurry explained as the sight of Ember, the royal sisters, and Cadance overwhelming KSUN steadily cleared up. "I think Bedlam ran away." I frowned and looked at Flurry, who was now hanging her head with a weary look in her eye.

"That's not too surprising," I croaked, draping a wet wing over her shoulder.

"It is to me," she murmured and looked off to the side. Following her eyes, I saw the ruined form of KS 6 lying in pieces. "Those're his machines, aren't they? He didn't even bother trying to take them back."

She clenched her eyes for a moment and looked ahead, at the alternate Celestia who was currently being pinned by Rutherford, Applejack, and Lace, while Rarity worked her gemstone magic on the machine grafted to her.

"And he just left us to deal with... her," she whimpered. The alternate let out a cackle and swore a few times as the gems in her 'helmet' suddenly popped out. She screeched and spasmed before finally going limp with smoke rising off of her. "It's like he doesn't even care what happens to anypony else." Flurry swallowed and looked away for a moment before sniffling. I frowned and pulled her closer.

"That's why your mom and dad don't like you idolizing him, Flurry," I explained as she turned and nuzzled me. "He's a brilliant creature, but he chooses to be bad."

"I- I know, but you used to tell me about everything that happened to him," she sobbed. "I just thought, maybe if we gave him a chance, he could.." She pressed her ears against her skull as an explosion echoed in the air. I glanced up to see KSUN's pieces being scattered before turning back to Flurry.

"He could what?" I pressed, rubbing her shoulder with my wing. She hesitated but finally looked me in the eyes.

"Be better, I dunno. It's not like he didn't do some good stuff, and lots of the bad stuff he did was because ponies were awful to him."

I frowned and held my wing around her for a moment before looking at the scene around us. "Yeah, that might all be true, but there's one pivotal factor you aren't considering." I looked down at her as she tilted her head. I smiled sadly.

"I don't think he wants to be better. I think he just wants to be in control," I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head. "Bedford might be a way more dangerous and deranged version of him, but the things he talked about added up with things I've assumed about Eddy for years."

"They both feel like they have no control, and they're both afraid of having to rely on others," I explained. "I tried to convince Eddy he needed to let other creatures in, but I didn't do a good enough job when I had the chance." I closed my eyes and hummed.

"And now it's probably too late. He won't listen to me, he barely listens to Jury or Tempest, and they're the first creatures he's allowed himself to rely on," I grunted and gave her a weary shrug. "I think the only one he really listens to is himself."

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Comments

[SleeplessChatter]

Interesting that once again, Bedlam is pulled in to deal with a threat and then isn't needed to actually deal with the threat. That said, its not like Badford has really been dealt with yet.

Be curious to see how interactions between Flurry and Bedlam go when he gets back from his trip. That bit at the end just cements in my mind where he's ended up. Though the interesting bit will be whether he really listens to himself.

And against Twilight a bit, I think Bedlam, Jury, and Tempest fed off of each other more than realized. Certainly not in a healthy way given how out of sync they seem to be now. And I strongly suspect that it is Jury and Tempest that won't listen to Bedlam when/if he tries to shift things.