//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: The Demon Within 
// by DOOT_Slayer 
//------------------------------//

Rarity flew as fast as she was physically able to, generating many strong winds in her wake. She knew she had no time to waste, for the sake of her friends.
She flew over the Everfree Forest and the limestone cliffs came into view. Her idea was risky, based entirely on a hunch. It only occurred to her halfway there that she could have completely misinterpreted Zecora’s words, and she might have deserted her friends for nothing. But she had to at least try.
The beauty of the landscape helped reduce Rarity’s anxiety and just barely take her mind off Twilight. They had to win, otherwise her death would be for nothing. She was already going as fast as she could, so there wasn’t much point in fretting.
'My, it’s a shame I wasn’t able to admire the beauty of this place the first time we travelled through it. It’s simply incredible, I must remember to come here with Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle after... come now, you’re on a clock you haven’t got the time for admiration.' She approached the base of the mountain range and began flying upwards into the clouds.


Omega kicked Pinkie Pie in the chest then punched her in the same spot, briefly knocking the air out of her and sending her back. Applejack rushed in to keep Omega busy, opening with an uppercut and a kick; Omega dodged the uppercut and blocked the kick, before the two began trading attacks at a blazing speed. Omega saw an opportunity, and went for it. She ducked one of Applejack's hits, and returned with an uppercut. Omega was about to fire a point blank Nova Strike at Applejack, when suddenly she powered up to kaioken, and retaliated with an elbow strike to the neck; the hit made Omega choke momentarily, and Pinkie rejoined the fray as well. They attacked Omega from both sides, trying to overwhelm her. They attacked her as fast as they consistently could, but Omega still kept up! She even mocked the both of them by putting both her hands behind her back and dodging effortlessly. Then, to add salt to the wound, she laughed in her hysterical manner. With a growl and a burst of anger, Applejack realised the insult being thrown at her.
"Screw you, damn it! See what happens when you taunt us!!" She paused briefly, then increased her multiplier to kaioken X2. Applejack backflipped and kicked Omega into the sky and fired a Heat Dome Attack, being careful to use less ki than the first time. Omega shot a Death Beam back down at Applejack. It shot down with a frightening speed, and Applejack doubted she would be able to match its power. Pinkie knew Applejack didn't have the time to dodge either, so she took the initiative to fire a Dodon Ray to perfectly intercept Omega's attack. They collided before deflecting in random directions. Omega panicked as the Heat Dome Attack closed in on her, undeterred by her Death Beam. She jolted back from her initial position, barely dodging the attack. The yellow beam continued on its path into the sky, eventually dissipating. Applejack dropped out of the kaioken and gripped her arm as an ache grew within it. Omega slowly looked down upon her opponents, smiling slightly.
"Just how long do you think you can last against me? Out of the six… five of you, you two are already tiring out, Rarity has left you, and both the pegasi are too exhausted to fight right now. I’d say this is quite unfortunate for you. After all, you’re my only source of entertainment for now... oh, and you let Twilight die. I bet that stings, doesn’t it?" They managed not to show it, but Pinkie Pie and Applejack knew she was right; they wouldn’t be able to last much longer. They were barely holding there own, and Omega wasn't showing any signs of tiring. They weren’t just fighting for time, they were fighting to live.


Zecora was meditating when Rarity shot over the edge of the plateau, and landed hastily. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling a mix of surprise, curiosity and satisfaction.
"Rarity... to what do I owe you visiting me?"
"All due respect Zecora, drop the small talk. I think you should already know why I'm here." Zecora showed no reaction to this statement. She unfolded her legs, and rose slowly. Rarity had never really noticed it before, but Zecora was a good four inches taller than her, and she was a little intimidated by it.
"I apologise, that was foolish," She finally replied. "I've been observing your battles with Omega. I... I'm sorry Twilight had to perish."
"Nopony else has to! And nopony else will if you help me. I need you to use the power increase spell you mentioned when we were training up here with you." Zecora thought momentarily, before answering the question.
"I must apologise once more, but I cannot give you what you are asking for." Rarity was starting to lose her composure now.
"Pardon me? What do you mean you can't?! Why can’t you? Enlighten me Zecora." Zecora turned around to face Rarity, a blank expression on her face; Rarity realised demanding would get her nowhere with somepony so peaceful. She took a deep breath, and tried again.
"Why won't you help us? Or at least... why don’t you think you can?"
"I designed this spell to take effect in half an hour, no less, and you need it in a few minutes by my guess."
"Forgive me but I... don’t really see the problem."
"The sudden increase in ki would be too much for your body to handle, like holding a star to a candle."
"How bad would it be?" Rarity sounded like she was coming up with an idea.
"Due to the excess, in the worst case you would die from the stress." Zecora could practically see the wheels turning in Rarity’s mind, she stood silent, in a deep train of thought.
"...Do it." She eventually said. There was no hesitation in Rarity’s voice. She was dead serious.
"Are you insane? I will not endanger your life, regardless of the stakes involved in this strife!"
"So you'd rather sit idly by and watch the rest of the world die? Besides, I believe I have a solution." Zecora was taken aback by that.
"Well, I’m quite surprised. Tell me, what method have you surmised?"
"You said the sudden increase in ki is what could kill me," Rarity began. "The auras that surround us are essentially just ki leakage, so if I can increase my aura size enough, I should be able to compensate for the extreme influx of ki." Zecora still had her doubts, but she could see the logic. She began the spell by mixing various powders and other magic ingredients in a mortar. The powder that resulted had a blue glow. She then spread the powder in a circle and created an incantation. She added a burning root to the circle, and it emitted a gloriously bright blue light. Gusts of wind formed around the pair, kicking up snow clouds. Zecora placed a hand on Rarity's chest.
"It’s completely up to you. Are you sure you wish to continue?" She couldn’t disguise the concern she felt.
"Go ahead, what’s the worst that could happen?" Rarity replied nonchalantly.
"Answer with absolute clarity. Are you ready, Miss Rarity?" Rarity nodded in response. A massive aura appeared around her.
"How will this go? Who knows." Zecora said. "Now then, here goes..." She activated the spell.
It was all over and done with in a minute or so. Rarity felt the extra ki flow into her body fast, and she almost couldn't keep up. Multiple sharp pains shot through her muscles, and she screamed slightly. The aura surrounding her doubled in size, and the pain subsided. Zecora was reluctant to continue, but she knew it wasn't enough yet; if Rarity could just hold out for about twenty more seconds...
Rarity’s second scream was much louder, Zecora thought she almost felt Rarity's pain. She was about to take her hand away from her chest and deactivate the spell, when Rarity gripped it tightly, and kept it on her chest.
"No! Keep going; I can take it!" Zecora was surprised that she could even speak through all the screaming.
"Trust me." She said with her usual tone of friendly snark, and Zecora knew she meant what she said. For her sake, she tried to finish the spell as quickly as possible. Rarity's scream and aura grew one final time, then the wind subsided along with the pain.
Rarity was breathing heavily from shock, when she had an idea. Zecora was tired out too from performing the spell.
"Zecora, do you have any advanced spell books I can use?" Zecora replied quickly.
"Yes, in my hut I have a rather large quantity. What has stirred this new curiosity?"
"It’s just that I can think of a few spells that would help us a lot, if you don’t mind of course. Assuming they exist, that is." Zecora was a bit confused at this, but she obliged nonetheless.
"By all means, help yourself. Look on the second level on the bookshelf." She led Rarity in, and sat her down at the table. She found the book she thought Rarity was looking for, and gave it to her. She thought Rarity was on a clock before, and her urgency proved it. Rarity's horn glowed, as did her eyes, then she began reading at mind boggling speeds. The pages were only a blur to Zecora. She must have been using a perception spell to alter her sense of time, slowing it down massively. Only a few seconds later, and she had read just over halfway before stopping; she had obviously found the spell she was looking for. She got up, and left the house. Zecora followed her out.
"Thank you Zecora, I know that was hard for you. But I won't waste this new power you have given me. I promise." Zecora bowed calmly, and was about to see her student off. A grey aura surrounded her body as she prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Rarity turned to face Zecora again, curious. "One thing comes to mind. Exactly what spells did you find?"
"Just two. The long range teleportation spell, and the zenkai spell." Zecora was satisfied now. She wished her student good luck, and went back inside. Rarity admired the scenery for a bit, before flying back the way she came. She shot through the air much faster than before, at what was now her normal movement speed. She would get back to her friends and Omega in less than half a minute. And she was ready.


Applejack and Pinkie Pie were both breathing heavily. Applejack raised her hands to her sides, and mustered up all the strength she had left.
"KAIOKEN TIMES 3!!!" Pain already gripped her entire body. She vanished and prepared for one final assault.
'I will not let you hurt any more of my friends! I refuse to give up yet. Not while you still live!!' Applejack thought to herself.
'This may just kill me, or push me to the brink of death, but that's a risk I'm willing to take... to protect my friends!!'
'Pinkie Pie,' She thought. She appeared behind Omega and side kicked her in the spine, before intercepting her with a downward punch.
'Rarity, Rainbow Dash,' She fired a Heat Dome Attack up at Omega, then followed her up, all whilst punching her rapidly in the face and stomach.
'Fluttershy,' a tear came to her eye.
'...And for you Twilight'. Applejack felt a splitting pain in her chest - probably a rib breaking - but ignored it anyway.
'I don't want to leave any of you behind.' She hit Omega with an axe kick, sending her toward the ground.
'But I don’t think it’s up to me.' Omega hadn't been able to react to or dodge any of the hits. Applejack felt light-headed as she regressed to her normal state, then started falling to the ground as she had absolutely no strength left; she had used it all to delay Omega. Omega saw Applejack falling, and smiled maliciously at the thought of killing her and her friend. Applejack hit the ground hard, throwing up a dust cloud around her. She tried to get up; she wouldn't dream of giving up until she died.
'I leave the rest to you.' Omega was in front of her now. She had a borderline sympathetic expression on her face. Applejack got to her feet somehow, and threw a punch at Omega. She sidestepped it easily, and kicked Applejack in the stomach. She doubled over in pain and stepped back, then kept going. Pinkie Pie was struggling to watch her friend get injured so badly. 
Again and again, Applejack kept trying to fight, only to be stopped effortlessly by Omega. She went down one final time.
"Applejack," Omega said. "You have my respect." She raised her hand, and charged a Death Beam.
"But your time is up." Applejack looked over to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Tears fell from her eyes.
’Good luck.’ She thought. She looked back at Omega, choosing to be defiant in what were very likely her last moments.
There was a massive sonic boom somewhere in the distance. But Rarity was easily going supersonic, and she was already there. She punched Omega with all her strength. She landed, and looked infuriated with her.
"You bitch. You murder innocent ponies like it’s a damned sport, and you had the nerve to steal the appearance of one of my best friends. Believe me, I hate that we haven't been able to stop you yet. But I'm changing that now." Rarity flared her power to around 60%.
"Because I'll stop you right here!" She took a fighting stance before rushing at Omega.