Chapter Forty One: The Abyss Gazes Back
~BlackRoseRaven
Luna basked in the feeling of triumph as she rested back against Scrivener Blooms, sprawled comfortably across his lap and one arm of the heavy black throne. He was smiling, dressed in his cloak, their crowns hanging off the back of his metal chair as he relaxed back with his eyes closed, breathing slowly in and out as he murmured: “All ours, Luna. These thrones aren't just for show anymore... we're King and Queen. Emperor and Empress. Proper-noun worthy titles, too.”
Luna smiled slightly at this, her eyes glowing brightly as she looked up at him, whispering: “Aye, and this last week has been wonderful. Decadent. Glorious. And what a gift for Scarlet Sage, too! She is Princess of Equestria... what youth doesn't wish for that?” She laughed quietly and shook her head slowly, murmuring: “Aye. Beloved Scrivener Blooms... what wonders we have uncovered, we have earned. Handsome monster. Lord and master and god...”
Scrivener rumbled slowly at this, leaning forwards and kissing Luna's forehead gently before he lowered his horn to rub gently against Luna's, and the mare's eyes fluttered with a sigh of pleasure as sparks sizzled between them. “And better yet, Luna, Celestia is truly free now, not fearing what others say or think, serving us openly as First Concubine, as our most trusted and beloved adviser, second only to Twilight Shadow... our vizier and overseer of the country. We are fortunate, truly. We have good friends. We will bring Equestria into a new way of thinking, and a new age where the darkness shall bring peace to all within our nation.”
“We shall evolve them as a people. We shall make them stronger, better, more durable, more potent. We shall make them more like us.” Luna murmured, curling herself tighter against Scrivener as he smiled slightly, and then she leaned up and kissed him slowly, and he returned it leisurely and lovingly, drawing it out before their mouths parted and their eyes met. “Gods must share their power if they are to deserve worship.”
Scrivener smiled wider and nodded, then Luna finally slipped out of his lap, and Scrivener followed her out of his throne, the two standing and gazing at one-another affectionately before she turned her eyes forwards, saying softly: “Come. As Celestia always says, let us be a little professional. We can help Twilight Shadow attend to the matter of managing our territories and selecting our new Royal Council.”
The male grunted and nodded meditatively, falling into step beside Luna as they headed through the open doors of their throne room and out into the corridor. “I guess you're right. Although personally, I think the more pressing problem than that is Ponyville...”
“Ponyville is only one... well, I suppose it is little more than a military base now, which truly saddens me. And what bothers me even more is that of all ponies... 'twas Big Macintosh who sent us that letter, asking if we would give Apple Bloom refuge should she require it.” Luna shook her head slowly, frowning quietly as she looked down, and Scrivener gazed at her softly as he gave a silent nod. “If Applejack is so far gone that even her brother fears to such lengths what she might do... I do not fear for us or the eventual attack. I fear rather for Ponyville itself.”
Scrivener Blooms nodded slowly with a rumble, muttering: “Yeah. And I can't help but think that it's... our fault in some way, Luna. I mean, not... you know. The obvious fixation part. But maybe that unsuccessful feeding off her... damaged her mentally more than we thought it did.”
“Thou must always blame thyself, mustn't thou?” Luna asked mildly, and Scrivener smiled and shrugged after a moment, making the winged unicorn sigh and roll her eyes. “Thou worries far too much about far too many things. Back to the point, I do not fear Ponyville's eventual assault... it will come, but where Ponyville is one village, supplemented by the dragons whom continue to foolishly refuse our offer of peace, we are now an entire nation. They are the sole pocket of resistance left... they were the beginning, and they shall be the end as well.”
Scrivener rumbled quietly, beginning to nod before a voice called calmly from down the hall, attracting the attention of them both: “Then neither of you will be concerned if I tell you that Ponyville is massing for an attack as we speak?”
Celestia was waiting for them near the end of the hall, her heavy armor covering her body, her fiery mane pulsing slowly as her amethyst eyes looked calmly towards them... and yet there was a faint anxiety in them, too, as if she had some bad feeling she couldn't shake. Scrivener and Luna both frowned, striding quickly towards her as she continued in a clear, serious voice: “The spies keeping an eye on the situation in Ponyville have reported that the soldiers are banding together, arming themselves with everything they have and moving war artillery out of Ponyville. The group is massive: every last soldier that was in the village and those encampments is preparing to move against us.”
“Very well.” Luna said distastefully, then she shook her head slowly, glancing moodily up at Celestia. “Shall we go to eagerly meet them on the field, or let them reach the approach to mighty Enstasis?”
“The castle should be more than capable of holding up to their attack... large force or not, our numbers are superior and I have already taken the liberty of having the civilians from the town outside the walls of our castle evacuated.” Celestia replied quietly, bowing her head politely to them as they halted in front of her, and Scrivener and Luna both nodded before the male frowned a little at the look on the ivory equine's features.
She didn't speak, her fiery mane fluctuating, twisting around her before she finally sighed at the insistent look her King and Queen gave her, turning around and explaining apprehensively: “There's something... wrong. This attack, it doesn't make sense... yes, over these weeks they would have had time to organize and prepare, and it is a large, powerful force that, if well-coordinated, will manage some damage... but a full-out, straightforwards attack is an act of desperation. Times are indeed desperate for Ponyville and these so-called 'Children of Equestria,' but there is simply no... logic, no reason behind this, and I fear that it's not an act of desperation but instead of diversion...”
“Or it could be the act of a lunatic.” Luna pointed out, and then she gave Scrivener a flat look when he opened his mouth. “Now is not the time for puns, Scrivener Blooms. Nay, Celestia, thou art thinking like Applejack is sane, which we have reason to doubt.”
“Not at all, I am sure her insanity is contributing to this, but if anything that makes me more concerned. A pony suffering from madness is not automatically a pony who is stupid, sister.” the fiery-maned mare replied quietly, and Luna grumbled a little in response to this. “She may have something planned, or some weapon we don't know about. We should watch our flank and back for attack.”
“What about the dragons?” Scrivener asked after a moment, looking towards Celestia, and the ivory equine glanced over at him curiously. “I know there were a few near Ponyville, but could she have a larger force of them, waiting to hit us from above or behind while her forces march on our face?”
Celestia shook her head hesitantly, however, saying quietly: “It's a possibility, but I doubt it, to be honest. Many dragons withdrew in disgust after New Equestria fell, heading into the wild lands and even as far as the northern reaches. We would have received reports if a herd of dragons was moving towards us, especially now that your servants of the night are free to roam as they please.”
Luna and Scrivener both nodded slowly, and then the starry-maned equine snorted in distaste, shaking her head briefly. “Then let us simply prepare our defenses to receive this attack and think of it as a blessing. It shall let us destroy the last piece of New Equestria that stands before us, because that is all they are, whether they arrogantly call themselves Equestria's true children and inheritors or not.”
Celestia grimaced a little, but she nodded slowly before Luna smiled slightly, glancing towards her and adding wryly: “Besides. I was afraid the gift that I'd had the Strange Ones make for Scrivener Blooms would go unused... and Pinkamena has been so eager to take her revenge upon Applejack for her mistreatment. This storm cloud may look black and bleak, but all the same there is a distinct silver lining, is there not?”
The ivory equine gave Luna an almost-exasperated look, but Luna only grinned, raising her head before she glanced towards Scrivener and said kindly: “Beloved, go to the Garden, and I shall send the Moon Blessed to outfit thee properly with thy new equipment, and I myself should go and slip into something a little more... comfortable. Celestia, as always, I wish to entrust thee with the duties of strategy and preparation.”
“That is fine, little sister, but before either of you rush off I could do with a little help deciphering this puzzle. Even if they began to move immediately after the demon keeping an eye on them returned to Enstasis, they will still take hours to reach us because of the narrow road they must travel and their own numbers.” Celestia replied quietly, and Luna grumbled a little as Scrivener smiled despite himself. “Preparation and strategy will win this battle with the best possible outcome for our side.”
Luna rolled her eyes at this, sighing moodily but nodding after a moment with a grumble, and Celestia smiled slightly as she led them through the halls of Enstasis to the war room. Twilight Shadow was already there with grinning Pinkamena and Cowlick, maps spread out over the large, square table as Greater Nightmares passed in and out of the large, circular room, delivering reports, estimates, and other information.
Scrivener leaned with interest over the table as Luna grumbled and dropped her face against his neck, peeking one eye up past his shoulder but otherwise looking fidgety and irritable. All the same, she did contribute to the brisk discussion around the table as Celestia looked calmly back and forth, tossing out points now and then moodily.
The Greater Nightmares continued to gather intelligence as the enormous army began to march on Enstasis. At the rate they were moving, it would be evening when they arrived... something that would play into Luna's favor. Not to mention the fact that tremendous, dark stormclouds were slowly rolling in, darkening the journey the army was making like some ominous sign that the gods themselves knew this march would be ill-fated... although with the nervous twist in Celestia's stomach, she wasn't sure which side would be suffering most with the coming conflict.
After half-an-hour, Celestia allowed Luna and Scrivener to go about their preparations: the newly-crowned King made his way to the Garden, while the Queen of the Night traveled to their personal quarters. She pulled her leather outfit slowly off piece-by-piece, licking her lips and taking her time until she stood with only her melded collar around her neck, and she let out a soft sigh as her cyan eyes glinted and roved towards the armor stand at the side of the room, grinning slightly. “Finally, to take to the field in full glory...”
Luna's horn glowed dark sapphire, and then she flicked it firmly, and the armor resting over the stand took on the same deep aura, shivering once before it rapidly tore itself free in a swirling storm of sapphire leather and glinting black metal, armor of all shape and size twisting around her like a glowing serpent before she reared back with a wide grin as her horn gave another pulse, her gear rapidly locking itself into place over her dark-coated body as her ephemeral mane and tail swirled backwards and out of the way.
She dropped back to all four hooves as the last few pieces of armor clicked into place along her form, rolling her head on her shoulders with a confident smile. Thick dragon-scale leather rested snug against her form and filled the spaces between the smooth, polished black alloy plating that formed vambraces over her lower forelegs and a breastplate that protected her chest and upper back. Her wings extended through slots in the armor, the bases of these covered and supported by thinner, flexible leather, and her hindquarters were shielded by hanging, leaf-shaped plates of black metal over her hips and rear.
It was gorgeous, dependable protection, the beauty enhanced by the etchings of brambles and black roses over it as Luna smiled calmly, feeling the last of the belts and hidden clasps tightening themselves to ensure the snugness of the armor over her form as her eyes roved towards the last piece of gear: a heavy black helm with a slot for her horn to slip through with a cradling metal ring around the base. Ivory thorns were spaced evenly in a circle around the top of the helm, forming a simple and deadly crown... a crown fit for a warrior queen such as herself.
The helm slid into her head locking into place as her mane and tail pulsed with starlight, and she grinned wider as her wings flapped once before furling at her sides. Her eyes rose to the one last thing she would need for the coming battle, something almost as important to her as her own life, as Scrivener Blooms: her spear, the last remnant from her days as a Valkyrie.
It sat in simple holders, nine feet long, made of what looked like simple steel, tipped with an ivory, diamond-shaped spearhead. With only a flick of her horn, the spear rose immediately into the air; with only a thought, it spun violently around her before dropping into place over one shoulder, glowing faintly and responding to her will alone as she smiled slightly and murmured: “A great battle awaits us, old friend. Let us show these fools just what the Night Maiden is capable of. Let us demonstrate the true power of a Queen of Darkness, who has earned her position through bloodshed, battle, and power.”
She smiled again, then flicked her horn, and the spear clicked as the pole collapsed quickly on itself until it was only a foot long. The telescopic weapon floated across the room, dropping itself into a leather sheath hanging from one of the holders it had been sitting in before this glowed and lifted itself free as well to sail down and lock over Luna's armored back, and she smiled at its comforting weight, her eyes closing as she said quietly: “Yes. I am prepared. Let them come to me, let them come to my Castle Enstasis. The mire awaits... our fertile soil is eager for the nourishment that can come only from the enemy's flesh and blood.”
She laughed quietly, then turned and headed for the doorway, eyes glowing darkly as she headed out into the corridor and then smiled slightly as she glanced to the side at the sound of hooves to see Pinkamena approaching, dressed in heavy armor made from thick bands of overlaid dark steel. A deadly-looking crescent-bladed axe gleamed on her back, and a set of daggers hung at her side from a strap of leather that went from shoulder to waist, the demon's eyes glowing behind the waterfall of mane that obscured half her face as she said with a grin: “It's almost time for the party, and I see you're already dressed up nice and fancy, just like me. Tell me, will Scrivy be wearing his nice new duds, too?”
“Of course, Pinkamena. We plan to take the field in style, after all.” Luna replied easily, looking entertained before she gestured easily to the side, and Pinkamena turned to follow as the winged unicorn continued calmly: “Now, this should go without saying, sweet concubine and bodyguard, but thou may not kill Applejack, nor Rainbow Dash. Thou art free to slaughter as many others as thou likes but those two must be left alive for later judgment and punishment, is this understood?”
“What about maiming? Am I allowed to maim and cripple them?” Pinkamena asked moodily, and then she looked almost surprised when Luna smiled slightly and nodded to her before the demon gave a marveling whistle. “Well, and here I was worried for a moment that you had gone soft on me. Okay, then, Nightmare Moon, I gotta ask: what kind of punishment are we talking here? You and Scrivener going to play pinata with Tweedledum and Tweedledee?”
“We shall listen to their excuses... and if they are intelligent and humble enough to beg for mercy, their pleas.” Luna smiled calmly, nodding as they strode down the hall together as she glanced towards Pinkamena and said kindly: “Then, we shall let those they hurt give their input on what just desserts they have earned for their crimes. 'Tis only fair.”
“Well, I can't see Fluttershy or sissy taking advantage of that, but I sure as hell will be glad to.” Pinkamena said with a wry grin, her red-rimmed eyes shining with malicious thoughts as she licked her sharp teeth slowly, and Luna nodded again with the same almost-kind smile lingering over her features. “Ain't it nice when your food delivers itself right to your doorstep?”
“Oh, 'tis far better than that, Pinkamena. 'Tis more like the Norns have looked down with contempt upon those who would stand against us and push the cowards into confrontation.” Luna replied easily, grinning slightly, and the demon nodded with a callous laugh. “And we must not disappoint the Norns now... so I expect thee to send thy worship and thanks up to them from the battlefield through the hymn of slaughter.”
“The one way us demons like to pray.” Pinkamena grinned wider, her eyes glowing as she looked coldly ahead and nodded as they continued down the hall, both eager for the battle that was yet to come.
It was all going to end soon, one way or the other, and Kvasir knew it wasn't going to be pretty. He was also well-aware he was likely going to die as he leaned miserably on a railing in front of an immense, curved window-wall that gazed out at roiling stormclouds. Beneath him, the steel floor rumbled slowly as this awful, terrible thing they had constructed did its job, ponies behind him running back and forth through the navigation room as others sat at tables and kept an eye on maps and measurement instruments, while one proud, scarred pony sat on a raised platform protected by glass fencing, hooves resting on an enormous steering wheel, first mate standing calmly beside him as the Captain of this nefarious ship reached to the side and adjusted one of several black levers without looking.
The entire structure rumbled, and Kvasir whimpered and bit his lip as he looked forwards, staring helplessly out into the dark clouds boiling by. Applejack had poured all of Ponyville's scant resources into finishing his designs, but she had modified them further, turned it from a death-dealer into a mass-destroyer... warped his already-foolish vision into something even worse, in other words. And then she had thrown him on-board, saying she wanted him to see her triumph... or share in her defeat.
The unicorn was bedraggled, his beetroot coat dirty, his clothes rumpled and wrinkled and mane tied awkwardly back with a few elastics to keep the greasy locks out of his eyes. Applejack had forcibly had him dragged all the way to Demon's Bane, where he'd been kept in a prison cell even as the scientists and engineers prodded him for ideas and what the meaning was behind this or that in his shorthand notes so they could finish working out the flaws in the design.
He knew he wasn't the only one who had suffered Applejack's plans, either. She had ordered Sleipnir to organize a platoon of soldiers, and when he'd argued, said that his strength could save lives... and if he chose to be a coward and Applejack got a chance at Luna's head, she was going to cut it off and give it to Sleipnir as a gift. Sleipnir, in horror and disgust, understood that he had to cooperate: Applejack had lost what was left of her mind and morality in her need to destroy Luna and Scrivener Blooms.
Big Mac would be on the field as well: in fact, almost every pony from Ponyville would be, leaving the foals clustered behind in Ponyville, looked after by the few ponies that couldn't fight. In other words, leaving the village entirely vulnerable to counterattack... but that didn't matter to Applejack. What mattered was that they did as much damage to Enstasis as possible, and more importantly, they took down Luna and Scrivener Blooms at any cost. No matter what was necessary, Applejack was prepared to do it: no matter what lengths she had to go to, Applejack was ready to get the job done. To be the 'hero' that Equestria needed. To put a stop to darkness, and purge evil with the blinding light of righteousness, honesty, and loyalty... the only Elements of Harmony that could be depended on.
Applejack herself stood calmly in full, golden battle armor, a shell helmet secured tightly over her head with white, ivory wings stretching out from either side of it. Her pristine armor glinted even in the darkness as silver-lined crosshatch blades gleamed over her forelegs, breathing slowly as she stood at the front of the column. Thunder rumbled through the skies overhead, and she surveyed the terrain ahead silently as the army assembled itself into battle formation behind her, Rainbow Dash above her head in his own deadly, edged black gear and marshaling Pegasi into lines and groupings.
Sleipnir stood at one side of Applejack, contemptible and cold. A satchel bag filled with an odd assortment of gear hung at one of his sides, and his armor gleamed over his body. His mane of vines hung free, refusing any head protection, fearless of the Black Verses: he was confident that Luna would never sink so low as to use the Verses on him. Sharpened silver edges gleamed on the greaves around his hooves, and he breathed slowly as he stepped into the mire, the dark, mutant ground seeming to ripple with his presence as he gazed past the dark, log homes of the Village of the Damned to Enstasis, standing mighty and daunting several hundred feet away, seeming silent. The portcullis at the front was open, as if inviting them in, and it looked almost abandoned except for the glow of light in the windows here and there over its face... but anything could be waiting for them. Any number of creatures... and Sleipnir could hear the giggling of the living forest that surrounded the edge of the warped mire as well. To him, the corrupted trees felt eager, and he knew this was a mistake.
Big Mac stood at Applejack's other side, his silver plate mail tight over his bulky, broad body, his head covered by a heavy horned helm with a flap that extended down the top of his muzzle to protect it from harm. His eyes were cold and stayed ahead, not glancing at Applejack even as she said quietly: “You know I'm doing this 'cause I gotta. You know I'm doing this... we're doing this... for the good of everypony everywhere across Equestria.”
The red stallion didn't reply, and then Sleipnir looked up with a grimace as catapults rolled by, pushed slowly into position by earth ponies. The wheels churned up the mire, sinking slightly into the dark sludge, and Applejack watched them struggle to push the war machines onwards for a few moments before she said quietly: “That should be close enough, soldiers. Let's give 'em a warning shot... aim for Enstasis itself.”
The catapult crew nearest nodded: they had six of the artillery, and wagons following behind loaded with ammunition. As one of these approached, a unicorn hurried over, horn glowing as it awkwardly lifted a large, ugly-cut stone wrapped in rope and glimmering with the oil it had been soaked in, before it tossed this into the metal cup of the catapult as other ponies hurriedly turned the winch at the side and the head of the artillery crew made the calculations and snapped orders to the ponies working around the war machine.
The unicorn flicked its horn, the soaked stone exploding into golden flame, and Applejack smiled coldly in the firelight before the crew commander pointed forwards and shouted: “Fire!”
A pony leapt forwards and yanked down a lever, and the catapult flung the rock forwards with a distinct clank, the enormous projectile flying through the air... then exploded uselessly in the sky above Enstasis, sending down a hail of yellow embers and ash. Applejack grimaced in disgust at this, and then she winced and snarled as Luna's voice echoed clearly across the field, cold and cruel: “This act of treason shall not be tolerated. This pointless violence against thy King and Queen shall not go unpunished. I order thee and thine to surrender, or prepare to face the full wrath of Castle Enstasis, of thy god-sovereigns, on the battlefield. No mercy, no quarter shall be given to thee if our kindness is rejected.”
“We ain't afraid of you, Luna! Come out and fight us if you're so damn tough!” Applejack shouted in return, stepping forwards into the mire and snarling as she rose her head proudly, Rainbow Dash flying down to hover beside her with a grunt and a short nod. And behind her, the entire army readied itself: pony, zebra, Nibelung, and even the few dragons that had remained true to their cause. “We're here to stop you! We're here to free Equestria!”
“Good.” Luna's voice was soft, almost pleased, and Applejack frowned before her eyes widened as dark shapes flickered into being around the walls of Enstasis and the dark clouds above swirled as phantasms and the North Wind twisted around the towers of the castle. “Come and get me.”
Applejack snarled, then she looked up in shock as Sleipnir shot forwards, gaping stupidly as the stallion simply sprinted fearlessly across the mire. Behind her, other soldiers took it as the order to charge, and the army of the Children of Equestria surged forwards around Applejack as she only stood for a moment, then shook her head and gritted her teeth, running forwards into the mire herself as Rainbow Dash shot into the sky and light-armored Pegasi followed.
From the open maw of the black castle, undead, demons, and soldiers in dark armor poured, the ponies and Nibelung that fought for Luna easier to distinguish from their terrible glowing eyes than their polished black gear. The armies surged towards one another as massive dragons winged overhead, most of them rising towards the towers as a single great reptile stayed low, flying ahead of the army and roaring as it smashed through a log house, then breathed a gout of terrible flame towards the oncoming soldiers.
Demons simply rushed through the blast of fire, however, as Greater Nightmares appeared in midair around the dragon's head before leaning down and screaming, making the beast howl in pain and distracting it as it snapped its head back and forth. It managed to knock one of the Greater Nightmares flying even as it half-fell to the ground, and demons immediately leapt onto its body, ripping into the dragon and making it shriek as it staggered backwards in horror as the servants of Enstasis swarmed over it like fire ants...
An earth pony knight stumbled over a rock and half-fell as the mass of soldiers swarmed towards the black castle, wincing and then hurriedly scrambling back to his hooves to avoid being trampled, knocked back and forth by the crowd as he tried to get his bearings. He automatically looked over his shoulder to see what he had tripped on before his eyes widened with horror as he realized the rock was staring back at him, that it was no rock at all, but-
The Ivory Elite ripped out of the ground, and ponies yelled in terror and panicked as the living golem pounced on top of an unfortunate soldier and crushed him like he was nothing more than a tin can. A Nibelung immediately ran forwards, smashing its shield across the face of the golem and shattering its own protector in a hail of wooden splinters before swinging a sword down into its head, but the dwarf barely left a dent before the Elite slapped it easily backwards.
Across the battlefield, more Elite rose up through where they had hidden themselves in the muck, as well as ghouls, wights... and near the edge of the mire, Twilight Shadow, dark ooze dripping down around her as she grinned savagely, terrifying the catapult crew only a few feet away from her before she leaned forwards and shouted: “I won't let you hurt my family or my home!”
She snapped her horn forwards, and the catapult and the soldiers around it were both flung backwards like toys as the mire surged upwards, before the Lich reared back as her horn glowed brighter, several stitches popping open over her frame as she rolled her head on her shoulders and her eyes flashed. And in front of her, the surging mire darkened and hardened as it twisted violently in and around on itself, shaping into a massive, worm with countless roots for legs and enormous jaws of wood and stone, the mire-monster slamming down into the overturned catapult and ripping through it as it pony soldiers panicked.
Pegasi shot through the sky, some with crossbows and silver bolts, others laden with belts of exploding potions and jars of blessed oil. They battled Nightmares, other Pegasi, and the North Wind, bolts useless against the latter icy spirits but the volatile explosives able to knock the elemental creatures from the sky with shrieks of agony.
Rainbow Dash snarled as he pushed savagely forwards towards one of the towers, a team of four Pegasi following him before one of them screamed when a white shape rammed into him, and the pale-blue Pegasus cursed in disgust as he looked over his shoulder and realized it had been a Moon Blessed. Then his eyes quickly flicked up, and he stared in shock at the sight of another Moon Blessed hovering near one of the towers, one he recognized all too well: Cowlick, and she was snarling down the sights of a rifle aimed directly at him.
One of the other Pegasi flew suddenly forwards, smashing into Rainbow's side and knocking him out of the way before the rifle fired, and one of the escort's wings was blown away, sending him plummeting with a scream... and Rainbow's eyes blazed in fury as he shot forwards and away from the last two escorts, twisting in from the side even as Cowlick tried to take aim at him again... but he was too fast, one moment forty feet away, then next shoving his hooves up under the gun to knock the rifle from her grip before he slammed a hoof into her pierced face, shouting furiously: “You were my goddamn friend! Traitor!”
“You're the traitor!” Cowlick snarled, rearing back and slamming both her hind hooves into Rainbow's stomach, knocking him backwards with a grunt before he flapped his wings hard and tackled her back through the air, the two spiraling violently as his armor ripped against the Moon Blessed's body and Cowlick's hooves shoved against him, her horn sparking violently as they grappled. “You've always been so damn stupid, Dash, you can't swallow your pride for one little second!”
Rainbow snarled, shoving Cowlick backwards before he swung a hoof out, and even though Cowlick managed to sway her head out of the way, his hoof still collided with her horn, making her shriek as the enamel covering shattered and the crystal inside cracked. It blazed with light for a moment, then the top half of the crystalline horn exploded in a burst of light and lightning, knocking Cowlick backwards and making Rainbow curse in agony as electricity surged along his armor, his eyes bulging in shock.
He gritted his teeth, reaching for one of the potions in the belt around his waist as Cowlick fell limply... and then Ross smashed into the Pegasus' side, knocking the pale-blue stallion whirling through the air with a grunt of surprise as the male Moon Blessed shouted angrily: “Stay away from her! Why can't you just leave us in peace?”
Behind Ross, Cowlick recovered with a gasp, her features burned and her mane singed, her eyes glowing with fury as the half of horn left protruding from her bleeding skull sparked, and Rainbow snarled as he prepared himself... but Ross easily flicked his horn as it gave a sharp pulse, and a moment later the pale-blue Pegasus's eyes bulged in horror as his own black armor screeched and tightened agonizingly against his body, crushing and constricting him as the Moon Blessed stallion said coldly: “Only thirteen pounds of pressure would snap your collarbone like a twig. I'm applying about ten to your entire ribcage right now by constricting that armor of yours. Luna wants you alive, and I'd prefer not to be forced to crush your lungs to make you surrender.”
Rainbow gargled, a bit of blood dripping out of his mouth before his eyes widened, and Ross and Cowlick both frowned before a blast of fire tore across Cowlick, knocking her screaming from the skies in a red comet before Ross looked over his shoulder in horror just before an enormous dragon plowed into him and smashed him into a nearby tower. The Moon Blessed smacked off the stone and fell limply, and Rainbow gasped as he felt the pressure immediately loosen before he grinned weakly to the dragon that had saved him, then pointed towards the top of one of the enormous towers surrounding Enstasis, rasping: “Let's go!”
The dragon rumbled and shot immediately upwards as Dash clutched at his chest, looking down for a moment... but the Moon Blessed had both vanished into the dim darkness below. There were flickers of light everywhere from the battle, however, and even with the clouds rumbling terribly overhead, there was a terrible, ghostly luminescence in the air only added to by the fires that had begun to burn here and there...
The enormous red-scaled beast shot upwards towards the top of this tower, its wings flapping powerfully, its huge claws ripping into the black stone as it yanked itself almost straight up along the wall with a snarl. They were eager for revenge, and their orders were to help soften up the castle as much as possible by setting fire to the interior of the outer towers and attacking the supports around the enormous central spire.
The dragon grinned as it reached the top of the tower and a shuttered window, swinging a claw forwards and ripping through it, and inside, a young pony screamed desperately. The dragon was heedless of this, however: Enstasis was the enemy, and everyone who supported Luna, who fought beside her, had to suffer, had to pay. It leaned forwards, roaring, blasting flame into the room beyond as a pony skittered backwards... but a demon lunged in front of it, hissing as the fires washed over its scales before it charged forwards and leapt outwards, landing on the dragon's face to rip, tear and gouge with its claws.
The dragon reared back with a miserable howl, blood bursting up from its features before Rainbow Dash shot upwards and snapped a vial of holy oil in a hard, underhoof lash towards the demon, and the Pegasus's eyes widened as he recognized the creature as the vial struck it and the scaled form of Atrus was knocked flying backwards through the window. The demon snarled in agony, the blessed oil melting and charring into its body like acid as it crashed onto the floor of the burning room, leaving a skid of rot and blood behind him.
Atrus began to straighten, then he looked over his shoulder weakly at Scarlet Sage as she shook her head, screaming, the room around the helpless pony burning with eagerly-spreading dragon's fire before the enormous reptile leaned into the window, and the demon did the only thing he could: he spun around, seizing Scarlet Sage in an embrace, protecting her with his body even as the flames burst in and washed over him. They lit the holy oil, and animal red fire became terrible golden flame that eagerly spread over the demon's form, turning him rapidly to stone as he curled himself protectively over his quarry, Scarlet shrieking her protector's name as tears fell from her eyes. Smoke and flame boiled around her, and yet she barely felt the pain as she clawed her hooves against his petrified chest helplessly, even as her tears steamed on her cheeks, her blood began to boil in her veins...
But the dragon's fire still raged even as Atrus became stone, and Rainbow Dash stared in through the window silently, feeling the last dregs of sanity, of morality, of something slipping away in his mind and heart before he snarled, looking towards the wounded dragon and shouting: “Move on to the next tower! Let's keep this going!”
In the battlefield below, Celestia strode coldly into battle, her swords whickering through the air around her with barely a thought, her fiery mane and tail releasing such a terrible ardent glow that it lit up the air around her like the light of day. Moon Blessed strode to either side of her, Fleur and Flint both snarling and firing spells into the crowd before the ivory equine glanced up as a dragon dove itself eagerly down through the air towards her, jaws opened wide, claws extended as if it meant to tackle her, and Celestia leapt gracefully upwards as her wings flapped firmly once before her swords spun violently and lashed upwards on several long, graceful arcs, slicing through its exposed throat.
Its body flinched as its eyes bulged, dive turning into a limp fall towards her, and Celestia snarled as she arched her back and flicked her horn backwards as it gave a powerful pulse of force. And, to the horror of the enemy, the dragon's huge, heavy body was flung backwards through the air like a toy, sending soldiers scattering as the reptile crashed to the mire and rolled lifelessly several times before Celestia slammed back down to her hooves, shouting coldly: “Do not insult me with hatchlings masquerading as warriors!”
Luna, meanwhile, was grinning as she tore through the crowd, her eyes flicking back and forth coldly as she looked eagerly for Sleipnir, her spear snapping back and forth and lashing out almost as if it had a life of its own, striking at any enemy that dared to get close as Pinkamena stayed nearby, looking eagerly back and forth before the winged unicorn's eyes locked on the sight of Applejack not far away, watching the goldenrod mare viciously land a flurry of slashes against a demon and knock it sprawling... but before Luna could move, Pinkamena was already charging forwards, shouting with gleeful maliciousness: “I call dibs, Nightmare Moon! You can have fun with the scraps!”
Applejack snarled as she finished the demon in front of her off with a rending lash into its skull... and then something smashed into her side hard enough to knock her flying, crashing to the ground and rolling violently into a pile of corpses before she clawed her way back to her hooves, armor dented from the force of the blow. She cursed as her eyes locked on the sight of Pinkamena, the demon's eyes glowing hateful blue as she licked her teeth slowly. “I've been waiting for this chance, oh yes I have. A hero and a villain, facing off: who's gonna win? Let's find out.”
Pinkamena stomped her hooves quickly, then she charged forwards as Applejack gritted her teeth, then swung a crosshatch blade out, but the demon laughed as she ducked quickly under the first swing, then backstepped to avoid a follow-up lash before she leaned forwards and snapped her teeth almost playfully at the goldenrod mare's face, Applejack cursing and shouting furiously: “You think this is a game? You think this is funny, everypony fighting and dying like this?”
“I do!” Pinkamena replied cheerfully, and then she easily stepped forwards and slapped Applejack across the face, knocking her stumbling... but the goldenrod earth pony used it to her advantage, letting her body twist around before she slammed both rear hooves into Pinkamena's face and knocked the demon sprawling into the mire.
Applejack quickly spun back around, leaping forwards, but Pinkamena's own rear hooves lashed up and caught her in the stomach, knocking her back. The goldenrod mare skidded in the mire with a curse, barely keeping her hooves as Pinkamena almost slithered to her own, looking excited as her eyes glowed brighter and her features rippled, hissing: “Oh yes. Now it's time to have some fun!”
Before the goldenrod mare could reply, screams of terror filled the air, drawing the attention across the field... and while Applejack couldn't hear anything with the helm on, she could distinctly feel the rumbles through the mire, could see the grin of delight on Pinkamena's face and her mouth forming the words: “Looks like the party's really started now.”
Soldiers of the Children of Equestria had managed to press all the way to the portcullis... but then resistance had simply vanished, and as they had surged into the tunnel to push into the courtyard and the castle interior, they had been met with a massive blast of toxic blue mist that had driven them hurriedly backwards. But the mist pursued them, bursting out of the tunnel as they had stumbled over one another in their hurry to escape as the toxic smog filled the passage... only for it to be torn apart a moment later as Scrivener Blooms had emerged, the Tyrant Wyrm grinning widely from beneath a terrible mask of heavy silver alloy protecting his features and making them all the more skull-like.
The enormous, awful monstrosity was covered in enormous plates of metal, enlarged bracers protecting his legs, huge plates over his back and sides, thick, stacked sheets of steel covering the back of his neck. He was terrifying to behold, made all the more fearsome by the enormous, curving thorns and spikes that jutted from the armor and weighted, bladed rings glinted dangerously around his tail, making him even more a living weapon than he already was. He leaned forwards, roaring eagerly as blue mist steamed up from his jaws and soldiers scattered in terror before him.
Several zebra ran forwards, throwing a volley of potions of mixed holy oil and volatile explosive gel, and they shattered with powerful bangs as Scrivener snarled and twitched backwards as they smashed against his face and neck... then only grinned widely as the armor plating protecting him glowed brilliantly, absorbing the worst of the damage before he leaned forwards and stomped savagely down on one of the zebra, crushing it into the ground as he hissed: “Your silly parlor tricks won't help you this time...”
“Come now, thou should at least give them a fair chance!” called a voice, and Scrivener looked down in surprise as Sleipnir rushed towards him, a thick lasso of rope in his jaws. He was grinning, his eyes blazing as he ran forwards before leaping fearlessly at the Tyrant Wyrm, and Scrivener cursed as the stallion used him like a stepping stone, leaping up to his shoulder before Scrivener howled in fury and pain when Sleipnir smashed through one of the pistons of bone on his back, sending up a blast of ivory splinters and electricity before the stallion snapped the rope in his jaws forwards, locking the lasso tightly around another of the strange bone pistons.
Scrivener began to turn, then he roared in frustration as the zebras quickly threw another flurry of potions, others hurrying to join them, and Scrivener rose a limb in front of himself protectively as the blasts dotted his front before he leaned forwards and released a blast of rotting mist and deafening sound. Sleipnir, however, took the advantage to charge upwards along the back of Scrivener's neck, feeding the rope quickly out at the same time before he leapt over his head and twisted his body neatly to fall alongside the male's muzzle.
Scrivener's eyes widened as Sleipnir swung himself forwards, and the rope caught against the side of Scrivener's face as it pulled taut on its anchor, sending the stallion swinging beneath the monster's jaw and up over the other side of his face. Instead of landing, however, Sleipnir gracefully twisted himself over the Tyrant Wyrm's muzzle, repeating the process and yanking the Tyrant Wyrm's jaws tightly shut as his eyes bulged in shock, blue mist steaming out his nostrils as Sleipnir revolved again around his muzzle with the rope before he landed atop the beast's maw, then leapt down towards the ground, jerking savagely on the little rope that was left. And Scrivener was horrified as his head was yanked downwards before his lower jaw smashed into the ground as Sleipnir landed and dropped the rope, stomping a rear hoof down onto it before he turned with a half-grin, half-grimace. “Sorry, brother.”
His hooves smashed viciously into Scrivener's muzzle, making his skull rattle with every hard blow as his claws wildly, uselessly tore at the ground, his jaws giving muffled howls of frustration as he found himself unable to snap the rope that Sleipnir had anchored beneath a back hoof as his front hooves smashed forwards. Scrivy could feel his muzzle beginning to break, his teeth vibrating and cracking as blue, furious light glowed in his sockets, trying to drag himself backwards on animal instinct still before the enormous, gleaming obelisk of black horn released a sharp pulse and a shockwave of force.
Sleipnir winced backwards, his pummeling interrupted by the wave of power as around him, the yelling, staring soldiers were knocked sprawling... and then something crashed up into the underside of his body, and Sleipnir grunted in surprise more than pain as he felt himself hefted into the air, realizing too late that he had been scooped neatly up by a spear before it slammed across him like a baseball bat and knocked him hurtling high into the air. The stallion barely managed to twist himself at the last movement, shoving his hooves forwards against the bulwark at the top of the wall and rolling onto the roof of Enstasis with a curse of pain as Luna's voice shouted furiously: “I am thy opponent, Sleipnir!”
“Aye, 'twas why I was attacking thy favorite weapon!” Sleipnir retorted as he leapt to his hooves and spun around, standing on a smooth, wide stone walk before grinning as Luna shot up into the air, then dropped down and landed in front of him, her spear hovering at her side as Sleipnir winked. “I have a purse and thou has a large sharpened stick. Just like old times.”
Luna snorted in derision at this, then her eyes widened as Sleipnir ripped the satchel bag off his side in a sudden gesture and threw it at her, her spear flicking out and slapping it away automatically: Sleipnir took the moment to rush forwards, seizing the body of the weapon with his hooves and swinging it back across Luna's face, knocking her backwards before he threw the spear quickly past the winged unicorn and over the edge of the roof. He pressed the advantage, swinging a hoof towards her, but Luna met it with her horn and shoved more than slashed, knocking the stallion backwards as they glared at each other and she snapped: “Treacherous mare!”
“I know, I am very pretty.” Sleipnir intoned, and then he leapt forwards and swung a hoof towards her, and Luna barely managed to slide out of the way, the stallion's hoof smashing into the solid obsidian like it was brittle clay before he flicked his hoof firmly upwards, pelting her with sharp fragments of rock. Luna twitched back, and Sleipnir leapt forwards, his other hoof seizing her behind the head as he slammed his hoof up under her jaw, then smashed across her face and sent her crashing backwards as he said quietly: “But I fear the time for fun and games is over, little sister.”
Luna looked up with a snarl, blood dripping from her mouth as her eyes glowed with rage, but Sleipnir only continued to calmly advance, unfettered... before his eyes widened in surprise as two enormous claws seized into the side of the roof and Scrivener's head snapped upwards, the Tyrant Wyrm releasing a massive blast of blue poison. Sleipnir staggered backwards with a howl of pain as it washed over him, and Luna snapped her horn upwards as it pulsed, electricity bursting through the blue fog before she sent a mental order to Scrivener Blooms, and the Tyrant Wyrm grunted as he leapt backwards, flapping his wings once as his horn glowed brightly.
Sleipnir ripped through the side of the sapphire mist, bruised and snarling as he charged straight at Luna, who quickly flicked her horn and sent a blue fireball at the stallion... but without slowing, he dove forwards, slapping the sapphire flames aside like they were no more threatening than a thrown stone as his other hoof raised high... and then Scrivener, in smaller form, his Tyrant Wyrm armor discarded from his hurried shrinking down, slammed into Sleipnir's side and knocked him crashing along the stone walk before he hopped up to his hooves as Scrivy landed with a snarl in front of Luna, the two mirroring one another's wounds before Luna's horn glowed brightly as she stepped up beside the male, and his body rippled before taking on a distinct, metallic gleam.
Sleipnir grinned slightly at this, rubbing a hoof across his muzzle as he faced the two, and Luna narrowed her eyes as Scrivener grinned savagely, his claws ripping against the stone of the walkway as his eager, steel-hard body and still-present leather wings shivered with excitement, asking darkly: “Confident?”
“I couldn't ask for a better fight.” Sleipnir replied calmly, cracking his neck loudly... and then he lunged forwards, and Scrivener and Luna both eagerly leapt to meet him, King of the Night with metallic claws ripping towards him and Queen slashing down her glowing horn as her mane and tail burned like blue fire.
Beneath them, soldiers still pressed forwards... and near the center of the battlefield, Applejack yelled furiously, her hooves smashing back and forth across Pinkamena's bloodied face, the demon staggering backwards in shock before the goldenrod mare swung both forelimbs down and ripped her crosshatch blades over Pinkamena's features, flaying them open and sending her skidding backwards. Applejack crashed to her hooves, gasping for breath, bleeding from her nose, through rips in her broken armor, a dagger buried in her back and her helm long fallen off... but Pinkamena's own gear was torn apart, dripping blood, her waterfall of a mane obscuring what had to be lethal wounds...
And the the demon looked up with a grin, and Applejack shuddered as she watched the gashes visibly pulse and slowly begin to heal as Pinkamena whispered: “You hurt me. You actually managed to hurt me... oh, how sweet this is...”
Pinkamena laughed, her blue eyes glowing as she flexed, her body trembling before she grinned... and Applejack stared in horror as the sharkish grin grew wider, jaw enlarging as Pinkamena's dented armor shuddered, then began to pop off in places as her body visibly expanded. Bands of steel snapped and fell away, armor tearing as enormous, black feathered wings ripped out of the demon's back, flapping firmly once as she rose her head as her skin became rubbery, four long, draconic horns pushing out of the back of her skull as her mane writhed with a life of its own, rasping in a guttural voice: “I'm gonna give you a reward for that. I'm gonna stop playing with you. I'm just gonna do what my kind does best... devour you.”
She stomped forwards on cloven hooves, a long, thick tongue flopping out of her muzzle and slurping slowly along her teeth as she grinned wider, looming, terrible, immense, as Applejack stared in terror and staggered backwards before tripping and half-sprawling, shaking her head mutely as she whispered: “Oh... oh g-god, you're...”
“I could have been your best friend, sugarcube, but oh no, no. You just have to be so pure and good and right, right? You got all that nasty pride of yours...” Pinkamena grinned wider, her eyes nothing but red-bordered sockets of blue fire, her skin stretched tight over her skull and her jaws hideously huge as she leaned over the goldenrod mare like she was just a helpless filly. “I bet it's gonna make you taste real bitter going down though... and I've always liked the sour candy...”
She leaned forwards, her tongue twisting out, licking mockingly up Applejack's face and pushing her onto her back before the mare snarled up at her even as terror tore through her system, raising a foreleg with a crosshatch blade that was far too small, far too pathetic compared to the thing in front of her. This was no low or middle-tier demon... this was something like she had never seen, never suspected, as the dull-pink monstrosity loomed in and rasped: “Just a bite for now, though. Just one little nibble, because Luna and Scrivener want you alive...”
Pinkamena's jaws leaned down, her breath washing over the mare's face, and there was no pony coming to help her: every soldier around them was occupied with their own battle, with their own deaths, as monsters rampaged through the mire and shredded through soldiers Applejack saw too late were horribly, terribly unprepared... and then Pinkamena suddenly reared back, looking over her shoulder as the sound of an awful bang went up.
And Applejack looked up as well, desperate hope surging in her veins before she sat up as Pinkamena began to turn to snarl at her, slicing her crosshatch blade into the demon's throat: it knocked the creature backwards, Pinkamena hissing in agony as she grasped at her bleeding neck with a cloven hoof, snarling before her attention was drawn again as another massive blast went up from Enstasis as something fell from the sky, her eyes roving upwards before she rasped: “No! What... what did you do?”
“We came prepared to bring your whole goddamn castle crashing down! We ain't weak, or pathetic, or helpless... and we're all ready to die if we need to, but we ain't gonna die alone!” Applejack shouted angrily, her eyes blazing with belief, with newfound hope, as she pointed at the thing emerging from the stormclouds, something falling from the alien shape through the evening sky before it collided with an unfortunate Nightmare and went off with a terrible explosion that ripped apart the top of a nearby tower as well. “We'll bring it all down on your goddamn heads!”
Pinkamena snarled at her, then she looked up sharply as she heard a scream, not on the battlefield, but in her mind... and without hesitation, she turned and burst apart into black smoke, vanishing from the spot as tears leaked down Applejack's face and she screamed: “That's right, cowards! Run! Run for the goddamn hills!”
It gave the soldiers still fighting on the field renewed hope, renewed energy, as Luna and Scrivener and Sleipnir all halted in mid-battle to stare up for a moment as well in shock and horror as the shape emerged from the veil of the clouds above. Gargantuan and terrible, it looked like an enormous rectangle with several sets of large, triangular wings sticking out of it, with a steel sail at the front of the terrible airship, shielding an immense, rounded-block-shaped balloon. It was hovering over Enstasis, slowly lowering itself as the clouds thundered around it as if furious at this impossible thing trespassing in their domain... but even as the North Wind, Nightmares, and other creatures shot towards it, several dragons ripped down through the cover of the clouds and Pegasi armed with crossbows flew out of the ship.
Another barrel was thrown from a large opening near the rear of the ship, falling to crash down against the roof of Enstasis, and it exploded in a terrible blast that shook the entire castle as Luna stared in horror, then turned her eyes to Sleipnir as Nightmare Moon howled miserably: “You're destroying our home! You'll kill all those inside!”
“I... I...” Sleipnir's mouth worked, looking as horrified as Scrivener and Luna before he looked towards them, saying desperately: “This was not what I was told the zeppelin was designed for! Kvasir-”
“Traitor! Scum!” Tears fell from Luna's eyes as she leapt forwards, Scrivener howling like a wounded animal as Sleipnir winced and staggered backwards, swinging his hooves up and parrying vicious lashes of Luna's horn and slashes of Scrivener's claws... and even in their fury and misery, they moved in rhythm and perfect time, their emotion and rage only adding to the strength and speed of their blows.
Scrivener's claw ripped into his shoulder, sending him staggering before Luna snapped her horn downwards as it gave a powerful pulse, a blast of telekinetic force smashing Sleipnir staggering before the poet lunged towards him with a snarl, his claws reaching up and outwards... and Sleipnir gritted his teeth as he did the only thing he could, throwing himself forwards and slamming a hoof into Scrivener's chest, crunching in metallic scales before he landed a rapid volley of blows to the face and front of the poet. Luna cursed and staggered herself from the ferocity of the counterattack, rips and wounds appearing over her own body before Sleipnir seized Scrivener by the neck and twisted hard, throwing him to the ground on his side before he half-spun and hurled him with a roar, sending him crashing through the stone fencing around the walkway to hurtle down into the courtyard below.
Luna twitched and coughed blood, then leapt towards her brother, and Sleipnir swung a hoof at her... but the winged unicorn flapped her wings, halting herself in midair and letting the swing just pass by before she swung both rear hooves up and into the earth pony's face, crunching in his cheekbone loudly and sending him crashing down onto his back in a prone heap. Then Luna shrieked in fury as several more loud explosions went up as more bombs were dropped from the zeppelin above, Sleipnir staring up at her miserably as she screamed: “Cowards!”
She stared up furiously, tears streaming down her face, heedless of her wounds, of her dented armor, over the blood spilling down her frame as she watched Celestia shoot into the air with Twilight Shadow beside her, the Lich looking horrified as Celestia only snarled coldly, then ordered sharply: “Find Scrivener Blooms!”
Twilight nodded hurriedly, twisting around and dropping quickly towards Enstasis, and Celestia's eyes narrowed as a dragon turned its hungry eyes towards her, grinning as it shot towards the ivory equine. Her amethyst eyes were icy as they flicked to the side, catching sight of a barrel falling towards the castle below... and with only a hard flick of her horn, she seized this with telekinesis and lashed it upwards to hurtle into the dragon flying towards her, the barrel exploding in a spectacular eruption of fire and sound as she said coldly: “I have no time to play games.”
Pegasi began to converge towards her... but Greater Nightmares and Nightmares flickered into being around the ivory equine, shooting up past her and drawing the fire of the attack squads before she looked sharply to the side as Autumn joined her, the Moon Blessed saying coldly: “We will protect you. We will protect Enstasis.”
Flint and Fleur joined her a moment later, flying in formation around the fiery-maned equine, and she nodded curtly to the Moon Blessed as she ordered sharply, her eyes flicking towards another dragon that was now flying towards them: “Then take care of that problem. I need to analyze this monstrosity.”
The Moon Blessed nodded, the white-and-blonde winged unicorns fearlessly veering off and straight towards the dragon, and it snapped eagerly at them: Autumn easily dodged to the side, however, and the dragon snarled as Fleur ripped along the other side of its face with her horn before the reptile howled when Flint and Autumn both shot blasts of blue flame into its breast and side, flapping its wings and retorting with a breath of flame. But Celestia didn't have the time or luxury to watch the battle as she shot upwards towards the enormous airship: it had to be the size of a sea freighter, obviously suspended by the balloon, shielded from frontal assault by the metal 'sail,' but more vulnerable at the sides, although it looked like the balloon was made of something with a rubber-like texture...
A shutter opened in the rectangular, enormous body of the ship beneath the balloon, and ponies dressed in uniform took aim at her with crossbows, but Celestia easily flew upwards and avoided the volley of silver bolts before shooting towards the balloon, striking her hooves into it and charging along the rubbery surface, feeling a framework of some kind beneath... and in all likelihood at least one more layer beneath that. I have the feeling this is insulated.
She didn't want to take the risk of further underestimating what the Children of Equestria were capable of, as she turned and ran along the balloon towards the metal sail at the front, her eyes closing as she began to concentrate, the ceiling of black storm clouds only a short distance overhead... and then she grimaced in disgust as a bolt flew past her and bounced uselessly off the rubber hide, glancing over her shoulder at the squadron of Pegasi behind her before she simply flicked her horn, and the clouds above her rumbled and crackled before a blast of lightning shot down and smashed into one of the Pegasi, chaining between them and searing the rubbery surface of the balloon.
Without looking back, not caring whether they had survived or died from the surge, she turned and leapt off the side of the balloon, letting herself plummet through the air in a free-fall, past Nightmares, Pegasi, and the other fighters. Her sharp amethyst eyes gazed down, then locked on the sight of Twilight Shadow and Scrivener Blooms rising up towards them, and Celestia twisted herself slightly to veer towards them, her eyes locking with Scrivener's as her horn glowed...
The poet felt a pulse... and then he grinned callously and nodded, flapping his wings harder as Twilight Shadow followed alongside him and he said coldly: “I'm going to focus the spell. Celestia and you will pour your energies into me. Understood?”
Twilight only nodded silently, the Lich looking darkly upwards as they continued to rise and Celestia fell towards them before the ivory equine suddenly twisted and caught herself in the air, looking up towards the war machine overhead. Nightmares and the Moon Blessed continued to shoot back and forth, distracting and harrying the ship's guardians even as it continued to drop its payload of explosives, and Scrivener snarled in disgust as he felt his body ripple, scales spreading over his features as his horn glowed blackly. “They dare to raise such a toy against us, attack our home, kill those we protect... let's show them what living destruction can do!”
Scrivener leaned upwards, his eyes glowing with unholy light as both Celestia and Twilight poured their magic into him, his horn taking on a terrible, evil luminescence as he flapped his wings powerfully, raised himself higher into the air as magic and knowledge filled his mind, feeling both Lich and ivory equine focusing their strength through him before Luna glanced up sharply from below. Sleipnir lay beaten and bloody in front of her, rasping hard as he began to raise a hoof... and with a snarl down at him, she returned her eyes to him and slapped him savagely off the edge of the roof, sending him plummeting with a miserable howl into the courtyard far below before she reared back and poured her own strength up into Scrivener, shouting furiously: “Take revenge! Kill them all!”
Scrivener howled in pain and pleasure at the power that surged through him, his wounds ripping wider as electricity tore over his frame, barely able to contain all the energy surging into him before he snapped his horn upwards with a roar, releasing all that built-up power in one terrible blast of dark flame... and the fireball, blacker than night, seeming to absorb the very light of the world around it, shot through the air, passing harmlessly by Pegasi and other creatures even as Nightmares hurriedly vanished and the Moon Blessed turned to dive and flee quickly until the sphere – moving fast and yet no larger than a soccer ball – finally struck the ship... and erupted in a blast of raw, awful power, black flames that did not light up the sky so much as burn darker than dark ripped through the air and washed over the zeppelin, the lower half of the immense machine disintegrating before the balloon exploded and its volatile explosive cargo went up in blasts that rocked the ship that remained, as tendrils of fiery black corruption weaved through the air.
The looming pall of black poison continued to hover above like some awful living storm of smoke, as the upper half of the zeppelin fell from the sky like a slow-moving meteor with a tail of red and orange and golden fire. It tore through one of the towers, shattering black stone like putty before it smashed into the far side of the castle with a titanic explosion, and Luna moaned in horror as the others stared, Scrivener Blooms panting hard and staring weakly as the very stone of Enstasis caught fire and the wrecked, broken hulk of the zeppelin burned.
And in the castle courtyard, even as soldiers of both sides panicked, some trying to force forwards, others pushing back, but most simply not knowing what to do, Applejack stood with a grin on her face, marveling over the castle. They had lost everything... and yet won everything, as Rainbow Dash dropped down beside her, staring as well. She began to step forwards towards the broken-open doors of the Castle, but then Luna dropped down in front of these, tears leaking from her eyes as she screamed: “What hast thou done?”
“Proved that you ain't invincible. Did everything I could. Won.” Applejack said coldly, and Luna only stared incredulously, disbelievingly, as Applejack laughed and looked up over the dark stone castle, whispering: “You can be beaten. Everypony will know that now. Don't matter if I live or if I die... Sleipnir, he laid a pretty bad beatdown on you, and us, us pathetic little mortal ponies, blew up your goddamn castle. Burned it. Fought you demons, you self-proclaimed gods, and won.”
Luna only stared disbelievingly, silently, before Celestia and Twilight Shadow touched down to the side of the courtyard, and Scrivener dropped down in front of the passage leading out, snarling, bleeding from the eyes and mouth and nose but not seeming to notice as Applejack looked over her shoulder and grinned wider. “What, you think we're gonna try and run? No way. No. We're finishing this, here and now... you and me, Luna, right here, right now, and my advice would be just to lay down and die. Because we took everything away from you... everything you tried to take away from us... from me... we took from you. Your home. Your army. Even your family.”
“My... family...” Luna looked up, and then she trembled, her eyes widening as she stared upwards, at the broken, burning towers in awful understanding, a cry coming from her mouth as Celestia paled before Scrivener's own eyes widened in horror, and without waiting, he immediately leapt up and shot into the air, hurling himself towards Scarlet Sage's tower.
“Way too late for that! Come back and enjoy the goddamn show, honey!” Applejack called mockingly, and then she stepped forwards, grinning, her eyes burning as Luna stared helplessly, weakly, across at the earth pony mare. “You think I didn't know what was going on? Your Blood Seer daughter screwed with my little sister. Hurt Apple Bloom, probably as some sick test. We see what you do, taking over ponies... she wasn't any little girl. She was a monster. Just like you... you're monsters. And now I'm going to kill you.”
“No... no, no... thou... art the monster...” rasped a voice, and Applejack frowned as Sleipnir silently dragged himself between the goldenrod mare and his little sister, tears leaking down his face as he looked at her silently, one of his forelegs broken... and yet he barely seemed to notice the pain as he shook his head disbelievingly as he whispered: “A foal... thou... thou killed an innocent, beautiful little filly... thou burned and razed and bombed the castle, targeting not the central tower, not where we knew weapons were, but seeking only to destroy, destroy, destroy... thou killed us all for... for this? This is thy idea of victory? No. Nay. No...”
Sleipnir trembled violently, closing his eyes before he dropped his head forwards, saying weakly: “Applejack... it is over. Thou has not won anything... thou hast only destroyed thyself. Thou hast only crumbled... everything...”
“No, you're wrong! Sleipnir, look around! They're the monsters, the murderers, the killers... all I did was what was necessary!” Applejack shouted furiously, as Rainbow Dash stood beside her, his mane shading his eyes as he stared silently at the ground. “Look at-”
“No. I do see... 'tis thou that art blind. And in not stopping thee for all my qualms and fears, my niece... my beautiful niece was murdered, I am dishonored, countless died...” Sleipnir turned his gaze towards Celestia, whispering: “I beg forgiveness from thee, sister, for seeing me be... such a failure. And little sister, Luna... I cannot gaze upon thee. I cannot ask thee for forgiveness, because I... I shall never deserve it. I shall never, ever be able to redeem this damage. I am so sorry and these words can only add insult, no matter how true they are, for what I have helped these fools do. Luna, I am so very truly sorry... I surrender. I... I...”
Sleipnir turned, dropping his head, his eyes clenching shut as tears fell down his cheeks, and Luna looked at him weakly, still unable to believe what had happened as her older brother silently dragged himself past her, limping into the broken castle. Luna was numb, silent, her eyes clouded and distant as she saw not what was in front of her, not Applejack's disgust, but instead through the eyes of Scrivener Blooms as he howled Scarlet Sage's name and tore through the rubble of the tower...
He shivered, tears running down his scaled cheeks as he yanked a roof beam back off a shattered, burnt statue... and then he almost fell over when he touched it, felt a shock of recognition. It was the remains of Atrus, the demon laying in a broken wreck, burnt and scorched and yet the stone held together by some wish, some last prayer as Scrivener stared... then trembled as the statue cracked, tumbling backwards in broken pieces of shale and revealing... “S-Scarlet Sage...”
He moaned weakly in his throat, pushing aside the remains of Atrus as he felt Luna's misery and his own desperation, leaning down over the filly... and before he knew what he was doing, he was lifting her in his claws, leaning down over her, breathing blue mist desperately over her pallid features. It sparked against her, and Scrivener took a breath before breathing again over her as his horn glowed, refusing to let the filly go, refusing to give up, settling his jaws over hers and inflating her lungs, her body, her veins with his life-taking and life-giving breath...
Luna's head snapped up, her eyes widening... and then they locked on Applejack as she breathed slowly, her mane slowly settling as her tears dried on her cheeks, and then she leaned forwards and smiled coldly, grimly, her voice shaking with fury as she promised: “Thou will suffer for what thou hast done, what thou attempted to do, mark my words, Applejack and Rainbow Dash... but thou art right. This ends here, this ends now. Twilight Shadow, Celestia. Hurt them. Take them.”
Applejack snarled, leaning forwards, opening her mouth... but then there was a blur of light and sound, and the last thing she saw was Luna striding calmly away into the halls of her broken home before pain and darkness overwhelmed her senses.