Chapter 26
Just keep moving. Don’t stop, stopping means you think about what just happened. Just keep running.
“Shayla,” Rosemary said from within my head.
“Nope!” I yelped, not wanting to talk about it.
“Just stop running, you need to process what just happened.”
“Stop it, Rosemary! I don’t want to think about it!” I yelled, getting a lot of looks as I sprinted through the crowded streets, not having a real destination.
“You’re going to have to eventually,” she said in a soothing voice, but I didn’t want to hear it. I can live my life without ever having to think about what just happened again.
But eventually I did stop running, coming to a stop in the middle of a market district of some kind.
“We need to-”
“No,” I said, looking around and seeing what I needed right now. I quickly moved towards the building I had my eyes set on. The building in question towered above all the others in the area, which was perfect for me.
Stepping up to the building I grabbed hold of it with my claws and began to climb upward, scaling the side of the building. I kept going till I reached the top, pulling myself onto the roof. Now that I was far above the busy streets, and not a single soul in sight, I finally felt safe.
Rosemary appeared next to me as I walked over to a ledge and leaned on it, staring out at the almost endless city before us. Neither of us spoke a word, just stared out at the scenery before us.
That… was horrible. I’ve never felt like that before…
I grabbed my chest as I felt a tightness forming, causing me to feel a bit panicked again. But a few deep breaths calmed the rising panic as my left hand began to shake. I grabbed it, trying to get it to stop.
“Come on, Shayla, get it together,” I muttered, growling at myself. Nothing even happened! Why can’t I just get past it and move on?! All he did was…
I let out a ragged breath as I realized I couldn’t even recall it without panicking.
Am I.. broken now?
Fuck, I’m supposed to be the badass with an attitude, not the mare who shakes at a simple memory.
“All he did was try and… FUCK!” I yelled loudly, just wanting to get past this stupid shit. But I couldn’t.
“Some memories take time to heal,” Rosemary said in a soothing tone. “Trying to force it like you are will not achieve anything.”
“What should I do then?” I asked her, my shoulders slumping.
“What is that thing your mother always says?” she says with a smile.
“Keep moving forward,” I said aloud, taking a deep breath.
Thinking about my parents helped calm me down. Helping me focus on my breathing and getting myself calmed down
“Yeah, that’s all I can do, huh?” I sighed, a small smile on my face. “Shit, this is going to suck.”
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“Come on, we can’t stay here,” Floria said as she forced Domitor to stand up. All around them people were starting to come into the area, probably drawn by all the screaming and the gunshot.
He let her lift him up and push him in the direction away from the forming crowd. She ran over to the body and put his sword away in her Vacuole, knowing he’d want to keep that. She spat onto the body before running back to him and pushing him along.
“Did I let that go on too long?” He asked, sounding extremely guilty that he didn’t stop that sooner.
“No, you stopped it as fast as you could,” she assured him, guiding him down the streets as she kept an eye out for any threats that could pop up. “He didn’t actually touch her.”
“What happened to you back there?” he asked in a daze, blinking at her. “You looked panicked.”
A look fell across her face as her hand raised up to her broken faceplate and began to fidget with it. “Nothin’, I just lost my nerve.”
He did not believe her, but he also knew she didn’t want to talk about it, so he went back to being quiet.
After a few moments of silence he sighed, “we need to go after Shayla.”
“Why?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“After what just happened…. I just don’t think she’ll be in a good mind set.”
Floria nodded at him, a grimace on her face. “Yeah, she’s not going to be in a good headspace after that. Which is why we should give her time to cool down. I’m pretty sure we’re the last people she’ll want to see after that.”
“I guess so,” he said, wincing at the pain in his face.
This caused her to laugh as she felt her own pain in her body. “She really whooped our ass’s, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, she tends to do that,” Domitor said with a forced chuckle, wincing at the pain.
“We need a doctor before we try going after her again. If she choses violence, then we’d be screwed,” she said, guiding them down a different path. “Luckily I know a guy.”
“Oh good,” he said. “I’m just going to take a nap till then,” he said as he suddenly collapsed, everything catching up with him at once.
“Oi, you idiot,” she groaned, grabbing his legs and dragging him after herself.
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“Can this train go any faster?!” Scamp groaned as she paced around their cabin, chewing at her lip as her nerves ate her alive from the inside out.
“Just sit down, love,” Mallogory said as she played her portable game, reclined back in the la-z-boy style chair.
“I can’t,” she said, continuing her pacing. “I have this feeling something bad is happening and it’s driving me insane!”
“Nothing bad is happening, our daughter is fine,” Mallogory said in a reassuring voice, getting up and grabbing her wife, forcing her to stop pacing. “And if something was wrong, she can handle herself, you made sure of that.”
This seemed to calm her a bit as she gave a reluctant nod.
“Shayla is a capable mare who’ll kick anyone’s ass who comes near her, so you just have to trust her to do what needs to be done and not worry yourself sick. Okay, love?” she said, rubbing her thumb against Scamp’s cheek.
“You’re right,” she conceded, stepping forward and into Mallogory’s warm embrace. “Why are you so good at this stuff?”
“Because I’m just that amazing,” she teased, lifting the mare up and jumping backwards into the bed. “Now relax, read a book or something.”
“I’ll try,” Scamp mumbled, laying on Mallogory’s chest as she went back to playing her little video game.
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Luna’s eyes shot open as she heard a sound in her room, causing her to sit up. The window to her room, which was normally sealed shut, was now wide open, allowing the daylight into her normally dark room.
Using her magic, she slammed it shut and latched it, not sure how it’d opened.
“Mother,” a voice said a few inches from the back of her head.
She let out a yelp as she teleported across the room, heart racing. But then she saw it was just her son, a solemn look on his face as he stood next to her bed.
“Star Chaser, don’t scare me like that!” she snapped, clearly not happy with the intrusion and the fright he gave her.
“It’s Champion, mother,” he said calmly.
She just sighed, adopting a tired smile. “Okay, my star. What’s wrong? You never wake me up.”
“We need to talk about my rule,” he said as he stayed where he was at.
This caused Luna to frown, as this was not worth revisiting. “I told you to return to me after you’ve learned what it’ll take to be a Ruler of Equestria.”
“You misunderstand,” he said in an eerily calm voice. “We’re talking about how things are going to be now. I am the new Ruler of Equestria, and I’m asking you to step down nicely.”
“Star Chaser, I don’t have time for this,” she said, using her magic to open the door to her room. “If you want to speak more about one day becoming the Ruler of Equestria, then I’ll be available later today.”
He just chuckled and began to take slow steps towards her. “You’re not grasping the situation, mother. Either step down peacefully, or I will make you.”
At this threat, she glares at him. “Do not use idle threats against me. Do not let your anger and greed for power dictate your whole life, Star Chaser.”
“It is CHAMPION!” he roared, as he got face to face with her.
“Do not yell at your mother!” she roared back in her normal voice. “That’s it, we’re done here! Leave me, Star Chaser!”
“Make me,” he said in a cold voice, just a few inches from his mothers face.
Her horn began to glow, but suddenly she sighed and stopped, looking at her son with hurt eyes. “What’s happened to us, Star Chaser? We used to never act like this towards each other.”
This seemed to anger him, as he’d wanted her to make this easy and attack him first. Now he just felt a deep hurt within himself.
“Just do as I ask, mother,” he said in a cold yet shaky voice.
“I will not, Star Chaser,” she stated, smiling at him as she reached up and touched his face. “Just wait. I promise the time will come.”
He closed his eyes as he leaned forward, placing his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, mother.”
“It’s okay, my Star,” she said as a tear ran down her face. “Your anger just takes over sometimes, like it use to do with me. I promise, I’ll be by your side no matter what, doing my best to keep you on the right path.”
“No, I’m not sorry for that,” he said, reaching up and placing a hoof on her face as he held her gaze.
“Azure Moon,” she said with a small sigh. “You don’t need to apologize to me. It is she who is the one hurt by-”
“Stop,” he said, gritting his teeth as tears ran down his face. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what else is there to be sorry for, my Star?” she asked, placing both hooves on his cheeks.
A pained look flashed across his face as she felt a sudden jolt in her head. She blinked as she stumbled back a bit, seeing he was holding her horn.
“Star Chaser…” she muttered in a daze, the pain not setting in as she stared at him in shock.
“I love you, mother,” he said as he grabbed either side of her face and his eyes flared to life. Two beams flew out of his eyes and into hers. She didn’t scream or fight him as she grabbed ahold of him, jerking as he kept up the beams. Once he stopped, he let her go, letting her body fall to the ground.
He stared at her and then let out a heavy ragged breath as he stumbled backwards into the bed, starting to hyperventilate. He grabbed his head and stared at the floor with wide eyes.
“Luna? I felt something strange just now, are you okay?” Celestia said as she stepped into the still dark room, not seeing anything at first. “Star Chaser?”
His head snapped up at her, his bloodshot crazy eyes clearly visible even in the darkness. This caused Celestia to take a step back despite herself. “Are you okay, Star Chaser? Where is-” her eyes went wide as she finally realized what the dark lump on the ground was.
“Luna?!” she wailed as her horn began to flare to life. “What have you-”
But a sonic boom was heard as Champion shot forward, coming to a stop right in the doorway, the room behind him now covered in gore. He himself was also covered in blood as he ran a shaky hoof through his mane, the blood getting everywhere.
“Prince Star Chaser?!” four guards exclaimed as they stood at the end of the hallway.
He frowned as he exploded towards them as well, sending blood and gore everywhere as he appeared on the other side of them. Looking back, he saw there was nothing left of them but some crumbled metal.
With a deep sigh, he began to walk down the hallway, having only one more loose end to tie off.
Upon arriving at the desired door, he flung it open and stepped inside. But there was no one there. He growled as he scanned the room, seeing a note on the desk. Stepping over to it, a scowl appeared on his face as he read it.
‘Don’t panic, with Balgore. Will be back in a few days, week at the most. Love you guys! ~Love Nova’.
“That little…” he sneered, slamming his hoof down on the desk. He’d just deal with her when she returned. Till then, he had work to do.
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“I hope this is enough,” Flippy Dew muttered as she and Roxxy walked down the street, each one carrying saddlebags filled with snacks they’d baked on their own.
“If I know Dude, this won’t be enough,” Roxxy chuckled as she reached over and patted the other mares back. “Don’t worry though, we have enough.”
“I hope,” she said with a sweet smile.
A sudden explosion in the distance got their attention.
“What was that?” Flippy Dew asked nervously.
“That came from Spark’s parents house, I think,” Roxxy said, taking a step in that direction.
But a few screams from behind them drew her attention again as she saw something dive into the ground, followed by a building a few streets over exploding.
“Are we under attack?!” Flippy Dew yelped, eyes wide as they saw another building explode.
“Come on!” Roxxy yelled, throwing off her saddlebags as she ran towards the explosions.
“Ooo, horseapples!” Flippy Dew yelled as she threw her bags off and ran after her friend.
The pair came up on a scene out of a war movie as they saw ponies staggering around, trying to get away from the fires that were spreading to all the surrounding buildings.
Without warning another building exploded, sending debris flying at a group of ponies who were trying to pull others out of some rubble. Just as the flying rocks and splinters slammed into them, a massive forcefield appeared before them, saving them.
“Good work, Dew!” Roxxy exclaimed as her friend strained to put up more forcefields around others in the area.
“What is this? Is this that ‘Ego’ I’ve heard so much about?” A massive dark griffon laughed as he flew down and landed before the two mares. “What are you, wannabe heroes?”
The two stared up at him, recognizing him as the father of the late Prince Frederic.
“Ah fuck,” Roxxy muttered as she held out her hoof, causing her Ego Scythe to appear.
“You think that will help you here?” he laughed as Flippy Dew’s Ego spirit suddenly appeared and slammed a hoof right into Richard’s face, sending him flying backwards into a building.
This left the two mares stunned, as they hadn’t expected that to happen.
“Fuckin’ A, Dew,” Roxxy said, giving her friend a nod of approval.
“I don’t know what you just did,” the angry Griffon said as he floated up above the buildings, smiling at them. “But I’m very interested in you two now. So come on, ladies! Let’s dance!”
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“No one home?” Dude asked as he and Nightstreak sat in the Pegasus's room.
“Nah man, they’re all off in town today,” Nightstreak assured him as he reached over and brushed some of his mane out of his eyes. “We’re alone.”
Dude smiled as he pushed the muscled up stallion backwards, climbing on top of him and grinning down at him. The two began to make out, getting a little handsy as things got heated.
But a sudden explosion nearby shook the house, and caused Dude to lose his footing and fall off the bed.
“What the fuck?!” Nightstreak growled as he rolled over and opened the blinds on his window just as another explosion rocked the entire house, this one much closer.
Standing up, the two looked at each other in concern. The sound of even more explosions got them moving as they rushed for the front door, finding themselves in the middle of a warzone.
“What’s going on here?!” Nightstreak called out to a pony as they ran towards them.
“The villains! They’re back! THEY’RE BACK!” he screamed, rushing past them as more and more ponies began to run from the burning buildings as more explosions were heard.
As they ran, a large creature suddenly slammed into the ground amid the crowd, laughing loudly as it began to swipe its large claws through the many fleeing ponies, turning them into piles of gore with each swipe.
“Is that the…”
“Fucking Nightmare?” Nightstreak said with a frown as his Ego Gauntlets appeared on his hooves. “Yep. That’s the fucking Nightmare.”
“And we have to fight it?” Dude groaned as he pulled out his Ego Saber, bringing it to life as the Ego laser extended out of the hilt.
“I mean, we could run away too. No one would blame us,” Nightstreak said, glancing at his lover.
“Fuck,” Dude groaned, shaking his head as he watched the Nightmare slaughter all the ponies around it. “Let’s just fucking get him.”
Nightstreak gave a nod as they both took off sprinting for the large creature. As they neared it, Dude pulled out a card and threw it up, causing forcefields to appear all around the Nightmare, saving the remaining ponies. He had two more forcefield cards he’d gotten from copying Flippy Dew’s Ego, so he’d have to make them count.
“Annoyances,” the Nightmare remarked as it turned to face them, taking on a new form. This one was smaller, but much more terrifying as it looked like a monster straight out of a horror movie.
“Don’t die, bro,” Nightstreak said as he split from his partner and ran for the right side.
“Don’ you fucking die you idiot!” Dude yelled as he ran to the left.
The Nightmare just chuckled in amusement as it prepared to face the two new challengers.
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“Hang in there, please!” Summer Breeze yelled to the heavily bleeding pony before her, a large piece of wood sticking out of his chest. She was doing her best to save his life, but she wasn’t sure what parts of him were wounded, as the more she healed, the less effective she felt.
After a few more moments, he went limp, the life leaving his eyes.
She let out a sob as she quickly moved to the next injured pony, her blood covered hooves working at removing their shirt as she began to fill them with her Ego, searching out their injuries and doing her best to fix them.
“Boom boom POW!” she heard a strangely familiar voice yell out, laughing like a maniac. “You’re dead, babe!”
Working faster, she finished healing the pony before her, who pushed themselves up and took off running. But before they could get to safety, a striped pony suddenly appeared before them, a massive grin on his face.
“Hello hello! Didn’t I already kill you?” he laughed as his mouth suddenly unhinged and he took a massive bite out of the side of the pony before him, removing half of their head in one go.
He laughed like a psycho as he saw Summer Breeze standing there, her eyes twitching in anger as she stared him down.
“Oh look at you, all brave and shit!” he laughed as he sprang forward, his Demonic form seeming to wither with pleasure as he reached her, his unhinged jaws and rows of sharp teeth snapping towards her.
With a roar of her own she slammed her shield into his mouth, preventing him from biting her. It may not be an Ego weapon, but it was Ego infused, so it’d hold up to some serious abuse.
Just as he began to try and dislodge the shield from his mouth, her Ego Spirit appeared next to her and jumped into the Demonic Pegasus, tackling him to the ground and pounding away at him.
“What is this thing?!” he yelled, apparently being able to see the spirit despite not having an Ego.
“Jun,” someone said from above as they landed next to her.
“Starch!” she said in relief, happy to not be alone.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said with a smile as he rolled his neck, getting ready.
Jun roared as he sliced through the Ego Spirit, causing it to disappear. He climbed to his hooves and flared his bat like wings as he glared at them.
“I’m going to eat every inch of you two,” he said in a cold and sinister voice.
“Well come get a taste of me then,” Starch laughed, waving a hoof at him, gesturing for him to bring it on.
With a deep growl, the Demonic Jun jumped towards them.
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Mr. Bleak flew down the forest path, running for the sounds of explosions coming from New Ponyville. He was panicking, as he knew his wife and daughter were there right at that moment.
“Brother,” a voice called out as someone appeared right in front of him along the path.
He flapped his wings hard, coming to a stop not far from the figure. His eyes wide.
“Val?!”
“Darkest,” the other stallion said with a wide grin. “So good to see you again. I heard you have a kid. Again.”
Mr. Bleak’s eye twitched as he squared up with his brother. “I don’t know why you’re back, but are we really going to do this dance again?”
“We are,” Val said as red energy began to crackle around his body. “I have a little surprise this time around though.”
His eyes widened as he sensed something off about his brother, something dark and evil. An evil that did not belong in Equestria.
“This is where we end this, brother,” Val remarked as he began to stroll towards Mr. Bleak.
A determined look fell over Mr. Bleak’s face as he began to advance on his brother as well, cyan energy began to raise from his body.
“Oh? I see I’m not the only one with a little surprise,” Val laughed.
“Yeah, I have a little surprise for you alright,” Mr. Bleak growled, his Ego flaring as he glared his brother down.
“I wonder what this little Ego of yours does,” Val said with a smile as the two neared each other.
Without further words, the two exploded towards each other.