//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: The Very Scary Rescue // Story: The V-Team // by Reizthefakebrony //------------------------------// Following Serpent through the caverns, the group arrived in what seemed to be a underground gallery. Multiple voices could be heard from above their heads. The knew to be under the city itself. Zade and his group were recalling the memories of the grim structures that composes the city as they pressed on. Kamahl and Jeska remained impassive while Thorax and Chrysalis were a little bit nervous. "I perceive multiple presences above us. Starlight's included." Zade said. "So that must be a plaza." "I wonder how many SWAT styled and heavy this security will be." Jace remarked. "Starlight is going to be either executed or, worse, purified." Kamahl reminded. "And nobody is going to protest?" Sera asked. "The city is purely composed by purified ponies and are eager for whatever spectacle is going to begin." Kamahl crudely responded. "They had their individuality being sacrificed, remember?" Chrysalis remarked. "My job ends here," Serpent said, turning around and leaving the group. "May you survive your own crazy expedition." "Tsk, coward." Jace said. "I would had said that, but there's nothing much he can do." "How much serious this situation can get?" Chris asked. "Let's find out," Zade said with anticipation while looking upward. There was a stairway leading to a trapdoor. They headed toward it and peered from behind to see what lies beyond it. It was obvious that door was leading to the plaza, but Zade and his companions were expecting a very creepy sight. Starlight was there, strapped on a wooden stake, crucified, along with other three ponies. And below her there was Duskthorn, multiple alicorn Royal Guards and a whole crowd of silver maned golden ponies, each one different and the same at the same time, acting almost like a single entity and eager to start the punishment of the mare. "Damn, look at those ponies," Jace said creeped out. "Are telling me-" "Yes, they are the ponies that Twilegion had purified during the inquisition." Zade confirmed. "How the hell can we save Starlight with all this security and this whole set of witnesses?" Jace demanded. "We don't have so much time to waste." Jeska said. "Starlight..." Thorax murmured sadly. "I'm almost okay with this, honestly," Chrysalis said. "You want to be dead?" Sera said, almost in psycho mode. "Guys," Chris said. "I have a idea." The ponies in the plaza gave their attention to Duskthorn, who didn't made them wait and gave them a proper presentation of what was going to happen to his prisoners. "Those ponies," Duskthorn began. "And their Insurgence had waged war against us and disrupted our perfect Harmony for years. But now, this despicable quest of their own it's going to be finally put to an end. They didn't deserve to die, however. Instead they are going to be purified. Starlight in particular was once a friends of our ruler, so may Twilegion have mercy for her wretched, infamous soul!" The crowd roared in both joy and sadistic glee, something very twisted for the so called harmony they were representing this much. Duskthorn smiled sadistically with anticipation. "Do you want perhaps forgive them for their rebellious actions?" Duskthorn demanded. "NOOOOOO!" The crowd roared. "Then let's give them what really-" Suddenly, a black explosion happened upon one of the crystal infested metallic building nearby the plaza and Chris appeared upon it. Duskthorn, his guards and the crowd looked at him in confusion. Chris looked down with a serious expression, a moment before smirking. "You are one of the demons who had escaped my wrath!!" Duskthorn roared. Without any warning, Chris body became engulfed in a black mist and began to change. His pony form was being transformed into a hulking and monstrous one, with the Soul Edge being fused with his right arm, two powerful wings, giant claws, a lipless mouth with long teeth shown and its eyes are a beady yellow. Armed with this terrifying form, Chris roared ferociously, causing the crowd to scatter around the plaza in panic. Starlight and the other prisoners were just speechless. Duskthorn and his subordinates looked intimidated by them, but then mustered their determination and charged their horns. His horn glowed with black lightnings. "BURN THAT DEMON!" Duskthorn ordered as he and the other guards shoots. Chris flew away, avoiding their magical beams, and charged his mouth. Before Duskthorn will trying anything again, Chris shot a laser beam at them. They jumped away from it's trajectory as the ray was razing in it's trajectory. With the plaza being almost emptied and the monsterized Chris causing some real mayhem, Zade and his group opened the trapdoor and watched the scene with a justified shock in their faces. "Your friend is full of surprises." Kamahl commented. "Did he literally became Night Terror?" Sera asked creeped out. "Show them the fury of SNK Boss Syndrome!!" Jace exulted. "Quiet! Let's just set Starlight free first." Zade commanded. Chris continued his flying laser shooting tactic, with Duskthorn avoiding his attacks and the guards being overwhelmed by it. Duskthorn exchanged some blows without being able to hit the other. As they continued to fight, a pillar of fire appeared in front of Starlight and Zade, Sera, Jace, Kamahl and the rest of the group appeared. Starlight beamed with a bit of hope, but contorted with preoccupation. "Guys! You shouldn't had come here! It's a trap!" Starlight said. "I know," Zade said. "But we came anyway, so who fucking cares." "Let me do the job," Sera said as her magatamas flew toward the stakes, cutting down the restrictions and set Starlight and her companions free, but also causing them to fall. Starlight glowed her horn and made herself and his companions descend down to the ground gracefully. Duskthorn noticed that. "They are trying to escape! Get them-" That was what Duskthorn said before being tackled by Chris and being slammed against the wall. Jace, to put some advantage, stomped his hoof down, causing Duskthorn and the other alicorn Royal Guards to be trapped in cages made of bones. Jace then looked at Chris, who was still flying. "Chris! That was fantastic!" Jace exulted. Unfortunately, Chris realized that was flying, something that he did without thinking, and his vertigo kicked in, causing him to fall toward the ground. "Oh, fuck no." Zade said, rushing toward him. "Here we go again." Sera said in annoyance, Starlight glowed her horn and made Chris levitate at a meter above the ground. As he was put down, Chris' form began to change again and returned into his pony like metallic one. Jeska, who was scanning the surrounding, she spotted a flock of other alicorn Royal Guards coming down, leaded by Stormhide. "We have no time to waste!" Jeskai said. "Zade, Kamahl. Let's regroup." "And get out of there." Jace said with anticipation. "Fair enough." Sera said in a gleeful psycho mode. "Allow me to give them some distraction." Sera unleashed a legion of flying skeletal ghosts that flew ferociously toward Stormhide and her flock of alicorns. Although her group was overwhelmed, Stormhide managed to survive the encounter and shot a beam of devastating energy toward Zade's group. Sera, in response, put herself in front of it and creates a construct of spectral energy around her that deflects the blow. "Guys, the citizen may have been purified but they are still victims," Starlight reminded. "We didn't had planned to kill them anyway," Sera said in a normal tone. "Guys, gather around me!" Jace said. The group gathered around the flaming demonic pony, who began to emit a coil of flames that soon became a pillar flames that wrapped their bodies. "NO!" Stormhide shout, shooting another beam at the pillar, but it was too late as the pillar disappeared, leaving nothing on it's passage. "They had escaped again. Soldiers! You better go in search for those disrupters! They couldn't had leaved the city!" But unbeknownst to them, a pillar of flames erupted in the treasury room and the Zade and his group reappeared right were their ordeal started.