//------------------------------// // Chapter 75 – Typhon // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 75 Badlands, Equestria The Caldera 8:09 a.m. Lightning ripped apart the lands that hadn’t been overtaken by fire and magma. Swirls of darkness, of sickness, of unrelenting storm clouds filled with ash and fire swarmed the skies, blotting out any chance of the sun’s warmth to break through and blanket the world in its glow. The storm began to pick up, spewing torrents of rainfall onto the desert wasteland. Except it wasn’t rainwater. The air and ground burned with the acid and venom that fell from the storm. The clouds swirled around the massive caldera like fearsome serpents strangling its prey, tightening it ever so softly by its throat. By its heart. The lightning fell down from the eye of the storm, striking the caldera directly in its center. Again… and again… And once more. Until a mighty earthquake tore through the Badlands and ripped them asunder. Mountains shook and crumbled, hills were demolished and sunk into the earth, and entire landscapes were ripped from their seams. Jagged rocks and cracks shot out across the landscape in wicked formations, pillars of dust, dirt, and fire shooting up where the land split. The chaos and devastation spread for miles on end, encompassing the battleground Thanos and the Avengers engaged in, and spreading even further than that. So much further. Titanic mountains of rock began to rise from the very earth, creating a sound so ear-splittingly horrid that it would have deafened any living creature within a mile’s radius. New canyons were birthed, chunks of land sinking downwards and falling to a fiery grave deep below ground. The remains of creatures long past fell victim to the shifting landscape, their bones falling deep into the dark and fearsome crevices filling the Badlands. All was a chaotic, otherworldly shift. The tremor was so massive that it didn’t just shake all of the Badlands, but it also shook the very foundations of Equestria. Maybe even all of Equus. Under the light of the ghostly green glow from Canterlot’s destruction—the Time Stone that sped up the birthing process at an exponential rate—the mighty caldera trembled and quaked, the lands around it splitting upwards, finally unveiling its demon. All seven of them. In the heart of the caldera, with the lands breaking open and what remained of Mount Tartarus truly, utterly being destroyed, out came the one born of fire. Out of the fires of Tartarus, of Hell itself, the gargantuan shadow was all that emerged from the earth. Fall did the mighty pillars of rock and stone from its ascension, the dust vanishing and only the remnants of fire and magma burning off of its tremendous hide. From its many heads, several crowns spiked upwards, the jagged horns rising high enough to resemble that crown, that title, that beast. The head in the center, in the heart of the caldera rose up first of all, breaking through the rock and stone that tried to conceal it, ripped through the lava that had warmed it, birthed it. From its mighty jaws, a powerful roar escaped, being so utterly thunderous that it sent a shock wave across the Badlands, ripping apart the lands where its head emerged. It opened its eyes. The twin slits of pure, fiery desolation burned with the flames of a million stars, so red and so filled with unbridled rage and hatred. The likes of which Equestria had never seen. That single head, that single crown rose up and only continued to do so. It was not alone. Never alone. A second head emerged miles to the right of it, breaking through the edge of the mighty caldera and spewing an ocean of lava directly into the atmosphere when it broke free, screeching a wondrous cry to the universe above. Then the third ascended, to the far left and destroying what remained of the caldera. The mighty serpent’s neck dripped molten rock and magma, its maw filled with jagged teeth, lining its jaws for miles. Then the fourth head emerged directly behind the three, followed closely by the fifth. What remained of the caldera was mere hunks of rock and magma, the body of the massive creature finally rising and crawling out of the fiery womb. The sixth and seventh heads finally soared high and above the earth, all of them screaming, crying out, the storm above shooting down lightning and painting the mighty Father of Monsters in blood red. The acid and venom pelted its body, but not once was able to pierce its scaly hide. Another tremor shook the world, the seven crowned heads bending low as the creature ripped its claws free from the ground. Its right palm arose from the earth, bringing with it slivers of lava that dripped and hung from its five claws. The first head, resting amongst the center of the other six, roared and jammed its palm right back onto the ground, shaking the very foundations of Equestria once more. It pulled itself out of the fires, its second arm finally emerging and the other hand clawing at the earth, clawing to its freedom. As the rest of its body was pulled from the fires and rested against the Badlands, a colossal tail ascended from the earth and slashed at the heavens, culling the storm and slicing it in half. In that break, the sun’s light managed to slip through, showering the mighty beast in a golden, fiery glow. The seven heads began to rise slowly, lava, dust, and rock falling from its many necks. The golden light shone behind it, spreading its shadow across the entirety of the Badlands. A shadow that only grew larger when the massive wings rose against its sides. The golden light of the sun made it appear like a veil of darkness washing over the Badlands. The tips of each wing, the ends of each managed to touch the very edges of the Badlands. From the east… all the way to the west… the mighty Typhon was once again reborn. The green light from Canterlot Mountain vanished. And he screamed. All seven of them screamed. So loud that it broke the sound barrier, destroyed the storm, and warned all for hundreds of miles… what was coming. Who was coming. And he was. All four of his limbs began to rise, pushing the vast dragon from the ground and proceeding forward. Every step caused a tremor to decimate what remained of the Badlands. Upon his body, hundreds of smaller serpents screeched and slithered about, their necks connected to his scales, all watching, thrashing, screaming as the mighty Typhon trembled forth. Then started to run. Then sprinted across the Center Valley to the Northern Valley in less than a second. The storm clouds slithered across the skies, following the Titan of Wind as he spread his wings to the fullest extent. All seven of Typhon’s heads swam as his body ran dead straight, to the only mountain he could focus on. To the heart of his rage and hatred. To Canterlot. He screeched. And upon the edges of the Badlands, near the northern border, the Changeling Empire arose from its slumber. The populace of the Changeling Empire gathered quickly, changelings large and small, young and old, every single one of them colorful and alive forming in clusters, taking to the sky, all of their eyes centered deep to the south of the Badlands. At first, it was only the thunderous cries of the storm that had awoken the mighty empire. But after witnessing the earth split apart, suffer through the many earthquakes that followed, and observe firsthoof the seven-headed dragon rise forth from the fires of Tartarus, the Changeling Empire finally took action. But not even Thorax or Pharynx could react quick enough. None of the changelings could when Typhon himself stormed across the Badlands, a journey lasting several miles that had been covered by the Lord of Destruction in mere seconds. The only order Thorax could utter in that amount of time was a call, a single call that cried, “Retreat!” And they did. They all fled the Changeling Empire just as Typhon kicked off the ground, flapped his wings, and took to the skies. With just a flap of his wings, the gust of wind created sent changelings fumbling through the air, dust storms to emerge and blanket the land, and encompass the entire Changeling Empire in dirt. Then he was gone, took to the air with another hellish roar following him. But not before his mighty tail wiped away the changelings’ entire empire. His eyes, all fourteen burning red slits, glared to the only other obstacle standing in his way. A mere town with a crystal castle erected amongst it. Then Canterlot. Typhon roared. Ponyville, Equestria 8:12 a.m. For as long as he had lived, for as many monsters he had helped vanquish, there was only one Stygian never wanted to see again. The one who had nearly overtaken Equestria with help from his very children of chaos and desolation. The one who had very nearly succeeded in besting the princesses of Equestria, the Pillars, and every power on Equus. The one… who lived once more. The one born of fire rose up like a demon from the darkest, fiery pits of Tartarus, spreading his wings and his destruction across the vast, empty wastelands. Even from where they stood, for nearly a hundred miles, the golden glow of the sun allowed them to see just a mere fragment of the beast’s true size and scale. His roars, his screeches, and his cries were so loud and traveled so far that they could hear it. Every single pony could hear the screams from the seven-headed demon and turned to the south to see with their very own eyes… the beast himself. Twilight watched as the monster she was warned about—as they were all warned about from Star Swirl himself—finally came to be. The one, the beast, Typhon stomped forward across the Badlands, roaring with one of its many heads as it proceeded… north. To them. They were out of time. There was no more dreading the time when Typhon finally returned. No more planning. No more anxiety. Only action. The plan… Twisting her neck around, Twilight’s face showed clear panic and frustration when she spotted the edges of the Everfree Forest deep in the distance outside of Ponyville. Even deeper, the Castle of the Two Sisters stood hidden in the foliage. Deep below even that, the Tree of Harmony was safe, hidden from the world and every eye that could only hope to find it. All of which were too far away. Facing forward once again, her mind set on overdrive, her heart racing at a million miles an hour, Twilight Sparkle tried desperately to come up with a solution. After their botched attempt to teleport straight to the Tree of Harmony, Twilight knew none of the unicorns were capable of concocting another spell, especially herself. Twilight stood on shaking forelegs, her mind and forehead pulsating with pain after teleporting such a great distance from Canterlot to Ponyville. If she, Sunset, or even Starlight even attempted another spell like that, they would surely pass out. Or worse… They didn’t have time for that. All they really had time for… Twilight’s eyes gazed forward, to the south, ignoring the approaching titan and instead focused only on the castle. A tiny gasp escaped her, a shimmer of light flickering in her large, twin pupils. “This isn’t the end,” Twilight automatically said, barely even present herself to hear those words escape her mouth. The rest of her friends all turned her away, trying desperately to focus off the massive dragon stomping closer and closer to Ponyville with each tremor-filled step forward. Taking a step forward herself, Twilight affirmed her stance in the face of total annihilation. The heated wind blew in her face and mane, making her appear otherworldly for a mere moment. Just a moment. Her voice carried on, holding that strength, holding that title for who she really was. She glared at the titan. She glared back to the remains of Canterlot, watching the green light from the unmistakable Infinity Gauntlet… fade away. Narrowing her eyes, Twilight frowned and uttered, “He wants us to believe it is, but it isn’t.” Stygian, Capper, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Sunset, Starlight, Rarity… and Rainbow Dash all slowly turned from the remains of Canterlot Mountain to face Twilight once again. They witnessed where she stood, where she stared, where she faced, and who would stand with her when the inevitable followed. The Castle of Friendship stood at the southern edge of Ponyville. Not too far, but not too close either. And within it remained the only other option they had, a solution Twilight had in mind from the very get-go but soon enough… everypony had as well. Almost everypony. Stygian, Capper, Starlight, and Sunset sat back and watched the magic unfold. All that left was Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. Six ponies who all had the same thought in mind, the same intention. They all looked to one another, then back to Twilight, seeing the Alicorn firmly nod their way. Then she took off at the fastest gallop she could manage. They all followed her. Even Stygian. Even Capper. Even the two unicorns all followed the Princess of Friendship right to her castle. The storm only grew more and more restless, ash falling at an increased rate and thunder roaring overhead. Or maybe it was Typhon. Twilight’s eyes shot back and forth from her castle to the approaching titan every second or so, the Alicorn choosing instead to focus on the only thing that mattered, the only other power that mattered at the moment. The lightning in the skies shot across the heavens, even striking the grounds around Ponyville. They ranged from yellow, to purple, to even blood red by the time the horrific roar filled the atmosphere around them. Ponies ran to and fro in a complete state of panic, having already witnessed two traumatic events unfold and now being caught in a whirlwind of desolation. All of which would mean nothing soon enough. Twilight believed that with all her heart, with all her soul, with all her body and mind as she blasted her castle doors aside. The caravan of ponies and one single anthropomorphic cat raced behind her, following the Alicorn as she ran and weaved through the maze-like hallways of her castle, eyes searching, hearts pumping, almost all of them knowing what needed to be done to ensure their safety. “Friday! Spike!” Twilight cried out, racing towards the library and hoping with all her heart that they heard her. To her relief, as they neared the doors, they were opened to unveil the Mark 45 Iron Man armor and a young dragon holding a comic book in his claws, both of whom turned to see the large cluster run past them. Friday and Spike exchanged a quick glance before eventually following right behind them. And when they finally caught up, the doors to the throne room were wide open, allowing everypony an entrance behind Twilight. Spike gasped for air, stumbling into the throne room and holding up his claw to Twilight, asking her what was happening. His words were slurred in a gasp-filled mumble of dialogue, all of which Twilight ignored. Instead, she approached only the heart of the room, the circle of thrones surrounding the large, crystallized map of Equestria and beyond. And upon it, resting over the Badlands was a massive cloud of darkness, swirling and unrelenting, slowly making its approach to Ponyville. Seeing Twilight gazing furiously to the Cutie Map, then to each individual throne brought a few of the remaining ponies up to speed. Those still left in the dark were Capper, Stygian, Friday, and Spike, all of which remained silent for what followed. “Rainbow Power?” Starlight and Sunset whispered in unison, both mares slowly staring at the back of Twilight’s head for confirmation. Twilight nodded only once. “Rainbow Power.” Rainbow Dash’s cheek twitched as she stared at her throne, her hoof rising to caress her scars. Fluttershy stared at her very own throne resting next to Rainbow’s, the Pegasus quivering at the thought of what must be done. Pinkie Pie gazed to the throne with her cutie mark resting on the face of it, a smile finally finding its way onto her own face. Rarity’s jaw fell slightly, her large eyes latched to the throne belonging to her. And she shivered. Applejack held her hardened stare wit her own throne, turning over to Twilight to watch as she approached her throne. All of them knew of its power, knew what it could do. Besting the all-powerful Tirek absorbed with the power of every pony in Equestria, they knew what would be needed from them. They all turned to Twilight. Laying her hoof on its rest, Twilight’s eyes fell, not a single breath escaping her broken expression. She closed her eyes, breathed in steadily, then breathed out. Her heart only ached all the more, but she ignored it. She needed to when all the world depended on the actions they took at that very moment. “It’s the only other power that can rival the Elements, the only other power we know can be enough to face Typhon,” Twilight explained carefully, a way for even those who had never heard of the Rainbow Power to understand what it was, what it was meant to do. She turned to the group for confirmation on that, every single eye latched on her, all breaths held for her. Then a roar shattered the silence. Shattered it into a million pieces with how unbelievably close it was. They were out of time. With her heart in her throat, near-panicking, Twilight shot her hoof out and said, “We’re out of time. Everypony, to your thrones!” The last words came out as a yell, as an order. As a call to action. And everypony followed. Leaving behind Starlight, Sunset, Capper, Stygian, Friday, and Spike, the remaining six mares each united with their respected thrones. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew onto theirs, settling themselves and watching the remaining ponies take their seats. Pinkie Pie bounded completely over the Cutie Map, landing in her throne with a bright an excited smile on her lips. She could hardly sit still, overly-excited for what was to come. Rarity gently pulled herself up into her throne, rubbing her foreleg gingerly and turning to Applejack. The mare hopped up onto her seat, gazing back to her cutie mark embedded on the throne. Then her eyes fell to her right, watching as Twilight Sparkle was the last to rise up. The last to sit down. But the very first to close her eyes. The very first to say, “Let’s do this, girls.” And they did. Individually, they all closed their eyes in unison, thinking only of past victories and blissful memories of when they were together. Every time they were together. Every party, every laugh, every cry, every adventure, every day, every night, every villain bested, every battle won… every battle lost. Twilight flinched at that, maintaining her breathing to focus on what really mattered. Everypony felt that, thinking of every happiest memory, every victory they experienced when they were together, knowing with all their hearts that the magic of friendship was enough. They were enough to face the darkness and light it up. Despite the doubts, despite the pain, despite the scars. Rainbow Dash flinched at that, hardening her expression and keeping her eyes shut tight. As long as they had been together, there had never been a challenge too tough, a foe to great, a monster too powerful for them to come together and face it as one. From the very power that birthed the Elements of Harmony themselves, each mare could feel that semblance of energy flow through them. With their eyes remaining closed, a blissful feeling entered them. And then, one by one, all of their thrones started to shimmer. The cutie marks on each began to glow. Starting first with Twilight’s, then Applejack’s, followed by Rarity’s, Pinkie Pie’s, Fluttershy’s, and Rainbow… The light from her throne shimmered for a mere second… before flickering. Before dying. Rainbow Dash shot open her eyes and gasped the same moment Twilight had. The Alicorn rested a hoof just over her heart, taking in lungfuls of precious oxygen, only to feel that same heartbeat of hers. Only to feel the same body, the same coat, the same mare after everything they had done. No new power filled her, no magical energy to fuel her and her closest friends with the power needed to save their world. Instead, she felt nearly drained of that power, her heart falling further and further into the abyss. She turned to her right, stared at Rainbow Dash’s dark throne. Rainbow did the same, watched as the light faded from Twilight’s. Then came Rarity’s. Then Applejack’s. Then Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie. Every single throne. Every single cutie mark as dark and gloomy as the expressions on their faces. Even the Cutie Map, once bright with a luminescent glow deep from within the castle, was dark. The map faded away, leaving just an empty crystal table. The light that filled the map, filled the thrones, slowly but surely… left. It was as if the life of the throne room was snuffed out, only the darkness of uncertainty remaining. The darkness and the silence. Friday’s flashlights lit up, lighting up the darkness for a brief period. Stepping forth under the glow of the Mark 45, Stygian held out his hoof to Princess Twilight, asking, “W-what happened?” She didn’t answer. None of the mares answered. They all stared straight ahead, appearing lost in each other’s gazes, trying to find an answer but knowing nopony had one. Not even Twilight. So they stared, off into nowhere, into the unknown, searching desperately for a way out. For an answer to the darkness. Only nothing was there. They were all trapped in a sea of ink, lost in it. “Twilight,” Starlight Glimmer warned, noticing the shaking walls of the castle. She slowly backed away towards the exit, Capper and Sunset joining her. “Rainbow Power. Now!” Twilight hardly heard her. All she could do was sit and stare, her massive eyes latched tightly with the dark map. She slowly stared further down, rising her shivering hooves and staring only at them. She shook her head in disbelief, softly uttering, “It’s not… I-It won’t—” Her voice failed her. All voices—every single voice in her head, everything she believed in—failed her. A mighty roar broke out and silenced all who dared to oppose it. The strength of the roar, the ferocity and power of it shook the very earth to its core. The castle trembled and only continued to do so, the large tree roots from the Golden Oak Library swaying haphazardly above. “We need to get out of here!” Capper cried, dodging the falling chunks of crystal that fell from the ceiling. All around them, from the shattering glass windows due to the roar from earlier, to the crumbling crystal foundation of the castle, everything was coming down. Nothing was able to stand. All of it soon to be buried deep below ground. Sunset Shimmer froze at that thought, but quickly shook herself back into action, looking from all the mares still trapped on their thrones, unable to perceive the reality of the situation. Especially her. Especially… “Twilight!” The Princess of Friendship slowly returned to the real world. Every single one of her friends followed shortly after. She heard the roar. Saw the shattered windows surrounding the throne room. Witnessed the trembling castle, the roots from her old home swaying back and forth high above her head. Heard the beast grow nearer. Closer… to her. “No…” Twilight whispered. Everyone turned her way, trying to catch what she had said. Shaking her head, Twilight corrected herself and shouted, “Go! Go, everypony now! Go!” It was a frenzy to escape the throne room. From Pinkie Pie bounding outside to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying as fast as their wings could carry them, everypony abandoned the throne room and made a daring escape to the exit of the castle. Dodging shards of crystal as they made their escape, the only pony to hesitate just so happened to be Twilight. The Princess of Friendship paused just outside the throne room, her tear-filled eyes watching as every memory, every beloved, cherished thought of past adventures, past events, and past happiness came falling down. As did the roots of the Golden Oak Library that held those memories, crashing down on top of the Cutie Map and shattering all seven thrones into nothing but dust and fragments. A large tug on her foreleg forced Twilight away, the Alicorn releasing the tears as she galloped away from the devastation. Everything trembled. From decorations, priceless vases and other household items, everything shook and fell during the massive earthquake. The ceiling nearly came down on top of the large caravan, chunks of crystal falling down and almost striking somepony unfortunate enough to be within its path. The ones furthest down the hall were Friday and Spike, waving the rest of the group ahead. Until a massive pillar of crystal fell between the two, separating them behind a wall of inseparable rock. After the dust cleared, both sides noticed the crystal reaching all the way to ceiling, no room to climb or squeeze through. Slamming his claws against the crystal, Spike tried desperately to push it down, but his meager strength did nothing to move it. “Twilight!” Spike cried, claws pressed against the wall. “Twilight, can you hear me?!” “Yes, Spike, I hear you!” “What are your orders, Twilight?” Friday asked, Spike twisting his neck back to the AI. Twisting her own neck back as well, Twilight noted those who stood with her. Capper, Stygian, Sunset, Starlight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. It would be difficult, but she could get them out. They would be all right. “Friday, get Spike out of the castle!” Twilight ordered, facing the crystal wall once again. “Aye, Twilight!” The sound of repulsors bursting to life and Spike crying out Twilight’s name was all the Alicorn could hear for seconds on end. Even as spun around, faced her group of friends, and yelled, “Group up!” She heard nothing else but those screams from Spike, remaining almost as long as the roars from the mighty Typhon. But they never could persist. She constantly heard that roar plaguing her, haunting her… Growing closer every single second. Until the whiteness erupted from her horn and encased all of her friends into a shield of safety. Then they were gone. Right as everything fell. Heaven fell and the fires of Tartarus were unleashed upon ponykind. The tremendous storm clouds had swarmed over Ponyville, the acid and venom raining down and pelting the homes of innocent ponies. Those still in the streets took refuge under any shelter they could find, unable to look anywhere else except the skies. They could look nowhere else as the shadow fell over and blanketed their beloved home in darkness. Blood red lightning struck the earth. Thunder roared in the skies. And from it, breaking through the clouds and into what little light remained, the seven towering heads screeched out for all to hear. For all to know. For all to look up into the skies in horror once more. The wingspan of the mighty Typhon stretched further than all of Ponyville, the demonic colossus soaring high above the ground. From where he flew, the very earth was ripped apart, the gust of wind following him acting like a powerful dust storm that devoured anything in its path. And once that storm reached Ponyville, once Typhon arrived and revealed himself to the populace, he made sure everyone saw him. His immense shadow flew over Princess Twilight’s castle. His tail slashed at the crystal tree. The Castle of Friendship shattered, falling slowly to the earth as the dust storm enveloped what remained. And within that storm, a light emerged. Becoming two. Becoming the eyes of the Mark 45 Iron Man armor as it flew through and escaped the dust. Within the safety of the armor’s arms, Spike held on for dear life, shielding his eyes as Friday carried him to safety and away from the devastation. That devastation emerged only from the one born of fire. The one flying across all of Ponyville and decimating it in a wave of dust, wind, and fire. Houses toppled over, buildings engulfed in a firestorm straight from the bowels of Tartarus itself. Ponies that hadn’t found shelter could only gaze up in horror, watch as the shadow of the mighty titan flew over their heads, and then find themselves ripped off the very earth, burned to a crisp, or buried beneath a mountain of dust as the wave of death washed over Ponyville. Typhon roared out, all seven heads screaming as the titan flapped his wings downwards and took off directly up into the clouds. The wave following him ended just short of Ponyville, leaving the remains of the town a desolate wasteland of shattered homes, burning buildings, roads pockmarked with devastation, and worst of all… Those who had lived… forced to witness it all. A bright flash emerged just on the outskirts of the School of Friendship, instantaneously clearing away the dust within the vicinity and unveiling Princess Twilight and her closest allies. They all gasped as the dust settled, their eyes landing on the most horrific sight any could have beheld. Their home. A home many of the ponies had lived most of their lives remained as just a remnant, a piece of what it once was. Buildings lay in ruin, fires eating away at those that hadn’t toppled over. The road was filled with junk, the remains of the homes, and even the scorched forms of… ponies. Burned to a crisp. Anything outside was killed in an instant, in a single wave of fire that torched anything in its path. The mares all gasped, tears filling every single one of their eyes, Stygian and Capper gazing to the carnage horrifically. Behind them, Friday descended. As she touched ground, Spike leapt forth from her arms and proceeded to the group of ponies and Capper, pushing past every single one of them until he came to a painful stop right by Twilight. And stared alongside her. Stared onto Ponyville burning away. The Primordial of Disasters screamed several miles above their heads, circling the skies. “Twilight…” The Princess of Friendship breathed in the death-filled air, the ash burning her eyes. Behind her, Fluttershy stepped forward, asking, “What do we do now?” All she wanted to do right there was die. Die alongside the rest of the ponies unlucky, unwilling enough to have been spared. Die with the ponies that trusted her to keep them safe from any threat to Ponyville. Die alongside her castle that remained as a desolate pile of crystal just mere yards ahead of her. Die with every memory, every victory, everything that had ever transpired within those walls, now lying destroyed, forsaken. But she didn’t die. She lived. And she ran. They ran with her. They ran to their families to get them as far away from Ponyville as possible. Typhon roared from above, burning all the heavens and all the earth with just his breath.