//------------------------------// // Episode 20: Escalation // Story: EoH Evolution: Season 6 // by Bahamut0 //------------------------------// EoH Evolution Season VI, Episode XX ESCALATION It is a period of great turmoil in Unity. Blitz Surge, leader of the Lancers, has seized control of Castalot in the name of "justice" and "peace". However, hope yet remains as the defenders of Unity, the Elements of Heroism, lead a brave reistance against the usurper and self-proclaimed "hero." Led by Burst Stream, the band of heroes performs daring pop-up attacks on the Lancers' forces! However, the heroes are not alone in their valiant struggle. Princesses Celestia, Nightmare Moon, Cadence, and Twilight have recently escaped from their imprisonment in Castalot! Joining the fight against the tyrant who sits upon their rightful throne! Insulted and angered by these humiliations, Blitz Surge schemes to spread his forces beyond Castalot! With the Lancers' headquarters serving as an assembly line, Blitz Surge plans to have the rest of his forces march on the rest of Unity in a bid to solidify his control! Designating which territories his commanders will preside over as rulers. As the battle rages on, a lone figure watches from the sidelines. Observing both sides of the conflict, and intently focusing their attention on Burst Stream and Blitz Surge. Meanwhile, Discord journeys towards the Dragon Lands, seeking out the legendary dragon knight and creator of the Duelist Arms, Hermos. His journey made in the hopes of tipping the scales in the slightest favor towards our heroes' side. . . Focus. A word that no one would think to apply to Discord of all people. But, that was the one thing the former lord of chaos radiated as he hovered through the Dragon Lands. His eyes containing a seriousness that was the polar opposite of his usual carefree demeanor. Just what could make the lord of chaos act in such a manner that was the polar opposite of his regular self? Well, the current state of affairs in Unity. The princesses being overthrown, and Blitz Surge somehow obtaining the power of harmony and grossly misusing it. 'Despite all the power I have at my command, I'd be useless the second Blitz Surge enters the fray. But here? Here I can give the Elements of Heroism something that will be of use.' Discord thought to himself as his feet touched down on the ground beneath him, the lord of chaos staying still as he stared down the entrance to Hermos's forge while contemplating the events that led him here. A sad look on his face as he remembered betraying both teams of elements to Tirek. 'And just maybe, I can atone for my greatest mistake. Doing this won't wipe away what I've done, but it WILL help make things right.' Hermos was busy at work inspecting the Duelist Arm he'd crafted for Arctic Ace as thanks for releasing the spirits of his comrades and himself from the weapons Starswirl had trapped them in. However, the dragon knight and true creator of the Duelist Arms noticed he was not alone in his forge. "So. What brings the lord of chaos to my humble establishment?" Hermos asked as he turned to face Discord. An inquisitive look on the legendary dragon's face as he rested against his prized hammer. "You certainly don't strike me as someone who needs armor of weapons." "I haven't come here to request a commission, Hermos." Discord said in a serious tone. "I've come to request a collaboration." "A collaboration?" Hermos asked with a raised brow. "Yes." Discord nodded. His serious expression not fading for a second. "I don't know how much you've heard about the current state of affairs in the rest of Unity, but I've heard and seen more than enough to know that it can't be allowed to continue any longer." Discord then clenched his fist in frustration. "And despite the power I wield, I can't lift a finger to do anything about it. But if we create this weapon and deliver it to the Elements of Heroism, they can completely turn the tables. So-" "You need not beg." Hermos raised his hand for silence. "I am not blind to the suffering being inflicted upon Unity's people. As a knight, seeing that self-proclaimed 'hero' sit on the throne of the princesses disgusts me. And the fact that the inheritor of Bahamut's power opposes Blitz Surge only strengthens my reason to help you craft this new weapon. Tell me, did you have a design in mind, or are we going to have to start for scratch?" "Actually," Discord said with a relieved smile. "I had a rough concept. . . " And with that, the duo began crafting the weapon intended to help tip the scales. The Everfree Forest While many people didn't venture too far into the Everfree, it was still very much filled with noise from the creatures that dwelled there. However, the forest air was soon filled with a new, unfamiliar sound. The mechanical march of Blades, and the buzzing hover of the Scouts searching for their targets: The Elements of Heroism. The Blades heads whirred as they scanned the forest, the slightest movement earning an instant investigation. But the robots' unwavering adherence to their directive would soon lead to their undoing. A scarlet blur streaked through the trees, and unleashed a volley of energy arrows from their bow! Each arrow piercing through the Scouts' power cores, making them explode! The Blades moved to converge on the figure ambushing them, but a grey blur streaked past them! When the new combatant halted, the Blades fell to the ground in shreds! Their robotic corpses riddled with claw marks! "Thanks for helping me out with my scouting Fang." Akage said as he holstered his bow. "But I could've handled the rest of those walking tin cans. Not that I'm complaining though. These Lancer scouting parties are becoming more and more annoying." "Two work faster than one, man." Fang chuckled. "Besides, we need to get back to the castle quick. Burst and Twilight have been working on a strategy that just might gain us some ground. We pull this off, and we'll be one step closer to taking back Castalot." "Why didn't you lead with that?" Akage smirked. "In that case, I'll race you back! Trees are quicker than the ground!" "But I'm the faster runner!" Fang grinned as he sprinted towards the Castle of the Two Sisters! Running wild and free like the wolf spirit residing in him! It wasn't long before the pair arrived at the castle, and joined the rest of the Elements of Heroism alongside the princesses, save for Cadence who had found safe passage back to the Crystal Empire thanks to some of the numerous sympathizers who opposed Blitz Surge's reign. The whole group was clustered around a table that Burst Stream and Twilight Sparkle were standing behind. "Akage, Fang. Welcome back." Burst greeted with a small smile. "Any trouble?" "Nope." Akage shook his head. "Fang and I keep taking out the Lancer squads that're sent before they even get close. And with how early we take them out, it keeps our location vague. They know we're in the forest, but they don't know where." "Not yet at least." Twilight informed them. "But the fact remains, we can't remain on the scale that you guys have been operating on. Which brings us to the plan Burst, and my fellow princesses have drawn up. Celestia, Nightmare Moon, and I escaped from Castalot thanks to the network of mines beneath the city. Every since your little hit-and-run attacks, and our escape, Castalot's been put under a stricter watch. He's got robots patrolling everywhere. Most of the people are scared to go outside due to how heavily policed the city is now. And worst of all, I'm sure you've been monitoring Blitz's broadcasts. I don't think I need to tell you about his planned expansion." "That's something none of us want to see happen. And even if it does, we're prepared to take the fight to wherever Blitz deploys his forces." Inferno declared with a fiery passion! "There's no way we're letting that creep trash the rest of our land!" "It's refreshing to see that none of you have lost your fighting spirit." Celestia smiled warmly in response. "But we won't have to worry about Blitz Surge's expansion if we can stop it before it begins. Twilight mentioned the mines under Castalot and how far they connect. At a certain point, we'll split up into smaller teams and teleport to the surface. This piece of information is crucial to our plan of attack, for we plan to use the mines to infiltrate Castalot and fight our way to Lancer headquarters. Once we arrive there, we'll destroy it and leave nothing salvageable behind as it serves as the production facility for the Lancers' robotic forces. Our mission is of great risk, but it is the best chance we have at bringing a swift end to this conflict." "However, we're not going in without well-warranted caution." Nightmare Moon added. "There's a chance that Blitz isn't as unstable as we assume, and has something waiting for us at Lancer HQ. Which is why those of us proficient in magic will be casting emergency teleport spells on each of us. If one of us gets too hurt to fight, we'll be sent back here to the castle to recover. That way we can avoid capture and being interrogated for information. I don't doubt the resistance any of you have, but we'd all rather not take the risk." "I'll cast the emergency teleport spells then." Steel Edge stated with a nod. "I had Aether teach me the spell while I was training under him. The only question I have left is: when do we start our mission?" "We take the fight to Castalot tomorrow." Burst answered before letting out a heavy sigh. "I know what we're doing is risky, but we've fought against seemingly impossible odds before and won. Even if we don't completely succeed in tomorrow's mission, as long as we're still standing, that's another day we can fight back! So fight with all you got tomorrow! And even if we fail, fight just as hard in the battles that follow! Because in the face of Blitz's tyranny, we'll forever scream our defiance! No matter how many times we might get beaten back, we'll never give in! Let's show this wannabe what REAL heroes are made of!" Everyone gathered at the castle let out a rousing cheer as their morale nearly rose to the heavens itself! The rest of the day before bed was spent in vigorous training as each of the heroes prepared for the battle that inched ever closer by the second! Anticipation of the coming fight made falling asleep, but rest thankfully found them soon. When morning came, everyone going into the fight bolted out of bed and equipped their weapons. One very light breakfast later, and the group initiated a mass teleport to Castalot! Arriving at the mine entrance Celestia and the other princesses used to escape, and immediately darting into it before splitting up into smaller teams with at least one magic caster each to initiate teleporting to the surface! "Okay. We're in the mines now. Tell us when we hit a good surfacing point." Burst Stream ordered as the group split up into small teams and traveled down different branches of the mines! "Twilight, we good to pop up yet?" "A little bit farther. . . NOW!" Twilight informed everyone! Without delay, each of the teams teleported to the surface! Their sudden arrival immediately drawing the attention of any Scouts in the area! It wasn't long before Blades, Guardians, and Valkyries began rushing to meet the heroes head on! "Trash any of these things that get in the way!" Burst ordered over his communicator as he drew his primary Duelist Arm! "Our main goal is to get to Lancer HQ, and level it to the ground! GO! GO! GO!" With the orders clear, each of the heroes set about making their way towards Lancer HQ! Destroying any of the Lancer forces that got in their way! Nightfall was grouped with Arctic Ace and Twilight, the Element of Heart taking down any Valkyrie units that tried to pin them down from above with a quick strident blast from his suit's palm blasters! Arctic Ace took care of the ground units giving them trouble by freezing the solid with his ice magic before shattering them with a beat of his wings! Twilight was far from excluded as she picked off any Lancer robots behind them with an energy blast from her staff! Meanwhile, Tyrannus was tearing through the mechs with his bare hands! His brute strength and hardy defense serving him well as he effectively became a walking tank! Trashing any robots in his way before firing out a massive blast of thunder with his magic! Spike and Akage, who'd been grouped with him, were giving him support by taking down any stragglers left after Ty's initial bulldozing! Dark Ice and Shadow were in the air, and currently dealing with a squadron of Valkyries that decided to try and gun them down. "Hey, Shadow! Let's show these wind-up toys how a real Skyborn flies!" Dark Ice suggested as he and Shadow split up to engage their own enemy squadrons! "C'mon you bucketheads,chase me!" Ice muttered to himself as the Valkyries pursuing him started to catch up! "Perfect!" Ice flared his wings out, and came to a sudden stop in the air! However, the Valkyries weren't so successful in pulling an immediate stop, and their momentum carried them into Ice's striking distance! "GOTCHA!" With a single swing of his claymore, Dark Ice ripped the Valkyries pursing him to shreds! Their wrecks falling to the ground with a clang! "Time to short circuit these metalheads!" Shadow muttered as he raised his spear to the heavens! "THUNDER FORCE!" Shadow's spear crackled with electricity as he called down a series of thunderbolts to strike down the squadrons of Valkyries and Scouts engaging his friends throughout the city! The defeated robots falling to the ground as scorched wrecks! "How's that for air support?" "Nice one Shadow!" Fang cheered into his communicator! "Now we just gotta deal with the ground troops!" Fang was currently charging towards a Guardian that was preparing to bring down its hammer! "Venus! Trip this guy up!" "On it!" Venus Bloomer nodded as he used his whip to wrap around the legs of the Guardian and tugged to get it off balance! "Take it down, Fang!" "Raugh!" Fang roared as he used his magic to create claw constructs around his hands, and tore off the Guardian's head! Circuits fizzling as the heavy mech fell to the ground with a thud! "C'mon! Let's keep moving!" "How're you holding up, North?" Steel asked as he slashed apart another group of Blades with his sword! "Too many grunts on you?" "Nonsense lad!" North chuckled as he used the repulsion mode of his Duelist Arm! "I've got no trouble pushing them back!" As the Blades converged on him, a red scatter blast tore a hole in them and pushed the robot corpses back! "Though they're welcome to try and get closer! It's their funeral!" "Looks like things are going smoothly so far." Inferno informed Burst through his communicator. "I've melted down any forces in my way with my magic and Duelist Arms, and I'm getting closer to Lancer HQ." "Great Inferno!" Burst said as he used his Duelist Arm's lightsaber mode to deflect enemy fire and slash them to bits! "Me, Celestia, and Moon are making short work of the troops in our path too! We're also starting to close in on Lancer headquarters!" "Time to help clear the field." Nightmare Moon smirked as the star glyphs on her lance began to glow as she took to the sky! "STARFALL!" Nightmare Moon thrust her lance toward the ground, and a barrage of energy blasts shot out from it! Wiping out any Lancer forces blocking their way! "Thanks, babe!" Burst called out from the ground before powering up his magic! "I've got the next wave! Heh! I just might have to thank Blitz for this huge welcoming party!" Burst unleashed a stream of lightning with his magic! Each bolt snaking its way through the Lancer Robots! Short circuiting and frying them! "I have the next one." Celestia said calmly, narrowing her eyes in focus as she raised her flaming broadsword! "Solar wave!" Celestia unleashed a large energy slash as she swung her sword! The energy slash ripping through the Lancer forces and incinerating them instantly! "I think your 'brother' wants you to feel special." "Yeah." Burst nodded as he briefly thought about his parents currently in the city. "It's strange. In some ways, this is kind of a family reunion. But there'll be time for reunions later. Let's move!" As Burst Stream continued his advance, a figure in a brown cloak watched from the rooftops, intently observing the course of the battle. However, the figure's focus was almost completely on Burst! "This battle will be the tipping point." The figure said to himself, watching Burst blast and slash through more robots. His gaze briefly switching to Lancer headquarters and Castalot Castle. "The outcome of here will determine the course of events for the rest of the conflict. And whether or not my intervention will be necessary." And so, the figure continued to observe the battle. Before long, all the teams had arrived at Lancer headquarters! Wasting no time, Tyrannus busted the main gate down and the heroes charged inside! But to their shock, they saw the place was nearly empty save for a few experimental units that were being developed and a small force of standard units left behind to guard the building. "This place. . . something's not right." Steel Edge muttered to himself. "There should've been way more forces since this is the assembly line for the Lancers' troops." "Maybe we they scrambled most of their forces to intercept us when he infiltrated?" Akage suggested. "If they did, we would've encountered a lot more resistance." Twilight countered. "Not to mention, we'd be a lot more exhausted upon arrival." "I've got a bad feeling about this. . . " Burst muttered to himself as a screen lowered from the ceiling and flickered to life! Displaying Blitz Surge's face! "And it just got worse." "Greetings, brother. And to your friends and precious princesses as well." Blitz said with a sneer as he looked down on them. "So sorry to disappoint you, but you won't find the grand army I've had constructed lying around here. I knew you and your pathetic band of pretend heroes would grow bolder sooner or later. It also stood to reason that with the princesses by your side, you'd try and strike a decisive blow at me where you would inflict the most damage. But sadly for you, your little plan actually played out in my favor. The troops I've planned on sending to the rest of Unity have been in construction ever since I seized control. While your little raids against me have definitely drawn my ire for humiliating me in public, they have not been of much hindrance to my design. Not only are my expansion troops complete, but they've already been deployed. This facility has served its purpose." "That doesn't matter!" Burst spat! "As long as we're here, we can still get to you! If we stop you, then we can take care of the rest of your forces! All we need to do is blow this place, and take the fight to you at the castle!" "You wound me, brother." Blitz chuckled. "I went through so much trouble for your return home that I left a special present for you here. And you'd be so rude as to leave without accepting it? Well then, I suppose I'll just unwrap it myself." Blitz pressed a remote control, and a section of the floor began to split apart as a massive robot rose from beneath the Lancers' base! One of its arms was a massive cannon, and it was designed to look like a gigantic knight! "Behold! The Executor! This unit is the only one of its kind. I had Hax construct it to eliminate only the most dangerous of our enemies! And no enemy is more deadly than you, brother!" "SCATTER!" Burst shouted as the Executor lumbered forward! "Keep moving and try to keep you distance! It might be slow, but it's packing some serious firepower!" Each of the combatants took Burst's suggestion to heart with some taking to the air, but hatches along the Executor's body popped open and shot out volleys of missles! Any fighters above the ground were soon desperately trying to avoid the barrage of projectiles from the Executor! The gigantic mech powering up its cannon as it lumbered forward! "Jeez! Blitz wasn't joking when he said this thing was saved for the toughest enemies!" Nightfall complained as he fired a laser stream from his End Wing jetpack! "It figures that Hax took more care in developing this thing!" "Big deal!" Tyrannus called out as he charged at the Executor! Flying right at the gigantic mech! "That just means we've gotta hit this thing harder than it hits us!" And Ty hit the Executor as hard as he could! Sending the mech crashing backwards into the rear wall! "Now that it's down, time to take it out!" Ty powered up his magic, and unleashed a massive blast of thunder! But when the blast made contact, it suddenly shot right back at Ty! "AGH!" "Ty!" Steel cried out as he landed and rushed to his friend's side! "Nightfall! Can you give us a readout of that thing?!" "Been scanning since the fight started!" Nightfall informed as he hovered in front of the Executor and read over the data displayed on his helmet's display. His eyes growing wide with shock! "Oh man! This thing's got a magic reflector unit! Basically, whatever magic attacks are hurled at this thing get dished back at the casters!" "Meaning if I used my white lightning overdrive, I'd be wiping myself out!" Burst Stream said in horror at this revelation! "Nightfall! Anything else we need to know?" "Yeah. It's got more than missiles and that big cannon!" Nightfall answered as the Executor slowly staggered to its feet! "It has shockwave generators in its legs, and an arm blade in its right arm! Crap! Combine that with how heavily armored it is, and it's got pretty much all its bases covered! Even some of our weapons that can pierce armor would be little more than pinpricks to it!" The Element of Heart's eyes widened as he saw a glow emitting from the Executor's cannon arm! "Oh no! Everyone, we've gotta try and get clear! It's charging its cannon!" "I'll keep it occupied!" Steel declared as he used the Blade Charge technique on his sword! Creating a silver blade construct that engulfed the blade of his sword! "Let's see how good this thing is in a sword fight!" The Executor flicked its wrist in response, and a gigantic blade extended from its right arm! The titanic mech crossing blades with Steel before stomping to let out a shockwave that disoriented all the ground combatants! Those with wings took to the air to avoid the shockwave, but were quickly grounded by missiles! However, the Executor needed to raise its feet so it could stomp them to release shockwaves. And this gave Arctic Ace an idea. "Hey Inferno!" Ace called out. "How about we get this thing to stay still?" "I gotcha, Ace!" Inferno smirked. "You freeze it's right leg, and I'll give the left one a hot foot! Let's go!" The avatars of Wisdom and Potential flew at the legs of the Executor! Arctic Ace using ice magic to freeze the right leg while Inferno used his fire magic to heat the Executor's left foot! Both of them thankful that Steel was keeping the Executor busy in their clash of swords! "All done on my end!" Arctic Ace shouted as he broke away from the Executor and peppered it with icicles conjured by his magic! "Inferno, get out of there quick! My ice won't hold forever!" "I know!" Inferno called out as he cut off the jet of flame he was using to heat the Executor's left foot, and drew his mechanical sword! Pulling the throttle to ignite the sword's blade! "Which is why I'm using my sword as a welding tool!" Inferno ran around the Executor's left foot while running his sword against the heated foot! Welding the Executor's foot to the floor! "Now to solidify my work!" Inferno beat his wings fiercely to cool the welding! "C'mon, work!" "Alright you overgrown action figure!" Steel Edge growled as he blocked the Executor's arm blade with his shield! "Let's see how tough you are without your accessories!" And Steel Edge brought his blade down on the Executor's own! Shattering the giant mech's blade and staggering it! "Pull back Inferno! Unless you want that thing to knock you aside!" "Got it! My job's done anyway!" Inferno smirked as he flew back to the others who had clustered together! "Now let's see how tough this thing is when it's immobile!" The Executor tried to advance, but found its legs rooted in place thanks to the efforts of Inferno and Ace! While it was able to crack the ice around its right leg slightly, it found that its left leg was immovable! With some greater effort, the Executor managed to free its right leg from Ace's ice! However, this made the robot unstable as it fell forward soon afterward freeing its leg! The sudden shift breaking off half the left leg as it fell! But while it may have been slightly incapacitated, the Executor refused to yield! It propped itself up on its right arm, and aimed its cannon right at the heroes, the weapon almost fully charged! "Dammit, this thing's relentless!" Spike grumbled! "How're we gonna avoid that thing's blast!" "We won't, Spike." Burst Stream declared as he stepped forward, and drew his spare blaster along with returning his primary Duelist Arm to its blaster mode! "The rest of you stay back! I've got a real bad idea!" "What are you-No!" Nightmare Moon protested! "Burst, you can't be serious!" "It's our best chance!" Burst Stream countered as he spread his dragon wings! "Besides, we don't have time to debate this!" Burst flew towards the Executor's cannon, and landed on the inside of the barrel! Aiming his fully charged blasters right at the gathering energy at the weapon's core, and firing away before immediately flying out the way he came! The cannon starting to shake and rumble from Burst firing at the weapon's core! Right as Burst got out of the cannon's barrel, the cannon violently exploded! Taking out the Executor's entire left arm! However, the Executor still persisted despite only having one arm left as it crawled toward the heroes! "Figures Blitz would save the sturdier bots to deal with me." Burst muttered. "Time to end this!" Burst converted his primary weapon back into its lightsaber mode! "DRAGON STRIKE!" An energy projection in the shape of a dragon shot out as Burst swung his sword down! The dragon let out a mighty roar as it ripped through the Executor, rupturing the robot's core and causing an explosion that decimated what remained of it while leveling a good portion of Lancer HQ! "Mission. . . mostly accomplished." Burst huffed as he prepared to holster his weapon. However, his dragon instinct started going off like crazy as the smoke began to clear! Burst immediately raised his Duelist Arm to block the blade of a familiar katana! "I figured you would've showed up sooner or later." "As if I'd deny myself the pleasure of ending you personally." Blitz Surge growled as he leaped back. "I knew that worthless piece of scrap wouldn't be able to stop you. Especially with all of your friends behind you. But whatever plans you had on stopping my troops before they reach Cloudsdale, Mainhattan, and Appleoosa? They stop here. And beyond those locations, we shall also march on the Crystal Empire! For too long you have threatened the peace and order I've brought about! Today you shall all face JUSTICE!" "Peace without freedom is nothing more than tyranny, Blitz Surge." Burst Stream countered! "And freedom is the right of all sentient beings!" "A worthless pretend hero like you is unfit to quote those greater than himself!" Blitz screamed as he unleashed a harmony attack that Burst blocked! The sound of their blades clashing resembling the roar of a storm! "You may have destroyed my old base, but it hardly matters! The remaining forces stationed here in Castalot are marching towards here as we speak! You will fall here, my reign shall expand, and the true son of Aether will rise!" "You think dad would be proud of what you've done?!" Burst Stream spat as he countered each of Blitz's strikes! "He would be horrified and disgusted with what you've been doing! What would your mom think of you?!" "Don't you see?! ALL OF THIS IS FOR HER AND FATHER!" Blitz screamed as his swings increased in ferocity! "Once father recognizes me as his one true son, he will leave that wench you call a mother and come back to my mother! And with you dead, he will have no choice but to accept me as his child and true successor!" "You're insane. . . " Burst said in horror! "What you're doing is wrong Blitz! Your mom wouldn't want this! Can't you see that?!" "SILENCE!" Blitz roared as he unleashed a harmony attack that nearly sent Burst flying! A malicious smile as he saw the other heroes engaging the Lancer forces that had arrived on the scene before looking down at the recovering Burst Stream! "I've been looking forward to this. It's over, Burst Stream!" "NOT TODAY!" A new voice called out! All the combatants froze in their tracks as they tried to find the source of the voice! They found it as soon as they looked towards the top of the gate to Lancer HQ! It was the same figure who had been observing the heroes' charge into the city! The figure's hands cloaked in a brilliant white magical aura as they raised them to the sky! "SACRED ARROW SHOWER!" A rain of arrows made of light fell from the heavens! The arrows avoiding the heroes completely, and striking down the Lancer forces! Nodding in satisfaction, the cloaked figure leaped down from his perch, and landed between Blitz Surge and Burst Stream! Reaching into his cloak, the figure pulled out what looked like a hilt, and pressed a button on it! A brilliant white blade igniting from the hilt! "Who are you?" Blitz Surge growled as he gripped his katana! "If you dare to stand against me, then you are an enemy of justice and harmony!" Blitz charged at the figure, but the figure quickly side-stepped and struck at Blitz so fast he almost couldn't block! Not only was the figure quicker than Blitz, but he also struck with more force! And since the blade of his weapon was weightless, the figure had to put less effort into his strikes! Before long, Blitz Surge was sporting burns from where the figure had managed to cut at him! "You are wrong, Blitz Surge. Your 'justice' is one that only serves yourself instead of those around you." The figure said as they maintained a defensive stance! "But if you're so unwilling to hear the truth from your brother. . . " The figure cast aside their cloak to reveal their true appearance! Both Burst Stream and Blitz Surge were shocked at the reveal of the figure! It was Aether Stream! The legendary Avatar of Heroism himself clad in armor that made him look like the white knight so often depicted in stories! "Then perhaps it's best you hear it from your old man himself." "Dad. . . " Burst said in awe. "Father. . . " Blitz said in shock. "Father. . . why? Why do you defend that false, that unworthy son? Why do you raise your weapon against me?! Your son?! Everything I've worked for, all I've done, it was all to prove myself to you!" "Because what you're doing is wrong." Aether answered sternly with a sad look in his eyes. "If you wanted to make me proud of you, you should have lived your own life instead of desperately attempting to insert me back into it. Your actions have served no one but yourself. As does the 'justice' you claim to bring. You are no hero." "No. . . NO. . . NO! YOU LIE" Blitz screamed as he pointed at Burst Stream! "You. . . YOU! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! IF YOU HAD JUST DIED IN THE EVERFREE FOREST WHEN I'D AMBUSHED YOU, NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING!" "It seems you are far beyond reasoning." Aether sighed. "I won't kill you, Blitz Surge. But I WILL protect my son!" "You don't need to worry about me, Dad!" Burst replied as he got to his feet and reignited his saber! "Besides, I've gotta keep this guy off my friends! So like it or not, you've got me at your side in this fight!" "Speaking of your friends," Aether said as he used his magic to open up a portal to the Castle of the Two Sisters! Before calling out to the others! "Go through the portal! It'll take you back to your base! My son and I will handle the tyrant!" The other heroes nodded as they stepped through the portal to return to their base! Meanwhile, Burst and Aether clashed with Blitz Surge! Father and son fighting together against the tyrant who'd seized Castalot and was now working on expanding his reign! Once they saw that the others had escaped, Burst and Aether broke off their attacks and flew through the portal and quickly closing it behind them! All Blitz could do in response was rage at the empty air! However, an idea soon came to the Lancer leader as he teleported to his mother's house. "Blitz?" Abyss asked as she was surprised by her son's sudden arrival! "What are you doing here?! What happened to you?!" "Father has turned against me. He and Burst Stream together are too formidable." Blitz frowned. "However, there's an easy way to overcome their combined might. Where is the absorption spell?! Once I cast it on myself, and use the power of harmony on myself, I will gain greater power and control over harmony than ever before! Help me, mother! Give me the strength I require for justice to triumph!" "I. . . I . . " Abyss paused as she looked at Blitz Surge, her face frozen as she reflected upon all that had unfolded. First, Blitz had tried to kill Burst Stream in the Everfree Forest. Then he had stolen the power of harmony from the Tree of Harmony. A power that he had no right to wield. He overthrew the princesses and took over the kingdom while ruling the people with fear. And worst of all, he manipulated and toyed with the heart of Princess Luna. While Abyss may have not had a lasting relationship with Aether, she had let him go because he wanted her to be happy and had been honest with his feelings towards her. To see her son do something to cruel and heartless rocked Abyss to her core. As Abyss put things together, she arrived at a truth she never wanted to believe: Her son was turning into a monster. ". . . No." "What?" Blitz asked in disbelief. "Why not?!" "Because the power of harmony is unstable in your hands!" Abyss answered with tearful eyes! "It wasn't meant to be used the way you wield it! It was a mistake to even let you attempt to absorb it!" "You too. . . " Blitz said quietly as his hands clenched into fists. "You've turned against me too. . . " "Blitz, I swear! I say this because I love you!" Abyss pleaded! "Stop all this madness now! I don't need to have Aether in my life! I have you! And," Abyss's fingers brushed against the necklace that emotionally linked her to Narico. "I have a new love in my life. One that fills my heart." "You. . . how dare you!" Blitz screamed as he stomped toward Abyss fully intent on strangling her! "HOW DARE YOU BETRAY FATHER?! PERHAPS FATHER WILL ACCEPT ME AFTER I PUNISH YOU FOR BEING UNFAITHFUL TO HIM!" 'NARICO!' Abyss mentally screamed as she braced for impact, and clutched the necklace Narico gave her! The necklace glowing bright in response to her emotions! But when Abyss opened her eyes, she discovered that no contact had been made as Narico teleported in front of her to intercept Blitz! "Don't you lay a finger on her!" Narico hissed as he kicked away Blitz Surge! "Abyss! Are you alright?! I came as soon as I sensed you were scared!" Narico pointed to the necklace around Abyss's neck. It was glowing bright green. "I'm fine now." Abyss nodded. "But now, we should leave! Just. . . just take me far away from here." "I'm on it." Narico nodded in response before teleporting them away in a flash of green fire! When Blitz recovered, he looked to see no one in the house. His anger so great that he could not even scream, and he had no need to since it practically manifested as an aura around him. And so, the "hero" set about tearing the house apart in search of his query. Back at the Castle of the Two Sisters, the heroes had arrived safely. Each of them thankful to have made it back in one piece as they rested from their hard fought battle. But among their number, none were more relieved than Burst Stream. "It's great you came by to help us Dad." Burst said with a smile. "But, how did you know where we were? And why do you have a lightsaber? Is it a lightsaber?" "I've been watching the conflict between you and Blitz Surge for a long time, son." Aether answered with a fatherly smile. "I knew that the tipping point would come sooner or later, and that the conflict would escalate from there. Today just happened to be that day. And yes, Burst, my weapon is a lightsaber. Named after one of my pupils that I instructed during my long life. But that's a story for another time. But more importantly, I've come because we have a world to save. And I will give you all the help I can. I trust you've seen your 'brother' make announcements of his planned expansion?" "Yeah." Burst nodded. "We heard it right from his mouth when he sicked that robot on us. He's spreading his forces to the main settlements located within the kingdom. By asserting his control over them, along with the capitol, he'd solidify his rule. He even plans on attacking the Crystal Empire!" "Not if we decimate the forces after they arrive." Aether stated. "However, we can't have all our forces deploy in a single location at once. We will need to divide and conquer. And given the fact that some of our ranks are Avatars, we can most certainly do just that." "Then you'll need some tools to help with the job." Discord's voice said as the lord of chaos popped into existence with Hermos in tow. "Luckily, we come bearing gifts." "Greetings to you, inheritor of Bahamut's power." Hermos said with a bow. "And to your friends as well." Hermos's eyes widened when he saw Aether among them! "It has been some time, friend. I've not had the chance to properly thank you for liberating the Duelist Arms from Starswirl's clutches." "Thank me after Unity is freed." Aether smiled. "I believe you've come with some items we'll be needing?" "Ah yes. For Arctic Ace, Tyrannus Rex, and Fang." Hermos said as he handed the avatars of wisdom, tolerance, and determination their Duelist Arms! "Ace, I give you this new Duelist Arm. I forged it out of the weapons my comrades and I were trapped in. It may look like a simple snowflake talisman, but it can change to whatever weapon you picture. A sword, a shield, a spear, claws, even a cannon! As for Tyrannus and Fang, your Duelist Arms have evolved. Ty, your cannon has turned into a weapon I've dubbed a shield magnum. The blaster portion is hidden by the shield, and the shield can absorb attacks directed at you, and use the absorbed attacks to amplify the magnum's firepower. I think you'll be pleased to see it keeps with your dinosaur theme. Fang, your gauntlet has evolved into a full set of gauntlets and greaves. Wearing them shall boost your speed and strength." "But that's not all." Discord said as he handed a box to Burst Stream. "Inside is a weapon that will serve you well in the coming battles. Hermos and I developed it together for you specifically to use in the coming battles. But in all honesty, I'd recommend saving it for when you lead the siege to take back Castalot and bring that barrier crashing down alongside Blitz Surge's plans." "Why help us, Discord?" Burst asked as he cautiously accepted the box containing the new weapon. "I didn't think you'd take interest in our struggle. Or maybe you'd just lay back and enjoy the chaos from all the battles." "Because. . . I want to be a better friend." Discord said sadly. "I betrayed your trust. For the second time, it seemed like my selfish actions led to someone meeting their end. I. . . never truly had friends before. Never knew what it was like to place your trust in others and enjoy their company. And when I did, I threw it away almost instantly. What I did in the past can't be erased or overlooked. If none of you ever decide to forgive me, I can understand that I deserve it. But please, for Faust's sake, please let me do just one thing right. Let me be a REAL friend for just once." ". . . You already are, Discord." Burst said with a small smile. "The fact you took the time to put thought into how you could best help us is proof enough." "Thank you." Discord said with a relieved smile as he vanished in a swirl of darkness back to his home dimension. "I wish the best of luck to all of you." Hermos said with a bow. "May you be victorious in the battles yet to come!" And with that, the dragon knight flew off back towards his homeland! "Well, the good news is that we've got more tools to get the job done." Inferno sighed soon after stating the positive. "But the downside is that reuniting with the girls just got pushed back even farther." Those of the Elements of Heroism who were still separate from their girlfriends looked to the ground in sadness. "How about we come to you instead, darling?" A familiar voice called out from the doorway! All of the guys instantly perked up at the new voice, and stared in disbelief at the figures coming in from the doorway! It was the rest of the Main 6 with Rarity at the front of the group. A ladylike smile on her face as she stared lovingly at Inferno. "We're sorry to have kept you all waiting." "RARITY!" Inferno cried out in joy as he rushed to his fiancee's side! "What're you doing here? I thought you and the rest of the girls were holed up Unityville! Blitz had that place guarded like a prison! How did you all escape?!" "Your little raid on Lancer HQ got a lot of coverage." Rainbow Dash said as she flew up to Steel and leaned against him. "Blitz got so stuck on dealing with you guys that he also had the forces he stationed in Unityville pull back to Castalot to try and handle all of you. So while they closed in on you, we snuck out of town. Gotta say though, trying to teleport to Sweet Apple Acres did not pan out the first time. But eventually, we were able to get together before the Lancer forces could come back. Fluttershy made it out with the least difficulty since she lives on the edge of town and is the most unassuming of us." "I was starting to go through snuggle withdrawal." Fluttershy stated simply as she latched onto Tyrannus. Mercilessly nuzzling against the gentle giant. "Uh, not to ruin the moment, but you girls are also making the news." Nightfall Silver said as he brought his computer over to the group, and turned up the volume so they could hear the broadcast. "See?" "It has come to my attention that the remaining bearers of the Elements of Harmony have escaped from Unityville." Blitz Surge addressed all of Unity! An angry expression on his face! "I know not where they are, but I can only assume that they have fled to anywhere besides Unityville. And with the Elements of Heroism still roaming free, our entire kingdom is in peril! Possibly even more since the former bearers of harmony have likely joined forces with them! Therefore, I have decided to inform you of the immediate deployment of Lancer Troops to Appleoosa, Cloudsdale, and Mainhattan! Effective immediately! Each region shall be headed by one of my commanders respectively: Garble, Lightning Dust, and Lance Slayer! The previous attacks by the Elements of Heroism against our kingdom have forced my hand to greatly accelerate production of our troops, but know that our kingdom will be protected! However, my expansion is not merely for the sake of defeating our enemy. For I have sent Nova Flare to the Crystal Empire with troops on a mission of mercy to provide security for a people who have suffered fear for far too long. To the former bearers of harmony, I say this: You shame yourselves by allying with false heroes, and have cemented yourselves as failures alongside the escaped unworthy excuses for rulers that are the princesses! When you next oppose m-. . . US, justice will prevail!" Throughout the broadcast, the boos of the crowd could be heard directed in full force towards him! "I think that's enough TV for tonight." Aether said with a frown. "Nightfall, shut it off. Please." "Don't have to tell me twice." Nightfall nodded as he powered down his computer. "Glad to know that the people aren't on his side." "Yeah. But I think that little announcement hit us in the gut a bit." Twilight sighed. "Especially since we know the full extent of Blitz's expansion and how far ahead of us he was." "Twilight, there's no way we could've known." Celestia comforted her former pupil. "This is something Blitz has been working on under our noses." "Besides, there's no point in moping over what's happened already. But what we CAN do is figure out what to do next." Burst Stream informed the assembled heroes. "You forget, we've got two teams of elements now and a good number of us are Avatars. All we've gotta do is modify our initial plan a bit. We'll all split up into smaller teams, and take the fight to Blitz's forces! They've got numbers, but we've got skill, strength, and we're a real team! We might've lost the battle, but the war's far from over! Let's show Blitz what happens when you mess with our home! HEROES TO THE CORE!" "HEROES TO THE CORE!" Everyone cheered! "Get some rest everyone. It's been a long day, and you've all earned it with what you've all been through." Aether said with a fatherly smile. "You know Dad?" Burst said with a hopeful smile as he watched each of his friends couple with their respective girlfriends. His gaze lingering on Celestia and Nightmare Moon briefly. "I think our odds got a whole lot better. Because now, we've got a lot of good reasons to fight even harder." "Son," Aether said as he put a hand on Burst's shoulder. "Keep that hope alive. It's a power that's stronger than the likes of Blitz could ever hope to comprehend." "I will Dad." Burst smiled as he headed off to bed. "Good night." "I know you will, son." Aether said with a proud smile. 'Soon, Burst. Your time will come.'