Chapter 33: Cracked Mask
WHAM!
A pair of nurse ponies came barreling through the hallway doors, they raced towards the next set of doors carrying a stretcher with a critical patient. One of the nurses called immediately for a doctor. Pinkie Pie lay motionlessly on the stretcher. Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Cheese Sandwich watched in horror. Moonstruck, Arrowhead, Spike and Hopeful stood supportively by their respective mares.
“She’s going to be okay, she’s going to be okay,” Applejack repeated frantically; sweat dripped down her blond locks and freckled cheeks.
The nearest doctor rushed to the nurses and quickly examined the wounded party pony.
“Get this one into surgery, NOW!”
The nurses rolled Pinkie past a pair of large white doors, the doctor and several other medical ponies rushed in. Twilight tried to enter but was told to wait outside until surgery was completed. The ponies and lone dragon stood stiffly in horrified silence. No one knew what they could do or how they could help.
“This can’t be real, this-this just CAN’T be real; no way!” Rainbow snapped defiantly.
“W-w-w-who would do such a horrible thing? Every pony loves Pinkie, she’s always brought out the best in everyone she met,” Fluttershy sniffled. She could barely control her sobs. Rarity kept hoofing her tissues when needed.
“None of this feels…real…this like some twisted nightmare,” Hopeful held his head numbly; “I just wish I could wake up from it.”
“I know you guys have no shortage of enemies, so, is there anyone you think might be trying to get back at you for old time’s sake?” Moonstruck asked hesitantly.
Twilight paused to ponder. The purple mare struggled to keep her head clear; grizzly thoughts of Pinkie’s fate kept clouding her focus. “Well…Starlight Glimmer did swear revenge, but this seems too brutal for her tastes. There’s always Queen Chrysalis, Tirek’s still locked up and Chimera Khan is well…you know. I’m afraid there are just too many variables and too few facts we have to work with,” Twilight rambled aimlessly.
Arrowhead turned to Cheese Sandwich. The orange party pony had been in a mortified state ever since he saw Pinkie lying on the ground; covered in blood. He knew the stallion was in no state to talk or think clearly, but Arrowhead also knew he was the only one who had the answers as to what happened to Pinkie.
“She just…she…she has to be okay…she has to be,” Cheese stammered. His lime eyes replayed the horrific image of a blood soaked Pinkie over and over in his mind. “I was only gone for a few minutes…wha…what could have happened?”
“Look Cheese, I know where you’re coming from. I nearly cracked when I saw Rainbow get skewered by the Skolopendra. If I didn’t rush her to the hospital as fast as I did, who knows what state either of would be in.”
Rainbow smiled gratefully at her boyfriend. She placed a hoof on his shoulder; rubbing it comfortingly.
“This is the worst possible time to ask you of anything, but for her sake,” he paused to take a deep breath, “we need to know everything that happened.” Cheese’s vacant stare slowly came back into focus. He turned to Arrowhead, he could feel his hooves on his shoulders; trying to calm him down. “Anything you remember, anything at all; please,” Arrowhead pleaded.
“I um…I w-w-was just finished saying my g-g-goodbyes to Pinkie. I was heading back to my party wagon to head back on my tour, and that’s when I realized I forgot to give Pinkie her Hearts and Hooves day present: a Pinkie personalized party bomb of her very own, so she could include it in her parties here in Ponyville. I-I was only gone for at most 10 minutes. When I came back…there she was…covered in-”
“We know, we know; don’t relive that shock again. Now this next part is very important Cheese: did Pinkie say ANYTHING to you? Did she give you any kind of sign, gesture or hint at what happened? Something!” he insisted feverishly.
Cheese nervously nodded; his brown afro bouncing along.
“She was only able to say one word before she passed out in my hooves: Zecora,” he said gravely.
POP!
Twilight and Moonstruck teleported instantly to Zecora’s hut in the Everfree forest. They arrived to find her front door missing; smashed off its hinges and on the ground. The purple ponies entered with trepidation. They found Zecora’s home in shambles: pots and beakers cracked, broken voodoo masks; everything was in ruins.
“Oh my gosh, Zecora!” Twilight exclaimed.
The female zebra was lying pitifully against a fallen shelf containing various plants and potions that were now spilling their contents onto the floor. Her arms resting limply on the fallen shelf, her back arched painfully backwards. She groaned in pain. Her left eye was swollen and her chest was littered with bruises and various cuts.
Moonstruck and Twilight quickly ran to the fallen zebra and helped her back onto her hooves. Both were already casting healing spells. “What kind of sick freak would do this to someone?” Moonstruck muttered.
“Twilight, Moonstruck, it pleases me to see both of you here. My encounter with that wicked pony has left me paralyzed with fear,” she said timidly. The zebra was visibly shaken by what happened. Her hind legs could barely stand without shaking after her friends helped her back up.
“What pony? Zecora, what happened? Who attacked you and what did he want from you?” Twilight asked.
“He was an Earth pony; with a yellow coat and eyes the coldest shade of blue. He put a knife to my throat and said if I did not give him the Alicorn amulet, he would surely run me through,” she explained. Zecora placed a wet cloth to her throbbing eye.
“If he’s got a knife, then it has to be the same sicko that attacked Pinkie,” Moonstruck snarled.
“It’s worse than that. The Alicorn amulet is a very powerful and dangerous magical item. If this murderous pony knows how to use it, there’s no telling what kind of horrors he’ll unleash next,” she said.
“Then we got to find him, NOW!”
Moonstruck bolted from the hut and quickly started searching for any signs of the attacker’s trail. His silvery eyes came across an unfamiliar set of hoof prints heading away from Zecora’s hut, but something was strange about them. The stallion called Twilight out to see as he followed the hoof prints.
“Moonstruck, what did you find?”
“Something that needs your major brain power, Crackers,” he motioned to the prints with his leg. Twilight magically summoned a magnifying glass. “Here’s our guy’s hoof prints. They go in and then they come out…but that’s when things get weird,” he said cryptically.
“What do you mean weird?” she asked; looking at him through the lens.
“The hoof prints just stop. Zecora said this guy was an Earth pony, so unless he leapt like 100 miles in one jump; I’m guessing he flew away from this spot somehow.”
“I suppose it’s possible someone with wings was helping him. But Zecora would have heard or seen any creature large enough to-”
Twilight gasped upon examining the hoof steps.
“This-this just doesn’t make any sense!”
“What, what do you see love?”
She paused briefly at the sweet name he suddenly dropped; her cheeks tinted pink in return. Her focus quickly went back to her discovery. “See the prints just before they reach the edge here? They actually changed, they changed into some pony else’s prints! In fact, if I didn’t know better I’d say these prints look just like mine,” Twilight exclaimed.
“So…wait…you’re saying this Earth pony creep stabbed Pinkie, broke into Zecora’s hut, stole the amulet, turned into you and then flew away? Doesn’t that confirm he’s a Changeling then?” he asked.
“Not necessarily. Changelings don’t use weapons, they would have fed off Pinkie’s love and cocooned her in slime; not stab her. And furthermore, what need would a Changeling have for the Alicorn amulet? I’m certain from how Zecora described him that this attacker is a real pony.”
“Is it possible he changed to look like you through the use of the amulet?”
“Possible but I’m not sure, I’ve never heard of it being able to do that. There’s so much we don’t know about this mysterious pony. Now that he has the amulet, there’s no telling what he’ll do or who he’ll use it on.”
Twilight looked worryingly into the sky. The once pleasant evening had grown cold and bleak; drained of its warmth and peace. She can only fear and dread what danger this new threat will bring about. As much as she hated to admit it, she had a feeling what happened to Pinkie was only the tip of the iceberg and that things were only to get worse from here.
“Come on, let’s get back home. We got to warn Princess Celestia about this right away!”
Moonstruck nodded and quickly teleported back to Ponyville alongside Twilight.
At Canterlot castle, royal guards stood firmly in place with their spears and shields ready in opposing hooves. They were guarding the door leading to the room where Khan’s disassembled armor components were being held and studied. No one except ponies of royalty was allowed to enter the restricted area.
The sound of approaching hooves caused the guards to flinch. They quickly aimed their spears at the shadow before them. “Halt! Who goes there?” the head guard boomed.
Princess Twilight appeared from the darkness. She had a sweet, caring smile on her youthful face. Her deep royal blue eyes sparkled glitteringly.
“Oh Princess Twilight, it’s you. How can we help you your highness?”
“I have a very important message for Princess Celestia. There’s good reason to believe that a dangerous creature is after Chimera Khan’s armor. I fear he’s on his way right now to this very spot.”
“Well we’ve been guarding the armor since this morning and haven’t seen a single soul approach so far. What more do you recommend we can do?”
“I have a special containment case for the armor back at Ponyville. I’ll take it back with me; no one will suspect it to be there. Celestia can trust me to keep it safe.”
The guard looked at Twilight hesitantly. He didn’t feel right letting the armor out of his watch, but then again, Celestia said the princesses were the only ones allowed to examine the armor and she trusted Twilight completely. He looked to his fellow guards. They nodded their approval.
“All right then, sounds like a plan. I should go inform Celestia that you-”
“Oh that won’t be necessary! I already sent her a message explaining my idea before I got here. She’s already up to speed and she’s in full agreement.”
Before the guards could respond, Twilight entered the room, gathered all of the armor pieces into a large bag and flew out of the room; carrying the bag over her shoulder with her hooves. She looked back at the head guard and flashed him a saucy wink before vanishing.
“Hmm…that’s strange” the head guard mused; scratching his chin idly. He was curious why Twilight just didn’t use her magic to lift the bag. Furthermore, he could have sworn her eyes were supposed to be violet…not blue.
Princess Celestia suddenly appeared from above. She landed right beside the guards, her eyes fraught with concern.
“Captain, I just received an urgent report from Princess Twilight. We must secure Khan’s armor at once!” she instructed.
“No need to worry princess. The princess of friendship was just here. She took the armor back to her home in Ponyville for safekeeping; just as you approved,” he replied. He saluted her in formation with his fellow guards.
“Wait-what? That’s not possible; her letter just arrived a few moments ago. Her letter said she and Moonstruck were coming here to cast a special barrier spell to hide the armor. She never said anything about taking them to Ponyville,” Celestia sputtered frantically.
The guards looked at each other dumbfounded. They were clearly confused.
“Never mind, just tell me quickly: which way did she go?” she ordered.
The guards pointed her in the direction Twilight flew off into. Celestia ordered them to gather as many troops as they could and to meet her and Princess Luna outside the castle entrance as soon as possible. Celestia planned to quickly catch up to this thieving Twilight Sparkle before they lose her trail and reclaim the armor to prevent its dark powers from being unleashed again.
“I fear we will need all the help we can get if this pony knows how to wield the armor, I must get my sister at once”, Celestia thought anxiously.
The sun princess teleported to her sister’s chambers and swung the doors open with her magic.
“Lulu, forgive my intrusion but there is a very-OH MY GOODNESS!”
Celestia immediately shielded her eyes with her wings. Much to her shock and no doubt shame of her younger sister, Celestia had inadvertently walked in on a very passionate conversation Luna and Rebel were having…in bed. The punk colt squeaked sheepishly. Both he and his love’s faces were red, flushed and glistening with sweat. Rebel vainly tried to hide under the blankets. Luna’s eyes flashed with irritation and embarrassment; all directed towards her intrusive sister.
“Sister, I have been told there is this trend that is quite popularly used across Equestria…it’s called KNOCKING!”
“Lulu, I am eternally sorry; truly I am! I didn’t mean to intrude. I mean, of course I want you to experience happiness.”
“Tia, why are you-”
“I mean, it’s been over a thousand years; I imagine this has been your first time experiencing-”
“TIA, PLEASE GET TO THE POINT!”
“Oh right, right, right; sorry! There’s an emergency. Some pony has stolen Chimera Khan’s mystical armor. I need you to accompany me and the guards to stop this thief and reclaim the armor before it’s too late.”
Luna leapt from her sheets and quickly composed herself. She informed her sister she would meet her outside with the rest of the forces momentarily. Celestia left. The moon princess looked lovingly to her stallion’s face peeking from under the sheets, his colorful hair popping up like weeds.
“I do apologize for this sudden interruption my darling, but duty calls. I must handle a serious matter with my sister. I will be back as promptly as possible.”
“Whoa, whoa; freeze the static for a tick. Isn’t that voodoo shell the same one that extra crispy buzzkill used to try and tombstone your sis and her friends?”
Luna nodded in reply.
“Do not fret Rebel, we will return to our throes of passion the moment I return.”
“That’s not the beat I’m drumming out here! The other princesses nearly got,” he gulped nervously, “shredded the last time they tangled lassos with that disasterpiece! Whoever this big bad is, he or she could totally blenderize everyone into glue and I can’t shake the feeling that if you go, something is-”
The Alicorn planted a calming and loving kiss upon her colt’s stammering lips. His anxious prattle eased almost instantly; melting absorbingly into that lovely taste of warmth. Luna pulled back; staring dreamily into Rebel’s hazel nut brown eyes.
“Your sense of loyalty and care never cease to warm my heart, my sweet scoundrel. You must remember though that as a princess, there will always be threats that put my life in jeopardy, as well as the ones I love. You needn’t worry though. I have a wonderful, handsome stallion to return to. I will never let foes or fiends keep me from such a treasure.”
“Just please…promise me…be safe.”
Rebel’s use of simple-yet-passionate words instead of his usual eccentric dialog reiterated how deeply concerned he was. Luna agreed and promised him and gave the unicorn one last kiss. Her horn clinked against his eyebrow piercing as she pulled back to leave. The mare teleported away, leaving a worried Rebel Streak staring longingly at the spot where she last stood.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”
After raising the moon and lowering the sun, the royal sisters and their armed guards quickly chased after the fleeing thief. It didn’t take them long to catch up with the culprit. Much to Luna and Celestia’s surprise; the guards were correct: it was Princess Twilight Sparkle!
“Halt in the name of the royal sisters!” one of the guards shouted.
Twilight was surrounded by the guards. She was found fumbling with the armor pieces, pulling them one at a time out of a large bag. Celestia and Luna approached their fellow Alicorn princess. They loomed over her like a pair of menacing giants; cornering her with no chance for escape.
“Princess Luna, Princess Celestia; oh I am so-so sorry about all this. I know this all looks really bad but I assure you I can explain everything. There’s been a huge misunderstanding,” Twilight said; laughing uneasily.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Celestia demanded.
“I know taking the armor without your permission was wrong, but I was only trying to help. I was taking it back to my home so I could-”
“I was referring to your shameful attempt at disguising yourself as my star pupil and fellow princess,” she clarified curtly.
“B-b-b-but princess, w-w-what are you talking about? I am your star pupil and fellow princess. It’s m-m-me: Twilight Sparkle,” she said. The purple princess looked around the area, sweat dribbling off her brow.
“Do not take us for fool’s imposter. The real Twilight Sparkle would never steal something from behind Tia’s back; she would always talk to her first. Furthermore, anyone who knows Twilight knows that her eyes are violet, not royal blue,” Luna stated.
Princess Celestia tilted her head in confusion. Royal blue eyes, now why does that color sound so familiar?
Twilight’s anxious shuffling vanished almost instantly. Her lips curved into an unusual smile, one that was twisted, disturbing…and downright creepy. The false Twilight laughed wickedly. She clapped her hooves together; applauding the princesses’ keen observation skills. The guards flinched reactively and kept their spears ready and pointed.
“Not bad ladies, not bad at all. I’m actually glad you figured it out so fast. I could barely stand pretending to act like that virgin bookworm one minute longer; seriously, I don’t know how you two put up with her.”
“ENOUGH! State your identity and your intentions at once!”
“Well aren’t we a Serious Sally, geez! I seriously don’t know how you old broads haven’t rolled over and croaked yet from being uptight for so long.”
“WHAT DID YOU CALL US?!?”
Princess Celestia tried to calm her sister down. The guards however, refused to let their leader’s names be defiled in such a way. They charged towards the imposter with all spears aimed towards her heart. Twilight placed the Alicorn amulet around her neck and summoned a gigantic slingshot into existence. The guards gasped; unable to stop themselves as they ran right into the slingshot’s rubbery band. The band stretched back, snapped forward and catapulted the guards hundreds of miles away; hurtling across the sky and vanishing into it like twinkling stars.
“You shall pay dearly for such despicable actions,” Luna declared.
Still consumed with anger, Luna ignored her sister’s insistent warning and blasted the false Twilight with a powerful ink blue energy beam. The false Twilight levitated Starswirl’s plate from the bag of stolen armor pieces and easily absorbed the blast. She lowered it slowly. Luna’s eyes glared fearsomely towards the imposter.
“Oooh someone’s got their panties in a twist! Tell me what pissed you off more: flicking your guards away like spitballs or the fact I called you an old broad?”
Before Luna could make a reply, Celestia blocked her sister with her wing. She knew exactly what this creature was doing and she would not let her continue to get under Luna’s skin.
“Did you really steal the armor just to call us out here and insult us, or are your aspirations greater than petty name calling?” Celestia slyly inquired. She knew there was more to this creature than being just a mere copycat. Her horn remained charged and ready; just in case.
“Allow me to answer that question with another question: don’t you two ever get tired of being the all-powerful-mighty-head-honchos of Equestria? I mean politics, summit meetings, saving the world; that’s gotta be just-just exhausting! Wouldn’t it be easier if you both just took a big break from all this?” Twilight asked.
Luna and Celestia looked at each other curiously.
“Yes, you two obviously need a vacation. I think circumstances force us to choose a new leader. And I pick,” Twilight paused to scratch her chin. A green energy flame engulfed her body and revealed her true form: Crowe. “ME! AHAHAHAHAHA,” he cackled maniacally.
The princesses collectively gasped.
“Boy it feels good to be back! I mean, there’s no point in hiding anything now that I finally got everything I wanted,” he remarked. Crowe admired the Alicorn amulet around his neck and the bag full of stolen armor components, “Well…for now anyway.”
Neither princess was familiar with this foe’s true face. He was quite the enigma; an Earth pony using changeling magic and in possession of the (believed-to-be) long lost Alicorn amulet.
Celestia took two steps closer to the yellow stallion. Her unwavering gaze bore intensely on him; searching for answers as to his true identity. There was something oddly familiar about him but she didn’t know what.
“Who are you? What is it you seek, Changeling?” Celestia demanded.
“Oh-ho I’m no Changeling, I’m 100% pure stallion baby. But funny story,” Crowe lifted his green cap with his amulet magic and levitated out a long thin vile with neon green liquid inside. He swished the vile tauntingly at the princesses. “Did you know if you catch a Changeling, skin it, grind up its hide and mix it with the right ingredients into a potion; you can actually duplicate a Changeling’s duplication powers? I swear, I would have totally gotten my cutie mark in potion brewing if I wasn’t, you know, so good at back stabbing,” he chuckled; putting the vile away.
“You…monster…does your sickness know no limitation?” Luna sputtered.
“So, that’s how you were able to impersonate Twilight and steal the armor; that potion allows you to make a perfect copy of any pony your familiar with,” Celestia deduced.
Crowe rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance.
“Weeeeeeeeeeeell not quite, you see, this formula of mine has a couple of kinks I wasn’t able to work out. Number one: I’m only able to use the shapeshifting powers for about an hour or so. And number two: no matter how hard I tried, I just never could get the eyes right.”
Crowe placed a hoof under his eyelid and pulled it down; showing his eye to Celestia specifically. The princess hadn’t had a clue why he was doing such a thing. Once she took a good, long hard look at those royal blue eyes however, it all came rushing back to her.
“No…it can’t be…it was you,” she whispered hoarsely.
All color drained from Celestia’s face. She took two steps back, her hooves trembling with each step. Luna was beyond perplexed. Her sister looked as if she had just seen a ghost.
“Sister…Tia….please! Tell me, what has come over you?”
“Not much, just tripping over memory lane is all. I’m actually pretty giddy to see I still have this much of an effect on her. It really puts a smile on my face. Oh yeah, just one more thing; you’ll love this.”
Crowe shapeshifted into Moonstruck, he was holding the curved blade that matched his cutie mark in his left hoof. A murderous smile formed on his sinister now-purple face. He flaunted the blade excitedly, making a slit throat motion across his neck.
“Really brings back memories, eh Sweet cheeks? What were those two losers names again, you know, the deadbeats I killed to get the chest plate?”
“How DARE you speak of my friends so shamefully! Their names are Trail Blazer and Cage Chamber; know them well for they will be the reason you will spend a lifetime behind bars in Tartarus!”
The false Moonstruck cackled cruelly. He summoned an aura of green fire and transformed again, this time into Amber Pop. Celestia recognized her as the Cloudsdale post office clerk who testified against Wind Rider.
“Oh? So then I won’t get charged for tipping Rainbow Dash about you wrongfully arresting Captain Spitfire? Seeing her hero get humiliated like that was too much! The look on her face was priceless.”
Another flash of green fire emerged. Now, the imposter appeared as Spitfire.
“And don’t forget, stealing the Phoenix gauntlet and working with Wind Rider to frame little old me. Now that’s TWO ponies you locked up for crimes they didn’t commit! Bet that shit’s going to be haunting your dreams for the rest of your eternal life.”
Crowe flashed back to his true form. He barely could contain his dark, twisted laughter. Celestia however was struggling to contain her unbridled fury stewing over this horrible realization. Tears of pain and anger slipped down her face.
“It was you…all this time…everything that’s been happening…it’s all been BECAUSE OF YOU!”
“And I want to thaaaaaaaank you! Without you and your pinhead puppet ponies, I’d still be licking crap off Chimera Khan’s iron hooves. But now that he’s working the graveyard shift 24/7, it’s time to pull the curtain back on my master plan.”
“And just what pray tell is that, murderer?”
Luna scoffed loudly.
“Funny you should ask. You see, originally I was going to hock this sweet chest plate for major bits on the black market after ganking it and leaving Moonsuck to take the rap for me, but then I happened to stumble onto the cave Khan was hiding in. Old barbecue face jumped me and planned to waste me, but then he got all goo-goo eyed once he saw I had the plate. Said it reminded him of some crap he did a million years ago and he noosed me into getting the other pieces to his messed up masterpiece. I really hate to admit it but that maggot faced freak knew where to find the best toys. He’s given me new ideas and new aspirations to work towards…like becoming the undisputed frigging king of Equestria! Unlike him though, I got the REAL Alicorn amulet in my arsenal. He had no idea he was wearing a replica the whole time. After all, I’m quite good at making very convincing fakes…isn’t that right, Sunshine?”
“And how does thou plan on accomplishing such a monumental task alone? We are two powerful princesses and you are but one, treacherous Earth pony.”
Crowe smiled deviously at the lunar princess. His twisted grin was illuminated by the crimson aura from the Alicorn amulet. The armor in the bag floated out and attached itself to Crowe’s body, one piece at a time. A powerful burst of light blinded the two princesses momentarily. When their vision returned, they found Crowe encased head to hoof in Khan’s enchanted armor, but this time, the design had changed. The armor was no longer blood red and silver. The metal shined brightly with royal colors such as gold, blue and purple. The skull on the front plate had morphed into the symbol of the Alicorn amulet. He almost looked like he belonged in the royal army. Even Sombra’s horn and the Diabolikuff helmet had taken on a more crown like design and appearance; a far cry from the demonic blood red form Sombra’s horn had before. The mask opened up to reveal Crowe’s face
“I know…you don’t stand a chance,” he snickered.
The colt’s eyes flashed red and then returned to normal just as quickly. Volcanic magic erupted from below the Royal sister’s hooves; causing a violent and catastrophic explosion. Celestia and Luna took to the skies to evade the shockwave. Crowe disappeared and magically materialized right in front of the startled sisters.
ZAP!
Celestia fired a multicolored rainbow like beam at Crowe. He laughed and conjured up a pony sized mirror with the amulet; deflecting the blast with it and striking down Luna in the process. Luna screamed and collapsed to the ground. Briefly stunned in horror, Celestia was unable to avoid Crowe’s counter attack. He conjured up a gigantic wooden gavel and swatted Celestia like a fly with it. The sun princess cried out in pain and dropped down alongside her sister.
“What in the world…ugh…that felt like a dozen mountains just hit me,” Celestia grunted.
Celestia’s crown had fallen when she crashed; it was just a few feet away from her hooves reach.
THUD! CRACK!
Crow landed with a tremendous, thundering force. He crushed Celestia’s crown upon impact. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were both down and unable to stand or defend themselves against the armored villain. Crowe headed towards Luna first. Celestia desperately called out for him to stop, but the yellow colt ignored her and lifted Luna up by the neck with his magic.
“R-r-r-r-rebel, please f-f-forgive me; I am afraid I will be unable to keep my promise,” she silently whimpered.
“This is for calling me an Earth pony you miserable, LUNAR SKANK!” Crowe snapped.
BZZZT!
A dark burst of energy engulfed Luna, she screamed fearfully in the brief surge of light. She vanished leaving a trail of smoke behind. Princess Celestia screamed out her sister’s name. Tears dripped down her cheeks. The look of horror and agony on her face was all consuming. Crowe flashed those familiar hate filled eyes her way as he approached her.
“There is no time to mourn, every second counts. I have to warn Princess Twilight so she knows what’s coming,” she said.
Celestia tried to lift her wings and legs but none of her muscles seemed willing to abide her commands. She felt crippling pains all over her, the blow from the hammer did more damage to her than she realized. Unable to conjure a scroll, Celestia found a nearby stone and decided to use that to send her message. She fired a concentrated beam into the rock and quickly began carving out a message. Her eyes darted back and forth to Crowe and the stone. The princess tried to write clearly but the fear and shock made it difficult for her to focus. Crowe saw what she was doing but was unbothered; in fact, he looked like he was on the verge of laughing.
“Are-are you serious? Are you really giving me THAT look?!? I mean…just…come on! You’re looking at me like you thought this would end differently. You saggy twits must be really low on the stupid tree if you actually believed you stood a chance.”
Celestia ignored him and continued to carve out her message.
“I mean I appreciated the foreplay and all but puh-lease! You barely managed to take out Chimera Khan when he was at his peak, and that was with your little army of morons to boot. This outcome was inevitable.”
The fallen princess had finished her warning message. She scrounged up what remained of her magical strength and aimed her horn at the stone; preparing to teleport it.
CRUNCH!
Crowe’s metallic hoof crushed the stone like it was an egg. Celestia dropped her head in defeat; silently cursing into the grassy Earth.
“Ah, ah, ah; no pony likes a tattle tale.”
He levitated Celestia before him, exactly in the same manner as Luna. She struggled weakly against his overwhelming magical power.
“Papa’s going to have to spank.”
“I swear on my life you will pay for what you’ve done to my sister, to my friends and for whatever horrible thing you plan to do next. Princess Twilight and her friends will stop you…I believe in them.”
“Oh just suck back those empty threats, Sunshine. I didn’t kill your runt of a sister and I don’t plan on killing you. I got bigger rumps to roast.”
“What is it you plan to do, how do you intend to be king if you keep us princesses alive?”
“Spoilers, sweetheart; I’m afraid you’re just going to have to wait and see the movie like everybody else.”
Crowe blasted Celestia into nothingness; transporting her to wherever he sent Princess Luna. He snickered loudly as the deafening silence of the vacant battlefield settled around him.
“Now then, enough of this coming attractions shit; it’s time for the feature presentation.”
Crowe powered up his horn and teleported away.
GONG! GONG! GONG!
The thunderous clanging of a bell echoed throughout Ponyville. Each gong was louder than the last, attracting nearly every citizen in the peaceful little town. The Mayor, the Spa patrons, even Princess Twilight and her friends were drawn to it. They exited the hospital where Pinkie Pie was resting in order to identify the source of that ringing bell.
“Yo, what is up with that crazy noise? If Pinkie wasn’t comatose I’d say it sounds like her ringing the school bell again,” Rainbow said. She winced and rubbed her ears.
“I don’t think that’s the school bell, Rainbow. It’s a lot louder for one thing, and for another, it’s coming from the center of town,” Twilight deduced.
The ponies collectively looked at each other in concern. The bell ringing didn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Ponies started heading towards the center of town, their faces displayed a mix of concern and curiosity.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Arrowhead grunted.
Twilight, all of her friends and their respective boyfriends accompanied the Alicorn princess to solve the mystery. What they found was far more shocking than they ever could have imagined.
There, flying high in the air on wings of fire in the center of Ponyville was Crowe; wearing Chimera Khan’s armor and banging on a large bell conjured by the Alicorn amulet with his spiked club tail. Though the colors were noticeably different and the mask no longer concealed the user’s face, Twilight and her friends knew that was Khan’s armor. Upon realizing his desired audience had arrived, Crowe ceased banging and disintegrated the ball. He smirked deviously.
“T-t-t-t-that’s not possible! Chimera Khan is dead, we all saw him get blasted into nothingness,” Hopeful gasped.
“No that…that’s not Khan…I’m sure of it,” Fluttershy mused.
“Fluttershy’s right. That’s the same nasty hunk of tin Khan was wearin’ but now it looks like a whole different kind of snake is wearin’ his old snakeskin,” Applejack said.
Spike wrapped his claws anxiously around Rarity’s hooves. He moved in front of her, his natural protective instincts kicked in.
“What’s up BITCHEEEEEEEEEEES? It’s so nice to see such a bustling welcome party for your great and glorious, brand SPANKING new king! You may all bow and began the royal ass kissing for your once and future king; Crowe,” he boasted arrogantly. The colt puffed his armored chest out, flaunting his muscles and his fiery wingspan like a peacock flashing its feathers.
The ponies looked at each other in bewilderment. Twilight was deeply perplexed. She knew that was Khan’s armor but how did it get onto another pony? What happened to keeping it under lock and key? How did it change so much? And more importantly, who was this pony that was now wearing it? Is this what Khan looked like when he still had flesh and blood? Was Crowe his real name?
Rainbow flew up half way to get a better look at this pompous poser. She couldn’t stand it when someone disrespected the princesses like that; especially someone who was wearing the same death suit Khan wore. She felt it was her loyal duty to set this creep straight.
“Hey wait a second! What do you mean you’re the new king? The princesses rule over Equestria pal, you got no right to just waltz in here and-”
“SHUT YOUR STINKING PIE HOLE!”
Crowe’s voice was darkly amplified by the Alicorn amulet and the armor. The sonic burst blasted Rainbow back to the ground. She managed to stop herself before crashing, thanks to Hopeful’s help.
The yellow colt panted irritably. His neck bulged with veins large enough to be seen even from under the armor’s liner. He glared venomously at the ponies; attempting to reclaim his royal composure and imposing form.
“Those wrinkly old sacks aren’t running the show anymore, I am. As for what happened to them, let’s just say I’ve given them new fulltime jobs that make far better use of their…talents. Unlike them, I plan to be a much more heavily involved ruler; real hooves on kind of king. That’s why I took time out of my insanely busy schedule to deliver the good news to all your cute little ‘miniony’ faces in person. Isn’t that grand?” he said obnoxiously.
Crowe landed in front of the ponies and lone dragon. Twilight flexed her wings in front of her friends defensively.
Twilight scrunched her nose up in irritation. She wasn’t going to let this guy push her friends around, and she certainly wasn’t going to let him take Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s places.
“I don’t know who you think you are but I got news for you,” she pointed an accusing hoof towards him; “you shouldn’t underestimate the ponies who took down Chimera Khan.”
“Hey wait a minute, I know you; you’re the pony who helped me escape from Bubbling Cauldron,” Fluttershy interjected.
“And that’s the same guy who warned me about Khan’s Skolopendra before it hacked my face up,” Arrowheaded added.
“And you told me Twilight was in trouble when Khan invaded Ponyville,” Spike said.
Crowe chuckled and bowed.
“Guilty as charged on all counts.”
“Now that don’t make a lick of sense! Why would ya’ll be tryin’ to help us if yer just goin’ to turn sideways and try and take over Equestria?” Applejack inquired.
“So he can get Khan’s armor for himself. He knew we were stronger when we stand together, so he secretly helped us so we could take Khan out for him. He even found the real Alicorn amulet…which means YOU’RE the one who attacked Zecora!” Twilight declared.
Twilight’s words brought a boastful smile to Crowe’s face. He was clearly impressed with her powers of deduction. Crowe approached Twilight. He leaned uncomfortably close to her, licking his lips; eyeing her as if she were a delectable piece of fruit.
“Mmmm Mmmmm, I heard you were smart but hot damn! Now I think I’m starting to see why Captain Convict drools over you so much.”
Moonstruck snarled fiercely at the offending stallion. He shoved himself between Twilight and Crowe; forcing the vile yellow colt back. The Necricorn flared his wings up imposingly.
“You’re not going anywhere near Princess Twilight; not without going through me first!”
“Well that suits me just fine, Moonsuck! In fact, after all these years, there’s nothing I’ve dreamt about more than taking your weasely little ass down.”
“You’re bucking nuts! I don’t know you; I’ve never even met you until just now.”
“Heh, I guess your brain really is out of whack. You’ve completely forgotten about all our history together.”
Crowe rolled his eyes and chuckled. He stepped away from Twilight and Moonstruck, Spike and the others watched him cautiously; unsure of what he would do next.
“Would some pony PLEASE tell me what is going on here?” Rarity dramatically wailed.
Before anyone could reply, Crowe fired a series of energy blasts from his Sombra horn into the sky. The energy particles took on the form of a strange symbol: it was a diamond with a unicorn sticking out of the center and wings jutting from the sides. Moonstruck and Twilight recognized it instantly.
“That’s the symbol of the Horn and Wing Society!” they both exclaimed. Twilight and Moonstruck looked at one another; both visibly aghast in horror. Nothing but dreadful theories swam inside their boggled minds.
“So that m-m-means,” Moonstruck paused to compose himself, “you’re a member of the society?”
“A member, HA, I was practically their prized golden boy! My family was the first tribe of Earth ponies to be allowed to join those Peagsai and Unicorn’s special little club. They busted their backs working for em, doing everything they were ordered to do without question; anything to earn their place. Finally, Cabal cracked the Necricorn code and as thanks for all our hard work, he was going to transform the most worthy Earth pony subject of all to become the first Necricorn: ME! That is until…”
Crowe remained silent for a moment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. His eyes flashed open, he glared scornfully at Moonstruck.
“YOU and your scum sucking, snob parents bought their way into Cabal’s good graces and kicked me to the curb. I was supposed to be given the Necricorn powers, not some whiny diaper stain that was at death’s doorstep. It should have been ME and ME ALONE! When my parents found out I wasn’t going to be chosen for the ritual, we left the Horn and Wing Society and never looked back…well…they didn’t anyway. I came back not too long after to see if those nutcases actually pulled it off. Imagine my surprise when I saw everyone had been reduced to charcoal…everyone except you. I found your tracks leading out of the cave. I ran back to my parents and told them this was our chance to get some major payback, but those gutless turds wanted nothing to do with the society anymore. They said they had resigned to a simple farmer’s life and that I should do the same and move on.
“BAH screw that crap! I ditched those losers first chance I had and dedicated my life to destroying your pathetic existence for taking what was rightfully mine. Eventually, I got ahead of you and shacked up at a cushy place in Whinni City. I found you living on the streets there; feeding off scraps and smelling like roadkill. I let you crash at my place, cleaned you up, gave you food and made you feel right at home…waiting until you were comfortable enough to let your guard down. Once you inevitably did, I paid Celestia a visit wearing your ugly mug, wasted her lame guards, stole Starswirl’s place and left you holding the bag when she came a knocking. You got arrested for murder and possession of the stolen ‘Starswirl plate’ and I got the real deal and not a single soul in Equestria was any the wiser!”
Moonstruck couldn’t believe it. Everything he had been wondering about, every question and injustice left unanswered; it was all finally revealed. This pony ruined his life and stole two years’ worth of time away from him! The rage and punishment he was going to unleash on this yellow bastard would be indescribable.
“And thanks to your pin headed party friend, I was finally able to add the authentic Alicorn amulet to my collection. Don’t worry though. I gave her a very generous tip for her assistance.”
Crowe levitated his signature blade towards his mouth. He used it to pick something out of his teeth; intentionally flaunting the dried bits of blood on the handle. Everyone knew exactly whose blood that was.
“It was you…YOU attacked Zecora and Pinkie,” Rainbow snarled. Fluttershy tried to calm her friend down, but it was too late. The cyan Pegasus leapt off the ground and rocketed towards Crowe. Her eyes burning with a fierce savagery. “NO pony does that to my friends and gets away with it!”
“You can have him after I rip him into a million pieces!” Moonstruck added.
The Necricorn quickly joined Rainbow’s side in assaulting Crowe. He smiled smugly at the approaching ponies. Crowe materialized a velvet red rope set; similar to what you’d see at a dance club or a big movie premiere event. Moonstruck and Rainbow flew right into the ropes but were magically repelled by them. Both were catapulted back towards their friends, the ropes disappeared seconds later.
“Sorry compadres, can’t cross the red rope unless your names are on the list,” he said goadingly.
Twilight quickly moved in front of Rainbow, Moonstruck and the rest of her friends. She summoned a powerful purple colored energy shield. Several ponies started retreating into their homes for safety. Crowe was grossly amused by Twilight’s barrier.
“I don’t know who you are or how powerful you really are and to be perfectly honest; I don’t care. You are not going anywhere near my friends ever again. This ends NOW!”
“Oh ho, ho, ho; you have so got it backwards Princess Twinky…I’m just getting started. But if it makes you feel better, there’s something really important I got to handle before your lips can officially meet my ass; so just take a breather, okay?”
“What are you talking about?”
Crowe flapped his fiery wings; slowly lifting himself off the ground and into the sky. Twilight and the others carefully watched the armored pony as he ascended.
“That barbecued old fart was too much of a spineless wuss to truly master this armor’s full potential. Sure, he could control all kinds of animals and monsters and crap. But there was one species he didn’t have the balls to master, and like any good student, the only way I can truly surpass him is by succeeding where he failed.”
Spike and the ponies looked at each other blankly. No one had a clue what he was talking about.
“In other words…I want the dragon!”
All eyes went to Spike. He felt a wave of emotions wash over him: confusion, curious but above all else; he felt fear. Even inside the barrier, the young dragon felt like death’s touch was inches away from his trembling body. Crowe’s eyes leered hungrily towards Spike, like a vulture circling a wounded animal.
“Just you try it,” Twilight hissed.
There was a merciless coldness to her voice Spike had never heard before. Arrowhead and Applejack stood at Twilight’s sides. The rest of the ponies surrounded Spike; safeguarding him from all possible attack points. Fluttershy, Moonstruck, Rainbow and Hopeful hovered directly above Spike.
“Just you BUCKING TRY IT!” Rarity screamed.
Spike nearly jumped out of his scales at his girlfriend’s intensity. She stood in front of him with her hooves raised, looking more like a brawler than a fashionista.
Crowe remained unimpressed.
“You picked the fight with the wrong crowd, Crowe. I could care less about what happened with that disgusting society. All that matters now is protecting those I love and care about, that and making you PAY for everything you did to me. So if you want Spike, you’re going to have to get your hooves dirty and come through ALL of us!” Moonstruck declared.
A strange, elated smile slowly appeared on Crowe’s face. He gradually burst into an uproarious laughter fit; rolling in the air as he laughed harder and harder. Moonstruck snorted irritably at the yellow colt’s mockery. Crowe eventually calmed down and resumed facing forward.
“I say something funny?”
“Oh yeah, you actually said two hilarious things as a matter of fact…Old friend. The first was assuming that I was giving you a choice in the matter. And the second one, well, that’s for thinking I’d dirty my hooves with more grunt work. I did enough of that while working under Khan, thank you very much. This time I decided to outsource.”
CRACK!
The ground began to quake and rumble; creating a massive fissure like crack in front of the huddled ponies. Chunks of stone and dirt came bursting from below like an erupting geyser. Three massive purple worm-like creatures shot towards the sky, they towered over the ponies with their monstrous forms. Twilight instantly recognized their red hair, pink snake-like heads and spindly tendrils wiggling from their open maws: they were Tatzlwurms!
BZZT!
As the group was distracted by the trio of Tatzlwurms, Crowe materialized a large neon yellow-glowing sword made entirely out of magic energy. He slashed right down the middle of Twilight’s barrier. The conjured weapon split the shield in two; destroying it completely. Twilight and the others were defenseless now.
“REEL HIM IN BOYS!” Crowe thundered.
The middle Tatzulwurm swatted Applejack away like a fly with its massive tail. She was sent hurdling into the sky; screaming for help and vanishing from sight. Rainbow Dash and Hopeful Romantic immediately soared after Applejack before she suffered a fatal crash landing. The right Tatzulwurm spat its tendrils towards Spike, snared him up, turned around and then flung him in Crowe’s direction. The armored villain conjured up a cage with a graspable handle. Spike landed in the cage and was locked up. Crowe looped his spiked tail around the handle like a hook and proceeded to carry the cage higher into the sky.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be in touch. Sayonara suckers!” Crowe cackled.
Rarity screamed Spike’s name. She ran after Crowe; trying to use her magic to levitate after him but failing.
“NO! He’s getting away with Spike, Moonstruck, we’ve got to do something NOW” Twilight shouted frantically.
Moonstruck and Twilight launched themselves after Crowe but were blocked by two of the three Tatzulwurms. One blasted a glob of repulsive mucus-like slime at Moonstruck. The glob struck him down and sent him crashing to the ground, his limbs and wings were tangled in the sticky substance. Twilight teleported past them but was snagged by the third Tatzulwurm’s tail from behind. He pulled her back, spun her around and crashed her into Fluttershy and Arrowhead. The worms kicked up a huge dust storm with their tails and continued to assault the ponies with more boulder sized slime balls.
Rarity continued to run after Spike. She managed to slip past the Tatzulwurms and keep a visual lock on Crowe and Spike. Her eyes left a trail of tears behind; fearing what would happen if she lost sight of her beloved dragon. Crowe’s fiery wings shimmered in the glow of Luna’s moonlight. Spike’s claws grappled the cage bars in a vain attempt to get free. He spotted Rarity down below chasing after him.
“SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIIIIIIIIIIKE! I’M COMING DARLING!”
“Rarity, Twilight, some pony, PLEASE HEEEEEEELP!”
Eventually, Crowe flew out of view and vanished in the darkness of the night sky and silvery clouds floating over the Everfree forest. Rarity didn’t even realize she had been running that far and that fast until just now. Spike and his cage disappeared as well. She could hear Crowe’s twisted laughter echoing in the night. She stood there in the lonely, monster filled darkness; staring vacantly with her mouth aghast in horror at what had just transpired.
Spike was…gone…completely gone. There was no sight of him, no trail of scales, no smoke signals; nothing. No way to find out where he went or what Crowe was going to do to him. Her beloved Spikey Wikey had vanished without a trace. She collapsed to her knees; voice trembling meekly in the dead of the dark night. Tears had ceased falling down her mascara stained cheeks.
“Spike…”
To be continued…