//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Inner Demons // by Azure Sandora //------------------------------// Chapter 20: Battle For Fillydelphia - Beginning As Shining Armor woke up, he felt like something was wrong. Last night he went to sleep with Cadence, but for some reason he thought he heard her screaming in his sleep. As he woke up though, something felt different. For one thing, the mare sleeping next to him seemed a little smaller than usual. Not opening his eyes yet, he moved his foreleg over her body, noticing how straight her mane was... And the lack of wings... "Good morning, big brother..." WHOA! Shining Armor opened his eyes immediately and turned to his side. Normally, he would have met eyes with Cadence, but this time, for some reason, he saw Twilight lying down next to him. "T-Twilight," Shining Armor said, trying to calm down a bit, "This is a surprise, seeing you... in my bed... like this..." "I wanted to be the first mare you saw when you woke up," Twilight said now getting on top of him. This was getting creepy. "Twi, what are you-" "You know, you have the most adorable expression when you sleep," Twilight said softly looking into his eyes. "Twilight? Are you okay?" Twilight laughed, "I'm fine, big brother. Just, can't get enough of you, is all." She then leaned into him and kissed him, catching him off guard. There it was again. That same kiss that felt like more than just a brother and sister kiss. Really long, emotional, and... familiar... Twilight broke from the kiss and smiled sweetly, "I'll get started on breakfast," she said getting up from the bed and trotting away with a bit of a saunter, as if trying to get him to look at... something... When she was gone, he sat in the bed and thought for a bit, before he realized who was missing. "Um, Twilight?" Shining Armor asked getting up from his bed and following her into the kitchen, "Were you in bed with me the whole night?" "Yeah BBBFF," Twilight said as if it were obvious, "We spent the entire night together." "And Cadence was okay with this?" Something crashed, and Twilight got really still, "I didn't think I needed Cadence's permission to be with my brother," Twilight said calmly, but Shining Armor could tell she was really angry. "Twilight, I was just saying-" Twilight turned to Shining Armor and looked at him with a sort of dangerous look, "Are you telling me that you love her more than me?" she asked harshly. "N-no! Not at all, Twi!" Shining Armor defended, really afraid for some reason, "I mean, you're my LSBFF, Twilight." "Exactly!" Twilight all but screamed, approaching Shining Armor now, "The love we have for each other is stronger than anypony in the world! As long as we have each other we don't need anypony else, right?" "R-right, don't need anypony," Shining Armor said, his voice shaking a little, and every bone in his body telling him to run away. But he stood his ground, because that was still his little sister. Twilight got really close to him and looked into his eyes with more affection than even Cadence showed, as if she literally loved him more than anything in the world. "From now on, it's just going to be you and me, okay?" Twilight asked. Shining Armor lost his voice, so he just nodded. There was something about Twilight that had him scared out of his mind. It was like looking into the eyes of the devil itself, but that couldn't be. It was still Twilight. One thing was for certain though. He needed to find his wife. Good thing the ropes weren't too tight. They didn't cut her circulation of anything so she could still get a semi-good night's sleep. She half expected to wake up and feel violated, but she felt fine. Besides the fact that she was still tied up, that is. Damn it... why did she keep getting kidnapped? "You can't be serious!" Apple Bloom heard from outside her room, "She's in there right now?" "Scootaloo, calm down," Sweetie Belle urged. "That bitch betrayed us! Why are you're protecting her?" "I'm not protecting her! I just want to show her that we're right! If she sees the good that Twilight did for us then-" "Screw her!" Scootaloo shouted, "She proved that she's not one of us the day she chose Silver Spoon over us! She's dead to me!" "Scootaloo! Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle cried out. Apparently Scootaloo walked or flew off. A second later, Sweet Belle trotted into the room, tears in her eyes. "That sounded intense," Apple Bloom said, catching Sweetie Belle's attention. "Oh, Apple Bloom, you're awake. Good, I'll see if breakfast is ready," Sweetie Belle said turning back to the door. "Sweetie Belle, wait," Apple Bloom said, stopping her, "Ah, uh, wus hopin Ah could take a shower or somthin. Ah won't run away, Ah promise. Ya can even lock me in. Ah'll jus' use the bathroom over there," it looked like Sweetie Belle was hesitating, so Apple Bloom continued, "Ya can tie me back up when Ah get out, alright?" Sweetie Belle sighed, and then trotted over to Apple Bloom. A few seconds later she loosened the ropes so Apple Bloom could get her legs free, but kept them there as she planned on using them again apparently. She waited for a few seconds, as if making sure Apple Bloom wouldn't run, and then she trotted off. "I'll tie you back to the bed after I come back in," Sweetie Belle said, "Until then, I'll lock the door." "Thank you, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said. Sweetie Belle nodded and walked out of the room. Apple Bloom heard Sweetie Belle sing a tune of some sort, and the door glowed brightly. Apple Bloom assumed that Sweetie Belle just locked it with magic. She then walked into the bathroom to freshen up. Amazingly, there were two toothbrushes. Since she knew that this was Sweetie Belle's room, that must have been left for Apple Bloom. She brushed her teeth and then got in the shower. After days of none stop fighting and running, it felt good for her to be able to clean up. While in the shower, her thoughts went to her situation. Not so much her being a prisoner, but her being an adult. For some reason, she was beginning to feel different. Some of the thoughts that would go into her head before weren't there. In fact, most of the time she thought about either her mission to find Princess Cadence, saving her friends, or Lezard. She still felt weird being an adult all of a sudden, but the longer she remained like this, the more accustomed she became with it. After her shower she went to the mirror over the sink and took the time to really look at herself. Was this how she would look as an adult? Assuming there wasn't a way to change her back, then this was how she looked now. Her thoughts went to Octavia, the famous classical musician who Apple Bloom had a secret obsession for, and how she would stand on her hind legs to play her cello. Apple Bloom got on her hind legs and used her forelegs to fluff her mane, and then tried to pose a bit in the mirror. Huh... she was really pretty... Besides Octavia, not too many ponies could pull off the hind leg look. Apple Bloom was actually kind of... hot. She could get used to this actually. She stepped out of the bathroom, but got a surprise when she got into the bedroom. "S-S-S-SILVER SPOON!" Apple Bloom cried out, looking at her friend sitting on the bed. "Apple Bloom, are you okay?" Silver Spoon asked. "Ah'm fine," Apple Bloom said, "But whut 're you doin here?" "I'm here to bust you out of here, that's what." "How in the world did ya even get in?" Apple Bloom asked. "I broke in at night," Silver Spoon explained, "I was prepared to get you out of here last night, but you were asleep, and Sweetie Belle was in the room as well." "Well, Ah appreciate it, but-" they heard a knock on the door, stopping them. "Apple Bloom, are you out of the shower yet?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yea, Ah'm just getting ready ta get dressed," Apple Bloom called out, then turning to Silver Spoon, "You need ta get under the bed now," Apple Bloom commanded. Silver Spoon nodded and crawled under the bed. At the same time, Sweetie Belle began unlocking the door. The door opened the same time Silver Spoon got under the bed. "I can help you with that Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle said walking into the room, a plate of food floating next to her. "Thanks Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said with a smile. Sweetie Belle walked over to Apple Bloom as she put the dress on. Sweetie Belle then took the zipper of Apple Bloom's dress with her teeth and zipped it up for her. "It's a really nice dress Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle said sweetly, "But it covers up so much." "That's the point," Apple Bloom stated, "Ah don't really want a whole bunch of attention from bein a grown mare without a Cutie Mark." "You do know you could remedy that though, right?" Sweetie Belle said, "I know I could convince Big Sis to cast the spell for you." "Ah'm sorry, but Ah still don't agree wit her methods," Apple Bloom said getting on the bed. Sweetie Belle immediately sang a song and the ropes rewrapped themselves around Apple Bloom's legs, "Ah am curious though, what did that spell do?" "It was weird," Sweetie Belle said, "I saw myself in front of a stage, and I was singing. It felt so good, and natural. I felt like I was actually there, and before I knew it, my Cutie Mark was coming in in the vision." "So it really is yer Cutie Mark..." Apple Bloom said looking down. "See?" Sweetie Belle asked moving the plate of food to Apple Bloom so she could feed her, "I told you. Twilight helped us. I was so afraid of singing before, I would have never gotten on stage. Truth is when I think about it, it was so obvious." "But aren't ya sad that ya didn't figure out yer special talent on yer own? Without magic?" Apple Bloom asked. "Not really," Sweetie Belle said, "I just see it as a way of figuring out what I'm special at. Twilight just helped me with that. Some ponies just need an extra boost, that's all." "Well, Ah still ain't changin mah mind," Apple Bloom said, "Ah'll admit, Ah may have been slightly wrong about the whole Cutie Mark thing, but Ah ain't gonna side with Twilight." "So you're still not going to side with me?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Ah can't, ya know that Sweetie Belle." "Then I can't let you leave this room, Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle said, taking the bowl away once Apple Bloom finished, "If you leave this room, then you'll attack Big Sis, and I'll have to defend her from you. I don't want to fight you, Apple Bloom." "Ah don't wanna fight you either," Apple Bloom said. "Then promise me that you won't try to leave this room," Sweetie Belle urged suddenly, catching Apple Bloom off guard. Shoot, Sweetie Belle knew that Apple Bloom was an obvious lier, but she needed to get out of here to find Lezard, Spike, and Cadence. "Say it," Sweetie Belle urged, "Tell me that you won't leave the room!" "Belle, Ah..." Before she could finish her sentence, Trixie trotted out of a shadow, "Sweetie Belle, we have a situation. One of your enchanted stallions spotted a chariot heading our way, guided by two pegasi. They think it's them," Trixie stated. "What do you want me to do about that?" Sweetie Belle asked, "The stallions can handle it." "Don't underestimate the Elements of Harmony," Trixie stated, "An army of enchanted stallions are no match for the power of the Elements, and don't forget that your hold on them isn't as strong as Twilight's hold. They can break it." "Ugh, fine," Sweetie Belle said trotting over to Trixie, "I'll be back Apple Bloom. Don't go anywhere." The two unicorns walked into a shadow in the wall and vanished. As soon as they were gone, Silver Spoon crawled out of the bed. "Should we be scared?" she asked Apple Bloom as she untied her. "Ah say we should be thankful," Apple Bloom said, "We need ta find Lezard." Silver Spoon nodded and the two of them began galloping to the door. "Wait, wait, wait, WAIT!" Apple Bloom said when she reached the door, grabbing her sword which was right next to the door, "Help me get this on while we run!" "Um, excuse me!" Lezard called out from his cell, "We have a situation in here! One of the mares locked up in here was pregnant and she's going into labor right this second!" Two enchanted stallions ran to the cell, "Are you serious?" "Do I look like the kind of stallion who kids around about stuff like this?!" Lezard asked, "One of you needs to-" the cell door opened up immediately and both of the stallions galloped inside. "Summer Rain, I'm here," one of the stallions said, as if the enchantment was lifting a bit (Lezard took note), "Is it finally time for-" WHAM! BAM! Lezard winced a bit watching the mares knock both stallions out. Afterwards he shrugged his shoulders, "Huh, false alarm I guess." After putting the stallions somewhere not visible, Lezard ran over to Cadence's cell while the mares all ran out of the dungeon, "Cadence!" he called out, catching her attention. Celestia, Lezard thought looking at her, considering her lack of magical ability at this moment, what Twilight did to her was simply overkill. "Lezard, right?" Cadence asked looking up as best as she could, "I see you're escaping." "Yes, and I'm not leaving here without you. Whether or not you can use magic, Fillydelphia needs you." "There's no point," Cadence said sadly, surprising Lezard a bit, "She's taken my husband, my magic, and it's only a matter of time before she takes control of all of Fillydelphia." "You can't be serious about giving up," Lezard stated, "I'm sure that once the Elements of Harmony get here-" "Twilight is one of the Elements of Harmony," Cadence said, "If they fight her, they'll die. No one is to survive Equestria's Darkest Hour." "Well, I'm not going to give up," Lezard said point his horn at the door, and blasting it with a magical blast breaking the lock. He then shot at the chains binding Cadence freeing her from her prison as well, "Think of what you're aunt Celestia would do at a time like this," Lezard said before galloping off. He had no idea what Cadence was going to do, but he couldn't worry about that. He had to find Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon. Since Cadence couldn't use her powers anymore, what she did at this point was all her own choice. When he got out of the dungeon, it was either early morning or high noon, cause the sun was blindingly bright. Once his eyes readjusted, he saw the mares fighting the stallions, and actually winning. "Hell hath no fury like a mare scorned," Lezard said to himself before galloping off. When he made it to the town square, he stopped and looked around. Hopefully Apple Bloom would have enough sense to come back here. "Lezard!" a female voice shouted. Lezard turned around and saw Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon galloping over to him. "Good, you two are o-" Apple Bloom hugged him immediately when she reached him. "Are ya alright? They didn't hurt ya too badly, right?" Apple Bloom asked now looking at his face and turning it around making sure he was okay. "I'm fine, Apple Bloom," Lezard said with a laugh, "You don't have to worry so much about me." "Sheesh Apple Bloom, you look like a concerned mother right now," Silver Spoon said shaking her head, making Apple Bloom stop immediately and step back from Lezard. "Oh, uh, sorry about that," she said sheepishly. "It's fine, but we have more pressing matters right now," Lezard said seriously, "I'm afraid I have bad news." "W-whut?" Apple Bloom asked, both she and Silver Spoon looking worried now. "Well, good news is I found Mi Amore Cadenza," Lezard said, raising his hoof before the young filly's in front of him got too happy, "But Twilight used the Power of the Queen on her." "Power... of the Queen...?" Apple Bloom asked. "I'm sure you've seen it," Lezard stated, "Think back to when she took control of the guards in Canterlot." A look of knowing hit Apple Bloom, and she looked at Lezard with a scared expression on her face, "Ya mean that weird red star that appears on her eye?" Apple Bloom asked, getting a nod from Lezard. "That's the Queen's personal power, and most dangerous. From what I read on it, it allows her to give a pony one single command that they have to obey no matter what. It could be as simple as walk on your forelegs for five minutes, complex as giving a series of tasks, as vague as 'you work for me now', or as percise as... 'don't cast another spell ever again'," Lezard said looking away. Apparently Apple Bloom realized what he was saying with that last one, but she needed clarification. "Whut would happen wit that last command?" Apple Bloom asked, "Do ya know?" Lezard nodded, "I saw it myself. No matter how much she tries, Cadence can't even get her horn to glow. It's as if her body refuses to use the magic she was born with." "No..." Apple Bloom said looking down. "What does that mean for us?" Silver Spoon asked. "It means that our plan is shot," Lezard explained, "We were going to have Cadence try to use her magic to remind Twilight of the love she has for her friends, but since her magic was disabled now we'll never know if it'll work." "So our only hope now is ta..." Apple Bloom asked. Lezard could only sigh in response, "Damn it!" Apple Bloom shouted stomping her hoof on the ground in anger, "Ah failed her..." "Apple Bloom," Silver Spoon said rubbing Apple Bloom's side comfortingly. "Rarity wus countin on me, an' Ah let her down," Apple Bloom began to cry a bit, "Whut can Ah do now?" Lezard hated seeing Apple Bloom like this. Sure, he didn't know Twilight very well, but he didn't want to kill somepony who apparently was supposed to be extremely kind hearted and loving, and he could tell that Apple Bloom was having a really hard time with all of this. Her friend turned into a monster, her childhood was stolen, her best friends were now her enemies, and now the one plan she had to fix it all was stopped before it even began. Poor thing... Lezard trotted over to Apple Bloom and put hos front hooves on Apple Bloom's shoulders, "You still have a sword. You can still do something." "Ah ain't no Element of Harmony!" Apple Bloom cried, "Ah ain't no fighter, and I sure as hell ain't no hero! Ah jus want things ta go back ta normal! Ah want Twilight back! Ah want mah friends back! Ah don't wanna kill anypony!" Apple Bloom broke down into heavy sobs now. "Apple Bloom..." Lezard said looking away. He could see now. Deep down there was still a child in there, and that child was truly terrified right now. "Hey, I see them!" a familiar tomboyish voice called out, "Fluttershy, land down there!" A second later, a chariot guided by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy landed near them. As the pegasi unhooked themselves, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and one other pony Lezard had never seen before (he assumed that was Rarity) stepped out of the chariot, Applejack looking at the scene between Lezard and Apple Bloom in shock. "Oh mah stars..." Applejack said, apparently recognizing her sister now. "Apple Bloom!" Rarity called out galloping over to the inconsolable filly/mare. "Ah'm sorry Rarity," Apple Bloom sobbed looking at Rarity, "Ah didn't make it here in time. Twilight got here first an' she... she..." Rarity hushed Apple Bloom in an almost motherly fashion, "It's okay Apple Bloom. You tried your best." "Ah know Ah promised Ah wouldn't cry, but-" "Don't worry about that," Rarity said now embracing Apple Bloom, "I'm just happy that your safe." "By not getting here in time," Rainbow Dash said, "Does that mean..." "Thankfully Mi Amore Cadenza is still alive," Lezard said, "But Twilight was able to disable her magic." "What? How?" Fluttershy asked. "Probably with the same weird magic she used on Princess Luna makin her a mind slave," Applejack said, trotting over to her sister, "Apple Bloom, you alright?" she asked softly. "Ah'm sorry Ah lied ta you," Apple Bloom said, "Ah didn't think ya would-" "Ah understand why ya did it," Applejack said, "But right now ya gotta be strong. We ain't done yet. Ah'm sure we'll find a way outta this." Apple Bloom nodded, and wiped her eyes as Rarity let go of her. "So, what's the plan now?" Rainbow Dash asked, "We can't count on Cadence's magic andTwilight still has an army against our five, sort of six, grown mares, a stallion with powerful magic, and-" she looked at Silver Spoon, "What are you doing here anyway?" "I... uh..." Silver Spoon said looking away. "They'll be time to scold her later," Rarity said, "I just realized we're short one member here." "Yeah, where's Spike?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I sent Spike to the mayor's estate as a last ditch effort to get Twilight back and to make sure that Cadence's husband Shining Armor was safe," Lezard explained. "She's with Shining Armor now?" Fluttershy asked. "He could be in a lot of trouble," Applejack said seriously, "We need ta git over there pronto! Apple Bloom, Ah think ya should-" "Ah'm... goin too!" Apple Bloom said straightening up, "She still has mah friends! Even if Ah can't fight Twilight, Ah can still rescue Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!" Applejack looked down as if having a hard time. Clearly she still saw Apple Bloom as a child and didn't want her to get hurt. "I personally say the more help we have the better," Lezard said, "But Silver Spoon here should stay in the chariot where it's safe." "What? You mean Apple Bloom gets to fight and I don't?" Silver Spoon whined. "Apple Bloom is still in a grown up's body, and she has a sword," Lezard explained. "Speakin of which," Applejack said, "Since when could ya use a sword? Have the Cutie Mark Crusaders been doin anything Ah need ta know about concernin sharp objects?" "No, Applejack," Apple Bloom retaliated, "A sword is jus' a tool like a hammer or a wrench. Ah've always been good with tools, ya know that." "Yeah!" Pinkie Pie piped up, "She helped me fix the Cake's oven last month. I was prepared to call the repair stallion, but Apple Bloom was there at the time buying a cake and she wanted to take a look at it. Next thing I know she's asking for a series of tools and begins fixing the oven. Actually, I think it works better now." "So you're a tool master?" Lezard asked. "It ain't that big of a deal," Apple Bloom said shrugging her shoulders, "Ah get mah hooves on a tool, an' Ah jus' know how it works." "Not that big of a deal?" Rainbow Dash said, "Kid, that's amazing! I didn't know you were the queen of all repair ponies! I might ask you to fix some things around my place one day." "Please, don't make a big deal about it," Apple Bloom sighed, "'sides, we got a mission, right?" even though she had to think about that. She could use an assortment of tools, and all of them she learned how to use instantly. Was that... her... "Honestly, never send a stallion to do a mare's job!" they heard Trixie say. Everyone turned and saw Trixie walking up to them. "What? Trixie?" Applejack asked. "What are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Simple, defending Twilight from you!" she stated. "You're... working for Twilight now too?" Fluttershy asked. "That's right," Rarity answered for Trixie, "She's second in command of Twilight's armies." "And I didn't come here alone either," Trixie said. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Scootaloo said trotting over to them with her flamethrower spewing fire. "Why didn't you stay in the room, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked sadly, "You know this means we have to fight now, right?" "The Queen's highest ranking officers!" Lezard stated as all of them stood in a circle around Silver Spoon, "There may only be three of them, but they're extremely dangerous!" "Sweetie Belle..." Rarity said looking at her sister in sadness. Sweetie Belle turned to Rarity, but then looked away with a pained expression. "What are you doing here?" Sweetie Belle asked. "For one thing, to save you," Rarity said, "We are-" "I told you I'm not your sister anymore! Twilight is the only pony I need now." That hurt Rarity a lot. Was it too late to save her? Did Sweetie Belle really hate her that much? "I've gotten a lot stronger now," Trixie said, now charging up with magic, "As such, this time, I don't plan on letting you make a fool out of me!" instantly about fifty of those black soldiers came out of the ground and took form. "This just went from bad to worse," Rainbow Dash said seriously. "We can't give up yet!" Applejack commanded, "We gotta get ta Shinin' Armor's estate!" "As much good as that'll do," Scootaloo said, "By now, Twilight has Shining Armor wrapped around her hoof." Lezard, and he assumed every other pony there with him, was silently hoping that wasn't the case. Between him and Spike, they might have a chance of stopping her. Please be okay Spike... Shining Armor put on his red jacket, blue sash, and had his sword at his side. Something wasn't right with Fillydelphia, and Twilight was still acting funny. After taking a look around the entire estate he was finally able to convince himself that Cadence wasn't anywhere inside. He didn't want to believe that Twilight had anything to do with it, but he had to find his wife, and get to the bottom of this. "Where are you going?" he heard behind him, right when he was at the door. Damn it, it was Twilight. "I... just... wanted to go for a walk... that's all," he said carefully. "With your sword?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I always bring my sword with me, just in case, you know?" "Shining," Twilight pouted, "You've been avoiding me all day. Did I do something to upset you?" Considering I suspect you kidnapped my wife, YES, he thought, but then quickly dismissed it. She didn't take Cadence! There was no way. "No, I'm just a little concerned about Cadence, that's all. I haven't seen-" "Why are you so worried about her?!" Twilight shouted suddenly, "I'm your little sister! You should be thinking only about me!" "Twilight, I'm just saying-" "Forget about Cadence!" Twilight said trotting over to Shining Armor, "I'm the only mare in your life! The only mare that needs to be in your life!" "Twilight-" "I'll love you more than she will ever love you!" "Twilight-" "I'll do everything to make you happy!" "Twilight-" "I'll do more than she'll ever do!" "Twilight-" "I love you, Shining Armor," Twilight said now right in front of him, tears in her eyes as she spoke, "So... much..." "T-Twilight, you're scaring me now," Shining Armor said, trying to stay in control. "Let me show you," she said, locking lips with him, but this time the kiss was a lot more than just a brother and sister kiss. This was clearly incestuous, and Shining Armor was about to push away. But then he realized something. This kiss was the exact same kiss Cadence used last night. The mare with him last night wasn't Cadence... Oh god... Shining Armor was getting sick thinking about it. That meant last night, he slept with... "TWILIGHT!" a young voice called out, breaking the kiss immediately. Twilight looked to the side, and an instant scowl came over her face. "You..." she said spitefully. Shining Armor slowly turned to see the last pony he expected to see there. Actually, it wasn't a pony standing there. It was a dragon. A baby dragon. Spike...