ACT TWELVE
To some, the night was long and seemingly endless. Now that Danger Zone’s identity was known, ponies were too afraid to fall asleep, for fear of being attacked.
Eventually, sunrise came round, and the sky began to light up, even without Celestia raising the sun the way she did.
Danger Zone had already appeared in the meadows, with his prisoner still bound and gagged, waiting for the expected arrival of his enemy.
The fact that he had not changed back to Strings by this time heavily evidenced that the evil was indeed getting stronger.
“This is it,” he hissed softly while admitting the soft light coming from the horizon. “This is the morning of my ultimate triumph, and the end of all Love in Equestria.”
Shining Armor glared angrily at him and mumbled, “You get won’t away with this, you’ll see.”
Danger Zone ignored him, and suddenly he felt the presence of someone approaching.
Twilight softly walked up the hill and with her was Princess Cadance.
Shining Armor’s eyes lit up and he called to them, Twilight gawked at her brother, while Cadance didn’t seem to look the way of her husband.
“We’re here!” Twilight called out, “Now, free my brother.”
Danger Zone said nothing at first. Then an evil grin appeared on his face, and quick as lightning, he cast a stream of magic, ensnaring Cadance, and pulling her towards him.
“Hey!” shouted Twilight.
“Thanks for the gift.” Danger Zone mocked.
Shining Armor gave a huge wail, but then Danger Zone noticed, “Wait! This isn’t Princess Cadance!”
Indeed not, it was a fake-- a puppet clone with a Likness Potion to make it look like Cadance.
While Danger Zone was distracted and outraged, Twilight teleported over him, buck kicking the evil creep hard, and then she teleported back to where she was with her brother still in bondage.
“You okay, bro?” she asked.
Her brother nodded while smiling through his gag.
It was revealed that, earlier, Sun Rae had suggested…
“What if you make a fake Princess Cadance, like I did. Maybe Danger Zone won’t know the difference and it’ll distract him long enough.”
Twilight was relieved that Sun’s idea had worked.
“You!!” bellowed Danger Zone. “How dare you deceive me like this! Now you will both pay… with your lives!”
“I don’t think so!” shouted Twilight, and that was the signal for all her friends to come out from hiding, surrounding Danger Zone, and all wearing their respective Element of Harmony, and Twilight donned her old crown.
The royal sisters arrived, and took Shining Armor aside, freeing him from bondage.
“This is the End of the line for you, Danger Zone!” Twilight said, with her eyes, horn, and crown glowing brightly.
All the Elements gave a glow as the ponies powered up.
“Feel the power of Harmony!” shouted Twilight, and she and all her friends, combining their powers and elements together, unleashed the bright and powerful force straight at Danger Zone.
The evil pony roared and wailed as he was consumed in the light.
The ponies poured on all the magic they could, and the brightness lit up the meadows.
Finally, all had ceased, and the ponies all felt drained, and were exhausted.
“Did we… do it…?” panted Pinkie.
“I… hope so.” said Applejack.
Suddenly, Twilight looked on, and she gasped, “…No!”
The others all looked up, and they were horrified to see Danger Zone standing there, laughing wickedly.
“How?!” cried Rarity. “The Elements should have purified him!”
“Are they broken?” wondered Pinkie as she tapped on the jewel of her Element.
Danger Zone laughed again, “You didn’t think you were only ones who prepared a little surprise before coming here.
While in the Crystal Empire, I not only captured Shining Armor, but I also had a little fun and absorbed the energies of as many victims as I could find to vastly improve my strength.”
He showed how strong he was by pounding his chest hard with his hoof while snickering. He was far too strong, and the evil within him too great for the Elements, alone, to work on him.
“He’s telling the truth!” Shining Armor confirmed. “I saw him really do it.”
“Now… you tell us?!” groaned Rainbow.
Danger Zone charged up-- his horn, eyes, and even his body were pulsating with vast amounts of power as a result from his recent energy absorption.
Twilight was all tapped out from using the elements and hardly had enough power to teleport a pebble, let alone put up a shield or anything.
Luckily, Celestia and Luna were strong, and teleported the friends out of the way just as Danger Zone unleashed a blast so strong, that it created a massive explosion that burned up the grass and wild plants, leaving charred grounds in a wide circle.
The ponies were all in total horror at the damage done.
“That could’ve been us!” whimpered Fluttershy.
“Still could be!” Applejack fret and she pointed on that Danger Zone looked ready for more.
“You ponies have stood in my way for the last time.” he bellowed. “The sooner I dispose of you all, the easier it will be for me to conquest!”
Twilight tried to reason with him. “Strings, listen to me. I know you’re in there. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can try and help you.”
“Silence”! Danger Zone bellowed, and he fired his spike darts at her, forcing her to hit the ground hard, dodging them.
“Strings is no more. A worthless pony like him has no business existing.”
“Don’t you ever call Strings worthless again!” thundered Rarity. “He is a far greater pony than you ever would be.”
“Ha! He was beyond worthless for allowing things to happen to him. For many years I was restrained by his foolish morality, but thank to Princess Twilight and Cadance, I now have will and a life of my own, while Strings will soon be nothing but a faded memory… just like all Love will.”
He fired another blast of energy, forcing the sisters to teleport everyone off again—to the far side of the meadow, away from Danger Zone.
“These close ones are getting closer all the time.” said Rainbow.
Celestia agreed, “We must not let him escape us this time, or who knows what damage he’ll create all over Equestria.”
“Yeah, but how?” cried Pinkie. “The Elements didn’t even faze him.”
“Then we’ll battle him anyway.” said Twilight. “We’ll make him get tired and use up his energy and then try and zap him again.”
Fluttershy tried to protest, “Or… maybe, we could… but… but! Oh!” She couldn’t’ think of another way that was less risky or frightening.
Luna then said, “Allow us to restore some of your strengths.”
She and Celestia then stood together and gave all the ponies a good boost of magic to strengthen them as much as they could spare.
“Yee-Haw!” cheered Applejack “That’s the stuff. I feel good now!”
Rainbow flexed her muscles, which didn’t show. “Let’s get busy!”
“I’m with you, girls!” said Shining Armor. “Strings or not, I owe this creep for capturing me.”
Twilight smiled proudly at her brother.
A loud roar erupted, and Danger Zone appeared. “You won’t get away from this time!”
“We don’t intend to run.” said Twilight, and she and all the others stood in a line, looking pumped up and ready to go.
Twilight glared deeply into Danger Zone’s evil eyes, “Strings, we’re sorry to do this, but I promise, we will try and help you.”
It seemed as if her words fell on deaf ears as Danger Zone rushed forth roaring like a battling soldier.
“Attack!” Twilight shouted, and she and her group rushed forth.
Twilight and the sisters then used their powers to teleport and scatter everyone around.
Pinkie and Applejack charged forth, but Danger Zone easily dodged them, Rainbow and Fluttershy soared from up above, only for him to fly up, up, up, and out of the way.
In the sky he found Twilight and the sisters waiting for him. “Come on!” he shouted at them.
The three princesses opened fire upon him with magical rays released from their horns.
Danger Zone swerved, dodged, and repelled their attacks while returning fire with his magic and spikes.
The ponies dodged his attacks, but just barely, for his increased strength and agility were hard to match.
“Any more tricks!” he bellowed, but he got his answer when he was shot at from the ground below.
“What?!” He looked down and saw Shining Armor and Rarity firing more shots at him, forcing him to put up a shield as he came soaring down like a missile and he extended his energy streams to take their powers.
“Not this time!” snapped Rarity. “Now, Applejack!”
“Huh?” Danger Zone looked back just in time as his tail was lassoed by a strong rope, and with one huge pull, Applejack and Pinkie-- combining their physical strengths-- gave the rope a huge yank, slamming the evil pony hard on the ground with a huge crash.
“Rainbow!!” Applejack hollered.
“COMING!!” Rainbow shouted as she dived like a missile, her body enveloped in rainbow-colored lights. “Taste the Sonic Rainboom!”
She slammed the ground hard, right near him…
KAPOW!!! A massive, but colorful explosion blew the evil pony clear across the fields.
The Earth ponies gave each other a high hoof, but the moment was silenced when Danger Zone leapt back up onto his feet.
“Yeah!” Rainbow cheered.
The team all regrouped, but their moment of success was interrupted when Danger Zone was seen back on his feet and shrouded in dark aura.
“Um… he doesn’t look tried.” whimpered Pinkie.
“He’s a lot stronger than we thought!” cried Twilight.
“Correct!” snickered Danger Zone, “Don’t you realize by now that your pitiful acts of Friendship can never overpower my hate?”
He powered up, ready to attack when…
“Stop!” called a voice.
He turned round and could not believe who was there.
“Cadance!” cried Shining Armor.
“What are you doing here?” scolded Celestia.
“Why did you leave the bunker?” added Twilight, but Cadance would not answer, and kept her focus on the evil pony.
“I’m here to save Strings. I know now…” she paused “…I know how he really feels about me.”
Danger Zone winced in anger.
“What?” remarked Shining Armor “…How he feels?” He didn’t know the truth yet.
Danger Zone glared at Cadance and scoffed, “What you know now, and how you feel about it is of difference to me.
I am not Strings!”
Cadance refused to let him get to her. “You are Strings, deep down, and you know it. Otherwise, you’d destroy me right now as I stand before you.”
“Don’t tempt me!” growled Danger Zone, and he looked ready for a huge fight.
“Candace, No!” Twilight cried, and she and her army rushed forth, only for Danger Zone to put up a powerful barrier dome over himself and Cadance, keeping the others trapped outside.
“I’ll deal with you all in a moment.” hissed Danger Zone.
“Cadance!” Shining Armor shouted. He tried blasting at the barrier, with Twilight and the royal sisters’ help, but it was too strong even with the four of them combined.
Danger Zone stepped closer towards Cadance, who still made no attempt to put up any defenses or move from where she was.
“I’ve waited for this, for a long, long time…” sneered Danger Zone “Your power… IS MINE!!” and he shot her with his energy streams, and she screamed as her energy was siphoned!
Twilight and her brother both screamed, “NOOOOOOO!!!” while all the others gasped in horror.
Cadance’s screams faded off as she grew paler and weaker, and finally she was dropped on the ground while Danger Zone’s body began to pulsate with vast amounts of power.
“Yes!!” he shouted “I can feel it! The absolute power growing within me!!”
Suddenly the power gave a huge burst, shattering the barrier and knocking all the other ponies away, including Cadance’s unconscious, frail body.
As the ponies got back up, they could hardly believe their eyes.
Danger Zone had taken on a form more demonic than before. He hardly looked much like a pony anymore, but a large monster with evil dragon-like wings, sharp fangs, strong claws, and loads of spikes coming out from his shoulders.
He was also now five times the size of the ponies, making them all seem the size of soccer balls to him.
“Oh, my…!!” Fluttershy squeaked.
Rarity was so shocked and frightened she forgot how to blink or shut her mouth.
“No!!!” Twilight shouted.
Danger Zone’s evil voice was deeper and wickeder than ever as he hovered in the air admiring his new form. He laughed loud and maniacally, “At last! I am at my full and complete power! Now I can rid the world of all love there is!”