//------------------------------// // Lightning War // Story: Forest Green // by Phazon //------------------------------// “When we get inside, we have to keep quiet,” Twilight said. She used her magic to unlock the door and quietly opened it. It was 3:00 a.m., and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were sneaking into Zero Volt’s house. “Rainbow Dash, you’ve been in here more than any of us, so you should know where to look.” “Yeah, yeah, I remember the plan,” Rainbow Dash whispered. They reached the stairs and climbed up to the second floor. “Why is Pinkie Pie with us? She’s not the best pony to bring when you’re sneaking around.” “She’s here to take the fall in case Zero Volt wakes up,” Twilight said. “Are you crazy?” Rainbow hissed. “What do you think he’s going to do when he finds her in his room while he’s asleep?” “If he wakes up and finds us here, he’ll start asking questions,” Twilight said. “If he wakes up and finds her here, he’ll think that Pinkie’s just being Pinkie.” They opened the door to the master bedroom and walked in. Zero Volt was lying in bed on his left side, fast asleep. Pinkie Pie was the last to enter the room, and on the way in, she turned on the light switch. Rainbow and Twilight were momentarily blinded when light filled the entire room, but they both turned back toward Pinkie. “Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?” Rainbow said as she hurried to the light switch and turned it back off. The room was now dark again, expect for the flashlight spell that Twilight was using. “Sorry,” Pinkie said while backing away. As she moved back, she bumped into the door, causing it to slam shut. Twilight and Rainbow both panicked, and Twilight turned off her spell. They all stood still in the dark room, waiting for Zero Volt to react. After a few moments of silence, Twilight reactivated her spell at a lower brightness and shone it on him. Zero Volt was still asleep, and after breathing a sigh of relief, Rainbow Dash and Twilight both glared at Pinkie Pie. “I said sorry.” Twilight rolled her eyes and turned to Rainbow Dash. “Do you know what to look for?” “Yeah, his stuff should be in here somewhere,” Rainbow said as she searched the room. She looked through the drawers with the help of Twilight’s flashlight spell and pulled out a saddle pack. “Found it. This is everything that Volt had on him when he was traveling around Equestria. I can’t believe we barely noticed him wearing it when he first came here.” “I can’t believe he left all of these things in here when he moved in,” Twilight said after opening it. “I can’t believe he’s such a heavy sleeper,” Pinkie Pie said. She stood next to Zero Volt’s bedside making faces at him. Zero Volt had his right foreleg between the two pillows he was resting on. With one quick motion, he took one pillow from beneath his head and struck Pinkie in the face with it. Still in his sleep, he lifted the pillow over Pinkie’s head and slammed it down on her. “Uh-oh, let’s get out of here!” Rainbow Dash whispered. She grabbed Twilight, and flew out the bedroom door, which Twilight had quickly opened with her magic. Pinkie Pie got back on her hooves with the pillow lying on her head. “You want a pillow fight? You’ve got one!” she shouted. Before she could slam the pillow down on him, Rainbow Dash swooped back in and pulled her out of the room, leaving the pillow behind. After the three young mares were gone, Zero Volt shifted his body slightly and continued to sleep peacefully. * * * * * * * * * * “So, what is it that you wanted to show me?” Zero Volt asked. “You’ll find out in a minute, Zero Volt,” Twilight said. She and Applejack were leading him to the library. At noon, they arrived at the door and Twilight started to open it. “Your surprise is right behind his door. Dum-da-da-dun!” When Zero Volt entered, he saw Princess Celestia standing in the library, along with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike. “No no no! You did it all wrong, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said. She pulled out a trumpet and played it for several seconds. “That’s how you do a royal fanfare.” “Don’t just stand there, Zero,” Rarity said. “You’re supposed to bow before the princess.” “That’s quite alright, Rarity,” Celestia said as she approached Zero Volt. “I can do without the formalities. So you must be Zero Volt. Twilight’s told me all about you, and I’m glad that we could finally meet face to face.” “Uh, thanks I guess,” he said. “Twilight, I’m surprised that you didn’t see it sooner,” Celestia said. “He is definitely the product of a pegasus and a unicorn. I can see it very clearly in his bone structure.” “Twilight, what’s she talking about?” “Well, I’ve spent the last few months wondering about what you are and where you might have come from,” Twilight said. “I’ve been studying you since you first came here. Don’t you see it? The teleportation, the cloud walking, the two-second warning, last Friday’s lightning strike. You might look like an earth pony, but you’re not. You’re not an earth pony at all.” “Remember what I said about his bone structure?” Celestia said. “If you look closely, he doesn’t look like an earth pony.” “Well excuse us for not knowing anything about equine anatomy,” Rainbow Dash said. “And this doesn’t add up right. If a pegasus and a unicorn get together, their kid is always either a pegasus or a unicorn. You don’t see any other Zero Volts walking around.” “I agree, which is why you should try to uncover his past,” Celestia said. “I don’t think there’s anything else we can learn about him without finding out where he came from.” “Way ahead of you,” Rainbow Dash said, holding up Zero Volt’s saddle pack. “Wait, did you break into my house and steal that?” he said. He stood there for a second before he teleported away. He quickly returned holding a pillow that had several pink hairs in it. “I suppose that explains why Pinkie’s hairs are all over my pillow. At least I hope it explains why her hairs are all over it.” Pinkie Pie took the pillow out of his hooves. She examined it for a moment before burying her face in it. “Yup, I definitely remember this pillow,” she chirped, handing it back to him. Zero Volt looked at Pinkie and the pillow uncomfortably. “You can keep it,” he said. “You’re clearly more fond of it than I am.” He turned away from Pinkie Pie, who started hugging the pillow. Zero Volt took his saddle pack and pulled a map of Equestria out of it. “This map shows everywhere I’ve been in Equestria. These are all of the places I’ve already looked.” Fluttershy saw the line extending across part of the map. “It looks like this line ends here in Ponyville,” she said. “Have you done any searching after you started living here?” “No,” he said, “because I already know where I came from.” “Hold on now,” Applejack said. “If yah already where to look, why haven’t yah been lookin’?” “Do you see the towns and cities that have circles on them?” he said, pointing to the map. “When I first started looking for my old life, I looked at this map. For these places, I knew about what was there: street names, stores, restaurants, schools, you name it. But I didn’t remember having ever set hoof in those towns, and I didn’t recognize any of the ponies that lived there.” “And those are the first places you looked?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, but there’s one town on this map that I was most familiar with. It’s also the one town on this line that I haven’t checked.” “Baltimare,” Rainbow Dash said. “That’s why you stopped looking.” “Zero, I know you don’t want to go back there,” Fluttershy said as she approached him, “but think about what you might find: family, friends, answers, the life you used to have.” “I already have a life here,” he said. “I still think you should take the chance,” Twilight said. “We all do, and aren’t you a little bit curious about who or what you might have left behind?” Zero Volt looked away and stood silent for a few seconds. “Okay fine,” he finally said. “If you want, I’ll teleport us there.” Spike hopped on to Twilight, who held onto Zero Volt along with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “I’m coming along as well,” Rarity said, holding onto Fluttershy. “This is the perfect opportunity to find out how to get rid of you.” “They used a pack of hungry dogs,” Zero Volt said. “Didn’t you pay attention to anything in the last seven months?” “They don’t like each other,” Twilight said to the princess as she held onto her. Before long, all of them were holding onto either Zero Volt or another pony who was touching him, and he teleported all of them to the edge of a forest. “Where are we?” “We’re just outside Baltimare,” Zero Volt said. He turned away and walked over to a spot on the ground. The closest tree was about twelve feet from it, and aside from a few patches of grass, it was mostly just dirt. There didn't seem to be anything special about it, but Zero Volt looked at it for a few seconds before he finally cringed. “Volt,” Rainbow said, “is this where you…” “Yeah, this is where it happened.” After so many months, the blood had been washed away by rain, but he remembered this spot vividly, from the trees nearby, the patch of ground where he was held down. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” He started walking away when he heard a small click nearby. When he turned around, he saw Rarity holding a camera in front of her. “Souvenir photo?” He teleported right in front of her and glared at her. “Too far, Rarity, too far!” he whispered angrily. He turned around and walked toward the city. “While we’re here, nopony goes anywhere alone. We don’t know what to expect in there, so keep your guard up.” “Are yah sayin’ that for your sake or ours?” Applejack said. “Both, now let’s go.” “Wait, we just brought Princess Celestia here without any royal guard ponies,” Twilight said. “You don’t have to worry about my safety, Twilight,” Celestia said. “Under the circumstances, any hostile presence is more likely to target Zero Volt, and leaving the royal guard behind is the best way to flush them out. Although, an impromptu visit from Equestria’s sovereign ruler might make the perfect distraction. Zero Volt will be able to explore the city without attracting too much attention. Twilight Sparkle and Spike will accompany me in Baltimare to make sure that the royal visit goes smoothly.” “I will form a separate group to explore Baltimare, away from Zero,” Rarity said. “Pinkie dear, would you come along with me?” Pinkie cheerfully trotted toward Rarity. “Don’t worry, Volt, I’ve got your back,” Rainbow Dash said. Ah’ll go with Rarity and Pinkie Pie to make sure they don’t get into any trouble,” Applejack said. “Fluttershy, you go with Volt and Rainbow Dash.” Once the nine of them formed their groups, they went in separate directions toward Baltimare. * * * * * * * * * * Twilight Sparkle and Celestia were walking through the streets. They had only entered the town half-an-hour ago, but a large crowd had already gathered around them, eager to meet the princess. Celestia was busy greeting Baltimare’s citizens while Twilight was planning an itinerary for the royal visit. “The first place we want to visit is city hall to have a chat with the mayor,” she said. “After that, the princess should visit the schoolhouse. I’ll bet the little foals would love to meet the princess face to face.” “Twilight, it’s Saturday,” Spike said. “The schoolhouses aren’t open today.” “Nevertheless, the mayor’s office sounds like a good place to start,” Celestia said. “Perhaps we can even ask him if he knows anything about you know who.” “I’ll bet he’s going to have an easy time getting around here,” Spike said. “Look at the crowd we’ve got already.” “We could get an even bigger crowd if Princess Celestia makes a speech or attends an event here,” Twilight said. When they reached city hall, Baltimare’s mayor was in front of building waiting to greet them. “Princess Celestia, what an honor it is to have you,” he said. “I just wish you’d given us some notice, and don’t you think you should have arrived with the royal guard?” “I singlehoofedly raise the sun on a daily basis, I think I will do fine without them,” Celestia said. “And you don’t need to put on a show just for my arrival. By the way, have you seen this young stallion before?” Twilight showed the mayor a picture of Zero Volt. “Do you know anything about him?” “I can’t say that I have,” he said as he examined the picture. “though I insist that you go north of town to meet with Third Rail today. He is, of course one of Baltimare’s most influential ponies, so maybe the three of us can discuss the city together.” * * * * * * * * * * Rarity walked along Baltimare’s streets with Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “So what’re we doin’ ‘round here, Rarity?” Applejack asked. “Zero is looking for his long lost family with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, and Twilight is helping the princess keep the rest of the town busy,” Rarity said. “That means that we get to stay out their mess and hit the town, to put it bluntly.” “But if we do that, we won’t see Zero’s family,” Pinkie said. “Just think about how happy everypony will be when he reunites with his family and… stays here with them.” Tears started forming in Pinkie’s eyes. “What if he doesn’t come back with us?” “Ah don’t think Volt’s gonna leave us that easily for a bunch of ponies he don’t even know anymore,” Applejack said, trying to reassure her. “Don’t forget, this town mighta tried to kill ‘em last time he was here. You’re right though, if he does get a warm welcome here, Ah don’t think anypony’s gonna be happy about what happens after.” “Girls, look over there and tell me if that’s what it looks like,” Rarity said. Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked and saw a black alicorn stallion with an electric blue mane and tail. He had a cutie mark of a gold crown with a lightning bolt running through it. “Well Ah’ll be,” Applejack said. “Ah didn’t know an alicorn lived here. Yah think he’s a nephew of Princess Celestia or something?” “I certainly hope so,” Rarity said. “Ladies, I may have just found my prince.” With that, Rarity ran off to introduce herself to the alicorn as he traveled north. * * * * * * * * * * “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Rainbow Dash asked. She and Fluttershy were following Zero Volt as he wandered around northern Baltimare. “Sort of,” he said. “I already recognize these streets almost as well as I recognize the scratches and dents in my greave, but I’m trying to narrow it down to a specific house. If I can remember the interior layout of any of these houses, chances are that’s the one I lived in.” “It looks like Princess Celestia’s visit got the town’s attention,” Fluttershy said. “There’s almost nopony here. Zero, I saw how you reacted to Rarity earlier, and maybe you should tell everypony the truth about you two.” “Just because we’re a bit vague about what we can and can’t do to each other doesn’t mean we should stop,” he said. “Besides, she pulled herself and Pinkie Pie into a separate group from us, so I think she’s trying to make it up to me.” Zero Volt stopped for a moment and looked around. “That way.” The three of them went down the street for several minutes until they reached the front gates of a mansion. “This is where you used to live?” Rainbow said. “Nice place, but you still have to get through the door.” “This all looks very familiar,” Zero Volt said. He teleported the three of them past the gate and started searching the grounds. “Are you sure we should be breaking in like this?” Fluttershy said. “We might get caught.” “At this point, if we get caught, it’ll be by somepony who knows him,” Rainbow Dash said. “Hey, what’s that over there?” She pointed to what appeared to be a small stadium. Small clouds were arranged in a grid-like pattern just above the stadium’s walls. “Do you remember anything yet?” “Actually, that stadium is one of the few things here that doesn’t look familiar to me,” he said, “but I do feel like checking it out.” They headed for the stadium and walked into the center of it. Once they reached the center of the stadium, they started to look around. “It doesn’t look like there's anything here,” Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly, Zero Volt’s two-second warning took effect and he rolled to the side to avoid a magical energy beam. He turned around and saw a black alicorn stallion with a blue mane and tail. “You have some nerve coming back, little brother,” the alicorn said. “Brother? Zero Volt, do you know him?” Fluttershy said. “Zero Volt? Is that what you named yourself?” the alicorn said. “If his name isn’t Zero Volt then what is it?” Rainbow Dash asked. “He doesn’t have one,” the alicorn said. “I don’t give names to things before I throw them in the trash.” “What do you mean ‘throw in the trash’?” Zero Volt shouted. “I can explain that.” They turned and saw two ponies, a pegasus and a unicorn. “The alicorn standing before you is our son, Blitzkrieg, and… well I supposed you could be his brother,” the unicorn said. “Blitzkrieg is very special, you know. He is destined to overthrow the royal pony sisters and rule Equestria, which is why Third Rail and I used a little bit of magic in his conception.” “Unfortunately, the spell went wrong, and he was born an earth pony, much like you,” Third Rail said. “Since then, he has been denied his birthright, until his fiancé, Eclipse discovered a way to perfect the spell we used.” “It turns out that there was a certain… contaminant in our son,” the unicorn said. “With her magic, Eclipse was able to restore Blitzkrieg to his true glory by isolating that contaminant, a certain green earth pony. Since we didn’t need that pony for our plans, we decided to dispose of him.” “I don’t get it, what are they talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked. “So that’s what I am to you, the byproduct of a scheme to usurp the throne?” Zero Volt said. “Okay, now I get it,” Rainbow said. “Ow, that’s harsh. We just came here to learn about his past.” “His past?” Blitzkrieg scoffed. “He has no past, and his future, well that doesn’t exist either.” “Girls, let’s go,” Zero Volt said. “I knew this trip was a waste of time.” He turned to leave, but when we walked toward the exit, he saw another unicorn standing with a pack of dogs. “Leaving so soon?” Eclipse said. “I have some old friends of yours that are just waiting to take a bite out of you again.” Zero Volt started to walk back from them, but his legs slipped from under him and were held to the ground. “You’re the unicorn who held me down while those dogs attacked me,” he said. “That’s right,” Eclipse said. “I’m not sure how you escaped before, but it’s time for me to finish the job.” Suddenly Rainbow Dash attacked Eclipse, knocking her unconscious. Now that his legs were free of her magic, Zero Volt stood up. He turned to face the dogs, only to find that Fluttershy had pacified them and was busy playing with them. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked back at Zero Volt and smiled at him. He nodded to them and turned around to face Blitzkrieg. “You will not interfere with our affairs,” Third Rail said, spreading his wings. “No, you won’t threaten my kingdom or my subjects,” Celestia said as she flew down in front of Rainbow and Fluttershy. Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie appeared behind her as well, and Twilight created a barrier over them, leaving Zero Volt outside. “Since this is a family affair, I will allow you to handle this for now. However, I will intervene in their fate, especially if you fail.” “Would you look at that, the byproduct had to call for backup,” Blitzkrieg said. “So what? You sent somepony with a pack of dogs to do your dirty work,” Zero Volt said. “At least now it’s just you and me.” “Alright, what if he is planning a coup d’état against the princess?” Rarity said. “We both wish to see Zero suffer, so there’s common ground. All I have to do is talk him out of treason.” “Rarity, he’s taken,” Applejack said. She pointed at Eclipse, who was still unconscious beneath Rainbow Dash’s hooves. “Poor Rarity, how many subpar princes does that make?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Too many, Pinkie Pie, too many,” Rarity said. Zero Volt dodged a magical attack and charged at his opponent. Blitzkrieg flew above him to dodge and fired another blast of magic, which Zero Volt rolled out of the way of. He returned to the ground and fired a third attack from his horn. Zero Volt shielded himself using his bracelet, then struck Blitzkrieg across the face with its outstretched wing. He then turned around and kicked with both hind legs. Blitzkrieg was thrown back a few feet, but quickly recovered. He then galloped toward Zero Volt with his horn lowered. At the last second, Zero Volt dodge-rolled as Blitzkrieg ran by. As Zero Volt turned around to face his opponent, a thought occurred to him. “Wait!” Blitzkrieg turned around and stood still, allowing the brief intermission. “Why are we fighting?” Everypony watching the fight stood shocked at what he had just said. Applejack raised an eyebrow, Pinkie Pie froze before she could stuff a hoofful of popcorn in her mouth, Rainbow Dash facehoofed, and Celestia’s mouth dropped. “Did he really just ask that?” Twilight said. “What do you mean ‘why are we fighting?’” Blitzkrieg asked. “I mean I’m having a lot of trouble getting into this fight,” Zero Volt said. “I don’t know about you, but I need a reason to start beating up somepony, and right now the best I can come up with is ‘you started it.’” “Really, the fact that we regarded you as a waste product and tried to kill you nine months ago isn’t good enough for you?” Blitzkrieg said. “How about my attempted ouster of the royal pony sisters, or the fact that I’m still trying to kill you?” “Yeah, I’m angry about all of that, but I don’t really see the point in putting up with you for the next five minutes,” he said. “I’d much rather the two of us go our separate ways and get back to our own lives.” “That’s exactly what I have in mind,” Blitzkrieg said as he flew up to the low floating clouds in the air. “I can think of no better way to move on with my life than by killing the one who’s denied me my birthright for so long.” “That’s all I needed to hear,” Zero Volt muttered. Blitzkrieg landed on one of four thunderclouds close to each other above the stadium. He fired three more energy beams at Zero Volt, who dodged all of them. Blitzkrieg then struck the cloud he was standing on, sending a bolt of lightning at him. Despite his two-second warning, Zero Volt just barely avoided the lightning strike. “I have you right where I want you,” Blitzkrieg said. He sent a volley of lightning strikes and magic energy blasts at Zero Volt. Zero Volt ran around the stadium, using his two-second warning to predict and dodge each attack. Eventually, Blitzkrieg became exhausted and decreased the intensity of his assault, giving Zero Volt the opportunity to perform a wall run on the stadium’s walls. Luckily, the clouds were floating low enough above the stadium that he could bound off of the wall and land on one of them. “You can stand on clouds?” Blitzkrieg asked. “I guess you’re not all earth pony, are you?” “Too bad, now those thunderclouds won’t help you,” Zero Volt said. He jumped from cloud to cloud to close the gap between them. “Is that so? I guess you’ve never heard of cloud-to-cloud lightning,” Blitzkrieg said as he struck the cloud again. “Whoa!” Zero Volt shouted as he jumped to another cloud. Electricity arced from one cloud to the next as it made its way from the cloud Blitzkrieg stood on, and Zero Volt jumped away from its path just in time. ‘Let’s see, I can predict and avoid my opponents’ attacks, and I’m going up against somepony who can basically one-hit-kill me,’ he thought. ‘Not bad for a final boss fight. Too bad he’s standing on that thundercloud. If I touch him, the current will pass from the cloud through him to me. At least these other clouds are neutral charged, or I wouldn’t even have a place to stand.’ Blitzkrieg stomped the thundercloud several more times, and Zero Volt continued jumping to the next cloud to escape. “Enough playing around, little brother,” he said. As he lifted one of his forelegs, an electric blue glow surrounded his hoof. He brought his hoof down, sending a current across the clouds on an erratic path instead of a straight line. The current moved across the clouds in an instant, but Zero Volt was already standing on one of the few nearby clouds that the current didn’t pass through. “Lucky guess,” Blitzkrieg growled, “but you can’t escape this time.” As Blitzkrieg lifted his hoof again, Zero Volt’s two-second warning signaled again, and he used it to locate the few safe clouds nearby. He quickly jumped to the nearest one, and stepped onto it just as all of the other clouds were momentarily electrified by Blitzkrieg’s attack. ‘Come on, you can’t stay on that cloud forever,’ Zero Volt thought in frustration. ‘This would be a lot easier if I had a ranged attack.’ “How are you doing that?!” Blitzkrieg said. “Never mind, it’s time to hit you with something that I know you can’t evade.” As Blitzkrieg’s front hooves struck the cloud he stood on, his magic passed into it. The thundercloud started generating cloud-to-cloud lightning on its own, sending multiple currents at Zero Volt. Zero Volt ran from cloud to cloud to dodge each successive lightning bolt that traveled toward him. Blitzkrieg's plan was to put all four thunderclouds on continuous fire, so he eventually spread his wings and flew off of the one he stood on. “Just what I was waiting for,” Zero Volt whispered to himself as he watched his opponent lift off of the cloud. He teleported next to Blitzkrieg, grazed him, and teleported both of them next to Twilight’s magical barrier. Blitzkrieg looked around, unsure of how he was back on the ground. But now that they were on the ground, Zero Volt was merciless. He grabbed Blitzkrieg by the tail, slammed his body into the ground twice and threw him into the barrier. He then turned around and kicked him with his hind legs, pinning Blitzkrieg in between his legs and the barrier. When Blitzkrieg fell back to the ground, Zero Volt slammed his front hoof into his wing, resulting in an audible crack. He then rolled Blitzkrieg over, hoping to break his other wing too. However, his two-second warning took effect, and he teleported several feet back to avoid being caught by an energy field created by Blitzkrieg’s magic. “First you dodge all of my attacks, and now you somehow teleported me to the ground,” Blitzkrieg said. “Looks like you weren’t born powerless after all.” “I still don’t get it, Blitzkrieg,” Zero Volt said angrily. “I know why I’m fighting you, but why are you fighting me? What’s the point of this coup d’état? Why are you trying to kill me in the first place?” “My family’s ambitions are none of your business,” Blitzkrieg said, “but you keep interfering with them. You even brought the princess here to try and stop me. That’s why we’re trying to kill you.” “I didn’t come here because I wanted to, and I don’t recall trying to stop you when you chased me out of Baltimare,” Zero Volt said. “But do you know what the worst part of this is? If you hadn’t tried to dispose of me, if you had just let me live here from the beginning, as your brother, I might have actually been okay with what all of you were planning.” “I don’t believe that for a second,” Blitzkrieg said. He used his magic to hover back up to the clouds. “You held me back my entire life, and if we let you live, you will oppose us no matter what we do with you.” Blitzkrieg landed on one of the thunderclouds and used his magic on it. When he struck the cloud with his hooves, lightning traveled continuously from cloud to cloud until every cloud that floated just above the stadium was electrified. Several bolts of lightning struck the ground below, and even though Zero Volt dodged to first few, he was forced to teleport to avoid all of them. “It doesn’t matter where you go, little brother. Those mares you brought with you, the princess, none of you will survive this.” “Twilight, how are you doing? Do you need any help with the barrier?” Celestia asked. The barrier that Twilight created was taking damage from multiple lightning strikes. “It’s holding up,” Twilight said in a strained voice, “but I’m having a little trouble.” Zero Volt continued teleporting to avoid Blitzkrieg’s latest assault. ‘Great, now I can’t stand on any of those clouds, and it’s even less safe down here than it was before,’ he thought as he looked up at the electrified clouds above. He then looked past them and noticed some other clouds floating higher up in the sky. ‘On second thought…’ Zero Volt teleported high above the stadium and landed on one of the clouds. He found another cloud floating in front of him and grabbed it, breaking it into two smaller ones. Meanwhile, Blitzkrieg stood above the stadium searching the ground below for Zero Volt. “Where did you go, little brother?” he thought out loud. “It doesn’t matter, now I can focus my attack on-” Blitzkrieg was interrupted by a cloud that was thrown at his head. The projectile interrupted his control of the thunderclouds, and while lightning arced from cloud to cloud, it did not strike the ground anymore. “Agh, what was that?” He looked up at the sky, but only found a hoofful of clouds floating above. Meanwhile, Zero Volt was back on the ground holding one of the smaller clouds he found. He spun around and flung it at the cloud Blitzkrieg stood on. The two clouds broke apart on impact and Blitzkrieg fell through. As he fell, he was caught in the electrical currents that traveled across the clouds, causing further injury before he fell to the ground. Zero Volt stepped in front of his opponent and lifted his front hoof. He intended to bring it down and shatter Blitzkrieg’s horn, but he hesitated. Part of him wanted to break Blitzkrieg’s horn out of revenge, revenge for trying to kill him so many times and for endangering him with so many electrical attacks. Another part of him believed that he had to do this to neutralize Blitzkrieg as a threat. But a third part of him remembered how painful the experience was for him. In the end, Zero Volt pulled his hoof back, realizing that he could not, in good conscience, put another pony through that ordeal. Suddenly, Zero Volt’s two-second warning took effect, and he jumped back before he could be caught by another energy field. “This isn’t over yet, little brother,” Blitzkrieg said. “I’ll destroy you with everything at my disposal!” Before Blitzkrieg could unleash his magic, Zero Volt was teleported inside of Twilight’s barrier. Zero Volt looked around and found himself face to face with the princess. “I’ll take over now,” she said. “It’s far too dangerous for you, and it’s my duty to put down his revolt.” “Tell you what,” Zero Volt said. “When I’m done with him, you can have what’s left.” Zero Volt teleported outside the barrier and started galloping. Using his magic, Blitzkrieg created large fissures in the ground and fired a multitude of energy beams, but Zero Volt evaded all of them and galloped faster. “What is he doing?” Celestia said. “That field Blitzkrieg is generating will burn him alive if he touches it.” “Wait, is he… yeah, he’s doing it,” Rainbow Dash said. They looked on and eventually saw tiny sparks being shed from his mane and coat. After a few more seconds, his body was surrounded by a green and white light and he flew toward Blitzkrieg, eliminating any magical blasts that went near him. He flew past Blitzkrieg, dissolved the energy field that surrounded him, and came to a complete stop. Now that he was standing still, everypony could see his appearance more clearly. Though his shape didn’t change, a green aura surrounded his body, and his mane, coat and tail glowed white. He quickly turned around and tackled Blitzkrieg, throwing him right into Twilight’s barrier again. Zero Volt shot up into the air, and when he came back down, he slammed into Blitzkrieg one more time, dissolving Twilight’s barrier once he got near it. “You’re going to rule over Equestria and start a new dynasty?” Zero Volt said, placing his hoof over Blitzkrieg’s horn. “You’re the one who’s supposed to overthrow the royal pony sisters? Pathetic.” After a few seconds, the green aura disappeared, and his body returned to its normal color. However, the outline of a horn appeared on his head, and the streaks on his sides were each replaced with the outline of a wing. “We’re done here,” he said before walking away. * * * * * * * * * * “So what’s going to happen to them?” Rainbow Dash asked. They had stayed in Baltimare for a few more hours to sort out everything that had happened, and now they were finally leaving by train. “Blitzkrieg and his family will be put on trial, but considering their crimes, they’re going to be in Canterlot’s dungeons for a very long time,” Celestia said. “As for the mayor, he’s being held for interrogation. I want to know how much he knew about Blitzkrieg when he sent me to him.” “Looks like this trip worked out pretty well for you,” Zero Volt said. “Not just me,” she said. “Now we know what you are and how you came to be.” “I have a decent life and some good friends in Ponyville,” he said. “I didn’t need to know any of that stuff.” “So this whole trip was a waste of your time?” Twilight said. “Pretty much.” Zero Volt collapsed on the floor and rolled onto his left side. “I’m feeling a little tired,” he yawned. “Somepony wake me up when we get back.” “Volt, it’s seven in the evening,” Rainbow Dash said. “How can you be tired?” “You tell us, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said. “You’re always dozin’ off in the middle of the day.” When he drifted off, the outlines of a horn and wings on his body faded away, and the white streaks that were normally on his sides returned. “I think I know why he’s tired,” Twilight said. “He’s been holding onto the Shinespark all day.” “Shinespark?” Celestia said. “Pinkie Pie thought of the name; we’re still not a hundred percent on it,” she said. “Normally he has to run until he reaches one hundred miles per hour to activate it, but he can also store it to activate at any time. You can tell if he’s storing one because of those markings he had a minute ago.” “Yah think holdin’ onto it tired him out?” Applejack said. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Twilight said. “He’s been storing it for several hours, and this is some very powerful magic.” “This was not magic,” Celestia said. “When two ponies use their magic against each other, the stronger spell overwhelms the weaker spell. But rather than clashing with an opposing spell, this Shinespark seems to erase any magic that comes near it, almost as if it were some form of anti-magic. His other two abilities are based on unicorn magic, which I find very strange. Without a horn, he couldn’t channel enough magic to lift a pebble, yet his teleportation ability can transport all of us hundreds of miles away without much effort.” “Ah guess they bet on the wrong pony when they tried to get rid of ‘em,” Applejack said. “Not necessarily,” Celestia said. “Blitzkrieg has been an alicorn for only nine months, but he is already very powerful. If he had time to master his powers, he could have been a threat to me and Luna. As for Zero Volt, I don’t think he would have supported their ambitions.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “When ponies are fused together, no matter how unpredictable the outcome is, the product is always more powerful than the individuals,” she said. “But these two were in the same body for most of their lives, and Blitzkrieg didn’t have any abilities until after they were separated. Not his own, and certainly not Zero Volt’s.” “He did say that Volt held him back his entire life,” Twilight said. “Do you think that Volt knew what they were planning and actively suppressed Blitzkrieg?” “Bear in mind that Zero Volt did not know who he or anypony was at first, nor did he have any memories,” Celestia said. “He seems to have only gained some knowledge and skills from Blitzkrieg. Though on some level, he may have sensed their intentions while they were merged.” “So then there’s no chance that he’d try to attack you or Princess Luna?” Rainbow asked. “If he did, he wouldn’t get very far. Even with all of his powers, he is not unbeatable,” Celestia said. “So Rarity, is there anything you want to say, or are you two done with your façade.” “How did you…” Rarity was taken aback. Not only did the princess see through their bickering, she casually spilled their secret to everyone who didn’t know yet. “Oh, there were a few subtle hints here and there,” she said. “Let’s just say that you were a bit too nice to each other.” “Hold on, you and Zero Volt?” Twilight said. “He and I settled our differences months ago,” Rarity said. “Now we just exchange insults to keep up appearances.” “So you two have been lyin’ to us this whole time?” Applejack said. “It’s not a lie, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s more of a performance.” “You knew about this too?” Applejack said. “Who else knows?” “Not me,” Pinkie Pie said. “I had no idea this was going on.” “Actually, I found out about it last week,” Fluttershy said. “In fact, I didn’t like it when they fought with each other, so thank Celestia that’s over.” “Fluttershy, you need to work on your delivery,” Pinkie chided. “But let’s worry about that later. I have to plan Zero’s birthday party.” “His birthday?” “Since he and Blitzkrieg are technically twins, I asked them when his birthday was before we left. Turns out Zero Volt is two years younger than most of us.” “I’m not sure he’ll appreciate the association with Blitzkrieg or his date of birth,” Celestia said. “Since he definitively came into this world when they were separated, you could celebrate that day.” “If we counted from that day, it would make him less than a year old,” Twilight said. They all looked at Zero Volt, who was still asleep. “He doesn’t seem like an infant to me.” “We say that about Spike all the time,” Rainbow Dash joked, not noticing Spike frowning at her. “Besides, he’s not going to want us celebrating the day he was almost torn apart by dogs.” “Hm, this is going to need a little more thought,” Pinkie Pie said.