Arc and friends retire for the evening. Meanwhile at the capital city of Vengeance, the king sits on his throne. A Demonic Commander approaches!
Arc and friends retire for the evening. Meanwhile at the capital city of Vengeance, the king sits on his throne. A Demonic Commander approaches!
“Report!”
The Demonic Commander salutes! “The Malice Cannon is almost complete, your Majesty! It will be done within the hour!”
King Malevolence nods. “How long will it take to charge?”
“Not long, sire! Lead Scientist Auriel reports that it should only take about thirty minutes. Shall I have the weapon charged and ready for you?”
“No. Wait for the first light of dawn to begin. I will personally give the order to fire when the time is right!”
He bows. “By your command, sire!”
The commander leaves the room to carry out the king's wishes. A dark portal opens in front of the king and the visage of a hooded figure appears.
“How go preparations for the invasion of Equestria?!”
King Malevolence rolls his eyes at the intruder. “The weapon will be operational shortly. However, I don't really understand why you have chosen now to help with one of my escape plans. Where were you several hundred years ago, Dark One?! We both could have left this wretched land ages ago!”
The Dark One scoffs. “What is that to me?! I can come and go as I please, demon! As for the why, all I want is for you to keep your end of the bargain. Even you should be able to carry out such a simple task as this... unless of course you've forgotten our little deal.”
King Malevolence smiles wickedly! “Ha! You're just upset that you need US to take care of this little problem for you! I know how you feel about working with us ‘lesser evils’. It must kill you inside to know that for once you need us!”
The Dark One narrows his eyes. “Do not push me, demon! The weapon you are building is useless without my Bloodstone to power it!”
“True. However, one might look at it this way... without my Malice Cannon, your Bloodstone is useless!”
“That may be true, however this endeavor will most certainly benefit us both! All I want is for you and your demons to leave this place, in return for a favor of my choosing at a later date!
King Malevolence nods! Anything to be rid of this wretched place. However, it may interest you to know that Arc himself is in Tartarus right now!”
“WHAT?! WHERE?!”
“He and a couple of rats are holed up in the old Vile Tribe hidey-hole.”
The Dark One glares at him! Then why haven't you attacked yet?!”
“I'm not as stupid as you think I am! The last time we attacked Arc head on… well, you saw what happened back then. Thanks for helping by the way... oh wait... you didn't! I will need all of my forces for the coming invasion! So, as much as I hate to admit it, I can't just throw their lives away facing Arc right now! Don't worry... I have a plan to kill Arc soon without so much as a fight!”
The Dark One sneers. “Just remember, the Bloodstone and the power contained within it is irreplaceable! I'm taking an awfully big risk here, demon. This had better work!”
Meanwhile, back at the Vile Tribe headquarters, Arc, carrying Trixie, and Shining Armor return to his small house.
Arc lays Trixie down in his own bed and covers her with a blanket.
"There you are Trixie. A full belly with a good night's sleep and I think you’ll be good as new."
Shining Armor uses the blankets to put together two makeshift beds in front of the stove. I sure hope so. It's... rather painful seeing you like this Trixie.”
Trixie nods. “Thank you... both of you actually. I'm sorry to be such a burden!”
Arc sits down on the bed next to Trixie and gently strokes her mane. “It's okay. This is what friends are for after all.”
Trixie nods sleepily. “I... hope I can repay the favor... one day.”
“If you really want to repay me, I would love to see you reconcile with Twilight. We could all be friends!”
“But...! Well, okay. I'll try.”
Arc nods. “Good! Now why don't you get some rest. Tomorrow is another day.”
“Good night.”
Trixie rolls over and quickly falls asleep. Arc walks over to Shining Armor who has just finished with the makeshift beds.
“That goes for us too. We need to be at our best for our march to the Gates of Tartarus tomorrow.”
Shining Armor yawns and lies down. “You don't have to tell me twice. Good night Arc.”
“Good night.”
The trio sleeps soundly until several hours later...
Trixie, flailing wildly in her sleep, calling out! “No... NO! This... can't be happening! Why? Arc? NO! Somepony help!”
Arc quickly wakes up and rushes to Trixie's side. He shakes her awake!
“Trixie! Wake up!”
Her eyes fly open! She is covered in sweat, and gasps! Her breathing is rapid! “Arc?! We have to get to Equestria right away! Everything is in ruins!”
“Woah there Trixie. It's okay. It was just a dream!”
Trixie rubs her eyes with a hoof and looks around, confused. “But... it felt so real!”
Arc sits down on the bed next to Trixie. “Want to talk about it?”
Trixie looks down at her hooves. “Not really, but I think I should. You see, I was back in Equestria, flying high over the land. I'm not sure how I did so but... well, it felt so real!”
“What's wrong with flying? Are you afraid of heights or something?”
Trixie shakes her head. “No, it's not that! Everything was great! I saw every town I had ever visited in my travels again! Everypony was happy to see me too! It was wonderful!”
“That does sound like quite the pleasant dream. So why were you crying out?”
“It WAS a pleasant dream! That is until the sky suddenly darkened with clouds! Then everything went to hell! I again saw every town, but this time they were full of demons chasing ponies down and butchering them! Sometimes very slowly! They seemed to be ENJOYING watching the suffering unfold before them!”
Arc nod soberly. “Don't worry Trixie! I'll never let such a thing come to pass!”
“That's just it! I also saw your base in flames! As it burned, I saw you, Derpy, Ember, Coco Pommel, Shining Armor, your guards... everypony was just lying there on the ground in front of Light's Hope covered in blood!”
“Who did this?!”
Trixie shudders. "It was a terrible looking monster! He just stood in front of your dead bodies laughing! The Dark One by his side, looking rather pleased with himself! He then turned to his demon army and announced that they were to march onward to Canterlot and do the same as they had done to the other towns they had visited thus far! There... there was just so MANY of them! I don't think Canterlot would have stood a chance against such an army! Not without your help, Arc!”
Arc sighs. “Normally humans don't put much stock in dreams. However, since coming to Equestria I have come to learn that the dreams here can sometimes have meaning.”
Trixie again looks to him nervously. “Do... do you think my dream was important?”
“Perhaps... or it could have just been your mind working overtime from the events of the past several days. I hope it's the latter, but I think we should get back to Equestria as soon as possible, just to be sure!”
Arc looks at Trixie's face closely. She seems to be terrified at the thought of what she has just witnessed!
“You should try and get some more sleep, Trixie. If there really is trouble, we're going to need all the strength we can muster!”
Trixie starts to cry. “I… I can’t!”
Arc nods. “I know it's not going to be easy but...”
Trixie leans forward and wraps her front hooves around Arc, crying! “NO! When I close my eyes now, all I see is you lying there... DEAD! I know it was just a dream! I know things are probably just fine back home! And I know I haven't known you for very long but...”
Trixie squeezes Arc tighter!
“...I don't know if I could go on without you! You've done more for me than ANYPONY else ever has!”
“That's… very sweet of you Trixie. While I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, I know you would be okay without me. You are stronger than even you know! Never forget that, as Equestria will soon have need of every hero!”
“Arc? What... do you mean?
“I... don't know. It's really just a feeling I have. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I'd rather be prepared.”
Arc gently pushes Trixie back onto the pillow.
“Now please... you need to rest. I want my friend to recover properly after all. Don't worry. I'll sit here with you if you would like.”
Trixie nods. “Thank you... I’d like that.
Arc leans his back against the wall and gently strokes Trixie's mane. She lays back and slowly closes her eyes and falls back to sleep with a smile on her face. He smiles down at Trixie.
“The things I do for my friends...”
Arc himself falls asleep stroking Trixie. He awakens the next morning to the sounds of Shining Armor moving around.
“Ah... it does feel good to be well rested!”
Shining Armor stretches before getting up.
“Arc?”
He quickly spots Arc sitting on the bed next to Trixie.
“Arc, what's going on?”
“Trixie had quite the bad dream last night. I told her I’d stay by her side and keep her safe. How about you? Sleep well?”
“I guess so. It had been quite some time since I had a good night's sleep. And while I would love to rest a little longer, we should probably get out of this place!”
Arc nods. “I agree. Can you stay here with Trixie for a bit? I'm going to head over to the wall and see if there has been any change over in Vengeance.”
“Sure!”
Arc leaves the house and heads for the wall.
“What's that sound?”
Shrugging, Arc continues to the wall and picks up the spyglass from yesterday.
“Now... let's see here... that weird tarp is still there... the troops are still stationed in front of the Gates of Vengeance... but where is that humming sound coming from?”
Arc checks the path to the Gates of Tartarus. It is clear. The only thing to catch his eye is a crate on the ground near the Gates of Tartarus with what appears to be a scroll on it.
“Great. Now the king is sending me letters! I wonder what he put in that crate though...”
Arc heads back to his house. Trixie is just waking up. She sleepily looks over to him.
“Arc? Is everything all right?”
“I... don't know. Things over at the capital seem to be unchanged from last night. The only real difference is now there is some kind of a note sitting on a crate at the Gates of Tartarus.”
Shining Armor looks over. “So, what should we do?”
“I'm thinking I need to get the two of you out of Tartarus, then I can investigate what the Demon King is up to.”
Arc turns to Trixie.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
“I’m still feeling a bit drained, but don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”
“Good. Don't worry Trixie! You can rest some more when we get out of Tartarus in the Vile Tribe's new village. Oh, and they have ‘pony food’ there too.”
Trixie smiles sleepily. “Looking forward to it.”
“Alright. Let's get going!”
Shining Armor and Arc both put on their armor. Arc leads the pair out of the Vile Tribe's former hideout and closes the gates with his magic.
Shining Armor looks around. “Any idea what that sound is?”
Trixie pricks up her ears. “I don't remember hearing it from inside the house.”
Arc turns to Trixie and Shining Armor. “I'm not sure, but you can bet the demons are somehow behind it! Stay alert, stay close, and we may yet make it out of here alive!”
They head toward the Gates of Tartarus. Arc walks over to the crate and plucks the scroll off of it.
“Now... let's see what the king of slime has to say.”
Arc opens the scroll and reads aloud...
To Arc... the human I love to hate,
Do not move from that spot if you and your friends wish to live! You have no doubt heard the hum of my latest project from your former home with the cowardly Vile Tribe. I sincerely hope that the suspense of wondering what I am up to will kill you! However, I don't really have the time to wait for such a glorious day to come! If you would be so kind as to look toward the capital city, your dullard mind may yet be able to figure out my plan.
I call it the Malice Cannon. Catchy, huh?! You being a lesser creature, let me explain to you the overwhelming genius behind my current plan. The hum you are currently hearing is the sound of the stored magical energy in the power cells of the weapon having reached full power. Now, the weapon is powered by a rather interesting little gem called the “Bloodstone”. It was “donated” to this project by a mutual friend of ours, The Dark One. He claims it will give the Malice Cannon the extra “kick” it needs to be able to breach the barrier and allow my demons and I to lay waste to Equestria! Ah... happy days ahead... for US anyways. Heh, heh, heh!
Now, you may be wondering why The Dark One would bother helping us demons. Especially after all these long years of silence. The truth is... I DON'T REALLY CARE! The only thing he wants in return is for me to kill ponies! It shouldn't prove too difficult a task, considering I have my cannon aimed right at you and your disgusting “friends”! This will be a day long remembered! It will see the end of Equestria's “illustrious” Hero of Light, and it will soon see the end of everything you hold dear! Ah, I wish I could keep you alive just long enough to watch me tear out the entrails of the princesses... and make stew out of them! The Dark One has cautioned me against such vain action, and as much as I hate to admit it... he's right.
However, never let it be said the I am not completely without mercy. If you would like I will allow the two ponies in your company to leave Tartarus now and return to Canterlot and report your demise and the coming demon invasion. Should you yourself try to pass the crate on the ground, I will fire immediately, killing all three of you! As you can see, as usual I have thought of everything! There is no escape for you this time! Our rivalry will end today HERE AND NOW! As you read this, I am safely hidden away watching you intently, as I don't want to miss even a moment of you current suffering and ultimately your demise!
Now... be a good little maggot and tell your little friends goodbye. I have patience, but don't push it!
Your Arch Enemy,
The Mighty and Terrible King Malevolence
P.S. Pay no attention to the crate this note was on!
Arc and company look toward the city. They see the tarp has been removed and a rather large cannon is visible! It is aimed at the Gates of Tartarus, and at them!
Shining Armor looks to Arc. “Is he... serious?”
Trixie shakes her head. “What an awful individual the king must be!”
“You're right Trixie. However, the Royal Pain would only see that as a compliment. In any case, I don't think he's bluffing. The two of you should get to the relative safety of beyond the gate.”
“But what about you?!”
“You heard what he wrote. There's not really any way out of this for me. It's okay! As long as my friends make it out, I can die happy. Now please... go, both of you. Don't worry about me. Just tell the princesses what happened here today!”
Trixie runs up to Arc and throws her hooves around him as he kneels down! “Oh Arc! Please... no! There has to be another way! We can think of something together! If we put our heads together, I'm sure we can!”
Arc puts his arms around Trixie to return the embrace. “Sorry. Not this time my friend. Methinks the king has finally done it. If you would... I would love if you would see me off... with a smile.”
Trixie begins to cry. She buries her face in Arc's chest and holds him tightly!
Shining Armor walks up to Trixie and Arc. “Are you sure about this Arc? Is there really NOTHING to be done?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nothing I can think of, short of asking the Demon King himself I mean.”
Trixie raises her head and looks at Arc with tear-filled eyes. “But, he's safely in the capital city! There's just no way for us to reach him through his demon army!”
Arc shakes his head. “Oh, I doubt that...”
He gently pushes Trixie back and looks towards the capital.
“Trixie, you said the king is safely in the capital city. I disagree with that.”
Trixie looks confused. “What do you mean?”
“I'll show you.”
Arc kneels down in front of the crate.
“...you're in the crate aren't you, King Malevolence?”
A few moments pass.
Shining Armor rolls his eyes. “Come on, Arc! I'm sure the king is smarter than THAT!”
A rustling can be heard from within the crate. A moment later the top opens and the Demon King's head pokes out. He is still miniature size.
“How did you know I was in the crate human?! It wasn't in the note!”
Arc rolls his eyes. “It was just a lucky guess.”
He turns to Trixie and Shining Armor.
“Meet the leader of the demons you two... King Malevolence.”
Trixie narrows her eyes, looking skeptical. “You can't be serious.”
Shining Armor looks over, amazed! “THIS is the mastermind behind the denizens of Tartarus!”
“Yes, you miserable insect! Before this day is done, all of Equestria will bow at my command!”
Arc folds his arms over his chest. “I don't know what's more laughable. You still being shrunk down, or the fact you think that you're my arch enemy.”
Trixie and Shining Armor look to each other confused before they collapse to the ground in wild hysterics!
“What is so amusing?!”
Trixie rolls on the ground, laughing! “You are!”
Shining Armor lies on the ground, holding his sides laughing! “The King of all Demons is a foot and a half tall?!”
King Malevolence growls! “Thanks to Arc, yes! Now straighten up and show some respect, worms!”
Arc looks back at King Malevolence and shrugs. “Eh. Just let them get it out of their system so we can continue our conversation.”
King Malevolence mutters indignantly! After a few more minutes of laughter and guffawing Trixie and Shining Armor are able to compose themselves.
Arc sighs. “If you two are finished...”
Trixie stands up. “Sorry Arc. If he wasn't so evil, he might be considered cute at that size!”
Shining Armor frowns. “There's nothing cute about a worm Trixie! Remember, this demon still wants to kill us all!”
King Malevolence nods. “Mostly just Arc! The rest of Equestria and the princesses are just a bonus!”
“Come on King Malevolence! You and I both know you can't trust The Dark One! He'll discard you the moment you're no longer necessary!”
“Unlikely! He needs me!”
Shining Armor shakes his head. “Right now he does. What about tomorrow? Or next week even!”
Trixie snickers! “Twilight's pet dragon is bigger than you are!”
“Mayhap, my little hooved appetizer. I'm sure I can find a unicorn somewhere who can return me to my normal size in Equestria... that is, before I slay them all!”
King Malevolence pulls a small remote control out of the crate.
“In any case... with this remote I can fire the Malice Cannon anytime I want! Now, why don't you horses finish saying goodbye and let me have my fun?!”
Shining Armor rolls his eyes. “For a ruler, your pretty dim. That would destroy you too!”
King Malevolence laughs! “HAH! Shows how much YOU know! The Bloodstone is an evil power source! Its power would have no effect on a demon as evil as I am!”
“How do you figure that?”
“Simple. The Dark One told me so.”
Shining Armor shakes his head. “And you believed him?!”
King Malevolence nods. “Yes! He's on my side now!”
“Are you kidding me?! He's just going to betray you eventually! Maybe sooner than later.”
King Malevolence holds up the remote. “If it means being rid of you Arc, I'll take that chance!”
The king looks over at Trixie and Shining Armor.
“Last chance you two! Leave or die with Arc!”
Trixie looks defiantly at King Malevolence. “Fine! Then I choose to stay!
“What?! No Trixie! You and Shining Armor leave right now!”
Trixie shakes her head, fervently! “No Arc! You've always been there for Equestria when it needed you! And... when I needed you... did you leave ME? No! I... I won't let you die alone! We'll face this new threat together!”
Arc looks to Shining Armor. “Any chance you could talk some sense into Trixie for me?”
Shining Armor nods. “I think maybe I can.”
He walks between Arc and Trixie.
“Don't waste your breath Shining Armor! I'm not going ANYWHERE!!!”
Shining Armor lowers his head as his horn glows. “Oh yes you are!”
He uses his magic to blast Trixie with a powerful telekinesis spell! Before she can react, she is thrown through the Gates of Tartarus and lands on the Equestrian side!
Trixie stands up and runs back toward the barrier, angrily! “Shining Armor! Why you...”
She crashes into the barrier and stops dead in her tracks.
“What the...?”
Arc turns to her. “You're sorry for your crimes, so the barrier let you out. It won't let an innocent return here though.”
Shining Armor sighs. “Sorry Trixie, but I wanted you to live!”
He turns and plants his hooves firmly as he faces the Demon King.”
“I've got your back to the end Arc!”
Arc nods. “That's very kind of you Shining Armor, but I can't let you do that.”
Arc quickly raises a hand to throw Shining Armor through the barrier to join Trixie! Shining Armor casts a counter spell and blocks Arc's attempt!
“Sorry Arc, but I can't let you do the same to me. My own magic is a LOT stronger than yours! I was ready for that!”
King Malevolence shakes his head. “You fool! By staying here you will only ensure your own demise!”
“You're wrong King Malevolence! I'm going to stay here and protect Equestria with my magic!”
Trixie slams her hooves against the barrier in vain, screaming! NO! ARC... SHINING ARMOR... GET OUT OF THERE!!!”
King Malevolence laughs! “You just don't get it! NOTHING can block... THIS!”
The king pushes the button and the hum from Vengeance suddenly becomes a higher pitched whine. Shining Armor uses his magic to put up a Magic Barrier! Trixie hits the barrier over and over again, in tears, screaming!
“NO!!!”
As the Malice Cannon fires, King Malevolence is slammed against Shining Armor's Magic Barrier by the blast and summarily knocked out of the way as the brave unicorn strains to maintain his spell!
“Have... to... hold... it...”
Arc rushes up to Shining Armor and points his hands toward the failing barrier! A stream of magical energy bursts forth to strengthen it!
“We can do this, Shining Armor! Don't give up!”
Dust from the dark weapon’s blast crashing against the shield obscures Trixie's view of the unfolding events as a loud explosion resounds! A few moments later deafening silence ensues.
Trixie presses her face against the barrier, screaming for her friends! ARC! SHINING ARMOR! ARE YOU OKAY?! SAY SOMETHING ALREADY!
Silence.
Trixie’s body slides down the barrier. She lands on the ground and covers her face with her hooves as the tears begin to fall freely.
“No... Arc... Shining Armor... my friends... why...?”
Slowly the dust begins to clear and Trixie can again see through the barrier. After a few more minutes she can make out two figures lying on the ground nearby!
“Arc! Shining Armor! Please be okay!”
Arc moves a bit.
Trixie looks toward him excitedly! “Arc! You're okay!”
Arc stands up slowly. Grabbing Shining Armor's front hoof and throwing it over his shoulder he drags the unconscious unicorn through the barrier.
“Okay, come on big fella!”
He lays Shining Armor down on the ground. Trixie looks over as Arc checks Shining Armor for a pulse.
“Arc, is he... okay?!”
Arc nods. “Yes. His pulse is steady and he's breathing normally. I think he just needs a good long nap.”
Trixie places her hooves on Shining Armor's chest and lets out a sigh of relief!
“Oh thank Celestia! I mean... I'm happy you're okay as well Arc! Sorry I'm not very good at this friendship stuff.”
“It's okay. I know what you meant. Can you do me a favor and stay here with Shining Armor for a bit?”
Trixie looks up at Arc, confused. “Yes, but where will you be?”
Arc turns back toward the Gates of Tartarus and runs toward them!
“Finishing this fight!”
He easily passes through the barrier and runs up to King Malevolence! Grabbing the king roughly he pulls the tiny tyrant up to his face!
“Okay, you piece of filth! Give me the Bloodstone!”
King Malevolence chuckles weakly. “Fool... it's in the Malice Cannon. The weapon will be charged and ready to fire again in about twenty minutes. There's not enough time for you to stop it! Just accept it! Equestria has lost! You've all lost!
He throws the king down “No! I'll stop you!”
Arc charges up his magic a few seconds and vanishes!
Trixie looks around for her friend. “Arc? Where did you go?”
Arc reappears on top of the barrel of the Malice Cannon! Running down the length of it, his eyes dart back and forth looking for some kind of clue regarding the location of the Bloodstone! He hops off the weapon's barrel onto a nearby catwalk and turns to some demons!
“Where is the Bloodstone?!”
The demons all flee in terror.
Arc rolls his eyes as he jumps off the catwalk onto the ground below. “Of course they would run!”
He spots a small building at the far end of the Malice Cannon that has in inordinate amount of cables coming out of it! A loud humming can be heard growing in intensity.
Arc nods to himself. “That's a good enough place as any to start.”
He runs as fast as he can across the open land toward the outbuilding. Demons, both military looking and otherwise, flee in terror at his approach! Arc reaches the building and finds the door locked. Grabbing the doorknob tightly he quickly rips the door off its hinges and charges inside! The room is filled with many terrified looking demons at various control panels. They appear too afraid to move, even if Arc was not blocking the only exit!
“Give me the Bloodstone... NOW!!!”
The demon in charge, a humanoid female, looks over to him fearfully! If not for the pointed ears, long bushy tail which at first glance might appear to actually be fire, red skin, bat-like wings, the fact she is actually wearing clothes under her lab coat, fingers that look very similar to claws, and green eyes that are a mix between a human and a pony except the whites are black, she would look almost human! She is roughly two-thirds the size of Arc. pointing shakily at a small door on the central console, she addresses him.
“It... it's in there!”
Arc walks over to the panel. “So give it to me already!”
“I can't!”
Arc calls forth the Spear of Righteousness from his ring, angrily! “Say that again!”
“No! I really can't! The Malice Cannon is beyond the point of no return! If we remove the Bloodstone now, the whole thing will explode!”
Arc returns his spear to the ring and sighs. “Fine! The rest of you get out of here now!”
He steps aside. The demons are only too happy to obey! Ss they run out the door Arc turns to the demon scientist who appears terrified!
“What's your name?”
Her knees knock as she looks up to him. “A... Auriel. I'm the Lead Scientist here.”
“My name's Arc! Tell me then, Auriel... how do I get everyone away from this accursed weapon?”
Auriel looks at him, confused. “That red button on the wall will signal everyone in the area to evacuate, but why?”
Arc turns and pushes the button from across the room with his magic! An alarm klaxon can be heard going off everywhere! He turns back to her!
“How do we know when everyone is evacuated?!”
Auriel gestures to a console nearby. “I can check the security feed to make sure the area is completely deserted.”
“Do it!”
Auriel does so. A few minutes later she looks up.
“It looks like everyone has made it to safety now! You and I are the only ones left!”
Arc turns and walks over to the compartment where the Bloodstone is stored.
“Good.”
Auriel looks at him with a horrified expression on her face! “Wh-what are you going to do?! If you take the Bloodstone out now, the Malice Cannon will overload and explode in a matter of seconds!"
Arc opens the panel and looks at the Bloodstone. “That's the plan.”
“Are you insane?! There's no way either of us will survive the blast!”
He charges up his magic and reaches for the Bloodstone. “Come with me! I'll get us both to safety!”
Auriel looks both nervous and skeptical at the same time!
Arc hold out a gauntlet toward Auriel. “Stay here or come with me! It's not a hard choice, Auriel! Come on!”
Against her better judgment Auriel runs to Arc.
“What do I have to do?! I don't want to die here!”
“Give me a hug!”
“WHAT?!”
“There's no time! Just do it!”
Auriel wraps her arms around Arc's midsection. He reaches over and pulls the Bloodstone out of its cradle! The hum quickly becomes a high-pitched whine as the circuits begin to overload!
Arc clutches the Bloodstone tightly! He wraps both arms around Auriel and casts a spell using the magic he had charged up a few moments ago!
“Here we go!”
A second later Arc and Auriel reappear in front of the Gates of Tartarus! Arc releases his grip on her and the two of them look up just in time to see the Malice Cannon explode! The energy it had contained is released in all directions! Auriel looks away from the capital, sadly. She sees the Demon King lying on the ground injured!
“Y-your Majesty?!”
Auriel runs over to King Malevolence as Arc looks at the Bloodstone in his gauntlet, weakly.
“That... was... close...”
Arc collapses to his knees, lacking the energy to stand!
Trixie looks up from Shining Armor! “Arc! You can make it! I know you can!”
“So... close. So... tired...”
Returning his armor to the Magic Ring to lessen his burden, Arc begins to slowly crawl toward Trixie and safety. Auriel kneels down next to King Malevolence.
“Sir! What happened?! Did the human do this to you?!”
King Malevolence weakly shakes his head. “No... The Dark One lied to me. The power of the Malice Cannon... I wasn't immune to its power. Don't worry Auriel, I’ll be fine…”
The king looks over to the capital, then back at Auriel.
“What of the Bloodstone?”
Auriel hangs her head in shame. “My apologies sir. The human took it.”
The king raises his head. He sees Arc using all of his strength to crawl towards the Gates of Tartarus before turning back to Auriel.
“Auriel, I need you to do something for me!”
“What is it?”
“Take the knife from my belt.”
“You mean your great-sword?”
King Malevolence chuckles. “Well, it's a knife now!”
Auriel does so.
“Now use it and kill the human! Kill Arc and bring me the Bloodstone! With its power we may yet turn the tables and win out against Equestria!”
Auriel holds the knife in her shaking hands! “I... I don't think I can do that!”
King Malevolence nods to her. “You can do this Auriel. I have faith in you! Go!”
Auriel takes the knife and walks over to Arc. She stands between him and the safety of Equestria! Kicking him over onto his back she falls to her knees in front of him, knife raised!
Trixie looks over to Auriel, angrily! “Leave him alone, demon! Hasn't your kind brought enough suffering already?!”
Auriel shakes her head, uncertain of what to do. “I'm sorry for this, human.”
Arc looks up and speak weakly. “Can you do me one favor?”
“A… favor?”
“Throw the Bloodstone... through the... Gates. Keep it away... from the Demon King.”
Auriel shakes her head! “What?! But the king needs the Bloodstone to destroy the barrier and free everyone!"
“That's... not all... he will destroy. Kill me... if you must... but please... don't let the Bloodstone... fall into his... claws!”
Arc appears to be using every last ounce of his remaining energy just to remain conscious!
“But... I... I can't!”
Auriel holds her head in her hands!
“I... I don't know what to do!”
Trixie futilely bashes the barrier with her hooves again! She looks to Auriel, tears in her eyes! “Please... I'm begging you... don't hurt him! Equestria needs him! I need my friend!”
Auriel looks over at Trixie and then back at Arc as he loses consciousness. The Bloodstone falls out of his hand.
Auriel looks to the knife in her hand with renewed determination! “I guess there's only one thing I can do...”
She raises the knife above her head.
Trixie screams as the tears again pour forth! “NO! ARC! WAKE UP!”
Auriel is frozen in place. She appears unable to move for quite some time! Suddenly, she brings her hand with the knife in it down and throws it to the side! Turning to King Malevolence and bowing her head.
“I'm sorry... I just can't do it.”
Auriel reaches down and picks up the Bloodstone. She places it back in Arc's hand and closes his fingers around it. Arc clenches his fist around it as if it were his only lifeline!
Auriel looks back toward Vengeance. Soldiers can be seen running toward them! She looks down at Arc.
“I have to get you out of here!”
She grabs Arc's arm and puts it around her shoulder. Picking him up as best she can, Auriel drags him toward the Gates of Tartarus. The king looks to her incredulously!
“Auriel! What are you doing?!”
“I'm sorry sir, but... this is just something I have to do. Please forgive me!”
“AURIEL! DO AS I COMMAND!”
Shocked at the turn of events, Trixie steps away from the barrier to allow Arc to pass. To her further astonishment, both Arc AND Auriel pass through the barrier together!
Trixie looks to the demon, wide-eyed! “But... why...?”
Auriel walks past her before turning to Trixie.
“Because... it was just the right thing to do.”