//------------------------------// // Deus Ex Machina // Story: PONYVERSE // by TopWanted //------------------------------// Deus Ex Machina ~`(\/)’~ Rarity thrust forward with all the blades to her left. Darkclyde didn’t even try to avoid them. He waved a massive hoof to his right and swatted most away while others scratched harmlessly against his armor. “You’d use bladed weapons against one such as I?” “For starters,” Rarity replied with a grin and stepped forward bringing her other blades down with a wide swing. “Every designer knows you need to cut the fabric before you can use it.” Darkclyde swatted most of those away too but was thrown backward as more blades from before swept under his hooves. Rarity jumped into the air and flipped through it landing on two dark blades that transformed into platforms beneath her. “Now I’m going to show a brute like you how to fight elegantly.” Darkclyde spun in the air and flared his eyes producing his beams once more. Two blades reacted and flew to Rarity’s side as they crossed before her and deflected the beams away. “Hmph, it seems you’re stronger than I gave you credit for, demon.” He immediately stopped flying and dropped to the balcony like a rock. His massive hooves caused craters and cracks to form on the hard stone floor. His head shot up toward her and his body ricocheted off the floor like a bullet. Rarity barely had time to dodge and deflect him as his massive body flashed past her. But somehow he managed to stop on a dime right above and grab her by the hair. He lifted her over his head and threw her back down at the balcony with incredible speed. Rarity slammed into the floor where Darkclyde had just been and coughed. It hadn’t knocked her out but that attack had certainly knocked the wind out of her. Maybe Nightmare was right. This villain was much harder than she anticipated. But that didn’t matter. She was the only one who could go toe to toe with him. Darkclyde floated above for only a moment before flying straight back down at her. Rarity summoned all the dark blades she had gathered and sent them raining upwards at the falling god. Still, like before they did little to no damage. She dodged her head just in time for the stallion to smash his hoof into the floor right next to her. She could feel the floor buckle under the pressure. Reacting almost instinctively, she dissolved her blades and made the amorphous energy wrap itself around Darkclyde over and over again, holding him down. Darkclyde loomed above her, his muscles tensing as the darkness weighed him down. “Do you feel that weight? That’s the weight of everypony you’ve ever killed or conquered.” Darkclyde chuckled darkly, flashing his teeth at her. “You know nothing of burdens, child. And nothing of combat either.” His eyes glowed a deep red. “You’ve doomed yourself trapping me this close to you.” Rarity grinned herself. “Perhaps, but you don’t seem to know something very basic.” There was a giant flash and suddenly she was gone, just as Darkclyde let his beams loose. She reappeared a few hooves away by where Suntrix still stood. With no target, Darkclyde’s beams went straight down into the already cracking floor. Their power obliterated it and the balcony beneath Darkclyde gave way, making him fall straight through. “Teleportation is a pretty basic unicorn skill.” Rarity took a small breath of relief before turning to Suntrix. She didn’t have much time. “Let’s get you out of here before he comes back.” She grabbed the unresponsive mare who dropped her paints and scrambled to the edge of the balcony. However, before she could even get close, Darkclyde rose from beneath the balcony staring daggers at her. “I have had quite enough of dealing with fools.” He lifted a hoof in front of himself and Rarity stopped dead, a cold shiver rushing up her body. She felt her breath catch as a creeping feeling she had never felt before began to well up inside her and threaten to consume her. “Is this… Nightmare Moon,” she choked out. “No, it is yourself.” He floated down to the balcony and walked toward her, still keeping his hoof up. “Your own darkness. The desires and despair that haunts you even when you don’t realize it. I can feel so much fault within you. It is like looking at a porcelain doll about to shatter at the slightest breeze.” Rarity fell to her knees and began to tremble profusely as she felt every bad thought and selfish action she’d ever made brought to the front of her mind. Tears began to pour from her as Darkclyde loomed closer, his eyes almost like reflections into her own soul. Rarity! Rarity! She could hear the voice. Nightmare’s voice. But even that was drowned out by the welling of despair inside her. She felt like just giving up. Everything. What was the point of it all? Better to be a mindless husk than to go on living as whatever she had been up to now. Then there was a light. He’s showing you only the darkness. Look deeper and you’ll find the memories you’re looking for. She didn’t know where the voice came from but it was comforting, almost bubbly in its cheeriness. She did as instructed and looked deeper. There they were. Memories of home. Memories of family. Memories of friends. Precious memories that before now she had tucked away out of fear or guilt. Now they were here for her, making her feel warmer by the moment. Rarity came to just as the light before her faded into a shape. Even Darkclyde was forced to cover his face as he stared into it. Rarity blinked as a new figure stood between them and Darkclyde. It was a mare with a golden mane and gray coat. She had both a horn and wings. She turned slightly to face Rarity and Suntrix. “So she’s the source of it,” the alicorn murmured. “What?” Rarity mumbled, still quite shocked at the sudden appearance of this mystery mare. Darkclyde stared past them both at the mural then back down with narrowed eyes. “You.” The mare blinked as she looked at the mural as well. “What’s this?” Darkclyde held up a hoof to stop her. The mare suddenly noticed his presence and let out a scream, holding her hooves up to protect herself. Her horn glowed and a massive pulse of light shot out. It touched Darkclyde and all his movements stopped. She blinked once before lowering her hooves. “Did I do that?” Rarity stood dumbfounded. “Who are you?” She turned to her and smiled wearily. “I’m Ditzy. Sorry, but can I borrow her?” Rarity looked between the mare and Suntrix who still had a dazed look in her eyes. “I’m not just handing her over to you. I don’t know you.” Darkclyde’s body began to struggle as he seemed to try moving again. Ditzy shivered and backed away hesitantly. “Then maybe you should just come with me.” Rarity narrowed her eyes at her. “Not without my friends.” Ditzy bit her lip but nodded. ---<^^>--- Mare Do-Well just kept running, trying to escape the inferno and earthquake behind her as well as keep an eye on her injured teammates. They weren’t getting anywhere fast and the hellscape behind them was quickly gaining. Then a miracle happened. Suddenly Rarity was there in front of them. She stood beside Suntrix, who still looked dead eyed and in a daze, as well as another mare she hadn’t seen before. Or had she? Something about her looked oddly familiar. They all ran to Rarity, more or less surprised at her new appearance but not focused enough to comment on it. Mare Do-Well stopped before the gray mare. She was an alicorn. Why did that feel familiar too. “Who are you?” The gray mare smiled nonchalantly. “I’m-” “NOT THE TIME!” Rainbow shouted as she pointed to the wall of flame behind them. Mare Do-Well agreed as she ran to the others and the gray alicorn zapped them all away. --- A fiery inferno of biblical proportions climbed its way toward the palace. Darkclyde finally felt the mare’s hold over him leave and he dropped to the floor. He could probably leave before the inferno got here but there was something he wanted to make sure of. He studied the now completed mural and looked at the two figures at the top. One a dark blue and the other gray. No doubt that mare just now was the gray one. But the blue one was still a mystery. Then his eyes traveled to the black lightning bolts emanating from them. Suntrix had been working diligently on the mural for some time now and he now saw them differently. They were not bolts of lightning. They were cracks. So finely painted that it even looked like the entire wall would crumble from them. And they emanated from everywhere. “Power beyond measure,” he mumbled and placed a hoof between the picture of the two figures. “The power to corrupt reality itself.” The inferno was just outside his balcony. “It will be mine.” The explosions reached the palace and the whole fortress exploded from beneath. Smoke and debris spread overhead as fire and plasma reached into the sky and scraped the stars. !@#$%^&*&^%$#@! Matterhorn struggled and thrashed in the fire, blowing her own as it mixed with the flames around her. It became hotter and hotter, almost too much to bear. She could feel herself getting sluggish and slow but her reptile brain wouldn’t stop sending signals for her to run or escape her situation. Then she wasn’t in it any more. Matterhorn roared again but this time her voice was quieter. More normal. Like her old voice. A normal voice. Not only that, she was sitting in a restaurant. And she was in a dark purple dress that matched her superhero outfit. How had that happened? Ponies around her looked at her in confusion. They all looked like they were dressed for a night out on the town. “Champagne?” The voice was unrecognizable but she immediately knew who it was. She turned to the other pony across from her at the table. “Mr. 4, I presume.” The dark blue stallion grinned at her and popped a bottle. He wore a simple tux and glasses with black slippers on his hooves. “I have not been having a good week so I thought we both deserved a little change in scenery before this gets started.” He shot a look at the other ponies looking at them. The patrons of the restaurant went back to their meals and the music began to play softly again. Matterhorn suddenly felt herself tremble as the sheer reality of what just happened occurred to her. “I… went crazy. All that torture broke me. I even injected myself with that… and… why am I here? Why am I coherent and cognizant?” Mr. 4 poured some champagne in his flute and took a sip. “Well, I can’t really affect minds or personalities, but I can at least restore them.” She frowned. “You’re more powerful than Darkclyde?” Mr. 4 snorted a laugh and looked her in the eyes, his own looking slightly bloodshot. “You have no earthly idea.” She felt a cold shiver run down her spine. He could just do anything, couldn’t he? Then what was she trying to do all this time? Was there even any proof that the Elements of Harmony would work? “This whole crusade you’ve been on hasn’t been for nothing, trust me on that.” Could he also read her mind? She didn’t look cheered up to hear this. “Why should I believe you?” He leaned back in his chair and grinned widely again. “Because we’ve been after the same thing this whole time.” Matterhorn chuckled. “I’ve wanted you gone.” “And that’s what I want too.” She blinked. “You lost me.” Mr. 4 waved his hooves in the air. “You think I enjoy being this? Power is fun and all but it alienates. It isolates you until you feel nopony can comprehend the level you’re working at. And trust me, I know something about being alone.” She still looked confused. He dipped his hoof in a glass of water and the surface rippled until a series of images appeared. “You were at the Black Wyrm attack, right?” The images showed that even happening. “I didn’t freeze you like the others so you heard my offer as well. What did you think?” “About being your errand boy? I didn’t care for it.” “Really?” His grin was starting to get annoying. “…Fine. I’ll admit. It made logical sense. But you’re hiding something, I know it.” Mr. 4 dropped his grin to a subtle smile and stood up. The music had begun to slow down now and he extended his hoof to her. “Care to dance?” She bit her lip. “Do I have a choice?” He merely shrugged playfully. She groaned and got up from her seat. They walked to the center of the restaurant where a large open area had been set aside for dancers. Ponies were already beginning to look at them with curious glances. They danced slowly as she put her hoof around his shoulder and leaned in close. “Just what is all this about?” “You’re a failure. You managed to destroy every important relationship in your life.” She shut up as he held her hoof up and twirled her around to fall back into his chest. “Consider everything you’ve been through already. Do you honestly think they’d want you back after what you did?” “I did what I had-” “Putting innocent ponies in danger, playing with poor Pinkie’s feelings again and again. You honestly don’t think you went too far?” She gulped. She had been so deadset on awakening the elements that she had done all those things and more. It was one of her greatest weaknesses and she knew it. When it came to a project she was passionate about there was nothing that would get in her way. She found a lot of Twilights were like that. “Okay, so maybe I burned those bridges. What still makes you think I’ll do anything to help you?” His ears twitched and he grinned maliciously. He waved and pulled her ear to his lips. “You remember that feeling of helplessness you had before. I can give it all back in a heartbeat. Or I can give you everything you desire. And right now, that looks like the only option for you.” She pulled away slower this time and looked him in the eyes, her heart racing with fear. “What do you say, Masked Matterhorn? Be my Element of Magic?” “I…”