//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Crushing Defeat // Story: The End of All Things // by Boltstrike58 //------------------------------// The clatter of hooves could be heard above the normal chirping of the Everfree Forest wildlife. Six ponies and one dragon raced through through the forest, even as vines and roots writhed around them, without the Tree of Harmony to mitigate the dark power of the Everfree. Twilight was panting, sweat dripping down the back of her neck, and her magic was flaring as a result of her stress. "This is bad, this is bad, this is bad..." she whispered under her breath. "Yeah, we kinda knew that, Twilight!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "Twilight, can Discord beat Grogar?" asked Fluttershy. "Well, from their conversation, it seems the legend that Discord was created by Grogar is true. So...probably not." "Maybe he can buy us enough time to get back to Canterlot!" said Spike. "I mean, come on, even with the Elements of Harmony, you guys had a hard time beating Discord!" "Yeah, and speaking of the Elements of Harmony, has anybody else realized that THEY'RE GONE FOREVER?!" yelled Applejack. "Seriously, why am I the only one freaking out about this?!" "Who said you were?!" Twilight snapped back. "Not to mention that the Everfree Forest is growing out of control without the Tree!" exclaimed Rarity. Then she screeched in fear as a creeping vine tried itself to wrap around her leg. "How are we going to solve that?!" "Well, maybe the Pillars can plant another one!" said Pinkie. "How hard can it be to create another magic seed containing the essence of Harmony itself?" As the group reached the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, emerging near Fluttershy's cottage, Twilight opened her mouth, possibly to reprimand Pinkie for her last statement. But before she could, there was a heavy flash of light behind them, and all the ponies came to a screeching halt, skidding in the dirt. They slowly turned around. "Does this belong to you?" asked Grogar, levitating Discord's limp, barely-conscious body up next to him. Behind him, the other five villains all grinned maliciously. Discord could only manage a sad look at them, with eyes that said "I tried." "Well, there goes my optimism," said Spike, dryly. "Twilight Sparkle," Grogar continued, stomping a few steps forward, "I have returned to claim what is rightfully mine from you pathetic ponies. And I'm starting by eliminating you." One of the vines tried to wrap itself around his leg, but he sliced it off with a quick pulse of magic. "Don't worry, I'll deal with the Everfree Forest as soon as I'm done with you." Twilight felt fear begin to creep down her spine, and it was reasonable fear. After all, this time, they didn't have the Elements of Harmony, the Rainbow Power, or any kind of magical backup, which had been vital in defeating all of these villains previously (except for Grogar of course). Not to mention, they had some kind of dark version of the Elements of Harmony, strong enough to destroy the tree with the Elements attached to it. What hope did they have? Looking at Spike, Twilight had a sudden idea. She lit up her horn, firing a bolt of magenta magic into the purple dragon. Spike didn't even have time to yell out before he suddenly vanished in a flash of bright light. Grogar blinked. "What exactly were you hoping to accomplish with that?" he demanded. "I sent Spike closer to Canterlot," Twilight answered. "He'll know what to do when he gets there. He'll warn Celestia and Luna about your return, and they'll mobilize everything they have to take you out." Grogar threw back his head and laughed, joined by the other villains. "That's cute, Twilight Sparkle. You actually think that Celestia and Luna can do something about my plans. Actually, this is rather convenient for me. I have plans to destroy them as well." "But right now," cackled Tirek, "we finally get to take you six down and have our revenge!" "And who doesn't like revenge, am I right?" asked the Storm King, his fingertips sparking. The six mares tensed up, preparing to rush their enemies. "We don't have much chance of winning this fight, do we?" asked Applejack. "It doesn't matter," replied Rainbow Dash. "If I'm going down, I'm at least gonna say I went down swinging." "I would've put it more eloquently, darling," said Rarity, "but ultimately, I agree!" On both sides, the six charged. Spike yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself falling out of the air. He screamed, before remembering his (relatively) new wings, and began to flap them. Fortunately, all his training paid off and he was able to stop himself before he collided with the earth. Hovering gently over the ground for a second, he carefully settled his feet onto the grass. "Whew! That was close," he breathed. A quick examination of his surroundings confirmed that he'd been warped to the outskirts of Canterlot. Then he remembered exactly where he had been seconds ago. "TWILIGHT!" he shouted, frantically glancing from left to right. It was useless, though. Twilight apparently hadn't had the strength to teleport herself or any of the others to Canterlot as well. Spike was there alone. Spike began to tremble in fear, the thought of Twilight, Rarity, and the others alone with Grogar and the rest of those monsters flooding his mind. He knew, logically, he wouldn't have been much help in the battle, but he would've at least given the mares a numerical advantage. Now, they were left to fight a battle they surely couldn't win. It was enough to make Spike want to fall to his knees and cry. No, he thought to himself, curling his claws into fists. Twilight must've sent me ahead so I could warn Celestia and Luna. Even if I can't help her, I can at least do that. Biting back his tears, Spike took off with another flap of his wings, and began zooming towards Canterlot Castle. It was Grogar who took the first attack, firing more black lightning from his horns. Twilight and the others saw the attack coming, of course, and split up, each mare going in a different direction. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took to the air, while the other four remained on the ground. "Remember your targets," said Grogar. "And remember to leave them alive for now." "With pleasure," replied King Sombra, grinning and showing his fangs. Discord opened his mouth, presumably to scream some sort of warning to the mares, but Grogar simply used his magic to open a small, dimensional pocket, and shoved the draconequus inside. Satisfied, the ram charged Twilight, who shut her eyes and teleported, appearing behind Grogar. Then she fired a magical bolt at his rear, and though it connected with full power, Grogar was merely staggered for a second. Twilight gritted her teeth. "This isn't gonna be easy," she muttered to herself. Tirek was the first to find his target, charging towards Rarity with a sphere of pure power forming between his horns. Rarity, naturally terrified by the sight of a giant centaur charging towards her, dived to the side, just in time to avoid Tirek's beam of magic that obliterated the spot she'd been standing in just a second before. Rarity climbed to her hooves once more, taking a half-second to glance at the smoldering spot she'd moved from. "So uncivilized," she huffed. "Why do you ruffians insist on being so destructive?!" "Because we can, you prissy little pony," Tirek retorted, as he raised his fist for a massive overhead smash. "We're going to take everything from your pathetic species and—" Rarity's horn lit up with a spell, causing Tirek's full beard to suddenly whip upwards, white hairs sticking in his eyes. The centaur roared, and his hands began scratching at his now itching eyeballs. Rarity wisely took the opportunity, levitating out a long length of fabric from her saddlebags, and sending it forward to wrap around Tirek's legs. The centaur was sent plummeting to the ground, where he face-planted. Rarity had herself a haughty chuckle, before rushing over to the fallen Tirek and beginning to punch his face with her hooves. "Take that, you uncouth scoundrel!" she proclaimed, reeling back for another punch. "That should teach you to mess with a lady—" Tirek's heavy fist snapped upwards, seizing the unicorn by the throat. Rarity only managed to get out a panicked squeak before Tirek slammed her into the ground. Applejack leaped from place to place, dodging the bolts of sickly green magic that Chrysalis fired at her. The changeling queen was relentless, but Applejack's honed muscles let her keep it up. However, the farm pony's stamina wouldn't last forever, and she knew it. She was desperate to find a way to level the playing field. "Keep jumping all you want, pony!" Chrysalis spat. "There's nothing you can do to stop us this time! No one is coming to save you!" "You seem to forget you don't have an army backing you this time, bug girl!" Applejack snapped back. "With you alone, I could polish you off with both forehooves tied behind my back!" "Keep telling yourself that," Chrysalis sneered. Applejack leaped, but Chrysalis led her next shot, hitting the area directly next to Applejack. While she wasn't hit directly, the force of the explosion blasted her backwards, knocking her onto her back. Grinning wickedly, Chrysalis lunged, baring her fangs to bite. However, Applejack saw the attack coming, and swung her back legs upwards, smacking Chrysalis directly in the eyes. The changeling queen screeched in pain, covering her eyes and hissing. Applejack, knowing she had to press her advantage, pulled out her lasso, and tossed it around Chrysalis' neck. Then she planted all four hooves on the ground, took the lasso in her mouth, and yanked with all her power. Chrysalis went flying over Applejack's head, swinging in an arc and hitting the ground so hard she was buried from her head to the middle of her body. Applejack prepared to pull on the rope once more, planning to swing Chrysalis again, but before she could, there was a flash of green light, and Chrysalis suddenly transformed into a giant, four-armed bugbear. The lasso remained secured around her neck, but Chrysalis merely grabbed it in one of her massive arms and pulled, yanking Applejack off the ground. The earth pony had no defense against the heavy backhand the followed, slapping her and causing her to crash into the ground, dragging a long trail in the dirt. Rainbow Dash had assumed she'd have the easiest fight when the Storm King sought her out, even though she loved a good tussle with a bad guy. After all, he'd shown no special powers without the Staff of Sacanas, and that was long gone. Of course, that line of thinking had come to an end as soon as he'd started firing lighting bolts at her. She realized he must've gotten new powers thanks to Grogar. Rather than feel afraid, Rainbow was invigorated. Now she'd get the chance to show off. The sky-blue pegasus swooped from side to side, dodging each bolt as he fired it. "Give it up, scumbag!" she yelled. "You'll never hit me, not with that aim!" "Geez, you're annoying," grumbled the Storm King, firing off a few more bolts. "I'm beginning to think that's some inherent thing in you ponies. You're cute, and you're obnoxious. And I hate both of those things." Rainbow laughed, but she kept her focus, avoiding every one of the Storm King's bolts, while pondering how she should go on the offensive. A direct, straightforward charge probably wouldn't work, considering how fast lightning moved, and how it only took him a second to fire. Rainbow would have to be clever if she wanted to win this fight. Then, just out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something. A small cliff, no more than a few hooves off the ground, sat near the area they were fighting, with a boulder resting near the edge. Immediately, an idea sprung into Rainbow's head. Dodging yet another lightning blast, she descended, landing on the ground, with the cliff and the boulder behind her. "Come on, Storm King!" she yelled, waving her forehooves and sticking her tongue out. "I guess they should call you Light Shower King, because I ain't seeing any storms!" "Oh, you want a storm?! I'll give you a storm!" roared the deposed king, rearing back. He thrust both hands forward, index fingers pointed, and lightning lanced forward. Rainbow had anticipated this, however, and leaned backward just as he began to fire, only turning her body just enough to avoid the attack. The lightning continued on its path, into the side of the cliff, blasting it away and leaving nothing to support the boulder anymore. In one more second, the boulder leaned forward, and began rolling forward, on a direct collision course with Rainbow Dash. Except the pegasus had just taken to the air again, leaving the rock with only one target: the Storm King. "OH COME ON!" he managed to scream, before the rock hit him directly in the face, bowling him over and sending him flying into a tree. Up above the battlefield, Rainbow laughed. "Well, that takes the wind out of his storm, if I do say so myself!" Then she began directing her gaze around, trying to see if any of the others were in need of her assistance. But before she could do anything, another lighting bolt whizzed right by her. She looked down, discovering the Storm King climbing to his feet again, looking significantly angrier than he had before. Rainbow groaned. "I don't suppose you would consider giving up in exchange for me not beating the snot out of you?" The Storm King's only response was another round of lightning bolts. Rainbow swooped and swerved, avoiding his follow-up assault, before making a sudden u-turn in midair and aiming herself directly at the Storm King. Her wings kicked into overdrive, pushing her faster and faster, as she made quick movements from side to side to avoid more bolts. Her plan was to go into a sonic rainboom, ramming him with everything she had, in one final effort to knock him out. Unfortunately for her, the Storm King saw the attack coming. He placed his hands together in one quick movement, then thrust them out to the sides in another, channeling lightning through his fingertips as he did so. From his hands came a massive, dome-shaped wall of electricity, expanding all around him. Rainbow's eyes and quick reflexes allowed her to pull up, but the lightning came out too quickly, and she was caught by the attack, zapping her in midair. Rainbow screamed as the electricity ravaged her body, before dropping out of the sky, where the Storm King caught her with one arm. "Who's laughing now, pony?!" he cackled. King Sombra gave another howl of pure fury as he fired blast after blast of dark magic, but he only succeeded in hitting the spot Pinkie Pie had just bounced away from. From the impact site, more black crystals stabbed out of the ground, adding the to collection that surrounded the two battling ponies. "Will you just stand still, you irritating little fly?!" he shrieked. His eyes darted around, trying to keep track of the pink pony, but she was just too quick. "Hey! I'm not irritating! I'm the super duper party pony of Ponyville!" Pinkie shouted back, reaching into her mane with one hoof. She pulled out a frosted cupcake and chucked it at Sombra, as he turned around at the sound of her voice. The sugary delicacy splattered onto the dark king's face, blinding him. Sombra's only response was another enraged roar, black electricity shooting up his horn, as he fired a blast at the area Pinkie had been in. Of course, Pinkie was smart enough to get away from that same spot as soon as she'd thrown the cupcake, making Sombra's attack pointless. Pinkie ducked behind one of the black crystals jutting out of the ground, going over her strategy. She was pretty certain Sombra couldn't throw anything at her that she couldn't dodge, but that alone wouldn't win her the fight. She needed a way to actually knock Sombra out. And she had just the tool to do it. Pinkie pulled out her party cannon, though where out of, nopony could say. Sombra had just finished wiping the last of the frosting from his eyes, and was now searching the area for his enemy, with his back to her. Pinkie smiled her widest smile. Perfect. Zooming out from her hiding place, Pinkie wheeled her party cannon alongside her, before lifting it up with her forehooves. "Hey, meanie pants!" she yelled. Sombra managed to turn around in one second, but it still wasn't fast enough, as Pinkie jammed her party cannon down over the top half of his body. Inside the cannon, the confused Sombra thrashed and screamed, as Pinkie aimed the cannon at the biggest, sturdiest-looking tree in the clearing. Then she jammed one hoof down on the firing button, launching Sombra (and some confetti) into the tree and slamming his back against it. The dark king slumped to the ground, eyes closed. "And he's outta here!" yelled Pinkie, dancing for joy. "Wish I knew how many more to go. How are the others—" She didn't get the chance to finish, as Sombra's eyes snapped open, blaring with purple magic. Seeing the threat, Pinkie hurriedly aimed her party cannon at her foe, but Sombra was quicker. He fired a beam of magic directly into the barrel of the cannon, just as Pinkie pressed the fire button. The resulting dark crystals inside jammed the cannon, causing the entire thing to explode, sending shards and pieces of confetti everywhere. Pinkie, having the misfortune to be right next to the explosion, was blasted off her hooves, sent into a backwards somersault, and rolling a good distance before finally coming to a stop. Dazed and hurting, Pinkie placed two hooves on the ground, trying to prop herself back into a standing position once more. But she had no time, as Sombra warped right next to her in a pulse of black light. The king threw a powerful roundhouse punch, knocking Pinkie down again. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this so much more than I should," he laughed, his eyes beginning to glow green. With another pulse of magic, the silhouettes of his eyes shot outwards, colliding with Pinkie's. Pinkie Pie's eyes soon adopted the same sickly green glow with wisps of purple smoke coming off the edge. "No...Maud...Twilight...Mom...Dad!" Pinkie screamed, as she was trapped in her worst nightmare. Sombra just laughed again. Fluttershy gave another yelp of fright as Cozy Glow fired another bolt of magic at her. The yellow pegasus managed to swerve to the side, avoiding the attack, but her muscles were beginning to ache. She was probably the least athletic out of her friend group, and the least experienced fighter. Cozy Glow may have been just a filly, but now she was some kind of pseudo-alicorn, giving her an obvious advantage. Then Fluttershy made a wrong turn, and Cozy Glow managed to hit her right between the wings with a magical bolt. Fluttershy let out a cry of pain as she spiraled out of the sky, coming to a stop on her stomach, as Cozy Glow cackled above her. "Sorry, Professor Fluttershy!" she sneered. "Looks like I took the wind out of your wings! Was that an appropriate display of kindness?!" Then she threw back her head and laughed some more. Fluttershy struggled to get back on her hooves, rising into a standing position once more. She ground her teeth, starting to feel angry. She and the others had welcomed Cozy Glow to the School of Friendship, treating her as well as they did every student, and here she was now, trying to destroy them. Fluttershy didn't get angry at very many things, besides harming innocent animals, but one thing she absolutely despised was receiving kindness and returning hostility. Spinning on one hoof, Fluttershy turned to face Cozy Glow, who was just finishing her laughter and descended to her level, though the filly still hovered a short distance above the ground. Taking a deep breath and bracing herself, Fluttershy reared back and gave the most intense Stare she'd ever given in her life, looking Cozy Glow directly in the eye. The effect was instantaneous. Cozy Glow immediately stopped laughing, her smile running away from her face, and ceased beating her wings, making her drop to the ground. She didn't even blink as Fluttershy bored through her eyes, directly into her soul. "Listen, you cruel little filly," Fluttershy snapped, "I know you're evil and everything, and you work for the biggest monster in the world, but that does not give you the right to bully me and my friends like this! Now stop fighting and say you're sorry this instant or I'll put you in a time-out!" Cozy Glow quivered in sheer terror, her eyes beginning to water as her lip quivered. Her whole body began shaking, and she started backing slowly away from Fluttershy. The kind pegasus, seeing the reaction she'd inspired in her opponent, felt a pang of guilt in her heart. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, inching closer to Cozy Glow. "I didn't mean to go that far—" That was when Cozy Glow struck. She fired another bolt from her horn, hitting Fluttershy point blank in the chest, and sending her flying backwards. Fluttershy crashed into a large rock sitting behind her, knocking the wind out of her. Cozy Glow wasn't done yet, as she conjured a long magical rope and wrapped it around Fluttershy, binding her legs and wings. "I always knew kindness was for suckers!" she laughed. Twilight let out another scream of frustration as her shield barely managed to hold against another of Grogar's blasts. This was, without a doubt, the toughest enemy she'd ever faced in her entire life. No matter what she threw at him, Grogar could take it all, and dish it right back at her. The fight with Discord didn't seem to have slowed him down at all. She lowered her shield to conserve her magic, as Grogar stomped forward, that same wicked smile still on his face. "Now do you see the futility of it all, princess?" he asked. "You don't have the power to defeat me. This is the end of Equestria, and the beginning of my eternal reign. You have lost." "Yeah, yeah, keep the evil gloating coming," Twilight retorted between pants. "I've probably heard it all before." She charged her horn, braced her legs against the ground, and took off, beating her wings as she rocketed toward Grogar. The ram made no move to match her, merely standing in place, as black and yellow magic coursed down his horns. Twilight roared, before pulling her head back and firing one massive, magenta magic beam. It wasn't as much power as when she'd fought Tirek, since she didn't have the magic of Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, but it was fairly close. Grogar ignited the studs on his necklace, along with his horns, and fired a golden beam of similar size. The two attacks collided in midair, Twilight's getting an extra push from her movement, leaving the two in a magic attack clash. At first, Twilight seemed to have the advantage. Her attack gained an early lead, causing Grogar to slide back a few inches in the dirt. But then the ram gritted his teeth, as though this tussle was beneath him, and leaned forward. Twilight could feel him pouring more magic into the beam, like he was actually trying now. In seconds, the force of his attack increased, and Twilight suddenly gasped in pain as her beam was pushed back, sending numbing shocks down her horn into her brain. With one final effort, Grogar overcame Twilight's assault, as she ran out her magic reserves, and his magic beam engulfed her body. It was among the worst pain Twilight had ever felt, setting her nerves ablaze and penetrating every depth of her body. Twilight screamed, her limbs and wings splayed out, as Grogar's attack sent her flying to land in a mud puddle, where she landed with a thick splash. Most of Twilight's head was submerged, blinding her and cutting off her air. In her current state, it took everything she had just to lift her head out of the mud and turn to the sound of Grogar's approaching hoofsteps. "Now, you're where you belong, Princess Twilight," he declared. "Before I finish you off, would you like to see how your friends fared?" Grogar clopped his hooves, and his comrades began to emerge from the trees, each with the mare they'd battled against. Twilight, too weak to even scream anymore, could only stare in horror. Tirek held Rarity by her back hooves, as the mare dangled from his grip and blood dripped down her unconscious face. A manticore (presumably a transformed Chrysalis) held a limp Applejack in its jaws, positioned so the teeth weren't piercing her. The Storm King had Rainbow Dash slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Pinkie Pie looked to be the worst off, still enthralled in Sombra's nightmare spell as he levitated her over. Cozy Glow dragged Fluttershy via a magical tether line. "No..." Twilight whispered. It was all she had the strength to say. Grogar raised his foreleg. "Don't worry, Princess Twilight. I won't finish off you or your friends just yet." Twilight dropped her head, not even thinking about trying to dodge. It was hopeless. Without the Elements of Harmony, she and her friends were nothing. Then Grogar swung his leg, and everything went dark.