//------------------------------// // Chapter Eighty-seven: The Battle of Heaven and Earth, part 2 // Story: A Rather Large Adventure // by BradyBunch //------------------------------// It started gradually. But like a growing tide, more and more chaos began to overwhelm the smoky, stuffy center of Mount Nevermore. It made Fluttershy more anxious by the second. Her critters and animals were running, flying, slithering, crawling up the black machines and onto the cruel metal walkways, pipes, and catwalks connected to the Tree. Some part of her feared for their safety. But another part of her wondered if their lives meant anything if they came from nothing. Meanwhile, Cinder and Bedrock, as well as his adopted bear, were both moving amongst the captive dragons attending to other refineries or conveyor belts. They were spreading the word of an opening. They were counting on Fluttershy’s small army to do the trick. It was all on her. All of it. But instead of crippling distress, Fluttershy felt a sense of peace in her duty. No more did she feel overburdened by her obligations. So much had been expected of her already. The best she could do would be to ensure their victory. Which meant killing the alicorns. If there was one thing Fluttershy hated above all else, it was taking life. But these alicorns were not living a life at all. And besides, it was them or her and her friends. Fluttershy felt a churn in her gut as she took a deep breath. But she also wanted to win. “Now!” she commanded. Though she was very quiet, the animals she had summoned knew her will. All at once, from the high rafters, bugs and birds and serpents and beasts revealed themselves, hurtling themselves at the small figures of the alicorns so high up. Though these were powerful ponies, they were also unaccustomed to being attacked, let alone by animals none of them had ever seen. Shrieks of surprise and desperation echoed off the walls, cutting above the squeaks and clanks of industry far below. Fluttershy saw colorful lasers and flashes of light erupt from the shadowy figures. Some animals fell, but more replaced them. The dozen or so alicorns were simply far too outnumbered. Any alicorns that tried to hover in the air were promptly assaulted by swarms of hornets and razor-beaked ravens. Those who stayed on their catwalks or walkways had to contend with holding off bigger enemies while sinister insects and arachnids crawled onto their skin and bit and stung their legs. All sorts of enemies who otherwise would not live in this dreadful habitat were present, and the confusion and helplessness from the alicorns actually made Fluttershy momentarily feel a sting of sympathy for them. But then she remembered the plight of Bedrock and their voluntary loss of freedom, and the sting was swallowed up in the knowledge of their fates. They had already been doomed. Two alicorns plummeted from the sky after welts from the hornets came onto their wings. They were screaming, bleeding from the cuts the ravens gave. One of them slammed onto the ground amidst several workers, rolling several feet. The other splashed into a deep tub of molten metal only a few meters away from Fluttershy, throwing bright, glowing orange chunks of the stuff over the edge in every direction and promptly melting the controls for the refinery. By this point, if any dragons weren’t paying attention to the mayhem before, they were now. Heads swiveled up, and mouths dropped in awe. Slowly, the realization set upon them collectively. They were free! Their bodies were in chains, but they were free! Bedrock was moving among the closest dragons he saw with his horn ablaze. With a simple touch to the chains around their hands or legs, they slinked off and clattered to the ground. After rubbing their wrists, those dragons moved about to rip off the chains on their brothers and sisters. Fluttershy observed it all happen, but her patient attention was on the alicorn clambering out of the molten pot of glowing steel. It was as if it was orange honey dripping from him, and though his skin was inflamed, it was uninjured. Fluttershy didn’t like her odds against him. He was screaming and spewing profanities as he fell from the rim and hit the ground in a fiery puddle. His wide-open mouth was coagulated with sticky molten metal. As he got to all fours, he spat it out in annoyance and wiped his face, then shook himself like a drying dog. The alicorn was very muscular and big, and so black he might have been a silhouette. He bellowed once more once he was dry, then whipped his head to Fluttershy. His eyes flitted to the Element around her neck. Her heart skipped a beat. He lunged at her, and Fluttershy couldn’t evade. She brought her hooves up instead, and the two ponies collided and fell. Fluttershy rolled away and got back to her hooves, but the alicorn grabbed her tail and yanked hard. She was thrown back to the ground, and the alicorn planted his knee into her sternum, lifted his hoof, and plunged it into her face. Fluttershy shrieked and gripped her nose. It didn’t feel broken, but she couldn’t take more hits like that. The nameless alicorn--Fluttershy mentally labeled him as Muscles--prepared for another devastating blow, but hissed and yelped, shaking his hoof. Four ravens had flapped around his head and were nicking his arm and cheeks. Blood had been drawn, but Muscles was already batting them aside in puffs of feathers. Thinking quickly, Fluttershy took the opening her animals provided. Jabbing his exposed chest was enough for her to roll out from under him once again. Muscles yelled and slammed his hooves down where she had been a second before. Fluttershy panted with effort as she tried to rise in the air, but Muscles’ horn ignited, coating her in vivid green magic. Muscles bellowed and tossed her over onto a creaking conveyor belt leading into the nearby refinery. Fluttershy could feel the molds pressing against her back. She tried to roll off, but Muscles had already leaped onto the conveyor belt as well, shaking her and forcing her onto her back. Muscles cruelly laughed and stomped towards her, even as Fluttershy turned and scrambled backwards. Upon seeing where the belt was going, however, Fluttershy froze. A tremendous crucible suspended above them, fed by an even higher aqueduct, was periodically tilting and pouring its molten contents into the molds that came off the belt. Fluttershy decided she didn’t want to be there when the time came. Muscles had reached her by then. His pitch-black body loomed above her, and his hoof was coming down. She rolled aside just before it smashed into her face, grabbed his leg, and yanked it the wrong way as hard as she could. Muscles yelled and wrenched it out of her grasp, then batted her in the head so she was sprawled on the belt. There was nothing Fluttershy wanted to do more than get off that conveyor belt. But she also knew that if she got off, he would too, and just kill her then. This would be one of the only ways she could kill him. Not by the molten steel itself--she had clearly seen him survive his fall into the stuff. But perhaps… Her gaze traveled to the massive crucible hanging in the air. There were only two chains holding it up. They were thick chains. But if only she could touch them… The crucible tilted yet again, and a waterfall of red honey poured out and splashed into the molds deposited beneath it. Fluttershy scrambled to all fours, picking up a mold in the process. Muscles’ hoof was flying right at her, but she put the iron mold between them just in time, and Muscles yelped and shook the injured part as Fluttershy dropped it. It was enough time for her to run against the conveyor belt, reach over the side, grope for a second or two, and snag a rebar on the ground. Muscles was raging his way over, and as he came within reach, Fluttershy swiped the bar of metal as hard as she could at his head. It smacked him clear across the forehead. Muscles just shook it, grinned, and enveloped Fluttershy in green magic. It pinned her on her back, spread-eagle. The green magic coated the rebar as well, and it hovered menacingly above Fluttershy’s head like a piercing spear. But the rebar was already shapeshifting into the lithe, long body of a vile black snake. After taking into account the magic holding him in the air, the hovering snake struck. It lashed into Muscle’s forehead, right at the base of his bony horn, and sunk its fangs into his skin. Muscles yelled and shut off his magic instinctively. The snake wriggled as it latched deeper into him and coiled around his horn a few times. Muscle’s hoof wrapped around the snake and  wrenched the fangs out of his head. But Fluttershy was already in motion. She leapt up and touched the snake’s tail once more. At once, his body reverted back to its original iron state, only now coiled tightly around Muscle’s horn. She flapped over Muscles’ head, bending the rebar as she did, and it bent Muscles backwards until he flopped onto the conveyor belt with Fluttershy atop him. Fluttershy fell backwards, pulling with all her strength. It was like a crowbar, and there was plenty of leverage. Muscles’ head was bent back, and he screamed and scrabbled at his horn for relief, but it was wound tight, and Fluttershy wasn’t letting go. All the while, they were getting closer and closer to the tilting crucible. Fluttershy was sweating from the heat, and her skin glowed as the molten metal spilled down just ahead of them. Planting her back hooves against his head, she yanked once more, and this time, there was an audible crack. Several pieces flew out of his horn, like crumbs from a loaf of bread. She quickly repeated it, and Muscles bellowed. He scrabbled for a loose mold, picked it up, and tossed it behind him. It hit Fluttershy square in the head. Briefly stunned, she rolled off him. Muscles tried to yank the iron bar off his horn, but there wasn’t much room to pull without hurting his horn even more. He spat out a swear and stomped to Fluttershy’s weakly-rising form once more. This time, his hoof snatched the pink butterfly around her neck, swiveled it behind her, and yanked the gold chain against her windpipe. Fluttershy gasped and pried at the Element, but Muscles pulled even harder. Muscles forced Fluttershy down until her cheek was pressed against the surface of the conveyor belt. The crucible poured down once more. It made Fluttershy’s skin burn, how close they were. The next time, it would pour on top of them. In between choking breaths, Fluttershy snarled and tried to elbow Muscles from behind, but his grip was too strong, or his torso too tough, or she was too weak. Muscles would not let go of the Element. The Element. He had unwittingly put the clasp right in front of her. But Fluttershy didn’t want to just leave it behind in the hooves of the enemy. Could she get it back? It was a risk she was willing to take. Her hooves quickly worked the delicate slide and unlatched it. Muscles fell off her from the sudden lack of resistance, taking her Element. Fluttershy crawled out and got to all fours at the same time Muscles did. Muscles bellowed once more. Since it was the only language he understood, Fluttershy defiantly bellowed back as loud as she could. Despite all Fluttershy had done to him, Muscles was visibly taken aback from the outburst. His eyes were wide, and he had taken a step back. It was a mistake. That step had taken him beneath the crucible’s depository. And in this same area was a blocky engine keeping the conveyor belt running. The bent rebar wrapped tightly around his cracked horn lodged in between two exposed gears of the engine. Immediately, the conveyor belt ground to a halt. Muscles jolted, slipped, and ended up on his knees, clutching his horn desperately. Fluttershy took off with a puff of her wings and hovered up to the chains. The crucible’s intense heat burned her glowing skin and made her squint. She could see the swirling, goopy orange metal in the crucible as it tilted once more, pouring its fiery load all over Muscles’ silhouette below. It didn’t harm him, of course. He screamed and garbled, but he wasn’t actually burning. The iron rebar, however, melted almost instantly. With a shake of his head, he was free. Quickly, she touched the chains, willing them to become snakes. Nothing happened. Desperation came upon her for a few seconds before the answer came to her: she could only do it if she had the Element. Which was in Muscle’s grip. Muscles shot into the bottom of the crucible, sending it swinging and throwing glops of the sticky stuff all over the place. Fluttershy cowered and flinched. Some smaller particles got over her hooves, which was at least better than her eyes, and some got into her mane and tail, setting them on fire. She shrieked and landed back on the conveyor belt to extinguish the fire. Muscles was keeping the crucible from resetting to its normal position, so the molten metal flowing into it was running down the slope and dripping everywhere it was not supposed to. Machine parts for the belt caught on fire or melted. Muscles was floating above a steadily growing pool of glowing hot metal, and its intense glow illuminated his face like he was in brightest daylight. He was grinning, and the glint in his eyes was an evil one. Floating beside him was Fluttershy’s discarded Element. His back hooves kicked a splash of molten metal at Fluttershy, and she flinched away just in time. The fire in her mane reignited, and Fluttershy quickly tried patting it down. Muscles splashed some more, and Fluttershy scurried back. He needed to throw something else! But what could it be? Fluttershy's gaze traveled to the enormous metal bucket he was holding up. “NO!” screamed Fluttershy. She cowered and pointed at the gigantic crucible he was holding up. "Don't throw that at me! Anything but that!" Muscles blinked in surprise, looking up. Then his glowing orange face split in an evil grin. A dark laugh escaped his clenched teeth, and his horn shone green. The two chains glowed green as well. Link after link snapped in half. Muscles was now suddenly carrying the entire weight of the crucible on his back. And he was strong. Very strong. But not strong enough for this. The black alicorn crashed into the pool of molten metal with another splash, and this time, the weight of his mistake crushed him down. His entire torso was pinned. He couldn’t even lift his head out of the pool enough to breathe. He gurgled through the thick liquid. It sounded like, “Help.” But Fluttershy couldn’t help him. Muscles flailed and pushed against the ground. But eventually, from a mix of his crushed body and lack of air, Muscles went limp. His body slowly began disappearing in the growing pool of slimy, sticky metal. Fluttershy, shaking from the sight, turned away. Riding up to her was Bedrock. He was panting, his horn smoking from use. He was atop his pet bear, which was extraordinarily docile. He seemed just as shaken by it as Fluttershy was. She couldn’t blame him. Unsure of what to say, Fluttershy just nodded and gave a hopeful smile. Bedrock gave a tired nod in return and turned away. Fluttershy tiredly hovered over to the red pool of molten metal. Her Element was lazily spinning in place. “Bedrock?” she asked. “Would you help…” She gestured at the necklace. Bedrock’s horn shone green, and the necklace hovered up. The sticky stuff was quickly expunged from the surface. It hovered over to Fluttershy and dropped itself in her hoof. Fluttershy was expecting it to give her a burn. But it was as cool as the water in a creek. She examined it with fascination before returning it to her neck. Fluttershy’s gaze then landed upon the terrible metal Tree. The rest of the alicorns guarding it were gone. At every level, dragons were swarming it. They were pulling out pipes and making great tears in the surface. From their combined efforts, it seemed to be working very well. “What are they doing?” Fluttershy demanded. “Taking revenge,” Bedrock simply answered. The green leader, Cinder, tore out a patch, and a torrent of lava poured out in a gloppy stream. Similar streams were all over the rest of the Tree. They pattered and splashed down to the surface, melting any catwalks and pipes in their way. “Where does the lava come from?” Fluttershy asked. “And why is it even there?” “That pipe provides heat and electricity to the entire mountain,” Bedrock replied. “Not to mention a pool for baptisms at the summit. We pipe it all in from the Daughter--the south mountain. It’s almost full to bursting with the stuff, so if it’s backed up, it’ll blow.” “Is it?” “Twisted the valve myself,” Bedrock asserted. “Then we should probably leave,” Fluttershy suggested. “Come with me,” Bedrock encouraged. “I know the way out. The dragons can survive lava, so they can just leave through the pipe’s exit.” “Lead the way,” Fluttershy allowed. She flapped onto the bear’s back and held Bedrock around the waist to not fall off. Bedrock blushed, but didn’t say anything. He just patted the bear’s head. “Hyah, boy!” The bear reared and galloped. He went up a ramp, onto a platform, and through a hole and out of the cavern. As they left, more and more holes were made in the Tree. Torrents of lava poured out and began to cover the floor. It melted stations and engulfed equipment, burning away supports and sloughing away pipes. The interior began to crumple apart. A slucking and slurping sound drew Tempest’s attention. She turned away from Starlight’s body in her arms and observed the lava lake in the center of the temple. It was going down. Gradually, the hot orange glow of the lava dipped below her eye level. “What…” Tempest muttered in confusion. Then it hit her. The tremendous pipeline in the center of Mount Nevermore. Could it be… “Did Fluttershy do something?” she asked herself. “Hm?” Starlight’s head weakly came up. “Don’t worry about it,” Tempest reassured her, resting her head once again. “It’s probably nothing.” Starlight sighed and prodded the Element stuck in her chest. “It hurts. Everything… hurts.” Tempest considered for a few seconds before coming upon a solution. Setting Starlight’s head in her lap, she gently removed the armor covering her hooves. Setting them aside, she squeezed Starlight around the chest. “Does that help?” Starlight nodded and used a trembling hoof to adjust a lock of toned-down hair. The black disease from the Element had spread to her colorless shoulder. “We’re going to get you out of this,” Tempest promised, setting Starlight’s hoof down upon her chest. “Assuming we all live.” “You think they’re doing okay?” Starlight croaked. It confused Tempest. She’s the one on the verge of death, and she’s asking if they’re doing okay? But she humored her. “They’re strong, Starlight. They’re doing just fine.” Pinkie’s back hit the wall, briefly stunning her. She just shook her head and bounced out of the way of the next laser blast. “Be still, you pest!” High Priest Ajax ordered, firing another streak of scarlet from his horn. It blew apart the floor right where Pinkie was about to step. But it didn’t bother her anyway. Her Pinkie Sense more than made up for it. “Why doncha make me?” Pinkie taunted, sticking out her tongue provocatively. Ajax’s maimed face narrowed. “Fine.” Pinkie was enveloped in a deep red glow. With a swish of his head, Ajax hurled Pinkie into one of the many holes lining the interior of the Son. A pink explosion shortly followed. “You okay?” Applejack called, even as she ensnared Brimstone’s limbs with four sizzling orange whips. “Never better,” was Pinkie’s woozy response. Brimstone’s horn sparked to life as he grinned maliciously. “Ooh, I like this, Jackie.” Applejack scowled and retracted the whips. Brimstone was pulled close to her like a fish, and as he came within reach, Applejack’s rear leg swung around and caught him on his temple. Brimstone went flying, and he tumbled to a stop. But he resiliently rose once again. “Brim!” Warcane cried, from the opposite side of the room. “Worry about yourself, you stupid hag!” Brimstone bellowed, making the crippled mare flinch. “He’s right, you know,” Rarity admitted, swishing the violet rapier as she approached. “You’re going to need it.” “Don’t you talk down to me!” Warcane screeched. “How can I be beaten by the likes of you?” “I don’t know, how did you?” Rarity taunted. Warcane shrieked in response, then ignited her sizzling horn and fired a torrent of electricity at Rarity. She caught it from the tip of her rapier like a lightning rod and flung it upwards, hitting the upper wall with an explosion. Warcane hissed and clutched the base of her broken horn. “Tell me, darling,” Rarity growled. “How did you ever get entangled in this mess to begin with? You could have been so much better than who you are now.” “Seems to me like you just can’t go through with killing me!” Warcane accused, even as she massaged her forehead. “You held me down with three swords, but you couldn’t kill me. You broke my horn, but you couldn’t kill me. You could have blown that magic back at me, but you couldn’t kill me!” “It’s very unladylike,” Rarity admitted. “But if you insist, I can set that tenet aside.” “I dare you! Do it!” Warcane doubled down. She giddily licked her red lips. “And prove you’re no better than me!” “But that’s the thing, darling. I am better than you. It’s not a very high bar to clear.” Warcane’s face creased in anger. “Then I’ll kill you first, you SLAVE!” Her horn sparked and sizzled into a net of electricity around her entire body. Clearly in anguish, Warcane stumble-ran towards Rarity. Rarity’s lips pursed. “If it ends your pain, I’ll do it.” Her horn pulsed brighter as she reared her head. Mid-run, a thin blue crystal shot out of the ground and impaled Warcane right through the chest. Her magic cut off, and blood leaked out and ran down the spire. Warcane shrieked and bashed on the crystal, breaking it off but leaving a long piece in her chest. She cringed and panted in place. “Try harder!” she wheezed. Rarity’s horn glowed brighter once more. Five more blue spikes emerged from the ground and entered Warcane’s body from five different angles, lifting her off the ground. Her hooves flailed in the air as she struggled. She heaved and gasped for breath, but blood leaked out of her mouth, which she absently licked in an attempt to dull her pain. “You poor soul,” Rarity whispered. “You could have been so much better.” Warcane gurgled and spat. With her dying breath, she screamed in Rarity’s face until her voice gave. Then her head bowed, her hooves went limp, and Warcane was finally free of her pain. “NO!” came a roar. A hot blast ripped a line across Rarity’s entire body, and she collapsed, arching her back. It was like being struck by lightning. “YOU MONSTER!” Applejack bellowed. There was a terrible crunch, and Rarity whipped her head around to see. Brimstone’s face was battered and bloody, pressed against the floor. Applejack’s mighty hoof was pressed against the back of his head. “Uugh,” Brimstone moaned. “Harder.” Applejack’s face twisted in disgust and fury. She lashed a hoof back, and a sizzling whip came out. It wrapped tightly around Brimstone’s horn, then shortened. She yanked as hard as she could against the bony protrusion. Brimstone yelled and flailed his arms. They tried to grip the whip, but it caused his flesh to smoke, and he let go in shock. Apparently, even alicorns could not resist the power of the Element’s touch. “You devil,” Applejack whispered. “Pain means nothing to you.” “You’re wrong… I love it,” Brimstone gasped, and he cracked a smile. “And you’re just as brutal as us. Didn’t Faust warn you about that? With our deaths, we seal our testament against you.” Applejack tilted her head. Brimstone laughed through the pain. “What a way to go. But if it proves you hypocrites, it is enough for me.” “You don’t understand, doncha?” Applejack asked, yanking even harder. “And ya probably never will. From where you’re laying, you think you’re suffering for yer false God. Truth is... you never had truth on yer side to begin with.” With a final twist and yank, his horn was sheared in half with a sizzle. It bounced and clattered away. Brimstone yelled. But it turned into uproarious laughter. He was cringing, but smiling through it. “You’re new to this,” he noted, even as he massaged his forehead. “It’s a rare joy to corrupt a righteous heart. Do what you must. I’ve won already.” Applejack’s lips pursed. Her face creased in thought. “Tell you what, Brim,” Applejack said, and the whip disappeared. “You get ta live.” Brimstone swiveled his head in disbelief. “What?” “Proving you wrong is enough victory, right?” Applejack shrugged. “Giving you mercy is the only way to really beat you. Anypony can hurt another. Takes real mettle ta not do it. I know that look in yer eyes. You’re not strong enough on your own to beat me, so you’re begging me to lose myself ‘gainst ya. But ya can’t make me stoop to your level.” Brimstone’s eyes were indeed wild. But there was nothing he could do. He had asked for it, right? “I’ll admit it, I was wrong ‘bout you. You do know the truth. That’s why you cling to the lie so hard. It’s why you can’t beat me. You would rather die than turn around.” Brimstone’s mouth twisted into a trembling snarl. “You don’t know that! You don’t know anything!” Applejack shrugged. “Lyin’ to yerself, too. As devils always do.” Brimstone roared and picked up a loose rock the size of his head. Applejack sighed and jabbed his arm once. It was enough for the rock to tumble out of his grip and bash him atop his head--right on top of his stumpy horn. It jiggled and retracted an inch into his skull. His eyes glazed, and he fell backwards onto his butt. There might have been some semblance of sentience left in him. It wasn’t really clear. “That one, ya just asked for,” Applejack condemned. Now helpless, Brimstone could not prevent Applejack from delivering a hard buck into his chest. His body went flying into one of the holes coating the walls, and the vegetablized Brimstone disappeared into the darkness. Now that he was taken care of, Applejack galloped over to Rarity. “You all righ’ there?” Rarity groaned and showed her back. There was a long red welt from her tail to her shoulder. When she adjusted herself while trying to stand, Rarity hissed and laid down again. “Lemme see if Ah can do somethin’ ‘bout that,” Applejack offered, sprouting a whip from her hoof. It hovered over the wound and probed the wound by poking it, then ran it from tail to shoulder. The welt shrunk, and though there was still a nasty red mark, it was enough for Rarity to stand straight. “You think we should try to help Pinkie?” Applejack followed up, turning her attention to the final fight occurring in the cavern. “Something tells me we’d just get in the way,” Rarity noted. For it was truly a fight no one would want to get in the middle of. Pinkie was scurrying about like a squirrel, evading laser blasts and kicking up stones that would momentarily explode in pink puffs to cover her movement. High Priest Ajax’s eyes were feral, and his head swiveled this way and that trying to keep up. His ceremonial outfit had been torn apart, leaving half of his headdress and some drapes of linen over him. His metal-coated horn fired shot after shot, throwing up debris and smoke on every impact with the wall and the floor. “Ya missed me!” Pinkie taunted, bouncing out of another cloud of smoke. “Now you gotta kiss me!” Ajax snarled and pounded the ground. Cracks spidered out from the impact, and it shook the cavern. Three more shots followed. Three more explosions. And once more, Pinkie emerged from the smoke, hurling glowing pebbles into his face. He caught them in his magic and tossed them all over the cavern with a pulse of his horn. Applejack and Rarity cowered as a series of booms echoed around them. “You meanie!” Pinkie accused, bounding across his axis, rearing up, and putting up her hooves. “Why doncha pick on somepony your own size? Too scared she’s gonna kick your butt?!” Ajax’s lips narrowed. “Got you.” Pinkie’s outline glowed red. Immediately, she was pressed to the floor as if the gravity was doubled. She yelled and tried to bend her knees to stand up, but Ajax’s horn pulsed once again and forced her to the ground. With great effort, she rolled onto her back, exposing her chest. The lines around Ajax’s wizened eyes tightened as he grinned. His hoof rested on her chest, forcing an exhale out of Pinkie but not allowing a breath to come in. “Dirty shrieking devil,” Ajax cursed. His other hoof withdrew into the remains of his robes and retrieved the Black Blade. Pinkie’s back leg hastily stamped on the cracked ground. It started to glow. Ajax did not notice it. “I will make sure you stay awake long enough to feel every single cut,” Ajax promised. His entire body glowed with red energy, giving him a devilish outline. “Can’t say the same for you,” Pinkie retorted. A puff of pink flame erupted right underneath Ajax. But instead of tormenting him with burns, all it did was make him stumble a bit. The red energy coming from his horn protected him. Pink fire licked his underside, but his toothy grin did not leave his terrible countenance. Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Okay, forget you felt that.” “You’re weak,” Ajax noted with satisfaction. “Just like the rest of your friends. As entertaining as a rabbit you made, the fox has you in his jaws.” “Why aren’t you biting already?” Pinkie provoked, bending her head. “Come on, do it! Do it, if you’ve got the guts!” “Soon you won’t have any,” Ajax promised. His knife hovered teasingly between Pinkie’s eyes. “It would be more fun to break you first.” The tip ran gently across her cheek, just barely not penetrating the skin. Pinkie quivered from the cold tip and gulped audibly. “Where to start…” Ajax mused, roaming his eyes all over her face. Pinkie couldn’t hold eye contact with his deformed and elderly countenance, but she could hear his cruel words, almost whispering, but so clear because of how close he was. “A pity you’re an earth pony. Useless and weak they are, but you... especially so. I love dissecting ponies for sacrifices. I could have carved out your horn… torn out your wings like a chicken… but I can work with you.” The tip explored under her eyelid before resting on one of her lips. Finally, it traced a line down her cheek, against her quivering esophagus, and wound to her left shoulder. “I can work very well,” he emphasized. The tip dug into her flesh and wiggled back and forth. Pinkie screamed and tried to adjust her head, but the knife just twisted in place before it broke away with a slash. There was a deep punctuation of a slash mark across her entire upper arm. “Only after I break your Element will you die,” Ajax taunted, almost sweetly. His hoof snatched the Black Blade out of the air. “And then your friends. Solaris will be proud. I know I will be.” The knife made a fan of black as it plunged down. It halted a centimeter above Pinkie’s Element. Quick as a flash, struggling against the aura surrounding her, Pinkie’s hooves, one of them still wounded by that very knife, were clutching Ajax’s arm. Pinkie’s rage was the stuff of legends. It was a legend unknown to Ajax until that very moment. “Have you heard of Pinkie Sense?” Pinkie Pie asked, her face turning red. “It’s my little prophecies. They always, always come true.” Ajax’s face contorted the harder Pinkie clenched. His arm trembled. “When my hooves fling themselves out like that...” Pinkie explained. Her hooves bent his arm the wrong way, and Ajax hissed and tried to reinforce it with his other arm, but Pinkie was just too strong. “...as if they’re about to strangle you… that’s a real doozy, that one.” Finally, the greenstick fracture occurred. His arm snapped, and the Black Blade fell out of his grip onto Pinkie’s chest. It was cold, so cold it was almost hot. Ajax broke free, but more likely, Pinkie had just released him so she could rear her legs up and kick him in the chest. It sent him stumbling back a few feet. He hissed every time he had to put pressure onto his bad leg. The pain was bad enough that Ajax couldn’t concentrate on his magic. His metal-coated horn shut off, and the red aura surrounding him and Pinkie vanished. Frantic, Ajax’s eyes glanced down, then back up. There was nothing more than some soft raiment between him and the knife Pinkie was now holding. “That particular sign’s never happened before,” Pinkie admitted, holding the knife out to the side. “But I know what it means. And I think you do too.” Ajax’s eyes flitted to the sides. His hooves adjusted themselves. “It means somepony’s going to die,” Pinkie proclaimed. A shadow fell over her eyes, but a glint was still deep within. “By me.” Ajax, after feinting the opposite direction, sprinted for the giant hole Brimstone’s body had disappeared into. Pinkie Pie kissed the flat of the blade. Then she brought it over her shoulder and brought her arm down hard. A black swish flew through the air and struck Ajax in the back of the head. It hit him hilt-first. Ajax was right in front of the entrance to the hole. He swiveled his head and picked up the offending weapon off his back with his teeth, as his hoof was totally ruined and his magic couldn’t be concentrated on. “ ‘Oo u’er phooool!” Ajax managed to cry with the weapon’s hilt between his teeth. He seemed very triumphant. Until the black color glowed with a pinkish hue. Ajax’s wide, suddenly-panicked eyes almost crossed as they looked down to regard the bomb in his mouth. “Boom,” Pinkie dismissed. Ajax spontaneously erupted in an earth-shatteringly-loud ball of pink flame. His head disintegrated entirely. Most of his upper half did as well. The lower half of him, engulfed in fire, was thrown backwards into the hole like a used sock. The entrance to that hole trembled and shook, and boulders cracked, came loose, and collapsed the entrance, trapping both of their remains inside forever. Pinkie stood panting, staring at the blast mark on the ground partially obscured by new rubble and dust. Her left arm was trembling from the wounds the Black Blade had given her. “Well, that could have gone worse,” Rarity commented, eyeing her injuries with a fearful eye. “And better, too. Darling, you look awful!” Pinkie jilted her head in response. “Nothing Fluttershy can’t fix up.” “But what if she can’t?” Rarity followed up. “I’ll live with it,” Pinkie waved aside. She even managed to smile. “I might even pass it off as an animation error.” “Glad ta see you’re copin’ well, sugarcube,” Applejack commended. “We oughta get outta here and fix you’n Rarity up. Rainbow dropped ya in here, right? What’s th’ deal out there? Who’s here?” “Everypony’s attacking,” Pinkie relayed. “Giant mess. Even I didn’t know what the heck was going on when it all went down! And I can see everything!” “No use goin’ that way.” Applejack jolted her head at the now-buried exit where Noble and Firestorm had fought their way out. “Think we can get out through th’ top?” “I’m sure I can make some stairs from crystals,” Rarity volunteered. “Between that, your whips, and Pinkie’s physics, we might pull it off.” The collision ruptured the heavens once again. In the midst of the warfare spiraling all around them in the dark heavens, Malice and Freedom Fighter exchanged blows and delivered injuries anew. Their stamina was in no way depleted. “Dirty dog!” Malice shrieked, swatting Freedom Fighter across the face. A stream of blood marked the long line through his eye that almost immediately healed back up. “Takes one to know one, Malice!” the Unforgiven retorted, socking him across the snout. Malice snarled and headbutted him. There was an audible crack, and Freedom Fighter went sprawling in midair. He held a hoof to his head and hissed while waiting for the effects to heal him. “You know what? You’re not even a dog!” Malice shouted, pointing. “At least dogs are useful! At least dogs feast by their master’s table!” “They’re also cute and cuddly,” Freedom Fighter suggested, smirking. He shrugged. “I’ll take it.” “But you… You’re even WORSE!” “I can hardly wait. What’ll it be? A concubine? A chamber pot?” “Slave!” Malice accused. Four of his longest arms shot out. Two of them snagged Freedom Fighter’s upper and lower right and left arms, but the other two were still struggling to latch onto him. “Slave! Slave to Faust! Slave to Celestia! Slave to Twilight! Slave to yourself! Slave! To! ME!” Freedom Fighter roared, and the Element of Redemption pulsed brighter in his forehead. A shock ran up Malice’s claws, and he quickly let go. And yet, at the same time… he felt somewhat better. Stronger, more awake, and the pain wasn’t as intense as usual. It confused him. Wasn’t that Freedom Fighter’s ability? Then it clicked, and he laughed. A high and cruel laugh it was, hissing from his fangs. “What’s so funny?” Freedom Fighter demanded, spreading his arms. “So far, you’re getting your sorry little butt handed to you. You must be really into it. I’ve never seen anypony go through as much of it as you.” He tilted his head. “Apart from me.” “The Element,” Malice wheezed out. “It recognizes me as a previous user! It rejuvenates me! It’s not intelligent enough to discern its wielders! All it knows is that its user can’t die!” Freedom Fighter’s doubting eyes looked up at the stone embedded in his forehead. “So the longer you’re in contact with me…” “You’ll never beat me with that pathetic thing!” Malice proclaimed. After looking disturbed for just a second, Freedom Fighter took a deep breath. “Well, it’s simple. I just gotta kill you faster than you can heal.” “Oh, but it’s the same with me,” Malice pointed out, spreading all half-hundred of his arms. “I never thought this day could get any bet-” Malice was cut off by the impact of two hooves slamming into his teeth like a meteor strike. Five bloody fangs flew through the air. Even worse, Malice wasn’t in contact with him long enough to feel any rejuvenation. He had bounced off and was hovering just out of reach. Blood streamed out of his puffy and infected gums down his front. Malice spat the stuff out once, then twice. Most of his white body had been discolored with red. “Sorry, what was that?” Freedom Fighter asked, as if he hadn’t moved at all. “You really shouldn’t talk with your mouth full.” Malice spat out globs of blood for a third time, his jaw hanging open. His remaining eyes were as thin as paper, and from his throat came a wet, guttural rattle. His half-hundred legs wriggled and thrashed madly. “Maybe you should get a bit closer,” the Unforgiven invited, beckoning with a hoof. His grin and the glint in his eye were anything but friendly. Malice’s loose jaw clenched, and so did most of his legs. Without warning, he spat once more, and this time it got into Freedom Fighter’s eyes. Malice flew like the wind and thrashed Freedom Fighter from half a dozen different angles, and as his flesh ripped open, it felt so natural. He was close enough for Freedom Fighter to plant a back hoof onto the broken base of one of his fangs and stuff his front hooves into Malice’s nostrils as hard and deep as he could. This time, it was Freedom Fighter who headbutted him. It had very little effect. He then sank his own teeth into the fleshy bit of his snout and wiggled enough to tear a patch of flesh from between Malice’s ugly exoskeleton. Malice batted him away with a roar and huffed through his nose to clear it. Some blood flew out of there as well. A small part of Malice was thinking that perhaps it would be best to retreat. A prolonged battle with the Unforgiven would only result in his death, after all. And if he disengaged, he could better lead his forces to crush the dragon assault. But conceding defeat to the Unforgiven was an outcome Malice could not accept. So he blew mucus and blood from his nose, gurgled a roar from the deepest recesses of his throat, and threw himself once more at the Unforgiven.