//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 - Dream Bigger // Story: Tartarus Infernum // by Sunderbraze //------------------------------// ********** The Equestrian Elite scrambled to their hooves, preparing to form a line by Celestia’s side. “Aw, but it was almost my turn!” the disappointed Pinkie Pie protested; Twilight had hurriedly dematerialized the game board before breaking away from the group. Cadance stood up, pulling her mother along with her. “We have to be strong,” she whispered encouragingly. Terra nodded weakly and stood by her daughter’s side with Celestia. The ground team stood to the far right, the magic team took the center, and the airborne team hovered above them. “Here they come,” Celestia said, deepening her voice to address the group at large. “Shining Armor, prepare your shield. Should they attack, ground team, counter them first.” Affirmative shouts of varying pitch and accent echoed from the right as the earth ponies readied themselves for combat. Shining Armor’s shield spell formed around them, encasing the Elite in a thick violet dome as the velociraptors drew closer and closer. “What are they, princess?” Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes at the approaching creatures. “Velociraptors,” Celestia told her gasping student. “I do not know how they exist, but they do, and they approach us… Carrying a banner, it seems. This doesn’t bode well for their intentions…” “Have you ever seen that design before?” Twilight replied, carefully looking at the coat of arms. It was jet-black, with white designs across it. A thick claw was in the center, a jawbone lined the bottom, and a pair of bull’s horns surrounded the sides. The banner itself was in the shape of a forked tongue. “Never…” Celestia replied. “Starswirl, do you recognize the banner?” “No nation on this planet carries that emblem!” he shouted back. “This is fascinating!” “Is he always like that?” Twilight quietly asked the princess—she rolled her eyes. “Yes…” Celestia confirmed, resisting the urge to bury a hoof into her face. She addressed the team over her shoulder. “…One minute until they reach us! Ground team, be ready!” “Look, they’re slowing down!” Twilight told her, pointing at the raptors curiously. The flock seemed to be matching the pace of the furthest ahead—the bearer of the banner—who had slowed from a run and entered a brisk jog. He continued to decelerate into a slow walk, coming to a stop across from the Equestrian Elite. “Stay here,” Celestia ordered, walking to the edge of the protective shield. “Do not move to intercept until I give the order. I will speak with them.” “I’m sure they’re just here for a friendly chat,” Ragehoof muttered sarcastically. Dash glared at him angrily from above. Celestia exited the shield and stood across from the flock of raptors, spreading her wings and igniting her horn. ********** “You have entered the sovereign kingdom of Equestria,” Celestia boomed, focusing her attention on the carrier of the banner. “My name is Princess Celestia, and standing with me are the Equestrian Elite… Make no hostile action, and we shall take none.” Saying nothing, the carrier of the banner stepped forward, and stabbed it into the grass. The corners of his wide mouth curled into a grin, and he walked past the banner, approaching Celestia slowly. “Tank ya for da wel-come, ya highness,” the deeply accented raptor replied, ending his sentence with a brief hiss. His razor-sharp teeth were too numerous to count, and they looked like a collection of pearly daggers. “We dare not come bearin’ violence,” he continued. "Only words..." “Then speak,” Celestia replied authoritatively. “Who are you, and where are you from?” “We but humble servants a’ da Blood Prince,” the raptor continued. The other velociraptors grinned wickedly along with him. “He send we ta survey da land, and present ja da terms a’ surrendah...” “We regret to inform the Blood Prince that he is mistaken,” Celestia responded forcefully, stomping one of her plated hooves into the ground. “Any attempted invasion will be thwarted with overwhelming force!” “Da Blood Prince utter but two words should ja deny,” spoke the messenger, still grinning. “Good luck.” “You will now carry a message back to the Blood Prince,” ordered Celestia. “So long as a single one of his troops stand upon Equestrian soil, his safety is not guaranteed.” “As ya wish, ya highness,” replied the raptor, bowing his head cordially. “We leavin’ soon. Jus’ between you and dis humble messengah, it seems ya days are numbah’d…” “Are you threatening me, messenger?” Celestia asked, stepping forwards. Her glowing horn brightened, causing the banner in front of the raptors burst into a brilliant golden fire. “Wuddn’t dreeeam ov eet,” the raptor grinned, stepping back from the golden blaze. “It needer we nor da Blood Legion dat treaten ya now…” “To what do you refer?” Celestia asked; she phrased it more like a command than a question. “Da big’un dat comes ya way, ov course,” said the messenger. “Ee’s half a sun behind we, and ee’s feet be big enough to crush ya wit’ but a step, ya highness… Dis messengah wish ta warn ya… He seem ta have fewer words den we…” “The dragon-sized prisoner of Discord… Starswirl and I saw him from orbit,” Celestia thought to herself quickly. “At least now we know Discord's prisoners are not allied against us…” Without pause, she resumed speaking. “Should he threaten us, his size will matter naught. Equestria’s harmony will be threatened by nothing; not you, not the Blood Prince, nor the big one to which you refer… If you have nothing more to say, be gone.” “Tank ya for da time, ya highness,” the messenger grinned one last time, turning around. The other raptors followed suit, and they began to walk away, their pace steadily increasing into a run. “Celestia…” Ragehoof muttered, preparing to charge. “We need to capture one, and interrogate it… Give me five minutes with one of those meat-eating freaks and he’ll cough up everything we need to know…” “Stay your ground, Ragehoof,” Celestia ordered firmly. “We will not stoop to attacking messengers. There is another who will tell us more of this Blood Prince and the… big one… that we soon will face.” ********** “Who could that be, princess?” Twilight asked curiously, watching her brother began to lower the shield. The raptors had gone into a full retreat, and their banner had been reduced to a pile of white ash. “Twilight, Applejack, Rarity,” said the princess, turning around, “Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie—I need you girls to group up and stand at the ready.” “What’ll ya have us do, yer highness?” Applejack asked, trotting around the others and joining her friends around the princess. “There is only one who can tell us more about the Blood Prince and the big one,” Celestia said, regretting the words even as she said them. “...The one who imprisoned them himself, Discord...” “You can’t be serious!” Ragehoof protested loudly, as the girls gasped. “Let him out now, and you multiply our problems by a hundred!” “Not if the Elements of Harmony keep him on a tight leash,” replied Celestia. “I will teleport to Canterlot, and bring his stone-encased body back with me… Twilight, you and your friends will be able to release him, and we will question him. Should he try anything funny, you will re-imprison him.” “…If it’s is the only way, then we’re ready, princess!” Twilight said determinedly, stomping a hoof into the ground and grinning at her friends; they had mixed expressions in response to the idea of seeing Discord again. “Very well, I will return shortly,” Celestia said, dematerializing with a CRACK of golden energy. “Discord,” Dash muttered, angrily pounding her front hooves together. “Bad memories... But we’ll be ready this time!” “We shall not speak of such memories,” Rarity insisted, raising her chin defiantly. “If he makes one false move, he’ll receive an unpleasant surprise. In his face!” “I agree,” Twilight replied. She turned and addressed the team around her. “We should prepare for him as much as we can! Ashton, be ready to rope him down! Sergeant, keep your crossbow on him! Shining Armor, can you use your force field keep him from teleporting away?” “If I make a few adjustments, yeah,” Armor replied, closing his eyes and picturing the necessary changes to the spell. “I’ll cast it as soon as the princess returns!” “Good call,” said Twilight. “Everypony else, make sure you’re ready for anything… He’s really tricky!” “Tricky and delicious!” Pinkie added, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth. “I hope he makes some chocolate rain before we're done with him!” Ironmane flipped open his crossbow and pointed it towards the ground. Ashton coiled his rope, holding it ready to toss at a moment’s notice. Ragehoof stared quietly at the spot where Celestia had disappeared. “Discord isn’t very nice,” Fluttershy told Dusky nervously. “Help me keep an eye on him, okay?” She cawed curiously. “...You’re really doing this?” Terra gaped at Luna. She looked from her back to the spot where Celestia once stood. “You’re really going to release that… that thing?!” “The alternative is knowing nothing,” Luna replied cautiously. “…I’m sorry, sister. I don’t like him any more than you do, I assure you…” “This is going to be interesting,” Starswirl mused, glancing over at Aeon. “It’s sure been a while…” Aeon nodded uncomfortably in acknowledgement, joining Spitfire and Soarin’ in a hover above where the princess had dematerialized. “Here she comes…” the wizard gulped, observing Pinkie’s tail twitch slightly. With a CRACK of golden magic, Celestia reappeared above the group. Directly below her, the stone statue of Discord materialized, lying face-down in the grass. “Twilight, whenever you are ready,” Celestia told her, floating to the ground while Shining Armor cast his shield spell. It had a lighter shade of pink than its predecessors, and had been specifically reworked to disallow teleportation within. “Wait, your highness,” Armor said. “…I’ve tuned my shield to restrict teleportation. Can you test it?” “Clever,” Celestia told him; she tried to dematerialize, but her spell was unable to complete. “Very clever, captain… Thank you for thinking ahead.” “Wasn’t my idea, princess,” he replied, grinning at Twilight. “Alright, girls,” Twilight said determinedly, grinning back at him. “Let’s do this!” The Elements of Harmony glowed faintly as their wielders closed their eyes. A magical humming resonated through the air, and suddenly, a crack appeared on Discord’s torso. The crack traveled along his body, threatening to split the stone encasement in half. Moments later, the statue cracked open, revealing a smaller stone statue within. “What the?” Ragehoof asked. The smaller stone statue cracked in half, revealing an even smaller stone statue inside. Each layer of stone split in half, until there was nothing left—Discord’s formerly entombed body now resembled a sliced onion, with layers upon layers of stone statues cracked in half. ********** “Well, well, well,” an eerie and mischievous voice echoed throughout Armor's shield. “Oohhh, look at this! Wow, Celestia, I’m pretty shocked right now. I haven’t seen the four of you together in for-ever!” “Show yourself!” Celestia demanded—the Elite looked all around them, trying to trace the creepy voice’s source, but Discord was nowhere to be found. Discord’s voice sniffled, pretending to cry. “Swirly and his three little angels… Such fun times, oh, how I miss them…” “You’ll continue to miss them,” Celestia replied intensely. “We’ve freed you because we need some information. Make this easy on yourself, and cooperate!” A distorted image of Discord’s face appeared as a reflection in Shining Armor’s shield, gazing at the princess with an amused expression. “He’s INSIDE the shield?!” Twilight thought, gaping at the bloated image above them. "Is that even possible?!" “Information at gunpoint, Celestia, this isn’t your usual forte,” Discord chuckled, his face increasing in size. Pinkie giggled at him quietly. “You must be desperate if you’re turning to me...” “Quite the contrary,” Starswirl cut in cheerfully. “We’re just looking to get a sneak-peek at what’s to come. Care to share?” “Ah, Swirly, in another life you’d have made such a wonderful chaotician,” Discord replied. His face traveled across the sphere towards the wizard. “Very well! But first, I have a riddle for everypony!” “Great, a riddle,” Twilight muttered, rolling her eyes. “I knew this wouldn’t be easy…” “It goes like this…” giggled Discord, trailing off. His face faded away from the dome, and his voice lowered to an audible whisper. “…do you like raspberry lemonade?” With the sound of fingers snapping, Armor’s pink dome of shielding magic suddenly turned into a liquid of matching color—it immediately collapsed onto the ponies below, soaking them in sweet-tasting juice. The panicking Elite shook their drenched manes angrily. Ironmane’s crossbow suddenly fired itself, spraying confetti in every direction and ejecting a flag saying BANG from its muzzle. Ashton started to giggle at him, but yelped as the rope coiled around his hooves turned into a long snake. He dropped it, and it hissed angrily before burrowing into the ground. “Let’s lock him up!” Twilight shouted, firing up the Element of Magic. Her friends were now furious, except for Pinkie, who was licking the sweet lemonade from her face. “All right, all right!” Discord said, fully appearing in front of the wet-maned ponies. He waved a white flag in each of his hands. “I surrender, Twilight! Please, there’s no need to fire your lasers...” “Start talkin’!” Applejack hollered, pouring lemonade out of the brim of her hat. “No more funny business!” “But that’s the best kind of business,” protested the disappointed draconequus. “Very well… If you have questions, I have answers!” “Who is the Blood Prince?” Celestia asked him, narrowing her eyes. “Tell us everything about him. Now.” “Everything!” Discord repeated, smiling mischievously. He hopped into the air, landing in a wooden rocking chair that materialized behind him. A small pair of glasses appeared on his face, which he immediately adjusted. “Well, then! It’s story time!” Discord began rocking back and forth in the chair “…The Blood Prince was born in a log cabin near the Boarean Tundra, to a rather tempestuous household of centauren mountain folk… His father was a blacksmith with a short fuse, and his mother was a leatherworker, who just married him because he had a bi-“ “Everything relevant,” Celestia hissed, interrupting him. “What’n Equestria’s a leatherworker?” Applejack muttered quietly, her voice concerned. Twilight shook her head, but Rarity gulped nervously—she knew what it was, and it sent chills down her spine. “Everything relevant… Quite the oxymoron,” Discord smiled, pushing the glasses back up on his nose. “Start by telling us how you imprisoned him,” Twilight interjected as Celestia’s face began turning red in anger. “So we can do the same thing.” “Imprison is such a harsh word,” replied Discord, placing his hands behind his head and relaxing in the rocking chair. “When he and his armies first came to Equestria, I was too busy having fun with my little ponies to pay attention. They built a big ol’ fortress in the mountains down in the south there.” “He built Tartarus?” Celestia asked; her rage dissipated, and her eyes widened in shock. “He sure did,” Discord confirmed, gazing through his spectacles at the princess. He seemed amused with her sudden shift in emotion. “Some of his troops came to meet me, and declare Equestria to be his...” “Just like he did to us earlier,” Twilight said; Discord's beady red eyes shifted towards her. “What did you do?” “I did this to his scouts,” the draconequus giggled, snapping his fingers. A frilly dress appeared on Twilight’s body, and large clown shoes appeared on her hooves. “I said I was disinclined to acquiesce to his request,” Discord snickered, watching Twilight’s face turn red. “Unfortunately, Haakon doesn’t like to take no for an answer, so I had to make a little appearance...” “Haakon?” Celestia questioned. Twilight kicked the shoes from her hooves and pulled off the ridiculous-looking dress. “That is the Blood Prince’s name?” “It’s amusing how scared the Legion is of his name,” Discord laughed. “Say it, and they shiver like birds in winter! It’s so adorable…” He sighed, pretending to swoon as he leaned back in the chair. The chair fell backwards, but made a half-circle in midair and remained upside down. “But I digress,” Discord continued, hovering upside down in the chair. “Haakon’s fortress was the most boring place I’d ever been! His little lizards had anti-magic enchantments on practically everything… I couldn’t cause any chaos! Apparently, magic is frowned on in the Blood Legion. Go figure.” He rolled his eyes. “Fast forward to the part where you defeated him,” said Celestia. “You are trying my patience.” “Heh, fast forward,” the draconequus giggled, his chair rotating weightlessly in midair. “More like pause! You see, as much as I love a fair fight, little ol’ Haakon didn’t wanna fight fair. So, I figured I’d bring in an old friend of mine...” “As if you have any friends,” Terra suddenly spoke up, shooting a fiery glare at Discord. “Aw, don’t be such a Debbie downer, Terr-bear,” Discord replied, teleporting over to her and running his lion’s arm across her chin. As soon as he left the chair, it hit the ground and exploded, sending shrapnel made of popcorn in every direction. Terra furiously batted his arm away. “You see, many years before I came to Equestria, I met a fine young colt by the name of Tre’zan, on an island quite far from here,” he explained, grinning slyly at Terra and walking away. “He had a peculiar ability to manipulate time, so he did me a little favor, and put Haakon on pause for a few millennia.” “This… Tre’zan guy, he created the time dilation prison in Tartarus?” Twilight asked, watching the draconequus teleport away from Terra and reappear where the chair once was. “…Because you asked him to?” “Time dia-what?” Discord laughed, looking at a wristwatch on his arm. “Sure, let’s go with that. Yes, it took a little convincing, but he paused Tartarus for me. It all worked out in the end, and I lived happily ever after!” “One more thing before we lock you back up,” said Celestia, raising a hoof to block Terra from charging at him. “Who is the big one that Haakon’s velociraptors mentioned earlier?” “The big one?” Discord shrugged. “Isn’t that a rocket? The one that little foals strap to their toys and-” “Vaguely resembles a magnataur from orbit,” Starswirl interjected before Celestia lost her temper. “Larger than a dragon, four legs, long tail, scales. Some pretty heavy armor, too…” “Ah!” said Discord, a light bulb materializing above his head. “Really, Celestia, you should just let Swirly and Twilie do all the talking. You make such little sense!” The light bulb dropped to the ground and bounced away like a rubber ball. “Anywho, that must’ve been Lagos. Another truly boring visitor to Equestria during my golden years. I introduced him to Tartarus, so he could associate with like-minded individuals.” “Anything useful to say about him?” Twilight asked, as Celestia stomped her hoof in anger. “Oh-ah! Save me!” Discord sputtered, coughing and pretending to choke. “I’m drowning in subjectivity!” He paused and started laughing at Twilight, who was also beginning to feel angry as well. “What was your tactic?” Luna’s voice suddenly boomed, causing everyone except Discord to jump. He reached into his left ear and pulled an earplug out of it, casually flicking it off to the side. The snake that had been born of Ashton's rope suddenly burst from the grass, snapping the earplug out of the air before burrowing back into the ground. “All I did was have him chase me straight into Tartarus,” Discord laughed, watching Ashton and Twilight back away from the direction of the snake. “He’s not the brightest, you see. He actually just waltzed right in. Now that Tartarus has come apart on us, you’ll have to think of something else.” “Don’t worry about that—we will,” replied Twilight, turning towards her friends and nodding. They nodded back, and their Elements began to glow. “Thank you, Discord... Anything else to say before you go back to being a lawn ornament?” “I have but one final request,” replied the draconequus, dramatically placing the back of his lion’s hand against his forehead and closing his eyes. “…Could you not encase me in stone?” “I don’t think so,” Twilight grinned. The Elements’ eyes began turning white. “Sorry about that!” “Well, I’m sorry too,” Discord laughed, snapping his fingers. He disappeared in a swift CRACK. Twilight and her friends fired a powerful harmonic wave where he had been standing, but it struck nothing. The tide of rainbow-colored energy streaked towards the eastern horizon, harmlessly fading into the trees in the distance. “No!” Celestia shouted, looking around hopelessly. “Where’d you go, Discord!?” The rest of the Elite joined her in a desperate search of the valley around them, but they saw nothing. “Oh, not too far,” Discord’s voice echoed through the air. “You’ll be surprised to hear that I’m not going to start terrorizing your country!” “Liar!” Celestia shouted into the sky. A translucent projection of Discord appeared next to her, carrying a large bucket of popcorn in his lion’s arm, and clutching a soda in his eagle’s claw. Celestia angrily shot a stream of golden magic at him. “Oh, Celestia, that hurts, it really does” he cringed, placing his hands over where the jet of light had harmlessly sailed through him—his popcorn and soda floated in place where he had released them. “Just when I was planning on helping you out, you had to go and shoot me!” “I don’t believe you for a second,” Celestia seethed, narrowing her eyes at his projection. Twilight and most of her friends approached Discord’s image cautiously, but Pinkie bounced past them and hopped through the translucent figure, giggling. “He’s like a ghost,” Pinkie snickered, hopping back and forth through him. “But he’s not even scary!” “…H-he is so,” Fluttershy argued quietly. She hovered behind Dash nervously, gasping when she saw Dusky join Pinkie by flying through Discord’s image. Starswirl and several of the other Elite chuckled at the pair, but Celestia’s magenta eyes remained firmly fixed upon Discord’s beady red eyes. “Aw, you don’t? Not even for a second?” he laughed, taking a sip of soda and watching Pinkie unsuccessfully try to steal some of his popcorn. “Look at the sky, Celestia, look at the roads—I can’t cause any of my beautiful chaos while I’m like this! It’s a tragedy, really...” Receiving no response from the seething alicorn, he rolled his eyes. “I have to take physical form in order to do anything, and as soon as I do, the Elements here will fire their lasers. You won’t have to worry about me; I won’t get in your way!” “If you’re trying to say you’re not a threat, I don’t believe you either,” Twilight told him forcefully. “You’re a liar, and you’re evil! You’re just telling us what we want to hear!” ********** Discord’s face suddenly lost its comedic appearance, and his voice gained a serious tone that Twilight had never heard before. “Evil? Me? …If you think I’m evil, I don’t even want to know what you think Darkstar is,” he replied coolly. Feeling chills running up her spine, Pinkie stopped hopping through him and backed away to her friends’ side. Dusky returned to Fluttershy, who had seized Dash’s forearm in sudden fright. “You don’t have to take my word, but I have hardly a reason to lie...” Discord continued, glaring at Twilight. “With all the secrets I’ve learned over the years, the truth is far more entertaining…” Twilight narrowed her eyes mistrustfully, but she couldn’t get over how serious he was suddenly being. Discord was never serious. “…It jus’ don’t feel like he’s lyin’,” Applejack thought. “Normally ya can’t make any sense’a what he’s sayin’, but for some reason…” Discord spoke again, ejecting bits of chewed popcorn from his teeth. “Let’s just say that until somepony wins this battle, I’ll be an honorary spectator, like the rest of our wonderful readers. Somepony has to watch this—it’s going to be epic!” “How do we know you won’t turn on us in the middle of battle?” Celestia asked accusingly. Discord took another sip of soda, and his face slowly regained some of its mischievous expression. “You don’t!” Discord chuckled. “That’s the beauty of it—I don’t have to do anything to cause that kind of chaos! If it helps you sleep at night, though, remember; why would I get in the way of somepony doing my dirty work?” With a final grin, Discord tossed his translucent soda and popcorn into the air—the soda immediately exploded in a flash of white light, while each bit of popcorn exploded into individual fireworks. As soon as the crackling faded, his image did as well. An eerie silence descended over the Equestrian Elite. A warm breeze was blowing through the Dream Valley, and the afternoon sunlight made it seem like a gorgeous day, but something felt off. There were no birds chirping, and the wind barely made a sound. Discord's appearance had left them all nervous. “Good going, Celestia,” Ragehoof said quietly, being the first to break the silence. He squeezed some of the lemonade out of his dripping mane while the others turned to glare at him. “…Wanna send an open invitation to anything else wants to take over Equestria? I’ll bet the changelings would love to get in on this…” “I’ve had ENOUGH of you!” Dash yelled, slamming into the ground in front of him from above. She looked as though she were about to charge. “It’s not our fault he tricked us!” Ragehoof whirled into a defensive stance. “You let’em out,” he muttered, his eyes fixed on her wings. He swiftly prepared a plan to take her down. “Dodge charge, left shin to wingbone, right leg to trip…” “There will be NO fighting amongst ourselves,” Celestia ordered assertively, teleporting between them and spreading her wings. “Rainbow Dash, Ragehoof, STAND DOWN.” Dash huffed, obediently walking away. Ragehoof’s eyes remained on her for several seconds before stepping out of his defensive stance. “Think of it this way,” said Starswirl, after a moment of awkward silence. “In less than two hours, Lagos will reach Fillydelphia. When there’s a dragon-sized brute tearing the city apart, is it really going to matter if some of us disagree with each other’s attitude? Come now.” Neither Ragehoof nor Dash answered, though it was clear that they had no further argument. “Thank you, Starswirl,” Celestia told him. He tipped the brim of his hat. “With that in mind, I have no intention of allowing him to reach the city. We will take a half hour to prepare, then we travel south and confront him before he gets any closer. Until then, rest, and ready yourselves as need be…” As the group dispersed, Dash threw one more heated glance at the dark red pony. Ragehoof had already started walking away; he did not see it. “You seem a bit… detached,” Starswirl said to Luna, flying by her side over the Dream Valley. Celestia had assigned them to fly near Lagos and analyze his threat level, as they had with the raptors. “As I mentioned earlier, I have no desire to discuss it,” Luna replied coldly, refusing to make eye contact with Starswirl. He rotated to look at her, continuing to float sideways at the same speed. “Perhaps later?” the wizard asked; she closed her eyes in exasperation. “You’ve been pretty quiet since I’ve returned… I worry about you, you know?” “Perhaps later,” Luna replied, opening her eyes and refocusing them onto the horizon. “What is our estimated time of arrival?” “Trajo says we’re less than a minute ‘til visual,” Starswirl told her, his hat glowing while he communicated with his companion. Luna’s eyes widened as she started to see the gargantuan creature take shape ahead of them. “What are your theories?” she asked, watching a gleam of sunlight reflect from massive plates of armor on the creature's shoulders. “An angry, carnivorous, overgrown lizard?” laughed Starswirl. “I really haven’t the foggiest! I can’t wait to see it up close!” “He walks on four legs and has a dragon-like torso,” Luna said, ignoring his upbeat attitude. “But he has no wings, and is too large to be a young dragon…” “Oh he’s no dragon… Wow!” shouted Starswirl as they drew closer and closer to the beast. “Look at his appendages! What are those? They look like they used to be arms!” “I’m not sure-“ Lagos’s obscure figure suddenly came to a halt, and his tusked head tilted upwards. “…Can he see us?” Luna gasped, pausing in midair. “…Take evasive action!” ********** “Equestrian Elite, assemble!” Celestia immediately called out. The ponies scrambled into formation. “I’ve lost contact with Luna and Starswirl! We need to move out, immediately! On my wing!” The princess hurriedly turned and took flight into the southern sky. Terra, Cadance, and the airborne team flew after her, while the rest of the confused Elite galloped below. Celesta set her flying pace slow enough for all to keep up. “What’s happened, princess!?” Twilight called up to her. “I thought he was coming to us?” “I was using a spell to track the location of Starswirl and Luna,” Celestia explained, lowering her altitude to speak with Twilight while she flew. “Moments after nearing Lagos’s position, I lost track of them!” “How does the magic work?” Aeon asked, matching her altitude on her right. “Could you tell if they’ve been injured?” “It tracks them by their movement,” Celestia turned towards him. “They’ve simply vanished!” “Did he teleport!?” Twilight huffed; she could feel a shooting pain in her ribs from the sudden sprinting. “I don’t think so,” Celestia worriedly replied, turning to face the south. “Be swift! We must ensure their safety!” Twilight and Aeon nodded, focusing on their speed. The team continued travelling for nearly twenty minutes before Celestia began to slow the pace—Lagos’s form was beginning to appear over the rolling plains of the Dream Valley. “Approach cautiously!” the princess ordered, slowing to a canter. “Shining Armor, shield the group! I will confront him first!” “Are you sure, princess?” Armor asked cautiously, altering his position to the middle of the group. Celestia nodded at him curtly, and he cast the shielding spell upon himself, expanding it to encompass the others while their pace continued to slow. Celestia motioned for the team to stop, and she slowly hovered through the shield. “Be careful, princess!” Twilight called out worriedly, watching her land and walk towards Lagos, who was also slowing down. Celestia nodded at her over her shoulder. Lagos’s size was only half of what intimidated the Elite. His dark blue scales were thick, and a trail of grey spikes ran from the top of his head, down his back, and along his tail. His face was heavily wrinkled, and large tusks jutted from each of his cheeks. His mouth had a green glow radiating from within, as did his left eye. The spot where his right eye should have been was sunken and wrinkled, and did not glow. His chest was covered by a massive plate, which was suspended from his armored shoulder by a pair of thick chains. Each of his four legs were short and thick, tipped with three claws across their front. Perhaps most intimidating of all was his arms; had no hands or claws—it looked as though they had been removed at the bicep and replaced with massive blades; a long, straight one on the right, and a serrated, curved one on the left. “H-he’s really b-big…” Fluttershy whimpered quietly, hovering behind Dash. Dusky perched on her back and nervously watched Lagos with her cyan eyes. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall!” Dash said confidently, looking back at her friend. The massive creature came to a complete stop, and looked down at Celestia. She was now about thirty yards away from him, far beyond the reach of his deadly bladed arms. Taking a deep breath, she began speaking to him. “You have entered the sovereign kingdom of Equest-“ ********** The princess was cut off abruptly as Lagos lifted his right arm and pointed it at her. Without warning, the blade on his arm suddenly exploded into a projectile, firing itself like a cannon with a blinding flash of fire and smoke. Celestia spread her wings and jumped into the air, narrowly missing the blade, but unable to dodge the impacting shockwave when it struck the ground beneath her. She was knocked into the air, falling limply into the ground several yards behind the shielded group—she did not get up. “Attack him now!” Cadance screamed, turning and flying towards her aunt—Terra rushed after her. Twilight’s ears drooped as she stared at Lagos. “W-what should we do?!” she thought wildly. “You heard her, guys! Let’s see how he likes the Elements!” Dash yelled to her friends—her Element of Loyalty was already glowing brightly. “C’mon, sugar cube,” Applejack said, nudging the gaping Twilight. “Let’s hit’em with all we got!” “How dare he strike the princess!” Rarity seethed, readying her Element as well. “He really needs a smile on his face,” Pinkie cheered, as Fluttershy nervously prepared hers from above. Twilight snapped out of her panic, and readied the Element of Magic. The six mares floated into formation, preparing a powerful harmonic wave. While the girls prepared their attack, Lagos was using a chain tether to reel his massive bladed appendage across the grass and back into place—it clicked upon reaching his arm socket, and he turned his threatening gaze towards the Elite within the shield. A jet of rainbow-colored magic fired from the six Elements, passing harmlessly through the shield and striking the large plate on Lagos’s chest. Several cracks appeared in it as the harmonic wave exploded, but the armor was largely undamaged. The wave dissipated, and Lagos stared angrily at the girls. “What!?” Dash yelled, staring at the monster as he lifted his bladed arm once again, taking aim at the shield. “That hardly did anything!” “Shining Armor, give it all you’ve got!” Twilight frantically panted to her brother. He closed his eyes and hurriedly poured a stream of power into the shield, causing it to brighten. Lagos fired his bladed arm directly at them, striking the shield in the center. The blade bounced upwards, leaving a thin web of cracks in the shield, branching out from where it had struck. Armor yelled in pain, and his horn glowed as he attempted to repair the shield. The monster’s chained arm began reeling his weapon inwards yet again, and the team hiding in the shield began to panic. “What’re we supposed to do to fight that?!” “He’s too big!” “We’re doomed!” Amidst the chaos, Ironmane’s voice roared loudly, silencing the panicking Elite around him. ********** “LISTEN UP,” he bellowed—all eyes fell on the formerly silent soldier. “WITH THE PRINCESS OUT OF COMMISSION, CAPTAIN SHINING ARMOR IS OF THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY!” None argued with the sergeant while Lagos fired at the shield again, causing Armor to shout in pain. “Captain, sir!” Ironmane continued, turning towards him. “We’re awaiting orders!” “H-he can’t think straight!” Twilight protested nervously. Her brother tried to form words, but stopped himself quickly. “He has to focus on the shield, or we’re done for!” “Then that leaves me in charge,” Ironmane told her authoritatively, stomping his hoof before anyone could protest. “Aeon, take the airborne team and attack his head! The goal is to distract-“ Another massive impact upon the shield interrupted him—the magenta sphere developed several larger cracks in the side facing Lagos, some of them reaching the ground. “DISTRACT HIM FROM THE SHIELD,” Ironmane bellowed, raising his voice to keep everyone’s attention. “Ground team, we will move to flank him from the right!” he continued, turning to face Twilight. “Whatever it was you did in Fillydelphia, kid, do it again. To him. We’ll buy you as much time as we can!” “I don’t think the infernum spell will do much against his scales,” replied Twilight, looking worriedly at Lagos’s thick scaly body. “...But there’s a few spells that might damage him, if I can hit-“ Lagos fired his arm again. This time it did not bounce off of the shield, but embedded several feet into it. Twilight stared worriedly at its bladed tip, which was less than a yard from her face. “If I can hit him from the side!” she finished worriedly. Armor struggled to repair the shield while Lagos jerked his weapon out of it by tugging on the chain. “Then we’ll turn him around as best we can,” Ironmane replied loudly. “Ground team, on me! MOVE OUT! NOW!” He galloped through the right side of the shield, leading Applejack, Ashton, Ragehoof, and Pinkie Pie in a wide curve around Lagos. Aeon took flight into a steep incline, exiting through the shield’s ceiling and waiting for the other pegasi to catch up. “Come on, Fluttershy!” Dash muttered, pulling her friend into the air. She was terrified out of her mind, and her wings weren’t flapping. “H-he’s too… I can’t…” “Hey!” shouted Dash, shaking her in midair. “Snap outta it! This is it, Flutters! I’m gonna attack him, and you’re gonna keep me alive!” Fluttershy’s wings began flapping as her friend released her. Spitfire, Soarin’ and Aeon were motioning at them to catch up, and Dusky was trying to push her upwards from behind. “…be careful, okay?” she asked quietly, wiping her eyes. “Please?” “I will be, I promise! Come on!” Dash insisted, pulling Fluttershy with her to the other pegasi. Not knowing what else to do, Dusky flew after them and stayed by her side. “Alright, here’s the plan!” Aeon shouted as soon as the pair matched his altitude. “Whatever you do, don’t actually strike at him! If he hits one of us, we won’t be getting-“ Lagos’s blade fired again, aimed upwards at the airborne team—the pegasi scattered out of the way, narrowly avoiding the projectile arm. It reached the end of its chain and fell to the ground, already being reeled back in like a fishing line. “That’s our opportunity!” the professor yelled, waving at the other pegasi that were looping back towards him. “Fluttershy, stand by in case anypony gets injured! Everypony else, fly by his head and distract him!” Dash nodded and immediately swarmed towards the monster’s scaly face, narrowly dodging to the right before she reached it. Spitfire followed suit and jerked to the left, while Aeon and Soarin’ pitched upwards. “That ought’a keep ‘em busy!” shouted Applejack, watching the four pegasi swarm around his head—she and the rest of the ground team continued circling to the west. “Listen y’all, stay back, and don’t move in ‘til you see an openin’! Ah’ll see what Ah can do to ‘em!” “What’re you talking about?!” Ironmane hollered back. “If he hits you, you’re dead!” “Ah don’t think so,” Applejack grinned, a bright orange glow shining from her chest. “Pinkie, if ‘e hits me, heal me back up!” “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie replied cheerfully. “Hey now, hold up!” Ashton called out when Applejack started to break from the group. “Ya sure ‘bout that, partner?!” “Absolutely!” Applejack replied, grinning at him over her shoulder. She made a beeline for Lagos’s front-left leg while the rest of the team continued circling. “Don’t even think about it, Casanova,” Ragehoof said, butting Ashton with his shoulder as he tried to follow her. “She says she can handle it, we have to trust her.” “Ah hope so,” Ashton replied worriedly, watching the orange pony get closer and closer to Lagos. The gargantuan was waving his bladed arms around his head violently, trying to strike at the pegasi that swooped around him. Try as he might, he could hit nothing but their trails of orange, blue, white, and rainbow—the pegasi were too fast. Lagos suddenly stopped flailing, and stared straight forward for a few moments, monitoring the flight patterns of the swarming pegasi. He lifted his right arm to his left shoulder, holding it steady. As soon as Dash swooped in front of him again, he immediately slashed his bladed arm downwards diagonally, striking her with the blunt broadside of the blade. Dash struck the ground with an earthshattering impact, creating a crater several yards deep. “Ow…” she muttered, climbing back to her hooves and looking upwards. She looked around, realizing that her impact would have flattened a normal pony. “Huh? …Whoa, I barely felt a thing!” Dozens of yards away, from the safety of Shining Armor’s shield, Rarity was focusing her protective gaze on the airborne team. She had absorbed part of Dash’s impact, causing a large bruise to appear on her right shoulder. “Princess Luna wasn’t kidding when she said Rainbow Dash is predictable,” Rarity commented, her eye twitching while the pain began to subside. “Now, get up, Rainbow! That brute hasn’t won yet!” Dash soared out of the crater and back into the sky, as Fluttershy started channeling a pink stream of healing magic onto her from above. Lagos swiped horizontally, striking Spitfire as soon as she dove in front of him. She was knocked far into the eastern sky, bouncing twice across the ground before sliding to a halt. “Urgh,” Rarity groaned, absorbing her damage. A large cut formed on her opposite shoulder, and blood was beginning to flow from it. “They really need to be more careful…” Twilight said—she nervously looked at Rarity’s cut, turning back towards Lagos and keeping her eyes peeled for an opening in his armor. Aeon didn’t hear her, but he was having the same thought. He altered his course to match Soarin’s, and ordered him to break away. Leaving trails of blue and white, the two pegasi flew away from Lagos and over towards Spitfire, who Fluttershy had begun healing from above. “You alright, boss?” Soarin’ worriedly asked, landing next to Spitfire. “Yeah... Think I’ll make it,” she replied, watching the large cut on her side begin to close up amidst a haze of pink magic from above. Her Wonderbolt suit had split open where the blade had struck her, and was now frayed and damaged. “We need to hang back,” Aeon ordered. Spitfire removed her torn flight suit, and the three pegasi turned their gaze back towards Lagos, who was trying to time another strike at Dash. “Let’s wait until he’s focused on the ground team to move on him…” “What ‘bout Rainbow?” Spitfire asked weakly, as Lagos struck her yet again. Rainbow-colored trails followed Dash while she plummeted into the ground, forming another crater between the towering monster and Shining Armor’s shield. Fluttershy swooped over to her, immediately projecting a stream of pink energy into the crater. “It seems the Element lets her handle a lot more than we can,” the awestruck professor replied, watching Dash soar out of the crater yet again. He turned back to Spitfire, only to see that she was starting to fall over. “Wha-NO!” Soarin’ shouted, diving to catch her. “Boss!” She had fallen unconscious. “But she’s been healed!” Aeon protested, examining her side—the wound had disappeared cleanly, yet she was still out cold. He placed a hoof against her neck. “Pulse is weakening… We need to get her out of here!” ********** “Are you okay?” Cadance worriedly asked Celestia, as the last of her injuries subsided in a cyan haze. She slowly stood up, while Terra helped her keep her balance. “Yes, thank you,” replied Celesta—her gaze traveled from Rainbow Dash to Applejack, who was bucking at Lagos’s massive leg, causing little damage. They were the only two able to attack Lagos without sustaining life-threatening injuries. “Rarity,” Celestia said, pointing a hoof at the shield. The strained unicorn’s legs were quivering in pain as she absorbed yet another blunt hit from Dash—her white body, which was usually flawless, was becoming more and more bruised, and the cut on her shoulder was bleeding steadily. “Cadance, stay with her and support her with healing magic,” Celestia ordered. “Sister, come with me—we need to assist them!” “Do you have a plan?” Terra asked, watching Cadance nod affirmatively and gallop towards the shield. Terra looked over Lagos carefully. “I’m not seeing any weak points in his armor…” “His belly,” replied Celestia, pointing a hoof at the monster’s chest. “Strike at his shield, with everything you can safely muster! As soon as we can break through it, his softer belly will be exposed!” “Search for Luna and Swirly,” Terra ordered, spreading her wings. “You can teleport them back here—I cannot. I will weaken the beast’s armor... Hurry!” Celestia nodded at her, and the two alicorns took flight in opposite directions. Terra flew over the shield, where Cadance had already begun relieving Rarity of her injuries. “Thank you, p-princess,” Rarity politely said, fighting the burst of pain accompanying Lagos kicking Applejack away. Her hat having flown off in the process, the furious pony galloped back at him, tackling his kneecap. “…I’m not sure how much more of that I could’ve taken…” “I’m glad we don’t have to find out,” Cadance replied, her horn glowing bright cyan as she healed the bruise on Rarity's chest. “…Blasted healing magic,” Starswirl muttered, his eyes darting across a scroll on the ground next to him. On his other side, Luna was lying in a pool of golden blood, which was streaming freely from a deep gash on her right shoulder. She was barely conscious, and her breathing was labored—she opened her eyes, looking around helplessly and trying to form words. Starswirl casted his spell, trying to emulate the scroll next to him. Luna's wound decreased in size, but it continued to bleed despite his efforts. “Blast it all!” Starswirl shouted angrily, dematerializing the scroll. “I’m not losing you to a stupid barbarian! Forgive me, Luna dear, I’m sure this’ll fade eventually…” He closed his yellow eyes and began casting another spell. This time, his hat began to glow a very solid shade of blue, and forks of purple lightning began to streak from his body—one of the bolts struck Luna’s wound, which suddenly burst into a brilliant purple blaze. She let out a bloodcurdling scream, and her eyes shot open as she started to struggle. “I’m so sorry,” Starswirl said quietly, watching her scream in agony. The bleeding stopped, leaving her wound charred black—it had been cauterized. The purple fire immediately vanished, and Luna stopped screaming, attempting to form words again. “I can’t… we…” Luna tried to speak, but she was losing consciousness. “Ss…Swirly…” “It’s over, you can rest now,” Starswirl reassured, breathing heavily. “He will pay for this, don’t you worry…” “…I… …thank…” Luna closed her eyes, and her breathing became slow and shallow. Too exhausted to teleport or fly, Starswirl contacted Trajo, who informed him of the team’s ensuing battle with Lagos. "What about Celestia?" Starswirl asked. "Where is she?" "Subject: Celestia. Location: North of Lagos. Status: In flight." "Aha!" Starswirl used what little energy he had left to conjure a bright blue flare, which he fired into the sky. From several miles to the northwest, Celestia saw the blue projectile streaking through the air. She immediately teleported towards it, swooping downwards as soon as she saw Luna and Starswirl. “What happened?!” she asked frantically, landing and placing a hoof on her sister’s neck, checking for a pulse. It was present, but weak. “Did Lagos strike her?” “That he did,” breathed Starswirl. “Struck her square in the shoulder. His blade’s poisoned, too—it’s some kind of outlandish mind-numbing brew. She needs proper healing magic as soon as possible…” “I’ll get us to Cadance,” said Celestia, taking a deep breath. Her horn glowed brightly, causing them to dematerialize with a golden CRACK, reappearing a mile away to the southeast. She continued to blink-port the pair until they reached Shining Armor’s shield, rematerializing next to Cadance, Rarity and Twilight. “Hang tight for a moment!” Cadance told Rarity, quickly noticing that Luna was gravely wounded. She turned and focused the healing magic on her injured aunt. Twilight spotted an opening in Lagos’s armor, and fired a large cone-shaped burst of purple magic directly at it. A large number of scales flew from his skin, and he roared vengefully. Ignoring the impact of one of Terra’s rocky attacks, he fired his bladed arm at the shield, causing the entire dome to crack—it appeared to be inches from shattering. “What’s wrong with her?” Cadance asked, pouring cyan magic into Luna’s cauterized wound. It started to close up, leaving a large scar of lighter-colored indigo skin as it progressed. Celestia started to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of another massive impact on top of the shield. Lagos had batted away a large boulder that Terra had thrown at him, forcing it to crash into the shield. Armor had repaired it enough to keep it from shattering, but another strike would do him in. “His blade is poisoned,” Celestia replied quickly, facing Rarity. “Who else has been cut by it?” “Rainbow Dash got hit by the blunt end, but-“ “Help!” Soarin’ frantically interrupted—he and Aeon flew into the shield, carrying an unconscious Spitfire. “You’ve gotta help her!” “She took a hit from the poisoned blade as well,” explained Rarity, grunting while she absorbed a blunt strike from Terra—Lagos had refocused his attention on her. The furious alicorn burst out of the ground before Fluttershy could heal her, showering the area around them with debris. “Poisoned?” Aeon questioned, as Soarin’ placed his unconscious teammate next to Luna. “But Fluttershy’s healed her, shouldn’t that cure it?” “…I’m not sure. If she didn’t know it was there…” Starswirl pondered breathlessly. He turned towards Cadance. “Are you having any luck, princess?” “…I can’t find it,” Cadance said worriedly, her cyan magic spreading throughout Luna’s body. “This doesn’t make any sense! Her body’s responding as though nothing’s wrong!” “It’s not recognizing the presence of the poison,” Celestia told her, her heart sinking as she realized what that implied. “Healing magic works by accelerating the body’s natural regenerative abilities, but if the body thinks nothing is wrong…” “Sickening that somepony would develop such a brew,” Starswirl interjected angrily. “But I might have a solution… If I can get a definite sample of the poison, I might be able to lock on to its individual particle structure and teleport it out of her system...” “How is that even-“ Twilight’s second-guess was cut off by a sharp squeal of pain from Rarity. She had absorbed a direct slash from Applejack, and a large cut was now forming on her chest. Cadance huffed in frustration and turned her healing magic from Luna back to Rarity. “Arcane magic,” said Starswirl, tapping a hoof against his hat and looking at Twilight. “All I need is a sample of the poison!” “Looks like too late to get one from Applejack,” Aeon told him, watching Pinkie bounce over to her friend and heal her with a stream of blue magic. “We’d better get her over here, she won’t be conscious for long! Soarin’, come!” “…But…” Soarin’ protested, looking nervously at Spitfire. “…Gah!” The two pegasi darted out of the shield and off to the right, approaching Applejack and Pinkie Pie at a wide angle, trying to avoid the attention of Lagos. Having knocked Applejack aside, he had resumed cleaving boulders in half while Terra hurled them at him. “How can we get a sample while he’s swinging that blade all over the place?” Twilight asked, firing several bolts of purple energy towards Lagos, who had turned slightly to the right to face Applejack and Terra. The bolts that struck his scales did minimal damage, and the bolts that struck his armor were deflected away. “While it’s attached to him, we’re outta luck,” Starswirl explained. “But as soon as he fires it again, I’ve got a little surprise for him!” Aeon and Soarin’ returned with the clueless Applejack, who was complaining to get back into the battle. “Ah… don’t know what… yer talkin’ ‘bout!” Applejack protested weakly. The pegasi set her down next to Spitfire and Luna. “Ah’m… oh… kay… Ah’m…” She collapsed onto her stomach, remaining conscious but breathing heavily. ********** “Ashton, d’ya got any rope?” Ironmane yelled over his shoulder at the yellow pony—he hurriedly checked his saddlebags. “Ah’ve only got one coil left!” Ashton yelled, pulling it out with his teeth. “Whaddya thinkin’?” “I’ve got an armor-piercing bolt,” the sergeant replied. “If I shoot him in the thick scales on his back, he might not feel it! Problem is, I cant tie this one up, or it won't get enough torque to pierce his scales! Can you lasso the bolt once it's stuck in him?!" “Hi guys!” Pinkie cheered, appearing behind them. “AJ had to go, so I thought I’d see what’s up!” “Better question,” Ragehoof interjected, ignoring the pink shenanigan that bounced to his left. “What’s that going to accomplish?” “Get us up onto his back,” Ironmane said bluntly, not shifting his attention from Ashton. “The bolt’s a foot long, and it’ll be embedded at least halfway! Can you lasso that?” “You betcha!” Ashton replied—Ragehoof scoffed at him. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” he yelled. “How are you gonna get the bolt to stick out at the right angle? Grow wings, and fire it from above?!” Ironmane didn’t reply; he altered his course and started approaching Lagos from behind. The monster was too busy swinging at Rainbow Dash to notice the sergeant’s approach. “Can he grow wings?!” Pinkie asked curiously—Ragehoof rolled his eyes. “That’d be so awesome!” Ashton started tying his rope into a lasso with his teeth. The ground team altered course to catch up with Ironmane, who had come to a complete stop roughly thirty yards from Lagos’s back-left side. He flipped open his collapsible crossbow, and ejected the pre-loaded bolt from its firing chamber. With his other hoof, he reached back into his saddlebag and fumbled around for a bolt that was much larger than the others. The bolt he produced was very large, jet-black, and extremely sharp. He loaded it by dropping it into the muzzle of the crossbow, and aimed his weapon upwards. “What’s he doin’, aimin’ like that?” Ashton asked, watching the sergeant fire. “He just wasted the shot!” “No, he didn’t,” Ragehoof corrected him quietly, pointing a hoof into the bright blue sky and trotting to a stop. “..He lobbed it… not bad…” “Ooh, like a water balloon!” Pinkie exclaimed, her head rotating upwards and watching the bolt carefully. It followed a wide arcing path, and sunk into Lagos’s back just as Terra struck his head with another boulder. “Ah stand corrected! Good shootin’ partner!” Ashton exclaimed, fixing his eyes upon the sleek black bolt—it now stuck out of the monster’s scales, gleaming in the sunlight. “Ah’ll hold the rope while y’all get up there!” “…Good luck, then,” Ragehoof replied. The rodeo champ started swinging the lasso over his head and galloping towards Lagos. With Ashton at the lead, the ground team approached Lagos’s back-left side, dodging a shower of rock when the monster clashed with Terra again. Ashton threw the lasso as soon as he was in range, landing the large loop around the bolt. “Bullseye!” Ashton shouted triumphantly, pulling the rope taut. It was now a direct line between him and Lagos’s back. “Hold on,” Ragehoof said, as Ashton motioned for Ironmane to start climbing the rope. He turned to Pinkie. “You, you’re the lightest. Go first. Get up there and hold the rope, make sure it doesn’t slip off.” “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie agreed, bouncing past him and looking at the rope. “Hmm…” “Climb it upside down,” Ironmane explained, trying awkwardly to demonstrate with his hooves. “Clamp yer hooves against the rope ‘ta keep from slidin’,” Ashton tried to add. The confused Pinkie looked at the both of them. “Ugh, how do we explain it to this airhead…?” Ragehoof thought, watching Pinkie try to jump onto the rope. She slid down, bumping into Ashton’s face. As soon as she fell, Ashton was jerked forwards from a sudden jump by Lagos, sending them both flying. “Can’t I just walk it like a tightrope?” Pinkie asked, nursing her two front hooves, which had gotten rope burn from sliding. Ironmane, Ashton, and Ragehoof looked at each other hopelessly, but their jaws dropped wide open as Pinkie hopped on top of the rope, balancing herself perfectly. “That’ll work just fine!” Ashton laughed in amazement, coiling the end of the rope around his forearm and holding it as tightly as he could. “Mmhmm!” Pinkie smiled, casually walking along the rope. She ducked her head to avoid a large chunk of rock that bounced off of Lagos’s shoulder guards. Once she reached the top, she hopped off, landing on Lagos’s scaly back. “Alright, uh… hold it tight!” Ragehoof yelled up to her, jumping onto the rope. He twisted his back legs together above the rope, and used his front hooves to pull himself upwards. As soon as he reached the bolt, he struggled to get his grip on Lagos’s body. “Ally-oop!” Pinkie cheered, coiling a hoof around his chest and tossing him upwards. Ragehoof let go of the rope and landed on Lagos’s back next to Pinkie, staring at her disbelievingly. “Well then…” he thought. Pinkie grinned and turned towards Ironmane, who was on his way up the rope in the same fashion. “…I guess she’s not a total waste after all...” Ironmane’s eyes widened in surprise as Pinkie repeated the process, lifting the heavily-built and heavily-armored stallion from the end of the rope and onto Lagos’s back. “Ah’ll keep the rope ready for y’all!” Ashton called up to the rest of the ground team, refusing to let go of the rope as Lagos lurched forwards, dragging the rodeo champ along with him. “What the?” Dash wondered aloud, her attention having diverted to the poufy pink pony that was balancing on Lagos’s back. She spotted the other ponies that were starting to climb up his scales. “They’re crazy!" Dash yelled. "...Well… I knew Pinkie was crazy, but they are too!” Dash banked around and took another swipe at Lagos’s face, keeping his attention from diverting as he struck Terra into the ground yet again. Without waiting for Fluttershy to fly by and heal her, Terra burst from the ground again and started screaming angrily. “Whoa!” yelled Dash, swooping around and stopping just outside of Lagos’s swinging range. The bright sky had suddenly started to darken—black, billowing storm clouds formulated out of thin air and coalesced above the battlefield. Thunder began to rumble loudly, and bolts of lightning jumped from cloud to cloud above Terra, whose eyes were shining pure white as she screamed. “She’s gonna get us killed!” Ragehoof yelled angrily, holding on to one of Lagos’s spines as the ground began to rumble violently. Bolts of lightning streaked from the sky and struck the monster’s armor, but he ignored it and lifted his right arm, aiming it directly at Terra. She hovered in place between him and Shining Armor’s shield. “His scales aren’t conducting the lightning!” Aeon shouted, watching the bolts continue to careen off of Lagos. Realizing she couldn’t hear him, he soared out of the shield and to her side. “Terra! You need to m-“ Lagos fired his arm directly at Terra, but she did not move. She instead summoned a massive column of stone, which jutted out of the earth below, trying to block the projectile before it reached her. His bladed arm broke through the column and grazed her neck at a reduced speed, causing a small cut in her rock-hard skin. As soon as Lagos started trying to reel his projectile arm back in, Twilight fired a series of projectiles at the chain that attached it, causing it to break in half. The remainder of the broken chain rapidly reeled into Lagos’s arm socket, and he roared angrily upon realizing it had broken. “Stop!” Aeon yelled to Terra—she was starting to split the ground beneath herself, preparing to assault Lagos with a molten attack. “Terra, you’ve been poisoned! You have to-“ Glowing molten rock had begun to well through the crack, but it slowed to a halt in midair. Terra’s screaming subsided, her eyes stopped glowing, and she breathed heavily as she tried to remain afloat. Something seemed to be draining her energy. Using the curved blade on his left arm, Lagos started swinging at Rainbow Dash, who had resumed attacking him as soon as Terra’s attacks ceased. “Blast it all,” Aeon muttered—Terra’s wing speed ceased to keep her afloat. He dove swiftly and caught her, struggling to carry the dizzy alicorn towards the shield. He placed her with the other poison victims. “We’re running out of options here!” Ragehoof shouted to the other ponies as they struggled to remain balanced on Lagos’s back. “How can we bring this guy down!?” Ironmane pulled his crossbow from his saddlebags, flipping it open and aiming it at the back of Lagos’s neck. “Whoa, whoa!” Ragehoof protested, pushing Ironmane’s crossbow away. “That’ll just make 'em mad!” “You’re the one who said we’re running out of options!” Ironmane argued vehemently. “What’s your brilliant idea?” “...Maybe if we can-“ “Ooh, lookie!” Pinkie called out curiously, poking her head into Lagos’s shoulder guards. “There’s a whole bunch’a shiny stuff in here!” Ragehoof looked at Ironmane, who shrugged. The two stallions scrambled across Lagos's back and over to Pinkie, who pulled her head out of the shoulder guard just as Lagos swung upwards again. “See?” she asked, pointing a pink hoof towards the armor’s exposed underside. “These chains,” Ragehoof said curiously, scanning the chrome network of chains and gears. “They hold up his chest plate!” “Without that chest plate, he’s vulnerable!” Ironmane exclaimed. “Can we break those chains?” “The chains holding up his armor are tempered titansteel,” Ragehoof replied, looking over Lagos’s shoulder at the chains that suspended his massive chest plate. “...Nothing can break those… Titansteel is nearly invulnerable once it’s cooled… But this mechanism that reels it is just regular steel!” “So if we break the reel, it slides away like rope on a pulley!” Pinkie cheered. Ragehoof stared at her for a moment, blinking twice. “…Exactly!” he said, lurching as Lagos swung at Dash yet again. “We’ll need something forceful, like…” “An explosion?” Ironmane asked, pulling a small gray block of clay-like material from his saddlebag. “You can make play dough explode?!” Pinkie asked in awe. Ironmane grinned at her and shoved the gray block into Lagos’s shoulder guard, firmly planting the material in the center of the reel. “Get yourselves outta here, I’ll set it off,” Ragehoof said, pushing Pinkie towards Ironmane. “Pass me your crossbow!” Ironmane hesitated, glancing at his crossbow and back at Ragehoof. “Head down the rope, get Ashton, and run!” Ragehoof yelled. “Don’t wait for me! Go!” Ironmane nodded curtly, tossing his crossbow into the air and grabbing Pinkie. He pulled a bronze bolt from his saddlebag, holding it over the rope as he jumped onto it. “Weeeeeee!” Pinkie cheered, holding on to Ironmane’s hind legs as they sailed down the rope, using the bolt as a zip line. “But he’s still-“ Ashton’s protest was interrupted when Lagos suddenly bucked forcefully, causing the heated and frayed rope to snap. “He knows what he’s doing!” Ironmane yelled, galloping away. “C’mon!” As soon as Dash saw Pinkie, Ironmane, and Ashton galloping away from Lagos, she soared away from the monster’s head, flying out of his range towards the east. “Let’s get that chunk’a junk off your chest,” Ragehoof said quietly, firing the crossbow into Lagos’s shoulder guard. Triggered by the resulting sparks, the explosive compound ignited, causing a moderately large explosion inside the plated shoulder guard, shattering the chain's reel. “What in Equestria was that?!” Twilight asked confusedly, witnessing the explosion from Shining Armor’s shield. “That came from inside his armor!” A large amount of chain began to slide out of his right shoulder guard, causing the shield on his chest to sag and dangle by the other chain on his left. “His chest is exposed!” Celestia shouted, firing a large blast of golden magic at his tan belly. It singed him, leaving a large circular burn where it had struck—Lagos roared furiously in pain, fumbling his jagged left arm with the mess of chains. Realizing that it was hopeless to fix, he lifted his weapon and struck at the chains, cutting them in half with a shower of orange sparks. “What’s he doing?” Aeon asked, turning from the unconscious Terra and observing the monster, who was now stepping back. Lagos positioned himself in front of the metal plate that once hung on his chest, which now lay upon the ground. He drew his front-right leg backwards. “DUCK!” Starswirl yelled, dropping to the ground and covering his head. The rest of the team followed suit as Lagos forcefully kicked the massive plate, launching it towards them. With an ear-shattering explosion, the plate collided with Armor’s shield, causing it to disintegrate into violet fragments. ********** “Tw….li…” a voice yelled. Twilight tried to shake her head clear of the shellshock. “…et… …har...” yelled the voice—it was Celestia. Shining Armor crumpled over in pain; the shattering of his shield had knocked him out. Celestia yelled something incoherent to Aeon and Soarin’, and they immediately took flight. She yelled something else to Cadance, who also took flight. “Twilight!” Celestia yelled again, helping her off of the ground. Twilight gasped—Lagos was now wildly running at them, and he would be upon them in a matter of seconds. “What should we do?!” Twilight asked her desperately. “Harmonic wave!” Celestia replied, turning to Starswirl. “SLOW HIM!” Starswirl’s hat exploded into blue light as he summoned every last reserve of his power, forcing Lagos to trip over an invisible barrier. The gargantuan fell forwards, scrambling to get up as quickly as possible. “Ready!” Dash yelled, almost forming a sonic rainboom as she slammed into the ground next to Twilight and Rarity. Soarin’ returned with Fluttershy, and Celestia helped the weak Applejack stand up. “Cadance, hurry!” Starswirl called out weakly—she swooped around Lagos, carrying Pinkie beneath her. Realizing that she wasn’t going to make it, Celestia let go of Applejack and jumped into the air in front of Lagos, summoning a massive cone of golden light and directing it at his face. Blinded by the sudden flare, the monster paused and swung wildly at the air for a moment, his green eye sealed shut as he bellowed angrily—Cadance deposited Pinkie next to the others. Focusing and activating her Element, she and her five friends levitated from the ground and opened their white eyes, fixing them upon Lagos, who was now blindly charging at them. “NOW!” Celestia yelled, diving out of the way. She narrowly dodged the wave of rainbow-colored magic that flooded from the Elements into Lagos’s unguarded chest. With an explosion of white light, everyone was knocked backwards and back onto the ground.