Equestria. Magehold. Magehold Chamber. Day.
Opal Vivacity was about to combust. But it was unlike all the others. This combustion would be greater than all the ones that have come before as Opal Vivacity was fully dedicated to ending the life of her opponents who have gotten under her skin. With no regard to how her fellow vampires, Opal was going all-in without fearing what would happen to her.
"I don't have to fear what will happen to me at all!" But there was a reason for that. "I'll just come back via one of the tubes! There's a spare one somewhere just for me, so I'm sitting pretty at all times!"
"Are you crazy?! You'll take out your own?!" Adagio shouted, in utter disbelief that Opal Vivacity would go this far just to guarantee victory for herself.
"So?!" Opal did not care at all. It was only herself that she cared about, seeing herself as the most important pony possible. "That'll just bring more souls to the table! Plus, I'll take out some potential traitors along the way, so that's a positive, don't you think?!"
With her making the most horrendous face possible, the Mega Evolution COnstruct was pulsating rapidly, essentially becoming a countdown. This combustion was not instant, unlike the rest. instead, it was building up, but what it was building up to was absolutely terrifying.
"This is exactly why I left Magehold...She's beyond unhinged!" A stunned Vivace shuddered. "She won't hesitate for a moment to destroy everything around her! I don't even know how massive this explosion will be!"
"S-Should we run?!" Sonata stuttered, feeling the sea that her Vaporeon generated tremble. The Mega Evolution Construct was even brightening as another signal of it counting down. Opal Vivacity was about to unleash every ounce of Infinity Energy into one massive blast while also adding her natural combustion into it. They could already tell that this explosion could be highly catastrophic since Opal disregarded her fellow vampires.
"No way! As if we're running from someone like her!" Adagio refused to flee, however. She was very fearless in the face of such a powerful force that was about to be unleashed soon.
"Now's not the time to act brave! She's going to blow!" Aria thought differently, wanting to be far away from the explosion as possible.
"Opal will be fine thanks to that hidden tube in her mansion home. And she probably has something else up her sleeve. The best thing we can do is stop her here and now."
"Now?!" Aria shouted.
"She's right. Opal's done too much harm to so many others. If she succeeds here, she'll only cause further harm with no end in sight." Rarity replied before stopping her sentence, noticing a sudden change in the Mega Evolution Construct. "Is it getting bigger?!"
Indeed, the construct was growing in size. With each pulse that it let out, the construct expanded, getting bigger and bigger as it was taking up plenty of space. Opal was pouring all of the Infinity Energy she could into this construct, using the full power of the stones she was utilizing. She held out the stones to give the construct more power, attempting to go beyond its limits.
Naturally, with such a size increase, it didn't take long until others nearby noticed this. The giant construct of Opal Vivacity's Mega Evolution could be seen by others who were busy confronting the Despair Plants and other vampires within the Magehold Chamber.
"Quick Vaporeon! Hydro Pump!" Sonata tried stopping this before it could really get out of hand, hoping to interrupt the explosion before it can ever go off.
"Vaporeon!" Straight for her mouth, a powerful wave of water with the highest possible volume had been unleashed. But this time, Hydro Pump would be stopped. The sheer energy that the Construct was giving off disrupted the Hydro Pump, distorting it and warping the space around it. Afterwards, the attack was destroyed, failing to get through.
"Did it just distort space?!" Sonata gasped after Vaporeon's attack was distorted out of nowhere.
"Plenty of Pokemon Power does that!" Rarity shuddered. "At its peak, Pokemon Phenomenons can warp space and reality around it! She's using so much Infinity Energy that she's created an Aura of it!" It didn't just distort Hydro Pump but also the water that Vaporeon created minutes ago. The water was beginning to fizzle out with this distortion, leaving a massive hole that size of the construct that revealed fresh air once more.
"I've said it before to Rarity and I'll say it again to all of you this! My whole life, I've kicked others down to get where I am! No matter how much they resist or how mad they drive me, I'll always succeed, no matter how long it takes or how much effort goes into it!" Opal rambled as her pupils were sharpening along with her fangs. She even started reminiscing about the past, going over everything she's done so far to get to this point.
Ever since she was a filly, Opal had that vicious side to her. Vivace confirmed it. It was why she left Magehold in the first place due to Opal's unhinged nature. At such a young age, she committed horrific acts and already pursued true beauty and power.
I knew I was destined for greatness from the very start. I had to hit the ground running and become the best, so that my
reign as the next LIch Ruler would be stupendous. After all, I am part Lich so it is practically my right to be on that throne. And I had to do a lot to make sure it was secure, especially when future Lich Kings and Queens came into the scene.
Of course, Opal already mentioned this when talking to Rarity but she hammered it in more. Obviously, OPal was around when the other Lich Rulers came into power but she had something to do with it at such a young age. As time went on, the older she got, the more cruel she became. There was never an innocent look on that face even as a child. It always carried a foreboding and vile look on it.
It was so vile that it affected those around her. The Young Opal Vivacity went to school with her intimidating presence, scaring other children who did not carry such a violent disposition as she did. Little vampires stayed away from her and Opal did not hesitate to take advantage of her presence.
She even gathered up her own posse who would follow her but it was out of her sheer intimidation. There was some admiration considering how evil she felt to them, making her a prodigy at such a young age. A prodigy that would rise to do great things in the eyes of the vampires who only sought violence.
Her group increased, gaining more vampires who would support Opal Vivacity while the Dread League was growing in size ever since Vivace first came up with the idea and founded it. And with that increase, so did Opal's wicked nature as she would stand in front of everyone behind her, racing to the top in her own wicked ways.
And just as she said, it was by kicking others down. It started with the entertainment that was once rich in Magehold but was soon torn down by Opal Vivacity out of jealousy and vanity. So many hopes and dreams were crushed by her as she weeded out the competition, making sure no one would achieve stardom and beauty beyond her.
This even involved magic as other prodigies were looked down upon by her. And those prodigies were even vampires who did not wish to spread destruction or join the Dread League. As a result, Opal Vivacity stepped on their dreams as well, already using the Parasite Demon at such a young age.
She was rather fond of that demon, sticking it onto other prodigies who she feared would overtake her. But she did not yet know that she could borrow power from the Parasite Demon when using it. At best, she only robbed them of their special magic, leaving only mediocre, good and great magic behind, while hers was above them all, being better than great.
"All those previous Lich Rulers started to regret everything late into their reign. They saw the Black Crusade as something that was utterly pointless with no meaning behind it. They never embraced the reign to its fullest, which made me crave the throne even more! So, I personally got rid of them when they started having second thoughts.
It was Opal Vivacity who eliminated the previous LIch Kings and Queens. During her Teenage Years, she recalled how she took out the second Lich Ruler, using her Curse magic to disrupt the senses. While not on the level of what happened with Rarity, it was still so vile that the Lich Ruler could not function at all. Opal was greatly responsible for their reigns coming to an end, watching over them as she was also one of the earliest members of the Dread League. How could she not be with such an evil disposition?
I waited and waited to see who would be worthy as the next ruler but so many of them were pathetic, showing promise at the start and falling right afterwards.
Opal remembered the faces of every Lich Ruler before Rosa Maledicta showed up and of course, they were all Equestrians, who started to think about what they were doing.
It's that Equestrian Spirit. Something about that spirit makes them get all sappy. Disgusting. Either commit or get lost. And that's what I did. I took care of all the previous ones by sealing them within Magehold, making sure their magic remained so that they could be of some use. Lo and behold, that day finally came in the form of our current Lich Queen. Rosa Maledicta. Far better than all the others. I'll follow her only and when her time is up, I'll take over at last. If something goes wrong. She's the only one I won't betray just because of the work she's done.
"Did you just say...you sealed them in Magehold?" That's when something hit Fractured Note's mind. His ears did not deceive him as one of Opal's sentences caught his attention. "The Lich Cycle involves the magic of the previous Lich Kings and Queens which pass on after one finishes their reign. The most recent is Rosa Maledicta..."
"That's right. I did it all in secret so none would be the wiser. I took out the previous Lich Rulers without anyone else knowing aside from my pathetic sister, who wouldn't dare try and speak about it. But I couldn't let such power go to waste. I know just how powerful a Lich can be. I mean, I'm part Lich after all. It was almost difficult making it work for the upcoming centuries, but I pulled it off as to be expected."
"You've always been this power-hungry?!" Adagio exclaimed, shocked that Opal's obsession went this far back. To pursue power for so many centuries was wild and maddening but not to Opal.
Always! No one else could interact with the Lich Magic but me. Just like how I'm the one who got Magehold on the right track in the first place. Magehold should embrace its destructive side, coming up with the Black Crusade in the first place which was absolutely perfect. Not whatever you were thinking of in the beginning, Father."
"You...You created the Lich Cycle! You're the Great Evil the Seer spoke of!" Fractured Note was absolutely gobsmacked. He finally knew about the
"Bingo!" She was honest about it too, not dismissing Fractured Note's words. "I was the very first member of the Dread League! I came up with the Black Crusade and I started that Cycle to make sure evil truly reigns within Magehold! Don't be too surprised, Mother. Father. I'm a product of both of you. A Lich, a Siren and a Vampire. Together and you have a truly perfect being such as myself!"
The source of all this trouble was not the Lich Queen, but rather Opal Vivacity. The Lich Cycle and the Black Crusade were all her idea that she merely passed on to other Lich Rulers, waiting for the right one. Rosa Maledicta was the perfect fit for her as Opal Vivacity felt like the true mastermind despite not being in charge.
"Isn't there a way to stop her?!"
"I don't know!" Fractured Note shook his head, unable to find a way out of this one. "I can't think of anything that can stop this explosion! Nothing can stop a vampire when they combust!"
Opal's Mega Construct grew with seemingly no one being present to stop it at all. Eventually, with its size growing, surpassing the water that held it down, it would burst through the ceiling of the chamber, eventually reaching the outside. The construct grew to such an enormous size that it could barely escape anyone, surpassing the chamber in size.
Ash gasped after noticing the massive construct burst out of the chamber as this grabbed the attention of many others, especially Fantina. The pulse not only grew stronger but it could be heard by many others, giving them a warning sign. Rosa Maledicta took notice of this, seeing Opal's Mega Evolution Construct going off in the distance. She already knew what Opal Vivacity was about to attempt. Opal even saw Olympia among the crowd, shocked that she was still alive. But to her, it didn't matter as the explosion would make sure Olympia was gone for good.
The force of the growing construct shook everything around it, breaking apart the rocks and damaging more of the already scarred land. Even the Shadow Beings took notice as this was something that threatened them as well. Opal did not care who would be taken out, as long as she succeeds. But she also had full belief that the Lich Queen would make it out of this. The Dazzlings and Rarity didn't have many options for this. They weren't even sure what to do with this as time was running short.
"Behold everyone!" Opal Vivacity would speak to everyone. "You'll all be blown away and it'll be clear that the Black Crusade will be utterly victorious! Just as I always expected it to be from the very beginning centuries ago!"
"There is nothing you can do about this! After this, I'll continue doing what I do best! I'll crush all others who stand in my way, lie, cheat and make sure I'm always on top!"
"Even if we can't do anything, we at least have to try!" Rarity wouldn't give up so easily. She would try and find a way. "It may distort our attacks but can it do it consistently? Ampharos! Zap Cannon! Milotic, Hydro Pump! Leavanny! Energy Ball!"
Rarity's Pokemon would still try and retaliate despite the rather terrifying force in front of them. A blast of water, plenty of electricity and three spheres of nature were unleashed, racing towards Opal and her construct. The space around it would try and distort the attack but Rarity was banking on multiple attacks being enough to push through.
Sure enough, her theory had some weight to it. As soon as all those attacks reached the construct, the space was already trying to distort them holding them back. The attacks were doing everything they could to push through, slowly fizzling out.
"You as well, Kricketune! Hyper Beam!" And soon, the Dazzlings would chime in, assisting Rarity.
"Vaporeon, Hydro Pump again!"
"Brionne, use Moonblast! Croagunk, use Shadow Ball!" Once their Pokemon went on the offensive, they would support Rarity's Pokemon, keeping their attacks around by pushing back against the distorted space. Hyper Beam hit the hardest, sending a ripple through the air.
All these attacks were fiercely pushing against the Mega Evolution Construct's energy shield while it was still building up power. Unfortunately, it seemed like they wouldn't be enough to stop the explosion. The Pokemon were fighting for their lives, pushing themselves to try and overcome this struggle. They knew what would happen if they didn't. The entire chamber walls had been obliterated exposing more of the outside while also breaking apart the floor itself.
"Pitiful." Opal Vivacity sneered at this attempt before feeling another attack hitting the space of her construct. This time, this one came from behind, forcing her construct to bring up more defences. "What?!"
"Mismagius!" It was done by a Mismagius. But not just any Mismagius. Fantina's Mismagius. Fantina had stepped out of the Contest Hall, confronting Opal Vivacity once more. She wished to protect everyone and something like this threatened the lives of so many innocents.
"Fantina?! You again?!" Opal groaned out of anger, displeased to see Fantina at this moment. She didn't have just her Mismagius attack her construct. Her Gengar, Drifblim, Dusknoir and Jellicent had joined in. More attacks were pouring in, trying to stop Opal's wild action.
It didn't stop at Fantina. The one who reunited with Fantina appeared, chiming in with electrifying attacks. It was Volkner of course, having his Luxray and Rotom push against the space. Electivire did the same from far away, gaining some distance and targeting the head of Opal Vivacity's Mega Evolution Construct.
All around, many were fighting back against Opal. With these attacks crashing into her space, she was starting to lose the struggle. The space her construct made was starting to fail, slowly shattering and breaking apart. No one had to say anything to Opal Vivacity at all. Their actions were enough as they all had one common goal. Opal's eyes were flashing violently as even she was starting to strain. She was already thinking of using her Fate-Changing Mane to turn the tides. But all of a sudden, another batch of attacks would throw her off, disrupting the space around her which was enough to make her tremble.
As if anyone here wanted to be obliterated. Standing up to Opal Vivacity after many centuries of fear were all the citizens who had their entertainment robbed from them. They had sent out their Pokemon, having them attack the Construct together as more than a couple of attacks were interrupting her.
"You traitors!" Opal was fed up with how many vampires were turning tail and deciding to revolt. Specifically, they were revolting against her more than anyone else. "I can't lose...Not like this!"
"Pheromosa! High Jump Kick!" In unison, Rarity and Adagio would shout, deciding to strike while the iron was hot. And it was at its highest temperature with all of these attacks pushing against the distorted space so now was the best time to add the heaviest attacks possible.
In unison, both Pheromosas would take off, moving at blinding speeds and leaping into the air. In perfect sync, they flipped through the air, crashing their powerful legs into the Construct's Shield. And upon hitting it, the erratic space received its hardest hit yet, making it ripple. One part of the space had been shattered thanks to these two unifying their strengths.
Opal gasped as one massive part of her shield had been shattered, resulting in the Ultra Beast Duo being the first to reach her. And when they reached her they delivered a shattering kick to the face of her Mega Evolution Construct, striking the side of its jaw. The impact of this strike was enough to rattle even Opal Vivacity as the head of this construct was starting to turn while pulsating.
The energy it was emitting was still powerful, trying to fight back against the two Pheromosas. Joining in on this powerful kick was Sonata's Lopunny, having powerful kicks of her own. She specifically went for the hooves, trying to break them apart but she would have to get through the shield first. And with the force of her kick, it looked like she was about to push through as well.
"This isn't happening! I've reached so many heights that none of you should even reach with me! How are you all doing this?!" Opal hissed, snarled, roared and made other horrific sounds, baring her vicious fangs. "My power should be as great as my beauty!
"Someone like you was bound to fail eventually!" Rarity shouted as her mane was blowing fiercely during this struggle. "You're not beautiful at all! You're the embodiment of ugly!"
"Kh!" Being labelled as anything but beautiful was shocking to Opal Vivacity. Rarity was the one to really tell her that. That was the final straw for Opal Vivacity who looked like she was about to crumble from this. Her wobbly frown kept trying to form a crooked smile but failed to do so. In a last-ditch attempt, Opal Vivacity went for her Fate-Changing Mane, which is what everyone failed.
Alas, no one had any method of stopping it. There wasn't a single attack that could stop this and any attack that could maybe do something was still trying to push through the Construct. The two Pheromosas couldn't even do it. They hadn't yet pushed through the construct to reach Opal Vivacity at her closest.
"Too bad! Fate is always on my side!"
"Baaaaay!" But she wasn't the only one. Appearing from above was the one she originally stole from months ago. The true wilder of the Fate Changing Ability. From above, the entire top part of her leaf would come off, touching the face of the Mega Evolution Construct.
Opal went silent for a moment, recognizing that leaf from anywhere. She slowly looked up right as her mane was about to drop on her hoof, someone had already altered fate and that was Fluttershy's Bayleef. Speaking of Fluttershy, she was the one who threw Bayleef from above, counting on her partner. And she was right to do it.
Opal Vivacity's mane never reached her mane as a beautiful white flash went off, instantly enveloping the entire construct and everyone that put their all into attacking it. Fate favoured the innocents and brought out the worst outcome for Opal Vivacity.
The explosion never happened. It never went off. It never built up. The only thing that remained was the size increase of the construct. But that was enough for everyone to see what was about to happen next. Once Opal realized Fate had been changed and her mane went right back in, she could utter no words but look in shock and horror at what was coming her way.
A staggering kick that was enough to shatter steel crashed into her face thanks to the two Pheromosas. Her pupils went white after taking the hit which was harder than anything she's ever felt. Her beautiful face had been tarnished by these two beautiful Pokemon as her Mega Evolution Construct shattered.
Like glass, it would break apart as the two stones fell out of her mane, ending the high flux of Infinity Energy that they generated. And with everyone nearby watching this transpire, they saw how Opal Vivacity had been knocked down. This time, Fate was not on her side and she did not have the power to change it.
The Half Vampire, Half Lich and Half Siren would not crash into the ground but instead, the attacks everyone unleashed would be the ones to strike her before that could ever happen. So many elements reached her and some were far more effective thanks to her weakness to light. But they all played their part in delivering maximum damage to her.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Her last words were a vicious scream as her entire body unleashed a new batch of Infinity Energy once all the attacks managed to hit her. Her scream was heard by all near and far, having a horrifying tone behind it, even drowning out the attacks that struck her.
At long last, after so many have been terrorized and suffered from her, Opal Vivacity had been defeated. And it took the combined might of Humans, Pokemon Equestrians and Magehold Citizens to make it happen. Fitting as they were the ones she has terrorized. She laid in a massive crater, having a large bruise on her face and a ruined mane that was fizzling with Rift Energy. But the best part of it all was how her mane had been destroyed. All those attacks flying in were enough to destroy her mane as she had no way to defend it. Not this time. And never again will she defend it. Never again.
That chance wouldn't come as all the remainder of Infinity Energy would start tearing her up all of a sudden. Her body was beginning to fizzle out as well thanks to all the abilities she had stolen. So many Pokemon attacks hitting her meant that her abilities went haywire, unsure of what to do since there were so many of them. A majority of those attacks came from Magehold's citizens.
Before she could scream again, Opal Vivacity's voice went silent, unable to say anything. The final thing she saw as the excess of energy took her away were the faces of Rarity, Fantina and everyone else that came together to stop her. And right behind Fluttershy were her two blood sisters. Dimstar and Merry Dread, who aligned themselves with Equestria. It was faint but she could see them. In her final moments, Opal Vivacity realized she lost them and it greatly upset her. But there was nothing she could do about it as that was the end of that. Opal's body vanished in a flash of Infinity Energy that would disperse into the air before fading away.
All that was left was Olympia's Cape.
"Hah...Finally!" Rarity panted, absolutely bewildered and exhausted by it all. She sat down, glad that Opal's terror was finally over. "It's done with...That was way harder than it should've been..."
"All that power she took turned against her. She didn't know what to do against so many moves." Fractured Note said, already knowing what happened to Opal Vivacity.
"S-She's gone...?" Eccentrick said, in disbelief that Opal Vivacity was gone. It almost seemed unreal. This meant one thing. The terror she brought to them was no more now that the main driving force behind it had been wiped out.
And once it processed for the citizens, they would unleash their happiest cheers ever, even surpassing what they did back at the Contest Hall. This was a heavenly feeling. It was something that filled all of their hearts. A quick and heartfelt celebration was made. Rarity sat there hearing the cheers of everyone, putting on a smile. But right now, she simply wished to fall asleep after everything that's transpired. She saw her Pokemon run up to her, bringing solace to her heart.
"I should feel upset that one of our daughters is gone. Just like that." Fractured Note said. "Maybe it was for the best that Opal was gone. After I learned she's responsible for that Great Evil."
"It is what it is, dear." Vivace went up to him. "For the sake of everyone else we love now, it was for the best." They put a pin in this and decided to end it. It was the most bizarre family reunion ever, completely overwhelming for them. Especially Dimstar and Merry Dread who witnessed the final moments of Opal Vivacity.
Everyone just wanted to take in, hugging each other and so on as their future was looking bright now that the darkest part of it had been defeated at last. For a moment, Magehold knew what peace was. The one who disrupted that peace for so long as gone. But of course,o this peace was not permanent and they have yet to really bring the rest of it.
"Hm. So Opal lost." Rosa Maledicta spoke, throwing her two cents into it. "Oh well. I suppose I'm staying as the current Lich Ruler forever. I was expecting her to betray me one day anyway."
Despite Opal Vivacity being defeated, Rosa Maledicta still kept her sights on the Black Crusade. She lost possibly her most powerful member of the Dread League, who no one else could compare. But there was one other ally she had. The Pony of Shadows, who was currently dealing with Twilight's group.
"Tch. But she was a valuable player in all of this. I will have to keep relying on the Pony of Shadows now." She would then scoff before seeing the Box of 100 Demons coming to her. Melody Moon and Bittersweet were the ones to bring it over since they retrieved it in the first place. She would then face the intruders from outside, speaking to them with a rather annoyed tone that was followed by a devious smile.
"This isn't over, Equestria."
As the journey continues.
Chapter 188 End.