MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 144: Over the Edge
Silver was still out cold, strapped in his bed securely, and hooked up to the machinery that was thankfully also bolted down. His bed and surrounding area had mostly remained intact during the intense motions of the Nimbus. Most of the non-essential materials were strewn all about the room.
“Hm?” Ruin hummed suddenly, causing Dash’s ears to point straight up. “What are you looking at?” he asked while glancing over at the bed, leaning back and forth since Dash was in his way.
Dash panicked. As if the situation could not get any worse…
Her brain immediately disregarded her own wellbeing and surprisingly, also Soarin for the moment as it all completely shifted to an intense urge to get the hell out and get Ruin and Nightshade away from Silver. Nightshade had not seemed to taken notice of Silver, but she was also in Dash’s way, cutting her off from the exit.
She couldn’t risk fighting in here… what was she going to do?!
Then it indeed got worse.
Nightshade suddenly and sharply turned her head towards the bed. Dash gasped, her legs shaking as her mind raced…
But something happened.
Nightshade immediately stopped growling, snorting, and snarling. Her eyes widened and her body froze as she stared towards Silver.
“Eh?” Ruin stopped trying to look past Dash and blinked as Nightshade suddenly became a statue. He pushed off the wall and casually walked over to Nightshade.
Dash just remained still, her legs trembling and her eyes stuck open as her pupils darted back and forth between Silver and the two Shadowbolts.
It was almost like the reaction she had to Storm, but… it changed quickly.
“Uh… UGH… ARGH!!!!!!” Nightshade suddenly grunted and shouted. “AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”
Ruin flinched and leaned backwards, his lips parting and tipping his head to the side as Nightshade cried out, her expression changing from ferocious to… afraid? The light around her began to pulsate, her crystals began to shake and screech, the light in her eyes began to dim, revealing the faint outlines of her pupils shaking.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! AH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Nightshade shifted backwards, her body slamming into the wall roughly and lifting a leg up across her body as she screamed. She began heaving with heavy, hyperventilating breaths, her eyes opening wide and closing tight repeatedly as her face grew from afraid to absolute horror. Her crystals all clumped together and pressed to her back, shimmying themselves between her and the wall as if to hide.
Ruin walked right up to her, rubbing his chin and lifting his eyebrows up and down as he got really close to Nightshade’s face and looked it all over.
“Hmmmmmmm…” he hummed as he looked over his shoulder towards Dash for a moment. He saw her stealing glances at the bed, prompting him to turn his eyes towards it as well. He could see a pony in it, but had yet to get a good view. “How odd…” he turned, leaving Nightshade behind to wail, thrash, and scream in fear as he slowly moved towards the bed. Dash bit her lower lip, still stuck in place despite her brain yelling at her to do anything and everything to protect Silver. “Descent and Starry aren’t here… Daddy’s little colt makes sense, but…” Ruin looked back towards Nightshade for a moment as he approached the bed, getting one last look at her. “Who could possibly be causing such a—”
He stopped right in his tracks as he turned his head back around and looked down upon Silver.
He stared with a blank expression.
No smirk.
No smile.
No sneer.
Not even a snicker.
He just stared in silence, his eyes growing slightly every second.
Then his right eyelid began to twitch, his teeth closed and gently ground together as his eyebrows angled down into a glare. He looked over his shoulder at Nightshade for a moment, and then back down at Silver.
Even the overwhelming power that was coursing through Nightshade seemed unable to suppress the emotional devastation Silver had wrought upon her.
But Dash was confused… that seemed to… anger Ruin? Why? When Nightshade was stopped by Storm he seemed thrilled and treated it like an amusing plot twist. What was different about Silver?
“You again…” Ruin suddenly spoke in a lower tone with a slight rasp. “Why…?” he growled as his legs began to shake. “Why is it always… You and your DAMN…!” He trailed off as his crystals suddenly sprang up and orbited around him, glowing fiercely as multiple spheres of pink magic conjured around him. His eyes turned black and a loud growl escaped between his teeth.
Dash gasped in alarm, forgetting all about Nightshade as Ruin seemed primed to attack Silver.
The spheres shook, his crystals emitting steam. Ruin’s nostrils flared and his breath hissed between his teeth.
“Kill… them…” Ruin suddenly said, his voice deep and echoing. “Kill them, kill them, kill them…” he began repeating, steadily saying it faster and faster as he held a hoof out. The spheres edged towards Silver. “KILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEM!” he began yelling as an aura similar to Nightshade’s began rising around him, one that oozed and trickled upward.
Dash was frozen. Her brain was screaming at her to do something, but she felt like she couldn’t move a muscle. It was like something was holding her down.
“KILL!!!!!!!!!!! THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Ruin yelled out at the top of his lungs.
But nothing happened.
Ruin didn’t budge another inch forward, nor did his spheres advance any closer to Silver.
He slammed his eyes shut and shook his head out. He quickly turned around and exhaled.
“No,” he said with a snort, his voice instantly returning to normal. His crystals calmed down, his aura slowly vanished, and the spheres shrunk until they disappeared, their light absorbing back into the crystals. “Not yet…” he slowly opened his eyes. They were normal again as well. “Or at least not here or like this. This is not a fitting stage, nor are the props properly set. It would hardly give me the required satisfaction… or make up for what you’ve put me through. You deserve much worse… BOTH of you…”
He stood there, looking out into space, directly at the wall that separated Dash and Nightshade, holding his eyes still for several moments as Dash remained quiet and Nightshade continue to cry out. Ruin’s nose slowly scrunched up, eventually forcing his lips to part slightly and reveal his teeth pressing together. His face kept twitching and scrunching up until he quickly looked over his shoulder, glaring down at Silver. He growled, his body shaking again, but he forced himself to look away before he could go any further.
“BAH!” he huffed as he stomped away from Silver, walked all the way to the wall separating Dash and Nightshade and sat down, crossing his hooves and sulking.
Dash just stared at him, completely confused about what she just saw.
This was the first time the two had come into contact. Silver was out with them when they chased Rapidfire disguised as Wave Chill, but Ruin engaged Fleetfoot and Twister.
Yet now… seeing this…
Did Ruin… know Silver? It clearly seemed that way. What had Silver done that made Ruin so angry? And what did he mean by ‘both of you?’
“The hell are you staring at?” Ruin’s sharp snap broke Dash from her thoughts, causing her to flinch and yelp slightly. Ruin was glaring at her as he sat on the floor, snorting as he tipped his head back and forth. “Well, COME ON!” He threw a hoof out and rotated it. “Do something interesting already! Give me something else to think about!” he demanded.
‘Confused’ was too weak a word to describe the way Dash felt now. Everything was already in disarray with Nightshade appearing, Dash was constantly being pestered by Ruin, she was fighting for her life, her body was half working, she barely felt conscious, and the only thing that was keeping her going was a mixture of adrenaline, willpower, and desire to survive and protect Soarin and her friends. Now to add another spark to the roaring inferno… She was forced into the emergency room where Silver was resting, only to have Nightshade freak out at the sight of him and Ruin show a strange annoyance to Silver’s presence as well as evidence of acquaintance.
She was trying to process so much at once that her head was starting to hurt on top of everything else hurting.
So… she stopped thinking about it.
There was obviously more going on than she understood, but there was no point in trying to put together a five thousand piece puzzle while also trying to avoid a hammer swinging down over her head. She could finish the puzzle after avoiding the hammer.
She pushed everything out… and focused on the one pony that was breaking everything, locking her eyes on Nightshade as she forced her body to tense up and prime itself. Nightshade was still against the wall, pushing against it in a mindless attempt to create distance between herself and Silver when there was nowhere else for her to go, her fear stricken screams and wails still piercing through Dash’s ears. She was stunned, shocked, and her guard was down… Dash had an opening.
Then it hit her…
Before the takeoff, Dash had taken it upon herself to visit Silver and come to grips with the fact that he wouldn’t be there to help her this time.
Yet here…
Leave it to Silver to find a way to save her ass even when he’s unconscious and on life support.
“HRGH!!!!!” Dash grunted as she forced her wings out and leaned back, ready to leap as her joints cracked and popped. “HRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!!” she roared out as she launched herself towards Nightshade. The effort was strong but her body’s response was weak. She didn’t even make it all the way over to Nightshade with the jump, but she landed right in front of her, putting her where she wanted to be anyway.
Mustering every ounce of strength she could and keeping the thoughts of her teacher fresh in her mind. She placed her back hooves and wound up her shoulders, readying Silver’s Full-Motion Strike.
Nightshade did not move or make any effort to get away from Dash, the entirety of her focus still on Silver as Dash swung her hoof around, and caught Nightshade right in the jaw.
Nightshade coughed, the blow to the face cutting off her screaming and forcing her a step backwards towards the door. A tingling shot of pins and needles pain coursed through Dash’s hoof and arm. Nightshade’s head was just as sturdy as the rest of her, but she ignored it in favor of not dropping the opportunity.
The hit definitely got Nightshade’s attention, but she was off balance and her focus was still split. She stole a glance or two at Dash, but her expression did not change and her eyes kept shooting back towards Silver.
Silver had her trapped… so Dash was going to hit her with everything she had left!
Dash surged forward, bringing her front hooves up and leaning towards Nightshade. She wound up and delivered another strong blow across the face, then another, then several heavy jabs to the chest. She didn’t focus on balancing, she kept her weight forward and just kept stomping step by step with her back hooves as she unloaded blow after blow into Nightshade’s face and chest.
Nightshade slipped and stepped backwards, never responding to the hits as Dash slowly forced her towards the door. Dash shouted wildly, yelling out as she delivered every single punch, throwing a few blows beneath the chin and to Nightshade’s arms to spread out the attacks. Every punch she threw hurt, Nightshade’s powerful body was as hard as a rock, but she only had one thing on her mind: get her away from Silver.
Her efforts were yielding fruit. She almost had Nightshade through the broken door frame. As long as her attacks kept the process going, she’d hit her until her arms fell off.
As Nightshade slipped backwards and her plot reached the door, Dash leapt forward and drove her shoulder into Nightshade’s chest. Nightshade grunted, her back hooves skidding into the small metal piece at the bottom of the frame. The backs of her hooves got caught on it and her legs briefly hyperextending before they buckled. Her lower body fell back, causing her front hooves to lift up and put her in a vulnerable position.
“GET… OUT!” Dash yelled as she punched both of her hooves forward into Nightshades stomach. Several cracks and pops sounded from her joints as her hooves connected with Nightshade’s solid stomach, but her positioning and the force of Dash’s attack caused her to roll back. Nightshade tried to slam a back hoof down, but the effort only threw her more off balance, causing her to elevate as she tipped over backwards. She flew back and landed on Bliss’ desk, the wooden legs creaking as Nightshade landed on her back. “HRAAAAAAH!” Dash roared as she jumped and pumped her wings down, propelling her out of the back room and up over Nightshade. She turned herself sideways and drove her elbow down, brushing against Nightshade’s swinging hooves as she jammed her arm right down into Nightshade’s chest.
“GRHHA!!!” Nightshade coughed and grunted as Dash slammed down into her. The combination of their weight and Dash’s bold attack caused the desk to collapse, the top face of it bending and splintering as the four legs snapped. The desk crashed to the floor and slid forward, Dash immediately pushing off and rolling up onto her hooves as Nightshade flailed and kicked on the broken desk. Dash stumbled the moment she was back on her hooves, her adrenaline pumping faster than her body could respond. She tipped back and landed on her plot, immediately rolled back up, and stumbled forward as Nightshade scrambled back on her hooves.
Nightshade had her side turned to Dash, her neck bent down and her chest heaving as she gasped and growled, taking very heavy breaths as her crystals finally caught up to her and orbited her body while flashing. Her aura rose up from her more vibrantly as the glow returned to her eyes, but it looked like she was still struggling to fight back whatever the sight of Silver had done to her.
“GRH GAH GUH!!!!” she grunted repeatedly as she failed to stand up straight. Dash didn’t wait for her to recover, she didn’t think about Ruin still in the room behind her, and she didn’t even look to see if Bliss, Playbitz, and Swift were still holed up in the back of the infirmary. With Nightshade’s side exposed, Dash unloaded on her again, letting out a fierce battle cry as she began landing several jabs into Nightshade’s side.
Nightshade began crossing her hooves one over the other again and again as Dash’s attacks pushed her further, stepping off the wreckage of Bliss’ desk and slowly moving towards the door back into the hallway.
Dash never felt more focused in her life, she never felt more drive to take just one more step… to throw just one more punch… to do everything she could to keep up the fight. Did she think she was going to win? Of course not, but the longer she dragged this out and the more she staggered Nightshade… the better her chances of being saved by somepony more capable of dealing with Nightshade. Silver gave her an opportunity and she wasn’t going to waste it.
Fighting desperately with everything she had with no hope for victory on her own...
Every movement was painful, every blow hurt her hooves and body, every step forward a struggle…
But it was for the Wonderbolts, for her friends, those she cared about…
Was this how Silver felt when he protected them all from Nightshade?
Nightshade was now only a step from the door. Dash rushed at her, her will feeling stronger than ever.
“HRRRRAH!” Dash spun around, winding up Silver’s signature motions before thrusting her hoof forward, and punching Nightshade right in the cheek with the full force of the Full-Motion Strike. The execution never felt so clean, the connection never felt so precise. Dash was seldom able to fully recreate the moves she mimicked, but just now… she felt like she had perfectly replicated Silver’s move, as if Silver himself had guided her hoof.
Nightshade’s head whipped around, her body following as the blow sent her skidding and stumbling all the way to the door and right into it. The hinges broke as they were forced the wrong direction and the door capsized, slamming to the floor into the east hallway. Nightshade fell right out into the hall along with the door and Dash immediately charged out after her.
All the way back in the makeshift emergency room, Ruin was still sitting against the wall with hunched shoulders and a scowl on his face as he stared towards Dash and Nightshade. He slowly looked back over to Silver and narrowed his eyes, releasing a loud snort before getting up and turning towards the door.
“I suppose that will do,” he said to himself as he slowly started walking to follow. “No need to let you spoil the fun… again,” he snarled quietly as he left Silver behind.
Nightshade rolled onto her hooves and stood up, only to be body-checked by Dash in the side the very next moment. Nightshade was forced all the way across the hallway opposite of the infirmary door, still grunting and growling. Despite her magic reigniting, it seemed like there was a conflict going on in both her body and mind, as if the magic was trying to retake control while her body was still reacting to Silver, her conscious seeping through as the power tried to wrestle it back down.
Whatever the hell was going on in Nightshade’s head, Dash didn’t give a damn. She was entirely focused, completely on target. She didn’t take a single glance to the left or right as she launched herself across the hall towards Nightshade, not giving a single thought to anything else going on in the Nimbus as she slammed her hooves into Nightshade’s side and shoved her against the wall. Dash bounced back, but immediately stepped up as Nightshade tried to turn and square up to her.
Dash continued to shout, yell, and roar savagely, putting every ounce of strength and effort into hitting Nightshade as hard as she could, as many times as she could. Nightshade was never able to move away or set herself, her body pinned to the wall as Dash unloaded strike after strike to keep her off balance.
But despite Dash’s drive, every movement was a challenge, every wind up and swing made her body ache, every strike against Nightshade’s solid, muscular body made her hooves hurt more and more. She could hardly keep her hooves straight with how little feeling was left in them.
But she wasn’t letting up, not while there were Wonderbolts all over the place that could come and pick up after her strength gave out. Spitfire, Soarin, any of her squadmates, or any of the Wonderbolts… she knew they were near and she had faith they would come.
Or at least she hoped.
“Look at you go,” Ruin’s voice suddenly slid into her ears as she kept up the barrage of attacks. She gritted her teeth a little harder as he slipped in beside her, but she refused to pay any attention. Nightshade was the only priority, Ruin was only being a distraction, she didn’t care how confusing or mysterious all of his actions and antics had been. “Your resilience is impressive, but I’m sure you’re really starting to wear down.” He continued to taunt as stepped forward, not budging or flinching despite several of Dash’s attacks coming very close to glancing off of him. He stopped beside Nightshade, turning and facing her as Dash unloaded and kept her pinned and off balance.
Ruin glanced back and forth between Nightshade’s body and Dash’s face, taking in the grimaces of pain that scrunched over her expression every time one of her hooves connected. A smile crept onto his lips.
“She has quite the solid body, doesn’t she?” Ruin said with a sly snicker as he reached up and touched a hoof to Nightshade’s chest on the side pressed to the wall. “Hard as a rock, eh?” he added as he slid his hoof up and down the pectoral muscle. “I wonder how much training it took to gain such a powerful physique. Years, I’d wager. Years of hard work, life of combat… And knowing the desires and pleasures that drive her, it’s no wonder she pushed herself so hard to attain it.”
Dash was trying REALLY hard not to throw one of the punches his way. But she knew he was trying to bait her, she wasn’t going to fall for it.
But something did seem slightly different. Ruin was verbally prodding her again, but he seemed a little less enthusiastic, slightly less creepy, and not quite as sly. It was probably from what happened with Silver.
“You’re no slouch yourself!” Ruin cooed as he slid back over to Dash.
Okay, so it was a little less all around, but still enough to be annoying.
“You’ve clearly put in the time in the gym,” he said as he leaned in but stayed just far enough away to not be hit by Dash’s endless attacks on Nightshade. “Something I’m sure you’re very proud of! But I hate to break it to you… You are far weaker than Nightshade in just about everything.”
Dash’s eye twitched between her attacks, but she didn’t react. Tell her something she didn’t know. It’s not like that was news to her.
“It makes you wonder…” Ruin’s tone grew very sly. “If those little punches of yours are actually doing much of anything to her… hm?”
He was not right up beside her, but his voice seemed to get closer to her ear anyway.
“I’d be careful… she’s about to bite back!”
Two seconds passed before Dash’s eyes widened. She pulled back a hoof to throw her next punch, but her mind raced elsewhere… Ruin’s words finally penetrating her focus.
He hadn’t lied to her yet.
Dash suddenly hesitated her strike, pausing very briefly.
“HHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!” Nightshade immediately pushed off the wall, her aura igniting and flaring out as her eyes once again completely disappeared behind the bright pink lights. Her motion was not aimed at Dash, but she bumped into her roughly, catching Dash off balance and causing her to slip and stumble.
Before Dash could regain her balance, Nightshade quickly turned her head to her, reached out and clamped her hooves around Dash’s neck.
“GRRRK! Dash choked as Nightshade yanked her down and slammed her to the floor really hard. Enough to make Dash gasp, her voice squeaking and a burst of expelled breath squeezing out of her throat despite the vice-like pressure being applied to her neck. Nightshade did not roar or yell in her face, but she leaned all the way down, her teeth grinding together, saliva foaming in the corners of her mouth, and a low, continuous growl elevating from the throat as she pressed her hooves both down and around Dash’s neck.
It wasn’t like earlier when she was being held against the wall. This time Nightshade had her weight added to the pressure as well.
She couldn’t breathe. Her airways were completely cut off.
“I saw that you know…” Ruin slid along the floor on his stomach until he was lying right beside her, his nose just inches away from her cheek. “That brief moment of realization…” He sighed dreamily, fluttered his eyelids and looked up at the ceiling as Dash continued to choke and sputter desperately. “Ahhhhhhhh…” he rolled onto his back and held his hooves up in the air cutely. “You know, it may not have been much, but it was really, really thoughtful of you to acknowledge me like that,” he placed a hoof over his chest and turned his head to Dash as her eyes stuck open and her tongue stuck far out her mouth, her choking becoming louder as she failed to draw in any breath at all. “That was very nice of you, touching really…”
Dash’s vision was becoming blurry. She was suffocating and losing consciousness fast. Ruin turned back onto his stomach and tipped his head to the right, placing a hoof on his cheek.
“Honestly, it’s making me consider helping you here… hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…” he hummed and flattened his lips, blowing air between them and making them flap for a moment. “What do you think? I already helped you once. Do you think you deserve a second? Maybe if you ask me, real nicely! OH HO H—!”
He didn’t finish his signature laugh, his ears perking up and his eyes widened as they looked past Dash.
“WHOA-HO! INCOMING!” he yelled suddenly as he quickly shimmied his body away.
Dash’s eyes were slowly closing, her ears were ringing, her strength was nearly gone, and her body was losing all feeling.
But she could feel one thing…
She felt something in her chest. It was a warmth in her heart, a mixture of strength and pain that were separate from her body. Then a sudden jolt surged through her body. Her eyes opened wide and her back arched as she felt the shock rush through her.
And then a light blue hoof shot into her field of view… and absolutely clocked the hell out of Nightshade, right in the face.
Dash instantly gasped and coughed as Nightshade’s hooves ripped free from her neck. Nightshade whipped around, her hooves skidding as she stumbled and fell, rolling over while grunting and growling.
Dash reached for her neck, patting it softly as she took heavy, desperate breaths, filling her lungs with air. She wheezed, her chest rising and falling fast as she slowly regained focus, her vision becoming clear again as somepony else stepped over her protectively.
“KEEP YOUR DAMN HOOVES OFF OF HER!!!”
Dash looked up, as she continued to fight for air.
It was Soarin.
But while she felt relief, the sight did not put her at ease. Something was wrong, very wrong. Soarin’s eyes were glowing very brightly, the blue light rising from his eyes like flames. The horn was shaking, blue light pulsating from the cracks as a similar flame like aura rose from it. The chipped edges looked larger, the fractured surface physically moving as if it was struggling to contain the magic. Soarin’s body was twitching, in fact his muscles were flexing and twitching in a manner similar to Nightshade’s. Blue light began to emit from his body, growing brighter by the second as Soarin gritted his teeth, veins appearing in his neck and over his muscles as he ground his teeth together, harsh breaths hissing through them and rushing from his nostrils.
“AND I’VE HAD ENOUGH… OF YOU HURTING ALL MY FRIENDS!!!!!!!” Soarin yelled at her, a sudden force or rush of air expelling from around his body. Dash winced as it smacked into her, several of the windows nearby formed cracks.
Dash could still feel the extreme warmth in her chest, but it didn’t feel right, it felt unnatural. Soarin was not in control, he was angry and his emotions were running wild.
She had to stop him!
“S…Soarin…” Dash’s voice was incredibly quiet and raspy as she failed to draw enough breath. “No… S-Soarin…!” She reached for his arm… but he was already moving.
He stepped forward, placing himself in front of Dash and between her and Nightshade. Nightshade was up and squared up to Soarin, setting her hooves and growling loudly. Her aura flared up, the pink lights swirling around her body erupting to match the intensity of the magic output rushing from Soarin. Her crystals orbited around her fiercely as she began taking heavy steps towards him.
The moment she took her first step, Soarin set his hooves firmly into the floor and pulled back with his wings forward.
“Soarin… NO!!!!!” Dash tried to yell, but it wasn’t loud enough.
He went through the motions.
Front hooves...
Back hooves…
Front jump…
Back jump…
And forced his wings backwards hard.
Dash immediately shielded herself, knowing what would happen, but it ended up being much more than she expected.
Soarin launched from full stop to full speed, successfully executing his signature move flawlessly, but more than a simple sonic boom was left in his wake. A large pulse of magic, a massive blue shockwave shot outward from around him, slamming into Dash.
She yelped as her body was sent skidding backwards at least ten yards down the hall. The whole Nimbus shook, the windows stretching across the hallway shattering and the fragments of glass shooting outward onto the deck.
Soarin immediately slammed into Nightshade, a stream of blue light streaking behind him as he planted his shoulder into her chest and forced her body up, putting her weight on her back hooves. Soarin wrapped his arms around her waist, latching on before she could bounce off of him.
Nightshade grunted loudly as Soarin picked her right up off the ground, his wings pumping hard as he forced both of them right out into the lobby at full speed. Wonderbolts barely reacted in time, shifting and moving out of the way as Soarin shot out of the east hallways with Nightshade, a few of the clones were hit and instantly exploded as they got in their way.
With a mighty shout and a strong heave, Soarin turned them left. He didn’t lose an ounce of speed as they narrowly avoided the central pillar… and shot right towards the large hangar window above the front doors.
Soarin had had enough. He was taking it outside.
The two crashed right through the massive window, the large panes buckling and shattering loudly as the Wonderbolts nearby screamed and yelped in surprise. Large chunks of glass hit the ground surrounding the front doors, each piece breaking to smaller pieces and clattering all around. The Wonderbolts all turned their focus away from the Nightshade clones, all those in the air landing quickly as they shielded their faces with their arms or wings from the glass pieces flying everywhere. It was not moving fast enough to be dangerous, but none of them took the chance as the bits and pieces sprinkled all around.
But then odd noises caught their ears. The Wonderbolts slowly peeked out from their arms and wings as Soarin and Nightshade flew out over the deck.
The Nightshade clones had all fallen to the floor. They were screeching, shaking, and convulsing on the ground, bright pink lights shooting from their eyes and mouths as steam rose up from them.
The Wonderbolts watched in horror as bits and pieces of their bodies began to flake, rising up from their bodies as is slowly and painfully disintegrating. The further away Soarin and Nightshade became outside… the faster they disappeared. It was nothing like how the clones usually disappeared upon being hit in their weak point. They usually just exploded in a bright flash of light, this was… unnerving. It was almost like they were melting or burning away.
All of them continued to screech until they disappeared completely, not with a bang or a flash, but with a whimper as the last of their light faded and disappeared.
Free from the fighting, several of the Wonderbolts immediately slumped or fell over, taking care to avoid broken glass as they caught their breath and cringed in pain from injuries. But several others also advanced towards the lobby doors, looking out the lobby doors towards Nightshade and Soarin as they slowed down and began fighting overhead near the edge of the deck.
Back in the east hallway, Dash didn’t pay any attention to the horrifying fate that befell the Nightshade clones. She saw exactly what happened and was already struggling to stand, and move. She frantically pulled herself through the hall towards the lobby with weak wobbling steps after seeing Nightshade and Soarin leave the Nimbus. She had no strength left, her energy had never felt lower, but the burning in her chest, the warmth she felt from Soarin’s magic going haywire was pushing her along. Just like before, the strength did not feel like her own as her heart beat furiously. It was more like a warning. A warning that she had to go to his aid or else something terrible was going to happen.
She stumbled along, one hoof at a time and never in a straight line, and never paying any mind to anypony or anything she passed. She heard her name called out not once, but twice, eventually spotting Squall and Storm hobbling up beside her.
They kept calling her name, but she did not look, nor acknowledge them. She couldn’t even put together what they were saying. Aside from her name, all she heard were jumbled collections of noises and something about her being okay or not.
She was NOT okay. She was far from okay and she wouldn’t be okay until she found a way to fly to Soarin’s side. Squall and Storm tried to grab and hold her in place, but she flailed her arms back and forth every time, quickly ripping free and continuing on until she finally tripped and fell face first upon entering the lobby.
Her ears were ringing, and she couldn’t focus. It felt like the room was spinning even though everything she saw remained in place. A third voice joined Storm and Squall’s as Dash saw Little Star land in front of her and quickly reach for her face, asking the same questions the other two were, but again she did not hear it. Or was she choosing not to hear it?
Her heart was beating uncontrollably, her breathing was uneven, and her chest was so hot she was surprised the remaining shreds of her suit had not burst into flames. Dash looked around, looking past her friends and wingmates into the lobby at all the Wonderbolts as they began moving to and fro, some of them looking outside, but hesitating to do anything more than that.
Why were none of them helping Soarin?!
Were they afraid? Or were they not sure if they could do anything about it?
The voices pelting Dash from all sides suddenly stopped. Her wingmates all perked up and looked into the lobby with her as Spitfire suddenly launched into the air, ignoring the rest of the Wonderbolts as they called to her.
Seconds later, a few of the top elites touched down near the broken stairwell. High Winds, Misty Fly, Fire Streak and Lightning Streak all hit the ground running, or at least they were trying to. Failing to mask several painful grunts as they moved, they made their way around the central pillar, forced their wings out and took to the air, following right behind their captain, just as desperate as she was to get out there and help Soarin.
That seemed to do the trick.
No orders had been given. No guidance had been laid out. There was only one thing filling the minds of the Wonderbolts…
Soarin was in grave danger.
Any Wonderbolt that still had strength left in their body took to the air, all of them shooting out the broken hangar window and following behind their captain.
Without another thought, Dash reached out, grabbing both Storm and Squall by the neck suddenly.
They both grunted as she pulled them down and took heavy breaths.
“I NEED… TO GET… TO SOARIN!!!!!!!!” she yelled, instantly letting go of them as she cringed and threw booth of her hooves over her heart. “AAAAAAAAHH!!!!! GRRRRHHH!!!!!” she groaned, falling roughly to the floor as she cringed and squirmed.
Squall and Storm looked at each other with wide, uncertain eyes, both of them briefly turning to Star who was only hesitating as much as they were, but they all flinched and looked up as a shadow was suddenly cast over them.
Matteo was standing over them, his eyes squinting and his body twitching. The edges of his beak clicked back and forth as he did his best to hold strong against the pains of his battered body. He wheezed and groaned as he opened his large wings. He gave them one, hard, determined flap, and then stared down at all of them.
“What are you all waiting for?! Get her on my back! We have to move! NOW!”
Soarin was through being careful. He was through worrying about the horn. If he held himself back and his friends all died as a result, what the hell would it matter?
If he had stayed back and let Dash die, he would have died too. The warnings of their so called ‘gods’ be damned. As far as he was concerned, this was what he had to do.
He had gotten Nightshade away from them all. He had pushed her out of the Nimbus and now the two were grappling over the deck, fighting for dominance in the air and moving in tandem with the Nimbus as their magical auras smashed against one another.
Soarin felt supercharged, beyond supercharged. He knew that probably wasn’t a good thing, but again, it didn’t matter to him. He was done keeping his emotions ‘in check’. He was angry, angry at Nightshade and he was going to use that anger against her, even if it meant putting himself at risk.
Soarin pushed off, the two of them releasing one another for only moment before they both lunged forward and began pelting one another with the heavy blows all over. It was an all-out brawl of intense attacking and no defending, each impact of hoof to body caused bright flashes of pink and blue light and sent pulses of the two colors in different directions.
Both of them roared out loudly, Soarin’s magic within his eyes and around his body now glowing with the exact same fierceness and intensity of Nightshade’s as the two unleashed relentless assaults on one another.
Soarin felt strong, but he was out of control, his anger and rage running wild as he focused every ounce of it towards Nightshade and answered every attack she landed with one of his own. The two moved further and further over the deck, slowly moving out over the edge as their speed became slightly faster than the Nimbus.
It was a brawl between two magically charged, unstable warriors. A concerning and terrifying sight for all those within range.
The Wonderbolts were pelted by unseen forces. It was mixture of harsh winds from the Nimbus rotors and the magical pulses that were rushing out of Nightshade and Soarin.
Spitfire was far ahead of the rest, completely focused on her best friend as she unknowingly led a charge behind her.
Fire Streak had taken over directing the Wonderbolts, barking out orders and getting them to spread out as the rest of the elite Wonderbolts caught up with him and the rest of the struggling top tiers that managed to drag themselves out of the bridge and take flight.
Dash, Squall, Matteo, Star, and Storm brought up the rear. Dash was sprawled out on Matteo’s back, holding onto his neck tightly with Little Star pressing her tiny hooves to her back to keep her steady. Storm and Squall flew out in front, keeping an eye out ahead to make sure Matteo had a clear path.
They had to get Dash to Soarin. The situation was out of control and going more haywire by the second, but they had not forgotten the connection Dash and Soarin shared. Matteo’s quick response after her desperate plea quickly spurred them into action. Soarin was in grave danger in more ways than one, meaning Dash was as well. They would move heaven and earth to get their captain and friend out there to him.
They kept on course as Wonderbolts stationed on the deck began springing up around them, joining the Wonderbolt charge. They passed over Luna as well, who was in the process of finding her hooves and readying for takeoff.
The Nimbus was remaining on course, moving along with them as they flew over its deck. Lucky was doing everything in his power to not hinder their efforts.
Far in the lead, Spitfire was closing in. She winced and tensed her body as she was battered and blasted by the wind and the pulses of magic that seemed to grow stronger as she closed in on Soarin and Nightshade. She could see how heavily the two were beating on one another, and just like Soarin watching her, she couldn’t stand the sight of her best friend being brutally pummeled.
She roared out with determination as she forced her way through the rushing waves trying to slow her down. Nightshade had her back turned to her, and she planned on giving her the most unpleasant surprise she could muster. She got closer… closer… closer…
But right before she could get within range to intercept, Nightshade unleashed an ear-piercing shout filled with intense rage, throwing her wing and arms out.
A visible burst of pink magic shot outward from her. It smashed into Soarin, catapulting him backwards and sending him flying over the edge of the Nimbus. He grunted and flailed as he tried to balance himself, but he fell over the side. The Wonderbolts screamed and yelped in surprise, all of them getting struck HARD by the magic blast starting with Spitfire and shooting all the way back through the ranks. It sent every single one of them tumbling to the Nimbus platform and even caused the Nimbus itself to tilt and lose nearly half its speed, the rotors creaking and groaning loudly at the sudden shift.
Matteo roared out in pain as he was hit, but unlike the rest of the Wonderbolts, he managed to keep control as he fell, refusing to go down as he reached out his arms and legs. He slammed his paws and talons to the platform and pushed himself back into the air. Little Star was blown away, but Squall pushed himself right back up the moment he hit the deck and caught her, the two running into Storm as he sprang up and braced them both. All three of them paid little mind to the shock of the crash. They quickly took right to the air again to rejoin Matteo as he continued to force his way forward with Dash in tow.
Matteo looked back and forth for Soarin, no longer seeing his target. But the moment Nightshade turned and dove over the edge of the Nimbus platform, he knew to follow.
Foxtrot had steamed ahead, making their way to the front of the pack easily as the rest took a moment to regain themselves. Spitfire, the Streak twins, High Winds, and Misty Fly all joined them as they headed towards the edge. Luna suddenly joined them as well, rising up from below and forming up behind them.
Spitfire pointed to the edge of the Nimbus, yelling to all of them desperately to help Soarin as they reached the end of the platform and all dove down, following after Nightshade as Soarin crashed to the snow covered ground far below.
Dash peeked around Matteo’s neck, barely able to focus with how much her chest hurt. Her heart was thumping harder than it ever had before. She felt like she was having a heart attack. She saw Soarin hit the ground below and bounce several times painfully with Nightshade far ahead of them and already about to engage.
She had to get to him… she had to help him… she hoped and prayed that Matteo and the Wonderbolts could get her down there. Soarin was breaking and she could feel it!
Soarin cried out in pain as he his back and wings took the full force of the collision. His body bounced and slid along the ground, kicking up chunks of snow that got in his eyes and smeared his suit and fur. He rolled and dug his hooves hard into the snow the moment he stopped moving and forced himself up, throwing his wings out and grunting loudly as he shook the snow from his face and mane.
The blue aura swirling around him rushed outward as he looked up and focused on Nightshade diving from above. The snow surrounding him was slowly whisked up and blown about as it reacted to his magic. He placed his hooves firmly and glared, ready to take her on as she closed in.
But then Nightshade suddenly whipped her head back and thrust her face forward, two large beams of magic ejecting from her eyes. Soarin was not expecting it, and found himself completely vulnerable without time to deflect them or throw up a shield, if he even could with how badly the horn was damaged. He covered his face with his arms, the beams exploding as they slammed into his arms and chest. He was thrown right over onto his back and tumbled through the snow again.
Nightshade hit the ground and broke into a gallop, snarling and snapping her teeth as she charged towards him. Her heavy hoof steps kicked snow in every direction.
Soarin rolled onto his side and tried to stand up, but before he could get halfway, Nightshade wound up and threw a hard punch right into the side of his stomach.
Soarin choked, his aura flickering and the light fading in his eyes for a moment as he took the hit and stumbled backwards. He tried to turn and face her, but she followed up with a hard hit to his jaw that spun him right around, stumbling away. He growled, his magic flaring up again, the light rising from his eyes growing stronger, more vibrant as his aura grew larger and regained its full strength.
He spun around and reached his hooves up, grabbing Nightshade’s as she tried to reach for his neck. He stopped her in place, his back hooves sliding backwards through the snow as he pushed against her.
His ears perked up briefly as he looked up into the sky and saw the Wonderbolts approaching, but he shouldn’t have broken his focus. Nightshade head butted him right in the face, just barely missing the horn as the crown of her skull smashed right between his eyes.
Soarin gasped and released her hooves, wobbling backwards as his vision blurred and his equilibrium was thrown way off. He blinked as the blue glow in his eyes wobbled along with his vision. He could see her charging, but he couldn’t zero in on her. He put up his hooves desperately to block any incoming attack, but he missed horribly. Nightshade’s arms shooting right past his as she began wailing on him, hitting him with heavy blows repeatedly in the chest and face.
Every hit caused Soarin to lurch back and forth, pushing him back step by step. He couldn’t do anything in response. Nightshade’s assault was relentless and every hit he took sent his focus flying way off course.
He was in trouble and he knew it. The Wonderbolts were on their way, but they wouldn’t reach him for several more seconds. He was taking too many hits to the head, and he if she landed one more perfectly placed punch to his face or head in general, he’d be concussed, knocked out, or worse.
His vision was blurry, his magic aura was fading fast, the light in his eyes had already vanished, unable to maintain its luster as his concentration continuously broke… But Soarin blinked as he saw Nightshade spin around suddenly, planting her front hooves in the ground.
She was readying to buck with both of her back hooves… and she was aiming right for his face.
Soarin needed to move, he needed to dodge… There was no physical attack from a pony that was stronger than a double hooved buck and her hooves were heading right for his eyes. With every ounce of effort he could muster, he forced himself backwards, and tipped his head up.
It was going to be close, but it looked like he was going to make it. He strained his neck as he leaned…
And barely… just barely edged his head out of the way as Nightshade’s hooves began passing by his chin.
But then he felt something.
Did something just…
Nudge him in the back?
Soarin inched forward as a faint voice slowly whispered into his ear…
“Whoooooooooooooooooooooopsie…!”
Nightshade’s hooves struck the horn…
And it instantly shattered.
Dash’s eyes widened as everything around her suddenly went dead silent and seemed to slow down. Her neck arched up and her body stiffened as if she had just been kicked in the face really hard.
She could only hear two things. Her breathing, and her heartbeat, and both of them were very loud and echoing.
Then both of them picked up the pace, her breaths becoming short and quick as her heart began to beat faster and harder. The ringing in her ears grew louder and a sharp stabbing pain filled her head. She could not move, or react to it, but the pain grew stronger and stronger… spreading down from her head into her chest and becoming particularly strong around her heart as it beat furiously.
It was unbearable, as if she was frozen in time and being eternally tortured… and then suddenly…
Everything resumed, she could feel the wind in her mane again as she rode on Matteo’s back.
But the next instant, an enormous shock surged through her body, breaking the ringing sensation in her ears as it literally sounded like something in her head snapped.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Dash screamed out as a bright blue light suddenly surrounded her.
Everypony flying close by flinched, but before they could turn and look, a burst of blue light ejected from Dash’s body, smashing into everypony nearby and literally propelling Matteo straight down, crashing roughly to the snow below.
“WHAT THE HELL?!” Spitfire yelled out as she and the rest of the Wonderbolts were floored by the sudden shockwave and either crash landed or barely evened out. She watched as Dash’s body fell to the ground, landing on and bouncing off Matteo before she hitting the snow on her back and screaming as loud as her voice could manage. Star, Squall, and Storm immediately found their hooves and galloped over to her, squinting as the blue glow around her shone incredibly bright.
Every Wonderbolt was confused, some quickly looking back and forth between their destination and Dash.
But Spitfire suddenly gasped as her eyes landed on Dash’s chest.
While there was a glow surrounding Dash’s body, there was a large collection of light like a ball packed right in the center of Dash’s chest… over her heart. It was making a loud sizzling noise and steam was rising from it as Dash screamed, twitched, and rolled back and forth with her eyes stuck open wide.
Spitfire spun around and looked hard towards Nightshade and Soarin. Nightshade had spun around after throwing a kick… but…
There was no horn on Soarin’s head.
“Oh my god, NO!!!!!!!!!!”
Nightshade snarled and growled as she finished the motion. She bounced back and glared at Soarin… but Soarin was frozen in place.
His body was stiff. Every inch of him was shaking from the tips of his ears to the end strands of his tail. His eyes remained stuck open, his pupils jittering as they remained locked up. He stared at where the horn used to be as the pieces, shards, and dust of its structure sprinkled down and bounced off his face. The base and damaged metal band slowly slipped off his forehead, falling gently into the snow at his hooves.
The air around him was deceptively calm, not a trace of blue light to be seen around his body or within his eyes.
Nightshade roared out, scraping a hoof into the snow and snorting ferociously. She charged headlong at Soarin, closing the gap between them in an instant and lowering her head to ram…
But the moment before she touched him… a small, blue dot of light appeared on Soarin’s forehead.
Nightshade struck Soarin… but she was instantly catapulted backwards, her hooves picking right up off the ground and her body flung into the air like a flailing ragdoll. She was sent several yards away, landing on her back and bouncing through the snow as she grunted and growled angrily.
The dot on Soarin’s forehead grew brighter… then larger as a blue glow appeared around his body as well.
And after a brief lull of silence… a loud noise likened to an explosion rang out from Soarin, an invisible force expelling from his body and causing a powerful blast of wind that sounded like thunderclap as it blew all the snow away from him.
Soarin felt a sudden rush from the center of his body, the same kind of rush that he felt when calling upon the magic many times before. But it was different, it was forcing itself through him, surging faster and harder than it ever had before and shooting right up to his head, his neck lurching forward as the magic pushed its way all the way up into his head… causing the most painful, skull crushing sensation Soarin had ever felt in his life.
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Soarin broke his silence, crying out in agony and dropping to his haunches as the aura surrounding him grew three times its size. He immediately slammed his head to the ground, his eyes stuck open as wide as his face allowed as he screamed into the dirt below him.
Several more pulses of magic began shooting out from his body, knocking Nightshade down every time she tried to get near him. She tried and tried again and again, but every mindless attempt was fruitless, ending with her rolling backwards in the snow.
Soarin lifted his head up off the ground, arching his neck back and screaming up into the sky as beams of light shot out of both his eyes and mouth, swirling clouds of magical energy began appearing around him and swirling like a tornado, a constant force shooting from his body, creating winds that resembled a hurricane.
He threw his hooves up, slamming them down over the spot on his forehead where the horn used to sit. It felt like something was stabbing him right in the skull, but it felt like it was from… the inside? He lurched back and forth, keeping his hooves pressed to his forehead as something began protruding, poking up from spot.
The Wonderbolts were all forced to land as the hurricane winds began shooting out, about, and all around from Soarin. Even overhead, the Nimbus was visibly pushed by the gales as Lucky turned it to stay near them.
“Damn, what’s going on?!” Lightning Streak yelled as he was forced down, High Winds crashing beside him and rolling backwards.
“Soarin’s magic is going haywire!” Fire Streak added as he shielded himself, his hooves sliding backwards. Fire Streak flinched as somepony frantically tapped his arm. He looked up to see Misty Fly bracing herself beside him. She wore a panicked expression as she frantically pointed towards Soarin and then tapped the same hoof to her forehead multiple times, her eyes wide behind her goggles. “What…?” Fire looked back out and looked carefully, his eyes landing on Soarin behind the swirling magical forces. There was no sign of the horn. Fire immediately glanced around. “Captain?! CAPTAIN SPIT—”
“GUYS! HELP ME OUT HERE!” Spitfire was directly behind him, causing Fire to jump in surprise and nearly be blown over by the winds. Spitfire was glaring hard and gritting her teeth as she made harsh hoof motions towards Dash. “WE NEED TO GET RAINBOW DASH TO SOARIN! NOW!!!!!!!!!!” she yelled directly in his face.
Nopony argued. Fire didn’t even answer. They all immediately did as they were told, all the Wonderbolts gathering in towards Dash as Matteo, Squall, Storm, and Little Star struggled to help Dash up.
Squall and Storm were constantly pulling back. Dash’s body was burning, so hot that it was painful to hold onto her. But Spitfire pushed through them, reaching down and immediately grabbing Dash. She hoisted her up onto her back, her face immediately scrunching as the burning sensations seeped right through her suit and into her body, but she didn’t give a damn.
“GIVE ME SOME COUNTER WINDS! NOW! NOW! NOW!!!!!!” Spitfire yelled to the others, the surrounding Wonderbolts quickly nodding and taking to the air the best they could. Some of them were immediately blown backwards, but a few of the stronger fliers managed to hold themselves steady, pounding their wings forward in attempt to break up the winds pushing them back from Soarin. High Winds pushed her way in front of the rest, grimacing as she forced her battered body to hold firm. Using her powerful wing muscles, she shouted as she beat her wings forward, several audible bursts of air rushing forth to reinforce the Wonderbolts’ efforts.
“RAAAAAH!!!!!!” Spitfire growled loudly as she began taking hard, strong steps. She leaned forward to brace herself against the winds, still strong despite the counter efforts from the others. Fire Streak, Lightning Streak, Misty Fly, Matteo, Storm, Squall, and Little Star all gathered in behind Spitfire, clumping together and pushing from behind.
With the joint team effort, they moved forward at the pace of a slow trot, all of them shouting and breathing in unison as they pushed their way through the whirlwinds.
“GO! GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! COME ON!!!!!!!!” Spitfire chanted to all of them, desperate to get Dash to Soarin. The horn was gone, but there was no point in sitting still and being shocked. Dash’s presence was the one thing that Spitfire knew for a fact was able to calm Soarin’s magic down. She wasn’t sure if at this point it would make a difference, but she was sure as hell going to try!
Hopefully Dash would last that long… because it looked like she was having a combination of a heart attack and a seizure as Spitfire bared the superheated burden on her back, steam now rising from all over Dash’s chest as the sizzling sound continued.
The will was strong, but the closer they got, the harder it became to move forward. The Wonderbolts in the air eventually were forced to land as they continued to generate counter winds, not even High Winds and her unbelievably strong wings could hold herself against it.
The group found themselves slowing down, no longer getting any closer as the pulses grew stronger, continuously forcing their hooves to skid back after each step.
“NO! NOOOO!” Spitfire yelled out as she refused to give up. “NO!”
“STAY STRONG, PONIES!”
Spitfire blinked as Luna suddenly pushed her way in front of them, her eyes alight and her horn glowing with a powerful collection of her divine magic.
“KEEP PUSHING!” she yelled back to them as she pointed her horn forward. She cringed and grimaced, her horn emitting sparks and wayward flashes of light as she struggled to keep her hold on it. With a mighty shout, her magic shone forth, creating a shield around them.
But within seconds, cracks appeared in the shield and it shattered, pushing Luna right back into them. Luna cried out in pain as the aura around her horn flickered and pulsated.
“GRRRR!!!!!” she growled as she pushed forward again, bearing her teeth as she pumped magic into her horn again. She pointed her horn towards Soarin again, but this time, instead of a shield Luna simply let her magic rush forth, giving it no form or function. She simply let it pulse outward, creating an opposite force much like the wings emitting from Soarin. “COME ON!!!” she yelled to Spitfire and the rest as High Winds and the other Wonderbolts joined Luna’s side and added their wing power to her magic.
It wasn’t a shield, but Luna’s magic was doing enough to get them closer. With Luna leading the way, they continued on, coming within ten yards of Soarin.
As they grew near, Matteo suddenly dug his back paws in, willingly placed his stomach over the top of Dash’s burning body, and clasped his talons around Spitfire’s shoulders.
“HRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!” Matteo roared as he pushed his paws into the earth and beat his wings down, forcing him, Spitfire, and Dash forward suddenly. Matteo continued to roar, half as a battle cry, half in pain as Spitfire caught on and forced her hooves to the ground as well, the two of them surging away from the rest and past Luna.
They closed the small gap that remained, coming within ten yards… five yards… closer and closer, but slowing down fast as the winds became the fiercest yet so close to the source.
Matteo kept on, driven by the screams of his captain.
Spitfire forged ahead, driven by the wails of her best friend.
All the rest looked on from behind, watching and praying with every ounce of their being that they would get Dash to him, and that Dash would be able to save him.
But it was no use.
They got within a yard of Soarin… and were struck by an enormous shockwave.
Matteo and Spitfire were propelled up into the air, thrown backwards into Luna and the rest of the Wonderbolts. Those trying to fight the winds were toppled instantly, and they all slid and rolled backwards roughly, barely stopping themselves and hanging on.
Spitfire looked from the ground in horror as she held onto the ground for dear life, Dash screaming behind her as she was pushed up against Matteo.
“NO!” Luna yelled from nearby. She tried to stand, but was forced right back down. Her horn simply flickered and sparked with no more aura to be seen.
“WE—AUGH!” Spitfire tried to stand as well, but she was quickly thrown backwards into Matteo, landing face to face with Dash as she screamed, eyes will stuck open wide.
It was hopeless…
They couldn’t do anything.
Spitfire slowly looked back towards Soarin, her lips quivering and her eyes watering as it seemed inevitable now…
But as she looked forward… she realized somepony… or more accurately… something… was standing before her, accompanied by an oddly shaped shadow casting over them and surrounded in a distorted purple glow as the newcomer braced themselves against the winds.
“D… DISCORD?!” Spitfire shouted, several others looking up as the god of chaos suddenly appeared in front of them, holding his arms in front of his face as he squinted towards Soarin.
“RGHHHH!!!!!” Discord grunted angrily, his eyes twitching and his snaggletooth rubbing against his lower lip as he glared towards Soarin.
Without a word to any of them, Discord gathered his frightening magic. The distorted purple glow grew larger and more irregular, strands of it lashing outward in a manner that was nowhere near similar to the way magic usually behaved at all.
Luna reached towards him, her mouth open as if to shout something, but she remained quiet. At this point, not even Luna cared what was done as long as it was stopped, even if it meant resorting to Discord’s dangerous magic.
Discord suddenly launched from the spot, stretching his body out straight as he fired himself directly towards Soarin. The start was fast, but he ran into something none of them had seen yet. When he got within ten yards of Soarin, a dome of blue light suddenly expanded forth from Soarin’s body.
Discord collided with it, the dome quickly bending and sinking inward like a net, or a sturdy bubble.
Discord growled, his strange aura growing larger as he pushed against the blue barrier, inching closer and closer to Soarin as it tried to repel him back.
Slowly but surely, Discord came within reaching distance of Soarin. He thrust his arm forward, trying his hardest to push it through the straining barrier. He came close several times, grabbing at Soarin’s head twice, but missing both times. Discord yelled out as he thrust the other arm forward… and managed to get it close enough to touch.
“I think not!”
A voice suddenly echoed in Discord’s head. He blinked and looked up above Soarin.
The swirling magic around Soarin had gathered, and the very faint outline of a pony’s head appeared.
The next thing Discord knew, he was hurtling backwards, his eyes wide in disbelief as he was repelled.
He crashed roughly into the snow, sliding to a stop right between Luna and Spitfire. He immediately propped himself up on his elbows and stared towards Soarin with his jaw nearly unhinged.
He quickly reached both arms out, his magic appearing around them. Several odd pulses emitted from his arms. They were barely visible, but seemed to bend reality, distorting the image of what they passed as they traveled towards Soarin. Discord kept it up, sending several of these dimensional bending waves towards Soarin.
But even his reality bending powers failed. Each wave reached Soarin and instantly broke apart.
“WHAT?!” Discord yelled out in disbelief as he let his arms fall to his sides. “That’s… not possible! Why is none of my magic working?!”
All eyes were on him as he stood up and leaned forward, never taking his eyes off of Soarin.
But instead of trying again… he fell to his knees and hunched forward, placing his hands on the ground as he kept staring towards the chain reaction.
“No…” he said quietly. “NO!” he yelled as he looked over his shoulder at Dash. She was still screaming, her voice becoming raspy from the continuous use and endless need for it. “I…” He looked back towards Soarin and pounded his fists into the ground. “I CAN’T BELIEVE I LET THIS HAPPEN!!!!!”
Nopony knew what he meant, and Spitfire was too shocked to make heads or tails of what Discord was saying…
But Luna forced herself over to Discord, stumbling and falling with every step until she was right up next to him.
“DISCORD!!!!!” she yelled, but he didn’t move or reply. “DISCORD! WHAT’S GOING ON?!” her voice boomed. “WHAT DID YOU LET HAPPEN?!” she demanded.
“YES!!!!! IT FINALLY HAPPENED!” the male voice boomed in Soarin’s head as the blue stallion’s image began to grow larger before him. “THE HORN IS NO MORE! I AM UNBOUND!”
“NO!” Soarin yelled as he lay flat on the ground, twitching as he tried to push himself up, but an intense visible pressure kept him down. “I… I WON’T LET YOU!” he shouted towards the ever expanding image of the stallion as the space around them slowly turned from white to a dark shade of blue itself. “AAAAAUGH!” Soarin screamed in pain as the stallion loomed over him, his silhouette disappearing as is joined with the blue shade of light taking over every inch of Soarin’s mind.
“STOP!” the yellow mare yelled as she held her hooves firmly behind Soarin, bracing herself as the forces rushing from the stallion intensified and threatened to push her back. Her image was flickering, her form streaking as if the blue light surging towards her was trying to wipe her out. “STOP IT! DON’T DO THIS!” she urged desperately, her tone already filled with defeat as if she knew it was inevitable.
“IT’S USELESS TO RESIST!” the stallion’s voice boomed, echoing as if it came from every direction. Blue streams of light reached up from below Soarin and began wrapping around his legs and body. “WITHOUT MY SHACKLES, YOU CANNOT CONTAIN ME ANY LONGER!” the stallion yelled triumphantly as the outlines of two enormous eyes appeared over Soarin from within the surrounding light.
“GAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!” Soarin cried out in pain as he was restrained and forced to the ground. Blue flames erupted around him and surrounded his entire body as the streams began pulling him down, forcing him into the light.
“SOARIN!” the mare yelled as she twitched and winced, her hooves sliding backwards. “YOU HAVE TO FIGHT! YOU MUST—” the mare was cut off as something suddenly shot by her. A white streak of light sped right towards Soarin and passed right through him, breaking all of the streams that were pulling him down and snuffing out the blue flames around him.
Soarin gasped, immediately pushing himself up as he panted and wheezed. He blinked and looked up as a bright white glow before him caught his eyes.
It was the image of Rainbow Dash, the fragment of her spirit that had already protected him once from the blue stallion. She stood firm, glaring right back at the face that glared down at them both.
“YES!” the mare yelled in slight surprise.
“YOU AGAIN?!” the stallion roared with discontent as the eyes shifted from Soarin to the image of Dash, glaring down at her as she stood loyally between him and Soarin. The rush of magic was suddenly weaker, rushing against Dash and being held back as if her very presence weakened it.
No longer deterred, the yellow mare stepped up and stood beside Dash’s spirit, putting herself between Soarin and the stallion as well. She looked small, a complete reversal from before where the mare stood at least a head taller than the stallion.
The eyes moved forward, a large, blue outline of the stallion’s head appearing along with them and reaching towards them both. The eyes narrowed as a loud growled echoed all throughout.
“You will NOT succeed!” the mare yelled up at the stallion, the appearance of Dash’s spirit and her strong retaliation giving the mare hope. “Even with the horn gone, we will not let you! I may have failed, but you will not defeat them and their bond! It’s stronger than you! It’s stronger than me! As long as they hold you back, you will never have full control!” The mare turned to Soarin as he remained on his hooves, taking heavy breaths as his legs wobbled. “SOARIN! Stay strong!” she encouraged him. “Focus your will! Steel your spirit! Rainbow Dash is here to fight beside you! Join her and don’t let him break you!”
Soarin shook his head out, gritted his teeth and growled as he glared towards the enormous head and pair of eyes looming over him.
“HHHHHHHHRRRRGGGGG!!!!!!” Soarin roared as he threw his wings outward, tensing up his body and refusing to be pushed back. Several white pulses began erupting from Soarin’s body, passing through Dash and the mare harmlessly, but smashing against the stallion’s face, pushing it away from him. The stallion grunted angrily as he was nudged away, the unending blue light surrounding them all was flickering, and blinking.
“YES, SOARIN!” the mare encouraged as Soarin stepped up between her and Dash. “Hold him back! Don’t give him what he wants! Draw strength from your connection! Add her willpower to yours!” she looked back towards the stallion. “I know you won’t let him win!”
The mare’s confidence and encouragement rang clear as Soarin edged himself closer to the image of Dash. Yet, he could not feel anything from her. He wasn’t sure what the mare meant by drawing strength from Dash, but all in all, it only seemed to be confidence in him and his willingness to fight. He didn’t need to draw any strength or anything like that. Seeing Dash’s spirit beside him was all he needed. Knowing that she was fighting it with him was more than enough to motivate.
But then a large grin appeared below the stallion’s eyes. The pulses continued to smash against him, but he halted, no longer allowing them to nudge him away. The surrounding blue light stopped flickering and became solid, growing a deeper shade of blue that darkened their surroundings, casting a shadow over them.
“Celes… if only you could see yourself right now,” the stallion suddenly spoke in a rather condescending tone.
“What…?” the mare blinked, her ears perking up as the stallion’s head began moving closer to them again, the pulses form Soarin simply bouncing aside.
“This is such a familiar situation to you, isn’t it? You could end this right now, you have the capability… yet you’re putting it on the shoulders of those who have no chance. You’re simply standing beside them and ‘guiding’ them instead of taking matters into your own hooves.”
The mare took a hard step backwards, her image shuddering. Soarin stole a quick glance at her, but otherwise remained focused.
“STAY BACK!” Soarin yelled a stronger pulse ejecting from his body. It slammed into the stallion, but didn’t push him back at all. “I MEAN IT!” he yelled, but the stallion did not shift his focus, he kept looking towards the mare.
“So, spare me the pathetic hope and all the rah-rah cheering from the sidelines, my dear…” the stallion said down to the mare as she remained frozen in place.
Suddenly the image of Dash roared out beside Soarin, her effort matching his as an even stronger burst flared forth, striking the stallion and forcing him an inch back, but again… he didn’t even look at them.
“You really think that these two alone can stop all that I have become? You think they stand any chance at all without that infernal artifact holding me down? Perhaps if I was still the stallion you betrayed they could…” he slowly glanced at Soarin and Rainbow Dash as they continued to hold firm. “But that stallion is long gone.”
The light around them turned even darker, no longer resembling light… but more likened to shadows as it began to swirl around them violently.
“You really thought I’d be the same? You really thought I’d simply sit on my hooves and wait all this time? As if I’d ever be so lazy… as if I wouldn’t learn from the power that once drove me mad! You even used to praise me for my ability to learn and absorb! It’s like you don’t even know who you’re speaking to!”
The empty space around them was now pitch black, but the three of them were illuminated as if standing in an endless void. The stallion’s face and eyes remained a dark shade of blue that stood out like an ominous glow in the darkness, looming over them like a nightmare.
“You think this ONE little mare…” The eyes suddenly turned towards Dash and blue streams of light began swirling before them. The lights slowly darkened, turning nearly as dark as the area around them like dark clumps of shadows. “WILL DO ANYTHING TO STOP ME?!”
The shadows shot towards them, both of them slamming right into the spirit of Dash. She was whisked right up into the air, kicking and screaming as the shadows clamped down onto her and began spreading all over her body.
“SHE IS SIMPLY IN THE WAY!” the stallion laughed as the image of Dash lurched and writhed, the light around her flickering and her very image distorting.
Soarin’s focus broke.
He completely let his guard down and turned all of his attention to Dash, watching as the image of her was thrown up into the air and mutilated by the shadows. The sight was too much to bear… and it brought back an eerily familiar memory of a nightmare he had the night he spent with her at the royal ball.
Two shadow figures…
Hurting her as he was stuck on the ground.
“DASH!!!!!!!!!!” Soarin yelled desperately as he turned.
“SOARIN! NO!!!!” the mare yelled as he took his eyes off the stallion.
“YOUR BODY…” the image of the stallion’s head began to capsize, turning into a single, thick stream of blue light. “IS MINE!!!!!!!!!”
The stream of light rushed forward…
And surged into Soarin.
Soarin was blown backwards, his body remaining stiff and upright, with his hooves sliding until he came to a halt a few yards back.
Everything immediately felt wrong, his body no longer responding to his attempts to move it. But worst of all, it felt like something had just physically made its way into the center of his body and was tearing him from inside out.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Soarin cried out, his neck arching back and his eyes stuck open wide as blue light began shooting out from all over his body. He was immediately surrounded by a blue aura that flared up and grew larger quickly.
“NO! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” the mare cried out as she shielded her face, the magic rushing from Soarin surging against her. “I WON’T ALLOW IT! I WON’T!!!!” she yelled as she forced her hooves forward, taking slow steps through the rushing waves of magic. Her image again flickered and flaked, but the yellow aura surrounding her fought back against the blue.
She slowly grew closer to Soarin, but as she did, the aura around Soarin began to take shape, slowly taking the form of the blue stallion, growing larger and larger around him. The stallion’s head tilted down as his image grew, looking down upon the mare as she reached forward and grabbed Soarin’s shoulder. She screamed in pain as the blue light lashed against her, poking holes in her very image as she held firm.
The mare gritted her teeth, opened her wings and roared out, her aura expanding and pushing outwards against the stallion’s image, but she could not push him away.
However, it seemed like he could not remove her either. She remained locked in place, holding Soarin’s shoulder as she glared up into the eyes of the stallion’s massive silhouette.
“As long as I have enough power to fight back, you cannot have him!” she yelled up. “Even if the two of us have to sit here and struggle for the rest of eternity! I will not let you run free!”
“You have nopony to blame for this but yourself, Celes!” the stallion’s voice boomed down over her. “You could have killed me at any time, snuffed me out forever, but you chose to hang onto me for such petty, selfish desires. And now… you will face the consequences!”
“I REFUSE!” the mare yelled back, reaching up her other hoof to grab both of Soarin’s shoulders. “Let’s see who is bluffing now! I’m the only thing standing between you and Soarin and I WILL NOT let go! If you want him, YOU’LL HAVE TO KILL ME!”
The stallion said nothing at first.
The mare thought she might have actually gained leverage.
But his barely visible lips curled into a smirk.
“Oh Celes… As if I would ever do such a thing to a beautiful mare like you,” he said in an oddly soft tone.
The mare gasped, her eyes widening as if his words sparked a memory.
Then her aura began to shrink around her.
She perked up and yelped, trying to pull back from Soarin, but her hooves were stuck, blue streams of light wrapped around them and holding them there.
“You’re underestimating me again,” the stallion spoke calmly as the mare’s aura shrunk all the way down, just leaving her image and silhouette as she struggled against his hold. “You think I don’t remember? You only have a fraction of your power here. The rest of it is locked away because you feared it would kill us all.” He leaned his head down, nearly lining it up perfectly with Soarin’s as he stared into the yellow mare’s eyes. “And look how you’re acting now. You talked tough, and claimed you would never let go, yet here you are trying to rip yourself away from the very stallion you JUST swore to fight for…”
The mare looked down at Soarin, he had stopped screaming, his body had become completely still and frozen as the stallion’s image engulfed him.
“Well? What are you waiting for?” the stallion spoke down to her. “You know what you must do to prevent this! You said you would do anything to stop me, right?” he prodded her as she shuddered and stared blankly up into his face.
“I… I… Ah…” the mare stuttered, completely failing to respond. She was suddenly completely surrounded by the blue light, ripped free from Soarin, and slammed to the ground in front of him. “AH!” she cried out as the blue light weighed her down.
“Last chance to prove me wrong, Celes! Have you learned you lesson?! Are you willing to do whatever it takes?! UNLEASH YOUR FULL POWER! DESTROY US BOTH! KILL SOARIN AND RAINBOW DASH!” he roared down at her. “IT’S EITHER THAT… OR YOU SET ME FREE INTO EQUESTRIA AND I DO AS I PLEASE!”
The mare slowly forced her eyes opened and stared towards the stallion, looking all over his massive image that continued to grow bigger around Soarin before looking him right in the eyes, with a desperate, pleading expression of defeat.
“Feh…” the stallion scoffed. “Once more… you are unable to act. You are unwilling to make sacrifices. You are more worried about yourself than those who look up to you filled with hope and awe. What a PATHETIC ‘god’ you are!”
A sudden surge of blue light slammed down over the top of the mare, she screamed and wailed as her head was forced to the ground by the pressure.
The stallion stood up tall and thrust his head high into the air.
“I…” he looked down… And all at once, the darkness surrounding them, the blue lights swirling all around, and the image of his body rushed inward… everything surging into Soarin. “AM FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“DISCORD!” Luna yelled right into his ear as she braced herself against the harsh forces of magic pelting her from the side. But Discord remained on the ground, simply staring in a uncharictaristic state of broken disbelief
Luna looked back over at the Wonderbolts, all of them staring towards Soarin with no idea what was going on and no idea what to do. Squad Foxtrot was holding their ground near Dash, fretting over their captain as she continued to glow and her chest continued to sizzle. She was still screaming, her voice becoming weak from constant use, but clearly in more pain than one could even fathom.
Luna blinked as she noticed Dash’s hooves suddenly rush to her forehead, pressing down over the center of it as she lurched back and forth. Luna quickly refocused on Discord and boldly grabbed him by the neck, yanking him close to her face as she growled at him.
“SPEAK! DISCORD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” she demanded.
“I… haven’t done anything…” Discord replied quietly as he slowly pointed towards Soarin, his figure barely visible behind the swirling lights, and incredible magical forces surging all around him. “All I had to do was… keep this from happening and…”
Luna looked towards Soarin quickly, but froze, her eyes widening as she watched.
It was a hard to see it clearly, but Soarin’s body was… changing.
What was left of his suit slowly burned away, dissolving into little flakes that vanished into the air above him.
Every wound on his body instantly healed. Every bruise vanished and every cut or gash closed up.
His mane grew longer. Lowering down past his shoulders and becoming fuller, wilder.
Then his body began to grow, his height slowly increasing until he was nearly twice his normal size. His muscles expanded immensely as well, filling up his new frame to scale with his old and then bulking up some more, giving his body a frighteningly powerful physical appearance.
He had remained silent throughout the transformation, but then suddenly cried out in pain. The lights swirling around him brightening and caused everypony around to shield their eyes. Luna squinted, doing her best to keep a visual on Soarin as his body became nothing but a shadow silhouette within the shining blue aura.
Soarin screamed and wailed, pure agony rising from his throat as the tone slowly became deeper, his voice changing…
And then… an unholy noise that sounded like a sharp object splitting flesh rang out.
Luna gasped as Soarin lowered his head… and revealed a curved horn in the center of his forehead.
“When… Celestia restored Soarin’s body…” Discord suddenly spoke up, ripping Luna’s attention back to him. “She… didn’t use magic devised by Sombra.”
“WHAT?!” Luna’s jaw dropped as her head snapped back to Soarin, the light slowly losing its brightness and slowly revealing…
Soarin?
No… it was Soarin’s colors… but it did not look like Soarin. Luna felt all the air leave her lungs as she recognized… somepony else she knew from a long, long time ago.
Soarin’s body and features had completely changed. He was a little larger than her with enormous wings and a body filled with large, powerful muscles. His long mane rested upon his neck, curling around it with curved split ends that frolicked and danced as it was caught up in his aura.
But what sealed the look and confirmed what she was looking at…
Was a bright red, curved horn that resembled a crystal jutting out of his skull. Blood trickled from the base of the horn and down his face like a freshly opened wound. The blood slid down past his eyes, hidden behind blue lights that hid his pupils and flared up like flames. His lips parted, revealing sharp ferocious looking fangs. A burst of mist expelled from his mouth as he released a deep exhale that had the undertone of a snarl.
“She put…” Discord continued slowly. “Sombra IN him!!!!!”
---To Be Continued---