//------------------------------// // The Ugly Truth // Story: The Creation War // by Epicdiscord214 //------------------------------// The Mane 6 and the others had just finished listening to the stories told by their friends who just arrived. They stood in the open fields at the air temple. Tenzin, Lin, and Asami arrived. "You're kidding." Rainbow Dash said. "I don't kid." Scimitar said. "Really, he doesn't." Sunset Shimmer said. "He gives sarcastic remarks every now and then, but he doesn't kid when it comes to his father." "Father?" Starlight asked. "Yeah, that." Scimitar said. "You see, Tartus--the guy we were just talking about--he's my father... sort of." "Sort of?" Mako asked. "What, are you adopted?" "No." Scimitar said nervously. "See, I am a carbon-copy made from his DNA. In Layman's terms, I'm a clone." "Whoa, what?" Spike asked. "Should we be..." "Don't worry about it." Scimitar said. "There are a lot of differences about me. But that's not the point of the story." "From what we gather, Tartus has been at countless worlds all over Creation longer than any of us," Dawna said, "Even with my immortal life. Although he's been quiet most of the time, he's been a lot less discreet these past few years." "We managed to put the pieces together." the Shadow Blot said. "For a while, he stayed in the Netherealm until he took one of the Relics of Creation, the Golden Apple. He had me and the rest of the Machines dig it up for him and set up a partner of his to take the fall so we thought we'd seen the last of it." "He also vacated to the world with Canterlot High." Sunset Shimmer said. "Twilight, we found your human counterpart there." "Really?" Twilight asked. "Yeah, she's a smart girl." Sunset Shimmer said. "Maybe too smart. Tartus tricked her into building a device that could steal magic." "And right before coming here, Tartus went to a darker version of my Equestria." the Masked Matterhorn said. "He tricked the inhabitants there to destroy the physical vessels of two Relics so he can steal the magic with the device Sunset just mentioned." "All right." Mako said. "So what does he want?" "The Relics of Creation." the Shadow Blot said. "Each is inhabited by a different Primordial, the first living personifications of Creation; Lucid the Light, Atrum the Darkness, and Midan the Nature. Individually, each one could grant unimaginable power. We think that Tartus has found a way to wield all three of the Primordials' power, which could be catastrophic. So far, he's absorbed two Relics: the Golden Apple and the Asteroth. All that's left is for him to take the power of the third Relic. Problem is, I can't remember what it's called." "I think it's the Universal... or Unnerving..." the Masked Matterhorn said. "I didn't think that was important until Tartus made his move." "And the last Relic is here?" Starlight asked. "In this world?" "Probably." Scimitar said. "After Equestria Perilous, we followed the dunce straight here. That's when we heard the panic where you were. Whether or not that flying-fish monster was part of his plan, I have no idea." "Well, it definitely doesn't belong in this world." Discord said. "Did anyone else get reminded of a certain flying, glowing, pony-fish hybrid with harmonious melodies in their voices?" "Wait." Sunset Shimmer said rubbing her chin. "Are you talking about the Dazzlings?" "Dazzlings?" the Masked Matterhorn said. "Based on Anar D's description, it sounds like he was talking about the Siren Sisters." "First of all, my name's Discord. Secondly, I mean the three evil spirits of music that thrive on disharmony. Frankly, a bunch of plagiarists if you ask me." "And you're sure it's them?" Sunset asked. "Well, it's not Josie and the Pussycats, I'm sure of that." Discord said. "Look, obviously, sirens were plucking random people from their families and being changed themselves; probably Tartus' work." "How do you know Tartus did that?" Twilight asked. "Because far as I know, sirens don't make more of them." Discord explained. "Well, what does this Tartus person want with sirens?" Asami asked. "I don't know," Scimitar said, "He would never tell me what was part of his plan and what wasn't." "So do you think this guy has Korra?" Mako asked. "I wouldn't put it past him." Shadow Blot said. "He has done a lot of underhanded deeds." "And right now, we have nothing to go on." Lin said. "I wouldn't say that." Nobody expected a new voice in the crowd. Everyone turned and saw Toph walking towards them. "Toph?" Tenzin asked. "Twinkle-Toes Jr." Toph greeted. "Asami, who is that?" Twilight asked. "That's Toph Beifong, Lin's mom. She was a close friend to Avatar Aang." "Really?" Rainbow Dash asked. "She doesn't really look like a tough girl." "I may be old and blind, but I'm not deaf!" Toph shouted. "What are you doing here, mom?" Lin asked. "I thought you retired back to the swamp." "Well, I got nowhere else to go now. It's gone." "What's gone?" Fluttershy asked. "The swamp, horse-brains!" Toph answered. "A bunch of hooligans arrived and burned the entire place to the ground." "What?" Tenzin asked. "Who?" Asami asked. "From what I could tell, it was four different vultures." Toph described. "They talked, so I first thought they were spirits, but something didn't seem right about them." "Vultures?" Scimitar asked. "That's Greengear, my father's minions. Why would he want your swamp destroyed?" "I suppose it has to do with the vines." Toph said. "They're spiritually connected to the whole world in some way or another. I just got rid of the last of Kuvira's harvesting tools only to lose the whole swamp to a bunch of pyromaniacs. I guess whatever Tartus may want, he doesn't want anyone to see it. A lot of good that'll do him." "Why?" Mako asked. "Because I know where he's keeping the Avatar." Toph said. "One of those vultures let slip on where she was. And I'm betting Tartus is there too." "Really?" Mako asked. "Where?" "He said Korra's underneath the Pro-Bending stadium." "Perfect!" Mako shouted. "Let's go save her!" "Hold on, something's not right." Scimitar said. "This is too easy." "I agree with the new guy." Starlight said. "Does it really make sense for Tartus to hide in a stadium?" "There's a tournament happening tonight." Tenzin said. "It doesn't make sense for someone like Tartus to be somewhere public, even if he's got sirens with him." "Well, we don't have anything else to go on." Mako said. "I say it's worth checking out." "I agree." Twilight said. "If there's even a chance that Korra's there, we need to see if it's correct." "Oh, this is going to be awesome." Pinkie said putting on a brown hat. "Detective Pinkie Pie is on the case once again." "Where did she get..." Tenzin started to ask. "It's best not to think about it too much." Rarity said. The four vultures flew in around the dark room and landed to greet their master. "I take it the job is done?" Tartus asked. "It is, boss." Jade said. "The swamp is burned. Unfortunately, Toph Beifong escaped." "How is that unfortunate?" Tartus asked. "Ask sunflower seed brain here." Emerald said pointing at Verde. "This idiot told her where you are and she's probably going to tell the Avatar's friends where you're keeping her." "...I know that." Tartus said surprising most of Greengear. "Like I said, why is it unfortunate?" "Sir, I don't get it." Leaf said. "We're about to have company. They're coming here to take you in and find the Avatar. Why are you being so calm about it?" "Hold on." Jade said. She thought for a minute and grinned. "I get it." "You do?" Leaf asked. "Think about it, bird-brain!" Jade said. "Each of us Greengear vultures is bred to follow Tartus' direct orders. We don't do anything unless he tells us to. So if Verde told the enemy where Korra was, it's because the boss told him to. Right, Verde?" "Yep. The boss told me to say where she is when the moment comes." "But that means..." Emerald said. "Boss, this is part of the plan?" "In chess, sacrifices need to be made," Tartus said, "And we're all players. The four of you are pawns. Kira is my rook. Serena and Melody are knights. And Scimitar was my knight, who was taken by my opponents. I admit, it was a slip, but a good player knows how to adapt. The point is, let them come. I have a few surprises of my own, and very soon, I will have checkmate." "Brilliant, sir." Jade said. "So what's the plan?" "Emerald, Verde, the two of you will take the Siren Sisters and move on to our backup facility. Keep changing anyone you can pick up until further instructions are given. Meanwhile, Jade, Leaf, you two, Kira, and I will await for our guests." "Yes, sir." Emerald said. "Just one question, sir. You've been comparing us to chess pieces, but you forgot to mention the queen. Who..." Tartus gave him an obvious look, and the vulture changed his sentence with, "Oh. I get it. Apologies, sir." The Equestrians and humans entered the stadium through a back door. The Mane 6 and Starlight went with Mako, Asami, and Lin Beifong into the back of the arena while the Shadow Blot, Masked Matterhorn, Scimitar, Sunset, Dawna, Tenzin, and Toph snuck through the crowd and main entrances waiting for any suspicious characters. Of course, Matterhorn and Blot were obscure.. They could only hear the crowd enjoying the main event being played. The Mane 6 and others dwelled deeper into the lower levels of the stadium looking for either their friend or their enemy. "This is the quietest rescue mission ever." Pinkie Pie said. "Emphasis on quiet." Rainbow Dash said. "We can't let Tartus know we're here." "She's right." Mako said. "No matter what, we can't let anyone know we're here. Got it?" "Got it." Twilight said. She turned to her friend behind her. "Got it?" "Got it." Starlight said. This continued on until they got to Fluttershy. "Got it." She turned to the figure behind her. "Got it?" "Got it." Leaf said. Everyone was still for a moment while Leaf slowly developed a smile. When they learned they had one additional part of their group, they slowly turned their heads to the vulture with the cracked beak. "What the..." Applejack gasped. "Who..." "Allow me to introduce myself." Leaf said. "My name is Leaf, the fearlessness of Greengear." "You're working for Tartus?" Mako asked. "Where's Korra?" "Better answer him quick, buzzy." Rainbow Dash threatened. "Or what? A Sonic Rainboom?" Leaf mocked. "Not much use flying will do to you in an enclosed hallway like this." "What about you?" Twilight asked. "You're a big bird. Isn't this hallway cramped for you to?" "Maybe." Leaf said. "But not for them." Everyone turned to where Leaf was looking and saw two people standing there: Tartus and Kira. "Well, well, well." Tartus said. "Out of all the versions of you ponies I met in the Multiverse, I must say, you are certainly my favorite." Mako just kept staring at the mask Kira was wearing. "So it's true." Mako said. "You really are wearing Amon's mask." "Again, who's Amon?" Rainbow Dash asked. "He's the original leader of the Equalists." Asami explained. "Got my own dad to work for him." "Oh, this isn't the same person, mind you." Tartus said. "The real guy is blown to bits somewhere in the middle of the sea. The police then confiscated his mask. Luckily for me, I have a spare, and Kira just happens to fit it quite nicely." "What do you have to do with Amon's mask?" Mako asked. "Who do you think gave it to him?" Tartus asked. "You think he came up with that red circle symbol on his own. I told him it meant equality, but it was actually an image of the Blood Moon, which, in some worlds, is a sign of the apocalypse. Oh, forgive me. I never introduced myself. I am Tartus." "Yeah, I figured." Twilight said. "So you're the guy who's been messing with Sunset and others." "Sunset Shimmer's here?" Tartus asked. "She couldn't have come alone. Ah, my son and the immortal. If they're here, they must have come with at least the Matterhorn and the Blot." "Do you always think aloud?" Asami asked. 'Yeah, it's a weakness of mine, but to be fair to myself, it is my only weakness. But you're right. Now's not the time for words. Kira..." Suddenly, the villain in Amon's mask struck the air throwing a ball of fire from his fist. The ponies dodged it and Mako exchanged fireballs toward the villains. With one strike, Tartus vaporized it. "JADE!" Tartus called. All of a sudden, Asami was grabbed by a new green vulture who tightened her talons around her arms. Asami was lifted and carried down the hallway. "Oh, no you don't!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she chased Jade across. Suddenly, Jade emerged through the side door of the main stage where the arena floor rests above the water. When Rainbow Dash followed, the crowd and pro-benders were amazed at the sight. Tartus flew on by and prepared to strike the Pegasus, but then, the Shadow Blot jumped over and caught Tartus' attention. "Hold it right there, melon-head!" "Melon-head?" Tartus asked. "No one calls me that." "Actually, everyone in the Mighty Machines call you that." Shadow Blot said. "Also, geek-clops, psycho-smell, Bob, crazy face..." "Bob?" Tartus asked in a confused tone. "What does that even mean?" "I honestly have no idea. Masque made it up." Shadow Blot said. "I assumed it was short for Robert." Suddenly, Kira crashed through the arena floor between Tartus and the Shadow Blot. It wasn't long before everyone arrived in front of the crowd. Tartus looked around and smiled. "Kira, Hiroshima!" At that moment, Kira spun around with bursts of fire escaping from her hands. Everyone watched as a tornado formed around her made of flames. Kira then jumped up and shot fireballs at random places panicking everyone. "We've got to stop her!" Lin shouted. "I'll handle her!" Mako said. "The rest of you get Tartus!" "Just be careful, everyone!" Twilight warned. While Mako made a split in the fire tornado and went in, the others went off to chase Tartus. "Well, this has been fun!" Tartus said, "But I've got big plans!" "OH, NO, YOU DON'T!" Scimitar shouted as he tackled Tartus' head. "SCIMITAR!" Tartus shouted. "LET ME GO!" "NO!" "I SWEAR, I HOPE THE OTHER ONE IS MORE OBEDIENT!" "I... Wait, what?" Scimitar asked. "OPENING!" Tartus shouted as he slipped out of his son's arms. He was about to fly off, but then the Shadow Blot grabbed his metal arm. "You're not going anywhere, Bob!" Shadow Blot shouted. "I GOT HIM!" Starlight shouted as she shot a blast of energy from her horn into Tartus' cloak. At that moment, Tartus began shifting his head back and forth yelling. "HELP ME CONTROL THIS THING!" he shouted. "WHAT ARE YOU..." Shadow Blot began to ask. Then, suddenly, in just a moment, Tartus leaped back causing the Shadow Blot to fall down on his face. The Shadow Blot then got up and realized he still had Tartus' arm in his claws... that wasn't attached to his body. "What the..." Everyone gathered around Tartus, who had accidently removed his cloak. As soon as it was off, everyone was shocked. Everyone finally realized why Tartus looked skinny. Tartus got off a mechanical pad floating slightly from the floor and sparking with electricity. Tartus jumped off the platform before it could stop floating and revealed his unbelievably short body. He then removed his other mechanical arm, which then turned out ot be a glove. His real arms and legs turned out to be smaller than sticks. He turned his big head toward the heroes and saw them stare at him for a short moment. They then broke into a hysterical laughter, which annoyed Tartus. "Yes, yes, I get it." Tartus said. "I'm really, really tiny; shorter than even your dragon friend. And without my platform and arm extensions, I'm even less harmful. Anything else you'd want to poke fun at, you colorful band of misfits?" "No." the Shadow Blot chuckled. "Sorry. It's just that... You've been antagonizing us for years only for us to find out you're really the Multiverse's tiniest munchkin. I'm just trying to process this." "And while you're doing that..." Tartus said as he ran behind. He was about to jump, but Rainbow Dash grabbed him. He tried to struggle, but Rainbow Dash was barely tickled. Meanwhile, inside the fire tornado, Mako looked up to see Kira. Mako could see the emptiness in the eyes through the mask he hated. He realized there was only one way to stop the firebender from shooting fireballs. He pointed his fingers and shot a bolt of lighting toward Kira. She was hit with a full blast and fell unconscious. That's when the flame tornado burned out. Kira fell to the ground and didn't move, only breathe. "JADE, LEAF, HEAD BACK TO PROJECT PHOENIX!" Tartus commanded. That's when the two vultures broke through the ceiling window. "Wait, did he just say..." Scimitar gasped under his breath. When the metal-benders showed up, the entire arena was surrounded. Mako approached Tartus' tiny body and picked him up. "All right, shorty. Time to confess. What are you doing here in Republic City?" "Well, the Spirits are really good company." Tartus said. "You'd be surprised what they're willing to do for very little." "What about the Dazzlings?" Sunset Shimmer asked. "When did you talk to them? During the Friendship Games?" "Dazzlings?" Tartus asked. "Oh, I see the confusion. Actually, my allies are the Siren Sisters... or, at least, Serena and Melody since you changed their sister, Matterhorn." "The Siren Sisters?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "They're who you're working with. Why?" "All in due time." Tartus said. "But that's not the big question you want to ask, is it, Mako?" "You know me?" "I know you used to work for the Triple Threat Triads, you broke your arm in Kuvira's Mecha-Giant, and you're angry at Bolin right now." "What?" Fluttershy asked. "Not right now!" Mako said. "Listen, Tartus, I don't care how much you know about me! Answer me this: where is Korra?" "You are not going to like the ugly truth." Tartus chuckled. "Everyone!" Lin shouted. She was kneeling over Kira's unconscious body. Mako tossed Tartus to another metal-bender while he and the others approached Kira. Lin was nervous and she placed her hand on the Amon mask. Once the mask was removed, everyone was surprised by the face in it, the face that the entire crowd in the audience saw as well, a face that everyone trusted until that moment. It was the face of Korra.