As they walked through the orb of light that lead into one of Broly’s memories, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, the Mane Six, Spike and Starlight all squinted their eyes from the brightness. Leaving the realm of the mind and into territories that no pony had ever seen. As soon as the light faded, the group found themselves in a large dark grey corridor. All eyes stared at their unfamiliar surroundings.
“So… are we here?” Spike asked. Creeped out from the silence of the atmosphere.
“Yes. We’re here,” Luna replied.
“But… where is everyone?” Shining Armor asked.
Then as she inspected her surroundings, Rainbow Dash saw a bright light at the end of the corridor. Curious to see what it was, she made her way towards it. The rest of the group following suit.
“W-wait, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said as she and the others caught up with the blue Pegasus.
By the end of her walk, Rainbow Dash came across a large window that lead outside. As she peered through the glass, her eyes widened in astonishment as she let out a gasp.
“Hay everypony! Check this out!” She said as she pressed her hands against the window.
Wondering what the mare was seeing, the rest of the group too looked out of the window. Only for them to gasp in amazement at what they saw. Out in the world from the window, the ponies and dragon could see what could be described as a whole new world. The land was vast with rocky valleys and mountains. The clouds and the sky was tinted with red. And the nearby buildings were tall and strange. If they were to look at the world from space, they would find out that they were on a red planet. And that the building they were in was in fact a palace. Then as the group looked down, they could see a large platform which served as a landing strip for the small spaceships and space pods. And flying to and from the landing strip were more Saiyans. Of which the group could identify by spotting their monkey tails.
“Wow. There’s a whole punch of Saiyans out there,” Pinkie Pie said as she pressed her face against the glass window. Her statement caused Twilight to realise something.
“Then… this must be the place Broly told us about. This must be… Planet Vegeta.”
The group were in silent awe from hearing Twilight’s words in the open. Then a wave of uneasiness washed over them. They truly were on another planet. The homeworld of the Saiyan race.
While the sight of so many Saiyans was something Luna found hard to watch, she did notice something peculiar.
“Hay wait.”
As Luna took a closer look, the others looked at her in confusion. Wondering what had caught her attention. Something of which Luna then explained.
“These Saiyans. They’re wearing the same uniforms as the aliens that invaded Equestria.”
Upon hearing her words, the rest of the group too spotted the similarities. They couldn’t believe it. But then Starlight had a thought.
“And now that I think about it. Didn’t Turles said that he was part of their army too?”
The realisation dawned on the group of a highly likely outcome. Something that sent an uncomfortable shiver up their spines.
“So… the Saiyans were also part of the… Frieza Force?” Applejack asked, remembering the name of the alien army.
But to Twilight, the answer also came with a question.
“Hold on. If the Saiyans worked for this… Frieza, then why did he wipe them out? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Especially from how strong one of them is,” Fluttershy added. Unaware that the Saiyan strength was the exact reason why.
As the group continued to look out the window, they suddenly heard loud whistling sounds. As if something was moving at very high speeds. Looking up at the red sky, they could see another uncomfortable sight. Several flying saucers were approaching the landing strip. The way they were shaped and the way they flew reminded the group of the day when the aliens invaded their home. One such ship, which flew by the window, was near enough the same size as the one before.
But their sightseeing was interrupted when Spike heard a series of footsteps approaching them. Of which the young dragon alerted his friends.
“Hey guys! Someone’s coming!”
The group all turned around in surprise. Facing the direction of where Spike was pointing. Which was a bend in the corridor. Concerned at first, the group them became puzzled when they heard… laughter. Then emerging from the bend were two large Saiyans. Despite most of the group being intimidated by the sight of the two large aliens, they were then puzzled from the fact that the two didn’t even payed their minds to them. The two continued walking past them as they revealed what they found funny.
“Hahaha! So, what happened next?” The first Saiyan asked.
“Well… then this fish guy ran up to me and started shouting, ‘I will stop you’,” The second Saiyan said before grinning from the thought of what happened next.
Something of which the first Saiyan asked.
“And then what?”
“I just punched him some more.”
The two Saiyans then let out a burst of laughter as they carried on down the corridor. Leaving the bewildered anthro ponies and dragon behind.
“They didn’t see us?” Starlight asked in confusion.
Luna then explained the cause.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. All what we are seeing are merely images of Broly’s past. No one can see or hear us.”
“Ah guess that makes sense.” Applejack added, seeing that there was nothing to fear.
Cadence then looked at Luna with a questionable look.
“Where do you think we can find Broly?”
Luna looked at her niece as she answered.
“Simple. We’ll just find the heart of the memory.”
She continued as she looked down the corridor where the two Saiyans came from.
“It’s coming from down there.”
Knowing where to go, the group began to make a move down the corridor. But as they did, Celestia looked back to where the two Saiyans went. Remembering the things they said and how they treated it as if it were a joke.
‘Those two were brutes.’
She then started to remember her conversation with Broly. Comparing his behaviour in his regular state to Turles and the other Saiyans.
‘So why is Broly so different? He’s actually docile compared to them.’
She began to think. The only time Broly showed such violent behaviour was when he was either provoked, in battle, or when he transformed. But when he was calm, he was understanding and… almost friendly. The other Saiyans were only making conversation and didn’t care for the lives that they’ve ruined. Showing that they’re aggressive even when they’re calm. The same could be said for Turles. He was calm and yet he didn’t care about taking lives. In fact, he enjoyed it.
Her thoughts continued as she and the others continued down several corridors. Eyeing their surroundings to look at what the Saiyan race had built for themselves. As they travelled, they passed by many Saiyans. The group felt strange walking so close to the alien warriors.
“Wow, they really can’t see us,” Rainbow Dash said as she walked past another Saiyan.
Then to her confusion, the whole group in front of her stopped. All coming to a halt.
“Hay. Why we stopped?” She asked. To which Luna gave her answer.
“Because we found it. The source of Broly’s memory is in here.”
The group looked to where Luna was staring at. Only to see a metal door with no label on it. Then using her magic to move the group through the door and out the other side, to their surprise, they found themselves in a dark room surrounded by numerous Saiyan babies sleeping in their cots. The sight took them completely off-guard.
“What the…? Where are we?” Rainbow Dash asked.
As the surprise died down, the royals began to realise where they were.
“Wait. Isn’t this…?” Shining Armor asked.
“Yes. This must be a maternity ward,” Cadence said as she walked by some cots. Looking at the Saiyan infants sleeping within.
Fluttershy then gasped in amazement.
“Awww. So this is where they keep their babies,” She said, finding the new-borns adorable. With Pinkie Pie agreeing.
“They’re so cute!”
“But don’t forget what they’ll grow up into,” Starlight added. Somewhat spoiling the moment.
“Well the grown ups could at least give their young some decency,” Rarity said, noting that the babies were bare. Not even wearing nappies.
As the group began to look around the maternity ward, Celestia knelt down and noticed that the cots each had a label on the front. After reading it, she called Luna and Twilight over to her.
“Look at this.”
When the two Alicorns joined in, Celestia pointed out what she had found.
“Each of these cots has a label. It has the baby’s name, the name of their fathers, and their power levels.”
Twilight became intrigued at the baby’s power level. Which read thirteen.
“So the babies get their powers checked when they’re born?” She asked. The equally fascinated Luna made a guess as to the reason why.
“It seems the Saiyans test out the baby’s latent potential and use it to decide what role they would play when they grow up.”
Luna hadn’t realised it, but her statement was in fact correct. The Saiyans’ role depends on their latent abilities. Which range from ship pilots, cooks, doctors and more importantly warriors. The warriors themselves were separated between Low-class, Mid-class and elites.
As the group resumed their search, their ears suddenly caught the sounds of crying. Wanting to find out what was going on, the group followed the cried of distress until they regrouped in one spot. Gathering around a single cot with the crying baby within.
“Aww, why is this one so upset?” Fluttershy asked, feeling the urge to help the baby.
“Well this one had some strong set of lungs,” Pinkie Pie mentioned, surprised at how loud the crying baby was.
Shining Armor let out a stuttered gasp when he noticed something striking about the Saiyan infant.
“Hay. Look at his hair. It looks almost like that Turles guy.”
The stunned group all payed attention to the black spiky hair the child had. Surprised at how similar it looked to the Saiyan pirate.
“Yeah it does. But it also looks a little different.” Rarity pointed out. Seeing that some of the strands of hair didn’t had the devil horn shape that Turles had.
While the rest of the group were distracted on the child’s resemblance, it was Applejack who looked down at the label that was attached to the same cot. Her eyes immediately widened in shock when she mentally read out the name.
To make sure that she was reading the name right, and to double check if it was the exact same name, she spoke up with a question.
“Ah guys? What was the name of that guy Broly really hates?”
While distracted by the baby, Twilight answered the question.
“Oh, I think it was Kakarot. Why?”
Applejack then said something that caused a pause on everything.
“Because he’s here.”
The whole group froze from the orange Earth Pony’s words. Then after taking a step back, they too looked down to read the label on the cot. All of them quietly gasped at the name they read. For some of the group, they started to hear voices in their heads. They were remembering the times when Broly shouted the very same name. With all the hatred behind it. And laying in the cot in front of them, was the very Saiyan.
“No way. So… this is Kakarot?” Twilight asked. But the answer was obviously clear.
As the group tried to make the revelation sink in, baby Kakarot started to calm down. His cries reducing to light sobs. Still visibly upset. Rainbow Dash then decided to read the label for herself. Reading out loud the baby’s information.
“Let’s see here. Name… Kakarot. Father… Bardock. Power Level… two.”
Hearing about the child’s latent ability snapped Starlight out of the shock and turned towards Rainbow Dash.
“Wait. Only two? That’s low compared to a lot of others I’ve found.”
As the group remained silent while staring at the child, questions appeared in their thoughts. Kakarot was born with a very low power level. So why, out of all the Saiyans, would Broly hold such a grudge against him?
Since Kakarot’s cries had momentarily quietened down, the group started to hear more quiet sobbing. But it wasn’t from the child. In fact, it was from the child that was in the cot to Kakarot’s right. Moving over to the neighbouring cot, Celestia was first to see the infant inside. She could see that he too was upset. Almost trembling.
When the others too looked in the cot to see the child, Cadence raised a questionable eyebrow from a recognizable sight.
“Hay. The hair on this baby. Doesn’t it look familiar too?”
The anthro ponies took a good look at the infant’s hair. They could see some resemblance too.
“Yes it does. It… looks like Broly’s hair.”
To their surprise, the anthro dragon Spike spoke up the reason for the similarities. His voice carried shock and surprise.
“Maybe that’s because it is.”
The ponies all looked at the still Spike as he pointed his finger at the label on the cot. When the group looked at what he was pointing and read the label, they let out gasps of surprise.
The label clearly had the name Broly. It truly was him.
As the group all stared at the infant in shock. Fluttershy immediately surrendered to the child’s cuteness.
“Awwwww! So this is him as a baby!”
Celestia meanwhile was mentally surprised from another fact. Especially from how she first met the Saiyan of Legend.
‘Wow. I never thought I would ever see him as an infant.’
Realisation dawned on the group from another fact. But as they found the situation unbelievable, they kept looking back and forth at the two infants. They couldn’t believe their eyes.
“Wow. Broly and Kakarot. They were born on the same day,” Celestia uttered. The only explanation for the two Saiyans to be in the same room as each other.
“Not just that. They’re baby neighbours,” Pinkie Pie added.
As soon as silence filled the room, baby Kakarot started to act up. Sobbing loudly before starting to cry very loudly. Which in turn, started to scare baby Broly. The child sobbing in fear.
The group began to feel more puzzled.
“I don’t get it. Since the two were born so close to each other, you would think that they would be friends,” Pinkie Pie mentioned. With Applejack joining in the confusion.
“But Broly really hated him. But why?”
As the group tried to think of a possible reason, Celestia payed close attention to the two infants. Upon doing so, she noticed something. For unknown reasons, Kakarot was the one who cried first. But as she looked over to Broly, whenever Kakarot bellowed out in distress, it was there that Broly reacted out of fear. Causing the frightened infant to cry. The white Alicorn could clearly see the trauma in the child’s tears.
Her mind began to discover a possible answer. To which she raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.
“Could that be the reason?”
Hearing the Sun Princess talking to herself caused the rest of the group to look at her. Startled to hear her words.
“What was that?” Shining Armor asked.
Celestia replied as he continued to look at the two infants.
“Can’t you see it? Just look at them.”
Doing what Celestia said, the rest of the group turned back to baby Broly and baby Kakarot and carefully observed what was going on. After several moments of watching, some of the group too saw the likely cause of Broly’s grudge.
Being one of the ponies who figured it out, Rainbow Dash grew very skeptical.
“Woah woah, hold on. Broly… hates Kakarot… because he cried a lot? Seriously?”
The others could see why Rainbow Dash would doubt the likely cause of Broly’s hatred for Kakarot. To some of them, they sort of admit that it was pretty dumb.
Twilight however felt differently. In fact, she was on the same page as Celestia.
“I think Celestia has a point, Rainbow.”
“Huh?”
Twilight looked at the confused blue Pegasus with a serious look. Matching with the tone she used as she gave Rainbow Dash something to think about.
“Picture something that constantly irritated you at a very young age. How would you feel then?”
The rainbow maned girl took a moment to think of such a scenario. While doing so, she remembered a time when she was little. Before she received her cutiemark. She remembered hearing stories of the Sonic Rainboom and tried to achieve it for herself. But after every failed attempt, others would mock and tease her. Filling her head with thoughts of constant failure. While she eventually achieved her goal, she couldn’t shake the feelings of insecurity away. Thinking about it really bugged her.
From imagining a likely scenario, Rainbow Dash gave her reply.
“Well... it would drive me crazy and…!”
Rainbow Dash paused as she realised what she had just said. Her eyes widened in surprise at how she would have felt. Shocked at how similar Broly felt.
The group then looked back at the crying Broly in thought. With Celestia explaining the likelihood at what had transpired.
“In my many years of ruling Equestria, I had seen things that were quite similar. It may look petty, but it is in fact a serious thing.”
She then began to think of the difference in personality between Broly and the rest of the ruthless Saiyans.
“When he is calm, Broly is docile. Even for his kind. So to him, at a very young age, the constant loud cries from Kakarot must be traumatizing for him to hear. So to have something like this happen to him… it will affect him when he grows up.”
The group began to see the logic behind the white Alicorn’s words. Like her, Luna too had seen similar events occurring in Equestria. Some of which were triggered from nightmares. Something of which she was able to avert before it was too late.
Rainbow Dash however remained skeptical.
“Are you sure? Because surely there must be another reason.”
Cadence then brought a valid point as she spoke to the blue Pegasus.
“Well… we are in Broly’s earliest memories after all. Once we see more of his past, maybe there is another reason.”
What the group didn’t know, was that Kakarot’s cries wasn’t the only reason for Broly’s hatred. In fact, there were two other reasons. Of which happened on the very same day. Which the innocent souls of Equestria would soon find out for themselves.
As the group carried on watching the two infant Saiyans, Twilight decided to read the label that was on Broly’s cot. She then read it out loud.
“Name…Broly. Father…Paragus. Power Level… huh!?”
Hearing Twilight’s outburst of confusion, the group all looked at her to see what had caught her attention.
“What is it, Twilight?” Starlight asked.
The lavender Alicorn then pointed out at what caused her confusion.
“Look at his power level.”
When they read the infant Saiyan’s level of power, they weren’t very surprised.
“So what? It says ten,” Applejack replied.
Twilight however revealed the details of what made the label not so normal.
“Yeah but look at this. After the second digit.”
When the group took a closer look at the label, they too noticed that after the zero, there was a rushed scribble. Something that greatly puzzled them.
“It looks like whoever wrote this, was either rushed or spooked at something.” Twilight pointed out.
From seeing that the scribble resembled a second zero, Spike made a guess.
“Wait. So Broly was born with a power level of one hundred?”
The group were surprised at the discovery. One hundred was the highest out of all the infants in the maternity ward.
However, before they could think of more of the matter, the anthro ponies and dragon suddenly heard a pair of voices outside of the room.
“I think it’s over here.”
“Ok ok.”
Looking behind them, the group could see a wide window that was a viewpoint for those who wanted to see the Saiyan infants. After hearing some approaching footsteps, the group were startled to see two adult Saiyan warriors peering through the window. Eyeing the next generation.
“Look at that. The next batch of Saiyan warriors. Look. Bardock’s son is even there.” The first Saiyan said with sinister joy. Pointing at baby Kakarot.
The second Saiyan however didn’t had the same high hopes that the first shared.
“Even so, his power level is a mere two. Just another low-class warrior.”
But as the first Saiyan glanced over to the child next to Kakarot, his excitement peaked.
“Hay look! There’s the son of Paragus!”
From seeing the hyped reaction of the second Saiyan, the group could tell that Broly truly must be special. As they remained silent, the two Saiyans revealed to them why. And what made Broly so special.
“Did you hear? Paragus’s son was born with a power level of ten thousand. Ten thousand and only an infant!” The fist Saiyan uttered, excitement in his voice.
“Makes Bardock’s son look like a joke. What is he a tool?” The second Saiyan replied. Making a comparison of the two. The first Saiyan chuckled before focusing his attention on the wailing baby.
“Yeah I think so. But he’s a feisty one alright. Listen to him wail. That’s the spirit.”
Then as the two Saiyans looked back towards the upset Broly, the second Saiyan spoke in a mocking tone.
“Look he’s making Paragus’s son cry.”
He then started to laugh at the child’s misfortune, with the first Saiyan joining in.
“You don’t see that every day.” He said as he and his laughing friend made their leave. Walking out of sight.
As the pair of laughing died down, the two Saiyans left the anthro ponies and dragon completely dumbfounded. Slowly looking back at the infant Broly in utter shock.
“T…Ten…TEN THOUSAND!!!” Twilight shrieked out.
“No wonder why whoever wrote his power level stuttered. The person was spooked from the numbers,” The shocked Shining Armor added.
Unsure if Broly was the only one, Rainbow Dash took a moment to quickly look at the labels of all the other babies in the room. Only to come back to the group with a look of surprise.
“And no other baby here is even remotely close to that.”
The shock also gave way to confusion as the group stared at the child
“I don’t get it. How is he born with such a high level of power?” Rarity asked.
The very same question pondered in the minds of others as they tried to think of an answer. But as Princess Celestia too thought of the possibilities, the answer she had found was actually a simple one.
“Yes. It makes sense.”
The other ponies and dragon looked to the elder Alicorn as she revealed the answer.
“Broly is a prodigy.”
The group were all stunned at the revelation. Looking back at baby Broly in amazement.
“Wait. Isn’t that ah fancy word for someone that was born with some special talent?” Applejack asked.
Celestia answered the question while keeping her sights on Broly.
“Yes. That’s exactly what it means. A child could be born with many talents. But in this case with the Saiyans, it’s a child who was born with exceptional latent powers. Gifted with the natural talent for fighting. It seems Broly is that very person.”
The group took a moment to take in all the information Celestia had given them. Seeing as the main reason why Turles was afraid of him.
“Wow. I guess that’s why he’s called the Saiyan of Legend,” Spike said.
In her brief moment of thought, Celestia glanced over to Twilight Sparkle. She remembered the day when Twilight took the exam to test her magical abilities at a young age. What she saw was a girl with superb talent with magic. Which in turn made her a prodigy too.
Their thoughts were interrupted when the group head some quiet footsteps behind them. Back at the large window, they saw a lone man approaching the window. Looking through the glass to see the infants inside. The Saiyan’s skin was slightly tanned and had black hair. He also wore purple gloves and a battle uniform that was uniquely different to what the ponies had seen. The armour was red and green with short black shoulder pads.
The group were confused as to why the quiet Saiyan was watching. But the one thing that Cadence and Shining Armor had noticed was that the man was smiling. But it was a smile of someone who was proud. Following his line of sight, Fluttershy figured out which child he was looking at.
“Why is he looking at Broly?” She asked.
But before the others could give her an answer, a stray voice from outside the room gave the answer for them. The voice belonging to a different Saiyan.
“Ahh. There you are, Colonel Paragus.” The voice said, gaining the other Saiyan’s attention.
The group were startled to hear the spoken name. By the time the second Saiyan appeared, addressing the first, the group figured out what was going on.
“T-That other Saiyan called him Paragus,” Twilight said.
“So, he’s Broly’s father,” Luna added. Identifying the Saiyan as the parent.
While the stunned group remained silent, they overheard the two Saiyans talking.
“I figured you would be here.” The new Saiyan said. With Paragus turning away back to look at his infant son.
“Of course, I would.”
The other Saiyan joined Paragus as he too looked at baby Broly with interest.
“So that one is your son? I’ve overheard about his latent ability. You must be very proud of him.”
Paragus smiled in response. Envisioning a bright future.
“I am. Broly’s latent potential will make him a warrior among warriors. A Saiyan whose power is unrivalled.”
His smile grew bigger from one more thing he had to say.
“I’ll look forward to see him be a valuable asset to the Saiyan army.”
His words caused some of the group to smile. Paragus was a man with dreams. He had high hopes of seeing his own flesh and blood to grow up.
But it seemed that those dreams were shattered… from only one sentence.
“Yeah. Too bad that it not going to happen.”
While the group were taken back by the statement, it was Paragus who was offended.
“And what was that supposed to mean?” He said in an angry threatening tone.
The other Saiyan was unmoved by the threat and looked at Paragus with a stern look. The new development caught the attention of the anthro ponies and dragon. Curious to see what was going on.
The Saiyan explained himself.
“It’s nothing to do with me. But when the doctors examined your son’s battle power, they left in a hurry and informed King Vegeta.”
When those words reached Paragus’s ears, his anger was quickly replaced with horror. He gasped in shock as his eyes widened in disbelief.
While surprised to discover that the Saiyans had royalty, the group were more puzzled as to why the father of Broly was being afraid. They thought that informing the higher-ups about new developments would be a good thing. However, Paragus dismissed such thoughts as he fearfully spoke back to the other Saiyan. The former had a much clearer understanding of what the Saiyan sovereign was like.
“W-What!? Those idiots! The king is too prideful of his own bloodline! Do they have any idea what would happen if he were told about this!?”
The group suddenly felt a very bad feeling of what was going on. Something that was made apparent as the other Saiyan spoke up in a somber tone.
“I’m afraid it’s already happened, Paragus. When I walked past the throne room earlier, I overheard them discussing about what to do with your son. It doesn’t look good.”
Paragus’s body trembled from the unfortunate news. Sweat dripping from his head from the thought of what the king would decide. The same could be said for the onlooking group. They too felt uncertain of what might happen. Even Princess Luna felt uncomfortable at the situation.
After clenching his trembling fists, Paragus had the look of someone who was about to have his worst nightmares become reality. But determined to keep his son alive, he had only one option.
“N-No! I have to persuade him!” Paragus shouted as he pushed the other Saiyan aside and made a run down the corridor. The latter called out to him as he watched him leave.
“No Paragus! You’ll be killed!”
Before disappearing around the corner, Paragus shouted a reply.
“I must! I have to save my son!”
Alarmed at the new development unfolding, Celestia looked to Luna before giving a command.
“We have to go after him, Luna.”
“Right.”
After forming a large blue disk beneath the group, Luna used it as a floating platform for her and the others to move and catch up to Paragus. As they followed suit, they watched the Saiyan father running through several dark corridors. All the while the group were wondering what was going on.
“What is he going on about? Is the Saiyan king scary or something?” Pinkie Pie asked.
While the others tried to figure out the reason why Paragus was so afraid, Luna had a very disturbing thought.
“Maybe… he’s THAT kind of king.”
The others looked to her as the blue Alicorn explained what she was thinking.
“I’ve read many stories like this before. That there are kings who were cruel and uncaring. And when they were threatened, they would do unspeakable things to save their own skins. Some not for the faint of heart.”
While some of the group were puzzled at what the Moon Princess was implying, most others felt a very cold chill up their spines from several possibilities. One of which Shining Armor inquired about.
“Wait. You’re not saying that he would exile Broly, right?”
Luna remained silent. While there were some stories of children being exiled, it wasn’t the outcome that she had thought about. Then the skeptical Spike spoke up.
“But it can’t be. If such a king exists, then he would have to be even worse than Sombra.”
“Spike is right. Those sorts of kings are only fantasy. They’re not real,” Fluttershy added. Her kind heart refusing to believe such possibilities. The rest of the Mane Six slowly agreeing with her.
As Celestia looked at the running Paragus, two thoughts crossed her mind. Firstly, the Saiyan way of life was clearly different from their own. So it was possible that their royalty would be different too. Secondly, was that she could see the expression on the father’s face. She could see the staggering amount of fear and concern. It was a face of a man who was desperate.
Then the moment of truth happened. After reaching the end of the hallway, the group could see that Paragus was face to face with a large golden door. The size of the doors reminded the Royal Sisters of their own throne room doors. Then just as Paragus forcefully opened the doors. The giant throne room of the Saiyan race was revealed. A dark room full of guards and officials. The only source of light for the room were huge stained-glass windows. And right at the back of the room, above a row of stairs, was the Saiyan throne itself. The person sitting on the throne, was none other then the King of the Saiyans himself. King Vegeta.
As his voice bellowed through the room, his words reached to the ears of Paragus and the anthro ponies. A decision had been made.
“No more discussion! I want his son executed immediately!”
The king’s words had sent a frightening cold shiver of dread to not just Paragus, but to the entire group as well. With their mouths hung open and their eyes widened in horror, they were aghast at what they heard. Even Luna, whom had guessed the outcome, was taken back from how true she really was. Nearly the whole group felt their legs trembling from the weight of the cold atmosphere. It was a fate far worse than an exile.
“E…E-EXECUTED!!?” Rainbow Dash shrieked. Joined by the equally horrified Fluttershy.
“But… he’s just a baby.”
Seeing that his throne room doors were open, King Vegeta looked over and spotted the trembling colonel. It was clear to the monarch that he had overheard his decision.
“Ahh. Paragus. I didn’t call for you.”
With fear causing him to stager his steps, the desperate Paragus approached the king with a request.
“Sire. Have mercy on him. He can be a great help to Prince Vegeta!”
Preventing Paragus from getting closer to the king, two Saiyan guards rushed the father and held him in place. All the while King Vegeta got out of his throne and made his way towards Paragus. Restrained, it was clear to Paragus that the King’s decision was final. But he continued to plea, desperation in his tone as he struggled to free himself.
“A-And our planet! Please, he’s just a child!! The data could be wrong!! He could grow up to be a great warrior!!”
While Paragus’s clams were reasonable enough to the minds of the ponies, since they knew that Saiyans admired strength, it was the very same reason as to why King Vegeta made his decision. Much to their surprise.
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.” He said as he stopped right in front of the struggling parent.
“NOOO!!!” Paragus cried out, desperate for the king to change his mind. But all the while knowing that it was all in vain.
King Vegeta frowned at Paragus for talking back to him. And decided to seal his fate too.
“And I don’t like arguments. You’ll die with him! HAAAAA!!!” He shouted as he formed a purple ki sphere in his right palm and pushed it into Paragus’s stomach. After charging up his attack, he fired his Execution Beam. Sending the pain filled Saiyan skidding across the floor.
As they watched the still body of the Saiyan lying on the floor, Celestia was mortified at the actions of the king.
“He was only trying to protect his son. And he got killed for it,” She said quietly to herself.
But her assumptions of Paragus’s death was short lived. She could see that the unconscious Saiyan was still breathing. The breathing was also noticed by the Saiyan guards. One of which approached the body to properly inspect it.
“Your highness. He’s still alive.”
A second cold shiver travelled up the spines of the group from the sight of King Vegeta approaching the fallen Paragus. The sovereign looming over the latter. The look on his face showed uncaring and disappointment.
“You shouldn’t have opposed me, Paragus. I made you a colonel because of your loyalty. But now… you’re nothing to me.”
He then turned towards one of the Saiyan guards before giving a command.
“Cast him out to the wastelands! He will die there.”
Doing as he was ordered, the Saiyan grabbed the unconscious body of Paragus and left the throne room. The group were disgusted. They had never seen anyone acting so coldly to one of their own subjects. The Saiyan king truly was ruthless. He was just as bad as Turles.
It appeared as though Paragus’s words had almost swayed the mind of one of the Saiyan officials. Approaching the king and bowing in respect, the Saiyan spoke up.
“Your highness. Please forgive my intrusion, but do you think this is the best course of action?”
Feeling that his authority was challenged, King Vegeta turned towards the official with a threatening look.
“Explain yourself!”
Not wanting to end up like Paragus, the Saiyan replied to the king’s request.
“Well… the boy’s father speaks sense. With his latent abilities, Broly could grow up to be the mightiest warrior in the Saiyan army. N-No disrespect intended sire! It’s just that, killing him seems such a waste. We could use that strength.”
King Vegeta turned to face the Saiyan official fully before giving him a stern look.
“Can you really not foresee the problems ahead?”
The group remained silent for the moment. Wanting to hear exactly why the Saiyan king made his horrifying decision.
“Broly is a freak. He’s born with such abnormal power that it shouldn’t be possible. Once he’s grown up, that power would more likely drive him insane. And once that happens, he would not only be a danger to the Saiyans. But the entire universe itself.”
As he continued, the group could see him squinting his eyes. While it appeared to be out of anger, the Alicorns could see that it was also out of fear. Possibly paranoia.
“He could even be the Legendary Super Saiyan.”
While the group had seen Broly’s Super Saiyan transformation up close, they payed no mind to the name. They assumed that the ‘Legendary’ title was only a means to hype the Super Saiyan legend. But the truth was that it meant something else entirely. Something that brought terror to the Saiyan royal family.
“That’s why I will not permit Broly to live. My decision is final!” He said. Stating clear of his motives.
“You want us to execute the order?” One of the other guards asked.
The king looked at him with a menacing reply.
“No.”
Using his left hand to move his cape aside, he revealed to the guard a dagger attached to his waist. The sight of the hidden blade caught the ponies and dragon off-guard. As well as some quiet gasps.
“I’ll deal with him myself,” King Vegeta said as he walked past the guard and through the doors. Leaving his throne room.
The group knew for sure to follow him. Moving through the hallways and back towards where they came. It was clear to the group that the Saiyan king was heading towards the maternity ward. With every step King Vegeta made his way towards his destination, the more the kind-hearted ponies started to worry.
“Uhh. Ya don’t think that he’s serious about doin’ it? Isn’t he?” Applejack asked, the feeling of concern growing higher and higher.
“That look on his face. He’s dead serious,” Starlight replied after seeing the expression on the kings face. Her tone shaken from the murderous vibe from his cold eyes.
Fluttershy however was the only one in the group who thought that the outcome won’t come to pass. Believing that the idea of killing a child was the stuff of nightmares. Not reality.
“No! I refuse to believe that! There is no way anyone can be that cold hearted. Once he sees that adorable baby, he won’t do it!”
Her closest friends were taken back by her sudden denial. Could it be that she knew what the outcome would be? Or that she was too soft and kind-hearted to believe that such a thing was possible? Celestia too wanted to believe the yellow Pegasus. But from seeing how cruel some of the Saiyans were, and from seeing King Vegeta nearly killing Paragus without a second thought made her believe that such a horrible thing could be very possible.
Their thoughts of worry and concern only intensified when King Vegeta reached the main door to the maternity ward. The group all fell silent as to not miss what was about to happen. After opening the door, the Saiyan king walked by the many sleeping infants. He could see him. The quiet baby sobbing next to the crying Kakarot. His eyes narrowed in determination, determined to put his mind at ease.
The groups’ eyes widened even more from seeing the king walking up to Broly’s cot and using his free hand to grab the child by the leg. The sudden grip snapped Broly out of his sobbing as he glanced up to the Saiyan king. The tall Saiyan then effortlessly lifted the boy out of bed and held him by his leg. The child squirming and crying out in panic and confusion. Having no idea what was about to happen.
Then, just as King Vegeta pulled the dagger from his waist and held it very visibly in his hand, the entire group suddenly felt their bodies trembling in fright. It really was about to happen!
“F-Fluttershy! Don’t look!” Rainbow Dash said as she and the others either braced themselves or tried to look away while covering their ears. They didn’t want to see it coming.
Despite the terrifying sight in front of her, Fluttershy refused to look away. She still felt as though the king wouldn’t go through with it. But as he raised the dagger higher, with the blade pointing towards baby Broly, her voice acted as if the horrible fate was true all the long.
“N-No. It won’t happen. It just can’t. It just ca…!”
Her sentence was interrupted from the sight of the king thrusting the dagger towards Broly… then a sound of a loud scream of pain.
The entire world around the group fell silent as the cry died down. The whole group were horrified beyond compare at what King Vegeta had done. All with the sight of Broly… barely a day old… with a dagger in his chest. With her senses of sight and sound unhindered, Fluttershy saw the whole thing. Her eyes couldn’t be any wider. It was the most horrific sight she had ever seen. With her hands coving Spike’s eyes and ears, Twilight too was motionless from the scene. The actions could only be described as heart-breaking. Feeling that they were the most composed, Celestia and Luna tried to stomach the sight. Only for them to be just as shocked and sickened as the rest of the group. The white Alicorn was like a mother-figure to most colts and fillies. So to see the infant Broly being stabbed made her feel a sharp pain in her heart. But what truly made the sight of the attempted murder all the more horrendous, was that King Vegeta grew a small smirk on his face. He was satisfied with what he’d done.
But then something shocking happened. As soon as King Vegeta pulled the dagger out, baby Broly started to scream in pain. His loud bellows caught the Saiyan king completely by surprise. Causing him to gasp and to drop the dagger. Broly’s cries also caused all the other infants to cry in distress. All awoken from their slumber and only terrifying Broly more. The group were also surprised to hear that the child was still fighting for his life. Despite receiving a lethal wound in his chest.
“He…He’s still alive!?” The horrified King Vegeta asked. Afraid of Broly’s resilience as the child continued to thrash and cry. Red blood dripping from the open wound as tears of pain rain down from his eyes. The king then narrowed his eyes in realisation.
“This is even worse than I thought.”
King Vegeta had unknowingly made a grave error in his attempted murder. With his heartless actions, it had imbedded Broly with childhood trauma. Which would one day lead to Broly’s mental instability as he grows up. Being one of the causes for his shift in behaviour and his unstable sanity. It not, the TRUE cause for Broly’s downfall.
As King Vegeta quickly left the maternity ward with the infant Saiyan in his grasp, he tried to think of what to do with him. His paranoia causing him to not think properly. Then to his relief, he saw a lone Saiyan walking by.
“You!” King Vegeta called out. Addressing the surprised Saiyan as the latter quickly straightened himself up. Not to look disgraceful in front of his majesty.
“Uhh! Yes, King Vegeta!?”
Without saying a word, the king tossed the injured child towards the other Saiyan. The surprised warrior caught Broly as he looked at him in confusion. He then received an order from the king.
“Cast him out with his father!”
Those were the last words the infant Broly had ever heard from King Vegeta. With the Saiyan sovereign heading back to the throne room, he left the helpless infant in the hands of a different Saiyan. Not wanting to disobey the king’s orders, the warrior held onto baby Broly as he left the corridor and took a different path. The horrified group remained silent as they followed the Saiyan. Some of the ponies had even hoped that the Saiyan would go back on his orders and find a way to save Broly. But it wasn’t to be. As the Saiyan walked through a different door, the group found themselves outside. On the edge of a massive desolate wasteland at the rear of the Saiyan palace. The ponies and dragon could see that the wasteland was littered with rubble, garbage twisted sheets of metal and more shockingly of all, the skeletal remains of the other Saiyans that tried to question the king.
After walking towards the edge of the dumping platform, the Saiyan stopped in his tracks. As he held the infant Broly by the leg, watching the blood and tears dripping from his body, he could see that the child was trembling all over. The traumatized baby could feel nothing but sadness and pain. Sobbing as he was too scared to breathe properly.
As the group too saw Broly being held up, they heard the adult Saiyan talking. From the way he was speaking, it was as if he was talking to Broly.
“Pity it has to end this way, kid. With that special power of yours, you could grow up to be the most powerful Saiyan in all of history.”
But just as the group had thoughts of the Saiyan being the one who helped Broly, the next thing he said completely dismissed their ideas.
“But, orders are orders.”
As he looked out at the wastelands, the Saiyan could see another. An adult Saiyan who looked as though he was just put in there. He immediately knew that it was Paragus. He then said something that was almost as cold as King Vegeta.
“At least this way, you will die with your father.”
Then… with no hesitation whatsoever… the Saiyan swung his arm low… and threw Broly through the air. Hurtling him across the wasteland and towards the area where Paragus lay. Most of the group had to cover their mouths in horror from the sight of the infant skidding across the dirt-covered ground. Coming to a stop beside Paragus.
Just like his father, the child was thrown out like garbage.
By the time the group reached down to where the two Saiyans were, half of them already had tears in their eyes. The sight of the child being treated so viciously was too much for their kind hearts. Unable to resist her maternal instincts, even though he wasn’t her child, Princess Cadence tried to reach down in an attempt to cradle the infant Broly in her arms. Only to see that her hands phase through his body like a ghost.
“Wha…!?”
“T-This is all a memory, Cadence. Th-these events had already happened. So we can’t change it,” Luna explained in a shaken tone.
Wanting to comfort his wife, Shining Armor placed his hands on Cadence’s shoulders as she stood back up.
The group were mortified beyond comprehension. From remembering how nice Broly was being around them back when they had dinner, they had no idea that the Saiyan went through such a horrific ordeal at a very young age. Nor even expecting such a thing when they decided to venture into his past. It was unspeakable for what King Vegeta had done to him and his father. The realisation so daunting, that the group couldn’t help but cry out of sadness. Fluttershy even more so then the others. She truly thought that the king would see past his anxiety and spare Broly. But he didn’t. And she had seen it unfolding right in front of her. She wished she had listened to Rainbow Dash. It was something that she would never unsee. Even Princess Luna, who resented Broly, had several tears in her eyes. In the point of time they were at, Broly was just an innocent baby. He had done nothing wrong. Yet, the actions the king used on him were truly unforgivable. While Celestia too mourned at Broly’s start in life, she couldn’t help but envision similarities to Twilight. Like Broly, the Element of Magic was herself a prodigy. Possessing natural talent that made her unique. But that was where the similarities end. Where Twilight was celebrated and cherished, Broly was feared and cast out by the rest of his kind. They even called him a freak because of it. The white Alicorn couldn’t bear the thought of something like that happening to Twilight if ponies feared her and her magical talent. As if it weren’t bad enough, they could see that other Saiyans were casually walking by the wastelands. Not even raising a single finger to help the two. They either didn’t care or under orders by the king to leave them be.
As the group stood there in silence, Rarity was the one to speak.
“How? How could they do that to him?” She asked with tears running down her cheeks.
“I knew that the Saiyans were brutal. But this… this is just taking it too far,” Spike added. Braving the sight with only one eye opening.
“The poor little thing,” Pinkie Pie uttered. Something of which Fluttershy deeply agreed.
As for the yellow Pegasus, she couldn’t bare it anymore. It was too much for her to witness. Falling to her knees, Fluttershy covered her eyes as she started to cry loudly. A flood of tears leaking out of her clenched fingers. Rainbow Dash had to kneel down and cradle her long-time friend. Embracing her to ease the sadness.
As the teary-eyed Twilight watched as Broly continued to cling onto life, she started to remember what the adult Broly once said to Turles.
“Tch…Saiyans. What have you ever done for me?”
The lavender Alicorn began to think out loud.
“So that explains it.”
Her words gained the whole groups’ attention. To which she continued what she had discovered.
“The reason why Broly hated his own kind. It was because of what they had done to him. Because of…this.”
After some thought, Starlight added her own theory.
“And when Broly was beating up Turles, we saw that he was smiling.”
Despite the sadness in her voice, Celestia summoned enough willpower to put the two and two together.
“It seemed when he encountered Turles, Broly must’ve associated him with everything the Saiyans had done to him. So when they battled, it must be Broly’s way of vengeance. Pay back for all they had done to him.”
“And the reason why he took his time to end Turles. He wanted him to suffer because of their heartless actions,” Luna added. Seeing that it was the only reason why Broly held back at the start of the fight.
The group were stunned at the theory. But the more they thought about it, the more it made sense. They could picture it. With every single pain Broly had received, he returned it in kind. Turles being the perfect person for Broly to take his resentment out on.
As silence filled the air, the group noticed that Paragus was starting to regain consciousness. But grunting in agony from the attack he received from King Vegeta. As his eyes started to open, he could hear the sounds of painful whimpers to his side. Looking to his right, the father’s eyes widened in horror as he let out a gasp of shock.
“B…Broly!”
Despite the pain the older Saiyan was feeling, he was determined to show to Broly that he wasn’t alone. Nudging closer to the injured infant with his right arm reaching out to him. His concerns escalated from seeing the gaping wound in the child’s chest.
“Wha… What have they… done to you?”
The ponies and dragon were mentally cheering Paragus on. Hoping that the father of Broly had just enough strength left to reassure the child.
Then just as his strength gave out, Paragus managed to hold onto Broly’s tiny left hand. Holding on tightly so that he wouldn’t leave his side. Then before he slipped back into a state of slumber, Paragus managed to utter out one more thing.
“I’m… sorry. My son.”
As sweet as the moment was, it also made the sight all the more heart-breaking. It was as if Paragus knew that there was no hope for him and Broly. Yet he gave his son one more shine of hope. But despite what may seem to be an end to them both, the group had to remind themselves that Broly couldn’t have died there and then. If he were, then how was he able to reach adulthood? How were they inside his mind? To them, the sight of the injured pair looked too real for there to be a miracle.
Thoughts of how Broly survived his ordeal and how he grew up were on the minds of the group. Causing time to fly by without them even noticing. But the silence was broken when the group heard a pair of voices in the distance. Looking to the side, they could see two Saiyans talking. Despite being far away, the group could hear what they were saying.
But it was the things they said that gained their interest.
“Hay. I’ve finally found you,” The first Saiyan said. Seemingly out of breath from running.
“What? What’s going on?” The second Saiyan asked. Receiving an answer from the first.
“Wait, you haven’t heard? Bardock had gone mad.”
The name of the forespoken Saiyan caught the attention of the saddened group.
“Wait, Bardock? Isn’t that the father of Kakarot?” Twilight asked. But listened on to what the Saiyans had to say. Starting with the second Saiyan.
“Gone mad? What happened?”
“I don’t know. He suddenly barged in the canteen all banged up and stuff. He was going on about how Frieza was going to kill us all and all that nonsense.”
“Say what? What a load of crap. The Saiyans are the backbone of the Frieza Force. Why would he kill us off?”
The words of the first Saiyan caught the group by surprise. Startled to hear both the name of the tyrant, but most of all, hearing what the same person was about to do. It then got Twilight thinking. To which she gasped from what she remembered. The words that Broly said back when they were eating dinner.
“Wait. Broly said that his home was destroyed when he was an infant,” She said quietly to herself.
Then as she quickly looked at the injured child, and then back at the pair of Saiyans, the purple Alicorn began to piece together the possibility. But the thought of it caused her whole body to tremble from the likely hood.
“Twilight? What’s wrong?” Spike asked. Seeing the rising fear in his friend’s eyes.
The group too caught on to Twilight’s change of mood. They could see that she was frightened. She then spoke out loud. For her friends and family to hear.
“It can’t be. It couldn’t be this point in time. But… it must be.”
“Twilight?” Shining Armor uttered. Concerned at what was going through his sister’s head.
“The event that Broly told us. It’s today!”
Twilight continued as she turned to face her allies. The look of fear on her face.
“Today’s the day when the Saiyans were wiped out!”
The whole group all let out gasps of surprise and horror. It was already traumatizing enough to witness Broly’s near death experience. But for the extinction of the Saiyan race to be on the exact same day, the group couldn’t think of anything more worse.
“But Twilight. Are you sure that it’s on this very day?” Cadence asked, joined by Pinkie Pie.
“Yeah. This day couldn’t possibly get any worse.”
But just as Twilight was about to reply, she and the others heard the two Saiyans calling out to something. To which confirmed Twilight’s claims.
“Hay! Is that Bardock up there!?”
“Yeah, it is!”
Following the line of sight of the two Saiyans, the startled group all traced their sights up the nearby tower. All the way up to the very top. It was there where they saw a lone Saiyan standing strong. Being too far away to see clearly, Luna formed an energy sphere around the group and herself before moving off the ground and towards the individual.
As they ascended, Celestia, Twilight and Fluttershy looked back at Paragus and Broly once more. Though they didn’t want to leave their side, but they had to investigate what was going on. And to see if Twilight was correct about her clams. But it wasn’t like the two were going anywhere for a while. They’ll be back.
As the group reached to the top of the tower, they had a clear view of the Saiyan. Startled at his resemblance to other Saiyans they knew of.
“Wow. So this is Bardock?” Starlight said. Joined by Shining Armor.
“He almost looks like Turles. But I can see that he’s Kakarot’s father,” He said. Seeing that the Saiyan’s hair looked identical to the infant.
It was where the similarities end. One of the main differences Bardock had was a noticeable scar on his left cheek. But it was when the group noticed the horrid state his body was in. They gaped from the amounts of cuts and blood that almost coated his entire body. His green and dark blue battle uniform was heavily damaged too. His left wristband missing and his dark blue trousers heavily torn.
“My gosh. What happened to him?” Rarity asked. Shocked to see someone who looked very worn but yet was standing tall.
“He looks as though he had a rough time,” Applejack said. Having no idea what the Saiyan went through.
Rainbow Dash however was distracted by Bardock’s headband. The colour of it was crimson. Yet, it looked too real to be made artificially. That and it was the exact same shade of red as his bodily fluid dripping from his body.
‘Is that blood?’
Then to the surprise of the group, Bardock started to move. Seeing him squatting against the ledge of the tower before looking up defiantly at the sky.
Curious to see what Bardock was looking at, as well as wondering why he looked so furious, Luna followed his line of sight towards the sky. At first, she could see nothing. But after using her vision enhancement spell, she had a much clearer view. She could slowly see an object in the distance. Possibly high above the atmosphere of the planet itself. But as soon as the object became very clear in her sights, the Moon Princess let out a startled gasp. Her eyes widened in shock from a very familiar sight.
“Luna? What is it?” Celestia asked. Concerned at what frightened her sister.
As she kept her sights on the object, Luna answered the question.
“There’s a flying saucer up there. High above the sky. But sister. This one is far bigger than the one that invaded Equestria.”
The group gasped at what Princess Luna had said.
“What!? Even bigger!?” Fluttershy asked. Not wanting to imagine how much larger the saucer was.
Twilight then had a scary idea on what kind of ship it was.
“If it’s huge, then it must be a flagship. And that means…!”
After glancing over to the determined Bardock, and remembering what the previous two Saiyans were discussing about, she revealed what her mind told her.
“It might be Frieza’s ship!”
The group all gasped in shock at the revelation. The thought of the powerful tyrant being very close by was very intimidating. Shining Armor then remembered what Twilight said about the possibility of the day when the Saiyans died being just minutes away.
“So… today really is the day.”
Then without warning, the group were startled to see Bardock launching himself off the tower. His body shrouded in ki as he flew away. Higher into the sky. Deciding to follow him, Luna moved herself and the group towards him. Being in control of the dream world, she could adjust her speed to match virtually anything. As they positioned themselves next to the determined Saiyan, they could plainly see where he was going.
“He’s serious. He’s heading towards that ship!” Cadence mentioned. Joined by Twilight.
“I see. He must’ve figured out what this Frieza was about to do. And is making a stand against him.”
The group could hear Rainbow Dash talking to herself. But her tone was quiet. As some of the ponies looked at the blue Pegasus, they could see her eyeing Bardock. Almost in admiration.
“Look at him. With those injuries, he should be resting. But he’s still going to fight on for his kind. All on his own.”
The next thing she said to the group by surprise.
“This guy’s awesome!”
As the group followed the Saiyan higher and higher off the ground, they looked back down at the planet beneath them. The view of the ground being so far down made the Earth Ponies and Unicorns very nervous. They weren’t used to being so high in the air.
“Is he planning to fly into space?” Starlight asked as she and the others turned back to Bardock.
But as soon as they did, they noticed a change of expression on the Saiyan’s face. He looked as though he spotted something. Following his line of vision, some of the group saw the ship in the sky. But it was the swarm of soldiers leaving the ship that made them gasp in shock.
“That’s… a lot of aliens,” Pinkie Pie uttered. Seeing the aliens diving towards the planet to intercept Bardock.
The group began to give Bardock some space. Despite being in a memory, the group didn’t like the idea of getting close to upcoming battle. But they held their breaths. Bardock was all alone, and he was facing an army in the hundreds. Charging in with no hesitation.
“Here we go,” Rainbow Dash said. Secretly feeling excited to see the fearless Bardock in battle
When a large group of soldiers fired their ki attacks on Bardock, the resulting explosion signalled the start of the battle. The blast leaving behind a plume of smoke. At first the soldiers thought that it was an end for the Saiyan. But to their surprise, Bardock emerged undeterred. Storming through the cloud and slamming his left elbow into the face of one soldier. Knocking him out of the way.
“Grrr! Come on you cowards!” Bardock shouted as he charged into the heart of the alien swarm. Closing the distance between him and the giant ship.
As Bardock flew through the hoard, the group saw how tough and resilient the Saiyan was. After narrowly dodging one alien, he spun around to deliver a kick to another that tried to tackle him. Then after avoiding a blast of yellow ki, Bardock fired his own attack back at the sender. Vaporizing his body in a blast of blue ki before kicking aside another alien.
The group held their breath when they saw a second large group charging in to tackle Bardock all at once. But instead of dodging, Bardock roared as he took the group head on. Surrounded by the team as they attempted to hold him down. But just as it seemed Bardock was overwhelmed, a flash of blue ki erupted from within. Blasting the aliens away as Bardock launched himself free. By gaining speed and surrounding himself in surging white aura, he began to charge straight through the enemies defences. Knocking away countless soldiers from his path as he moved ever closer to the giant spaceship.
“He’s roasting them!” Pinkie Pie said. Amazed at how strong Bardock was compared to the other aliens.
The group were also surprised to hear Rainbow Dash cheering the Saiyan on.
“Yeah! That’s it! Kick their butts!”
Bardock roared as he continued to plough through the swarms of aliens. But it came to an end when one alien managed to grab a hold onto the Saiyan’s ankle. By slowing him down, it allowed the other soldiers to dive in. With one gaining a lock around Bardock’s neck.
The group were startled to see twenty or more aliens holding onto each in a big ball. Trying to slow Bardock down with one of the aliens giving out a command.
“Keep him away from the ship!”
As Bardock tried to struggle free from the grip of many soldiers, he glanced up at the sight ahead of him. Only to see not just the next swarm of soldiers, but the giant saucer almost within his reach. Determination fuelling his body as he called out the emperor’s name.
“FRIEZAAAAAAAA!!!”
With a rush of adrenaline flowing through his very being, he opened his entrapped palms and began to fire off a blast of ki. Bright light shining from the soldiers before the attack blasted them away. Leaving them to fall back towards the planet. But those actions didn’t stop the aliens from trying to block Bardock’s path. Four of them grabbing a tight hold onto the Saiyan. Bardock grunted as the four squeezed their grip.
But despite their efforts, they were still heading directly towards the massive ship. With one of the aliens commenting on Bardock’s actions.
“He’s insane!”
“FRIEZA!!! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!!!” Bardock roared. Addressing the tyrant.
By the time he reached the ship, Bardock managed to shake off two of his opponents. The remaining two keeping a firm lock around his neck and his left arm. The Saiyan stopped just above the front of the saucer as he called out to his former boss once more.
“YOU COWARD!!! COME OUT!!!”
But before the ponies and dragon could make a comment on how determined Bardock was, to the surprise of everyone, even the alien soldiers, the top hatch on the top of the spaceship started to slowly open. The soldiers all fell silent as they watched the hatch. Almost scared that it might be the tyrant himself. Visibly trembling from the idea. Even Bardock was a little startled. He didn’t imagine that the emperor would react to his arrival so suddenly. The group too felt a little shiver up their spines. They were about to finally see who Lord Frieza really was.
Then as the hatch fully opened, a person emerged. Sitting in his hoverchair, the individual was an alien unlike anything the anthro ponies and dragon had ever seen. He had a huge chestnut-shaped skull with two straight horns protruding from the sides of his head. He had dark red lips, a smooth purple head and pink arms with lines on them. The same could be said for his cheeks. His face and hands were lilac in colour while white natural armour covered the sides of his head as well as his body. Which was covered by him wearing his very own battle uniform. Coloured in purple and yellow. He also wore strange wristbands with brown sections on the front. His tail could be seen resting over the left side of his hoverchair. It too was pink but with a purple spiked end. But the most unnerving part about his appearance was the cold red pupils in his eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who was pure evil. Who cared for nothing but himself. A true tyrant. The self-proclaimed Emperor of the Universe.
“It’s him! Frieza!!” One soldier called out. Surprised to see that his boss emerged to face the Saiyan instead of one of his officers.
As the emperor rose from his ship, most of the group stared at him in disbelief.
“That’s Frieza!? But he looks so small,” Rainbow Dash commented. Seeing that the alien was smaller than she imagined.
Celestia then assured the Pegasus that the situation was no laughing matter.
“Don’t be fooled by his size, Rainbow Dash. He’s the real threat.”
Celestia’s tone was genuinely fearful. Though the magic casters couldn’t sense energy from him since he was only a memory, she could tell that there was more to the tyrant than meets the eye. She could literally feel the evil radiating from the mere sight of him. The cold glare from Frieza’s eyes was more than enough to make the Sun Princess afraid. Truth be told, at that moment, she was more scared of him than both Broly and Turles.
Luna too shared her sisters’ concern. She could see it in the eyes of the alien soldiers. They too were trembling from the sight of the Frost Demon. So much so that the two aliens released their hold on Bardock and moved slightly behind the Saiyan.
“Strange. That Bardock is one of the Saiyan warriors. Yet the aliens are more afraid of Frieza?”
Fearing that his silence may offend his boss, one of the two soldiers spoke up.
“We solute you sire.”
To show good faith in their leader, all the other frightened soldiers too praised him.
“Yeah! Long live Lord Frieza!”
“Long live Lord Frieza!”
“Long live Lord Frieza!”
All the other soldiers chanted their leaders name. Showing their loyalty to him as he stopped ascending from his ship. Glaring coldly at Bardock. Who was grinning from the fact that all the other aliens would blindly follow Frieza’s rule. He chuckled before speaking defiantly to the emperor.
“No way. You lived long enough!”
The group were amazed at how defiant Bardock was. Just the mere presence of Frieza terrified the other aliens, yet the Saiyan didn’t felt the same. Openly declaring that he would oppose the tyrant. With the moment surely to be one of the most memorable, the ponies and dragon remained silent as they listened. They didn’t want to miss a single second of the confrontation.
“Actually it’s been too long for my taste,” Bardock added. Showing that he wanted Frieza out of his life forever.
As the group looked at the emperor to see if he was about to say something back, to their surprise he remained silent. However, they then saw him raising his left hand slightly out of his chair in plain view. But what caught their attention was a tiny orange ball of ki on the end of Frieza’s index finger. They also noticed that the other aliens saw the tiny orb too. One alien gulped from the tension. Scared as to what Frieza was planning to do.
Then as Bardock continued, he spoke on the behalf of the entire Saiyan race.
“Frieza! Listen up! We quit! All of us! Got it!? We don’t work for you! We’re free! You can find someone else to do your dirty work!”
Bardock continued to smile in joy. He was relishing the moment. Finally talking back to Frieza definitely felt good for him. Truly believing that the Saiyan race would continue on. Free of Frieza’s influence. But in response to the Saiyan’s bravado, Frieza raised his hand beside his face with his finger pointing straight up. The tiny ball of ki remained in place on the tip of his black fingernail. The group were unsure what the Frost Demon was doing. If it was a sign of intimidation, it didn’t appear that threatening.
Feeling that he had the advantage over Frieza, Bardock could feel his body building up with adrenaline once again. His energy raising at its height as he began to channel it into his twitching right hand.
“Oh yeah. There is one last thing.”
In a flash of blue light, to the amazement of the group, Bardock formed a bright blue ki ball that shined from his open right palm. Glowing ever brighter as he pumped more energy into it.
“This is for all the people that we killed in your name! I wish we were never foolish enough to obey you!”
Determined to end the reign of Lord Frieza once and for all, Bardock reared his right arm back. Moments away from unleashing one of his strongest attacks. The Final Spirit Cannon.
“HERE!!! HAVE IT!!!”
With one mighty throw, Bardock fired his attack. The Final Spirit Cannon shinning like a shooting star as it bared down on the composed tyrant. If the group were sitting down, they would be on the edge of their seats. Moments away from witnessing the results of all the Saiyan’s determination to save both his race and his home. In their eyes, Bardock was the most heroic Saiyan they had ever seen.
However… it was not to be.
After grinning from how underprepared the Saiyan was, Frieza let out an amused laughter. Finding Bardock’s resistance humorous. As he did, the tiny orange ball of energy began to expand. Growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. So large, that as the Final Spirit Cannon struck the ball, it was instantly absorbed into it. Rendering Bardock’s last ditch attack useless as it continued to grow.
“Haa!!? NO WAY!!!” Bardock screamed in disbelief. Both from his failed attack and Frieza’s display of power.
But it didn’t stop. Both Bardock and the group’s eyes grew wide in fear as Frieza’s energy ball grew bigger and bigger. Completely dwarfing the spaceship. By the time it stopped growing, the ball of ki was as big as a mountain and greatly resembling the sun. The ponies were horrified that someone so small possessed so much power.
“What in Equestria!!” Cadence cried out from seeing the gigantic ball of death.
Then… as everything fell deathly silent… the group heard Frieza spoke. With his voice almost a whisper, it was the final words he would say to the horrified Bardock. His voice… sent shivers of dread down the spines of the group.
“I’ll show you some beautiful fireworks.”
Then… with a mere flick of his index finger… Frieza sent his Supernova attack loose. The colossal ball of energy flying directly towards the Saiyan. Knowing that he could do nothing against such an attack, Bardock screamed in fear. Seeing that death was just moments away. But before the ball of energy could touch him, the desperate Saiyan raised his hands at the attack. Trying to hold back the giant ball. But the second his hands made contact with the ball, he screamed in agony from the shear amount of energy it possessed. Then the attack completely engulfed Bardock. The Saiyan crying out in agony before being incinerated into nothing.
However, the Supernova kept going. Directly in the path of the other soldiers.
“EVERYONE!!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!” One soldier shouted as he and most of the solders attempted to flee.
While some had barely made it out alive, there were those who were too slow or paralyzed in fear. To which those unfortunate souls only had a second to wail in complete agony before being vaporized in an instant. The group were left horrified at the sight.
“That Frieza. He doesn’t even care about killing his own men,” Celestia said as she glanced over to the emperor. Seeing the sadistic smile on his face as he marvelled his attack.
But the sound of Applejack’s voice caused her to avert her attention.
“Princess, that attack is still goin’!”
All eyes turned towards the Supernova attack. It had already stormed passed the alien solders and began to descend towards Planet Vegeta itself. With nothing getting in its way. The pressure of the attack already started to disperse the clouds covering the red planet. The sight causing Twilight to remember Broly’s words. Him detailing exactly what had happened.
“It was blown up by a tyrant… named Frieza.”
Twilight thought that Broly was only exaggerating. Believing that when the Saiyan said that his planet was destroyed, it was only on the surface level. That Frieza used some sort of attack that left the planet desolate. But seeing the giant ball of energy breaking through the planet’s atmosphere was causing her to slowly believe him.
“No. There’s no way anyone could have the power to blow up a planet. Could they?”
It wasn’t just Twilight. The whole group too had the same thoughts as they watched the attack drawing ever closer to the planet. When the energy ball collided into the ground, releasing a boom sound, the group felt a sudden shiver up their spines. They thought that the Supernova would detonate on impact. But instead, it began to burry itself into the planet’s surface. Huge clouds of dirt and debris were thrown up into the air around the ball. But the horror was far from over. As shockwaves travelled across the planet’s surface, bright orange cracks began to form all across the globe. Within an instant, the attack triggered all the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions at once. The group were literally seeing a planet beginning to break apart.
“No way. The whole planet,” Starlight uttered. Horrified to see such an unimaginable sight.
Then Fluttershy remembered something.
“Wait! What about Broly!? He’s still down there!”
Fluttershy was right to ask the question. If Broly was alive and well on their homeworld, how was he able to survive the destruction on his own?
Wanting to find out with their own eyes, Luna teleported herself and the group back to the planet’s surface. Reappearing beside the fallen Broly and Paragus.
But as soon as they set foot on the ground. They immediately felt the whole planet shaking. Despite it all being a memory, they could still feel the effects. They gasped from seeing tall towers toppling over from the violent tremors.
“It’s really happening! Isn’t it!?” Spike asked, unable to take the sights and sounds of the other Saiyans screaming and running for their lives.
Then they heard Rarity shouting.
“Look over there!!”
Following her gaze, the group could see it too. Despite being hundreds of miles away, they all could see the Supernova attack burrowing into the planet in the distance. Shining brightly as it began to break apart the very planet they were standing on. The sight could only be described as apocalyptic. It looked even more frightening than it was from space. Because if it happened to them, they knew that there would be no escape.
Then to their surprise, rivers of energy and molten magma began erupting from the very ground near the city they were in. Causing the ground to shake even more as the buildings and mountains were entirely consumed. Vaporized in its blinding light.
But as the light of the eruption shined through the city, it was enough to awaken the infant Broly. But as his eyes opened, he saw a horrifying sight. His entire world on the brink of utter destruction. The sight of the cataclysm causing Broly to cry out in fear and… something else.
The sight had triggered an unforeseen hidden power within Broly. His body emitting a faint green glow as his eyes mysteriously lost their black pupils. His crying gaining the attention of the group and waking up Paragus. Then to the surprise of the ponies, Broly began to levitate off the ground. With his hand firmly grasping his father’s own, he miraculously pulled the older Saiyan off the ground. As the baby grunted from the newfound energy he was feeling, Paragus stared at him in shock and amazement. The same expression that was on the faces of the group. Having no idea that the infant could pull off such a stunt while injured.
But the group didn’t have the time to admire the sight for long. Because as the world around them began to light up in orange light, Luna’s emergency teleportation spell kicked in. Transporting the group back where they were before. Outside of the planet’s orbit.
“Wha…!? What happened!?” Twilight asked as she and the others looked around in confusion. Not expecting to me moved away so suddenly.
Luna then explained what had happened.
“Sorry. But whenever I enter a dream that involved explosions, my magic would take me to a safe place to protect my eyes from any intense brightness.”
Luna’s reply made sense. It would be bad if the Moon Princess went blind while inside someone’s dream. But as she stared at the open void, Rainbow Dash spoke up.
“But if we’re all the way back up here, then does that mean…!?”
Her sentence was halted when she turned back around. The others too were silent from the sight of where they were just seconds ago. The entire surface of the planet was all blackened from the destruction. The only source of light coming from the cracks that continued to grow across the surface. Then it happened. With one bright flash of orange light from the detonating Supernova attack, the entire planet exploded from within. Giant chunks of what was once landmasses began to fly out into space. Hurtling at tremendous speeds.
As the blast wave travelled across space, planetary debris began to fly past the horrified group. Then as they looked to their side, they saw Frieza’s ship holding its own against the blast. But what was most shocking, was that the tyrant himself was laughing.
“Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh my!! This is stupendous! Wow! What a great show! Unbelievable! Look at that! AAHHAHAHAHA!!! AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”
Then as the explosion seemed to have died down, the finale happened. The planet’s core too exploded. Erupting in a bright light before it too died down. Despite being at a safer location, the group still had to shield their eyes from the blast. But when they could see again, their whole bodies trembled at a horrifying sight. What was once a large planet full of life, was nothing more than floating piles of rubble. Rocks and debris drifting across the cold vacuum of space. It was clear that nothing could have survived such devastation.
The ponies and dragon had witnessed the very thing that Broly told them about. The genocide of the Saiyan race. The destruction of Planet Vegeta.
As Celestia turned to the person responsible, she could see Frieza chuckling as he retreated back into his ship. The top hatch closing afterward. The Sun Princess felt truly disgusted at what the Emperor of the Universe had done.
“He just wiped out an entire race… and he enjoyed it. Laughing as if they meant nothing to him.”
“How? How can anyone be that evil?” Cadence asked. Seeing that Frieza clearly was more diabolical then even King Sombra. Something of which she and her husband never thought possible.
Luna clenched her fists as she watched the giant spaceship. Envisioning that if Frieza was with the invasion of Equestria, he could had very easily done the same to their world.
“That heartless tyrant.”
Fluttershy then gained everyone’s attention as she asked an important question.
“But what about Broly? Could he survive something like that?”
Seeing that the yellow Pegasus was right, Luna began to move the group away from Frieza’s ship and towards what was left of Planet Vegeta. As they travelled past chunks of what was once landmasses, most of the group were shaken from not just the fact that people can blow up planets. But the way Frieza had done it. The attack formed out of his single finger. Plus to create the said attack was pulled off so effortlessly. So much so that it was scary.
If Frieza could blow up an entire planet as easily as swatting a fly… then what was the tyrant like if he were serious?
After some more searching, the group saw a faint green glimmer in the distance. When the anthro ponies and dragon moved towards the light, they were amazed at what they saw. Broly and Paragus had survived! Protected by a transparent green barrier generated from the infant.
“Incredible! Broly had the strength to shield himself from an exploding planet at a very young age!” Twilight said. Impressed at Broly’s abilities.
Paragus franticly looked at his surroundings. More so the barrier he was in. As he looked down at Broly, he could see that the child had his eyes shut. Concentrating to keep himself and his father safe.
“Broly? How… are you doing this?” He asked.
But he then brought his attention back to what was left of his home planet.
“But… what happened?”
Then as he looked around, Paragus spotted a ship in the distance. Confused at first, he then gasped in shock at realising that it was Frieza’s. Then as the ship vanished from sight, Paragus already figured out what had happened. Clenching one of his fists in anger.
“Frieza. He… He did this!”
Then to the shock of the group and Paragus, the green barrier around the two Saiyans briefly started to flicker. One point almost fading away. The father quickly looked down at his son. He could see that Broly was starting to struggle holding the breathable barrier up. The pain from the stab wound causing the child’s concentration to falter.
“Broly! Please… just hang on!”
The group began to feel tense. If the barrier were to fully drop, then both the Saiyans would die. There was no oxygen in space after all. Desperate to find another planet nearby, Paragus began to franticly look to spot one. But just as he couldn’t find any, to his surprise, he heard a voice. Sounding as if it came from speakers.
“Hay! I’ll be right there! Just hang on!”
It wasn’t just Paragus. The whole group too were startled to hear the voice. As the group looked around to find the source, Pinkie Pie spotted something.
“Hay! Something is coming this way!”
Following the pink mare’s line of sight, the rest of the group too saw something coming. As it drew closer, Paragus too saw it. Much to his surprise. As the object came into view, it turned out to be a small transport vessel. The main part of the ship was a saucer. Despite resembling the ones that the Frieza Force uses, it was much smaller. Probably capable of holding twenty people at the most. Behind the ship was its cargo. A platform carrying two Saiyan pods.
As the side of the ship stopped beside the startled Saiyan, the side hatch of the vessel opened up. With the feminine voice speaking up in urgency.
“Quick! Get in!”
Realising that he was being saved, Paragus tightly held onto Broly’s hand as he began to quickly move towards the ship. The group held their breath from the sight of the green barrier beginning to fade again. Then just as the barrier finally gave way, Paragus had made it just in time. The hatch door shutting as soon as father and son made it to safety.
Wanting to see what was happening inside, Luna transported herself and the group inside the ship where the two Saiyans were lying. Watching as Paragus took deep breaths from exhaustion. After several moments of resting, the father tended to the injured Broly. Cradling his son in his arms for the first time.
“It’s ok, son. We made it.”
The room they were in jolted as the ship began to move away from the leftovers of Planet Vegeta. Then a different hatch opened, revealing the cockpit of the ship. From what the ponies could see, the ship was flown by only one person. Hidden from them with the chair blocking their vision. Then the stranger spoke again, revealing to be a woman.
“Didn’t think I would find any survivors out there. Good thing I was here to get you out of there.”
The group were startled to hear a surprised gasp from Paragus. As the Saiyan weakly got back up on his feet, he looked at the pilot in a look of disbelief. It was as if he knew who the woman was. To which he confirmed it.
“Hay. I know that voice. Is that you?”
It seemed hearing the Saiyan’s voice caused the pilot to gasp in surprise as well. To which, the woman spun her chair around in the look of surprise on her face. The group were surprised at what they saw. The woman was another Saiyan. Her black spikey hair and brown monkey tail confirmed it. She also wore a black battle uniform with green shoulder pads. As well as a black bodysuit underneath. She also wore white gloves that covered her hands, and on her legs, she wore a pair of leggings that reached just above her knees. Unlike most other Saiyans they had seen, she was slimmer. While still possessing a bit of muscle. She also wore a necklace around her neck. It was gold with a blue gemstone in the middle.
“What!? Paragus!?” She uttered.
“P…Pruna!?”
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
As soon as all the commotion calmed down, the female Saiyan named Pruna went back to flying the ship. Trying to avoid crashing into any stray chunks of her former homeworld. Whereas Paragus immediately tended to Broly’s wounds. Despite himself being injured too, it was his son’s condition what was the most concerning. The group meanwhile talked amongst themselves. Analysing the situation.
“Well… at least Broly is now looked after,” Rarity said. Glad to see the infant receiving medical attention.
As Twilight looked over to Celestia, she noticed that the older Alicorn’s full attention was on the Saiyan pilot. Watching her as she flew the ship.
“Is everything alright, Celestia?” She asked out of concern.
While keeping her sights on the new Saiyan, Celestia answered the question.
“Yes, Twilight. It’s just that… there’s something about her. I can’t put my finger on it though.”
“Well… Paragus does seem to know her though,” Twilight added.
Pinkie Pie joined in.
“But if she was the one who saved him, how come Broly never mentioned about her?”
The rest of the group too found it strange. Surely something like that would make Broly at least mention her.
Luna however revealed the answer why.
“Because he couldn’t remember.”
When the others looked at Luna, they saw that her horn was flashing blue with magic. To which the blue Alicorn revealed what she had been sensing.
“If you remember what I said before, as of now I can only extend parts of his memory that he already possessed. We are in a part of Broly’s memory that was lost to him.”
The group were shocked at the revelation.
“Luna. When did his original memory stopped?” Cadence asked her aunt.
The Princess of the Night looked to her niece before answering.
“The moment when his home planet was destroyed.”
The ponies and dragon were startled at what they heard. It meant that everything since then, Broly had lost his memories of.
Then as she spotted Pruna glancing over her shoulder to watch Paragus, Rarity’s keen eyes spotted the piece of jewellery she wore. It was something familiar about it that she questioned.
“Hay? Haven’t you all noticed about the necklace she’s wearing?”
The rest of the group looked at the female Saiyan in response. They too saw the necklace that she wore. Their eyes widened from the feeling that the white Unicorn was on to something.
“Yeah. It’s like we’ve seen it before somewhere.” Starlight said with a questionable look.
“It kinda look’s like… the one Broly wore,” Rainbow Dash added.
It was the blue Pegasus’s words that caused the group to see it too. Her necklace didn’t just look like Broly’s, it looked identical.
But before they could pay more mind to it, noises from Paragus’s direction caused the group to turn away to see what he was doing. Despite the ship’s small size, it was just big enough to fit a small healing tank. After connecting an airpipe to the sleeping Broly’s mouth, Paragus closed him in. Then after activating the machine, healing fluid began to fill the tank. The Saiyan child completely submerged in it as he began to float.
“There. His vitals are now stabilizing,” Paragus said as he inspected the machine. Seeing if Broly’s pulse was in check.
“It’s amazing how he could survive this long with a wound like that. Any other Saiyan child would’ve died.” He said quietly to himself. But it was heard by the group.
He then smiled at how much of a survivor Broly was.
“You truly are special, Broly.”
After reassuring himself that his son was safe, Paragus turned to face the Saiyan pilot.
“What are you doing out here? I thought you were on Planet Vegeta.”
Pruna replied with a story of her own.
“I was meant to. But on my way home, I ran into pirates. But you know me. It was nothing I couldn’t handle. They made me arrive late though. Then I picked up two lifeforms on my scouter and I found you.”
She then turned the question onto Paragus.
“But what about you? I never expect you of all Saiyans to survive floating in space.”
Paragus turned towards his sleeping child with an answer.
“A miracle. That’s what.”
Curious at what Paragus was on about, Pruna turned around to see both the father and his son in the healing tank.
“I take it that’s your son?” She asked.
“It is. This is Broly,” Paragus answered.
After glancing at the sleeping infant, her eyes widened slightly as she spotted an injury.
“What happened to him? That looks like a stab wound.”
Paragus frowned in anger as he responded.
“That’s because it is. You can thank King Vegeta for that.”
Pruna seemed startled at what she heard.
“What!? The king did that!? Why?”
“Because he’s scared of Broly.”
Seeing that Pruna was confused at his answer, Paragus decided to reveal what made Broly special.
“My son. He’s born with a power level of ten thousand.”
So startled by the news, that Pruna instantly stood up from her chair as her tail unravelled in surprise. The action matched with the expression on her face as she stared at the sleeping infant.
“What!? T…Ten thousand!? But… he’s only a child!”
Paragus smiled from seeing the amount of shock on Pruna’s face. He then turned back to his son as he spoke more.
“I know. Only a day old… yet possesses more power than most of the Saiyan elites. He’s even on par with the likes of Bardock.”
The group were surprised at the comparison Paragus had made. Especially since it involved the very same warrior that stood up to Frieza. In fact, the more they thought about it, Broly as an infant was far more stronger then all of them put together. Some of them even felt a little envious of Broly’s raw potential.
As she calmed down, letting the presence of such a gifted baby sinking in, Pruna then brought up a question that not even the group had thought of yet.
“And his mother?”
The subject caused the group to pause in surprise. How could they overlook something as important as the Saiyan that gave Broly life to begin with? All eyes were on Paragus as he gave his answer. His tone saddened to a great degree.
“She was weak after giving birth to Broly. She was in the medical centre when… Planet Vegeta…”
Paragus was unable to finish his sentence. But he didn’t need to. The group and Pruna could clearly understand what he was trying to convey. The ponies were saddened from the fact that the mother of Broly was no longer with them. Never being able to watch her son grow up to be a very powerful man.
Pruna returned to her seat as she too had the same thoughts.
“I’m… sorry to hear that.”
As he approached Pruna’s side, Paragus asked her another question.
“So you too saw what happened to Planet Vegeta?”
“Not quite. When I saw that bright flash of light, I thought there was a war going on. But I never thought that the planet itself would be obliterated like that.”
She then decided to try to bring a bit of humour.
“Huh. Good thing I was late.”
As her attempt to get a laugh failed, she turned towards Paragus with a question of her own.
“You were there. So what happened?”
Paragus gave Pruna a stern look before answering the question.
“It was Frieza. He did it.”
Pruna couldn’t believe what she’d heard. She looked at Paragus in disbelief.
“What? Frieza? But that’s impossible. We have been nothing but loyal to his cause.”
Paragus then snapped at her.
“I know what I saw! When I was out there, I saw his ship. Conveniently over what was left of our planet before vanishing from sight. Why do you think that is?”
From hearing about the presence of the flagship, Pruna started to believe that what Paragus was saying could be true.
“But…”
Before the conversation could continue, the two Saiyans suddenly heard a loud beeping. Looking down Pruna saw that it was her green scouter she had placed away. Picking it up, she saw that the view screen was blinking.
“There’s a message,” She said before placing the scouter on her face. Preparing to play the message.
Paragus held his breath, hoping that the scouter couldn’t be traced.
Then as Pruna pressed the button, it played the message. The group remained silent as they listened in. Wanting to know what the message was.
“This is a priority one message to all members of the Frieza Force. Planet Vegeta, homeworld of the Saiyans, was regrettably destroyed. Collided with an unexpected meteor. There are no survivors reported. Message end.”
The ship fell silent as the message finished. The group felt angry at what was happening. The Galactic Emperor purposely destroyed the planet and was covering up his actions by blaming it on a freak accident. Paragus too shared those feelings of resentment.
“Lies. Nothing but a lie! It was Frieza himself!”
Pruna removed the scouter as she looked at Paragus.
“I think you’re right. It if was a meteor, the sensors would’ve detected it before it would even get close to the planet.”
Paragus then looked at the device in Pruna’s hand.
“Destroy that scouter. The Frieza Force could use it to listen in on us.”
“Right,” Pruna said before crushing the scouter with her hand.
“Smart move,” Twilight complemented after watching the Saiyan toss the destroyed device aside.
As she placed her hands on the control mechanism, Pruna took a deep breath to ease her nerves. Discovering that her planet was destroyed by a tyrant who wanted them dead was almost too much for her to handle. All before asking an important question.
“So… what now? Colonel Paragus?”
“Firstly, drop the colonel thing. That title makes no difference to me now. Secondly, our salvation is right there,” He said as he turned to look at his son. Pruna glanced over her shoulder to spot Broly before questioning Paragus.
“Broly? What do you mean?”
Paragus then conveyed his plan of action. Something that the on-looking group were keen to listen. The Saiyan father glaring with determination.
“First we’ll find some far-out planet to settle down for the time being. We need to be as far away as we can from the Frieza Force’s radar. Maybe even in a different galaxy. Then we will raise Broly to be a mighty warrior. With his latent potential, he will grow up to be the strongest Saiyan to have ever lived!”
Then as Paragus continued, he revealed what he believed was the reason why the king ordered the execution.
“When Prince Vegeta was born, the king was proud. The boy proving to be a very capable fighter in his own right. The old fool couldn’t stand the idea of another child being younger than the prince, but born with power that far surpassed his own. The king wouldn’t stand for that. He would feel threatened that he would be usurped. So he tried to put a stop to that. But we’re still here! We will prove King Vegeta wrong!!”
Paragus then turned his attention to Pruna.
“I’m grateful for your help, but I won’t stop you from making your own decisions, Pruna. Once you drop us off, you can do whatever you please.”
Pruna however had other plans.
“Nah, I think I’ll tag along. I highly doubt there will be any other Saiyan survivors out there. I’ll get lonely. I think it’s best for us to stick together.”
“Are you sure? No doubt it will get rough out there,” Paragus mentioned. The ponies caught on that the tone the Saiyan used had a certain level of concern.
“Why? Because I’m just a pilot? I might not be a soldier type, but I can still hold my own in a fight. We’ve known each other since the training camps. You should know me by now,” She replied with a somewhat cocky grin.
The group were taken back from what the woman had said. It seemed that Paragus and Pruna had known each other for a long time. They were then taken back from what the female Saiyan said next. Her tone showing that she was teasing Paragus.
“Why the sudden concern? Do you still have a thing for me like you did back at training camp?” She asked with a playful wink. Hinting that the father of Broly may had a crush on her at one point.
Paragus’s face turned red from embarrassment as he turned away.
“T-That was just a phase.”
After a brief chuckle from teasing Paragus, Pruna turned back to her controls as she spoke back.
“It will be quite a long flight out of Frieza Force’s territory. You should rest up. No doubt that you need it.”
Paragus looked down at the condition of his body before realizing that Pruna was right. Especially after what he and his son had been through.
“Right. Just don’t crash the ship while I’m sleeping,” Paragus said before slipping into one of the beds embedded into the interior of the ship. Next to the healing tank with Broly inside.
From Pruna’s reaction to the last thing that Paragus said, it seemed that it had happened once.
“Oh, one time, Paragus! One time!”
The group almost let out a giggle from the interactions between Paragus and Pruna. Then to their surprise, the group suddenly found themselves outside of the ship. The ponies and dragon looked around in surprise.
“What…what happened?” Twilight asked.
When the group looked to Luna, they could see that she was struggling. Her horn glowing bright to keep the world around them stable. She then revealed what was going on.
“It’s the memory. It’s reaching its end.”
The group looked at the blue Alicorn in surprise. Since they were about to enter the part of Broly’s memories that was unavailable, they were only moments away from being kicked out. Before the world around them turned white, and that they would be back in Broly’s mind, the last thing they saw was the spaceship flying away. Disappearing into the empty void to an unknown location.