//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Babs // Story: The Draconic Showmare // by HeartfireFirebrand //------------------------------// Apple Bloom was waiting at the train station, she smiled as a train pulled up and several ponies exited. She frowned as she didn’t see Babs anywhere “Babs, where are ya?” She felt a poke on her side, she turned to see Babs smiling at her “Hey cuz, how’s everything been.” Apple Bloom smiled “Everything’s been good Babs, how have ya been?” Babs grimaced “It’s complicated, Ah just need a place to hide for a few days.” Apple Bloom frowned as she beckoned Babs to follow her “What’s wrong, Ah’m ya family ya can tell me.” Babs sighed as she caught up to her cousin and raised her right leg, revealing a massive scar. Before Apple Bloom could say a word, a orange hoof was shoved in her mouth “Ah’ve been on the run for a few months now, a strange filly by the name of Illusia attacked me and has been on the hunt for others like me who possess a trait.” Apple Bloom blinked “Trait?” Babs nodded as she focused a glowing yellow orb appearing in front of them “This is mah soul trait, Justice. It allows me to…” Babs instantly pushed Apple Bloom out of the way of a pink blast which slammed her into a wall. A blue filly with a silver mane grinned her pink eyes glowing “Hello Babs, are you ready to die!” Babs spat out blood as she glared at the filly “Illusia, do your worst just leave mah cousin alone!” Illusia laughed “I can't do that, I need to capture her in order to draw in her sister and thus render the Elements of Harmony, one of the only weapons that can harm me useless.” Babs closed her eyes as the pink blast flew towards her, Illusia laughed "I’ve got…” Her eyes widened as she saw a strange body appendage similar to a minotaurs with a hole in the middle filled with green energy “Who dares?!” Trixie lowered herself from the sky surrounded by six other hands, she turned to Babs “Fancy meeting you here. Now tell me who is this bitch who thinks she fuck with my new home?” Illusia growled as her pink soul in the shape of a glowing pink orb “I’m Illusia, the Goddess of Fear and I will rule all…” One of the hands glowed red blasting the filly away. Trixie grimaced “I was practising my ablities when I sensed a huge influx of power, I’m guessing that was her?” Babs nodded “Illusia is powerful, that attack of yours wouldn’t have killed her. She can regenerate and feed off of fear to grow stronger, there is a limit to it though. She can also created forcefields and has countless other ablities.” Trixie teleported as a pink spear flew at her and then exploded as it hit the ground, Trixie rolled her eyes as Illusia glared at her “I eliminate all who oppose me and bring this world to ruin, starting with you!” Trixie rolled her eyes a hundred of pink fireballs flew towards her “I’ll show you power of my hands.” The seven hands flew forward turning red firing a massive blast of red energy that Illusia barely dodged, Illusia then summoned a rainbow machine that fired a huge rainbow laser. A purple hand flew in front absorbing the attack and firing it back, Illusia was about to dodge but she was wrapped in four light blue strong attached to a light blue hand. Illusia screamed as she was hit by a rainbow blast, she recovered only to see Trixie in front of her “I have never used this before, let’s if it works.” Illusia pink soul turned blue as she slammed into the ground, her eyes widened as multiple as a massive red blast slammed into her sending her flying. Illusia grimaced her torso was severed her intestines laying there as blood poured out of her body, she glared at Trixie. Her body regenerated itself rapidly, but her soul having regained it’s pink colour was almost completely cracked. She growled at Trixie “I’ll make you pay for this, mark my words!” Illusia teleported away with a pink flash. Trixie turned to Babs “Okay, in the name of Harmony how did you encounter such a powerful being? Seriously even if there was an army of Tireks at full power they would have lost to that.” Babs’ eyes widened “Really, then how do we stop her?” Trixie frowned “I’ll discuss it with the Princesses.” She then smiled “In the meantime you should spend some time with Apple Bloom and her friends, you are safe here.” Apple Bloom trotted over with a smile “It’s fine, Babs Ah’m more than will to let the adults handle this.” Babs looked at Trixie in shock “How can you forgive me for what Ah’ve done to you?!” She then turned to Apple Bloom “Illusia almost killed you, how can you just keep going like nothing happens?!” Trixie shrugged “I did something terrible to your family, besides I have been forgiven for what I did. It would be hypocritical of me to deny you that.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes “Do you have an idea how many dangerous near death thing Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Ah do to get our Cutie Marks? Besides Ponyville is weird, it attracts crazy all the time this is just another day for this town.” Trixie laughed “Indeed, in fact that little bitch gave me some ideas for some new techniques. Don’t worry I will take her out one way or the other.” Apple Bloom dragged Babs away as Trixie flew off, after a while the two started trotting towards the clubhouse in silence. Scootaloo frowned as the two entered “What took you so long?” Apple Bloom shrugged “Some crazy filly tried to kill us and…” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo grabbed a pair of paddles and in unison smacked heron the flank, she squealed “OW!” Sweetie Belle frowned “That’s for almost getting killed without us, we know almost getting killed is something we should do together.” Babs looked at them with a mix shock, and confusion “What do you mean that almost dying is a thing you do together?! It shouldn’t happen at all!” Apple Bloom frowned “We live next to the Everfree Forest, and quite a few of our escapades end up with thus in there facing down one terrifying creature or another.” Scootaloo frowned as she looked the list “Aren’t we supposed to foraging for potion ingredients today?” The trio shouted loudly “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER INGREDIENT COLLECTERS YAY!” By the time Babs recovered from the shouting she was being pulled along in a cart by Scootaloo with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom in the cart. After she regained her bearing, Babs frowned as she looked at Apple Bloom “Speaking of which cuz, why didn’t your sister and the rest of her friends appear to blast that creature with their harmony power.” Apple Bloom frowned “The weird table/map thing in the castle called them away to solve a friendship problem so they are not here. In fact Trixie is the only being protecting this town right now.” Before Babs could reply they arrived in front of the Everfree Forest and left the cart by a tree. Babs raised an eyebrow at the cart, Scootaloo shrugged “Ponies don’t steal from each other here and it’s sure to get ruined in the Everfree.” Babs frowned “Why are we going in the Everfree, why are you getting potion ingredients?” Apple Bloom frowned “Two reasons, one I have been meaning to practice some potions ingredients and two we may get Cutie Marks for collecting the ingredients.” Babs frowned at her blank flank before following the trio. The group stayed silent so they would not draw attention, Apple Bloom jumped as she heard a howl. Sweetie Belle screamed “Timber Wolves!” Babs eyes glowed yellow as she summoned a massive yellow hammer that batted the Timberwolves away. The massive wooden constructs got the message, Babs growled “We’re going back to Ponyville!” Her three friends follow her back to Ponyville head low.