Training of the Gods Part 2
Sometime later…
Having been released from the healing pod, Luna crawled herself along the floor, coughing after her recovery - which is what, the third time!
Standing before was Frost, his arms was behind his back as he stared at her sternly.
"You really surprised me with that final blow of yours,-" he raised a hand to his chin, stroking it, "that actually hurt…a little," he said.
Rubbing her temples, Lun stood back up, still feeling a little queasy, not being used to making such a speedy recovery in such short time. Looking up at him, she shot him a frown.
"However, despite how impressive your punch may have been, I still need you at your strongest...otherwise you will not last long when we return to Equestria. I will not return to that planet with a weakling." His humored expression changing into a frown.
While he kept talking, her face contorted, getting angrier and angrier...though, not with him, but herself!
She knew that she wasn't strong, so for now she'd have to suffer criticism so she could get stronger. She'd have to tolerate being berated for a little while, until she was strong enough to defeat her sister and liberate Equestria from the devious lies
"Hmmm," Frost grumbled at seeing a lack of anger in his student. In fact, she seemed more calm than angry.
"Let's begin," he said, assuming a battle-ready stance in front of her. A stern frown on his face as he faced her.
"Unless you intend to use all your strength, then don't even bother. I will not be fighting you at your weakest," he said.
Immediatly, her rage ignited, enraged at being thought of as weak! Kicking off, she lunged herself at him!
“RrrAAAHHHHHHH!!”
In mid-air, seconds before making physical contact, she reeled her right hoof back, holding it back just long enough, before, then, swinging it towards him.
*Bzzt!*
WHOSH
However, as she attempted to punch him, he abruptly dissapeared! Vanishing from sight, causing her to punch the dead ai his body used to occupy!
*Bzzt*
Her ear, though, twitched as she heard him re-emerge somewhere else, and with quick enough reflexes turned herself around just in time to see his incoming fist. Time slowing down for her.
Narrowing her eyes, she knew that she needed to be quick in order to avoid another humiliating defeat like before.
Oh, no you don’t- she thought
WHOSH
As time seemed to resume going at regular speeds again, she watched the incoming fist get faster and faster, however, as everything began moving in normal speed, she surprised him by jumping out of the way, dodging the fist, leaving him to punch the empty space she occupied.
Frost's eyes shooting wide open at seeing her so easily elude him.
Turning his head, the Emperor followed as her body to almost glide through the air as she he passed her, both staring back at each other.
His eyes, filled with shock and surprise, and her's, stern and determined.
While their eyes were locked, she reeled her hoof back, in preparation for another attack, then, swung it towards him! Screaming loudly, -
POW
...and punched him right in the chest, causing him to utter a pained groan!
Raising his hand to his chest, he stopped in mid-air, but this breifest of recoveries only presented her with the oppertunity to teleport in front of him, delivering an even more painful kick to his stomach!
His eyes widened as he stumbled back away from her, but before she got another chance to attack him, he shot his tail at her!
"Whoa!" she exclaimed, clearly noticing his change in tactics.
Holding her hooves up in front of her face, his tail only hit her hooves instead of her face.
Failed to hit her face, he took advantage of this oppertunity, and kicked off, jumping up into the air where he began hovering.
Putting as much distance between himself and her, he wasn't going to give her another chance to attack before he had a plan for how to handle her.
In mid-air, he held both his arms out to the side, stopping himself from going any further.
Looking back down, he began looking for her.
Now, where did she go?!
From this great a height it would be easy to locate her, but unfortunatly for him, in the time that it had taken him to jump up here, she'd managed to elude him.
RRRrrr! Damnit, i've lost her!
He cursed to himself, that despite his best efforts to find her, he was not succesful.
Down in the trees, a dark silhouetted figure speed from one tree to the next. Hiding behind them as she sought to go deeper and deeper into the forest that it would be a pain for him to locate her,
Meanwhile, up above, the space Emperor continued to search for her.
After a while, his head shot up, eyes widening as he realized something, something that he smacked his face for being enough of a fool to overlook.
Turning around, his frustrated frown shifted a sly smile at seeing the forest.
“N'awwwww, but it can take an eternity to look for her in there!" he whined upon seeing the size of the forest.
"However, I have an easy way to ''smoke her out''."
Folding his arms across his chest, he silently smirked at he continued looking down on the forest. Soon, he started rising higher into the air. Only stopping when he had a good enough view of the entire forest.
As the wind blew past him, he looked down on the forest with an evil glee.
His eyes began glowing, getting brighter and brighter, until, without warning, two blue beams shot from his eyes towards the forest!
The eye-beams sliced through the wood like it was paper, burning everything within his sight, and leaving a black, scorched trail behind!
Wherever he looked, nothing survived his onslaught.
Chuckling to himself, he continued to fire his eye-beams upon the forest, not leaving any incinerated, any rock disentigrated, or any field of grass scorched.
[Meanwhile, in the forest]
Whoa! What is happening?! What is he- she thought at the ground shaking and explosions going off in the distance.
BOOM CRACK RUMBLE
Before she could finish that thought (or any other) a nearby tree suddenly exploded, sending her crashing into another, then, collapsing to the ground.
Looking up, she saw the destroyed tree, scattered pieces of burning wood and faint flames onto the ground.
The only reason she had survived that was because of the after-shock from the explosion pushing her back against a tree that caught her before she fell back down on the ground again.
What the buck? Is he testing me, or honestly trying to kill me?!
Standing back up, she suddenly gasps, covering her mouth with her hoof in shock at the destruction left behind by his attack.
A single streak of flames showing where his eye-beams had left black scorch marks and cut and smoking tree stumps.
Better move quickly if I want to have a chance of outlasting him long enough, she thought before she leaped outwards.
Hiding in the shadows, as she leaped from the shadow of one tree to the next…and another one after that.
Gradually moving further and further towards the biggest clearing within the forest…which, after what she had just seen, was the safest place where she could hide from Frost, -
…all while the Emperor continually bombarded the surface with relentless eye-beams that wrought quite the destruction on this forested landscape.
*****
Sometime later, she peaks her head out from behind a rock.
Staring up into the sky to make sure that Frost has moved on before she makes her move, it being too risky to move from one location to another while he’s watching.
Okay, coasts’ clear, she re-assures herself, before making her move.
Having used a combination of both teleportation and speed, she was able to confuse Frost as to what her position was, and thus was able to get to the castle without much problem.
Now that she’s reached the actual castle, she is panting heavily from physically exhausting herself as she has.
Now…have to find a place where I can begin powering up without any difficulty, she told herself in her mind, before she started making her way through the castle.
Deep within the castle, in a large hollow chamber, she sits down as she begins to concentrate.
She begins to think, thinking only about one thing, and one thing only…but it is not the battle, nor even the threat of Frost looming in the air above her…
*****
Up in the air above the now decimated forest, Frost is continuing to hover while having his arms folded across his chest.
Now, a little annoyed that Luna isn’t dropping this extreme game of ‘’tag’’ they’re playing.
… However, before he raises his finger and creates an enormous ball of death, he suddenly senses something nearby.
“Hm?” Frost reacts as he senses a growing energy signature coming from the Castle of the Two Sisters.
“Hah, found you!” he says aloud as he points a finger up above him, making a ball of energy appear at his fingertip.
The ball continues to grow in size until it becomes as big as his head.
He then throws the ball of crackling energy down towards the castle…where upon impact, causes a large explosion that brings with it blinding light.
A large dome-shaped explosion appears and begins moving outwards, destroying anything it comes into contact with, and turning them into tiny particles of dust that are blown away by the wind.
By the time the light dies down, and visual contact can be established, there is nothing but a large crater left behind.
Folding his arms across his chest, he smirks proudly.
Gently, he shakes his head back and forth, glad to see that he still remains more powerful than her.
… However, his celebrating is cut short when he starts sensing something.
An energy signature…and its coming from the crater.
“B-but that’s impossible…” he immediately exclaims as soon as he picks it up, looking down inside the crater, “T-that blast was supposed to weaken her, h-how can she still be- “
His attention, though, is suddenly stolen away by the crater when he begins to detect an energy signature from inside it is getting stronger.
It continues building strength…but still, at the same time, he is sensing several other energy signatures spreading out, and going multiple if not random directions, all at once.
He follows each of the energy signatures wherever they go, but they are moving so fast that he is unable to keep track of them before he is distracted by another one going in a opposite direction.
He tries to hit several of them, but every time he misses one of them, his frustration continues to build and build, until he just can’t take it, anymore.
Holding two fingers together, he immediately shoots them out, firing several finger blasts down towards the surface.
However, instead of firing the blasts in a vain attempt to catch one of the many energy signatures, he has taken a deep breath before doing it, which in turn calms his down, clearing his head.
His blast manages to hit one of the energy signatures, making it immediately dissipate as he destroyed it.
Again, he fires another finger-blast, hitting and destroying another one of the moving energy signatures…and then another…and another…and another…
This continues until he can no longer sense anything but the one really high signature he had felt before.
Looking up, his attention is brought towards the crater’s center…only for his eyes to shoot wide open as he notices that the crater isn’t exactly looking like a regular crater.
Instead, upon closer inspection, it is looking very different from what he imagined it would.
“Hm, seems I missed a spot.”
Raising his hand, he is about to begin powering up another blast...
However, before he can throw it, bright dark-blue beams of light bursts through the ground.
Followed thereafter by a large dome-shaped explosion, that starts out as small, but just continues growing in size.
Swallowing up more of the forest as it continues to spread outwards…
KA-BOOOM!
…until, of course, it explodes!
Raising his arms up, he covers his face as the explosion’s shockwave hits him.
Resisting its powerful attempts to blow him away…despite his body being slowly forced further and further back through the air.
When the explosion dies down, and the wind that was pushing him backwards comes to a complete halt, it takes a few seconds before he lowers his arm, and he actually sees the damage that the landscape has suffered.
Rocks, both large and small, have been strewn about the landscape, a large part of the Everfree forest has been up-rooted, and an actual large crater has now left been behind, leaving a giant hole in the middle of the forest.
However, as he hovers there, gawking at the destruction that has been wrought, he is left completely open to attack, as before he can react, he is punched in the face by something very fast.
*Bzzt*
…but before he can respond with his own attack, it disappears, leaving him to just punch air.
Growling upon missing the attacker, he tightens his knuckles, forming fists…but that doesn’t do much to stop his attacker from punching him again.
However, instead of just stopping at punching him once every time, she begins bombarding him with rapid punches to his chest and stomach.
Unlike before, Luna’s aura is literally flaring like real flames.
Every punch to his body, leaving him with one more bruise than he had before.
Reeling her hoof back, her horn starts to glow, surrounding her hoof in her blue aura.
However, as her hoof is thrusted towards his face, it is moving just slow enough that it is allowed to pick up a lot of extra speed, and with her magic empowering it even further, it truly manages to pack a punch upon hitting him.
As she delivered an uppercut punch to his jaw, it was powerful enough to send him flying, as well as procuring a giant shockwave.
In the distance, she watched as the top of a mountain exploded.
Over by the mountain, Frost hauled his beaten and battered form out of the hole in the mountain.
From a large wound in his jaw, blood dripped onto the ground.
Panting heavily, his hand shook as it held the edge of the crack in the mountainside.
Flying in place, Luna’s hooves were folded across her chest as she watched Frost recover from her attack.
A stern expression was on her face as she watched him, waiting for him to make his next move.
Meanwhile, her flaming aura dimmed a little, losing some of its heat. Something that caught the Princess by surprise.
“Wha-...what happened? Why do I suddenly feel weaker?” she asked as she held up her hooves, looking at them as the fire that she had felt moments ago faded.
Gasping as she remembered Frost, she looked back towards the mountain…only to see that he was no longer at the mountain, nor did he need a moment to catch his breath.
Frantic to find him, she hastily turned her head, looking in random directions as she attempted to locate him.
However, she couldn’t even sense him anymore.
Up above, a dark silhouette looked down upon her. Its eyes narrowing, before it then disappeared with a *Bzzt* in the blink of an eye.
As she hovered there in mid-air, her jaw suddenly dropped. It, hanging slack as her whole face intense. Being able to utter nothing other than chocked noises.
A terrible cracking noise echoing in her ears, and an extreme pain that only lasted a second, but was still bad enough to make her freeze in place.
With a very slow turn, she managed to look behind her. Seeing Frost holding out a fist in front of him, that was punching her where her spine.
Holding a hand behind his back, and staring at her with a serious frown…on a face that had been half exploded, leaving a bloody and gory mess.
“N-ever forget…” he said, experiencing some speaking issues with his jaw, “y-our power may be great, but give your enemy a chance to recover, and you will lose the m-omentum long enough for him to properly deal with you,” Frost said. Looking rather unimpressed as he said it, almost as if he had expected her to make this mistake.
As he retracted his fist, she winched, her jaw shaking as she found it a little difficult to remain still as the pain coursed through her a second time.
Her body then became still, and started to fall down.
Frost’s hands hanging down beside him as he watched her with his eyes. Following her as she fell down through the sky.
*Meanwhile, elsewhere in Frost’s castle*
Silence fills a darkened chamber as a lone figure looks up at a big screen. The light from the screen illuminating the darkness around the figure.
Sitting on a chair, the figure observes the battle between Princess Luna and Lord Frost. Watching as blows are exchanged, and the other’s punches are deflected, though, a few managed to slip through, landing a few good hits on the other opponent’s body.
The only sound being the grunts and groans made by Luna and Frost as they battle, and of course whenever an energy based attack is utilized.
From the shadows, a figure emerges. Approaching the observer.
From her robe, she extends a hand, which she gently puts on the figure’s shoulder.
Upon feeling her hand on its shoulder, the figure looks over its shoulder back at her. Seeing her standing behind it.
Raising a hand, her hand is covered by its hand. Upon lowering its head, the soft skin of her hand is felt on its face.
“Come, they are expecting us…” she said, to which the figure nods, and stands up.
Smiling, she turns around. Accompanying the figure as they walk out of the room together.
*Meanwhile, elsewhere…*
In the cold dead of space, a giant ball of steel and iron orbits around a planet. Its construction being slow, as the ships bringing the materials are not the fastest, but when they do arrive, big leaps are made in the construction process.
Inside this giant space station, several figures are watching a giant holographic screen that shows Luna and Frost battling each other.
Several chairs around the table are empty, as several of the members are away on missions, but the ones that are present, stare at the battle between Luna and Frost. Treating their battle very seriously.
“She is showing improvement, yes?” says one of the councilmembers.
“Yes, she is coming along nicely…” replied one of the councilmembers.
The leader’s attention shifted towards the woman that spoke. Staring towards a slender woman clad in crimson armor.
“Celestia may be a simple-minded creature, but judging someone like her, especially on her appearance is dangerous,” she said.
“Bah ~ Soon, she will no longer be a concern of ours,” a councilmember with a horned helmet and dark robes, waved off, “She will be facing off against her sister, and we have given her the perfect teacher. Someone who is going to turn to mold her into a warrior strong enough to crush her selfish sister, and free us from this hell,” he said tightening his fist.
Around the table, other councilmembers murmured and nodded in agreement.
However, as he looked around the table, seeing all the faces that were agreeing with him, he one of the women that hung her head low, frowning.
Behind the helmet, his eyes narrowed. Watching her, as she excused herself from the council chambers. None of the other councilmembers seemed to notice much of a difference after she left.
What are you up to? He wondered, as he watched her leave the chamber.
*Elsewhere on the station*
Walking through the hallways away from the Council Chamber, she continues to walk through the station. Holding her hands together, and her head hanging low. An aura of sadness being detected by anyone she passes.
She continues walking until she eventually steps into a special chamber. A special part of the station…at least for her.
Raising her head, and looking up from the floor, she is meet with towering pillars that have places where fires could be lit along their base, a destroyed ceiling, whose holes allow ash to rain down from the sky, and damaged walls.
However, at the very end of the room can be seen a small raised platform, with a small flight of stairs that go up towards a spiked throne.
Turning and looking up towards the throne, she comes to stare at it for some time. Her eyes becoming transfixed on it. Being unable to look away from it.
Looking upon the many swords imbedded into the throne, she notices that one is missing.
Remembering whose sword, it was, her eyes begin to water.
She lowers her head as she starts to sob.
“No, I don’t want to…not now-!” she whimpers. Trying to avert her gaze, only to have an eye flash in her head, before being flooded with visions.
“No…” she says shaking her head, after she is shown a flash of a castle being attacked. Parts of the castle beginning to burn as the attackers make their move.
“No…!” This time, it’s a group of dark beings with red glowing eyes entering this very throne room, and approaching a figure standing up from the throne. A shocked look on its face as the group moves across the room towards the throne.
“NO!” she screamed, clutching her head as she saw a wounded and greatly injured figure fighting off several shadow forms. All around him, everything was collapsing. Burning from their battle.
Holding a wound on his chest, he looked up, staring straight at her, and asked ‘’Why?”
Unable to take it anymore, she collapsed to her knees.
The visions ending with an eye flashing in her mind, and the word “Why?” being repeated by countless formless voices.
Sobbing softly to herself, she sat up on her knees. Covering her mouth as she sobbed into it.
She was so caught up in her sadness that she was practically blind to a hooded figure walking up behind her.
Its dark robe blowing gently in the wind that was moving through the ruined throne room.
Realizing that someone was there with her, she uttered a surprised gasp. Quickly standing up on her feet, and turning around to face whoever was standing behind her.
Her eyes immediately went wide at seeing that it was him.
As soon as she laid eyes on him, and she gasped, she quickly backed away from him. Startled by his sudden appearance.
As a gap was made between them, the two of them just stared blankly at each other. Her, with a sad frown, and him with a blank expression.
Her eyes narrowed, looking back angrily.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” she said turning away from him. About to walk away, when he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist.
She then stopped in her tracks. Turning back to be meet with glowing eyes staring at her, angrily.
“Unhand me,” she demanded. Averting making eye contact with him by looking down at her hand.
“I want to be alone,” she as she tried to away, only to still be held by him.
His eyes narrowed. Staring at her with a serious stare.
“I thought I told you this section was off-limits to anyone but the Emperor,” he said angrily, gripping her tighter.
However, the only thing he was meet with from her was silence. Averting her gaze from him, she only tried to free her wrist.
“Hey, are you listening to me?” he asked frustrated. Grabbing both of her shoulders, and turning her towards him.
However, she still opted to not looking at him.
Even as he started shaking her, he was meet with nothing but her frown increasing.
He began to growl angrily, until he noticed her eye was running. A single tear was running down her cheek.
Seeing the tear, it momentarily glowed.
“Just…leave me alone,” she said as she pushed against him.
His grip slipped, and he was pushed away from her.
Turning her back to him, she immediately started to walk away. Trying to be alone by herself.
However, she was unable to get further than a couple steps before her sadness returned. Her steps becoming slower, and she broke down into sobbing.
Approaching her from behind, his hand shortly fell upon her shoulder.
She attempted to pull away, and walk away, but he then grabbed her again, being a little more forceful when turning her around to face him.
Again, she attempted to struggle, but he just held her close. Her struggling eventually dying down, and she just sobbed in his embrace.
“Shshhh…” he coed calmly, holding her comfortingly. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Sniffling, she continued to sob into his chest.
Looking up from her, he turned and looked back towards the iron throne. Narrowing his eyes.
Then, a figure appeared in front of the throne. Its blue robes reached all the way down to the floor, with a golden armor on the chest and arms, and gauntlets. There was no sign of a face, outside of a colossal triangular headdress, and a golden staff that had had strange shapes at the top, and a placement for a crystal at the very top.
Through the mask’s eyeholes, a pair of blue eyes narrowed as they stared at him.
“Well…?” the figure asked. Its voice lacking any sympathy towards him, “is this what you wanted? Are you happy now?”
Then, as the ghostly apparition faded, disappearing as it returned to showing the empty throne, his eyes narrowed. Staring angrily towards the throne.
Though, as he looked back down at her, his expression softened, and he gently patted her back. This, however, did not stop her sobbing.
As she continued to cry into his chest, his expression became sad, and he held her even closer because of it.
No. I’m not happy.
A hollow wind then blew through the ruined throne room. Both of their robes/capes blowing in the wind.
*****
“Come on now, you can do a lot faster than that!” Kami said as he repeatedly dodged each of Celestia’s blows.
Now clad in the same training gear, he and Celestia had been training, seemingly without end, ever since entering the chamber.
Occasionally, they’d take a break by getting something to eat. Recovering their strength before resuming, which was usually as soon as she finished her meal.
Kami was so hard on her cause he knew all too well, that Luna and Frost wouldn’t give her breaks, chances to recover her strength, or even play fear. Both were driven by their hatred of Celestia, and will not rest until they’ve obliterated her.
Being prepared is good, but being battle-hardened is better.
The future of not only Equestria, but also the entire universe hinges on either Celestia or Luna coming out victorious…and in the end, the one standing triumphant over the other must be Celestia!