//------------------------------// // Episode 23: Follow Which Leader? // Story: My Brave Pony: Starfleet Magic Season VIII // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// EPISODE TWENTY-THREE Stammadon was resting alone in his throne room, and he ordered explicitly that no one was to disturb him, and yet… his mind was going crazy again as Striker’s memories flashed before him. He remembered being a little colt, and doing poorly at most activities, like sports, arts and crafts. He remembered being laughed at and being called talentless by other ponies, which sparked his anger, and he began to attack his school mates for taunting him, which made him realize he was good at fighting. He remembered all his training and exercising. All the great martial arts tournaments and boxing matches he competed in-- many of which he lost, as he was only a rookie. All the beatings, all the fails, all the creature laughing at him, which only fuelled his rage and made him train all the harder and become stronger. He managed to fight his way to victory, and earned his glowing fist cutie mark. Now he himself was starting to act brash and tough like a bully. All he ever wanted to do was fight and train. So he joined the Starfleet academy and trained for five years, where he acted tough, rude and pushy. “Wimp! Pathetic! You’re all a bunch of silly weaklings. It wouldn’t surprise me if I made your superior right off the bat.” He even pushed the rookies around and demanded they do as he told them, he even bullied Swift Star, his own cousin… eventually which lead to his dismissal. “Ah!” Stammadon snapped as he awoke, and he got down from his throne, groaning and thrashing about, punching large breaks in the stone walls, kicking down some of the columns, and yet he continued to clutch his head in outrage and frustration. “These… memories of mine!” he groaned, but in Striker’s normal voice. Now, he could see memories of things he did as Stammadon, from the day he caused the villain to escape from its prison to the present. “No! No…!” he groaned “I can’t have done all that!” He groaned again, and deep within him, in a black background, Striker found himself arguing with the flaring aura that was the spirit of Stammadon! “Striker… Why must we go through this all the time? I own you! I control your body and you are nothing but a weak speck of misery!” Striker was panting furiously, “You monster! I won’t let you use me like this anymore! I WANT MY LIFE BACK!!” “Ha! As if you had much of a life to begin with! I saw into your mind the moment I took over your body. You knew that you had no direction to take, nothing to gain and only to lose from your lack of abilities and the wrongs you did! That’s why I chose you to house my power and spirit. You know deep down that you have no true remorse, no shame, not an ounce of care or love within you. You were the perfect vessel for me, and I am the greatest thing that has ever happened to you! Now you have all the power you could ever dream of, and those who dare defy us are destroyed!” Striker felt more remorseful than ever, but his anger continued to show, “I never wanted to destroy anyone. Sure, I was angry, I was mean, and pushy, and I did lust to get even with others… BUT NEVER LIKE THIS!! …I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!!!!” “The choice is NOT yours!” thundered Stammadon “And thanks to my living in your mind, I see how creatures like you behave-- weak, spineless, worthless creatures that disgust me! When the final bout ends, ALL weaklings, including you, will be obliterated at the hands of my mighty strength!!” “MONSTER!!” shouted Striker “I WON’T LET YOU!! THEY WON’T LET YOU!!” “SILENCE, WEAKLING!!!” There was huge flash of bright light, and Stammadon managed to cast Striker back into the depths of his darkness and regain control as he snapped awake. He took a moment to catch his breath, and then clenched his fists and chuckled wickedly, “I am the stronger one, and my ultimate victory is approaching!” He let out a huge roar that could be heard all through the temple, and his minions heard it. “Sounds like he’s feeling better.” said En Shi “This can only mean one thing,” said Rai Shi “The final bout is upon us.” Tan Shi snuffed “About time too.” In New Canterlot Palace, their majesties held a huge conference for the entire team, including Swift Star-- Lightning had wanted him to be there especially, as his conference was about mounting an all-out attack on Planet Ainzul. Grand Ruler explained “We have sent word to every Starfleet outlet in the nearest regions of Ainzul. If we require any backup or assistance, they are willing to lend what help they can give, but just the same… we cannot leave United Equestria unprotected either. Some of you should stay behind should Stammadon’s forces attempt to attack us.” The teams agreed, and Lightning then stood with a scroll of his team, “I myself will be going to Ainzul… and my backup shall be The Valkyries of Harmony.” He then looked over at Queen Celestia “…And that includes you, your majesty.” Celestia blinked twice. “But why the Valkyries?” asked Buddy. Lightning explained, “As we all know, Stammadon is controlling Striker’s body. He has Striker’s body and his strength and power, but Striker’s spirit is still in there.” He confirmed this by having magical images shown of past battles where it looked like Stammadon was losing it due to Striker’s spirit. “That means there’s still hope for him.” said Swift. “Yes,” answered Lightning “And we all know, The Valkyries of Harmony have the best healing magic of us all, and that’s also why I need to take all of them with me.” “I see why that would make sense.” said Rarity. “So do I.” agreed Pinkie, but then she bashfully whispered to Applejack, “I don’t really know why.” Applejack rolled her eyes and deduced “Lightnin’ must want all of us so we can combine ALL our powers together. Is that right?” Lightning nodded “That’s exactly why. Stammadon has proven to be a very tough foe; many of our best resources, even our newly usable Super Mode Armor only seem to match him evenly.” More images were shown of all the past fights, and everyone had used every kind of strength they could muster up-- Even Lightning’s Enticorn powers were barely able to weaken the villain down to half strength. “It seems to me the only thing we can actually use against him is the Pure Inner Strength.” said Starla “…Only… we still haven’t quite mastered it out yet.” The others all agreed. They remembered during the last battle-- while it didn’t seem like it-- they all had actually been focusing on their deep inner selves and trying to find that balance to unleash the power… but still the magic did not work. “Don’t despair yet,” said Celestia “I’m sure we’ll all figure out the secret. We just have to keep trying.” Grand ruler nodded in agreement, as did all the others. Lightning cleared his throat, “Getting back to topic…” and he gazed at each of the Equestrian ponies, and over to Celestia. Then he activated the compute images to show a simulation of his theory “…Hopefully, if I can battle Stammadon down enough and weaken him just right… it’s feasible that all the Valkyries healing energies combined with my own, should be able to release Striker from Stammadon’s control.” Even though the simulation showed the experiment a success, none of the others felt quite so content. “When you say “Should” asked Swift “Are you saying there’s a chance it still may not work?” A moment of silence followed, which worried Swift deeply, “…You can say it. I’ll try to take it.” Lightning sighed and said “This is all just guessing, Swift. We’d like to be absolutely sure, but Stammadon’s not like other enemies, and he may be too strong for us to save Striker.” Swift didn’t have to hear what came next. For a long time now, he knew he had to be brave and try to reconcile himself to the fact that maybe his cousin couldn’t be saved… and they would probably have to destroy him to get rid of Stammadon for good. “… I just really hope it doesn’t come to that.” “We all do, son,” said Grand Ruler “Believe me, this isn’t the first time we’ve had this situation, but if it happens you need to be brave.” Swift promised he would try, and that’s when Lightning revealed the next part of his strategy, “…That’s why you’re coming with me too.” “What?!” snapped Swift, and everyone else turned to gawk at Lightning in shock. “Um… Lightning… you want to run that by us again?” asked Krysta. Lightning said nothing; he just gave everyone a straight and strict glare showing how serious he was. Even their majesties were growing concerned. “Out of the question!” snapped Grand Ruler “You know fully well, Lightning Dawn that in-training cadets are forbidden on such missions!” “And what’s more, you plan to take him straight into enemy territory-- right into the enemies lair for that?!” added Celestia. Lightning still stood with that same strict expression on his face, “Permission to speak now…?” Their majesties gawked at one another, “All right, but you make it good.” Grand Ruler insisted. Lightning took a moment to select his words carefully. “Swift has been the enemy’s temple before, and though he hasn’t seen all of it, he can help us.” He quickly held up his hand before anyone could protest, “…That is NOT my only reason.” He waited to see that everyone was giving him their full attention. “Well, go on.” said Rainbow. Lightning gave her a stern look, “…I really think that Swift can play a vital role in saving Striker.” He typed into the computer and showed more images, some of which were recorded from Swift’s memories from the first time he went to Ainzul. Each and every time Stammadon was in presence of Stammadon, just his being there seemed to trigger off Striker’s inner-soul, and it seemed to weaken Stammadon greatly as he struggled to regain control. Even if it was just a puppet “…So you see,” said Lightning “Having Swift come along may just may give us the advantage we need, but it’s vital that the real Swift join us this time, and not a puppet clone, because I’m sure that Stammadon won’t fall for the same trick twice, and Swift’s spiritual connection will be stronger if it’s the real deal.” A long moment of silence followed as everyone else couldn’t seem to find a valid argument with that, but even then no one was keen with the idea. “I still don’t believe it is safe.” said Grand Ruler. “Nor do I.” agreed Celestia. “I don’t either.” added Fluttershy “It’s not that I don’t have any confidence in our abilities and looking out for one another… but… well… what if something else goes wrong that puts us all in danger, including Swift?” “Well then, we’ll just have to keep our eyes out for each other more closely.” said Pinkie. She wasn’t trying to be playful-- she was most serious. “It’s not that simple,” said Dyno. “Si, I agreed,” added Myte “We can plan this out all we like, but… we’re still only just guessing.” Lightning was aware of this too-- even the best of the thought out plans could always go awry, and even though he himself was starting to have doubts, “…I still stand by my idea.” Before anyone could protest, Swift stood up and declared “I’ll do it!” Everyone turned to face him, “Whoa, whoa…” said Spike “…Did he just say?” “You heard me,” said Swift “… I want to do this-- for Striker. Don’t try to talk me out of it.” Even though Lightning himself was astonished at his student’s decision, he looked around at everyone, “…Now what do you all say?” Grand Ruler simply answered “I’d say your student has made his decision-- so be it.” Celestia reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. “You’re actually letting him go with this?” asked Buddy. “Just a second ago you were totally against the idea.” added Rainbow. “And we still are,” said Celestia “There are usually no exception to rules and regulations… unless it calls for it.” Her husband nodded “…Swift Star, you have officially asked for this challenge, and while it is true that we shouldn’t let you go due to your vast inexperience in fighting… Lightning is quite right-- you just may be our best asset to winning.” Swift bowed to their majesties in thanks, and yet all the others around the table were gawking at him with deeply concerned expressions. He just sat back down in his seat maintaining his strong expression, but he felt a little embarrassed with everyone watching him. “You majesties, you can’t possibly be approving of this.” protested Rarity. “The decision has been said I’m afraid, We may as well discus more of the plans to be made.” said Rhymey “Rhymey is correct.” agreed Grand Ruler “There is still the matter of defend our own planet.” Everyone quieted down and Grand Ruler continued, “With Lightning and the Valkyries heading for Ainzul, this leaves you remaining fighters to lead charge of all the defense forces we are setting up should there be a large counter attack from our enemies. Starla Shine, you will be in command of the forces.” Starla nodded, “Yes sir.” Celestia then spoke up, “Even as we speak, arrangements are being made with every neighbouring kingdom, country and village. They are all planning to give us whatever help they can spare-- every solider, every fighter. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are offering their services, and will participate in our unit.” Grand Ruler spoke again, “Just the same, we fear that New Canterlot may be attacked first as it is our main source of operations, and the heart of nations of the entire planet. Therefore, evacuation of all civilians and those non-willing to fight is to be carried out immediately. This way, there will be fewer creatures for the villains to gain fear by and increase their strengths.” Krysta agreed and said “My legion of fairies are already standing by. Just give the word and we’ll do it.” Their majesties nodded, “That seems to be all there is to be said at this point. We have much to do and very little time. All of you go get some training in, and standby for further orders… dismissed.” Almost everyone got up and headed for the dojo, but Lightning, Starla and Swift stayed behind. “Is something wrong?” asked Celestia, but really nothing needed to be said to know the three of them were still having doubt and worry of the plans, especially Swift. “The last time I went to that planet I was nearly the mate of a psychotic pony.” he referred to En Shi “Then again, my only other option was being destroyed.” Lightning put his hand on Swift’s shoulder “I know how you feel, son, but even you yourself see-- this may be our best chance, and we can’t give into our fears.” “He’s right,” agreed Starla “This whole plan is full of risks and chances, and that’s usually not the Starfleet way-- we like to double up on everything… …But taking risks never stopped us before.” Their majesties agreed, but Grand Ruler said “If you want to step down Swift, we won’t hold it against you.” “No.” Swift said almost immediately “I said I was going to do this and I’m not backing down now, and besides, it’s more than just trying to save my cousin. There’s a question of my pride, and my own courage. If I’m going to ever make it as a Starfleet fighter I can’t be a coward at every little thing that comes my way.” Lightning smiled proudly for him thinking like a true fighter. The others all smiled too. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.” said Lightning. The trio headed off, and their majesties watched with pride, especially Grand Ruler. “He really chose well, his apprentice.” His wife agreed, and remembered her old days of training her magical apprentices, which also brought on sad memories, but now wasn’t the time for her to dwell on it. She had some training to catch up on herself. So the evacuation was ready to get underway. Grand Ruler made the announcement to all citizens, using his royal alicorn voice enhanced with magic so that he could be heard all over the entire planet. Every creature from every area was to proceed in line ups into the space warps created by Krysta’s fairies and they would be taken to the refuge planets until further notice. Many, many of the populace complied and were marching their way through the portals. Still some were a bit stubborn. One elderly, senile stallion huffed, “I haven’t been a’scared ‘a no monsters for forty years, and nonthin’s a’gonna make me run from ‘em now.” Starfleet ponies on duty wouldn’t hear of it, and picked him up to drag him along. “Hey! Get your hands off me!” “Sorry sir, but we have orders.” “This is for your own safety.” Villages soon became as silent as ghost towns, except for all the soldiers and fighters taking up their positions to be ready for anything. While all this was being done, Lightning and his team were training in the palace dojo. Celestia spared with her husband. Celestia kicked like crazy, and Grand Ruler blocked each blow with his arm, “You’re a bit rusty, Celestia.” He teased. “Wait until I really get going.” she said to him. And she came at him in a flying jump kick, but he zipped out of the way and came in from the side, socking her hard in the face. Celestia landed on her feet and smiled at her husband, ready for more, much to his delight, and they kept on brawling-- punching, kicking, and firing magical blasts at one another. They even did some swordplay to beef up Celestia’s fencing. Swift watched them wish astonishment, and he noticed the other couples-- Spike and Rarity, and Rhymey and Fluttershy-- sparring with each other too. The other friends were fighting with each other too. Even Dyno and Myte were attacking each other. “You see, Swift?” said Lightning “It takes a great deal of nerve to stand up to our enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to friends and loved ones.” Swift knew of this, it was one of the more basic lessons on courage taught at the academy. He was very relieved though that everyone was doing it with good intentions-- to strengthen one another. “I just wish it was like this with me and Striker.” he remembered flashbacks, “He would often bully others into sparring with him, usually the newcomers, which was already forbidden as they were outmatched by his years of experience. …I was one of them on my first year.” He remembered how Striker was very ruthless-- demanding to have a fight to warm up. “I won’t fight you.” Swift said. “Yeah, because you know you’re going to lose.” taunted Striker. Swift tried to walk away, but his big cousin wouldn’t let him, and even shoved him to the ground. “Come on, kid! Show me you’re not chicken!” “I said I don’t want to fight you!” “WELL, TOO BAD!!” Poor Swift would have been beaten up for sure had the instructor not seen what was going on. “Who started this?” Swift hated to rat out on his cousin, but he told the truth how Striker was bullying him. The instructor was hardly surprised at all and disciplined Striker by having him mop and sweep the entire dojo himself after class. “I’ll get you for this, kid!” Swift sighed, “He was such a creep back then, but I knew why he was. He was feeling insecure about his lack of other talents, and being haunted by bad memories of people laughing at him.” “You did the right thing by choosing not to fight him.” said Starla “It shows you have better honour, and now that you want to help us save him and help him see the error of his ways, that makes you greater than ever.” Swift smiled. “Come,” said Lightning “You may as well train with us, in case you run into danger.” He stood ready to attack, and Starla gave swift a soft, encouraging nudge. So Swift charged at his teacher, and they brawled softly-- Lightning went easy remembering his student’s status. Swift actually did pretty well-- he was moving much faster, getting better at sensing attacks and dodging, and Lightning could feel his strength had increased immensely. While his level was still far from Lightning’s, he was proud of Swift. “We’ll make a fighter of you yet, boy!” Meanwhile, the fighters were not the only ones preparing, Stammadon knew that Kahotake had not unleashed his entire army of monsters from their slumber within the walls of the temple. There were still some panels left deep within the bowels of the temple that housed some creatures, but this army was not nearly as big as the previous one-- twenty monsters at the very most. The Shis gathered every creature to the dojo for roll call. “Is this all there is?” “Yes, Master.” answered Rai Shi “I am having doubts. Our forces are very small when compared to our enemies. I fear we are at a disadvantage.” Stammadon snickered “Your fears are as foolish as you are. That miserable Ka Hotake didn’t realize there’s more to great strength than just numbers.” He then motioned upward at the dark and stormy skies-- all that darkness, all that power absorbed from people’s fear. …Ever since Stammadon he been freed, he had done nothing but gather and gather fear to convert to power. “I think I see…” said Tan Shi “We power them up using all that up there, and they’ll be stronger and more deadly than ever.” Stammadon grunted softly, “Do you always have to state the obvious?” Tan Shi cleared her throat. “…Let’s begin.” hissed Stammadon, and he stepped outside onto a terrace overlooking the dojo. “Now, my forces of strength, I grant you powers of likes you have never before experienced. Accept it now!” He raised his arms up high, and tapped into Striker’s unicorn magic, combining it with his own power-- shooting powerful streaks of lightning up at the sky, absorbing the evil energy from above, and then forcing that power ten of his twenty monsters The monsters began to glow brightly, and those lights began to expand as the monsters all took on new shapes. …They looked like giant, hulking gators-- Huge heads with massive sharp teeth. They were all coated in protective plates that seemed to be a fusion of metal and rock, making them super strong. Each Rock Gator carried a huge sword in one hand, and a big spiked club in the other hand. Ten Rock Gators, each one a different color-- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, White, Black, and Grey, and they all were three times larger than ordinary monsters, almost too big to even fit in the dojo all at once. “Impressive.” remarked En Shi “And maybe we can make them even bigger?” “That IS the idea.” said Stammadon “They will be our main attack force sent to United Equestria. Rai Shi… you will command them.” Rai Shi nodded. Stammadon then looked at the lady Shis “You shall remain here with me, along with our remaining ten monsters. I have one final idea in mind, if this plan should fail. …I always have a backup plan.” He laughed wickedly. (Promo) In our next episode: The battles are on as Lightning and his team head for Ainzul, but realize there is more waiting for them than was thought with the forces that Stammadon has assimilated, and at the same time the villains send the Rock Gators to United Equestria, with their strengths modified again, making things extremely difficult for the defenses to hold. Will either force succeed in carrying out their plans? Don’t miss the next exciting episode of “Starfleet Magic!” (Next Episode: “Part 1: Double Dealing”)