//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Takeoff // Story: M̸y̶ ̸L̴i̶t̸t̶l̴e̶ C̵o̸r̷r̴u̶p̶t̶e̷d̸-P̵o̴n̴y̷ // by ScorchingFlamesInc //------------------------------// The Crusader-Cerberus got annoyed pretty quickly, and resorted immediately to trying to take Chrysalis down. As they flew around fighting back against Chrysalis’ attacks, the beast inhaled, getting ready to shriek again. Chrysalis snatched the beast by the tail and spun them around, cutting them off from shrieking. They had a quick recovery and hissed violently, dashing for Chrysalis and continuing to battle. Spike and Smolder watched, careful to not get caught in the middle. “So what exactly are we going to do?-“ Spike asked. “I don’t want to hurt them. They’re young like us!” “… Shoot, I don’t know!” exclaimed Smolder. “And we can’t exactly do much aside from our fire breath!” “Yeah being out here was probably not such a good idea…” “Especially since if Chrysalis sees us, she could get distracted,” Spike realized. “We should head back then-“ But as it turned out, it was already too late. Chrysalis noticed the two dragons, and that gave the Crusader-Cerberus the chance they needed. The amalgamation rushed over to Chrysalis and kicked her hard with their hind hooves, sending her body darting to a tree. It rammed into the tree hard, and she toppled down the branches, breaking through each and every one all the way to the ground. The beast glared at Spike and Smolder. They were next! The monstrosity immediately darted after them at an increasing speed. The dragons knew they had no choice, and they also didn’t have time to think. They had to keep the monster at bay, flying around any which way possible. “HELP!!” Spike shrieked. “HEEEEELLLLP!!!” Inside the lower part of the ship, everyone heard. They all rushed up to the deck, finding no signs of Spike or Smolder. They dashed to the cockpit and took the door leading to front of the ship, and they all saw the chaos that was taking place, with Spike and Smolder trying their hardest to survive while the Crusader-Cerberus continued to try and take them down. Chrysalis was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Chrysalis?!” Pinkie yelped. “Spike and Smolder!” Silverstream exclaimed. “They’re-“ “I'll take care of it!” Tempest interrupted. The stump of her broken horn lit and crackled, sparks flying every which way. She strained a little… usually it was just like using magic with some struggle, but every now and then it would be extremely tough to manage, and even hurt. This was one of those times. The sparks made the creature and dragons all stop where they were, the creature having a moment of disorientation. The dragons recovered much faster and took advantage of the opportunity to get to a hiding place. But the beast recovered quick. Its next target was the source of the blue sparks from below. Their eyes all glanced at Tempest, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, and they dove down right to them. “QUICK! GET BELOW THE DECK!” Tempest ordered. They all made the dash to get to the bottom of the airship, but with the speed it was going and the strength it was going to use, it was clear that the Crusader-Cerberus was going to crash right through the deck yet again, or depending on their angle, maybe even the cockpit. And then, it got hit by a blast of green magic. *** When Chrysalis broke through the last branch and collapsed on the ground, time seemed to stand still. Her chest heaved up and down as her breathing got heavy. She felt the shivering feeling on her chest where she got kicked. She felt it all over again. The fighting feeling. A battle for control. Her body snapped as it twisted and convulsed, and her normal eye again rolled to the back of the head, and the corruption foamed out of her mouth. Nearly everything felt the same compared to last time. But something was different. She heard a voice speaking to her. “̵Y̸o̶u̸ ̷t̶h̷o̶u̴g̷h̶t̷ ̴i̶t̸ ̸w̴o̵u̵l̴d̶ ̶b̷e̴ ̵e̶a̷s̴y̶ ̶t̵o̷ ̶b̴e̴ ̵s̶a̶f̴e̶?̴”̸ She ground her sharp teeth as she snarled silently at the voice speaking inside her head. “I broke out before… I will break out again… you… don’t… intimidate… me!!!” The desperation felt bigger. The grasp to freedom felt farther away. But she could still feel it, as she reached for it with greater struggle than before. She heard distorted laughter. And through her increasingly distorted vision, she saw something staring at her with beady blue eyes. “̶Y̴o̴u̵ ̷c̷a̷n̶ ̴b̵r̷e̶a̴k̷ ̵o̶u̷t̸ ̶a̷s̶ ̸m̷u̵c̵h̵ ̷a̵s̵ ̸y̸o̶u̵’̸d̷ ̸l̴i̵k̶e̶.̵ ̵B̷u̷t̵ ̷y̵o̶u̵ ̵c̷a̴n̴’̷t̸ ̵b̴r̶e̴a̷k̴ ̶o̵u̴t̸ ̴f̴o̶r̸e̴v̴e̶r̴.̷ ̶O̸n̸e̵ ̶d̶a̶y̶,̵ ̷y̶o̵u̷ ̴w̷i̷l̵l̵ ̵b̴e̶ ̵a̶l̸l̶ ̴m̵i̵n̴e̴.̴”̶ “No…” she rolled onto her hooves and got up. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear before… I… answer to… NO ONE!” Chrysalis immediately sprung up into the air, not noticing some of the corruption from the amalgamation falling off and landing on the ground. She saw the creature making a dash to the ship, so wasting no time and risking a lucky shot, she flew over, horn lit, and shot a sleep spell. It struck the monster easily, knocking them out cold, their smiling mouth’s retreating and closing, and their lips fusing together to the point of nonexistence. Chrysalis got close enough to grab the amalgamation right before it landed on the ship. She levitated it overboard and set it gently onto the ground, in the bushes, hidden from view. Something told her that there wasn’t going to be any saving for them this time. A set of nearby bushes moved about, and Spike and Smolder immediately popped out of the bushes. “Do you two have any idea how foolish it was to come out there!?” she barked. “We weren’t thinking!” Spike explained. “We wanted to help, and make sure you didn’t hurt them because, yeah, they’re young like we are, and then we had second thoughts, and then you saw us, and… got hit… but you’re still… here…” “Once again the darkness tried and failed again to claim me…” Chrysalis rubbed her head. “Although… I feel more… faded… then before…” She twitched, her eyes disappearing for a brief moment. “Hey, HEY!” Smolder shouted. “Easy… easy…” Chrysalis took some deep breaths to calm down. “I can resist it… but I heard it speak… it spoke to me… telling me that this resistance won’t last forever…” Chrysalis turned around, ready to fly back to the ship. “Mark my words, I will prove it wrong.” “Chrysalis, it may not be good for you to think like that,” Spike warned. “What would it change if I thought differently?” “…At the very least… with how you think… you could get cocky… and pay the price for it.” “Name one time I’ve been seen as cocky.” “I can name a few…” “Look, we gotta get back to the ship,” said Smolder. “I bet everyone in there has no idea what’s going on or if we’re okay so… we should go.” “Yes. Yes we should,” Chrysalis nods. They all flew up. Inside the ship, Tempest, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Silverstream all stood close, listening closely to what was happening outside. They barely heard much. Some faint sounds but other than that… nothing. “Is it safe yet?…” Silverstream asked. “I… didn’t hear anything land!” “… I’m going to go look,” Tempest volunteered. “Are you sure it’s safe to look?…” Fluttershy asked. “You can open the door from here. If something goes wrong, I’ll call out for you all to run. Open the door and get out as fast as you can!” Tempest quickly ran off to the upper deck. They all paid attention and listened closely. They heard the sounds of multiple characters landing above them. They heard voices. And then they heard steps, making their way across the deck, and leading downstairs. Chrysalis, Spike, and Smolder were all there. “She got them. The Crusaders are down,” Spike said. “Tempest’s up getting the ship ready to go right now.” “None of you tried helping them?” Fluttershy asked. “… A small feeling I had told me that it wasn’t an option…” said Chrysalis. “Oh…” “Sorry to change the subject, but… are we seriously going to fly away with a hole in the deck?…” Smolder wondered. Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “It’s not like it’s a hole in the side of the ship… we’ll be fine! Anyways, I advise we all go and spot for any potential threats. With an airship like this we’re sure to attract attention.” “I agree.” Spike nodded. “Come on everyone.” And they all went up to the second deck. In a matter of minutes, the ship started to raise off the ground. Nearly everyone kept their balance, though only Fluttershy and Spike held on for a little help to keep their balance. Once the airship was up in the sky, though, it took off, and there wasn’t a need to hold on for balance anymore. The small, evolving blob of the corruption stepped out of a hiding spot as it watched the airship take off. The moment it was out of sight, it turned to where the Crusader-Cerberus rested. It approached the sleeping beast, tilting its newly-formed head. It’s eyes glowed even brighter. Slowly, all three heads on the beast opened their eyes and all their mouths extended and stretched, their fused lips tearing open. They locked gazes with the small blob. “̶W̸h̸a̶t̴ ̶a̷ ̵s̵h̴o̴r̵t̵ ̵b̵a̸t̴t̸l̸e̶ ̶w̷i̷t̶h̷ ̴a̵n̷ ̷i̵n̸t̴e̴r̴e̵s̴t̸i̴n̷g̸ ̷d̴e̶f̶e̸a̷t̴!̵”̴ ̵the monster hissed. “̷A̷ ̵b̶a̴t̸t̶l̴e̶ ̴f̷i̶l̷l̴e̷d̴ ̴w̵i̴t̶h̵ ̵f̴o̵o̶l̶i̷s̵h̶ ̸d̵e̵c̴i̴s̸i̴o̸n̵s̸ ̵f̸r̸o̷m̵ ̵y̷o̵u̴ ̷a̷n̷d̴ ̶t̴h̴e̸ ̴e̷n̷e̶m̵i̵e̷s̶ ̸a̷n̴d̵ ̵y̴e̷t̸ ̷y̶o̴u̷ ̸s̴t̸i̶l̵l̴ ̵l̷o̶s̵t̸.̴”̶ The monster tilted their heads. “̷A̴ ̶s̴h̵a̵m̸e̷ ̷y̵o̷u̴ ̵w̶o̷n̴’̴t̸ ̸e̶v̷o̵l̷v̸e̴ ̷l̵i̸k̴e̴ ̵o̵t̷h̵e̷r̸s̷ ̴s̸u̶c̴h̶ ̷a̵s̴ ̵m̶y̵s̵e̴l̷f̷.̴ ̸B̴u̸t̵ ̵i̶f̷ ̴y̵o̵u̴ ̸c̶o̷m̸e̷ ̷w̶i̴t̸h̴ ̴m̴e̷…̵ ̶a̷n̴d̴ ̴h̷e̶l̷p̸ ̶m̶e̷ ̶g̶e̴t̸ ̶w̷h̸a̴t̸ ̵I̸ ̸w̸a̸n̶t̸…̸ ̷y̵o̶u̵ ̵w̵i̶l̶l̶ ̵g̷e̶t̸ ̵a̴ ̷v̶i̴c̷t̴o̶r̷i̴o̵u̶s̸ ̵r̵e̵m̵a̷t̴c̵h̸.̷ ̸A̷l̴l̵ ̵y̴o̷u̷ ̴n̷e̸e̴d̷ ̶t̸o̵ ̷d̵o̸ ̶f̵o̵r̷ ̶m̵e̸,̷ ̴i̵s̵ ̸c̴l̴a̶i̵m̶ ̷t̸h̴e̷ ̶p̷i̵n̷k̷ ̸o̸n̶e̵.̵”̸ The monster’s heads tilted back to normal. They stood. Stared. Did nothing. The blob took that as a yes. The bits of white scattered in its body crawled up to the mouth and formed what appeared to be a toothy smile. “̴W̶o̷n̶d̵e̷r̸f̴u̸l̶.̵ ̴W̵e̶’̸r̷e̴ ̵g̵o̸i̵n̷g̷ ̴t̵o̸ ̴h̶a̴v̵e̵ ̴s̴o̵m̷e̵ ̷f̶u̶n̴!̴”̷