Equestria. Magehold. Day.
All Equestrian Magic had been shut down thanks to the Necropillars, rendering the Equestrians powerless. However, that didn't stop them from doing what they must for the sake of their loved ones. And there was no better example than Shining Armor making an appearance in the deepest part of the Magehold Chamber, having a Golurk punch through the walls.
"Golurk!" And after slugging one of the vampires in the face, the Golurk and Aegislash did not hesitate, eyeing down the tubes that Fluttershy, Cadence and Flurry Heart were trapped in. And immediately, they took action, wasting no time. The Golurk would use Shadow Punch, unleashing a long shadow arm that raced straight for Cadence's tube.
"I don't know how you got here so fast..." Rosa Maledicta sneered before using her thorns the moment Golurk went for Cadence's tube. The thorns caught Golurk's Shadow Punch, constricting it in seconds.
"G-Gol!" Golurk gasped, unable to advance any further now that the thorns got a hold of it. But that just left Aegislash and the other Golurk to take action as they would approach the three tubes.
"Aegi...Slash! Aegislash went straight for Sacred Sword, raising his body and performing a downward swing. But his movements were stopped as well. The thorns transformed into swords, matching Aegislash's body and clashing with him. "Aegis?!"
The thorns would then intercept the other Golurk, knocking them aside, and straying them further away from the three captured ponies as no one could reach them just yet. Each of the Golurk had their bodies crash into the spikes that were plastered on the walls, harming their Automaton figures.
"But it was foolish to break through so wildly." Rosa finished her sentence, already dealing with the intruders.
"I-I thought it would work though... Shining Armor groaned with all of his magic gone. Floating to his side was Aegislash, who couldn't get through just yet.
"I knew you'd come! I knew it!" Cadence bellowed with excitement from her hope-filled heart. Her faith in her husband never wavered and it showed now that he made an appearance, albeit in a rather weakened state.
"Well, you were right about that. But can he save you?" Rosa questioned. "This one, I can show you the answer."
"Don't worry...We'll get all three of you out of there at once." Shining Armor groaned while slowly standing up, having the other Golurk stand next to him. As for the Crystal Empire soldiers, since they were drained as well, all they could do was stand back and give commands to their Pokemon. "Aegislash!"
"Aegis!"
"How did you even get here? The Windigos should've given you all an icy prison. I ordered them to do so." Rosa Maledicta questioned, wondering how the Crystal Empire got past the Windigos. "What did you even pull to make that possible?"
"We can thank Ash for that." Shining Armor sighed, looking up at the Lich Queen, who narrowed her eyes when hearing Ash's name. "Because of him, the Windigos gave us a chance. They let us through, trusting in Ash and what he said back then. It really had its effect as you can tell since we're here."
"So he's responsible for that." Rosa Maledicta scoffed. Meanwhile, peering from the destroyed wall was none other than Radiant Hope, Starlight Glimmer and Spike. Drained of magic themselves, they spotted the Lich Queen for themselves, recognizing the similarity between her and Roseluck. That was definitely Rosa Maledicta.
"Your Windigos aren't going to help this time." Adding to this conversation was Flash Sentry, who was brought here by his Pidgeot. "Plus...we showed up at the bottom since the Windigos already told us. All it took was for us to find out where the Chamber was."
"They told you about the Chamber?!" The Lich Queen gasped as the Windigos betrayed her, giving away the location of the chamber. "Blasted Windigos...All it took was Ash Ketchum to betray me so soon? Useless spirits...After this, I'll make sure they're all exterminated."
"Be careful Dad! That's the Lich Queen right there!"
"This is her?!"
"Of course. Personally, I would've left by now and started from the top of the chamber if I ran into the Lich Ruler. Too bad for you." Rosa's eyes widened with a crimson glow. And right beside her, the Master Ball she was constantly carrying around would be thrown into the air. "Now might be a good time to test Yveltal's power against you. Appear! Yveltal!"
With a burst of darkness, a powerful force erupted from the Master Ball once it opened up, startling everyone. The walls of this room would be blown away by the force of darkness which let out the cry of the Destruction Pokemon. Appearing from the darkness was the Pokemon who was being used against its own will, controlled by the Lich Queen and reduced to nothing more than a weapon to fulfil the Black Crusade.
Yveltal had appeared, unleashing a powerful cry upon its targets, who it did not wish to destroy but it had no choice. Rosa Maledicta had full control over Yveltal now.
"Yveltal..." Flash Sentry shuddered.
"That's Yveltal...?" Spike took out his Pokedex, aiming at Yveltal to read about it.
"Yveltal. The Destruction Pokemon. When this legendary Pokémon’s wings and tail feathers spread wide and glow red, it absorbs the life force of living creatures when its life comes to an end and turns into a cocoon once more."
"Those eyes...Yveltal's under her control now." Starlight would notice the crimson glow in Yveltal's eyes and comparing it to the images the Pokedex gave out, instantly knowing that Yveltal was now in its right mind.
"If we take down Yveltal, then we have a chance of greatly crippling the Black Crusade." Shining Armor stayed fearless in the face of the Destruction Pokemon, showing no signs of worry at all. But the threat was still there. "Some of you should focus on getting all three of them out there."
"Yes sir!" The soldiers all saluted. They couldn't do much so they had to rely on their Golurk more than anything. Radiant Hope, Starlight and Spike looked at each other, knowing what they had to do.
"I'll be generous and use Yveltal on you only. None of my magic will be involved. It'll be rather honourable and wonderful once the King of the Crystal Empire is taken out by the Legendary Yveltal. Wouldn't you agree?" Rosa smirked.
"That's not going to happen. Not at all."
"Tch. Whatever you say. Yveltal! Crush them all with Dark Pulse!" Rosa raised her hooves, giving the first-ever command to Yveltal. And unfortunately, Yveltal had to listen. From his mouth, a massive beam that was imbued with dark thoughts would fly out with the intensity of a lightning strike, even causing a wind pressure just from its movements alone.
"King's Shield!"
"Aegis!" Aegislash would go on the defensive immediately, getting in front of everyone else to make sure they were all protected. Aegislash swirled around while in Blade Forme, changing into Shield Forme with just that simple movement as light blue hexagonal shapes then appear one by one in front of Aegislash until they formed a shield, blocking the Dark Pulse in the nick of time.
The impact was devastating, however. The second it touched his shield, a tremendous explosion of darkness would fly out, blowing away parts of the floor and even the spikes all around the walls. The nearby vampires would be sent flying too as the Dark Pulse violently beat down Aegislash's King Shield, shattering the hexagons one by one but failing to get through fully.
"A-Aegislash!" Aegislash successfully blocked it but received some pushback in the process. Smoke covered the area, appearing as dark as possible before being blown away by a swing of Aegislash's bladed body once he returned to his Blade Forme.
"That all?! Dragon Rush! Crash into them!" Yveltal would now get physical, crying out and having its body receive a dark coating. This Dark Aura enveloped his whole body as he then boosted through the air, leaving behind a black and red trail in the process.
"Hyper Beam!" Altogether, all of the guards would order their Golurk. Each of them held their arms out, charging up a synchronized Hyper Beam. In a perfect line, the Hyper Beams all flew out at the same time, approaching the Destruction Pokemon.
Yveltal crashed right into the Hyper Beam's with Dragon Rush, entering a clash with them as the impact once again shook the room. The ponies lost their balance thanks to the collision, causing them to fall over while the spikes stabbed into the floor.
And even with all of these Golurks using Hyper Beam, Yveltal was starting to push through. Their combined might was not enough to stop Yveltal's Dragon Rush as they were pushing as hard as they could.
"G-Gol!"
"P-Pidgeot! Heat Wave!"
"Pidgeo! Pidgeot!" That is until Flash Sentry's Pidgeot intercepted Yveltal's movements. By flying above the rest of the Golurk, the Bird Pokemon would unleash a wave of crimson flames, sending it at not just Yveltal but also Rosa Maledicta herself. Pidgeot was looking for a double takedown, wanting to defeat the big boss already.
"Hm?" Rosa looked up, noticing that the flames were coming her way. Unfortunately, all it took was a shield to protect her and the Heat Wave only broke up the clash that Yveltal and the Golurk had once Heat Wave got involved. Pidgeot did end up saving the Golurk from taking Dragon Rush though. The Hyper Beams would combust either way, blowing up right in the middle of both sides. Rosa Maledicta looked completely calm as the explosion of many Hyper Beams went off.
"Trying to take me out even when I gave you the opportunity to have a normal Pokemon Battle with me? Fine then." Rosa scoffed before summoning thorns from below, targeting Pidgeot. The Normal-Flying-Type was now a target but not from Yveltal's eyes.
"Pi!" Pidgeot would use Aerial Ace, attempting to evade the incoming thorns. But to his surprise, they were faster than expected, keeping up with him from behind but also having a number advantage. Pidgeot would be blocked off by large thorns that stood in front of him while the other ones were right behind him. More would appear on the side and with nowhere to fly to, Pidgeot would be hit by these dark thorns, receiving a swift yet hard whipping. "Pi-Pidgeot!"
"No! Pidgeot!" Flash Sentry cried out as Pidgeot would be sent flying, crashing through the rubble that was formed from this instantly fierce battle.
"Now cut them apart with Shadow Claw!" Rosa cackled as Yveltal would fly in, summoning darkness its massive wings and even its tail as all three of them became claws bathed in the shadows.
"Aegislash! Sacred Sword!"
"Aegi...Slash!" Aegislash would finally get physical, igniting his body with his fighting spirit which appeared as an orange aura. With the aura around his bladed body, he would stay still, waiting for Yveltal to approach him instead.
It was an immediate clash between Sacred Sword and Shadow Claw. The impact let out some sparks that flew everywhere as the wings of Yveltal were heavy enough to keep Aegislash's bladed Steel body still. Aegislash himself didn't expect Yveltal's wings to be this heavy as it felt like he was hitting another metal.
The two of them would start swinging at each other, engaging in a fierce clash of Sword and Claw. All three of Yveltal's parts would be swung around violently against Aegislash's single-bladed body. It was Yveltal who was being the most aggressive, putting the pressure on Aegislash immediately with fast and hard Shadow Claws. If he was a Doublade again, he might have an easier time but he wouldn't be as powerful, that much was sure.
"While they're distracted, now's our chance to try and free them." Meanwhile, Starlight, Spike and Radiant Hope were already going straight for the three captured ponies, using this opportunity to try and rescue them. And to assist them were the Golurks who would try and fly in while Yveltal was putting the pressure on Aegislash.
Multiple Golurks came flying in, attempting to strike Yveltal with their respective punches. Dynamic Punch, Thunder Punch, Drain Punch, Ice Punch, Hammer Arm and so on. Yveltal would notice them, ready to engage with each of these Golurks while still handling Aegislash.
However, this many Pokemon at once getting up close and personal was difficult for even Yveltal as he could not take his attention away from Aegislash. Once Aegislash saw that Yveltal was eyeing down the Golurk, he took the chance to play aggressively as well. Hard and rough Sacred Swords would be unleashed, forcing Yveltal to keep up.
The Golurk came in, striking at Yveltal and landing all of their punches on the Destruction Pokemon. This was then followed up by a slash from Aegislash who struck Yveltal square in the chest. The Dark-Flying-Type lost the up-close exchange as it was pushed back but recovered in the air either way, ready to spring back into action.
"Lu!" And with the arrival of Shining Armor's forces, Lucario sensed new yet familiar Auras. The Auras of all the Crystal Empire's forces had been picked up on as Lucario quickly relayed this to Ash. "Ca! Lucario!"
"Shining Armor!? Shining Armor's here! He and everyone else made it through!" Ash shouted while running through the hallway which was throwing out bridges that attempted to take him out. Pikachu, Espeon and Emerald Aura would attack these incoming bridges that flew out of the walls and floor, clearing the way for their friends.
Twilight could still move relatively quickly even though her magic had been taken away from her. However, there was one bit of magic that the Necropillars failed to steal which allowed the Princess of Friendship to keep moving. Ash and Twilight had to carry Daisy and Paradise, who were so affected by the Necropillars that they were slowly returning to their original flower forms since they were made out of magic after all.
"He is! He actually made it through?!" Twilight gasped. "Through the barrier, no less!? How?!"
"Worry about that later! Are they anywhere close to Fluttershy and the princesses?!"
"They're in the same room as the Lich Queen!" Ash added before hopping over an incoming bridge which would slam into another part of the wall, breaking it apart.
"Hmph. It seems that even when losing your magic and feeling drained, it hasn't stopped your skills at all." Rosa Maledicta commented as the battle was looking rough for the Crystal Empire's forces. Yveltal was really making them struggle while the Lich Queen barely indulged with them. "But I can tell it's lacking something and it's mainly your Pokemon that are doing the heavy lifting."
"This is nothing..." Shining Armor breathed in and out.
With all of this going on, Starlight, Spike and Radiant would sneak past the chaos, approaching the three tubes and using all of the smoke as a way to conceal themselves.
"I see you!" Unfortunately, they did not escape the eyes of Rosa Maledcita, who was already looking out. With the three of them gasping, she would send her thorns in their direction, intercepting their movements.
"Not good! Axew!"
"Axew!" Axew was prepared to stop this himself, refusing to let the Lich Queen keep his friends here any longer. He lunged forward with his small body before suddenly transforming. A bright golden light would erupt from his body as he underwent a change, shifting from his small pre-evolved state into his final evolution.
"Haxorus!" Appearing from the light was Equestrian Haxorus. And with brute strength, he would grab the thorns right as they reached him, stamping his feet onto the floor once descending. The thorns were brought to a halt immediately, giving his friends extra time to move on and they did not waste it at all.
Unfortunately, there were more thorns to worry about. Even though Haxorus stopped the ones that came first, the next ones only doubled in numbers, flying past the Equestrian Variant. With their magic gone, they were too weak to do anything about this, but not the Pokemon.
"Gol!" One of the Golurk intervened, getting in front of the trio and shielding them with its arms crossed. It managed to block the thorns but at the cost of harming itself. The power that the thorns possessed were heavy, even pushing Golurk's large body back. Golurk went stumbling, almost falling over.
"Q-Quick! Hatterene, go!" Starlight would quickly send out her Hatterene in advance.
"Go, Rapidash!" Radiant Hope would also send out her own Galarian Rapidash, much like Potion Nova as these two unicorns had to dig into their saddlebags to even throw their Poke Balls out. Out came the two Psychic-Fairy-Types, entering the scene. They would give their trainers enough time once again.
"Deal with them, Yveltal." Rosa would leave it up to Yveltal while she approached the trio who would dare try and sneak past her. Her thorns followed her as she trotted, slithering like snakes and moving at violent speeds.
"Hatterene!" Hatterene would use Psycho Cut, attempting to cut to the thorns in half while Rapidash ended up using Dazzling Gleam. However, once those sharp Psychic blades flew out, Hatterene's blades failed to cut them in half. The thorns were powerful enough to withstand things that would normally cut it in half as they would whip Hatteren's face afterwards. "H-Hatt!"
Rapidash didn't fare much better. The rainbow rays she unleashed were countered by the fierce whipping of Rosa's thorns which would slice them in half. Rapidash would then be viciously whipped by the thorns when they came down, harming her face and forcing her to the floor.
Rosa then smiled, using the thorns to carry her towards the trio. She rapidly moved across the chamber with the thorns helping as her intimidating face was getting close. As the group ran as fast as they could, they were unable to reach the tubes in time, resulting in the thorns catching up to them.
"Gah!" Starlight cried out in pain as the thorns wrapped around her, causing damage and holding back her movements. They just weren't quick enough in this condition. Magic is what powered all of them practically. It gave them the strength they needed and without it, they were all being held back.
"Ngh!" Spike's entire body was already enveloped in thorns since he was the smallest here. His legs and arms were already caught compared to Starlight and Radiant Hope were having parts of them caught until everything else was wrapped up in a Thorn Prison. His head was free but was slowly being caught by the thorns.
"No magic means no speed." Rosa Maledicta commented before having the thorns bring the three captives closer to her. "But for one of you, I'll bring back your magic. A Pseudo-Alicorn might have a good enough lifespan to take." She referred to Radiant Hope who was not a full-on alicorn but still possessed the notable traits of one.
The most notable being the long lifespan and with Cadence and Flurry Heart already having some of their lifespans taken away, Rosa Maledicta would have a third victim to steal from. Or rather four since there was another in the Magehold Chamber. Twilight Sparkle.
"Haxorus! Help!"
Haxorus noticed this, attempting to reach them, but he came across his own Thorn Trouble. The thorns managed to wrap around his arms and legs, keeping him in place as he struggled to rip them off. He even tried using Iron Tail, swinging his tail as hard as he could on the thorns as the best he could do was slightly push them back but they would not falter at all.
"H-Haxorus!" To overcome this, Haxorus would use Stone Edge, aiming his mouth at the Lich Queen. From his mouth, sharp crystal stones would fly out, grabbing Rosa's attention immediately.
Rosa merely broke the stones apart just by swinging her thorns around, shattering them with ease. Haxorus failed to stop her as she was too perceptive to be caught off guard so easily.
"G-Gol!" And as for the Golurk, they were blown back by Yveltal who managed to overpower the troops of the Crystal Empire with its Legendary Power. Aegislash tried staying strong, using King's Shield to block a powerful Shadow Claw. Some of the Golurks had crashed into the walls of the chamber, plastered there and fainted.
"It's too much for us..." Flash Sentry groaned as his Pidgeot was right beside him, already haven taken massive damage during this brawl.
"Not yet." Shining Armor, whose helmet had fallen off, refused to let this get the better of him. "If we can just break them free for a moment...I wish I had some magic to use right about now though!"
"Not a bad showing from you, Yveltal." Rosa Maledicta chuckled. "I got to find out what a Pokemon Battle feels like. It is rather entertaining as you all say it is. But I'm not here to indulge in it any longer. I believe it's time I took your lives. And Yveltal will be the one to do it."
"Don't do it!" Cadence yelled while still in the tube. She tried banging on the tube but lacked the strength now that all of her magic was gone. It would've been pointless either way.
"What move was it again?" Rosa pondered for a moment before recalling the signature move of Yveltal. Once she remembered, she did not hesitate to use it instantly. "Oh yes...Oblivion Wing!"
Yveltal created a transparent violet sphere in front of it, with blue electricity-like energy in it. It then fired a violet beam of energy that carried the most terrifying force imaginable that anyone would fear. If this were to touch anyone here, it would spell the end for them and the first targets were Shining Armor and Flash Sentry as the eyes of Cadence and Flurry Heart expanded in horror.
"King's Shield!"
"Ae...Aegislash!" However, King's Shield had something to say about that. He once again protected his friends, forming that same hexagonal shield when changing forms. The shield blocked the Oblivion Wing, saving them from harm.
"Hah..." The two alicorns sighed, glad to see the attack didn't fully go through. But Aegislash couldn't pull it off a second time. At least not when using King's Shield in succession.
"Should've seen that coming." Rosa sighed, unbothered by this. "Again, Yveltal! It can't block a second time!"
"I won't go down here! Sacred Sword!"
"Pidgeot! Aerial Ace!"
"Aegis!" Aegislash and Pidgeot approached Yveltal, throwing the best that they had even though things were looking dire for them.
"Not this time." Refusing to let them have a chance, Rosa Maledicta got involved, using her thorns once more. The thorns would try and intercept Aegislash and Pidgeot, who were already eyeing them down. Aegislash knew he couldn't cut them at all so instead, he would hold out his shield while also charging in with his bladed body. He blocked the incoming thorns, feeling them stagger his body but that did not stop him from moving in.
"Pi! Pidgeot!" As for Pidgeot, he couldn't afford to be hit by the thorns once more. He focused on evasion once again while approaching Yveltal, using the speed of Aerial Ace to the best of his abilities. He would spin, evading the thorns that almost got him before ascending to dodge them yet again. Meanwhile, Yveltal had another Oblivion Wing prepared, building it up once more with no control over his own actions.
"Not like this...Haxorus! Detransform! Do it!" Spike, whose entire face was covered in thorns, slipped his mouth through one of them just to shout at Haxorus.
"H-Hax...Haxorus!" Refusing to let this be the end of either of them, Haxorus would hear out Spike's plan. A simple one. Seeing that he was restrained by the thorns, he would immediately transform once more, but it would be a reversion. The golden light appeared once more as his body shrunk which would be used to his advantage.
In a stroke of genius from Spike, Haxorus had changed size, reverting to an Axew and slipping out of the thorns since they were meant to hold someone of his stature. Once he was out, Axew would charge straight for Yveltal first with his little legs.
"Hm?!" Rosa eyed Axew, seeing how he slipped out of his grasp. She would immediately send them back at the Dragon-Psychic-Type, changing the size of the thorns to match his minuscule size.
"Again!"
"Ax!" Axew would do it yet again, having the golden light explode out of his body. He was back as a Haxorus which meant that he was faster despite his size. This allowed him to avoid the thorns that came from him which was a near-miss. The thorns then redirected themselves, targeting the larger Pokemon. "Hax!"
Haxorus had to do it yet again. Another transformation as fast as he could, turning him into his smaller form. The thorns went over his head, missing him completely now that he was shorter. It was a clever plan as he kept changing sizes, avoiding the thorns in the best ways that he could. All the while, he was still going for Yveltal.
"Back him up...Hyper Beam!"
"Gol!" The Golurk who were still active would take action, using Hyper Beam as soon as possible. Rosa Maledicta now had to focus on the incoming Hyper Beams, finding this to be an ever-growing irritation.
"Haxo!" And with his body becoming larger once more, Haxorus would lunge into the air while the thorns were right behind him. He needed the strength of his final evolution to really engage with Yveltal so there was no time for another transformation. And his main target was the tail of Yveltal as he was ready to grip it.
The thorns were right near Haxorus' legs, ready to grab them, only for the Hyper Beams to get in the way. The Hyper Beams crashed into the thorns that nearly reached Haxorus, intercepting them and bringing a plethora of outbursts. What this ended up doing was boosting Haxorus. The force of the explosion had rocketed Haxorus further, giving him the boost he needed.
"Haxo...Rus!" Haxorus grabbed onto Yveltal's tail, interrupting his Oblivion Wing. This allowed Aegislash and Pidgeot to finally land their attacks and they took full advantage of it. Using their full strength, Aegislash swung his blade down on Yveltal's chest while Pidgeot tackled him.
But that wasn't it. With all of his might, Haxorus would throw Yveltal, sending the Destruction Pokemon flying away. Afterwards, the thorns reached Haxorus once he threw Yveltal, finally landing a hit on him. But the action had already been done and the direction Yveltal had been thrown at was at the tubes.
The Dark-Flying-Type crashed into Rosa Maledicta, who tried blocking with her thorns. But the force of Yveltal being launched pushed through the thorns, knocking her away as she came along the ride with Yveltal. The two of them would hit Fluttershy's tube, which would instantly knock it over, hitting the other two tubes that were beside it as all three of them went crashing down. Everyone gasped as the three tubes hit the ground hard, breaking apart their glass thanks to Yveltal being the catalyst. The green liquid within would fly out along with the bodies of three captured ponies. But they were no longer captured, or at least, contained.
"Haxo..." Haxorus smiled, even after the thorns hit him and forced him back to the floor. He can proudly say he was the first one to deal damage to the Lich Queen by sending Yveltal into her.
"N-Nice work, Haxorus." Shining Armor laughed as he quickly rushed to the side of his family and friend. So did Flash Sentry and Haxorus. "Cadence! Flurry!"
"You boys are so destructive when it comes to battling..." Cadence smiled. "If it were me and Sylveon, there wouldn't be this much rubble..."
"If Giratina were still here, the whole place would've been taken down..." Flurry Heart added
"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" Shining Armor hugged them both, relieved beyond belief. Haxorus would then pick up Fluttershy who was unconscious throughout the whole thing. However, now that she was out of the tube, the process of turning her into a vampire had been interrupted. But it was hard to tell how much of that Vampiric Magic has entered her body. Shining Armor wanted to feel this moment of happiness a bit longer while hugging them both, but knew he couldn't. Not at all.
"Quick! Get them out of here as soon as possible!" Shining Armor ordered, wanting the three of them away from the Lich Queen even if she had been knocked back. Pidgeot understood clearly, swooping in to grab Flurry Heart. There was simply no time to waste. Any Golurk that could still move would run over as Shining Armor passed the alicorns over. Haxorus had picked up Spike, Radiant Hope and Starlight Glimmer, who were still covered in thorns. He would simply take the thorns with them if that's what had to be done.
Leaving this part of the chamber was the biggest priority as the ones who had the five ponies and baby dragon in their care would book it as fast as they could. It was only the ones who could still move properly and weren't that drained that picked them up.
"You actually pulled it off." Rosa Maledicta commented as she sounded completely casual. The hearts of everyone skipped a beat as the Lich Queen could be seen emerging from all the dust, smoke and rubble, walking out of it and looking completely fine. Not a scracth on her or anything. Not even a messy mane. There was some dust on her face whch she would quickly wipe away though. "Not bad...Not bad at all." She had to give credit where credit was due.
Not only did they manage to free the three of them but they even damaged Yveltal in the process. Rosa Maledicta once saw how effective they were once they unified their strengths. It was already shown to her back at Ponyville and that carries over to their friends and family from other locations.
"But look at you all. So weak and drained." Rosa Maledicta continued after making her reappearance. "You've reached the peak of what you can do. And now I'll snuff out your lives. Yveltal!"
Flying out of the smoke and rubble was Yveltal. He shrugged it off completely. All that damage he took earlier practically meant nothing to him. The Destruction Pokemon ascended from the smoke, spreading out its Wings of Destruction. Everyone looked in pain and horror as Yveltal was back up once more. Lo and behold, it was still charging up Oblivion Wing, storing up power. Even after the knockback and crash it was involved in, it did not let that attack go.
Pidgeot and the others couldn't afford to look back. They had to keep going before the Lich Queen notices them. They rushed up the stairs, leaving the deep part of the chamber as soon as possible. Shining Armor stayed behind, confronting the Lich Queen once more.
"Wait! Dad!" Flurry Heart yelled, noticing how Shining Armor was staying behind..
"And for maximum efficiency...I'll add my own magic into it!" Rosa Maledicta suddenly shot magic into Yveltal, transferring her power over. To the shock of everyone, Yveltal's Oblivion Wing was being powered up, becoming stronger than ever.
"King's Shield!"
"Ae-" Another King's Shield was coming. At least, it would have arrived, until the thorns had only Aegislash's body before that could happen. "Aegis! Aegislash...!" He tried cutting his way out of the thorns but even his blade couldn't do such a thing. These thorns were just too powerful. Way more than what they were all expecting to the point where it seemed like nothing could destroy them.
"Oh, no. Not this time." Rosa said with a deeper tone. "Fire." With that one command, the Powered-up Oblivion Wing was thrown. Larger than ever, it hit Aegislash directly. And once it hit the Royal Sword Pokemon, the explosion it made out engulf everyone else that was behind him. All of them would be swallowed up by this morose and doleful beam of destruction.
Cadence and Flurry Heart's pupils changed colours after seeing the dark red of the Oblivion Wing hit its mark. They saw it for themselves. The Life-Ending Move hitting a target for the first time and it ended up hitting more than one. Shining Armor was in there. So was Flash Sentry and all the other Crystal Empire Soldiers as well as the Golurk that assisted them. The ones that could still fight and the ones that had fainted. A purple wave of destruction emerged afterwards, obliterating a chunk of the chamber and noticeably, the thorns as well.
The thorns of the Lich Queen that were laying around were taken out as well. They witnessed the kind of power that threatened all life in the world for the very first time. And the ones who took that power directly suffered from it. After the purple smoke cleared, the outcome was clear to many and to all.
Shining Armor's body had been turned to stone, along with everyone that had been hit by it. Their lives had been snuffed out, becoming the first major victims of the Black Crusade. They were as still as statues but this was not any form of petrification. Their lives were gone, indefinitely.
Cadence and Flurry Heart were left speechless. All they could do was yell out the name of their fallen loved one. The scream they unleashed was deafening as neither of their voices overpowered each other. And staring at these destroyed ponies was the Lich Queen, who claimed her first victims. From her mouth, she would revel in this and anticipate what was coming next.
"This is where it starts. First, the Crystal Empire and then, every Universe out there."
As the journey continues.
Chapter 174 End.