//------------------------------// // Chapter 67: "Battle With Instant Justice, Part 1" // Story: The Redemption of Tempest Shadow // by twilightsparkle3562 //------------------------------// Instant Justice thought he had done it: he thought that he finally gotten his revenge on the pony who terrorized Canterlot and killed his family. "Easy as pie," He chuckled to himself. "Rot in…huh?!" However, his victory was short lived when he found his killing spell had been repelled, Tempest stayed standing with Celestia, Luna and Twilight standing in front of her. Instant’s fury raged upon seeing what had taken place in front of him. "Enough,” Luna declared, icily stepping towards her ex-minister of justice. "Stand down and surrender, Instant Justice! This madness ends now." "NEVER!" Instant screamed and shot a blast of his magic at Luna, but Luna was quick to act and activated a shield spell to protect herself! The blasts caught the attention of Cemetery Wind and the other mercenaries who smashed open the windows of the shack and began firing at the Princesses. "DIE, TEMPEST SHADOW! DEATH TO ALL TRAITORS!" Filled with rage, Instant Justice and the mercenaries fought hard against the three alicorns who realized now that there was no other option, they had to neutralize these ponies to ensure peace. At the edge of the forest, the sounds of magic beams being fired was enough evidence for the ponies in reserve to act. "We’ve got to go in there!" Rainbow Dash cried. "We got to help the princesses! They’re in danger!" "You heard the orders," A soldier pony shook his head. "We don't move a muscle unless they say so." "Are you insane?!" Rainbow snapped, glaring at the soldier pony. "My friend, the Princess of Friendship, is in there and I'm going to help her! Now who's with me?!" "Right behind you, crash!" Spitfire cried, and then whistled. "Let's go, Wonderbolts! The princesses need our help!" The four Pegasi flyers then dashed into the forest as fast their wings could carry them. "Hang on, Princesses! We're coming!" Taking to the air, the Wonderbolts flew over the battlefield, waiting for an opportunity to strike from the air. When the moment came, they darted down onto Instant Justice and the Mercenaries. "Keep those Wonderbolts pinned down! Don’t let them join the battle!" Instant Justice shouted, motioning for several Mercenaries to keep them busy. "Cemetery Wind!" "Yes, sir?" The mercenary called from inside the shack. "Keep the Princesses occupied while I go after Tempest Shadow!" Instant commanded. “She shall perish by my own hoof!” "NOT…A…CHANCE!" Luna bellowed, firing a blast of magic at Instant Justice, striking him in the front left leg! Instant yelled in pain upon being struck. "You'll pay for that, Princess Luna!" And he fired a blast of green magic at Luna, hitting her in the left side, just behind her shoulder bone, causing her to yell in pain! But, the Princess of the Night refused to go down easily. "Luna!" Celestia screamed, racing to her sister's side. Unfortunately, by doing so she made herself a target for Cemetery Wind, who fired a blast at the sun princess, hitting her in the neck. "Sister!" Luna screamed as she watched Celestia go down. Seizing the opportunity, Instant Justice saw Tempest helping the Wonderbolts hold off several mercenaries and realized that there was no better time than now to make a move. Leaping into the air, the vengeful unicorn tackled Tempest to the ground and with a look of rage in his eyes, he began his assault on her. "You see, it takes patience to be a pony," He whispered in fury. "The patience to watch and wait, to protect all of us quietly for Princess and Kingdom, without any recognition at all." "What does that mean?" Tempest hissed, spitting in Instant Justice's face and then being punched in the face by him. "That!" Instant cried. "Is for my son!" He then punched her again, this time in the stomach so hard that Tempest screamed in pain from the blow. "And that was for my wife!" He added as he proceeded to take out a knife from his holster and hold it right over Tempest's heart. "Now, you are about to feel the same pain they felt! Justice is finally served!" Tempest felt her life flash before her eyes and closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable. However, a scream interrupted it. "NOOO!" The sounds of screaming were heard as Instant Justice felt the knife be yanked out of his grasp, and he turned around to see Twilight trying to wrestle it away from him. "Twilight!" Tempest cried as the Princess of Friendship attempted to fight off Instant Justice with every bout of strength in her system. However, Instant Justice kept his ground and picked up Twilight, throwing her against the base of a tree. "Get out of my way, Princess Twilight," Instant hissed as Twilight groaned in pain. "This doesn't concern you!" "Tempest…" Twilight moaned lightly. Elsewhere, the sights of magic blasts being fired in the Everfree Forest was seen from Canterlot and both Captain Celano and Seaspray knew that something must be done. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Celano asked the Hippogriff commander, who silently nodded. "Let's go!" Celano called and motioning to Mullet, the pirate captain leapt off her post and raced over to her airship, joined by her fellow pirates and a few other soldier ponies, along with several hippogriffs. "Get this ship airborne! Move, move, move!" It took a few moments for the ship to get airborne, but soon they were headed straight for the Everfree Forest. "All right, get ready to jump!" Mullet barked, leaping onto the edge of the ship with a few others. "Remember, protect the princesses and Tempest Shadow! No harm must come to them!" Once they were over the battlefield, with a loud cry the pirates leaped off of the ship and into the battle. "Where did these stragglers come from?!" A mercenary shouted, as he was quickly overpowered by a soldier pony. "Wonderful," Instant Justice laughed, as he began chasing Tempest deep into the Everfree Forest. "Now, everypony will come to see me carry out some long overdue justice!" From behind a tree, Tempest kept herself hidden from the furious unicorn and realized that now was the time. Everything that she had been put through had led up to this: she needed to prove herself in the eyes of Equestria. Back in Canterlot, the sounds of the pirates' airship taking to the sky had caught the attention of Grubber and Capper who went out to see what was happening. "What's happening, dude?" Capper asked a guardspony. “Why’d the pirates take off so suddenly? Aren’t they supposed to be keeping this place locked down?” "The traitors have been found," The guardspony replied. "Apparently they made their home in a shack in the Everfree Forest. The princesses, the Wonderbolts, the royal guards, and the pirates are all confronting them now." "Tempest!” Grubber gasped, realizing right then and there that he needed to help his friend. "Come on! We’re going after them!" "What's your dig, little man?!" Capper cried, pulling his paw away from Grubber. "My friend's in danger, that's my dig!" Grubber snapped. "I've got to help her. So if you want to join me, now's the time! Otherwise, stay out of my way!" Without saying anything in response, Capper followed Grubber towards the emergency underground tunnel connecting Canterlot and Ponyville. Hannibal, who had also been woken up by the commotion, also joined in to help out. And at the Castle of Friendship, the rest of Twilight's friends were also awoken by what was happening. "If Twilight, Celestia and Luna are fighting Instant Justice head on," Applejack cried to the rest of Twilight's friends. "Then we've got to help them!" "But, the cabin, it's guarded!" Starlight Glimmer advised. "Since when did that ever stop us?!” Pinkie Pie thundered, who donned her party cannon helmet. "Ready the Party Cannon! We've got friends to help! We weren’t there for Twilight the last time she needed us! This time will be different!"