Chapter 27: The Next Move
Bubbling Cauldron snoozed lazily in her chair. A trail of drool dribbled from her lips, splattering on her drooping hind leg. The lime green mare giggled dreamily. Her hat bobbed with each exhale.
“Yes, all your egg rolls belong to us,” she murmured; snickering in her slumber.
CRACK!
“PATHETIC!”
A scarlet horn beam sliced across the cave walls. Cauldron was jolted from her sleep. She squawked like a parrot; falling backwards off her chair.
“W-w-what the Pringle?” she squeaked. The mare’s trembling hooves clung to the chair like a shield. Her silvery hair and witch’s hat were frazzled and frumpy.
“UNACCEPTABLE!”
The savage screams were growing louder and closer, as was the intensity of the attacks splattering across the wall; causing fractures and fissures. Cauldron’s curiosity overwhelmed her fear, but only by just a bit. She forced herself to look above her makeshift shield.
It was Chimera Khan. He was raging like a wounded animal, screaming and savagely lashing out at anything in his path. The villain had been consumed by the humiliation of his retreat. To be forced out of Ponyville by a single dragon was insulting beyond comprehension, even if he was terrified of them. It infuriated him to no end how quickly his invasion had been stalled.
“All of that work, all of my planning; everything I put together: undone by that disgusting, scaly-GRRRRR,” he snarled impatiently.
Khan’s eyes lit up like amber fireworks. Energy beams sliced across the room in a lethal sweep, Cauldron narrowly dodged the beams cleaving stroke. Her hat was not as lucky. She sheepishly felt up at the barbecued nub where her hat tip used to be; even some of her silvery hairs were singed off.
“Didn’t go so well, eh boss?” she asked; hesitantly. She was still poking her head from above her chair.
Khan’s face contorted disturbingly under his phantom mask. His rage and madness consumed him voraciously; twisting his mind even further. Vengeance remained prevalent in his stained soul. Spike’s interference made things increasingly more difficult; however, he was not going to let a dragon derail his plans a second time.
“Say, what happened to all the ugly pets? Did they get lost on the way back or something?” she mused ignorantly.
Ignoring her question, Khan continued to be overwhelmed by his raw, seething hatred over his failure to kill Princess Twilight.
“That scum sucking, wretched quisling! She abandons me in my hour of need, erases my very existence off the face of the planet; all so she can make f-f-friends with that blood thirsty monster?!? GRAH! I knew she sympathized with those filthy beasts, but to actually allow one to live and socialize amongst ponies…it’s…it’s inconceivable,” he jeered; frustrated.
He thought he had planned for every contingency, but seeing a dragon living harmoniously with other ponies was something he never dreamed could be possible. The monsters connection to his mentality created a chain of fear that spread to every creature; forcing them to flee in numerous directions. Even if he were to assemble them all over again, the citizens of Ponyville will expect a second attack. Now that they know what’s coming, they’ll be better prepared to handle the onslaught. Then there’s still the matter of the dragon to deal with.
Bubbling Cauldron had been trying to obtain her master’s attention. After a few minutes of unanswered questions and waving her hoof in his face, Cauldron finally got an answer.
“Cease your babbling, witch,” he snapped. Khan forced Cauldron up against a wall with his hammer like hooves. She squealed in surprise; limbs flailing uselessly against his grip. “Craft me a spell that will neutralize my fear of dragons from my mind. I don’t care how you do it, I don’t care what you have to use, just make sure it’s done,” Khan commanded.
“B-b-b-b-b-but boss, I’m not sure I can whip up something like that. Messing with pony’s brains and emotions like that is real cuckoo-dangerous. And even if I can make something like that, there’s no telling how long it would last,” Cauldron warned.
“If I wanted to listen to meaningless prattle, I’d talk to Crowe. Now shut up and get started,” Khan screamed threateningly. Bubbling Cauldron was released, she dropped to the ground with a painful plop. The metallic tyrant magically pried the busted remains of Colton’s third eye from his helmet. “And while you’re at it, see what you can do about repairing this,” he added.
Cauldron quickly scooped up the remains of the shattered gem with her magic and placed them into a mixing bowl. She wanted nothing more than to ask how Colton’s eye got damaged or what dragon he was talking about, but she knew better than to poke megalomaniacal bears with a stick when they’re this pissed. She scurried off to her cauldron and immediately started working on the dragon phobia spell.
“Crowe, bring your worthless hide out here this instant,” Khan ordered. He stomped his hoof 3 times.
The yellow Earth pony nervously entered the room. He clutched his green cap and placed it over his chest; trying to keep his nerves from jittering out of control.
“You summoned me master?”
“Things have changed. The plan to decimate Ponyville and slay the princess of friendship remains our top priority, but the execution must be adjusted.”
“Oh uh so then things didn’t go w-w-well then, I take it? I’m t-t-terribly sorry to hear that master. Can’t imagine what went wrong, it was a fool proof plan after all.”
“Can’t imagine at all you say…hmmm…I wonder.”
Khan glared scrupulously at Crowe. The yellow colt knew he was constantly on thin ice with the masked tyrant. Day in day out, he snuck out when Cauldron wasn’t looking or when she was asleep (which was more often than she admitted) and was unaccounted for large portions of the day. All of his secrets remained under Khan’s radar, but he knew that wouldn’t last forever.
“Um I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean s-s-s-sir, I err-mean master, sir,” Crowe fumbled; his ears twitching anxiously. The villain’s proximity was sending shivers up and down the Earth pony’s spine. Khan’s masked face was a nightmare of flesh and metal, one that had haunted many of Crowe’s dreams.
“When Twilight and all of Ponyville lie in ashes, you and I are going to have a very long conversation about your extracurricular activities before I continue my conquest,” Khan scowled darkly.
“Oh n-n-n-n-no sir, you don’t need to-”
“I insist. You’ve been such a busy little bee, so very busy indeed. You know what’s so interesting about bees, Earth pony scum? They all have stingers, and after they use it on their unsuspecting target…they die. So how about it, Earth pony; any little stingers your planning to use on me before YOU die?” Khan threatened.
Crowe shook his head frantically. He denied any of Khan’s allegations, despite the fact he probably could sense he was lying. Crowe just needed a little bit more time in order for everything to fall into place. More importantly, Crowe needed to live long enough to see it happen.
“So master, you mentioned something about the,” Crowe paused to swallow a heavy, stifling gulp down his throat. He was terrified to say the next word for fear of its obvious implications. “Execution being different?” he asked.
“Princess Twilight and her two-faced mentor will be expecting a second attack, but I’m not bothering with those cowardly runts who ran off. They were ineffective. Even if they’re on the lookout for us, they’ll never see this coming. It’s time to bring out the big guns…all of them,” Khan declared.
Crowe’s royal blue eyes widened in alarm, he knew exactly what his master was referring to. Just thinking about it drained the color from his sniveling face. “W-w-wait you don’t mean…you do, don’t you?!? You’re going to use ALL of them at once? I mean, don’t you think that’s a little overkill?”
“No, just enough kill. With Celestia aware of my identity, she’ll no doubt want to be involved in the counter attack. I’ll snuff out the two biggest threats to my campaign in one fell swoop. But most importantly, I’ll no longer have to wait for my final encounter with Princess Celestia. She will experience eternal pain and suffering before she dies. Then, I annihilate everyone and everything she has ever built across Equestria…until nothing is left but ash and bones,” Khan hissed sadistically.
“Eh heh, well, you’re the master…um…master,” Crowe muttered uneasily. He hated every part of this plan and wanted nothing to do with it, but for now he knew he had no choice but to obey.
“Go fetch our reserve forces and assemble them outside the cave. As soon as the witch completes the dragon phobia spell, we leave for Ponyville. But first, there’s a wrinkle in our plan that I must flatten if we are to move forward,” Khan stated.
“What wrinkle is that, master?” Crowe asked.
“Someone I can no longer overlook,” he replied cryptically.
Spike and Rarity stood motionlessly on the cold, grim mountain landscape. There was no desire, no draw to one another. They stood like a pair of ghosts; nothing but an icy silence and unspoken scars drifting between them. The heartbroken unicorn felt a chill up her spine. Even though this place wasn’t an actual graveyard, it felt as macabre and eerie as one; though she should have expected that.
“I never got to tell you how sorry I was to hear about-”
“Just cut the crap Rarity. I’m not a kid; despite what anyone may think. So why don’t you just skip to the part where you tell me why you followed me up here and get this over with,” he said brusquely.
His curt reply caught her off guard. She winced and clutched her chest. It felt so wrong to hear his sweet voice speak so mercilessly to her. Deep down, she knew she deserved it. Spike had gone through several years’ worth of pain in a few hours; not even counting the damage she carved into him when she broke his fragile little heart.
“I…I suppose I had that coming. No, no uncertainty about it; I did have that coming. If I’m being perfectly honest Spike, I don’t want to do this here but I fear that if I don’t do it now; I may never have the courage to do it again,” she whimpered sorrowfully.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, none of this…stuff you and I have matters anymore. We may be friends but,” he sighed scornfully. The withered dragon hated looking at her. The very sight of her stirred a vengeful fire in his belly; he clenched his claws in a vain attempt to quell his anger. “Anything else we are, anything else we were is gone. You threw it away Rarity…I gave you all of me and you threw it all away,” he said loathingly.
“Your right Spike, one hundred percent,” she said; sporting a sad smile. “You gave me everything and all I gave you was agony. Only a heartless witch like me would reject a gentleman so noble and kind.”
The mare’s attempts at self-deprecation made little to no impact on the dragon’s hardened shell. He snarled frigidly. Rarity expected this though. She was not willing to give up on him; not again. Her soul refused to let its mate drift away this time.
“It’s funny; my mother raised me and Sweetie Bell on fairy tales and stories of princesses, knights and dragons. I always thought the heroes wore shining armor and villains had scales and claws. Silly as they were, I clung to those stories like they were my map to happiness. I suppose that’s what lead me into thinking Blueblood was the one. I kept on dreaming though, dreaming of the day my dashing prince would walk into my life…never once knowing he had already done so, he just happened to be a dragon. I had it wrong Spike. I had it so sensationally backwards. You are everything those stories spoke of: you’re beautiful, you’re the knight in shining armor and you’re also the dragon,” she mused dreamily.
Spike callously flicked a rock around with his toe claws. His back turned impassively to Rarity, blocking out her ill attempts to apologize or charm.
“You don’t have to say anything Spike. If you grant me the simple act of merely listening to me, I would be ever so grateful,” she asked longingly. He snorted in response. The drake didn’t sound eager to listen but neither did he voice much protest. “Living in the fashion world has unfortunately blinded me from seeing beauty beyond a first glance. I work in a world where everything is judged by the surface and not the soul. I was blinded by those lights, Spike. I let myself sink into a world of prejudice and intolerance. Worst of all, I let this world cloud my perception of love; forging unreasonable expectations that unjustly blocked out all that differed from that fairy tale image. To let such f-f-f-frivolous and superficial things dictate my heart, it’s monstrous! I just wish…just wish I hadn’t been so foolish and-”
A sudden burst of rage surged through Spike’s veins. He roared and slashed his claws against a withered tree. Rarity flinched at the sudden attack. It momentarily caught her off guard but she regained her composure almost instantly; refusing to show any weakness at such a critical moment.
“You think that’s going to make up for everything? Huh? You think talking down about yourself or admitting I’m right will change a damn thing? Well it won’t! So if you came up here just to tell me I’m right and you were wrong, then this was a waste of both our times. Go jerk someone else’s heart around for a change,” Spike snarled.
“No Spike, I didn’t come up here to tell you you’re right,” she said calmly. Spike scoffed indifferently. He turned his gaze away from her again, failing to find much interest in her words. “I came up here to tell you that you’re wrong….that you’ve always been wrong,” she said breathlessly; still calm and composed.
Spike’s head suddenly turned back to the mournful mare. Her eyes twinkled slightly; a small sigh of relief escaped her lips. It felt so good that he was looking at her with those exquisite emerald eyes of his, even if they’re with resentment.
“All these years you’ve thought I was the perfect pony. You admired how I worked, how I sang, how I walked; you even admired how I chewed,” she giggled weakly. Spike’s eyebrow rose partially. “But it was all for naught, for I have never been the beautiful lady you have envisioned me to be. In fact, you could even say I’m not Rarity, at least not the Rarity you know.”
She could see it written all over his face, she saw the confusion, the uncertainty. “It’s amazing how mature and handsome he’s grown through all of this. I can’t believe I thought I’d find better than him,” she thought. The fashionista found his critical stare to be a rewarding sight to behold. Spike had grown up, in more ways than one. She only wished she could have given him enough time to show it to her before she had expelled herself from paradise.
“All right then, I’ll bite; if you’re not Rarity then who are you?” he asked mockingly.
“I am what I always tried to separate myself from. The very same person that I knew was unworthy to receive the element of generosity, and yet I received it anyway.”
“If this is some trick to get me back-”
“Of course I want you back!” she blurted out achingly. Spike flinched at her sudden boldness, he wasn’t expecting that. Rarity’s voice tightened, her eyes grew more intense. Reflective sparkles from fresh tears shimmered in her sapphire eyes. “There is nothing more in this world that I want than to have you back in my life. But I am not the person who belongs in that happy little fantasy.”
The dragon shook his head. This was all so confusing. What does it mean, what is she trying to do here?
“It didn’t have to be a fantasy Rares, it could have been real. But like always, you couldn’t get past the dragon part.”
“I couldn’t get past myself; that was the problem Spikey Wiky.”
“STOP CALLING ME THAT,” she cringed at his feral outburst, “you don’t give monsters cute nicknames. You just scream, yell and faint when you see them…remember?”
“That’s because I’m weak, Spike. I’m frail. I’m a selfish, glorified brat who throws juvenile tantrums to get overpriced rewards. I’ve tormented my own mind over and over again because of my insecurities and work ethics; stressors I continue to put on myself to this very day. You always told me how beautiful and perfect I am. You think you’re a monster and that I see you as one, but the truth is no pony as ugly on the inside as I am could be as perfect on the outside as you claim I am,” she wept. Rarity’s tears intensified, they started dripping down her cheeks. Her mascara ran like inky waterfalls.
Spike’s enraged resolve was quickly melting away. He tried to speak but she cut him off with a choking sob.
“I’m no friend to you, no friend would EVER treat you as horribly as I have! I was such a cruel, selfish little idiot! Every night I dream I’m in your body and I see myself; stabbing your body repeatedly with those words, those soulless, barbaric words I said on that Hellish night I smashed your heart into a million pieces. I want to beg you, beg you from the bottom of my heart for your forgiveness, but I know I have no right to ask for it and to do so would be the greatest insult of all. You have a heart of gold and it deserves one equally as pure; not some black, withered excuse for a heart. I came here to tell you I’m sorry Spike…I’m sorry for everything. You can hate me for the rest of your life, and I know I’ve earned that, but at the end of the day I just want you to know that I’m sorry…and-and that I wish you every happiness.”
The dreadful silence settled in once more.
Spike and Rarity stared distantly at one another. So much pain, so much love, so much loss; it’s all been thrown out there right into the open. Neither one knew if they had said too much or not enough. Rarity however felt that the only thing she could do more for him was to leave his side, maybe indefinitely even. That idea scared her more than death itself, but she knew that she brought this fate onto herself.
She was just about to leave when Spike’s toe claws drifted across the ground. The dragon slowly approached the purple haired mare. She was paralyzed; frozen and finding it impossible to look away once she saw that Adonis body of rich, scaly muscles lumbering towards her. Then Spike did the one thing she never thought he’d do: he opened up his arms, pulled her in closely and hugged her.
Spike could feel Rarity’s tears dripping down his chest. He sighed contently; stroking her purple hair in a massaging manner. Rarity’s eyes flashed open. She looked as if someone had just shot her in the heart. She violently shoved Spike off of her; breaking away from his hug. Both of them looked each other with great surprise.
“Wha-what are you doing? Are you, are you actually hugging me? Like-like you’re forgiving me?” she asked; baffled beyond belief. Before Spike could even open his mouth, she shook her head and starting speaking in a shrill, volatile voice. “What in the wide world of Equestria is wrong with you?!? I’m a heartless MONSTER! I broke your heart. I deserve every bit of anger and hatred that’s coming. How can you just stand there and hold me, looking at me like you love me again? You’re supposed to hate me, you’re supposed to hate me, WHY DON’T YOU HATE ME?!?” she shrieked.
The dragon was as still as a stone gargoyle. Her question failed to crack his ghostly silence. Rarity started pounding her hooves harmlessly against his chest; her screams and strikes intensifying. She kept shouting: why don’t you hate me, why don’t you hate me; over and over again. Spike allowed her to bombard his powerful new muscles with her pillowy punches. Eventually she tired and collapsed into his arms. Her face buried in his green underbelly; sobbing meekly.
“Because…I’m tired, I’m tired of all the fighting, all the crying; all the hating. But most importantly, I am sick and tired of being alone…aren’t you?” he asked brokenly; stepping back to look her in the eyes.
Rarity sniffled timidly, her eyes still quivering with tears.
“B-b-b-but I…you just…can we…but Spike…I-I don’t deserve your love,” she whimpered.
“Maybe…but I’m giving it to you anyway,” he replied.
The dragon leaned close, closed his eyes and finally at long last; kissed the pony of his dreams. Rarity embraced the kiss like a blessing from the heavens. It was a miracle, she could feel it burning inside her aching heart and coursing through every fiber of her being. She was forgiven, she was embraced…she was loved. A deep blush warmed her cheeks as she intensified the kiss. The feel of his scales and muscles was intoxicating, liberating even. At that moment, Rarity felt as if she had been saving her soul just for him and for him alone.
Her soul mate had been here the whole time… she just didn’t know he was a dragon kiss away, until now.
The peaceful pair of lovers finally separated from their soul melding kiss. Spike and Rarity smiled at each other blissfully. For the first time in a long while, their eyes sparkled with newfound joy.
“I love you Spike.”
“Heh…you can call me Spikey Wiky.”
“Aren’t you going to say it too, Spikey Wiky?”
“What, what you said? But you already know what my answer is.”
“I do…but I want to hear you say it again, and again and again and again, until the stars turn cold.”
“I love you Rarity.”
The snow white mare and purple dragon enjoyed another passionate kiss, both unable to resist tasting each other’s lips once more. After separating, the unlikely couple walked down the mountain; back towards the castle. Spike knew everyone would have questions; especially Twilight and Celestia. There was much to discuss and much to explain, not just about what happened between them but also what had happened between Spike and Khan. Rarity and Spike knew there was still much they had to work out together, but for now they were content with this newfound love and peace; peace before the war.
The star crossed lovers arrived at the castle and joined their friends inside. Unsurprisingly, everyone had been waiting on pins and needles for the purple dragon and white unicorn to return. There was still much to discuss about Chimera Khan and their battle strategies, but there was also the matter of why Spike ran off in the first place.
“Spike, it is good to see you back. We have all been quite terribly worried, you know,” Luna said comfortingly. The night princess felt a surge of warmth seeing Spike back with his friends. Like Celestia, she saw him as a family member and cared very deeply for him.
“Yeah, I needed to sort some things out,” Spike replied, sheepishly.
Luna and Celestia smiled knowingly, they nodded to the young dragon. Spike looked towards his colorful friends and adoptive mother. The 5 ponies looked beyond relieved to see him again.
“Welcome back Spike. I trust you and Rarity…ahem…sorted things out?” Twilight asked; slightly prying.
Spike and Rarity blushed profusely.
Moonstruck smiled proudly. He looked to Spike and gave him a supportive wink, “Good for you Spike…good for you.”
Applejack, Hopeful, Arrowhead, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Moonstruck and Twilight cheered jubilantly. Their hooves clapped together to shower them with a maelstrom of empowering applause. The couple’s cheeks grew redder as their smiles widened. Celestia and Luna looked to each other; they giggled merrily and added their own encouraging praise.
Spike scratched the back of his head. Though he was pleased by his friends resounding approval of his relationship, his happiness seemed to be wavering. Something was still troubling him. Did this mean everything was going to change now? What was going to keep his friends from forgetting him and leaving him behind again?
“You don’t even need to say it Spike,” the dragon blinked curiously; stirred out of his troublesome thoughts by his mother’s voice. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re worried that we’ll just forgive and forget and that things will go back to the way they were, that we’ll forget you again,” Twilight said in a sagely voice.
The young dragon didn’t want to admit thinking such negative thoughts, but to honest, the thought had crossed his mind. He bit his lip and nodded in reluctant agreement.
“I thought so. The girls and I have been talking since I got back and we’ve all come up with different ways that, we think, can help make up for how neglectful we’ve been,” she said soothingly. Spike opened his mouth to speak but Twilight stepped towards him first. She gently applied her hoof to his cheek, her eyes radiating with compassion. “I know…it won’t make up for all the horrible things we’ve done to you. It’s going to take time, take all that you need. Just know that you have nothing to apologize for and were always going to be here for you from here on out,” she added.
“What sort of ‘different ways’ were you guys talking about?” he asked inquisitively.
Twilight smiled knowingly. She looked to her friends and nodded to them.
“Well for starters Sugar cube, after we get through this whole ‘Chimera Khan ordeal’ and celebratin’ Hearts and Hooves day, the whole Apple family is gonna cook ya the biggest gem feast ya ever did see; all in yer honor,” Applejack beamed.
“I’m going to throw you two the most amazing, most stupendous, most fun-tacular, and bestest couple party in Equestria ever!” Pinkie squealed excitedly. She showered her friends with confetti and streams; magically pulling them out of nowhere.
“From now on, you’re going to be my special guest for EVERY Wonderbolts show performance. You’ll have a special reserved ticket just for you; VIP and backstage and everything,” Rainbow added. Her smile wilted slightly. She still had to get Spitfire exonerated first, but that’ll have to wait until Khan is dealt with.
“On top of the party Pinkie will be throwing for you, were going to make a big announcement at the Hearts and Hooves day celebration. You’re going to be the honored ‘couple of the evening’. The Mayor is going to give a special speech; celebrating the love you two have found,” Fluttershy said sweetly. Her eyes darted around nervously; a pink glow appeared on her cheeks. “Is that okay? I hope so. We kind of um al-already had a letter prepared to send to her; telling her everything, if you know, you’re all right with this and all.”
“I hope you don’t mind Spikey Wiky, but I too had already prepared a way to make it up to you. I know that was presumptuous of me since I didn’t know if you and I would be together after our little talk or not, but I wanted you to know how seriously I view our future together,” she said lovingly. Spike was genuinely surprised, he had no idea she had been thinking this far ahead. “Since you’re at my shop so often already, I’m going to arrange for you to have a special room and your own personal station at Carousel Boutique…and at Canterlot Carousel as well. Don’t worry, I’ll handle Sassy Saddles. Now you’ll have your own set of things and place to keep them whenever you stop by,” Rarity paused suddenly. She bit her lip; her cheeks turning as red as her work glasses. “And of c-c-c-course if you ever want to…ahem…stay the um…the night,” she squeaked out.
Now it was Spike’s turn to blush. Little by little, his doubts about his friends were vanishing. He felt the warmth and sincerity in their affections and he could hear it in their generous offers.
“Hey Spike, I know were all still new here but we wanted to let you know how much we value your friendship as well,” Moonstruck said.
“Applejack mentioned that you and Big Mac have this ‘Guys night’ going on sometimes,” Hopeful piped in.
“And we’d be honored if you let us join you and Big Mac from now on, that is, if you’re cool with it of course,” Arrowhead hopefully.
“Y-y-y-yeah sure guys, that would actually be really awesome,” Spike said; struggling to contain his growing smile. He felt so overwhelmed with all this love and attention. He felt like he could cry.
“Though you forgave me Spike, I do not feel I can ever truly accept it after I denied you the truth about your family for so long. The fact you chose to forgive me is a true credit to the nobility of your pure heart. I’ve arranged to construct a proper and respectful grave for your parents, so that every pony will know of your mother and father’s bravery. It’s the least I can do,” Celestia said assuredly.
“And finally, Spike, I give you my word that from this moment forward you will accompany us no matter where we go. If we have an epic mission to complete, you’ll be there; if we have a dessert competition to attend, you’ll be there; you’re going to be involved in everything we do. Heh…as long as it doesn’t interfere with your chores at home of course,” Twilight said; giggling softly.
For the first time in a long, long time, Spike didn’t feel alone. He felt like all eyes were on him, like he was just as important and adored as the princesses; maybe even a little bit more so. Deep down, he knew this was still going to take a while for him to process all of this and let go of all the spite and hurt he held in for so long.
But this was a start. This was a very good start, because they were there for him and they were going to continue being there for him. He didn’t feel like an assistant, he didn’t feel like a dragon even; no, he felt like one of them…he felt like he truly belonged.
“You guys…this is just…I…thank you, thank you all so very, very much,” he said; sobbingly as tears raced down his cheeks. The ponies and the 3 princesses joined together for a group hug. Spike sighed with relief, “I love you all.”
The group of loving ponies eventually separated from each other. With Spike’s turbulent heart at peace, it was time to get back to the business at hand. All the celebrations and festivities for Spike and Hearts and Hooves day would have to wait until Khan and his forces were stopped for good. Spike explained to everyone what happened with Chimera Khan when he and Rarity almost turned to stone.
“This is an amazing discovery Spike! Khan must have experienced a traumatic flashback when you attacked him. Your green fire must have reminded him of what your parents did to him years ago,” Twilight exclaimed.
“I must admit, I’m not entirely surprised by this. Khan has always been paranoid and prejudice against the dragon race. His encounter with your parents left a severe scar on his psyche as well as his body. I imagine he was so shocked at discovering the fact you’re a real dragon, he didn’t even realize who you were,” Celestia surmised.
“Dude, this is awesome! You’re our ace in the hole. That crazy bucket head won’t stand a chance with good old Spike at the lead,” Rainbow boasted exuberantly. She slapped Spike’s back with her hoof. He stumbled a little but regained his composure, he laughed smugly at the speedy mare.
Moonstruck offered his most supportive smile, but deep down, his mind was far from settled. He knew Chimera Khan was no ordinary foe. This is a pony that had successfully murdered numerous lives, evaded capture for years and framed him for a horrible crime that earned him 2 years in Tartarus. He owed Khan just as much as Spike did.
The colt’s thirst for vengeance did not go unnoticed. Twilight took him off to the side to speak privately with him.
“Look Moonstruck, there’s no easy way to say this so I’m just going to come out and say it: I think you should stay here. I don’t want you anywhere near Chimera Khan,” Twilight said firmly.
“W-w-what?!? Are you ser-how can you even ask me that? You know what he’s done to me; better than any pony else does,” he argued.
That was true. Twilight had seen first-hand what kind of lasting effects Moonstruck’s trauma has caused him. That night in her basement when he acted like a savage beast, the depression, talking to his ‘brain’; they’re all by products of the same scars. Moonstruck has suffered incomprehensibly from Chimera Khan, it’s only natural he’d leap at the chance to get payback.
“I know; that’s exactly why I don’t want you to face him. He’s taken so much from you…I don’t want him to take anything else. Plus with most of your magic still inhibited by Celestia’s spell, there’s not much you could do to stop him even if you did fight him.”
“Yeah but-”
“Please Moonstruck. I know things aren’t great between us, and I know I’m partially to blame for that. I’ve been…avoiding you. I found out something terrible about you and it frightened me; so much so that I didn’t know what to think of you anymore.”
“What are you talking about Crackers, what did you-”
Moonstruck’s words froze like dead tree branches. He felt his throat tighten and his heart slow, the truth struck him like a bullet to the brain. There was only one terrible secret he had recently discovered. His hooves nervously took a few steps back, his eyes widening in horror.
“You know then…don’t you…you know what I…what I did to my parents?” he whispered; his voice was low and hushed. As if a ghost was calling to the princess.
Twilight nodded solemnly.
“H-h-h-how did you-”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said; politely interjecting, “the point is I know and based on the look on your face, I’d say it’s true.” Moonstruck hated acknowledging such a wicked act to such a lovely mare, but he couldn’t hide anything from her…not anymore. “I want you to know that I’m not afraid of you Moonstruck, I know there’s more to this than I realize; maybe even more than you know too,” she said; trying to sound optimistic.
“That doesn’t change the fact I’ve got blood on my hooves, Twilight. There’s something wrong inside of me. I don’t know if it’s in my head or in my magic, but whatever it is; I’m scared of it. Khan’s got a lot to answer for. Maybe I can put this…blackness inside of me to good use. Fight fire with fire…killer against killer,” he mused eerily. Moonstruck had a disturbed, broken look on his face. Twilight feared he was drifting away into a dark, empty void; a terrible place he may never return from if she didn’t stop him.
“NO! That’s not what you are Moonstruck, that’s not who you are. We’ve all made mistakes before. Yes, some are bigger than others and even IF what you think happened really did happen, that doesn’t mean you’re a killer; I know it in my heart,” she frantically insisted.
“How can you know anything about me for certain, huh? I stalked you, terrorized you and your friends; I even lied to you when I first met you. And believe it or not, there’s something else; something even bigger I’ve been hiding from you all this time. So how can you possibly know that this ‘killer’ side of me isn’t the real Moonstruck?” he asked scornfully.
“Because I know you, I know what I feel in my heart when you’re near me. I swore when we first met that I wasn’t going to give up on you; that hasn’t changed. Nothing you’ve done or will do is ever going to change that,” Twilight said.
“And what makes you so sure of that?” Moonstruck asked; dryly.
The moment Moonstruck’s lips finished speaking; Twilight lunged forward and planted hers firmly on his cheek. The princess kissed Moonstruck before he could even realize what was happening. His eyes widened again, this time from the blushing warmth that was spreading across his cheeks. He was stunned; as if having stared at the sun too long. Moonstruck longingly cupped his tingling cheek. Twilight was blushing a shade of fresh tomato red.
“Because…I need to see where this goes,” she said breathlessly. Moonstruck was rendered speechless. His brain couldn’t form thoughts; they had all been scrambled by that kiss. “Please, promise me you’ll stay here where it’s safe. Because once this is all over Moonstruck, I’m coming back…I’m coming back for you…so just make sure the good man I know that’s inside of you is still here when everything’s over; okay?” she sweetly asked; cheeks still pink and beaming.
“I…okay…you win Crackers. I promise, I’ll stay,” Moonstruck tenderly replied.
With their conversation completed, Twilight resumed forming a strategy with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to deal with Chimera Khan when he returned. The princesses agreed that Ponyville would most likely be Khan’s target again. Celestia started organizing some additional forces to be sent to Ponyville for extra protection. Spike, Rainbow and all of the other ponies were huddled around the 3 princesses; following along.
Oddly enough, Arrowhead was absent from the discussion. Rainbow looked curiously over at the grey colt; keeping his distance. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be muttering something to himself, sweat trickling down the sides of his face.
“What the hay is going on with him?” the Pegasus thought to herself.
The colorful mare quietly excused herself from the discussion. She knew he wasn’t going to say much other than “buzz off” or “leave me alone,” but his odd behavior just wasn’t sitting well with her and she wasn’t going to leave him like that. Rainbow tentatively approached the grumbling grey colt.
“Whatever you want, it’s none of my concern,” he said gruffly; eyes still closed. The Earth pony kept his back squarely aimed at Rainbow.
“Come on man. I know things are bad between us but can’t you at least be civil with me?” she pleaded.
His teal eyes flashed open. He turned around to face his former love, still looking as closed off as he did during the invasion. “There was nothing civil about ripping my heart out and stomping it in front of me, was there?” he coldly sneered.
“No…there wasn’t…and I haven’t stopped hating myself ever since that happened. I may be awesome at a lot of things, but I was the absolute worst at being a girlfriend,” she sighed miserably. Arrowhead grunted brutishly in response. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You seem like something’s bugging you.”
“I’m fine, mystery solved, can you go away now?” he snapped.
“Look this isn’t about you or me or what happened. I know that face of yours; I’ve seen it enough times to know that’s your ‘something’s been keeping me up at night’ face. I just want to make sure you’re all right before we start brawling with this masked nut case,” she said.
“Who said I was going to be involved?” he said distantly; hoping it was quiet enough that Rainbow didn’t hear him.
Arrowhead turned and attempted to leave but the speedy mare stopped him. She spun him around back to her face, her magenta eyes bulging with shock.
“Say WHAT?!? You’re bailing on us, after everything Khan’s done?”
“What good would I be against someone like that? He’s got a supped up suit of armor, an ocean’s worth of monsters and he kicked the crap out of your princess friend like she was nothing. Sorry, I know that was harsh but…it’s the truth. And besides, you said it yourself: I’m a useless, run of the mill Earth pony.”
“Ugh! Would you stop throwing that back in my face for one minute? We both know I was way out of line and, more importantly; totally wrong! We so need an awesome pony like you by our side, and that is the real truth.”
“Are you saying this just to convince me to stay and fight, or to stay with you?”
Rainbow hardened her face. She lifted Arrowhead’s front hooves and clasped her own over his; lifting them up just beneath their chins.
“Both.”
Arrowhead wanted to run. He wanted to pull back his hooves, break away and keep running until Rainbow and this castle was nothing but a blurry speck in the back of his rearview. But despite all the painful reminders of her wounding words and careless attitude, he felt compelled to stay.
It was her eyes, those radiant; all-consuming magenta eyes of hers. He couldn’t stop looking at them. He couldn’t stop looking at her. For the briefest of moments, he questioned whether he wanted to leave such a charming stare. The anger and resentment seemed to be slowly fading away.
“Maybe I could…maybe there’s still a…we could err…you and I, we could-”
Rainbow’s eyes and heart opened with hopeful anticipation. His words trembled with uncertainty but they spoke of hope, of redemption…of a second chance perhaps. Arrowhead was about to speak the words Rainbow had been longing to hear, but something in the background caught his eye. He looked behind Rainbow and saw someone…someone yellow and pink.
Fluttershy had apparently also deviated from the strategy meeting. She was standing in a hallway; talking to some sort of yellow and black bird hovering in front of an open window. She looked worried, concerned. Whatever the bird was saying appeared to be troubling her. The nature loving mare chased after the bird; out of Arrowhead’s view.
Rainbow was still waiting eagerly to hear what Arrowhead was going to say. He quickly left her side and dashed after Fluttershy. The speedy mare was overwhelmingly confused now.
“Hey, where are you going? Weren’t you about to say something important just now?” Rainbow hollered.
His white tail vanished down the same hallway Fluttershy went down. Rainbow grunted loudly in frustration. She bolted after him; spotting his blurry grey body zooming down after Fluttershy. He was running at full strength now, Rainbow was noticeably impressed at how much he had improved his speed skills.
“Where’s the fire big guy?” she called out.
“Your friend, Fluttershy; she was talking to this exotic looking bird. Now she’s following it,” he shouted back.
“Umm…okay…AND?” she asked; exasperated.
“That bird isn’t from Ponyville; I haven’t seen one around there at all. That means it must be native to Canterlot,” he said cryptically.
“Still not seeing the reason for the sudden marathon,” she said; panting heavily.
“You told me at the Grand Galloping Gala, none of the animals would talk to Fluttershy because they’re afraid of her. So why is this one talking to her now?” he said deductively.
Rainbow didn’t have a chance to answer. The speedy ponies had already caught up with the nature loving Pegasus. Fluttershy had been lead to a backdoor exit; leading her to the garden in front of the hedge maze where Discord had once reversed the Mane 6’s personalities. She was looking skyward, there was confusion glimmering in her blue green eyes.
“Oh hello there Dashie, Arrowhead; is something the matter?” Fluttershy sweetly asked.
“Fluttershy, what did that bird want from you? Please tell us exactly what it said,” the colt quickly stated.
“Oh well um, it’s the strangest thing. The little guy said there was an injured bird that needed help. But when I got here, I couldn’t find any injured bird anywhere. The bird that told me about this left before I could ask him anything. Kind of weird, don’t you think?” she said; blankly staring with an innocent look on her face.
Rainbow Dash was distracted by something out of the corner of her eye. She saw a vacant sentry helmet and spear lying on the ground to the left of the exit, the same thing was on the right as well.
“Say, wasn’t there supposed to be like some guards posted out here?” Rainbow asked; raising a skeptical eyebrow.
A flash of light miraculously appeared behind Fluttershy. Chimera Khan had materialized before the 3 ponies.
“IT’S A TRAP!” Arrowhead screamed.
Khan fired twin jade energy blasts from his emerald skull piece. The beams sent Arrowhead and Rainbow hurtling back into the hallway exit, they grunted as their backs skidded against the stone ground. Fluttershy squeaked in horror.
“I’m sorry my dear but I cannot allow you to remain in the crosshairs. This is for your own good,” Khan said; a twinge of sorrow thundered in his metallic voice.
Dark magic surged from the haunted horn of King Sombra. A bolt of crimson lighting erupted from the horn, striking Fluttershy before she could react. The Pegasus was now bound in a black and purple prison bubble. She cried out in protest; banging her hooves limply against her mystical confinement. Khan unsheathed his phoenix wings. He flapped them vigorously, propelling himself into the sky and magically dragging Fluttershy along in tow.
Arrowhead and Rainbow Dash struggled to get back up onto their hooves. They spotted Khan and prepared to chase after him, but Khan was ready for this. The metallic pony turned to face them and slammed his fore hooves together. A thunderous, sonic boom erupted from his clanking hooves. The sonic force collided with the top of the hallway entrance, stone blocks dropped down; blocking off Rainbow and Arrowhead’s route.
“NO, Fluttershy, Fluttershy! We’ve got to get her back, who knows what that freak will do to her!” Rainbow shouted frantically.
The spunky mare pounded her hooves uselessly against the caved rockslide. She tried moving the stones or kicking them, but they were too heavy and there was just too many. Arrowhead grabbed her firmly by the shoulder and jerked her out of her panicking state.
“HEY, listen to me…I need you to chill for a sec. We’ll get her back, I promise, but first we need to tell the others what happened. We’re just wasting time trying to dig this exit out, there are plenty more,” he said calmly.
Despite the overwhelming fears dominating her mind, Rainbow felt partially comforted when Arrowhead touched her. His rough but muscular hoof set shivers of comfort throughout her body. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then exhaled.
“All right, let’s hurry then,” she said; her nerves calming slightly.
The ponies rushed back to the main throne room. Arrowhead and Rainbow quickly told everyone what just happened. A collective gasp in alarm spread across the faces of Rarity, Spike, Pinkie, Applejack and Twilight.
“I don’t get it. Why would Chimera Khan go after Fluttershy? And why just kidnap her, why didn’t he try and kill her if he wants to wipe us all out? This doesn’t make any sense!” Twilight babbled frantically.
Moonstruck growled fiercely. His hooves grasping at an invisible throat; imagining it was Khan’s. “When I get my hooves on that bastard, I’m gonna-”
“Every pony needs to calm down,” Celestia firmly commanded, “Fluttershy will be safe for the moment; if Khan wanted to harm her than he wouldn’t have bothered to take her hostage. We must act quickly and counter his next move before he strikes with the full force of his army.” The ponies collectively nodded.
“It’s possible that his appearance here indicates a change in tactics, Tia. Khan may be planning on attacking Canterlot instead of Ponyville now that you and Twilight are here,” Luna calculated.
Celestia rubbed her chin in deep pondering. If that was the case, then Khan had planned this out better than she anticipated. He knows her powers are severely weakened when the moon rises, and with Luna being forced to tend to her nighttime duties; Khan will have a much weaker and much more vulnerable sun princess to kill. His timely execution is nothing short of brilliant.
“Perhaps your…no…we cannot make that assumption. Khan attacked Ponyville for a reason, he could have chosen Canterlot from the start but he didn’t. We should all make our way to Ponyville, myself included. My sister will be here in Canterlot if her assumption about Khan is correct,” she said contemplatively.
“Whoa, whoa, we can’t just leave Fluttershy. Some pony has to find her before Khan does something nasty to her,” Rainbow loudly interjected.
“Leave that to me,” Arrowhead said; volunteering. Rainbow’s anxiety increased exponentially. Now she was being asked to head back home without Fluttershy OR Arrowhead?
“No way, I can’t let you do that Arrowhead. No offense but I’m faster than you and I can fly. I’ll find her before you guys reach the train station,” Rainbow argued.
“Except you’ll be spotted a mile away; you’re too colorful and air born to be discrete. I’m ground bound AND I’m about as colorful as every other grey boulder on the Foal Mountains,” he calmly countered.
“Wait, how the heck do you-”
“I never took my eyes off Khan, even after he blasted us back into the hallway. I watched him as long as possible until the rocks collapsed on us. Based on his flight trajectory, he’s heading towards the Foal Mountains,” the colt interjected. He spoke with a firm, impassable tone of finality and certainty.
“My, my, Rainbow was right; you are quite the detective, darling,” Rarity said supportively. She batted her eyelashes fondly at the Earth pony; he blushed and coughed loudly in response.
Rainbow glared daggers at her fashionista friend. She knew she was just play flirting, but she was so not in the mood for it now. “Seriously?” she griped audibly.
“It makes sense actually. The Foal Mountains are smack dab in the middle between Canterlot and Ponyville. Since we’ve only had confirmed sightings of Khan at those two locations, the Foal Mountains would be the most logical place to start looking,” Twilight hypothesized.
“I was thinking the exact same thing, Twilight. I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but I’m in agreement with Arrowhead. He’ll have a greater chance of sneaking in undetected and locating Khan. At best, he’ll be able to find Fluttershy and rescue her, at the very least, he can confirm our suspicions about Khan’s location and head back to Ponyville to notify us,” Celestia said; nodding in affirmation.
Rainbow’s cheeks wilted pitifully. She felt crushed, it was like everyone was totally okay with sending the pony she loved to run straight into certain doom. She knew Arrowhead’s reasoning made sense, she understood it perfectly; but that didn’t make her feel any less terrified.
Celestia, Twilight, Hopeful, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Spike and Rainbow were preparing to leave for Ponyville. Moonstruck was still grossly bitter about staying behind. He hugged Twilight and wished her the best of luck, he also made her promise she would come back safe and sound. The purple colt refused to let her go until she agreed.
Arrowhead was about to head out to pick up Fluttershy’s trail but was stopped by a cyan hoof tugging at one of his hind legs. He turned to see, unsurprisingly, Rainbow dash holding him back. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“Please…don’t go…you don’t have to do this. I was wrong okay? You’re not boring, I love your awesome grey fur; I love everything about you,” Rainbow said achingly.
“This may be hard for you to understand Dash, but not everything is about you. I’m not doing this because of what you said, I’m doing this because this is the only way I can help,” Arrowhead replied.
“It’s too dangerous! All that garbage I said to you is still messing with your head. You almost got yourself ripped to pieces because you were mad at me. It’s affecting your judgment. Please, I’m seriously, for real begging you…don’t do this,” Rainbow said; sniffling. She knew this wasn’t like when she “lost” Tank. If something happens to Arrowhead because of what she said to him, she’ll never forgive herself.
“I’ll be fine. I haven’t lied to you before and I don’t plan on starting now. Believe me when I say I’m going to be back; hopefully with your friend too,” he said; trying to assure her.
“You don’t understand. I’ve got this nasty feeling in my gut that if you go out there…I’m never going to see you again. Whether you hate me or not, a life without you in it is too horrible to even think about,” Rainbow insisted.
The grey colt sighed. He knew he couldn’t just leave her like this, he had to do something. He turned to the worry stricken mare and placed his left hoof on her shoulder. Feeling his hoof on her body failed to calm her nerves this time, if anything; it was only making her feel more uneasy. Arrowhead smiled warmly. It had been so long since she’s seen him smile; she almost forgot what it looked like.
“Don’t sell yourself short now true blue. You put the awe in awesome. You never needed me for that; we both know you really don’t need me,” he said confidently.
Within the blink of an eye, Arrowhead vanished. The stallion sped towards the nearest exit and left the castle grounds in hot pursuit of Khan and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash stood lifelessly in the wake of her former lover’s dust. Her eyes still focused on the vacant spot where Arrowhead once stood. She stared out, woefully, longingly; frozen in a comatose state.
“But I do…more than you’ll ever know,” she whispered mournfully.
Reluctantly, Rainbow left the castle as well and joined her friends. She knew her friends needed her for the upcoming battle. She of course wanted to be by their side and would fight with them to the bitter end, but she couldn’t deny she still felt like a piece of her was missing without Arrowhead.
Chimera Khan marched up the rising hills on Foal Mountain, his horn continued to carry Fluttershy in her floating prison. Rocks and twigs crushed like pencils under his stomping, anvil like hooves.
The pink haired Pegasus had ceased pounding on her prison walls. She knew it was pointless. The only way out of this, the only way to stop this monster was to do what no pony else has done before: talk to him.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing buster, but my friends are going to come for me and when they do; I suggest you go elsewhere. You’re in a lot of trouble you know,” Fluttershy scolded.
“I never wanted you to be a part of this my dear. I had hoped you’d heed my warning and leave Ponyville, but you did not and now you have forced my hand,” Khan dully replied.
“Warning, what are you…wait…that was YOU? You’re that shadowy pony who gave me that weird message after I talked to Discord?” she said; mildly surprised.
Khan stopped and turned to face Fluttershy. If she wished to speak to him, he would do so in a respectable manner. He nodded affirmatively.
“You’re going to hurt a lot of ponies, aren’t you? You’re going to k-k-k-kill my friends and Princess Celestia…aren’t you?” she asked; anxiously. She knew his answer but wished to hear it for herself, to see if this villain’s heart was truly as black as she had heard.
Chimera Khan loathed upsetting her. He knew his actions and words would do so, but he disliked it all the same. Staring into her aquamarine eyes, he could not stand to lie to her; nor did he have the heart to outright ignore her question. “Yes…I am,” he answered sincerely.
Fluttershy gasped in horror. She never met any pony who had said such wicked things so casually; as if they were every day words he tossed around on a regular basis. Khan sighed in frustration. He lowered the prison sphere to the ground so Fluttershy matched his eye level.
“Why, why are you doing this? I know why you’re mad at Celestia, even though I still think it’s totally mean and not at all warranted, but why my friends, why do you want to hurt every pony else BUT me?”
“Your friends are a direct result of Celestia’s flawed ruling style. They are side effects, symptoms of the same disease: Celestia. She has treated her subjects like a bunch of naïve infants. All this coddling and harmonious co-existence with monsters and chaos spirits have regressed the nation into a state of constant vulnerability. She’s babied the ponies of Equestria for far too long, they must all be purged from existence if there is any hope of this weakness being permanently expunged from our crippled culture. They are just as at fault as she is.”
“Yet once again, you singled me out without any kind of reason or explanation,” she bitterly retorted.
Khan looked at her questioningly. His orange eyes looked less sinister and more curious when he looked towards her.
“Because my child…you are a miracle. In this world of fools and foals, you have remained inconceivably pure. You’ve trenched through the filth of this world’s ignorance and emerged unscathed; pure of heart and even purer of soul. I could never destroy such innocence, or allow harm to befall such a beautiful angel free from prejudice and sin,” Khan breezed breathlessly.
“I’m not as perfect as you think I am. How do you know so much about me anyway? I didn’t meet you until that night with Discord. Have you been watching me or something?” she irritably demanded.
“Yes, but I also observed you through my animal servants. The magic that connects their minds to mine also allows me to look into theirs. Several of the creatures I control have experienced your kindness first hand. I looked into their memories. I felt the love and care you blessed them with. Your modesty is endearing but a fruitless farce, my child. Your purity is undeniable,” he decreed.
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I am the way that I am because of how kind and wise Princess Celestia’s ruling has been?” she dryly quipped.
“If you knew her like I knew her, you wouldn’t be saying that,” he grimly replied.
“Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you,” she said; smarmily.
“Touché my dear,” he chortled.
“You know, I was afraid of dragons too…well I still kind of am; except for Spike of course. He really is the sweetest guy you’d ever meet. I know how you feel about them, I understand your concerns about dragons better than any pony else. But they’re still living creatures; they have just as much right to live here as we do. It’s not right to just wipe something out because were scared of it. They’re not all bad, they’re not all out to harm us,” she implored.
“Yet, they’re not out to harm us yet. Those cold blooded abominations are nothing but time bombs waiting to go off. The longer we maintain this frivolous pretense of a peaceful co-existence, the more time we give them to prepare their inevitable massacre. They’re bigger, stronger, faster and more impervious to pain and time than us ponies. They surpass us in every conceivable advantage. Even a small horde of dragons could do more damage than 100 ponies could. I’m sick and tired of Celestia sticking her head in the sand like an ostrich; remaining oblivious to the truth. Now I’m going to do exactly what she did to me: stab her in the heart and scrub every trace of her legacy out of existence.”
“I know you’re in pain, I know you’re lost and angry and confused. You think this is the only way you can solve everything. But this isn’t the way Khan; this is only going to cause more pain and more suffering. Nothing is going to be solved from all of this,” Fluttershy said.
“Truly, your kindness is beyond even what I predicted. I see now how someone as unruly as Discord could fall for your charms. But I’m afraid your sweet words have fallen on deaf ears. There is nothing left in me but rage and hatred. Vengeance has consumed me, and I will not stop-no…I cannot stop until vengeance has consumed every soul and scrap of land in this embarrassment of an existence she has created,” Khan gravely stated.
The armored tyrant returned Fluttershy to her hovering orbit. He resumed his trek back to his camp without saying another word. She’ll understand in time, she always forgives even if the person doesn’t deserve it…like him. Khan was confident she would grow to accept and forgive him for what he has done, one day. And if not, then at least he would be comforted knowing he spared one soul from his wrath.
Fluttershy gasped at what she saw next. Four large, towering shadows of flesh and teeth stood imposingly before Khan. They were monsters, monsters far larger and far more deadly than any critter that Khan had used in Ponyville before. Bubbling Cauldron stood proudly amongst the skyscraper sized beasts.
“The gang’s all here boss! They’re all ready to do your extra dirty, dirty work. Still haven’t figured out how you’re gonna get these all these clunkers to Ponyville though,” Cauldron mused curiously.
“Leave that to me, witch. I have a new chore for you now. Take Fluttershy to the cave and keep her confined there until I return. I wish to spare her as many gruesome details as I can,” Khan instructed.
“You’re the boss, boss,” she replied dryly; shrugging.
Fluttershy continued to plead and call out Khan’s name, begging him not to do this. The armored villain ignored her words and levitated the prison sphere towards Cauldron.
CRACK!
“What was that?” Khan snapped. He halted transferring Fluttershy to Cauldron. The villain’s scathing eyes hungrily searched for the source of that noise. It sounded like a twig breaking.
“Don’t worry, oh supreme-bad-ass-one. I’ll check it out,” Cauldron said; saluting with childlike enthusiasm. The green unicorn galloped towards the source of the suspicious noise.
“What is that wretched Earth pony scum doing? He’s supposed to be on lookout duty. I can’t trust him to accomplish even the simplest of tasks it seems,” Khan thought bitterly.
Arrowhead silently cursed himself for stepping on that twig. He knew it couldn’t have been helped; he only stepped on that twig because he had to roll out of the way of a rogue boulder that nearly crushed him.
“Just gotta be extra quiet from now on. I know I’m close, I heard Khan talking to someone so they’re camp has to be nearby,” Arrowhead whispered.
A rattling sound came from a dead tree off to Arrowhead’s right. Crowe’s head popped out of a busted hole in the tree. His hair was matted with leaves and twigs; his green cap lopsided and hanging half way off his head.
Arrowhead instantly froze. He knew he was dead meat now!
“Get out! You shouldn’t be here. Please go, while you still can!” Crowe urgently whispered.
“Huh? Are you actually…warning me? Who the Heck are you?” Arrowhead inquired.
“Go back to Ponyville, that’s where his endgame is. Your only chance of stopping him is if you all work together at Ponyville. Hurry, before it’s too late!” the yellow colt squeaked frantically.
Crowe’s head zipped back into the tree like a frightened turtle. Arrowhead was taken aback by that strange encounter. Unfortunately, that distraction proved to be his undoing.
A new figure appeared just as quickly as Crowe had retreated. Arrowhead was jarred back to reality by the new pony’s voice. This time, it was a green mare with white hair and a black witch’s hat. She was sniffing the air, like a bloodhound.
“Hey you smell that? Yeah, I sure do, it smells like-” she paused to take two large exaggerated sniffs, “it smells like a SPY!” Cauldron beamed; maliciously grinning from ear to ear.
Arrowhead stiffened reactively. Sweat trickled down the colt’s forehead; he had no other option left but to make a run for it. The stallion leapt off his legs as fast as he could and kicked his speed into high gear. Bubbling Cauldron figured he’d try this though. She cast a spell and summoned a force field, rising up and cutting off Arrowhead’s escape route. He rammed into the field and grunted as it bounced him back like a rubber band.
Cauldron took a deep breath and let loose a deafening, high pitched whistle. She removed her hat and waved it by her side; like Applejack. Her horn was flashing red like an alarm. “Hey boys, WE GOT ONE!” she announced; cupping her hooves to the side of her mouth.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
One of the massive creatures stomped into the area. Arrowhead’s eyes widened in horror, his voice was reduced to an inaudible wheezing sound. Bubbling Cauldron rubbed her hooves together; cackling sinisterly.
A rusty orange colored mantis claw rose into the air. The lethal appendage loomed over Arrowhead like a Reaper’s sickle. With a single swipe, the creature’s claw came slicing down upon the petrified Earth pony.
SLASH!
A spray of blood splattered across the rocks.
The ponies sat impatiently in their train seats. Every couple minutes, Twilight or Rainbow or someone would squirm out of their seats. Applejack paced around. Her grass green eyes locked firmly on the floor. Spike and Rarity looked uneasily at one another; trying to find comfort in each other’s company, but nothing seemed capable of calming their rattled nerves.
Celestia was stoic. During the whole trip, she did nothing except stare out the windows and watch the landscape blur past. She felt pacing and worrying would accomplish little. Deep down she was just as worried as they were, but she could not show it. She needed to be strong. She needed to be a leader. Too many ponies had been let down by the princess’s decisions in the past, she refused to let that happen again because of her anxieties.
FLASH!
A brilliant burst of light appeared blindingly out of nowhere. The light jarred Celestia out of her landscape daze, her eyes wrinkled with befuddlement. The source of that singular burst of light came from the base of the Foal Mountains. She watched more closely now, 3 more bursts of light emerged from the same location.
Whatever it was, it made Celestia feel a thousand times worse.
“Forgive me my little ponies, I have to go now. Something just happened and I have to make sure it’s not what I think it is,” Celestia said dramatically. Her wings flared up in preparation.
“W-w-what?!? You’re leaving now?” Twilight blurted out. Spike and the other ponies shared Twilight’s alarmed reaction. The purple princess desperately tried to obtain some kind of reasoning from her fleeing mentor. “Princess, please, what’s going on? We need to stick together. Maybe we can-”
“No, I’m sorry Twilight but if what I fear is happening, Ponyville will need all of you there as soon as possible, now more than ever. There’s no time for delays,” Celestia ordered.
“What in the heck is goin’ on princess? It sounds like ya’ll already know what’s happenin” Applejack inquired.
“I know all of Chimera Khan’s spells. I’ve helped him perfect his magic over the years he served as my advisor. There was a flash of light from Foal Mountain; it reminded me of a particular spell of his. I just hope I’m mistaken about this” she replied cryptically.
“W-w-what kind of spell? Arrowhead is still up there! He could be in serious trouble, you gotta tell us what’s going on,” Rainbow said; panicking.
“All I can say is it’s a teleportation spell, one that transports very large things,” she quivered; her voice growing more intense with each passing moment.
“What large things? What teleportation spell? Princess, please, what are you talking about?” Twilight asked again. She too was becoming increasingly more distraught and worried.
“I’m sorry my friends but I don’t have any more time to explain. If this is what I think it is, maybe I can stop it before any casualties occur. I have to go now. Please, all of you, be safe and be strong,” Celestia said.
The motherly mare teleported out of the train car and soared directly for Foal Mountains. Twilight and the others watched helplessly as Celestia eventually flew out of sight; vanishing into a dwindling white speck amongst the mountain scape.
Celestia appeared at where, she hoped, was the source of the flashes she saw on the train. The princess searched for a few moments before ultimately finding her desired destination. There were 4 large craters. Each one was made by a different creature, and each one was clearly made by something quite large and most likely; highly dangerous.
“I thought that spell might get your attention, traitor,” a hauntingly familiar voice said. Khan emerged from the blackness of the shadows. His voice echoing like a pack of chuckling spirits along the mountain top. “After all…you were the one who showed me how to use it,” he sneered wickedly.
“What have you done Khan, what have you unleashed on the good citizens of Ponyville? Tell me this instant,” she demanded fiercely. Her motherly tone was gone now.
“Oh, these? Just a few parting gifts for your precious Twilight and her friends to play with. I’m sure they’ll find them highly entertaining,” he snickered.
“This doesn’t concern them. This doesn’t concern anyone else except you and me. I don’t wish to fight you old friend, but if you pursue this course then you leave me no choice,” Celestia barked defensively.
“Oh no, no, that choice was made long ago my old friend. I warned you that monsters would tear us apart Celestia. I just never imagined that the monster I had to fear most of all was you,” he said sourly.
“I think it’s time you and I settle our unfinished business, wouldn’t you agree?” she prompted.
“Well would you look at that, it seems we can actually agree on something after all. Let’s have a friendly little chat then; just like old times, shall we?” Khan hissed.
To be continued…