//------------------------------// // Entry 40: RISE of the Storm // Story: MLDC: Firestorm Crisis // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// The battle for the city’s sanity had been decided, the Rainbooms had defeated the Sirens. Now, all that was left for Sunset and Twilight to do was to remove the Firestorm Protocols from the three Equestrian denizens, however, things were not that simple. Dusk Shine, the Science Division Director of the Organization, had finally made his appearance before Twilight, his twin older sister. Now that both were standing, just a couple of yards away, it was easy to see the similarities between them. Their eyes, hair, color, the thin yet lean physique, but not everything was the same. There was a look in their eyes, in Twilight’s there was hope, love, and a desire to protect those close to her. While Dusk, all that was in his eyes was cold darkness, a void that threatened to swallow all before it, and now those very same eyes were staring them down. “Big sister, so good to finally meet you face to face, sorry if our first meeting was through robotic assassins,” said Dusk. “I wish I could say the feeling is mutual, but it’s not,” replied Twilight. Dusk feigned hurt. “Oh, your words cut me deep dear sister. But regardless, I assume that the Professor told you about me, what I am?” Twilight narrowed her gaze and tightened her fists. “You’re a clone of me, one that the Organization rushed into creation, and as a result you’re dying. I can only assume you’ve come for me to correct your genetic defect.” Dusk Shine smiled and applauded. “Bravo, just as I assumed, you are my intellectual equal…to a degree. Firestorm.” Dusk Shine’s body was engulfed in violet flames, returning to his previous Firestorm form. “You see my original plan, upon discovering your existence, was to capture you both, extract the Matrix, kill that girl, preserve you, and do what you just said earlier. However, I discovered another route thanks to them.” At this Dusk pointed to the Siren, all three of whom were looking confused by this revelation. “As well as the two of you.” He then pointed to Sunset and Twilight. “When you both fused into that demonic creature, I saw phenomenon that were not the work of just the Firestorm Matrix, no, it was more, this power called ‘magic’! It prolonged their lives, and granted you abilities that pushed my knowing of this world beyond what I thought possible. And then, there was the second Matrix, with the Professor and the Soldier.” Dusk paced about the street as he spoke, his right hand now brought up and glowing with violet flames. “I know I’m dying, I’ve known for a long time, and I’ve done everything I can think of to prolong my life and escape this fate. I thought I did when I merged with the Protocol, but that only bought me extra time. But when you’re as close to Death’s door like I am, your mind begins to reach out for answers, and sometimes, the answers come from the darkest of places in your mind and soul.” The flames of Dusk Shine’s right hand began to change color, turning black as night. “I now know what I need to finish my ultimate Matrix, the power to embrace death and all its power. And it begins…” Dusk Shine then turned his gaze to Adagio. “…With you!” In a flash, Dusk Shine appeared before a weakened Adagio and thrust his right hand forward. The black flames burned at Adagio’s chest as she screamed in pain. She tried to fight back, but Dusk dug his fingers in deeper into her form’s chest, gripping the ruby gemstone. The gemstone reacted violently, throwing off crimson lightning at the nearby buildings and vehicles, causing destructive explosions that made the others duck to avoid getting hit. Sonata and Aria watched in horror as their alpha continued her screams of pain, but then the unthinkable happened. Dusk slowly pulled back, the ruby gemstone being torn from her body, hanging on to its original owner by a few strands of crimson light. But it wasn’t enough as with one final tug, Dusk Shine pulled back, rending the ruby from Adagio’s body. The atomic energy of the Protocol flowed from Adagio and into the gemstone, making it glow bright in Dusk Shine’s grip. Everyone assembled just stared in horror, mouths agape at what they just witnessed. “You linked your Protocol to your magic source? Very impressive, and foolish.” Dusk Shine taunted. Sonata’s eyes watered with tears, shaking her head as she saw her lover, their alpha, the one who saved her, fall onto her back, now in her human form and without her gemstone, the last thing that reminded them of what they once were, the very source of their longevity. “How dare you…How dare you…!” Lightning arced from Sonata’s body, her fists bawled up and her flaming hair raged like a wildfire. “HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO DAGI!!!!!!!” The only thing anyone saw was a streak of lightning dashing for Dusk Shine. The violet Firestorm blinked for one moment and was instantly greeted with the incoming, lightning laced fist of Sonata Dusk. “Oh…that’s unexpected.” Sonata struck Dusk Shine with the strength thunder itself, sending him flying. The blue Siren shot off after him, appearing as a streak of lightning crackling in the sky as she chased after the man who hurt her lover. Sonata found that very man and delivered an ax kick to his collarbone, the blow sent him into a sharp descent, but he didn’t manage to hit the ground before Sonata met him halfway and drove her knee into his abdomen, sending Dusk Shine to fly up once again. The blue Siren thrusted her hand forward, atomic rings forming as she created a cage made of lightning to surround Dusk Shine. The cage fired off one lightning bolt after the other, keeping him in the center as he was electrocuted from all sides. Sonata appeared above the cage, atomic rings formed once again as she formed a lightning blade around her forearm, the vengeful girl, with eyes burning red, zoomed towards her enemy and cried out as she drove the blade right through his chest. “That was for Dagi!” Sonata growled. “Valiant effort, and a bit unexpected coming from you, I’ll remember not to judge someone’s ferocity by only their seemingly lack of intelligence,” said Dusk. The cage of lightning disappeared, and so too did the body of Dusk Shine. Sonata looked about, confused as to how that happened. However she did not get the chance to ponder this any further as she was subsequently punched in the gut, making the girl cough up light ichor from her mouth. She blinked her eyes and watched Dusk Shine reappeared before her eyes, as if the world was stripping away a veil and allowing him to be seen. “A little bending of the light for invisibility, and a bit of matter and energy manipulation to recreate that double, very convincing, no?” Dusk Shine followed through with the punch and drove it full force into Sonata, sending the quirky Siren sailing across the sky. Dusk Shine took off after her as a trail of fire was left in his wake. Atomic rings formed in his right hand as he transmuted something in the distance. Right in Sonata’s path, a wall of dense lead formed and hovered in the air. The blue Siren found herself meeting this wall, back first, knocking the air from her lungs and nearly making her lose consciousness. But she would soon be rudely awakened as Dusk Shine caught up with her and reached out once again with his black fire hand. Sonata screamed as tears ran down her cheeks, feeling her gemstone being ripped from her body. She tried to force his arm away, even releasing a field ultra-charged lightning at him. But nothing would deter Dusk from his plan, and besides, the more he pulled on the gem the less powerful the lightning became. With another swift pull, Dusk Shine removed Sonata’s gemstone as she gave a piercing scream. The Siren’s body went limp, Dusk Shine released her and let her fall, her Firestorm powers were quickly absorbed by the gemstone, leaving Sonata to return to her civilian form where the impact from a thousand feet in the air would surely kill her. Sunset couldn’t stand it anymore, the crimson Firestorm pointed her right hand at the falling Sonata, and immediately she was surrounded in an aura of aquamarine light, utterly stopping her descent. Sunset focused her magic yet again and teleported Sonata from where she was in the air, and next to Adagio and Aria. Aria looked to Sunset in shock, not understanding why she just helped Sonata, but at the same time not really caring since she was safe. But now Dusk Shine had his eyes on her, and Aria was not going to take this lying down. With a fierce battle cry, Aria’s hands flared with atomic rings, taking in the matter around her and creating two chainsaw swords. The blades revved to life and spun around, cutting the air as she twirled them around. Dusk held both Adagio and Sonata’s gems in his left hand, smiling wickedly at the remaining Siren’s defiance of her fate. “Really, Aria, why don’t you just stand down and let me take your gem, it won’t be as painful if you resist.” “I’m going to make you pay for what you did to them! I’ll cut off every part of your body and leave your head so you can watch! And when I knock you out of Firestorm form I’ll do it all over again until you DIE!!!” Aria declared. Dusk sighed heavily, knowing full well that Aria’s stubborn hotheadedness would not be quelled with words, but with action. To his right hand, atomic rings formed, the same black flames extended out and solidified into a sword made of dark plasma. Aria roared as her eyes shined red, taking off after Dusk Shine and slashing with her chainsaw sword. The two blades clashed, sending sparks flying everywhere as the chain blades grinded against the dark plasma. Aria brought up her left sword and thrusted forward, Dusk Shine parried the blade and blocked the second with the same sword. Aria broke the clash and pressed the attack, slashing wildly at the psycho Firestorm. Dusk Shine effortlessly blocked each blow, causing one shockwave after the other to ring out through the city from the impact. Dusk flew up into the air to get some breathing room, however, the wind began to churn about, causing a tornado to descend right on top of him. Dusk brought his arms up as he guarded against the cutting wind, feeling it slash at him from every conceivable angle. Aria burst through the wind wall and slashed at Dusk’s exposed back, the sword and armor screeching as she tried to cleave him in half. Dusk grunted from the impact, and reached back with the same sword to slash her. But Aria was quick, flipping over the violet Firestorm and coming down on him with an X slash across his chest. The attack worked, causing liquid light ichor to flow from the gash. The purple Siren twirled her blades around and prepared to deliver the killing blow. She flew up for a few feet and then came down, spinning to build momentum for the double slash she had planned to perform. At the last second, before her blades made contact Aria caught a glimpse of the two ruby gemstones right in the path of her blades. Aria quickly halted her attack, leaving herself wide open. This was something that Dusk Shine took advantage of as he ran the Siren through with his dark plasma sword, causing Aria to lose her concentration and drop the blades. The sword burned inside her, the flames and power it was made of was unlike any dark energy she had felt before, it was not the same atomic energy, it was laced into it, but there was something more. In that moment of pain, Dusk Shine grabbed Aria’s gemstone. Painful wails echoed through the city along with tears of light fell from her eyes, she couldn’t let this happen, this was the last thing that reminded her of what she her hippocampi sisters once were, not these two legged creatures, but true dwellers of the sea. None of that mattered to Dusk Shine, he had a mission, and he had come to fulfill it. The sword was then ripped from Aria’s body, and at the same time, her gemstone. Dusk Shine let the girl fall, her wound still fresh and unable to be healed thanks to the loss of both her magic and Firestorm powers. Like before, Sunset caught the grumpy Siren with her magic and teleported her back to her lovers. The others looked on as Dusk Shine hovered in the sky above Canterlot City. He held the gemstones in his left hand, which were now spiraling around each other. The violet Firestorm waved his hand towards the distance as atomic rings formed around that hand. Something flew towards him, a container. The container, at its center, held within it a Firestorm Protocol, but this one was different. The burning energy at the nucleus was as dark as the abyss, with red atomic rings hovering around it. “Now it will be complete, that which Professor Bill Neigh could not do, I will! Magic and science, together, and the results shall be unlike anything this world will ever see.” Dusk Shine took all three gemstones into his left hand thrust them into the dark nucleus of the Firestorm Matrix. The Matrix reacted immediately, screeching with an unholy sound that made all around cringe in fear. The nucleus fed on the residual negative energy that the gemstones had consumed, shattering within it and becoming one with it on an atomic level. Dusk Shine took that very same Dark Matrix and held it in both hands. He then looked down, directly at Twilight and smirked sinisterly. “No…DUSK SHINE NO –!” “FIRESTORM!” Black flames erupted all around Dusk Shine, the sky and earth shook as if trembling in fear of what was created. Blue atomic rings formed around the flames, as if tempering the flames and power within. After a few seconds, the flames were absorbed and the rings vanished. What stood at the center of the flames was no longer just Dusk Shine. His suit was completely black as night, with silver gauntlets that were claw tipped, silver boots, and sharp pauldrons on his shoulders. White, ethereal glowing lines appeared on his uniform, wrapping around his thighs and rising up to form a six pointed star on his stomach. Where the sun symbol normally was, now was a circle, and within that circle was the symbol of a black upside down triangle with five vertical bars sprouting from it. This new beings face was no longer human, but that of a decayed skull with a cowl over its head, a corona crown was etched around it, forming the same symbol as on his chest. The creature’s eyes burned blue, with blue flames lapping out the corners, and its hair, a mixture of azure and black flames that bellowed like the fires of hell itself. “Heh, heh, heh, ahahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!! YES!!!” The group had no words for what they were looking upon. This thing was not human, it was like the grim reaper himself had become a Firestorm. Dusk Shine looked to a nearby building. He pointed his left hand at it, making blue and black atomic rings form. In the next instant, a beam of pure dark energy burst forth and struck the building, annihilating it, the beam continued onward, burning a path of pure destruction. The dark Firestorm seemed caught off guard by the power he was using and angled it up into the sky, where it disappeared and continued on into infinity. “Whoa now, power output has been greatly increased, I’ll have to be more aware,” Dusk Shine then looked down at his sister and gestured towards himself. “What do you think big sister, I have transcended my death sentence, and have become death itself! No longer a ‘Firestorm’, I am Deathstorm!” Twilight narrowed her gaze at her “little brother” and spoke aloud. “FIRESTORM!” Twilight transformed, now standing side by side with her lover. Deathstorm chuckled at this show of defiance, they were not strong enough to stop him. “Oh big sister, you’re funny, allow me a chance to test my new power, will you?” Deathstorm pointed the same left hand at the group down below. The very same beam of pure destructive power was unleashed upon them, prompting Sunset and Twilight to focus their magical and atomic power. A shield made of both a six pointed star and a yin-yang sun was formed before them. The beam struck the shield and bathed over them like a raging river. Inside the barrier, the girls all fell to the ground, even through the shield they could feel the overwhelming force it generated. Sunset looked behind her, making sure the shield had encompassed the Sirens as well, and it seemed as though Twilight’s portion of the shield did the same. But after a few seconds, cracks began to form in the shield, letting in the heat of the attack. The effects could already be seen on their friends, even in their pseudo-Firestorm forms, it still wasn’t enough to protecting them against the scorching heat of it all. More cracks began to spider web around the shield, after their battle, their reserves were low, it was only a matter of seconds before they would be vaporized. However, just before the barrier collapsed, a figure of azure and crimson flames shot forth and landed before them. With one swift motion, the being transmuted a sword and performed a quick-draw slash, pouring his own power into the attack. The countering force made Deathstorm’s beam angle upwards harmlessly into the wild blue yonder. Deathstorm cancelled his attack and grinned at the appearance of the new guest. “Well, well, well, I wondered when you two would appear, or should I say just you?” Sunset and Twilight finally caught a glimpse of the figure, relieved to see that it had been Nu who had intervened in the attack. The azure Firestorm looked over his shoulder and grinned confidently. “Nice to see you girls again, and the cuties too.” Sunset and Twilight rolled their eyes. “But seriously, we need to get out while we can and regroup,” said Nu. “I honestly don’t think I can take him alone, not with how low on power you two are.” Sunset teleported to the Sirens, placed her hands on them, and then teleported them closer to the group. “LET’S GO!” With that signal, Nu twirled his sword around and struck the ground, surrounding the group in azure flames and once the flames died out, they were all gone without a trace. Deathstorm glared at the spot where they once were, but shrugged. “No matter, plenty of things to do in the meantime. They’ll come to me, no need to rush. However…I do have other business to attend to.” With that said, Deathstorm vanished, teleporting away in a flash of black light. Leaving the devastated city with a dread that this may very well be the beginning of the end.