Sortitus sat in The Sanctuary staring at his exposed torso. The sides of it and the front were covered in bad burns which seemed to pulse with each beat of his heart. He sighed as he stood up to reveal his entire back was scorched as well and seemed to have slash marks.
The clearing of a throat caused the aspect to turn to reveal Aequivalere crossing his arms.
Sortitus conjured his robe on, “What?”
Aequivalere shook his head, “The wounds from the battle with Averius?”
Sortitus looked away, “What of them?”
Aequivalere shook his head, “They have not yet healed and have seemed to have gotten worse.”
Sortitus turned to the cosmic window and ignored the comment.
*
Martin and the ponies of Ponyville and EVEN Cloudsdale stood in the center of town as Martin stood on a podium and addressed all gathered.
Martin cleared his throat, “Filly’s and Gentlecolts, I know I am not of your world or a pony like the rest of you,” he then pointed to Canterlot, “But neither are they the royalty we all know and adore. I have never asked much from any of you but I ask you now, will you truly stand with me!”
All the ponies cheered as Martin nodded, “Twilight, how close can you get us to Canterlot without sounding the alarms?”
Twilight smiled, “I have been practising and honing my teleport. I can only get us as far as the actual city , not the castle.”
Martin nodded, “good enough.”
Twilight looked at everypony as she shut her eyes and concentrated, soon a massive magic bubble formed around everypony and there was a massive flash.
*
Jinx’s eyes suddenly turned from the cell containing both princesses whom he had reverted back to their regular ages as the sound of raw magic being used reached his ears.
Jinx grinned, “It looks like the game is afoot.”
*
Martin and all the ponies appeared in the center of Canterlot city much to the surprise of several inhabitants, Martin was still all business when he glanced at a nearby unicorn who nodded.
Above them all on a balcony overlooking the city was the trio of villains who noticed the assembled army which was soon joined by the ranks of Canterlot’s inhabitants.
Jinx merely laughed at the display, “Do they ever learn.”
Chrysalis turned her head to Zalpha, “Take them.”
Zalpha then yelled to all the changelings and brainwashed guards, “CHARGE!”
Discord turned to enter into the castle as Canterlot erupted into battle.
*
Celestia looked up at the sound of battle…and ducked her head as a massive hole was blasted in the wall of her cell which eradicated the door.
Both sisters then yelled, “STOP BLOWING HOLES IN OUR CASTLE!!!”
*
Martin rushed headlong into an oncoming swarm of changelings and came out swinging. Several changelings went to attack him with both their fangs and hooves but were easily repelled by Martin’s enhanced strength. Several unicorns were firing magic blasts at every oncoming enemy, but sometimes the blasts would miss and either hit the castle or surrounding buildings blasting holes in them. Earth ponies and pegasi were engaging the enemy in the sky and on the ground respectively. AJ bucked a nearby guard in the face and smiled at Martin who jumped to her side and joined in her fight.
Lupe was with Twilight and several unicorns telekinetically hurling every enemy coming near her and the group. As Lupe continued her assault, the voices began to return but with more ferocity than ever before. This forced Lupe to her knees as she grabbed her head in pain. Twilight took cover from a blast of magic from a brainwashed night guard which she returned with gusto.
Twilight looked at Lupe, “LUPE! Are you okay?”
Lupe suddenly stood up and gazed at a massive grouping of changelings that were flying to reinforce the current attack force. Lupe then stepped forward to meet the force as they swarmed toward her.
Martin turned when he saw this and knocked out the last bit of the preliminary attack force, “LUPE RUN!!”
Lupe then raised her hand and the entire changeling reinforcements were sent flying like cannonballs which bombarded the castle. All the ponies were in awe at the spectacle. However everypony began to notice ghost like flames began to light up along the surface of Lupe’s body. She turned to look at the group who went wide eyed at the spectacle before them.
Lupe spoke four words, “Get to the castle.”
Martin nodded, “Just be careful.”
Martin took off from the ground and shot toward the Canterlot castle as more reinforcements arrived to fight the ponies.
*
Lupe kept blasting away more enemies when a familiar voice drew her attention, “Luuuuuupe! Come out and playaaaaaaa!!!”
Lupe turned her head and saw a humanized Discord who waved, “Hey. What’s with that look?”
Lupe began to advance on the spirit of disharmony in a threating manner as she spoke in an angered voice, “You! YOU ruined my life!”
Lupe hurled a massive chunk of stone at Discord who deflected it with a wave of his hand as he shifted back to his regular form.
Discord’s face was now serious, “If that’s the way you want to play it.”
Discord then shot a massive blast of yellow energy directly at Lupe who raised her hand and deflected it into the sky. Discord’s eyes widened as he saw Lupe’s eyes for the first time.
Discord pointed, “Those eyes. Impossible!”
Lupe’s irises were now glowing like and were the colour of a raging inferno.
*
Martin smashed through the roof of Canterlot Castle and through several floors until he touched down on the lowest floor where the dungeon was located. He began to run as fast as he could around the area looking in each cell block trying to find the princesses and Alan.
Martin came to one sealed door and ripped it off its hinges as he entered to find a scorched chair with burnt restraints. He wouldn’t have thought anything of it, if it had not been for the fact that he saw Alan’s broken cell phone lying nearby.
Martin looked at the ground and swallowed his anger as he left the room and continued his search. For many minutes he found nothing until he heard the sounds of clopping hooves coming toward him.
Martin turned his head and saw Princess Celestia rounded the corner wounded, “PRINCESS!”
Celestia smiled, “Martin! Come on we have to go now!”
Martin looked at her confused for a moment, “What about Luna?”
Celestia was frantic, “She went on ahead.”
Martin nodded as they began to run.
Celestia then said with a smile, “I’m so happy that you came when you did Martin.”
Martin slowed his pace until he stopped, “I just realized something.”
Celestia tilted her head slightly, “What is it?”
Martin turned to her, “You usually address me by my full name when you speak to me.”
Celestia blinked, “of course, my apologies Martin F-“
Martin hopped in place for a second at the sound of a large explosion, “Along with my middle name.”
Celestia nodded, “Right, apologies Martin Rick Fairbridges.”
Martin narrowed his eyes immediately, “One more thing…I never told you my middle name.”
Celestia’s eyes flashed to a different set, “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
Martin responded with upper cutting “Celestia” through the ceiling, “FYI, my middle name is not Rick.”
Martin flew up into the next floor as he looked at Chrysalis who rubbed her chin in rage, “YOU DARE LAY A HAND UPON A MARE OF ROYALTY!”
Martin cracked his knuckles, “Yeah. I dare!”
Chrysalis’s horn then proceeded to glow a dark green, “Test your might then, HUMAN!”
Martin went to attack only for a hand to firmly grasp his shoulder and proceeded to hurl him through a nearby hole and into the Canterlot Gardens.
Martin recovered and stared up at a glaring Jinx, “Hello again Mr. Fairbridges.”
Martin immediately took a swing at Jinx who grabbed his fist with ease, “Oh please spare me your heroics.”
Jinx then proceeded to break Martin’s wrist with a sharp jerk of his hand and then hurled Martin into a nearby statue which exploded into dust and chunks. Before Martin could even take a breath, Jinx was upon him once again.
Jinx grabbed his throat and proceeded to run through several other statues using Martin’s face as a battering ram, “I don’t know about you, but I’m having a ball!!”
Jinx then drove his fist into Martin’s ribcage causing several skin crawling snapping sounds accompanying this was Martin coughing up a helping of blood as he was hurled into the air like a sack of potatoes. Jinx appeared in midair and threw him with such force that Martin broke through the ground with a bang and smashed onto a cave floor.
Martin was completely limp when he came back into a conscious state. He looked around his surroundings and saw that he was in a massive cave with crystal’s jutting from the walls.
With each breath came staggering pain as he managed to use the wall for support and turned his head to see Jinx laughing at him.
Jinx walked forward wordlessly after he finished laughing and wrenched a piece of crystal from the wall and smashed Martin across the face with it causing small shards to fly against the cave walls mingled with Martin’s blood.
Jinx looked at the coughing Martin with disgust and psychotic rage, “YOU were supposed to be the hero of Equestria?!”
Jinx smacked Martin on the back causing the human to yell in agony as he fell into the wall. Jinx then turned Martin around and proceeded to brutally smash various section of the human’s body with the crystal until it broke on a slight angle.
Jinx kicked Martin away from the wall and clear across the room, “What a sick joke.”
Jinx watched as Martin managed to stand but had to lean against the wall coughing as his bones and injuries healed agonizingly slow.
Jinx slowly approached as he broke a bit more of the crystal off to form a razor sharp tip, “You can’t even save yourself.”
Jinx then raised the crystal and charged Martin who closed his eyes and bid his friends fair well.
*SHUNK!*
Martin slowly opened his eyes to find the back of a white cloak before him with a red crystal protruding from the back of the beings stomach. The white of the cloak began to become tarnished by blood. Sortitus turned to look at Martin and forced himself to smile through the pain.
Martin barely managed his yell, “SORTITUS!!”
Sortitus broke off a bit of the crystal and yanked the rest out in one move which forced him to one knee in pain. Sortitus placed a hand to the hole in his stomach as blood began to drip from in between his fingers.
Jinx stared with shock, “Why brother…”
Sortitus looked up at his eldest brother as he stood, “You’re a heartless monster…and you deserve everything that’s coming to you.”
Jinx spoke in a monotone voice, “You can’t beat me Sortitus.”
Sortitus’s eyes became complete glowing blue discs as his robe began to glow whiter and continued to increase in brightness until he was enveloped in it. Soon the light faded to reveal that Sortitus had become a being made of pure white light, his hair was silver fire and he had four metallic gold angel wings on his back along with being covered in gold holy looking markings.
Martin stared at Sortitus’s divine form as the aspect of destiny responded with two words that seemed to echo in the chamber, “I know.”
Jinx nodded impressed, “You sure it’s wise to use your divine form in your condition?”
Sortitus narrowed his fiery blue eyes, “My health is irrelevant.”
Jinx nodded, “You would betray your own family to save a mere mortal.”
Sortitus nodded, “That’s not the only reason.”
Jinx sneered at his brother, “So be it.”