Chapter 89
The next day
Scamp stepped through the portal first, eyes locked on the Palace before her, a sense of nostalgia washing over her. This was not her group's target, but seeing it again in this context brought her back to a time she’d like to forget.
Her wife and daughter stepped out behind her, followed by Spark, who was in his base form.
“Spark,” she said as he stepped past her, causing his stern face to turn towards her. “Be careful.”
“I will,” he said stoically as he turned and began walking for the Palace gates, leaving them to their mission.
She turned and led her family down the street, towards the Inquisitor's HQ. They’d been disbanded by this point, as were most other forms of Government in the world.
In the few weeks he’d had to himself, Champion had brought the entire world to its knees. He was now the sole ruler of all, having killed all others who once held those positions.
Canterlot itself was in ruin, as he’d gone on a tantrum after losing his prey after the failed operation. As of now, there was not a single living being within the city, either due to him or leaving of their own volition.
The only building that was in use, outside of the mostly empty Palace, was the Inquisitor's HQ, which was now the residence of Nightmare. The reason for him using this building was simple; it was the largest building within the city.
As they neared it, she looked back, a frown appearing on her face. Talio had apparently tagged along, which was not part of the plan. But to be honest, he was left out of all the planning. The guy contributes nothing and just stands around watching everyone.
“Are you helping?” she asked a bit roughly, not slowing down as they neared their destination.
“And take all your glory? I think not,” he answered, getting a groan out of Shayla.
“If you’re coming, kill shit, damn it!” she growled, but he just pulled out Clackers and began playing with them.
Scamp ignored him, not caring that he was making so much noise. Nightmare for sure knew they were coming already.
She realized this was very similar to the first time she and Echo Team fought the Nightmare in her original Dimension. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to resort to the tactics they had to use that day to win.
The massive doors of the Inquisitor's HQ loomed up ahead, giving off a dark aura that was visible to the eye.
Scamp’s only reaction was a slight hesitation in her step, but she pushed through it as they neared the door.
“Stick together, and watch each other's backs. Do not let him possess you,” Scamp reminded them, as they’d gone over this plan at least thirty times. “Shayla, use your Virtue Sight to watch for his tendrils and cut them yourself, or warn us. We will work to create the opening you need.”
“You got it, mama,” she answered as she placed her hand on her sword.
“Mal, you ready?” Scamp asked, getting a confident nod from her wife, both of her swords held tightly in her hands.
With that she pushed open the door, sending a loud creak down the long hallway before them. It was filled with dead ponies, all in either Inquisitor's armor or civilian clothing. She grimaced, but pushed forward.
As far as they knew, the Inquisitor's tried to oppose the new ruler, but it… clearly did not end well for them.
The walls were covered in old flaking blood and gore, as it looked like a storm of blades had gone down the hallway.
“Fuck…” Shayla muttered as her sight made out all the shapes of the dead around her.
“Keep your mind focused,” Scamp advised her as they neared the door that led to the main lobby, the largest room within this massive building.
The moment they stepped into the lobby, they were hit with a wall of stench so strong it even made Scamp’s nose wrinkle up in disgust.
This room was the worst, as it was piled high with bodies, all the way to the ceiling, which was two stories high as this room had a second floor walkway that led further into the building.
“The infamous Beltosh’s family,” Nightmare called out as he sat on a throne of bodies at the other end of the room. He was in a more humanoid form, but tall and lanky as his dark tendrils waved all around him, sticking out of the massive pile of bodies he sat upon. “Ah… yes, I can feel my aura from you two. I AM within you after all. At least, a version of me.”
Scamp scanned the area, taking in all the tendrils that were around them, coming out of the piles of bodies as if they were vines growing out of piles of dirt.
Without warning Shayla slid past her mother, her Ego flaring as she slammed a fist into the ground, causing the ground around them to crack as her Ego spread below them, cutting through all of the unseen tendrils that were flying up to meet them.
“Interesting,” Nightmare muttered as he slid down the pile of bodies like a slide and began to stroll towards them, hands in fake pockets. “Looks like we’ll have to be serious here, does it not?”
Tendrils exploded out of every crack and crevice in the building, flying straight for the group. The whole room darkened immediately, all light being consumed by the incoming wall of tendrils.
As it neared, Shayla’s Perception Field spread around them as she grabbed her sword.
“VofKai,” she whispered as her power soared, causing her to move so fast her parents barely could keep track of her as her sword flashed all around them, halting the wave of death that had threatened to crash into them.
Mallogory locked her eyes on Nightmare through all of the tendrils that came down on them, ready to engage him directly.
Finally, the onslaught of tendrils halted as Shayla came to a stop, her sword glowing red hot as she’d been pushing herself and her weapon there.
The moment it all came to a stop, Mallogory dashed forward, flickering as she cut through any remaining tendrils that he sent her way.
A smile graced Nightmare’s face as his arms turned to blades, coming up to block Mallogory’s as she brought them down towards him. But her body flickered as her swords suddenly appeared on the other side of his own, slicing through him in an X.
The smile faded from his face as he reformed, attempting to strike back at her, but her flickering body prevented him from landing an attack as she kept removing his body parts.
Scamp stalked around the outside of the fight, watching every movement carefully as she flexed her claws, anticipating the moment to strike.
As for Shayla, she was standing still just out of range of the fighting, watching everything in the area with her Virtue Sight. Ever so often she’d send a disk of Ego flying through the air, where it would cut through any unseen tendrils that were trying to be sneaky.
Talio kept playing with his clackers.
Nightmare was getting a bit frustrated, as every time he attempted to possess one of them, another would cut the connection before it could take hold. They couldn’t kill him, but he knew they had a plan. Otherwise they wouldn’t have come to him in his own lair.
The sounds of slicing and dicing increased as Mallogory pushed herself, her body flickering so fast that she was starting to look like a high speed fan, leaving after images as her blades cut through the Nightmare.
He let out an annoyed yell as he grew in size, becoming more of a hulking gorilla than anything else. With a roar he attempted to swipe Mallogory away, but his fist just turned to a mist as it tried to approach her, as she was now going faster than he thought possible, becoming more of a blender than a swordsman.
Scamp’s eye shot open as she saw the moment she’d been waiting for. Moving fast and agilely, she spread her wings and shot upward, landing on his back as she sliced at the back of his neck, causing him to stiffen slightly at the sudden attack.
The moment Scamp had moved to engage him, Shayla dropped into a power stance, holding her hands together as she began to rapidly push Ego into her hands, preparing a Ego beam. This was all a part of their plan, and now it all relied on her.
Roaring like an angry beast from hell, Nightmare swiped at Mallogory as his tendrils attempted to take out the mare upon his back, but he was not able to accomplish either.
Scamp was moving around so much on his back, using her claws to keep herself attached, that he was losing his cool.
He started to shift forms, but the mare on his back suddenly grabbed his head and swung herself over him, flipping over him and slamming her hooves into his chest, causing them to embed themselves into him.
A cough erupted from his mouth, spraying her in black sludge, followed by him growling as he tried to grab her with his hands. But Mallogory just removed them in an instant with her blades.
Ripping her legs free, Scamp threw herself to the ground and clawed his leg off, causing him to collapse to his knee.
“Move!” Shayla suddenly yelled as a massive ball of Ego crackled around between her palms.
Both of her parents instantly shot to the side as she roared, throwing her hands forward and sending the massively powerful beam flying right for Nightmare, who wasn’t able to move in that moment.
His eyes went wide as the beam washed over him, causing him to disappear in the cyan blast. The beam continued past where he had stood and passed through the piles of bodies behind him and then through the wall of the building.
She let out a scream as she increased the beam, causing it to increase in both size and power. As soon as she saw her parents were now behind her, she pushed herself.
“VofKai times ten!” she roared, causing the beam to explode in power as the entire area in front of her, and for countless miles beyond, was engulfed in her Ego beam.
She held it as long as she could, but finally she let it go, ending the attack as she went to a knee, VofKai ending violently as she jerked, falling to the side.
Scamp descended on her daughter, grabbing her hand in hers as she patted her cheek.
With a groan, Shayla reached up and grabbed her mothers hand. “We get that bastard?” she asked, clearly exhausted after pushing herself far beyond her limits.
Scamp and Mallogory looked to where Nightmare had stood, seeing that there was nothing there, as Shayla’s beam had created a massive crater before them, going down at least a mile and extending further than the eye could see, clearing away all buildings and obstacles it’d passed over.
“I… think you got him,” Scamp chuckled, shaking her head at the sheer destruction her daughter had just caused.
“Fuck yeah,” Shayla muttered, doing a little fist pump as she passed out.
“She’s more impressive than I could have-” Mallogory began to say, but both her and Scamp’s heads snapped to the area where the Nightmare had once been.
A small ball of dark sludge was slowly reforming in the air, with little pieces flying up from all directions.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Scamp growled as she stood up as she and her wife stepped up to the edge of the drop off, watching the sludge grow in size.
“Immortal or not, I thought vaporizing would stop him,” Mallogory muttered as Scamp stomped her hoof.
“Damn it!” she yelled as she kicked a rock off of the cliff. “DAMN IT!”
“Very unfortunate,” Talio said as he stepped up next to them, causing Mallogory to growl.
“Keep your comments to yourself, useless tag along!” she yelled, eyes locking onto the growing ball in the air before them.
“How rude,” he said casually as he pulled out a large pair of orange scissors.
“Finally going to help?” Scamp snapped, causing him to chuckle as he broke the scissors apart, turning them into a pair of blades.
“Me? Oh no no no,” he chuckled as he flipped the blades around, holding the handles out to the two of them. “I offer you my blades, so you may have your victorious moment.”
“We have our own weapons, why don’t you just use them and HELP?!” Mallogory yelled, but he didn’t react to her.
“Your weapons are insufficient for the task at hand,” he said, giving the two blades a wiggle. “Think of mine as something akin to one of those fancy Ego weapons I’ve heard you all gushing about. A perfect counter to the vile villain you find yourself facing today. As for me helping, impossible. I forgot to do my morning stretches.”
“If they work like a Ego weapon, do they absorb parts of his Soul as we cut at him?” Mallogory asked with a raised eyebrow.
“In a way,” he answered simply.
Scamp grabbed one of the blades, eyeing him suspiciously. “I see. If that is true, then this will weaken him slowly as we fight him…”
“Preciously,” he says cheerfully as Mallogory takes his other blade, frowning as she holds it up.
“This would have been good to know BEFORE we made this plan,” she growled.
“You all seemed so confident in your plan, who was I to interject?” he asked, causing her to roll her eyes.
Scamp gritted her teeth as they turned to face the much larger ball as the sludge flying up to combine into it slowed down. Talio skipped backwards to his original position, pulling out an accord, providing them with background music. Even though it was massively out of tune, and he clearly did not know how to play the damn thing.
Finally the ball expanded as it took on a large werewolf form, eyes glowing with rage.
“Did you think you’d won?!” Nightmare growled as he floated towards them, body twitching and jerking as he neared them.
Neither of the women answered him as they backed up, giving him a place to land. He came down hard, chest heaving as he took a step towards the unconscious Shayla.
He did not get past a single step as both of her parents dashed into him, their blades flashing as they tore into him.
An unexpected pain exploded through his body each time their blades cut him, causing him to recoil away from them. They followed him as he retreated, cutting away at his body. Each of their strikes caused his flesh to disintegrate instead of regenerate. Dust like matter flew from his body as their blades cut through him.
With a large jump, he soared back, getting away from them as a new feeling swept through his body for the first time in his existence.
True unadulterated fear.
“Where did you procure these heinous blades?!” he roared, but they completely ignored him as they pushed their attacks. Each strike caused him to lose just a little bit more of himself.
His immortality was not helping him here. Instead, it was condemning him to a fate worse than death, as these blades seemed to be eating him, slice by slice. Piece by piece.
At this rate, he wouldn’t survive this encounter. And that terrified him.
With a roar, his body exploded, sending tendrils flying out in all directions. A last ditch effort to kill the two women attacking him.
But this accomplished nothing as both Scamp and Mallogory just cut away any that neared them, and even stopped all the tendrils that flew for their daughter.
With a quick dodge, Scamp suddenly sprang up, slamming her blade deep into his shoulder, pushing the blade all the way down into his chest.
Nightmare let out a pained yell as he fell to his knees, the blade inside of him seeming to absorb him from the inside out.
Mallogory did the same, coming up from behind and driving her blade deep into him, causing him to fall further down onto the ground. He no longer had it in him to send out any tendrils to ward them off.
“Stop!” he suddenly yelled out through gritted teeth as his body swapped forms rapidly, trying to dislodge the blades within him. But it was no use as the two women held tight to the blades, making sure they stayed within him.
He shrank down to a size that only one sword could stay within him, causing Mallogory to take her sword and start cutting away at him to speed up the processes.
“You need to stop!” he all but begged, but Scamp just smiled at him as he started to get smaller and smaller.
Eventually, there was nothing left, as the last of him was pulled into one of the blades.
They slowly stood up, looking around to make sure it was really over.
Mallogory raised the blade, eyeing it suspiciously, “these blades are way too strong for a clown like that to own. Why would he have these?”
“I found them in a dumpster, long ago,” Talio said with a chuckle as he stepped up, holding his hands out. “May I have my swords back?”
Scamp narrowed her eyes at him as she flipped the sword around so he could take them back. Mallogory did the same thing as he took his weapons back, putting them away in his Vacuole.
They stared at him, both clearly suspicious of him, but he just gave a bow and stepped back.
Before they could say anything else, they became aware of the sounds of explosions in the distance.
“We need to move,” Scamp said as they moved to their daughter, lifting her up and rushing for the hallway that led out of the building. They’d use their Dimensional Dagger to move to another area as soon as they got into contact with one of the other teams.
ooo000<^>000ooo
Twilight stepped through the portal right behind her husband and his two lookalikes, Lacy and Jun. Her eyes went wide as she saw all of the red cocoons around them, filled with both their friends and families, but also ponies she’d never seen before.
“Ah, round two, is it?” Richard asked with a laugh as he stepped out from behind a cocoon, smiling right at them.
“Fuck yeah, fuck boy!” Lacy laughed as she, Lance, Jun, and Bronwyn walked towards him. “I know your weakness now, fucker!”
“Knowing my weakness does not mean you’ll win,” he countered, but they didn’t seem to care as they continued to approach him.
“This way,” Nova said as she walked past Twilight, Louie and Strawell right behind her, “they can handle themselves.”
Twilight cast a glance towards the others, watching as they engaged with Richard in a heated battle. She knew they’d be okay, but there was still a sense of worry deep within her for her husband.
She quickly followed after the others, not sure she was ready for what was about to happen.
The four of them approached the center of the room, where a device laid with Lilith herself standing before it, her eyes locked on them as they approached.
No one spoke as they all approached her, a sense of dread falling over each of them as she just stared at them, unmoving and no emotions on her face.
“I do not know your game here, Lilith,” Nova yelled as they all came to a stop not far from her. “But I advise you to surrender.”
“Surrender?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes,” Nova said sternly as the fighting behind them picked up in intensity. “It is your best option.”
“My best option?” Lilith asked as she tapped her chin, a sly smile sliding onto her face. “I think I know of a better option.” Before they could ask what she meant, her horn flashed, causing all of the cocoons around them to start pulsing, causing everyone inside of them to start screaming in agony. The device next to her started to glow as it seemed to be powering up.
“Stop this!” Twilight yelled as she took a step forward, but Lilith just laughed.
“And what exactly will you do to stop me, my little pony?” she mocked as the device next to her dinged, causing all of the cocoons around them to pop open, spilling the ponies out around them. They were all unconscious and looking to be much skinnier than they should be.
The group began to move towards her, but she just laughed as she kicked the device, causing it to start to shake as energy began to pour out of it and into her.
Nova dashed forward first, attempting to impale the other mare with her new rapier, but her blade just hit an after image as she teleported away in an instant, appearing behind them.
“Coming here was a mistake,” she said with a smirk as her magic shot out towards them. Twilight and Nova used their magic to block her attack, but it still sent them skidding backwards. Strawell and Louie were not able to block the attack, being forced to take the attack head on. It caused both of them to get engulfed in cocoons similar to the ones around them, and were sent upward, out of the fight.
Twilight gritted her teeth as she planted her hooves, charging up an attack of her own as Nova teleported over and tried to attack Lilith again, but the other mare just teleported again. So Nova did the same, causing both of them to get into a chase where they teleported all over the room. Lilith just laughed the entire time, her body growing in brightness as she prepared another attack.
As she teleported her body sent out another wave of energy, catching Nova as she teleported over. She luckily saw it coming and blocked the majority of the attack with her magic, but it still sent her to her knees.
Twilight suddenly appeared right above Lilith as she sent a beam of magic straight down onto the other mare, actually catching her off guard. Once she finished the attack she teleported next to Nova, glaring at Lilith as she stood there, smoking but unhurt.
“That was almost impressive,” Lilith said as she dusted herself off with her magic, “very impressive for such an old mare.”
Before Twilight could form a response, a blue blur slammed into Lilith, sending her flying away with.
Twilight blinked in confusion as Lance stood there, smiling widely.
He looked at her and tipped his cowboy hat, “needing a little assistance, ma’am?”
This brought a smile to Twilight’s face as Nova grunted.
“Deal with Richard, we can handle-”
“Oh he’s dead,” Lance chuckled as the others rushed towards them.
“Yeah, turned his ass to dust,” Lacy laughed as they neared.
“And then I ate the dust!” Jun added proudly, his face smeared in what looked to be ash.
“Oh… wonderful,” Nova muttered as they all turned to Lilith as she slowly advanced towards them, not looking very pleased now.
“So what’s her deal now?” Lacy asked as she flipped one of her swords around her body.
“She’s filled with Holy Energy now,” Nova said as they all squared up with her.
“Ah, so she’s annoying now,” Lacy muttered, getting a nod from Nova.
Twilight looked up and sent a beam of magic up at the cocoons holding Louie and Strawell, breaking them out. She caught them with her magic and lowered them down, placing them down among the group.
“Well she can’t fight all of us at once,” Lance pointed out as he shifted into his Apolyon form.
“Do not underestimate her,” Nova warned as Lilith’s body began to glow again.
ooo000<^>000ooo
Earlier
Spark walked down the long hallway of the Palace, keeping himself calm as he neared the Throne room, knowing Champion would be there. He knew his presence was known by this point, but he didn’t care.
The halls were empty, as he had not seen a single pony since they arrived in Canterlot.
As he neared the Throne room, he heard the sound of hooves clopping against the floor up ahead.
His eyes narrowed as they grew closer. They didn’t sound like a large pony, like Champion, but more like a smaller pony.
Upon reaching the doors to the Throne room, where the sounds were coming from, he pushed them open. Stepping in, his eyes narrowed even more as he saw something had not expected.
Azure Moon was dancing by herself at the bottom of the stairs.
He walked towards her, looking around the massive room, but seeing no one else.
“Azure Moon?” He asked as he neared her, but she kept dancing.
There was no sign of Champion, which did not sit well with him.
“Where is Star Chaser?” he asked as he reached out and tried to touch her shoulder, but she just danced away from him, seeming to not be aware of her surroundings.
“I know you’re under his control,” Spark said to her, not sure if she could actually hear him or not, “but I’ll break you out. I promise.”
“Making promises you can’t keep makes you a terrible friend, Spark,” a voice said from above him, causing his eyes to twitch as he looked up, now seeing Champion standing before the Throne.
He was wearing a completely new getup, one that made him actually look opposing. A royal cape, and a strange mask with a large smile plastered across it, sat upon him as he stared down at Spark.
“Star Chaser,” Spark said calmly as he walked over to Azure Moon, grabbing her hoof to stop her.
“It is Champion, you imbecile,” he growled as he walked down the steps, approaching Spark. “It’s a pleasant surprise to see you again, Spark.”
“I wish I could say the same,” Spark growled as he suddenly ripped a portal open and tossed Azure Moon through it, turning to Champion as it snapped shut.
“So that’s your plan? Come here and save Azure Moon?” he asked, letting out a little chuckle. “No matter where you take her, I will find her. So this was a hopeless-”
“Shut up,” Spark interrupted him, turning to face the larger stallion.
“What?!” Champion growled as he began to shake. “How dare you! I will-”
“I’m going to kill you, Star Chaser,” Spark said calmly, halting Champion in his tracks.
“You…” he said as he began to laugh loudly, stomping a hoof and causing the stairs to crack under him. “You’re going to kill ME? That is rich, Spark. I believe you are out of your league here. This isn’t the Equine Championship Tournament, there are no rules keeping you safe.”
Spark just stared up at Champion as he spoke, showing no emotions on his face. “I normally would fight for you, to try and redeem you. But the things you have done, the people you have killed… Azure Moon… there is no hope for you, Star Chaser.”
“Aw, have I offended the high and mighty Spark?” Champion mocked as he reached the bottom of the steps. “Let me tell you how this will go; I’m killing you with no flair, and then I’m going to find Azure Moon and kill anyone near her.”
When Spark didn’t react, he let out a little laugh.
“No reaction?” he asked in a sinister tone. “Okay then. When I find your wife, she will spend the rest of her life beneath-”
“Provoking me will not save you, Star Chaser,” Spark said, his voice wavering a bit as he tried to not lose his temper.
“There’s the Spark I remember,” Champion laughed, “the stallion who’s too good and conceited. Goodbye, Spark.”
With that Champion zipped forward faster than anyone could possible track, attempting to turn Spark into a pink mist in an instant.
But as he came to a stop, he stood there in confusion, realizing he didn’t hit Spark. He turned around to see Spark standing off to the side, having somehow dodged his attack.
“What little trick have you learned, Sparky?” Champion asked with a sneer as he turned to face Spark.
“Enough games, Star Chaser,” Spark said as he rose up, energy exploding out of his body as he changed into his Archangel form, causing Champion to take a step back in surprise.
“An Angel?!” he asked in shock, but quickly shook his head as he stood up tall. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing you do will ever allow you to stand on the same ground as me, you dunce.”
Without a word, Spark began to approach Champion, a determined look on his face.
“You dare approach me, Spark?” he growled as he began to walk towards Spark.
But Spark did not respond as they stalked towards one another, the tension increasing as they drew closer and closer.
