//------------------------------// // Episode 18: With all my Raging Heart: Part 1 // Story: My Brave Pony: Starfleet Magic (Season IX) // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// EPISODE EIGHTEEN “Help Me…! Please, save me…!” Cadance was still being haunted by the faint, feminine voice, and only she could hear it while no one else could. She was constantly hearing it everywhere, even at night which made it hard for her to sleep. …She was looking a little baggy-eyed right now as the court physician had re-checked her over. “I can find nothing at all wrong,” he reported “But I am most perplexed by all this.” Shining Armor was concerned for his wife. “Who could be calling to you, and why can only you hear it?” His wife let out a huge yawn, “Believe me, I really wish I knew. I can’t go on like this. I hardly slept all night. Every time I close my eyes I hear that voice again.” The doctor prescribed her some special sleep-medication, and in almost no time, Cadance was sleeping like a baby, and snoring too. Shining Armor scooped up his wife and carried her to their suite to put her to bed for a while, and just as well that Flurry Heart was napping too, for he had a meeting to attend to with their majesties and the entire team to discuss new plans… …Plans that concerned Cadance. He arrived in the briefing room to find everyone waiting for him. “She’s asleep; best to let her rest. Poor thing…” The others felt a little sorry for Cadance, being so tired. “Where do you suppose that voice is coming from?” asked Krysta. “First of all…” Grand Ruler announced “Queen Celestia, Princess Luna, and I would like to offer our congratulations to Artie for his engagement to Sunset Shimmer.” Everyone applauded to Artie, especially Pinkie. “Whoo-hoo!!” she cheered. Artie felt flattered, but he assured everyone, “We’re not making any plans yet, not while the Devils are still out there.” “An excellent idea,” said Celestia “Which brings us immediately to our next subject.” She let Lightning say what had to be said. “Because of the circumstances involving the last battle, Princess Cadance was forced to reveal herself to Dearka. It is clear now that the Devils know about her being a large source in love energy.” Everyone immediately realized the full seriousness of the situation. It meant The Devils would most likely come after her to use her magic to empower themselves-- by harnessing and converting the vast amounts of love power Cadance could give into vast amounts of darkness and hate. “If Von Devilor gains that much energy,” said Starla “…There’s no telling how powerful he’ll become.” Many of the others felt shivers run down their backs. “Them Devils are already super dangerous.” said Applejack “Just fighting them one at a time is hard enough without taking huge risks.” Rainbow felt frustrated, “And we still can’t try and actually go to the Devil’s world and confront them there.” “Well, we can,” said Buddy “…But it’s definitely not advisable.” Their majesties agreed. At present, it had been deduced that the only possible way to enter The Devils’ Dimension was to follow a Devil through the vanishing portals they used to leap between worlds. “Even we were able to jump through a portal, what are the odds of us making it back?” asked Fluttershy. Rhymey agreed and added, “Even still, it’s very dangerous for us there, We can’t breathe the darkness in the air. Even with our spacesuits and light sources strong We still wouldn’t last there for very long.” “We’re all forgetting the most important detail of all.” said Spike “We’d be fighting on their home domain, where there’s enough darkness and energy to keep them fueled and empowered beyond what we can calculate. Even our strongest forums may not be enough to even scratch The Devils, let alone stop them.” Rarity clenched her claws in dismay, “It’s beginning to look hopeless that we’ll ever stop them.” Everyone shared her worry, but they weren’t willing to admit defeat. “We’ll find some way to beat them.” said Dyno. Myte agreed, “We always managed to beat our enemies no matter how strange or unusual they were.” “Your enthusiasm is well-noted and appreciated.” said Luna “But for now, our main objective is to protect Princess Cadance at all times.” “She’s right…” agreed Grand Ruler “Our enemies will be certain to come after her, or set up ways to force our hands to surrender her to their forces.” Shining Armor felt his fury blazing at such a thought. “I won’t let them hurt my wife. We’ve kept her safe this long, and we’ve helped keep the planet safe from the evil.” “We’ll do our best,” Celestia assured him “But I wonder what the Devils are up to now.” Dearka had shown images of Cadance to King Von Devilor, and what happened in the previous battle. “So this creature is the source of The Healing of Love?” Von Devilor asked. “Indeed so, my lord.” replied Dearka “Not only has Princess Cadance been the one responsible for giving our enemies the power to defy our darkness, but she seems to be an incredibly, most immense source of love energy that even an army of infected victims could barely give us.” Von Devilor grinned and snickered, “I am most pleased, Dearka. You have found the perfect power that can aid in our conquest. ” Dearka bowed to him, but then Scarlet interrupted, “Sorry to speak out of rank, but how will we even get our hands on her? I’m more than certain that Starfleet will attempt to guard her more closely than ever.” “That is up to the two of you,” hissed Von Devilor. “I want that princess brought to me… alive. Do what you must to capture her, but I want her power. With all that love energy converted, even Starfleet will be powerless to stand in our way.” Scarlet and Dearka bowed, and watched as their king faded off into the darkness. “Well, this ought to be a lot of fun.” said Scarlet. “This isn’t a game, Scarlet.” hissed Dearka “This could be the turning point for all Devils everywhere.” Scarlet yawned, “You, a once Vistulan, telling a full-fledged Devil what’s good for us?” Dearka’s features hardened, and he flexed his claws at her, “Never!” he growled “You are NEVER to mention of my past to me!” “…And why ever not?” teased Scarlet “You seem to remember it all the time, and it fuels your anger and lust for conquest.” Dearka looked madder than ever, but suddenly he had an idea. “As much as I find you annoying, I could use you in a lot to help us capture Princess Cadance.” “Oh? This may be a historic occasion.” said Scarlet. “Oh, well. Seeing as I don’t have a plan… what did you have in mind?” Dearka snickered wickedly and explained to her as they walked along the dark pathway. Suddenly, Von Devilor began to growl and groan from far back in the shadows, followed by a soft glow of that light beneath him. “Still you dare to struggle?!” he growled in thought “Well, all your hopes are about to be dashed, just like they were millennia ago. A pity… not a time goes by that I don’t think of what could have been.” He began to think back, and images of silhouettes and bright faded lights of what had to be a deadly war, appeared in his mind. Explosions… People screaming… Evil laughter… And a female calling to him, “No, don’t do this!” The final sound was of both she and a male voice roaring as a big flash of light occurred, and all the images were gone as Von Devilor came back to his senses. The glowing beneath him had also ceased struggling, and he fell silent and still in a meditative state. Scarlet and Dearka were most confused, and while they seemingly brushed it off again, Dearka was more curious than ever as he thought, “That spiritual being was resonating again, but who is it… what is it… and why does our king even have it on his person?” There was no time to deal with it now. He and Scarlet had a princess to kidnap. Cadance was sleeping peacefully in bed, but suddenly she began to toss and turn in her sleep. She dreamed of herself standing in a stark black realm, with absolute nothingness all around her, and the ground was white with mist. “What is all this?” she wondered. Then he ears twitched as she could hear that voice calling to her again. “Help me…! Release me…!” She followed the sounds where the voice was coming from. “Hello?” she called out “Who are you? Where are you?” The only responses she got were those same wails and pleas for help and rescue, but the sound was getting louder as she seemingly got closer and closer to where it was coming from. Suddenly, she was standing before a large wall of blue fire that the Devils usually created. The voice seemed to be coming from straight behind the flames, or rather within them. “Who are you?” Cadance asked “Why can only I hear you?” Rather than give her a straight answer, the voice only said “Von Devilor… stop Von Devilor!” “What? Stop Von Devilor?” said Cadance feeling confused. The voice continued to painfully say “Save me… from… Von Devilor!” “But how…? I don’t even know who you are. How can I save you?” “Stop… Von… Dev-ilooooor…!!” The faded out as everything faded to white, and Cadance snapped awake in bed, without bolting upright. She caught her breathe and rubbed her eyes, but then noted the sounds of the red alarm sounding and Flurry Heart crying from her crib because of the noise. “Oh, oh, Flurry!” Cadance called as she dashed out of bed and held her daughter close “Shh, Shh… it’s okay, honey, it’s okay.” Then again, with the alarms sounding, it couldn’t be okay. She looked out the window and she could see what was happening…! Dearka stood near the palace gateway, but he was surrounded but he was stopped by the drawbridge by the entire team, and her uncle and aunts, as well as the guards taking their places on the battlements all around. “Cadance…!” Shining Armor called as he burst into the bedroom. “Oh, thank goodness!” he said in relief. “What’s going on?” his wife asked. “It’s Dearka, he’s demanding we have you over to him and the Devils so they can use your magic of love to empower them.” Cadance shuddered softly. She already was well-aware of the Devils knowing about her, and she didn’t need to be told to stay right where was, in the palace. Dearka could already see her in the window from the corner of his eye. Then he addressed the team, “I’ll come straight to the point; hand over the princess at once!” “Never!” thundered Grand Ruler “You’ll never get Cadance.” Everyone stood by him in union and agreement to protect the palace and Cadance. Dearka expected resistance, and he didn’t seem the least bit worried. “We can do this this easy way, or the hard way, and I really hope you say “Hard” it’s more enjoyable to me, kicking you around that is.” “Enough,” growled Lightning “You are truly heartless, Dearka, just as all you Devils are!” Starla stepped forth, “Or are you still attempting to run from your past?” Dearka growled softly, and clenched his fists, but really this was all part of his plan, to finally tell them how he came to be the Devil that he was. Pinkie stepped forth, “Why, Dearka? Why do you resent love so much that you would align yourself with King Von Devilor.” Dearka pulled out his locket, and looked at the two charred pictures inside, “Because love has hurt me in ways I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” Everyone felt a touch of concern to hear such words, Cadance felt the most stunned, and Dearka began to tell his story. “I once lead a proud and wonderful life on Planet Vistula. My father and mother were caring and nurturing, and I would swear to pay them back for all they had devoted to me. So I trained well in the art of fighting and combat to strengthen myself, and I studied well to increase my knowledge, to assist in hard work, seeking out great employment. All this and more allowed me to become one of the most well-renowned denizens of Vistula. I educated the people, taught them how to believe and focus, and be able to turn their dreams into reality. I helped fight back imposing forces that dared to bring harm to innocent beings. I would assist anyone any way that I could, whatever the task endured, from heavy lifting, to education, to reasoning. I had it all, power, fame, friendship, comforts… People would always stop to wave at me as I passed by. Some would offer me free gifts and services in exchange for advice or just to speak to me or have me in their presence-- I would be flattered, but I insisted on paying for my gifts. Women desired me, and men wished to be like me...! While the men could not always be like me, I was able to quell them by educating them to be the best that they could be. As for the women, as flattered as I was by their lusts for me, I already had a special someone in my life.” He stopped a reflected upon the picture of the Vistulan Princess, and thought back to a time when he could see her clearly. “…Calistia… The next in line to rule Vistula and easily the fairest creature on the planet that men would pine for, but her eyes were only for me. The joy that I brought, my heroics in protecting the planet, my teachings and helping of others made her heart sing, and she deemed me worthy of being her royal consort.” Celestia and Grand Ruler looked at each other realizing how similar the situation was to their own history of how they fell in love. “Yes, I had it all, with my accomplishments, my great spirit of giving, and my love life with my darling Calistia blossoming like a flower in the sun.” He recounted on the day she made the locket he had, and they each put a picture of themselves inside it, as a way of sealing their engagement. And a song played how they lived and did everything in “The Glory of Love.” “But then, just when it seems you have all you could ever wish for… Fate intervenes. Much as my teachings and helpings were well-known to help many, there were still those who remained unscrupulous, unreasonable, and menacing to our world, especially those who were jealous of my skills and achievements, and pined for the princess’s affections. So, it came down to The Ultimate Challenge: The greatest and most honorable law of our planet. Even royalty had no power to ignore it or cancel it. Even I myself was forced to abide by it. Not that it seemed to matter to me, or my beloved. With my skills and strengths I was certain to win… but…!” He paused, and looked really tense, enraged even. “I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT!!! Every obstacle I came to in a race course seemed to shift, malfunction, or play some strange trick on me as though it were rigged. My shooting weapons failed to function properly and I missed my every target! And when it came to the final showdown-- close combat-- I don’t understand. Impossible as it seemed… I was overpowered, defeated without much effort!” The entire team were shocked to hear such a thing, it sounded as if someone had cheated and rigged the challenges against him. Regardless of that, whether it was cheating or not, according to the reports of the old laws, a loss was still a loss, no matter how silly or unfair the laws were, they were to be honored! “Shamed and humiliated, I was stripped of all my titles and honors, and exiled from the planet forever. Despite the protests of my family, and Calista, …I was launched deep into space, where the incredible teleportation forces sent me to a vast and distant planet.” Grand Ruler felt chills run down his spine, remembering how he, too, was launched into space himself, and robbed of all that he knew and loved then. Dearka continued… “Stricken with grief and loneliness, I felt so incredibly lost, not knowing where I could possibly go or what to make of myself, for I had no way to return to Vistula, or even find my way back, not knowing where I even was. So, all I could do was make the best of things. With my skills, I would roam through the forests, the deserts, and cross the lakes. I found shelter in a cave, I slayed every monster and enemy that dared cross my path, and I was able to hunt for food. …I was changing, becoming more a savage creature, but then again, what else was there if I was to make it. Years passed, and I had grown into a stronger and fiercer creature-- longer hair, strong muscles, and a deeper voice. I even admired my reflection and how handsome I seemed. But there was not a day or not that had gone by that I didn’t think of home, my humiliation, and missing my family and my dear Calista. Our locket, the one possession I still had. I would look at it so much that the pictures would become worn. While I knew it was rather ridiculous to even think of returning, I felt so homesick, so deprived, so alone. …There had to be a way. Then, all of a suddenly, the image of a strange creature appeared before me. Something I had never seen before.” “Do you wish to return to your home-world?” “I had no idea who or what this creature was, but in my state I was willing to do anything to go home again.” “I can help you, but you must do something for me first.” The entire team tensed up, knowing, and rather expecting, things turned bad. “The creature had created a small dark warp portal, just about the size of my hand, and instructed me, “Put your hand through it, and the deal will be done.” Part of me deep down was incredibly skeptical about this. Could I actually trust this creature? Was I actually going to go home to Vistula, or was this some trick? That part of me was overly silenced by the hammering feelings of finally being able to return home, and in my situation I felt I hadn’t much to lose. With one touch of that warp, I let out a scream as I felt myself actually being pulled through--like being sucked in through a drinking straw. All at once, I had never seen such a frightening sights flash before me, as if I were passing through another realm, and the sounds of wicked laugher echoing along the way. In a bright flash, there I was, in a lush meadow on Planet Vistula; home again after all those years! This was one of the very meadows I had trained in during my youth. I was really home!! The planet didn’t seem to have changed too much after all the years I had been away, which made it easier to find my way around, and soon I stumbled upon a most familiar place… my home village. It was exactly as I remembered it. I didn’t know what came over me. I knew that anyone who was exiled from losing The Ultimate Challenge were forbidden from ever returning, but to be here again, to see all the familiar sights, it made feel calm and at ease. I knew I had to find my family and quickly.” To Be Continued… (Promo) In our next episode: After Dearka concludes his story, he begins burst up with incredible power and might that may seemingly be too much for the heroes to handle, and Scarlet appears to aid Dearka in the plot to capture Cadance for their king. Will our heroes be able to keep Cadance safe? Don’t miss the next exciting episode of “Starfleet Magic!” (Next Episode: “With all my Raging Heart: Part 2)