//------------------------------// // Chapter 38 // Story: The Bill-inning // by EmperorDalek //------------------------------// Behold, the incredible Power of Movie Night! Silent. That is all the Fearamid is as the dust settles across the Changeling Empire. The entire empire is in dissaray. Structures demolished and/or cracked. Many of which were strong enough and thus only tilted slightly to the side. At the very heart of the settling shockwave lies the collapsed remains of Bill Cipher's Fearamid. Anyone who enters ruined structure will find cracked walls, destroyed ceilings, broken pillars, and collapsed stairs. The entire Fearamid is silent, though faint are audiable in the distance. A piece of the Fearamid breaking off and falling down through the air, or a cold wind blowing throughout the destroyed halls and corridors... Throughout the Fearamid entire rooms, doors, walls, floors and ceilings has collapsed. Inside the deepest parts of the downed Fearamid an eerie silence hangs over a destroyed corridor that has been flipped onto its side. A destroyed door lies down on the floor, and several footprints leads away towards a cracked wall...that leads outside to the Changeling Kingdom. A high-pitched laughter echoes around the collapsed Fearamid as lightning strikes down around the Fearamid. On the skies outside the Fearamid, a triangle with a circle and a line in the center appears as lightning strikes! "No more!" *** Meanwhile, Celestia has brought the fillies and colts she found in the forest to her castle. Providing them a safe place for the time being. However, as Celestia leaves the children in her throne room to trott outside onto the balcony her smile fades. She looks into the distance towards the horizon. Hanging her head she thinks about her decision. Is she making the right choice to do this? It is to find out what caused this, and perhaps put an end to it. She hasn't seen Bill Cipher since their encounter in that aweful nightmare not too long ago. Is it worth it, the risk? Celestia raises her head and looks back inside the throne room at the fillies and colts talking and playing with each other... "captain?" The captain of the guards hears Celestia's voice. He turns around and sees their ruler approach him. Immediatly, he turns around to face her. "Yes, your Majesty?" Celestia hesitates, before she looks back inside the throne. Then back towards the captain. "I...i'm going to investigate something. Whatever those children, -" she points back inside the throne room towards the fillies and colts, "...asks for, give it to them." The captain looks back inside the throne room at the large group of children. He then looks back at Celestia with a smile. "As you wish, your Majesty." He replies bowing his head. "Good." She nods back, before she trotts down the hallway. Celestia's horn glows as she trotts along the hallway, and she teleports out of the castle. She re-appears on a hilltop where she turns around and looks back down towards the castle. "They'll be safe there until I return, -" Celestia re-assures herself before she turns away towards the South. The direction of the Changeling Kingdom, and narrows her eyes. "...but I need to find who or what attacked us, and I know I sensed something in the Changeling Kingdom. Something...powerful." Celestia extends and flaps her wings as she flies into the air. Dissapearing into the night as she heads towards (what she believes) to be the source of the explosion that nearly destroyed all of Equestria. *** All throughout the night she flies across many places that were once hospitable and nice, but were now grusomely defaced after the shockwave passed over them. Forests were gone. Burned down till nothing but the stump remained. Large-open fields were scorched black, and giant crevices had opened up. Celestia stopped at one of these crevices and looked inside to find a strange bubbling substance at the bottom. She was disgusted by what she saw, but immediatly took flight and flew away. Resuming her journey towards the Changeling Kingdom. As time passed everything green became black and burned. Nothing but scorched fields as far as the eye can see. Celestia tried to clench her eyes shut and ignore the countless dead land that lay ahead, but unfortunatly she needed to see where she was going. Reluctantly, she forced herself to look upon the dead land in front of her as she flew. Each dead tree and barren hillside angering her. But soon, after much strife, she finally arrived at the mountains bordering the Changeling Kingdom. However, as she landed atop the titular mountains her eyes widened at the sight of the destruction before her! She'd assumed that the Changeling Empire would've survived unscathed, but it too had been affected by the terrible shockwave that devastated Equestria. "W-what happened here?!" Celestia asks in a horrified tone as she looks out across the landscape. At asking that one of the tall spires in the distance collapsed and slams into the ground. *** Meanwhile, at the Changeling Castle a green magic field envelops two damaged doors and pries them open. Ripping them off their hinges. "Chrysalis! Chrysalis!" Pollus calls out in a concerned tone as she runs into her daughter's room, which is in total shambles after the castle was hit by the shockwave. Fortunatly, the castle is still standing after the shockwave. Pollus coughs as dust blows in her face as she runs into the room. She's greeted by a mess. The bed has fallen onto its side, and other forms of furniture is either broken or lies on its side on the floor. "Chrysalis! Where are you?! Chrysalis!" Pollus's eyes widen as she hears a faint coughing from the window. Her head snaps towards the window, and gasps at the figure greeting her. A triangular shadow soon falls upon the wall behind Pollus. Bill turns around to face Pollus...holding a battered and coughing Chrysalis in his hands. "Oh my-...Chrysalis!" Pollus runs towards Bill, and uses her telekinesis to lift Chrysalis out of his hands and into her hooves. She looks down at her bruised daughter, and holds her tight against her body. Bill silently watches as Pollus gently nuzzles her cheek against Chrysalis's hair. His brow narrows, and he puts his arms behind his back as he begins to pace around the room in thought. Pollus soon stops nuzzling Chrysalis's hair, and looks back up towards Bill. Lightly narrowing her brows as she stares at the triangular dream demon. "Where have you been, Cipher?" She asks, to which Bill freezes in place. Bill turns around and looks back at her. He sighs and turns around all the way to face her. "Forgive me, Empress, I have been otherwise...detained by a situation that required my attention" he explained. "But now that I have returned the time has come to finish this!" He says clenching his fists. Angrilly narrowing his brow. "The time has come for us to fulfill Annatar's dream!" Bill says as he pumps his fist in the air. Pollus's brows jumped at hearing this, and she looks down at Chrysalis concerned. "B-but its too soon! W-we cannot even launch an offensive against the Equestrians at our current state. Especially after this cataclysm!" Bill lowers his arms and puts them behind his back. Smirking as he looks back towards the concerned Empress. "But I can." He says at pointing his thumb at himself. "My powers are beyond the Equestrians's understanding. They will not be able to defeat me!" He turns around and walks towards the window. Every step he takes he looks to walk up along an invisible staircase until he hovers in the air. He continues to walk towards the window, but doesn't get any higher. Before he walks out of the window he stops and turns around to face Pollus. "I will only warn you once, Empress, things might get a little bumpy so I must implore that none of your Changelings venture beyond the Changeling Kingdom's borders," Bill warned. The Empress opens her mouth to ask him what he means, but knowing the demon is powerful he certainly won't go easy on the Equestrians. She silently nods back. "I will ensure none stray into the Changeling Kingdom." Wait, what?! However, before she can inquire about that Bill suddenly extends his arms out besides him and dissapears in a flash of bright light. Forcing the Empress to clench her eyes shut and avert her gaze. Soon after the light dies down, Pollus opens her eyes. She looks around the room, but Bill is gone. Looking down at the injured filly in her grasp a single thought goes through her head. I hope you know what you're doing, Cipher. She turns and trotts out of her daughter's unraveled bedroom. Several of her guards are waiting outside the room, and joins their Empress as she trotts down the corridor. Her first priority is to ensure everyone of her subjects receives Bill's instructions. "Send out word to every Changeling that they are to seek immediate shelter. A storm is coming!" She orders one of her guards. "Yes, your Majesty." The guard replies with a bow of his head. He extends his wings and flies off to deliver her message. Buzzing along the corridors. Pollus looks down at Chrysalis sympathetically, and extends her own wings. Buzzing as she flies into the air. Several of her guards also takes flight and escorts their Empress down the corridor. While flying down the corridor they pass by several paintings. Many of which depicts previous rulers of the Changeling race. At the very end of the long line of paintings is a particular painting that illustrates a humanoid in front of an army of Changelings, and is clad in white, elegantly crafted robes and grasping a crimson iron staff in its hands. The humanoid's expression is stern, with bright glowing eyes. On the humanoid's face is a long beard. The name of the humanoid depicted reads as Annatar, the White Wizard. *** At the same time, at Bill Cipher's downed Fearamid everything is quiet. Eeriely so. A cold, lifeless wind blows through the dilapitdated ruins. The wind blows through the many cracked holes in the walls, ceilings and floors. Deep within the bowels of the Fearamid a large double-door has been ripped open (as a result of the Fearamid crashing into the ground) Within the chamber a lone light shines on the dark walls. Illuminating the room as a tall figure clad in robes walks throughout the room. As the figure ventures deeper and deeper into the chamber the light travels along with it. The hooded figure stops in front of a destroyed podium, and looks down at the floor to see a chest has fallen down. Extending a long-sleeved arm, the hooded figure holds out a hand towards the chest. The chest shakes, before it levitates off the floor. The hooded figure levitates the chest in front of it. Suspending the chest in front of it in mid-air. The hooded figure extends another hand and points it directly at the chest. The chest glows, and the hooded figure looks inside. A devious smirk soon settles on the hooded figure's face at seeing the chest's contents. "Good, they're all here, -" The figure thinks aloud to itself. "...well, nearly all of them." The hooded figure grumbles to itself. "Hmm. They will have to do." The hooded figure turns around and walks out of the chamber. Levitating the chest in front of itself. The hooded figure makes its way out of the Fearamid. Levitating the chest with it. After making its way onto an open clearing outside the Fearamid, the hooded figure soon turns into an amorphous shadow and flies into the sky. Sometime later the amorphous shadow flies down towards several titular mountains. Directly above the mountains were dark clouds. Yet, when the amorphous shadow flew down past the mountains they didn't react. Allowing him to pass. The shadow flies down past the mountains towards a scorched and burnt land. The major difference between the Changeling Kingdom and this place was that both the clouds, mountains, and the very ground was blood-red. Landing on the ground, the shadow assumes the hooded figure's humanoid form again. The hooded figure looks up and spots a large castle sitting on the mountainside. Leading up to the castle is a walkway made out of stone. A quite narrow walkway by the looks of it. However, the hooded figure starts walking up towards the walkway. Levitating the chest in front of it as it makes its way up the walkway towards the castle. Within the castle the hooded figure proceeds down a corridor. At the end of the corridor is a door. The hooded figure extends an open hand towards the door. The door clicks open, and the door swings open. Granting the hooded figure entry into the room. Inside the room the hooded figure levitates the chest onto a desk, and opens the chest. The hooded figure looks inside the chest and smiles, before reaching inside the chest. One at a time the hooded figure pulls out a locket, a ring, a cup, a diadem, and lastly a book. The hooded figure freezes at seeing the book. He silently holds the book out in front of him, as he stares at it. He soon narrows his brows and puts the book down on the desk. "Foolish boy. Trusting an Equestrian with such importance!" He grumbles to himself at putting his arms behind his back, as he walks across the room towards the balcony. Stepping out onto the balcony and looks upon his domain. As the dark clouds begin glowing (from lightning) a single bolt of lightning shoots across the skies. Illuminating the hooded figure's shadow on the wall behind it. "Soon, my soldiersss, -" the hooded figure said as it looked down upon the fields below, "...our time will come." From his balcony the horned figure was meet with thousands of red eyes looking up at him. "How I have longed to be a god!" *** Meanwhile at the Castle of the Two Sisters, a triangular figure hovers in the as it approaches the castle. The guards stationed by the doors looks towards each other as the triangular figure continues to approach. "Halt!" The guard orders as he holds out his hoof towards the triangle. "Who are you, and what is your business with the princess?" The triangle glares at the guard with its one eye, and gently puts one hand behind its back while extending the other arm. Pointing its finger straight towards the door. "Yes, we understand that you seek to enter the castle, but what-" *BOOOOM!* Before the guards can react the door suddenly explodes! The doors are blown to pieces, and the surrounding walls crumbles. Leaving behind a large hole in the wall. Through the flames and smoke the Bill Cipher hovers inside the castle. He looks out in front of him, and puts his arms behind his back. "Finally, my patience will be rewarded!" He thinks aloud to himself as he hovers forward. Venturing deeper into the castle. *** Meanwhile, at the Castle of the Sisters a dark shadow suddenly envelops the castle. Drawing the entire castle staff outside where they look into the sky. The castle staff hurries outside to investigate the cause of the darkness, but as they look into the sky, though, they froze in their tracks. Their eyes widens, and jaws hangs slack. "What the-?!" The captain of the guards remarks at seeing a large square in the sky. The square is so large that it completly blotts out the light of the sun. "W-what is it?!" A guard nervously asks. "I...don't know," the captain replies. "T-this is beyond anything i've ever encountered in all my years of service to the princesses." Back inside the castle the large crowd of fillies and colts have been told to remain in the throne room. However, they weren't told that they couldn't watch from the balcony. So, outside on the balcony they've all gathered. Looking up in the sky towards the large square above the castle. "What is it?" Velvet asks. "No idea. It's just...there," Nightlight replies. "Well, someone must've put it there. I mean, it can't just have appeared of nowhere, right?" Cookie asks. "Precisely, my little ponies, but it's not a question of ''how'' it's appeared...but ''why!" A high-pitched voice says behind them. The fillies and colts all turned back to face the speaker, and all gasped at seeing it was a golden triangle with arms and legs, one eye, a bowtie and a tophat! Bill Cipher laughed as he put his arms behind his back, and hovered towards the children. He snaps his fingers and conjures a strange crimson contraption out of thin air, which he grabs and carries on his shoulder. Everyone of them backs away from him...aside from Twilight Velvet. She had the strength to stand before him, while everyone else cowered in fear. "Hey, who are-?" Velvet asks him, however, Bill just ignores her and hovers over her towards the balcony. The fillies and colts shake in fear as he puts down the contraption on its three legs. He puts his hand against his sides, but soon narrows his eye annoyed. "Meh, this angle is no good. I'll need a better angle for it to work." Bill thinks aloud to himself. He soon narrows his brow at looking towards the balcony. Putting a hand underneath his eye, and pretends to scratch his cheek. "Hmm... That could work, but the kids have to go." He extends and aims his finger at the fillies and colts. Velvet gasps, as do the fillies and colts. Whom begins to shiver in fear. "No, stop!" Velvet calls out to Bill, but a blue beam suddenly shoots out of his finger towards the fillies and colts. The fillies and colts clench their eyes shut...and dissapear with a *POP!* Bill turns away and looks around the room, while Velvet's eyes widen and jaw hangs slack. Nothing but stuttered noises is uttered by the stunned and shocked Unicorn filly. Her eyes stares towards the empty balcony where her friends used to be, but was no more! Soon, though, she watches as Bill hovers over towards the balcony and places the red contraption down on the balcony. "Perfect! This is an excellent position!" He remarks, before noticing Velvet on the verge of tears. "Oh brother, these Equestrians can be such drama queens!" He sighs to himself. Bill spins his arm around 360 degrees, and aims his finger up at the ceiling. He fires an orange beam at the ceiling, which conjures an orange portal to appear. From out of the orange portal Velvet's friends fell down towards the ground. Landing with a loud *THUD* as they hit the floor. "H-huh- W-wha-?!" Velvet asks confused. Looking back and forth between the balcony and her friends, whom she clearly saw vaporized. Trying to wrap her mind around this. Nightlight stands up, and shakes his head before noticing Velvet. "Velvet!" "Nightlight!" They both exclaim, as they run towards each other. Embracing each other. After embracing each other, they both pull back to stare at each other. "I thought that guy destroyed you!" "So did I! ...but it turns out he only teleported us out of the way," Nightlight replies. *SNAP* "What?!" Velvet and Nightlight exclaims at hearing something snap. Their, as well as the other fillies and colts's, attention snaps towards the anthromorphic triangle. "There, now we can get started!" The triangle grins to itself as it looks outside. Rubbing its hands together excited. He pressed a button on his contraption, and gently pointed it up into the sky. The projector begins clicking, and a light starts flickering...! "Wait, where'd the object go?!" The captain of the guards exclaims as the large object in the sky *POOF*ed away. "Uh, I don't know sir...b-but I think we should be more concerned about that!" A guard exclaims as he points up at the sky. Suddenly, the ground begins violently shaking! Intense tremors ravages not only Equestria...but the whole world! Large fields were pulled apart as vast crevices tore themselves open across the world! Dark clouds begins swirling above the Castle of the Two Sisters. While red bolts of lightning shoots down and strikes the surrounding landscape...! And at the center of the swirling clouds a large tear in the fabric of reality rips open across the skies! However, while the tear in reality is large enough to encompass the entire castle, four tendril-like tears rips open. Giving the newly appeared tear an X-shape. Down on the world below, the Equestrians can only stare at the large X in the sky. Within the tear is a constantly changing outpour of colors, as well as a vortex that is ever-morphing. Taking on a variety of shapes. The ponies' jaws hangs slack at the massive tear above them. Unable to look away or react. Back on the balcony Bill Cipher narrows his eye, and smirks at seeing the rift in the sky. He turns towards Velvet and her friends. Smiling at them. "What, you wanna see it too?" Bill asks before he extends his hands and grabs the wall. Pulling it apart like clay, and creates a hole for the ponies to look out through. Velvet's friends flinched at first, but soon looks out the hole. Gasping at seeing a large X-shaped rift in the sky. Bill chuckles to himself and looks back out towards the rift. "Here comes the drums," he whispers to himself. Velvet turns her head and looks towards him. Raising a confused brow at what he meant by that. "Hey, look!" Velvet and her friends hears a voice exclaim. They turn and look back out the hole (in the wall) towards the rift. "What's that?!" Another voice exclaims as several silhouettes appears from within the rift. The silhouettes penetrates the rift, and flies out across the landscape around the castle. A black mass pours out of the rift and blotts out the sunlight as it envelops the skies. "W-what's happening?!" The captain of the guards exclaims as he, and the landscape, is enveloped in darkness. But just as he, his guards and the castle staff feel themselves afraid, something flies down towards them from the black mass. "W-what's, si-AHHHH!" A guard asks, before the approaching thing shoots a beam at him. The staff, guards and captain averts their eyes at the bright light, but soon looks back towards the guard as the light dies down. The sight to greet them is a shocking one; the guard has been turned to stone! His terrified expression frozen in stone! "Oh my sweet Celestia! That thing turned him to stone!" A soldier exclaims, seconds before more of those ''things'' flies down towards them! "Look out, here they-AUGRRRGGGGH!" The captain exclaims before he's zapped, and turned to stone! The remaining guards and staff looks up into the sky. Gasping at seeing more of those ''things'' fly towards them! They quickly turn around and run back towards the castle to survive the onslaught... However, more of those ''things'' swoops down towards them, and zap them into stone! Petrifying the guards and millitary, before then going after the defenseless castle staff. The ''things'' flap their wings as they hover in front of their petrified victims. Through the hole in the wall, Velevet, Nightlight and all their friends gasps horrified at what's they've just seen! Large eyeballs with wings just turned the entire castle staff and the guards into stone! Their eyes widens at seeing what is now revealed to be a SWARM of those eye-bats. Ducking as the eye-bat swarm passes over the castle. The castle is nothing to the swarm as they spreads across the land... Thousands of eye-bats fires their eye-beams on ponies as they reach settlements. Be it a town, settlement or even a city, nothing stands in the swarm's way! Like a black wave, the swarm overruns everything in their way! If there is a wall in their way they just esily flies over it, and begin assaulting the ponies with their petrification beams. Easily turning ponies into thousands of motionless statues. The horror of the invasion frozen on their faces. "Hmmm..." Bill grumbles at witnessing the destruction. The invasion shown in his eye like a monitor. Stroking his chin at observing the chaos and mayhem his eye-bats are causing. "Not bad boys, but save some panic and destruction for the cameos." "Cipher." At hearing the voice Bill blinks his eye, and looks towards the voice. The image in his eye, reverted back to his normal eye. Velvet and her friends looks to where Bill is looking, and gasps at seeing the others also look towards the source of the voice. They gasp as a Changeling and two drones appears through green flames. Bill floats over towards the Empress to face her. "Your majesty? Is something amiss?" he asks. "My drones have informed me that Princess Celestia is in the Changeling Kingdom. She is apperantly investigating what it was that caused that large explosion that nearly destroyed Equestria," Pollus replies. Bill narrows his eyes and grins. "Gooood!" he remarks. "The time has come to rid ourselves of our greatest enemy." He says with glee. She nods back calmly. "So shall you dispose of the princess, yourself?" she asks. "No, but I know of someone better suited for that task, -" Bill replies, as he and everyone else hears something in the distance. "...and by the looks of things, he has arrived!" From out of the rift an amorphous black mass shoots out, and crashes down in a field not far from the castle. A tall figure with sharp, pointed shoulders, four large horns (with two smaller, curved points on the side) and flaming eyebrows gently stands up to its full height. Dwarfing the castle. *** Meanwhile in the Changeling Kingdom, Celestia silently trotts through the destroyed and derelict landscape of what is supposed to be the Changeling Kingdom. One of the most feared kingdoms in all Equestria...and its more dead and barren than before. Not that the Changeling Kingdom was much to look at before, but this...this is even worse! The bizare and strange formations have been destroyed or broken into pieces. Along with many of its spires and formations. Large, and very deep, crevices has opened in the ground. Hlls and mountains have collapsed, or crumbled into large mounds of rubble. Even the kingdom's core inhabitants, the Changelings are strangely abscent...almost like they're- "No!" Celestia exclaims at shaking her head. "They can't be. I find it hard to believe that they would've perished in that explosion," she thinks aloud to herself. However as Celestia keeps searching the eeriely silent wasteland, she doesn't find any Changelings. "Come to mention, I haven't found any bodies either." She thinks aloud as she skeptically narrows her brows. "An explosion that powerful might've destroyed their bodies, but there aren't even any burnmarks where their bodies might've been." She puts her hoof to her chin in thought. Pondering over whether the Changelings have really been destroyed...or if- Her eyes immediatly widens at that posability! Fear instantly courses through her body at the notion that-" "T-this was all planned!" She utters in a softly terrified tone. Narrowing her brows as another thought is added on top of the first. "It all makes sense now!" "Bill Cipher hasn't shown himself in days, and it cannot be a coincidence that right after the Cybermares are defeated a powerful explosion originates from the Changeling Kingdom, -" She thinks aloud at staring out in front of her towards a barren plain. "...and while I have a hard time believing that the Changelings could've found some powerful artifact that could've given them the power to destroy all of Equestria!" A wind starts to blow across the landscape, but Celestia is so caught-up in her theories that she doesn't notice. Even as the skies darken and she's enveloped by the approaching shadows, she doesn't react... However, her head suddenly shots up. Her eyes widens and ears twitched at hearing something. A noise. (Insert Aku's theme Extended) "What the-?" "What is this strange noise i'm hearing?" She asks at turning her head to look around the landscape. Trying to locate the source of the sound. However, at looking around her, the cliffs and surrounding formations, she doesn't see anything. She narrows her brows, and stares sternly at her surroundings. The sound continues to drone on...while several shadows slither out of the cracked ground. Amassing together, and forming a tall, humanoid figure. Curved and sharp shoulders point inwards towards a head. A head with hour horns and flaming eyebrows. The newly emerged figure stares down at Celestia, while she continues searching... Soon, though, she stops in place. She gently turns around and stares towards him. Her brows jump at seeing him, but immediatly narrows her brows. Shooting him a stern glare, so as to not show fear. Aku smiles at seeing her reaction. Knowing full-well that these creatures (...um, Equestrians, wasn't it?) would more than certainly succumb to fear by his apperance alone. "Greetings, Princess Celestia, I am Aku, the Shapeshifting Master of Darkness, -" he introduces himself. "...and I come seeking you!" He says thrusting out his hand and pointing an almost claw-like finger at her. Celestia intensifies her glare. "Why? What reason do you have for seeking me out?" she asks. "Oh, I have none, -" Aku replies as he shrugs his shoulders. His whole body creaks as he moves. A devious smirk settles on his face at opening his eyes and looks at her. "...but a good friend of mine does, and that is reason enough!" He exclaims, outstretching his arm and points a claw-like finger at her! Aku's eyes glows brighter, before he suddenly shoots a pair of eye-beams towards Celestia! Celestia's eyes widen, but she's able to leap out of the way in spite of the shock. The eye-beams hit a mountain behind her and explodes. She recovers, and assumes a defensive stance. Seeing now that this Aku has come for her, specifically. Aku grins, and thrusts a hand into the air. She raises a confused brow at this, but soon looks down as the ground begins shaking... "Whoa!" Before she's able to react, the ground suddenly shoots up into the air. Forming a tall tower, atop which Celestia stands. Blinking her eyes confused. "Um, okay-? Whoa!" She exclaims at several black tendrills that shoots out towards her! She leaps off to the side, but immediatly falls down towards the ground. "Get over here!" Celestia's head snaps towards Aku at hearing him call out to her. Her eyes widens as she sees him thrust out his hand towards her. His hand turns into black ooze that envelopes her whole body. Celestia's head soon emerges from the ooze. Gasping as she inhales a deep breath. "WHA HAHAHAHAHA!" Aku laughs, before he looks down at Celestia. Whom glares back at up at him. "Foolish Equestrian...you are nothing against the awesome power of Aku!" Celestia narrows her brows angrily...but also smirks at the Shogun. Much to Aku's confusion. Her horn glows, and she fires a concentrated magical blast at Aku's arm. "AGHHHHHH!" Aku screams as his right arm is dismembered. Both his arm and shoulder starts to burn... However, the flames on his shoulder soon dissipated. His severed arm disentigrated to nothing, which allows Celestia to extend her wings and fly in the air. Aku looks towards his shoulder, and watches as he regenerates a new arm. He tightens his regrown arm's hand. Balling it into a fist as he looks out at Celestia. Growling at the Alicorn, as she flies towards him. "Insolent wretch!" Aku growls. Roaring enraged at the Alicorn. His eyes glows once again, and he fires another eye-beam towards Celestia. Celestia just narrows her brows, and dodges the eye-beam. Aku gritts his teeth and narrows his brows. He repeatedly fires his eye-beams towards Celestia, in the hopes that one of them will fit. However, she once again dodges them. Despite her tall stature, she's quite a fast little thing. She flies away from Aku into the air, where he repeatedly shoots eye-beams towards her. Struggling to hit her, much to his frustration. While dodgeing his barrage, Celestia looks down towards Aku. Narrowing her brows, she suddenly around and flies back towards him. Watching her start to charge towards him, Aku intensifies his eye-beam barrage. Shooting an intense flurry of beams to try and hit her...but she just teleports out of the way of them, and flies straight towards Aku! She charges an even stronger magical blast this time, and shoots it straight at Aku... However, a hole opens in Aku's body. Causing her blast to pass straight through him, and explode upon impact with a mountain behind him. "Princess fool, have you learned nothing? I am the Shogun of Sorrow, the Deliverer of Darkness! You are a mere insect to the Great Aku!" He extends his hand, and shoots several things from his hand towards Celestia. Celestia flares her wings outwards, which quickly slows her to a halt in mid-air. She quickly flies down out of the way of the oval-shaped things, as they shoot past her. She stops in mid-air, and smirks at looking down towards the Shogun. Hmmm... Apperantly this guy isn't as much a push-over as originally thought. He underestimated me the first time, but he seems to be adapting his strategy. He may not be able to hit me...but then again, I won't be able to hit him either, she thinks to herself. "Was that it? And after all that-UGH!" Celestia is suddenly knocked back through the air, as she's struck by something. She quickly recovers, and immediatly turns her head. Looking across the sky to locate her attacker. "What...was that?" Down on the ground, Aku grins to himself at observing the princess' confusion. *WHOSH* Celestia quickly turns around as something flies past her. Gritting her teeth in frustration. She knows that there is something there, but she can't see it. *WHOSH* She quickly looks back in front of her as something flies past her again, - ...but a dark shape flies down and punches her. Sending her crashing into a mountainside. "BWA HAHAHAHAHA...!" Celestia hears Aku laugh as she crawls out of the hole she made in the mountainside. She glares at the Shogun...only for her eyes to widen at seeing dark, winged figures hover down in front of Aku. Her jaw drops at seeing several smaller Akus with large bat-wings. "You've got to be kidding me!" She softly utters. "No kids here, princess...only an Equestrian mare that is about to learn the true meaning of pain!" Aku says holding up his outstretched, before balling it into a fist. "Get her!" He shouts extending his arm and points his index finger at her. The Aku-Bats narrows their brows, and with a mighty bat of their wings speeds towards Celestia! Celestia gasps, and on reflex leaps into the air. Extending her wings, as she flies upwards into the sky. The Aku-Bats sweep upwards, and flies after Celestia. Holding her hooves in front of her, Celestia looks behind her and sees the Aku-Bats in hot-pursuit of her. She flies straight, and orients herself in mid-air as she begins firing magic blasts down towards her pursuers. However, firing on such agile and nimble adversaries has its drawbacks...such as missing! Holding their wicked grins, the Aku-Bats dodges each of her attack. Much to her frustration, since they keep getting closer. Meanwhile down on the surface, Aku watches his smaller bat-selves pursue the princess. Feeling no need to intervene, as evidenced by the content smirk on his face. Following Celestia and his bat-selves as they fly across the skies. Continuing this perpetual game of cat and mouse. The Shogun of Sorrow is so pre-occupied with watching the chase between himself and Celestia that he doesn't notice a silhouette atop one of the surrounding mountains. The figure scowls at Aku at hearing his laughter echo around the landscape... Back in the air, Celestia gritts her teeth frustrated at not being able to hit any of the Aku-Bats. RRRRGH! This isn't working! Its going to be impossible to deal with Aku if I have to constantly fend of his bat-clones. She thinks to herself as she continues to fly on her back. Firing several more blasts to keep the Aku-Bats occupied. Hmm. I guess I have no choice now. My power is no match for him...but maybe it has the power to defeat him! Celestia's vision immediatly goes black as she closes her eyes, and begins to concentrate. Her horn glows, and she teleports away. *POP!* Aku looks down and watches Celestia re-appear as she flies straight for him. He grins, while she narrows her brows. Her horn again glows, and she again teleports. "What?!" *POOF* *SHIIIIIIINNNNNNG!* "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Aku exclaims as something slices a burning hole through his side. His injury immediatly regenerates, but the damage has been done. Aku gritts his teeth and turns around. Eyes ablaze at his enraged state. "YOU!" Aku shouts pointing his finger at Celestia, whom is holding a kitanna. The sword resembled any other kitanna but the blade, itself, was a blue crystal. The handle was easy to grasp, while the hilt was gold with a round jewel in the center. Inside the jewel was seven triangular gems that pointed towards the center. The seven gems were colored yellow, cyan, white, lavender, orange, pink and red. Curiously enough, the yellow, red and cyan gems glowed brighter than any of the other gems. At seeing the sword, Aku's eyes widened and pupils shrunk. His flaming eyebrows suddenly vanished. NO... It cannot be! He thought to himself. "Rrragh, how can this be?" He snarls at her, but Celestia maintains her scowl. "That's right, Aku. You cannot abolish the power of righteousness. Your evil grasp on my land and its ponies ends now!" She swings the sword through the air. Raising her hoof, she holds the sword up for him to see. "This sword was forged from the strength and power of the Equestrian spirit! It represents all that is good. It's purpose now is to destroy you!" Aku starts to growl through gritted teeth, until he abruptly roars at Celestia. His eyes glow, and he fires several eye-beams at Celestia! She extends her wings, and immediatly takes to the air. Dodgeing several beams... Though, she suddenly deflects one of the beams with her sword. Sending the beam towards one of the Aku-Bats, who explodes. Aku gasps at being taken advantage off by his enemy. Glaring back at the airborne princess. "BRAHHHHH!" He thrusts out both hands in front of him, and shoots black spikes towards Celestia. Celestia's brows jump, but she manages to fly out of the way before the spikes hit. Flying through the air as Aku continually bombards her with spikes. Suddenly, Celestia looks up as one of the Aku-Bats charges at her. She gritts her teeth, and stops in mid-air. Celestia dodges the Aku-Bat, and cleaves it in half with the sword. The Aku-Bat screams, and its severed halves falls down towards the ground. Before she can move, the other Aku-Bats also charged her. She grips the blade tighter, and dodges both their attacks. Slicing them both with the sword with little difficulty. However, after she'd done dealing with the Aku-Bats she hovers in the air panting. Having exhausted herself a little. "Good, now to deal with-AUGH!" Before Celestia can finish, she suddenly experiences a sharp pain in both wings. She looks behind her and sees that both her wings has been pierced by black spikes. She turns back towards Aku, and sees him smirking back at her. Gravity finalls starts to pull her down towards the surface, but before she hits the ground she teleports herself down onto the surface. Celestia raises her head and looks up at the tall figure towering over her. Aku looks down at her and smiles overconfidently, which she scowls sternly back at him. She opens her mouth to speak, but Aku suddenly shapeshifts into a large spider-like form. Sporting eight, sharp jagged legs attached to a hairy, sphere-shaped body. "Now you shall suffer for your insolence!" He says, before charging towards her. Moving incredibly fast, courtesy of his multiple legs. Celestia gasps, and brows jump, at Aku's incredible speed! She manages to leap out of the way just in time to avoid getting impaled by one of Aku's sharp legs. At planting her hooves on the ground, she immediatly begins to run away from the Shogun. Hurrying across the desolate plains of the Changeling Kingdom, while Aku pursued her. Behind her, she hears Aku chase her. A distinct *SHING* noise echoes all across the landscape as his legs hit the ground. *SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING!* In front of her, she sees Aku's shadow getting closer. Nervously gritting her teeth as his shadow falls upon her. In her peripheral vision, she sees Aku's legs... Her brows jump at her jumping forward, just as Aku slams his body against the ground! Missing her. Celestia gets back up on her hooves, and frantically tries to slash Aku. However, she misses as Aku stands back up. Glaring down at her as he towers over her. Aku, then, immediatly attacks Celestia with his many spider-legs. Celestia manages to sufficiently against several strikes, but several impale her body. The pain is excruciating... However, she manages to endure and keep fighting. Even as blood begins to pour from her wounds. Staining the ground beneath her. "YAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Celestia screams enraged as she agressivly slashes at one of Aku's legs. His severed leg shapeshifted into a shadow hand to try and attack her, but Celestia brutally cleaves through it with her blade until it disentigrates into nothing! Aku continues to stry and strike her but she manages to fend off his attacks, until she's struck by one of his legs! He slams her into the ground, but she manages to slash his leg with the sword and jump back onto her hooves. She charges towards Aku in an attempt to slash him, but he just smiles as he jumps up into the air. She freezes in her place and looks up at him. Aku, though, stops in mid-air, and utters a scream as he suddenly explodes. Celestia raises a confused brow, and watches as Aku splatters all around her into many black puddles. Regardless, Celestia assumes a defensive stance. Her brows, though, jumps at hearing something slither behind her. She turns around, but gasps at seeing the shadows amass together. Forming a humanoid form. The form is identical to Aku, but has sharp spike-like legs, - ...but to Celestia's greater horror, another Aku appears, and another, and another, and another, and another,etc...! Soon, an entire army surrounds the Alicorn princess! Everyone of the Akus wields three-tipped black scepters. All of the Akus shoots Celestia a malevolant grin. A silence hangs in the air as Celestia looks back at all the Akus. "BWA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, etc...!" All of them start laughing at Celestia. Their laughter echoes all across the landscape, and yet Celestia just narrows her brows and scowls back towards the army of Akus. Her pupils shifting the many Akus in front of her. "...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Immediatly, all of the Akus fall silent and glares towards Celestia. Each of them shooting her a scowl identical to her' own. Celestia narrows her brows and grips her sword tighter, though, she can her body shake. Trembling at the exhaustion she's gone through. Beads of sweat runs down along her temples...when a single bead runs down along a stray hair. It drops from the very tip of the strand, and hits the ground. Immediatly (as if a bell was rung) the Akus loudly shouts at suddenly charging towards her! Celestia gritts her teeth, and immediatly slashes her sword downwards. Severing the tip of one of the Akus' scepters, before she kicks that Aku. Knocking it back into its comrades. Another Aku tries to stab her with its scepter, but she jumps up above it, and slashes that Aku in half. Causing it to fall down dead. Celestia immediatly cleaves another Aku in half, but one of the Akus jumps over her. That Aku wields dual-swords instead of a scepter. Swinging its dual-swords down to try and hit her, but she dodges the attack and also cuts that Aku in half. Another Aku jumps up into the air to attempt the same, but she impales it through the chest with her sword. Throwing that Akus dead body to the ground. She cuts the tip off another Akus' scepter, and slashes that Aku across the chest. She is, though, all of a sudden impaled in the chest by the scepters of several Akus, but then breaks off the tips with her sword. Celestia is then stabbed in the back as well, but she just screams enraged! For the moment, ignoring the intense pain coursing through her body! Cleaving Akus in halves, and letting their upper and lower bodies fall to the ground, lifeless. *SHING!* ... *SHING!* ... *SHING!* The battle between the two opponents intensifies! Many of the Akus opting to change their scepters into swords, yet, their change in weaponry does nothing to prevent Celestia from slicing them with her sword! Whether it be dismembering their upper and lower bodies, or by cleaving her blade vertically down aross their chest! Aku after Aku drops dead! The princess's rage driving her forward towards the only goal in mind; eliminating Aku once and for all! The battle rages on between them until there are only left standing. Celestia...and Aku, themselves! However, now that the Shogun of Sorrow was fighting Celestia alone, there was little he could do to contend with her superior swords-mare skills. Their battle ending as Celestia plunged the blade in his chest! Aku's body tensed, before he was sucked into the blade, itself. A pair of eyes appears in the blade, and blinked. Celestia raises the sword into the air...before she swiftly swings it down towards the ground. The blade taps against the ground, which releases Aku from the blade. An amorphous shadow appears, but soon re-forms into the familiar form of Aku. "UGHhhh!" Aku groans as he lies on the ground. Celestia raises the sword, ready to destroy Aku... Both opponents looks up at each other. Sharing a final glance with each other. "You may have beaten me now, but I will destroy you in the future," Aku says. "There is no future for you, Aku!" Celestia growls. "I disagree." Suddenly, before she can react, Aku shoots her in the chest with his eye-beams! Celestia screams aloud in pain, and drops the sword. Aku flinches as the sword impales the ground. Standing straight up. He quickly stands up, and stares wide-eyed at the sword that nearly hit him. Though, his concerned expression changes into a cruel smile at looking down towards Celestia. Celestia slowly stumbles back away from the Shogun. Clutching her sizzling chest as the agonizing pain courses through her body. She utters painful and constipated grunts as she clunches her eyes tight. Gritting her teeth as she finally cannot handle it anymore. She collapses to the ground, and clutches her chest. Having never imagined that this is how painful Aku's eye-beams are! Aku looks down at the helpless and defenseless mare with a victious grin on his face. Silently staring at Celestia as she raises her head and opens her eyes at looking up at him. The pain being too much for her, that she feels herself slipping from conciousness. "Do not worry, princess. You will see me again...but next time you won't be so fortunate." And with those final words, Celestia passed out. *** Meanwhile in a far-off cave, Luna rested. Her mutilated body had finally stopped bleeding, so she wasn't losing anymore blood. Outside, a dark figure approaches the cave entrance. The dark figure is clad in a long, dark robe that trails behind it along the ground. Its horned headress glimts in the last rays of sunlight. Over the dark figure's face is a white mask. A mask that only has diamond-shaped eye-holes and red lips. Soon, the skies are overtaken by a dark cloud that blotts out the sun. The dark figure enters the cave to find Luna's motionless body inside. For a time, the dark figure silently stares at the unconcious Equestrian. Eventually stepping towards Luna's unconcious body, and lifts her up. The dark figure then leaves the cave with Luna's body. It trotts outside the cave, but soon stops in place. Looking up at the sky, the dark figure sees that the dark cloud had now consumed the sky. The last shred of light shines down on her mask, but continues to shrink until finally nothing remains. Nothing but darkness. "It is done... Now, we wait." The mare tells herself, as her sharp and angular horn glows. With a *POOF* she and Luna vanishes.