From The Gates

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 37

Father kept his gaze and smile on Wrath "It is most gracious to see one of my children alive and well once again. I was beginning to think I was alone in this world..."

Wrath scoffed "I am no longer your child, and you are not in any way my biological father!"

Father laughed at Wrath's words "How petulant of you, Wrath! My blood flows through your veins! You're my son in more ways than many, even if you have started out as a mere human!" He shifted his eyes back to see Celestia and Luna recovering "I shall spare my time with you soon enough. I am busy at the moment..."

Cadence noticed the regal sisters' wounds and gasped "Celestia! Luna!"

Shining Armor looked back at the guards present "Don't just stand there! We have to help them!"

Wrath perked up at Shining Armor's words and jerked his head to face the guard captain with a warning glare "You'll do no such thing! He is capable of powers beyond imagination! Would you throw away your guards so recklessly!?"

Shining Armor glared back at Wrath "The duty of the Royal Guard is not only to guard the citizens of Equestria, but the princesses who govern its lands! I'm not going to sit and watch my rulers struggle!" He turned to the guards "Go now! For the princesses!!"

One of the guards turned to Shining Armor with concerned "But sir! Your injuries-"

Shining Armor snapped "Don't worry about me! We must protect the princesses!! To battle!!" The guards sounded their battlecries as they flew towards Father, who's smirk widened at their approach. His horn crackled with red static.

Wrath recognized the static as his eye widened "You fools!! Fall back at once!!!" His calls fell on deaf ears when the guards closed the distance between them and Father.

The guards yelled out in pain and anguish when they were frozen in the air and enveloped in the red static. They all glowed brightly until their screams had ceased and were reduced to Philosopher's stones. The stones all levitated in the air by Father's magic, and were all trailed into his mouth as he consumed each drop one by one. He licked his lips as more static was exerted from him, and he looked upon Shining Armor with a smile "Thank you for the meal. The trip here HAS left me rather winded..."

Shining Armor and Cadence watched the guards reduced to stones and swallowed up by Father with unrivaled shock. Shining Armor's pupils trembled at the sight "No...What happened to them?"

Wrath grunted and looked down "Philosopher's stones..."

Cadence withdrew her shock to turn to Wrath "What? What did you say?"

Wrath looked up "He turned the guards present into Philosopher's stones. They are made of pony lives, and enlist remarkable power towards those who harbor it. And he, the alicorn in front of you, has acquired more power to himself..."

Shining Armor's face slowly went from shock to anger as he activated his horn to levitate one of the spears that laid in front of Father "He may have slaughtered some of my men, but he won't get by my wife OR the princesses!!"

Father raised an eyebrow towards Shining Armor "What's this? You're projecting feelings of fealty, determination, and affection? And who are you to tell me what I can or cannot do, hm?"

Shining Armor pointed his spear "I'm Shining Armor! Captain of the Royal Guard! I won't let you harm the princesses!" He growled as he galloped into battle despite his wounds.

Wrath saw this and galloped after him "No!!"

Father perked up when the guard captain identified himself "Shining Armor? I've heard a great deal about you..."

Shining Armor roared as he held up his spear and went to jab it at Father, only to have it collide with a red shield that revealed itself around the pale alicorn. Shining Armor tried pushing his spear against the shield while Father stared back at him with a bored expression on his face.

The pale alicorn then levitated Shining Armor in a magical aura as he examined him "I heard that you brought up the shield protecting this city with the help of your wife, correct? Would you be so kind as to bring it down?" He asked nonchalantly.

Wrath galloped forward and slashed Father along his right side while he was distracted, causing the pale alicorn to grunt in pain and drop Shining Armor.

Father's large wound gradually shut away at an ample rate as he glared over at Wrath "How dare you...Are you trying to follow Greed's example as well, Wrath? I cannot abide such disobedient behavior from my children!"

Wrath glared at Father "I've already told you...I am no longer your child and you're in no way my father!!" He looked over at Shining Armor "Shining Armor, are you alright!?"

Shining Armor grunted as he recovered "I'll be fine! We just have to keep him busy!"

Cadence trotted up to Shining Armor's side as she stared down Father with him. Celestia and Luna recovered and stood behind Wrath, all three of them glaring at the pale alicorn as well. Father looked around "You would engage in battle with me?" He unfurled his wings as his body was coated in red static "So be it..." Father roared as he exerted a wave of red energy that expanded and hit all five of his opponents.

Everypony but Shining Armor managed to recover from the wave of energy while Father was charging up for another one. Wrath turned to Shining Armor and Cadence and barked orders to them "Princess Cadence!! Take Shining Armor to a secluded area so that you may keep the shield intact!!"

Cadence held Shining Armor and looked back at the others "But what about you and the princesses!?"

Celestia called over "We'll be fine, Cadence! You must move while we handle this!!" Her horn glowed as she glared at Father "Equestria's safety depends on it!!"

Cadence nodded as she hoisted her injured husband on her back and galloped out. When she reached the door, she was wrapped in a red aura and frozen in place. Father leered over at the couple "I'm afraid I cannot let you do that...Your shield proves to be a nuisance!" He went to drag the couple back, but a beam shot by Celestia struck him in the back and elicited another pained grunt from the pale alicorn as his concentration broke.

Wrath yelled to the couple again "Go!! Now!!" He was satisfied to see Cadence recover with Shining Armor and gallop out of the throne room.

Father slowly turned back to the remaining fighters with a darkened glare in his eyes while his wound mended itself "You are a fool to defy me like this, Wrath...It is time that I punish you before I become one with God again..." His horn glowed and he fired a red beam at Wrath.

Wrath's eye widened as the alarm bells in his head rang at the sight of the beam. He dodged to the left to avoid it, but then he noticed Father shooting another beam to make him dodge back to the right.

Luna fired a beam of her own, but it was stopped by another shield and she earned the attention of Father as he levitated her "You stay out of this! This is a matter between family!!" He then flung Luna into a wall. He turned back to Wrath to see that he kept his glare on Father as he calculated his next move. This caused the pale alicorn to chuckle "You would fight me without showing me your full potential, Wrath? I'm very disappointed in you!"

Celestia charged her horn for another beam "What are you getting at, Homunculus!?"

Father smirked "You'll see, God..." He then fired more beams along the right, near Wrath's blind spot, as the furious pony dodged in a less professional fashion. Celestia took notice in confusion "Stop holding back, Wrath! Show me your power!! Show me the power that I myself bestowed upon you!!" He then managed to skim a beam along the left side of Wrath's head as it scorched some of his head and ear along with his eyepatch.

Wrath grunted in pain while the eyepatch glided off of him 'Does it really have to come to this??' He kept his Ultimate Eye shut.

Father scoffed "Impudent child!! I command you to show it to me at once!!"

Luna recovered and shook off the damage that was dealt to her, but then noticed Wrath's predicament 'Show what? Is Wrath hiding something from us?'

Wrath growled in defeat as he slowly opened his left eye to reveal his Ultimate Eye. Celestia and Luna gasped at how his left pupil was replaced with an Ouroboros symbol. Father, however, smiled in satisfaction "Yes...It is still there. The gimmick that had earned you the name of the Ultimate Eye!! Now let us see if your age hasn't caught up to you yet!!" He then fired a volley of beams at Wrath.

While the furious pony felt defeated in revealing his Ultimate Eye, he was relieved to know he now held more clairvoyance while he had it open. Wrath managed to dodge each beam sent to him while they pierced through the wall behind him. He continued dodging while Father had an entertained smile on his face.

Celestia watched in awe 'Incredible...So he was holding back against Shining Armor this whole time...' She snapped out of her thought to remember that Father was now distracted, and charged her horn to fire a beam.

Father was firing his beams, and did not expect Celestia's beam shoot across the left side of his own face and scorching it harshly as he snarled. He ceased his fire and glared over at Celestia while his face recovered "Must you interrupt me while I am punishing my child?"

Celestia glared at Father while Luna came up to her and Wrath's side "You invaded my kingdom with delusions of unity and the deaths of our soldiers!! Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus, your actions prove to be unforgivable!!" Her horn charged with more magic "We shall see that your wicked goals remain unmet!!"

Luna's horn charged as well "Indeed! Thine contemptible actions shall be met with proper comeuppance thusly!!" She turned to Wrath "On your feet, Wrath! We must be resilient!"

Wrath unfurled his swordlike wings and leered at Father "Yes, princess..."

Father's eyes narrowed "How disappointing...To think you would even deny me my dream. I came all this way for you since our separation and you choose to push me away..." His body crackled with red static again while his horn glowed as well "I will not be hindered by meager threats!! My moment of glory is close at hand!!" Father then activated his horn and levitated all three of his opponents and thrashed them onto the ground. From there, he reared onto his hindlegs and slammed his forelegs onto the floor to send off a powerful current of red electricity that covered the entirety of the throne room's floor.

Celestia, Luna, and Wrath screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through their bodies. Father kept his glare upon all three ponies as he intensified his power to add to their misery. When he felt he had inflicted enough pain, he canceled out his power and looked down at the writhing trio as his body crackled with more static and steamed as if he were a working boiler "Are you happy? You made me waste more power on this meaningless conflict. This should be a joyous occasion! But we cannot celebrate alone..." He trotted up to Celestia and looked down on her "I never thought I would see you like this, God...Beneath me and in pain...But rest assured the pain shall pass when we've met our own quotas." He kneeled down to where they were face-to-face as Celestia glared weakly at Father "It is a disrespectful gesture, but I wish for a taste of your power before we become one in the same again. Show me your power..." He leaned in and touched his horn with Celestia's. When they connected, magic from Celestia's horn coursed into Father's as he had his eyes closed in concentration.

Luna watched as she struggled with her immense pain "S-...Sister..." She uttered weakly.

Wrath grunted in pain "No...Princess Celestia..." he uttered as well as he attempted to move.

When Father had finished, his eyes snapped open with surprise and wonder as he grinned "Yes! This shall benefit me greatly!!" He rose up and faced the ceiling of the throne room "Now I hold some of God's memories, including access to more amazing spells! I already feel much stronger with this acquisition of power!!" He then looked down "Now to put it to use..." He searched through Celestia's memories and the span from two days ago suddenly caught his interest "So...They're in the town of Ponyville, hm? How nice...I believe it is time I sent for a messenger while I snuff out Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." He closed his eyes and channeled his magic.
_____

At the changeling hive, Chrysalis had already sent for a battalion of changelings towards Canterlot thinking that Father already handled the shield covering the city. She chuckled to herself at the thought of Celestia being humiliated before getting crushed, but the sound of approaching buzzing caught her ear "Huh? Who is that?"

She looked up to see a changeling flying into the room and glared "Just what do you think you're doing, you imbecile!? You're supposed to-" Her anger left when she inspected the changeling "Wait...you're not with the battalion. What news do you bring me?" The changeling hissed and clicked as it explained its message to Chrysalis, who was outraged "What!? A rogue changeling!? That's impossible!! And you say this was from Ponyville?" The changeling nodded "What else is there!? Tell me!!" The changeling hissed and clicked some more "A group of strange ponies aiding the elements of harmony..." She rubbed her chin with a hoof "What are their na-"

"Chrysalis..."

The changeling queen flinched and looked around in surprise "What? What is this?"

"Chrysalis...It is me..."

Chrysalis looked up at the ceiling "Father? Where are you? How are you doing this?"

"That matters not. I have a favor to ask of you..."

Chrysalis continued looking around and confusing the changeling in front of her "What is it?"

"I am going to send you to Ponyville so that you can inform my children of my presence and tell them to meet me at Canterlot."

Chrysalis looked angry "How can you do that when you are merely talking into my mind!?"

"I've subjugated some of Celestia's power as my own...Now I know more than I could ever wish for. But enough about that. You shall be the messenger to my children. When the shield dies in Canterlot, that is your signal to come back so that you may exact proper revenge on the city..."

Chrysalis widened her eyes "So you've managed to come so far and challenge the princesses without any effort!?"

"Yes. And you're free to do as you please with Luna. But Celestia...is mine...Prepare yourself. I am sending you to Ponyville shortly. Send my message...Oh, and say hi to Envy for me..."

Chrysalis noticed a red aura surround her and slowly built up to where it almost covered her. Before it covered her completely, her expression of surprise turned into an evil grin as she cackled. She was then gone in a flash of light, leaving behind a scared and confused changeling.