The Tale Of A Lost Wolf

by Solaris Night


Chapter 41: Canterlot War Part 2: The Battlefield Roars!

Screams of terror resonated throught the streets of Canterlot, as ponies were running and hiding themselves, trying to get away from the attacking changelings. In the midst of all the chaos, seven ponies, a dragon and two hybrids, were doing their best to make thieir way through and reach their goal.

"There's just no end to them!" Rainbow grunted as she knocked a couple of changelings, that tried to take them on, away.

"Just make sure you stay close." Twilight shouted as she pushed all of the changelings that were swarming them out of their way. "We have no way of telling who is who, if they start taking our appearance."

Slowly, but steadily, they made their way through the city, when all of a sudden the ground before them exploded in a bright red color and their path was blocked by fire. "What now?" Dynamism grunted as she and the other two guards moved to the front.

"Well, well, well, lookie what I found." Everyone's heads turned toward the source of the voice and they landed onto two figures, who were hiding in an alley. "A princess and her lackies. It must be my lucky day." The two stepped forward, revealing a dark brown, orange maned stallion, wearing a rugged blue coat and a stetson. The other individual on the other hand wore, what appeared to be armor, instead of a face it had a glowing skull and on it's back it carried a big contraption.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Dynamism growled, her wings twitching with anticipation.

"Oooh, feisty. I like that." the stallion said, giving her a wink. "I do apologize, it would seem I have a bad habit of forgetting to introduce myself. My name is Bullseye and this fellow here calls himself Phantom."

The group stared at the two, unsure of how to proceed. "Hey, aren't you that one guy Trider told us about?" Pinkie spoke up as she observed the armored man. "Y'know the one that infiltrated the castle and that Trider fought off, only to reveal that he was actually a human, that Trider despises?"

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise when they realized that she was right. "I see." Dynamism said, her gauntlets clicking and blades shot out of them. "Guess you guys are the bad guys then."

Bullseye scratched his head, before he gave Phantom an annoyed look. "I told you they would be suspicious of a guy with a skull for a face." he grunted.

Dynamism, Ace and Whip prepared themselves for the fight, but were interrupted, when Spike jumped forward. "Uhhh guys, we need to move. Right now!" They all looked behind them and saw a mass of changelings quickly approaching them.

Cornered, they had no choice but to fight on two fronts. Then Bullseye reached for his belt and pulled out a device, that resembled a crossbow. He aimed the device into the air and pressed the trigger. The device released a loud bang, as a small ball of light shot from it. It counited to gain altitude, until it reached it's peak and fell down into the mass of changelings. As soon as the ball hit the ground, it exploded and blew up the changelings.

The group stared at where there were changelings before. "Why did ya do that?" Applejack asked, flabergasted. "Aren't they yer allies?"

"Oh, oh. Maybe they are actually good guys who are pretending to be bad guys, because they have some sort of hidden agenda they want to accomplish?" Pinkie spurted out.

"No such thing." Bullseye said as he opened up the device, taking out a small yellow cilinder and replacing it with a blue one. "I just don't like to share my prey." he said with a sinister smile.

"You're an idiot." Phantom jumped in, hitting the bakc of the stallion's head. "You gave up our number advantage, just to satisfy your ego?"

"Oh come on ghost boy, we can take them ourselves." Bullseye argued.

"It's not, if we can take them or not, that I am worried about," Suddenly the group began to ran, while Ace and Whip remained. "But that they might split up."

"Son of a-" Bullseye cursed and aimed his weapon at the running group. "Like I'll let you." He pressed the trigger and a bright blue light shot from the device. However Ace jumped in front of it and deflected it.

"And I won't let you." he said spinning his naginata. " We will be your opponents!"

"And did you know it's rude to ignore somepony who is trying to have a conversation with you." Whip said snapping his whip. "For that you need to be punished."

Phantom and Bullseye looked at each other, before they pulled out their weapons. "Fine then, bring it on." The two sides charged at each other, disregarding a giant golden sphere in the distance.

***

"Did you guys see that?" Fluttershy said, her voice trembling from her fear. "What was that light?"

"Nothin' good ah suppose." Applejack replied.

"Over here guys!" Rainbow shouted. The group followed her directions and they managed to avoid any major fights thanks to her.

"How much farther do we have to go?" Twilight shouted her question, while blasting a couple of Changelings.

"Quite a bit, but we should get there soon enough." Rainbow answered, punching a Changeling. She looked around and saw that the whole city and the skies above it were swarmed by the insect ponies. "This doesn't look good!"

She felt immense heat behind her and when she turned around she saw Spike and Dynamism, as well as a large group of Changelings that they were keeping at bay with their flames.

"Is it just me or are these guys different than the last time they attacked?" Dynamism wondered.

Rainbow gave the Changelings another look over and noticed that their exoskeleton was more jagged and their wings were longer and slimmer. "Now that you mention it." she said, dodging another attack and countering it with a kick. "They do looka tad different. Not to mention they're a lot tougher."

"Spike, Rainbow, Dynamism!" Twilight shouted. "It's too dangerous up there. Come down here."

The trio nodded and they began to descend. Then, out of nowhere, a large black object collided with Spike and they tumbled throught the air, until they crashed far away from the group.

"SPIKE!!!" everyone shouted. Rainbow was just about to go after her friend, but was stopped by Dynamism.

"I'll go." she said firmly. "You and the rest have to get the Elements."

Rainbow hesitated for a bit, but she quickly realized she had a point and returned to the others. "Just be careful." she said worryingly.

"I will." Dynamism responded, before she jetted after Spike and whatever had attacked him.

***

Spike's vision was blurry, but he could make out the outlines of the buildings that were around him. "Ugh." he groaned, as he picked himself up. "What hit me?" He didn't have time to ponder that question, as his senses blared, alarming him of danger.

Just in the nick of time he jumped out of the way of a weirdly shaped black spear. He quickly got into a battle stance and thanks to the adrenaline, his vision quickly came into focus.

"Who are you?" he asked the black armored dragon. The assailant said nothing as he pulled the spear out of the ground, however Spike soon realized it wasn't a spear at all, but the drake's tail.

"Long time no see, Spike." he spoke, emphasizing the drake's name with a venomous tone. "I see you've finally lost all your baby fat. Good for you."

Spike was surpirsed that he knew who he was. "Do I know you?" he asked.

The black armored dragon said nothing, instead he reached up and took off his helmet. The sight of red scales, orangish yellow spikes on top of his head and the murderous eyes scared the soul out of Spike. "Remember now?"

"Garble!" the drake exhaled, his arms shaking slightly. "What are you doing here? What happened to you?"

Garble laughed out loud, before he answered him. "Revenge!" he spoke in an icy tone. "After you and your 'friends' beat me and the guys, we were left for dead by the others since we were so bady wounded that we could no longer go along with them." he took a moment to take a deep breath, before he continued. "Those two didn't make it and I too was almost on the verge of death. But then I encountered a pony who gave me exactly what I wanted. He healed me and promised me revenge on those who did this to me and all I had to do was help him fulfill his stupid plans. Quite a good trade, right?"

Spike was at a loss for words, since he had no idea that he had to go through so much, because of him. "Garble," he spoke. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

Suddenly Garble swung his tail and smacked Spike with enough force to send him flying. "Why the Tartarus are you apologizing for? It's because of you that I have become better than any dragon." he cackled as his tail retracted. "Thanks to this power I will make all the dragons bow down to me. I will become the ruler of all the dragons!"

Slowly, Spike picked himself up and he could barely stand. He reached to where he was hit and felt something moist. He looked at his hand and saw blood on them. "Damn, that thing's fast." he thought. He ripped off his shirt and tied it around the wound, in hopes of stopping the bleeding. "Sorry Rarity, I'll make it up for you later."

"Still stading, eh?" Garble smiled, whipping his tail around. "Not for long." With lightning speed he shot his tail at Spike again, but this time the young drake managed to dodge it. He ran around, dodging armored dragon's attack, while at the same time trying to close the distance between the two.

"Chains of Tartarus!" he yelled as he unleashed a barrage of fireballs at Garble. The armored dragon however deflected them all with his tail, not budging from his spot.

"C'mon little Spike, I was expecting more from you." he taunted, as he blocked another fireball. "You'll make me fall asleep, if you continue like this." Spike however released smoke from his mouth, obscuring himself. Garbel looked around, trying to predict from where he would attack. "Left? Right?" he thought as he looked around. Then he noticed something fly into the air and he wasted no time. "Take this!" he shouted and shot his own fireball. But what he hit wasn't Spike, but a large boulder.

Before he could realize he was duped, Spike ran out of the smoke and lunged directly at Garble, his fist on fire. With a yell he struck the armored dragon with all his might, blowing him up in fire. Spike breathed heavily as he prepared another attack.

"Nice try." Without warning Garble flew at Spike, punching him straight in the jaw. The young drake recoiled from the hit, but before he could fall, the armored dragon coiled his tail around hit throat.

Spike struggled to break free from his grasp, but it was to no avail. The tail's sharp edges have dug themsleves into his scaly, drawing some blood. "What's wrong Spike? Is that all you've got?" Garble teased. Spike looked at him and saw that his armor, despite receiving his attack, was only slightly dented and burned. Garble saw he was looking at the spot where he was struck and he laughed. "Like it? This armor is strong enough to withstand a building busting blast of a unicorn."

Spike couldn't answer as he struggled to even breathe properly. "I see you're speechless. Good." He drew back his arm, before he punched Spike in the gut, eliciting a painful yelp from the drake. "I thought you'd be more of a challenge, but I guess you can't do anything without your pony friends or that wolf guy." Spike barely held onto his conscience, as Garble continued to wail on his body with blow after blow.

"SPIKE!!!" The yell made Garble stop his torment and look towards the source of the voice. He had little time to dodge the small mare, who dashed in between them and slashed her gauntlet's claws at the armored drake. Garble released Spike and jumped away, creating some distance between him and the newcomer.

Dynamism dropped her focus from the dragona nd instead focused on her friend. "Spike, are you alright?" she asked in concern.

The drake coughed a couple of times, clearing his throat. "I'll live." he answered and stood back up. "Thanks for the save."

"You're welcome." she smiled as they faced their opponent.

"What's this?" Garble roared as he looked over Dynamism. "First a dragon raised by ponies and now a filthy halfbreed!?" Flames shot from beneath his helmet. "You two are an insult to the dragons and I'll make sure to dispose of both of you."

"Don't you dare insult my friend." Spike shouted, his fist clenched tight. "She might be a halfbreed, but she is so much more than any pony or dragon alive. And that is exactly what makes her special."

"Like I care." Garble grumbled. "I'll show what a true dragon is capable of." He thrusted his tail at them over and over again, trying to land a blow. While Dynamism was able to bolck his attcks with her gauntlets, Spike had to dodge them.

"How do we beat him?" Dynamism asked.

"We need to disable his tail first." Spike said and jumped away from another attack. "I'll draw his attention and you try to find a good opening."

"Ok." Without another word she flew into the air, out of Garble's range.

"One on one again." the armored dragon cackled. Without another target, Garble focused all of his attacks onto Spike. The drake on the other hand decided to stop holding back.

"Wild Fire Form!" Spike's body turned reddish, his scales gained a veiny look to them and steam began to escape his body. Right before he was struck by his tail he dodged it and began to quickly advance onto Garble.

"Oh no you don't!" he said and swung his tail in a wide arc. Instead of dodging or blocking it, Spike caught it with his arms, as the edges scratched the side of his body. Garble tried to pull his tail back, but Spike didn't release it. "Let go!"

"Now Dyna!" Spike yelled. Off from the side, the dragon mare hurled at them with tremendous speed. She swung her arms with all of her might and broke Garble's mechanical tail into pieces.

"Don't let up!" Spike shouted and they charged the armored dragon, unleashing everything they had onto him. Their combined attacks pushed Garble back, as pieces of his armor began to fall off. "Just like that, give him everything you've-" Suddenly steam shot from beneath Garble's armor and he raised his hands, to block both Spike's and Dynamism's attacks. "Got?"

Garble laughed manically as he looked them in the eyes. "You think you're the only one who knows that trick?" he said as he quickly released and delivered two powerful punches into both of their stomachs. Both Spike and Dynamism were knosked to the ground, as Garble looked down on them. "That is something every dragon knows how to do at birth. Just face it Spike, no matter how hard you struggle, neither you or her can beat me. I am a true dragon, while you are pony who looks like one and she is an abomination."

The sky above them darkened, as clouds began to cover the skies, casting the city into shadows. Lightning began to strike the city, as thunder silenced the screams of the ponies. Both Spike and Dynamism picked themsleves up and they stood their grounds.

"How you doing?" Spike asked the mare.

"Better than you." she retorted.

"Cool." Their chat was cut short, as Garble charged at them and they were locked in combat. Spike and Dynamism were on the defensive, as their opponent wailed on them with everything he had. He didn't give them any chances to retaliate as he began to slowly push them back.

"I thought you two were tougher than this, I'm kind of disappointed." Garble taunted the two and unfurled his wings. Spike noticed a glint coming off of them and he immediately realized what it was.

"Watch out!" he shouted and pushed Dynamism out of the way, just in time to make her avoid the bladed wing that almost cut her head off. Spike however wasn't able to completely dodge the blades and it slashed him across his chest.

He cried out in pain as blood gushed out of the wound. Garble didn't waste his opportunity and kicked Spike sending him flying backwards. He then disappeared for a second, before reappearing behind the drake and knocking him down into the ground.

Clenching his burning chest, Spike remained lying on the ground, as Garble loomed over him. "Do you know?" he said kicking Spike, who was still on the ground, in the stomach. "How many nights I spent?" he continued to kick the drake after every sentence. "Thinking of how I would make you suffer?" He stopped his kicks and kneeled down to pick something beside him.

Spike looked up to see him holding a piece of his tail, that Dynamism broke off earlier. A sadistic smile formed on Garble's face as he eyed the metal piece, before looking back to Spike. He lifted the tail high up and then brought it down, intent to impale Spike.

But he had to stop midway, because he felt immense pain come from his back. He roared in agony and looked behind him, seeing Dynamism. She managed to damage him, by lunging her clawed gauntlets in one of the spots where the armor was the thinnest. Garble's vision turned red as he twisted his body and slashed his wings at the mare.

Dynamism had no time to dodge, as the wings hit her and she cried out as she was knocked back. "Bitch!" Garble cursed as he quickly turned around and slashed his claws at her. Dynamism could barely register the talons, before she felt them scraping across her face and the force of it brought her down onto the ground.

"Dynamism!!!" Spike shouted, as he tried to get up.

"Not so fast!" Garble growled, bringing his foot down onto the drake's back, making him fall flat on the ground again. The armored dragon eyed Spike and how frantically he looked at the mare. A smile formed on his face as a heinous idea came to him. He grabbed Spike's hands and brought them together, right before impaling them with his tail, which he was still holding.

Spike cried out from the act and watched as Garble slowly approached Dynamism. "I told you I'd make you suffer Spike." he cackled. "I'll make you watch how I kill your dear friend right before your eyes."

"No!" Spike screamed as he began to struggle, but couldn't even budge the metal piece. "Dynamism run!!!" he continued to shout.

The mare however couldn't hear his voice through her hazy mind. Slowly she came back to and she tried to open her eyes. For some reason however, her right one wouldn't open. She reached her hand toward her eye and only felt ripped flesh and blood. She didn't have time to contemplate on it, as she sensed someone was standing over her.

"Run!!!"

It was too late. She felt how air escaped her lungs, from the forceful kick that Garble delivered. She had no strength to pick herself up or even fight for that matter. She remained lying on the ground, before she felt someone grabbing her mane and lifting her head up.

"Have a good look Spike." Garble snickered as he held her head up. With her throat exposed he brought one of his wings to it, the sharp edge drawing some blood. "This is what is going to happen to all of your friends."

Dynamism looked at Spike pleadingly, tears falling down her cheek. "Help me." she whispered. But Spike couldn't do anything except watch in despair.

Garble tensed his wings and was about to slit the mare's throat, but something interrupted him. He released Dynamism's head and he stood up. "No, I haven't gotten my revenge yet!" he began to shout to no one.

Spike watched in confusion, as Garble argued with himself. But he knew he had no time to waste. He quickly got onto his knees and grabbed the metal tail with his teeth. He began to pull on it with all of his might, tasting blood in his mouth the more he pulled.

"I don't care what he says!" Garble roared. "Until I kill Spike, you and your master can kiss my-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, as he felt something lunge at him.

Garble furiously looked at the one who attacked him, seeing Spike jump at him again. He also noticed that he held something in his hand. Spike thrusted the object he had in his hand at Garble's head and only when it was several inches away from him, did Garble realize he was holding his tail. He quickly raised his own hand to block the attack, but wasn't completely successful in doing so. The metal piece went through the eyehole in the helmet and it pierced the armored drake's eye.

He roared in pain, as blood seeped out of the helmet. "That's it!" he screamed. He was still holding Spike's arm and he pushed all of his strength into it. The bones in the young drake's arm snapped in two and he howled.

Garble wasn't finished however, as he pushed Spike onto the ground and began to wail on the drake's face. Spike couldn't defend himself from the punches, as his arms were trapped benath Garble's legs. As the onslaught continued Spike observed the clouded sky, until and idea popped in his head.

He released some fire from his mouth, temporarily blinding his opponent. He then used his tail to push Garble off of him and took to the skies.

"Oh no you don't!" Garble said, quickly following him. After a few seconds, Spike stopped in midair and turned around to see Garble quickly approaching him. The other dragon stopped several feet away from Spike as well and the two stared at each other.

"I thought you were running away." the armored drake jabbed. "But even if you were it wouldn't have helped. A wannabe dragon like you could never measure up to a real dragon."

"Maybe." Spike panted heavily. "But in a fight it's not all about brawn, but also brain."

Garble laughed loudly. "Good one. I should've guessed your final moment would be like your life. One huge joke."

"I wouldn't be too sure. You see the dragons might not have taught you this, but wearing a metal armor in the middle of a storm isn't exactly a bright idea." Garble paid him no mind and charged him. But before he could even reach him, the clouds released a thunderous explosion, right before lightning struck him.

Garble couldn't even scream, as the electricity coursed through his body. Once it was over he fell to the ground in a smoking pile of charred and melted armor. Spike descended as well, giving his opponent only a side glance, before he flew over to where Dynamism was.

"Hey, are you OK?" he asked her, as he held up her upper body.

"Better than you." she smiled lightly. Spike sighed in relief. But their heartfelt moment was interrupted when they heard a loud roar.

Quickly turning their heads they saw Garble standing up and throwing his helmet onto the ground. "Enough!" he shouted, ripping his chestplate off as well, revealing a large scar on his chest. "I'll fucking kill, if it's the last thing I do!"

Slowly he began to approach the duo, but he didn't make it very far, before a portal opened up behind him and two sets of arms appeared from it.

"Come on now, the boss said we had to retreat." Bullseye said, grabbing the drake's shoulder.

"Screw you!" Garble yelled, trying to break from their grip. Phantom however lifted his hand and struck the back of his neck, knocking him out almost immediately. They grabbed the drake's limp body and began to drag him into the portal.

Before they disappeared Bullseye looked at Spike and Dynamism. "Ciao." he said with a smile, before the portal closed.

The two stared at the spot where the portal appeared. "What was that?" Dynamism asked confused.

"Don't know." Spike answered, slowly getting up. "But it seems it's over." True to his words it appeared that the Changelings as well began to retreat. Spike helped Dynamism get up as well and the two began to slowly walk away.

***

Several minutes before

Explosions echoed through the streets of Canterlot, as a fierce battle between the two Royal Guards and their opponents continued. Whip swung his whips around, blocking the incoming magical blasts, that Bullseye shot at him.

"You're pretty good." the stallion said, reloading his weapon. "But I wonder how much more you can take." This time the blasts were composed of electricity. Whip immediately switched from blocking to dodging. He hid behind a torn down wall and stopped to catch his breath.

"What are those things?" he shouted his question, so it could reach Bullseye.

"These things?" the stallion replied, lifting one of them. "This just something the good doc made in his lab to help us fight. They are kind of like crossbows, but instead of firing arrows they fire-"

"Magic." Whip finished his sentence.

"Correct." Bullseye chuckled. "Kind of handy, if I do say so myself. I'll admit at first I was kind of skeptical, but now I'm loving them."

"And who exactly made them, if I may ask?"

"You may." the stallion repleid. "It was somepony who calls himself doctor Gene Slice. Kind of a nuthouse, but a genius nontheless."

Whip's blood froze at the mention of his name. "That maniac!? But he was supposed to be locked in the dungeons!"

Bullseye was slightly surprised by his outburst, but after a little pondering her remembered something. "Oh yeah, you were one of the guys who destroyed his lab and brought him in weren't you?" he said, chuckling lightly to himself. "Well to answer your question, he was in the dungeons, but thanks to Phantom, who distracted the guards the last time he was here, and Chrysalis's slaves we managed to bust him out."

Whip had heard enough. He rested enough and he jumped out of his cover and charged the stallion, who began to fire away at him.

At the same time, Ace and Phantom were locked in an intense fight as well. The human's sabers and dog-pony's spear clashed with each other.

The two didn't exchange a single word since they started to fight. Both of their attacks were fierce and precise. Ace tried to stab Phantom with his naginata, but the man managed to block and deflect all of his attacks.

"Augment: Tempo." Magic coursed through his body and the speed of his attacks increased drastically. "Godspeed Thrust!"

"Enhance: Iron Skin." Phantom muttered and raised his arms to defend himself. The blade struck his body, but it never breached his armor as he took the attack head on.

After several seconds Ace stopped his attack. "Dirk Gale!" his body suddenly transformed into wind and it began to slash across Phantom's body, but it still had no effect. Switching his strategy, he began to deprive the area around the human of air and the man began to slowly suffocate.

"Enhance: Subaquatic." His helmet shifted a little bit as the mouth of it was now connected to a couple of tubes that ran behind his back. He breathed deeply, taking in the sweet oxygen.

Seeing it was futile, Ace stopped his magic and was once again facing his opponent. "Trider told me that humans don't have magic, so how are you doing those things?"

"Nanomachines son, as well as a special biomechanical armored suit." Phantom quickly answered.

"I didn't get half of that, but I'll just guess it's bad." Ace said, before charging him again. "Augment: Might." His muscles slightly grew and he struck his spear down onto the man.

"Enhance: Fortress." Phantom blocked the attack with his own sabers, just barely stopping the blade from reaching him.

Ace continued to push down onto him, before he smiled. "Freeze." Suddenly Phantom's arms were encased in ice and he could no longer properly defend. Taking his chance, Ace drew back his and swung it an arc.

"Enhance: Arctic." The ice around his arms broke and he managed to again block Ace's attack, but it broke one of his swords. He then threw his other blade at the half-pony and Ace had no choice, but to dodge and Phantom took advantage of that. Another blade jumped out of wrist and he slashed at Ace, making a small gash in on his cheek.

Ace winced from the pain and tried to create some distance between the two, but Phantom was already on him. He delivered a sidekick directly to his head, throwing him off balance. Ace quickly corrected himself, just in time to see Phantom swing his wristblade at him.

"Augment: Aegis." The blade broke upon contact with his skin and he was about to counterattack.

"Enhance: Killer." Suddenly Phantom gained a burst of speed and struck Ace with even more force than before. The stallion staggered backwards, but the human wasn't about to let up. He began to wail onto Ace, not giving him anyy window to defend himself.

Phantom reared his arm and delivered an uppercut to Ace, which knocked him off the ground and making him drop his weapon in the process. "Face it. I'm the better fighter here." he said, walking over to the sabre he threw before. "Just stay down if you knwo what's good for you."

Ace groaned as he tried to pick himself up. "No way." he said defiantly.

Phantom sighed and approached the stallion. "I warned you." He raised his hand and was about to slash at Ace, when all of a sudden a bolt of lightning struck him.

He staggered backwards, away from the panting half-pony, whose hand was still glowing with magic. "If I can't beat you in close combat." A longbow appeared in his arms and he drew it, an arrow magically appearing in the string. "Then I'll just attack from afar."

Phantom broke out of the daze that the lightning gave him. "That won't work." Ace however didn't listen and instead shot the arrow. At first Phantom planned on catching it in midair, but after seeing how fast it was he chose otherwise. "Enhance: Iron Skin."

The arrow pierced his shoulder and he cried out, pain flaring through it. He looked at his shoulder and saw the arrow lodged in it, not too deep since the armor blocked some of it. He grabbed it and pulled it out in a single yank.

"I guess your little trick didn't work this time." Ace taunted, already preparing another arrow.

"It did work." the man said. "But it activated late. But why would it-" He realized the reason why and so did Ace.

"So you're weak against electric attacks." he smiled, as the arrow began to crack with electricity. "Good to know."

Phantom cursed under his breath, as he began to dodge the barrage of arrows that Ace began to shoot his way. He managed to avoid all of them, but it was clear that the stallion had the upper hand. The human jumped behind a thick wall, as several arrows odged themselves in it.

"Bastard." he cussed and pressed his wound. "Calm down and think. Don't let him get to you." Suddenly he felt water fall on him. At first he was confused as to why he would do such a pointless attack, before he realized the reason. Without any hesitation he jumped away from where the water was and just in time as another arrow fell near where he was and electrocuted the wet area. "Clever bastard. Guess I have no other choice." he said and reached for the weapon on his back. "I really didn't want to use this."

Meanwhile Ace slowly approached where Phantom was hiding, an arrow already prepared to be fired. Suddenly he saw something jump out from behind the wall and he didn't hesitate to shoot it. But what he hit was just a rock and he knew immediately he made a mistake.

He heard a loud bang right before something struck his side and he was knocked onto the ground. Phantom stood up from his hiding position and drew back the rifle's bolt. "I know you ain't dead." he said as he aimed the rifle and took another shot.

Ace quickly jumped out of the way of the blast, as it decimated the spot where he laid before. He drew back his bow's string and shot an arrow at the human. But Phantom expertly shot it out of the air and due to the bullet's greater force it shattered the arrow and continued it's trajectory, until it hit Ace in his shoulder.

He managed to land on his feet, but he was seriously wounded from the shots he took and he was fresh out of options. He looked at Phantom who already aimed his weapon at him. "You never stood a chance." he said before pulling the trigger.

At the same time Whip and Bullseye were duking it out, with neither one of them having any clear advantage. The gun wielding stallion shot three consecutive shots at his opponent, which he managed to block with his whips.

"Haven't had enough yet?" Bullseye asked as they had a stare down.

"Please, I've only just started." Whip quipped back. While he hadn't taken any considerable damage, he was tired from constantly having to block and dodge. "All or nothing." he thought, before he charged the stallion.

Bullseye fired a couple of shots at him, but to his surprise he didn't block or evaded them, instead he plowed through. Not knowing what Whip was thinking, he unleashed everything he could at the stallion, but instead of slowing him down it seemed as if he got even faster.

Before he knew it, he had to move away or he would have been in trouble. But Whip quickly caught him, his hand wrapped by his whips. He delivered a devastating punch directly to Bullseye's face that made him fly into a wall. Slightly dazed the stallion tried to get away again, but Whip didn't let him. He proceeded to beat the living hell out of him.

In a desperate attempt Bullseye decided to detonate one of the magic cartridges in his gun. Because it wasn't completely full the explosion wasn't that strong, but it was enough to push the two stallions apart.

Bullseye landed on his back and as soon as he could he tried to get up. But before he could even get onn his knees, he was wrapped by the two whips. He tried to get out of of the bind, however Whip tugged on his weapons a tad and spikes appeared all over them, digging themselves into Bullseye's skin.

"It's over, once I have someone in my grasp I don't let go, no matter how much they scream." Whip said over the stallions cries.

Eventually Bullseye stopped his wailing and gave his opponenet a pained grin. "Was that supposed to sound rapey or do you always talk like that?" he asked.

"Only when I capture thos who have caught my interest." Whip rebbuted. "And I do have to repay you for the wonderful treatment you gave me before. There are only a handful of stallions who can make feel so good."

Bullseye was at a loss for words, as he had no idea how to react. "Ah, now I see." he said with a chuckle. "I've heard about some screwed up Royal Guard from Vanhoover. Was that you?"

"I guess my reputation precedes me." Whip boasted. "But now that you're under wraps, how about we have some fun of our own?"

Sweat began to pour down the stallion's face, as he began to look around for any ways to escape. "I wouldn't be so sure of that." he said, a victorious smile adorning his face.

"And what makes you think that?" Whip asked skeptically, not believing his bluff. His answer came when he heard a loud bang, before something fell behind him. He turned his head and saw his friend's limp body. "Ace!!!" he yelled.

His ears twitched when he heard the sound of running. Quickly turning his head back to his opponent he saw he was only a couple of feet away from him, still encased by his whips. He flicked his wrists and electricity coursed through his weapons.

Bullseye was shocked by the attack, but he still managed to get close. "Tik, tik, boom." he said in a gleeful voice, right before his body was enveloped by a red light. Whip had no time to run, as the stallion exploded.

Once the smoke from the explosion settled, Whip laid in a deep crater, his body riddled with wounds and most of his fur and skin was burned. No matter how much he tried, his body wouldn't move and all of his senses were in a state of chaos.

"Hoo-wee." he heard someone cry out. "That was an impressive explosion, even for my standard." Whip couldn't believe what he was seeing. Bullseye was standing on the edge of the crater, dusting off his hat which he then proceeded to put back onto his head. Whip tried to utter a word, but all that came out were weak wheezes.

"You're still alive?" Bullseye said in a surprised tone. "Damn, you're one tough motherfucker." He reached inside his coat and pulled out a small crossbow. "Let me fix that." Whip watched in terror he began to slowly press the trigger on his weapon.

"That's enough." Phantom said as he approached his ally. Over his shoulder he was carrying Ace's body, which he then threw into the crater along with Whip.

"What's the matter dude? Don't have the balls to finish them off?" Bullseye teased.

"They are already finished. Besides we have to go back." Phantom said, as he pointed behind him toward a green portal. "Master's orders."

Bullseye didn't look all too happy by his interruption, but he still put away the crossbow and began to walk away. "Well, at least I had fun." he said, one foot already in the portal. "But next time, I'll make sure I finish you off." he said to Whip, before disappearing completely in the portal along with Phantom.

Whip watched as the portal closed behind them andhe then looked at his friend. Ace too was badly wounded, a large pool of blood present near his stomach. He tried to get up to help his buddy, but the last of his energy left him and he fell into the darkness.

***

Luna soared through the sky as she watched the chaos unfurl below her. "Hold on my little ponies. I will come to help as soon as I find my sister." she thought as she accelerated her flight.

Although it was weak, she sensed her sister far off in the distance and soon she arrived at a large black dome. "Found you." she said and began to charge her magic, ready to destroy the barrier before her. "Wait just a little bit sister."

However she was interrupted, when she had to avoid a blast of magic that was directed at her. She turned toward her assailant to see a bright yellow mare with a fiery colored mane facing her.

"Name thyself." Luna commanded.

"I am Sunset Shimmer." the mare introduced herself.

"Tell me Sunset Shimmer, what business do you have here?"

"To stop you from interfering with my master's plans." she said her horn beginning to glow.

"Your master? Why would you help the likes of Chrysalis?" Luna asked flabergasted.

"You really don't have any idea what is really happening here do you?" Sunset said, before firing a blast at Luna.

Luna however simply flicked her arm and deflected the blast like it was just a fly. "And you clearly do not know who you are facing." she said, her magical aura flaring and her eyes turning white. "I SHALL TEACH YOU YOUR PLACE WHELP! SCHATTENSARG!"

Suddenly Sunset was covered by a black mass through which she couldn't see anything. She tried to break through it, but no matter what she tried or how strong she fought against it the mass didn't budge.

"No, no, no!!!" she screamed as she bashed away against the mass. "I can't disappoint my master! I can't!" Suddenly she stopped her struggle as a voice began to whisper in her head. "Yes, I can't break through." she said, her eyes slowly turning red and green, as purple smoke escaped from their corners. "But we can!"

Luna was already prepared to break the barrier that was erected over where her sister was, when she felt a disturbance. She quickly spun around, just to see her spell break. She watched in awe, as Sunset slowly approched her, a dark mist lurking over her.

"This magic." the princess gasped. "Sombra?!" Sunset gave no answer, instead she lifted her hand, as it began to crackle with energy. Luna immediately realized that this wasn't going to be an easy fight anymore and prepared for the duel ahead of her.

Their focus was broken however, when the barrier was shattered righ in front of them. Neither one of them knew what had happened, but they bot felt uneasy.

"This magic... Is that Celestia?" Luna wondered. "But it feels so different from my sister's, yet so similar."

"Master." was all Sunset whispered. She quickly turned back to Luna and released a single blast of magic. The princess had no time to dodge as the blast hit her directly, sending her careening through the air. She then jetted towards where her master was.

Luna, in the mean time, quickly stopped her uncontrolable flight and corrected herself. "What is going on here?" she thought, before chasing after Sunset.

***

The sound of battle was already spreading throughout the city, as ponies and Changelings were engaged in combat. But out of all of them one in particular was especially heated.

When Trider and Chrysalis fell out of the window, they landed on the castle premise and began to duke it out with everything they had. The Kanisar managed to land a good right hook, but Chrysalis as well achieved to give him a great uppercut. The clash made them both distance away from each other, where they began to have an intense staredown.

"What's with you and wedding crashing? Not that I'm complaining, since it takes away my boredom, but I am curious." Trider snipped at the mare, who was rubbing her cheek.

"Silence you worm. I'll make you pay for the last time." she hissed, before her horn glowed and she lunged several rocks at him. Trider expertly dodged and blocked all of them, right before firing a few Ki blasts himself. The queen raised a shield which blocked all of them.

"Fine by me, I was itching to finish what we couldn't last time." the Kanisar said.

"Oh please. I would've won then if it wasn't for the two lovers. And now too I shall defeat you." she said as her horn glowed green and her chitin body grew slightly, slowly transforming into an armor like structure.

"Neat trick. Let's see if you're not all bark and no bite. " he said rearing one of his arms. "Piston Cannon." He dashed towards the mare, instantaneously closing the distance between them. "Pentaspear!" he yelled as he lightly hit her body. A short second later a powerful force struck the queen's body, but she didn't fall.

"Nice try." she cackled. "My turn." She raised both of her hands, before bringing them down onto his back, plunging him into the ground. Before he had time to recover she kicked him into the air and before he hit the ground she blasted him with her magic, making him crash into the castle's walls.

"Why don't you change yourself into that black form of yours, so I can prove it to you that I am superior." she taunted.

Suddenly out of the smoke and rubble flew a single blast of energy, which she managed to dodge and it hit the castle's defensive wall, taking out a large chunk of it. "You know what they say." Trider said, as he slowly walked out of the hole he made. "White is the new black."

Chrysalis watched him with intrigue, enamored by his white hair and blue eyes. "My, my, what is this?" she said in a singsong tone.

"I haven't been sitting on my ass since we clashed, y'know." he said, flexing one of his arms to show off his muscles. "The end result of my training was this, Super Kanisar Form."

"I see." the queen said nodding her head in approval. "But do you still think you'll win?"

"No I don't think so." he said, his hands suddenly envelopd in Ki. "I know so." With a single leap he jumped at Chrysalis and began to tear away at her armor with his Spirit Claws.

The Changeling queen was surprised by his sudden increase in power and could do nothing, but take the hits. "Piston Cannon." Trider said, rearing his arm back. "Dekaassault!"

Right before his fist connected with the mare, her mouth split open and she shot something white and sticky from them, which covered Trider's fist. When his attack landed the substance was torn apart, but Chrysalis received no damage.

Before he had time to ask think about what happened, he ahd to jump out of the way of the mare's next attack. He landed a few feet away from her and he felt a slight sting on his cheek. He wiped the spot with his thumb and saw it was slightly bloody. He turned his gaze back to Chrysalis and saw that her arm turned to one that praying mantis's have.

"OK, what the fuck?" he said in an annoyed tone.

"Like it?" the mare said as she eyed her transformed arm. "Thanks to the doctor I'm now able to transform parts of my body into any creature in Equestria. This for instance is one of Rock Mantis claws, which are capable of cutting through steel." Her arm turned back to normal, before her mouth split open and she shot a string of white web at Trider, but he dodged it without effort. "And this is Star Spider's web, the strongest web of all the spiders."

"Let me get this straight." Trider said as he rubbed his temple. "You are now a walking petri dish of every animal on the planet?"

"And so much more." she said with a grin, before she opened her mouth and spewed fire at the Kanisar. "How do you like a dragon's fire?"

Her answer came when Trider jumped out of the flames and punched her straight in the stomach. "Laughable when compared to Spike's or Dyna's." he quipped, before delivering a roundhouse kick.

Chrysalis landed on the ground and she tried to get up, but was unable to. Trider smiled at her misfortune, before he took a step back and dashed at her at full speed.

"That's it, come to mommy." Chrysalis thought, as her fangs trasnformed, now coated in a sickly green fluid. "Let's see how you handle basilisk poison." She was about to strike at the Kanisar, but she suddenly felt a pressure in her head. "Master?!" she spoke. Unfortunately for her, because of the interruption she forgot about Trider, who socked ehr directly in the jaw, making her fall onto the ground yet again.

The Changeling queen quickly stood up and created a powerful barrier as she began to converse with her master. "What is it darling? I'm currently in the middle of something." she said as Trider began to strike against her shield.

"The plan is a bust, you are to retreat immediately." the voice in her head said sternly. "But before that, Chrysalis, you must complete your end of the mission."

With that the transmission was cut and the mare focused back onto the Kanisar. "Fall back? I wonder what happened for him to call for retreat?" she thought. "No time to ponder on that. Have to get rid of this pest first if I am to complete my task." Right at that moment far in the distance a giant golden sphere appeared, which drew both of their attention.

"What's that?" Trider asked. Chrysalis on the onther hand didn't think too much about it, as she dropped her shield and spat into the Kanisar's eyes. Trider howled in pain as his eyes began to sting.

After a couple of minutes he was able to see again, but by that tmie Chrysalis was already gone and he couldn't pick up her trail. "Damn coward!" he cursed. He flew into the sky to see, if he could spot her from there, but he had no such luck.

He turned towards where the golden sphere appeared from and began to fly towards it. "It seems there's more fun in that direction anyway." he laughed to himself. But despite his jolly mood, deep down he felt uneasy, as if something dreadful was going to happen.