//------------------------------//
// 9: of Thrones and Flames 
// Story: One Way 
// by jroddie 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 9

It... It was enormous. Huge, utterly so. It was gigantic. It could easily have  turned me into a stain underfoot. I stared down at it, and raised a hoof. I could feel the lightning bend to my will, and streak down to the beast. The burning electricity seared the air, making my mouth dry. The bolt flew down to the coal black abomination and struck. The detonation of the thunder made me deaf for a few seconds. I was blinded by the flash. I waited for my eyes to return to normal so I could see the corpse. I watched the white, as it slowly faded to the real world.

It was staring at me. It looked me right in the eyes, with a dumb animal rage. It roared, shaking the air around me. Flapping its enormous wings, driving fierce wind underneath it’s body as it tried to meet me in the air. It opened its deadly jaws, lined with pointed fangs. He flapped his wings again, pushing himself into the air. He roared again, loosening a stream of flames at the startled Pegasi. The foul beast flung himself into the sky, accelerating with frightening speed. I stayed still, frozen in shock. The Beast, moving too fast for me to move out of the way, opened his mouth and snapped, taking half of my left hindleg  with it. I screamed, shooting lightning with my hooves as i flew away from it. the beast shook it off, much like how the Angelic in the courtyard did. I concentrated, focusing the crackling electricity. I opened my mouth, inhaling. The beast looked at me, curious, yet still eager to kill me. I shouted at the creature, unleashing the charge. My body expended itself, the lightning emptying itself, pouring all its might out into the scream. The creature screamed, a scream of feral pain. I opened my eyes and saw what I had wrought. The beast had his skin ripped off of his face, exposing the bare muscle and sinew. The now hideous beast was angry, and looked at me to vent. I was at a loss. I had no more charged lightning, and bolts did not effect him. I closed my eyes as the beast lunged at me, and concentrated. I immersed myself into the flow of Ghost magic. I thought of a coat of purest gold. A pony of elegance, yet of strong power and retribution as painful as it is swift. I thought of the only living being that could kill an Angelic dragon.

I thought of Evangeline.

My eyes shot open. My muscles were taut, bursting out of my white coat. I could feel the extremes of energy flowing through me, attempting to summon a Numbered. The dragon was frozen in front of me, struggling to even think around such a manifestation of ability. My teeth clenched, I fought with the invisible force that kept me from summoning. I growled, my body funneling an unseen force. My muscles unclenched, and I roared.

“What in Equestria is this? Who are-” the golden pony said, immaculate in her bearing. She looked at me, bleeding and torn, and was aghast. I screamed at her, cutting off her own exclamation
“KILL THE DRAGON! KILL THE DRAGON!” I screamed hoarsely, my body broken. Evangeline took one look at the creature, and held up her arms. She grew to a glowing, vibrant gold in a second. She opened her mouth, and the world flashed bright red. There was no sound. One moment, there was a bright flash. The next moment, the dragon fell to the ground, with a large hole bored through the middle. Evangeline turned to me in astonishment. I looked up at her as I lay in the open air, quivering and bleeding. Evangeline walked over and placed a hoof on my shoulder. I felt my strength return as the magic flowed through me. She took her hoof away when my body was whole. I wiggled my left hoof, feeling the satisfaction of a limb restored. I shuffled to my hooves, standing on a mile of thin air. Evangeline scowled at me, unsatisfied.
“Whoever you are, please explain to me how you possibly summoned a me from the Nether.” she said, her tone curt and offended.
“I used my-” I tried to explain, and she shook her head.
“It matters not how you did this. However you did this, I must show you to Othello. Come with me, Ghost.” she spoke in an inflectionless tone, flying up to the castle. I shouted down to Lieutenant Dash, who wasn’t that far away.
“Dash! Take care of the rest of them!” I said, following after the golden mare. I looked down at the dragon, his form broken and mutilated on the rocks below. The remaining Angelics were fleeing, realizing that they had no hope of victory. comforting myself with the fact that the ponies would be safe, I flew up to meet Evangeline.

“Othello will decide whether we will keep you alive, Ghost. Most of your kind are too dangerous to be kept alive. No doubt it was your presence that summoned the avalanche.” she spoke, flying to an open window. She landed softly on the padded floor of the hall, making no noise at all. I tried my best to emulate her, and was proud of my near-immaculate landing. Evangeline looked at me, her bearing showing no emotion.
“What brings you so close to the Royal Estate, Ghost?” She asked, as she walked down the hall.
“To make a long story short, It was the Doctor.” I said, trotting after her down the halls. She looked at me like I was crazy.
“The Doctor does his best to remain anonymous in this world. The fact that you know of him is... Interesting, to say the least. We must make haste, creature.” Evangeline broke into a trot, making me go even faster to keep up. I spied Antony down a branching hall.
“Antony! Get over here!” I hissed. He looked up, his eyes growing wide at the golden mare. He began to trot over, looking at me like I suggested that we should wear hats made of cotton candy. He came up alongside of me, and said
“Edwin! What in blue blazes do you think you are doing?” Antony exclaimed, hissing at me under his breath.
“Apparently she is going to find out if I am to be executed or not.” I replied nonchalantly. Antony stared at me in disbelief.
“What?! Who is this...” Antony couldn’t find a proper word to describe her. I looked at him, amused.
“If you two are done squabbling, I would like for you to enter.” We were in front of the throne room, and I figured out that the branching hallway was the war room. I looked up at Evangeline. She was the picture of passive, staring at us like we were something she had seen a thousand times before. When we continued to murmur about her, she pierced us with vibrant, golden eyes. I stared back at her defiantly, while Antony faltered and looked away. She made an amused sigh.
“Go, Ghost. Enter the Throne room. And pray to whatever it is that you worship that Othello will be lenient.” She spoke emptily as she gestured to the door. I looked at her once more, and then pushed open the door with my hoof. I entered, with Antony and Evangeline close behind. Celestia was sitting on her throne, with Othello speaking to her, a hoof raised in embellishment. Luna was off to the side, pawing through a bushel of apples. Gespard was leaning against the Tardis, his blue coat matching the box perfectly. I couldn’t see Marcus anywhere, which was odd. The ponies that were assembled turned to look at me with varying emotions.
Gespard didn’t look at me. He was falling asleep.
Celestia looked at me with amused indifference.
Luna turned to look at me with an apple in her mouth, grinning.
Othello looked at me with deadly rage.
Othello was the first one to move. He charged at me, his hooves closing the long distance. He leaped, lighting his whole body aflame. I could see every inch of his trajectory, watching searing red tongues lick his muscled frame. He landed with a gigantic whoomph, snorting. I growled at him, my body crackling with murderous intent. He stared at me with red eyes, the only part of him not on fire.
Celestia moved second, in reaction to Othello. She leaped from her throne, demanding to know what was happening.
“What are you doing, Othello?!” She all but screamed. The guards at her side galloped up to Othello with their horns trained on him. He looked at them and grunted, tendrils of flame licking up his sides. The guards were steadfast in their resolve. They moved not an inch when the Numbered turned to face them, his body radiating blistering heat.
Luna gasped, dropping her apple. It made a muffled thump as it hit the carpet. It rolled over to Gespard, nudging him. He shuffled, oblivious to the disaster that was occuring. Luna simply looked at me, in shock.
I felt a hoof land on my shoulder. I turned to see Evangeline, brilliant gold with shining white eyes. She was fully charged, waiting to kill me with the slightest provocation. She grinned, seeming truly filled with emotion for the first time I’ve ever seen.
“Try anything, Ghost. Your seconds are numbered.” She spoke with a voice that was horrifyingly honest.
Nothing happened for a crushing few seconds. Othello stared down the guards, Luna looked stupefied, Gespard snored, Celestia looked outraged, and Evaneline was perfectly still.
There was a creak in Luna’s corner of the throne room, and everything snapped. Evangeline looked up away from me and released her charge, making the room bright red. The charge struck the tardis, making a large black scorch on the blue paint. Luna dropped to the ground and squealed, holding her hooves over her head. Othello roared and spewed flames all over the room. The guards stood stock still with their horns glowing to repel the blistering flames. Celestia did much the same as Luna, dropping to the ground when the charge struck. Gespard awoke, screaming. He rolled around on the ground for a little bit until he could find his hooves. I took the opportunity and charged a hoof, tackling Evangeline. I held the hoof to her muzzle, much like I did in the Arena. She tried to charge again, glowing golden. I looked her straight in the eyes and released electricity. Miniature bolts bound from my chest, hitting her right in the neck. She involuntarily locked her chest muscles, her head pointing away from me. The room was deadly still again.

The Doctor poked his head out of the tardis, looking surprised. He walked out, everyone pausing again at the sheer calm he was under. He looked at us all, amazed at the state of things. Gespard stopped rolling around. The Doctor eyed him. Gespard froze, breaking into a sweat. The Doctor moved away from Gespard, walking to Celestia. He nodded his head, “Princess.” he murmured under his breath. He walked out into the middle of the room, next to one of the small carpet fires. He stepped on it.
“I leave you lot alone for I swear, not TEN measly seconds, and look at what you do!” The Doctor exclaimed, looking at each of us. The Doctor turned to Othello, staring at him with accusing eyes.
“Look at his cutie mark, Othello.” The  Doctor said. Othello did as advised, turning to look at me through a flaming mask. His emotions were unreadable through the fire. He looked at me for a good while. He extinguished himself as he turned to the Doctor.
“But he has not yet been summoned! How is this-” Othello was cut off
“Please, Othello! Have we not been through this a million times before?! TIME and relative dimensions in space. You have been a passenger before, have you not?” the Doctor said in an accusatory tone. Othello turned away, looking at me.
“Do you have a name, Numbered?” he asked, his tone sincerely ashamed.
“E-Edwin Shell.” I replied, still holding Evangeline at leg’s length.
“You can let her go, Edwin. She was only doing as she was told. She has no grudge with you.” Othello said in a sad, deep voice. He looked about as meek as I had ever seen him. I jumped off of Evangeline, releasing the flow of power to my limbs. She gasped and heaved her lungs, struggling to get air.
“Edwin, I am very sorry about what I did. I must talk to you later, however, on how you managed to extract Evangeline from the Nether. But, for now, unless Celestia will object, You may leave if you so wish.” Othello said. Celestia nodded to me from under her hooves. I could see Luna scooting over to me, still on the ground.
“Luna, you can get up now.” I said, almost laughing except for the fact that we all almost died. Luna shuffled to her hooves, and bounded over to me.
“Sister, I do not think that I will be needed here anymore. I will go now.” She spoke with an air of authority. She strode off from the chambers, leaving a group of severely confused ponies in her wake. I gestured to Antony to follow me, and walked out of the room.
“Edwin! I’ll meet up with you in a minute!” the Doctor shouted at me as the door closed.

“Celestia’s Shoes, Edwin!” Antony exclaimed as we were out of hearing of the throne room.
“Yeah, quite a spectacle there.” I replied, still shaking from the altercation. Antony looked at me and rolled his eyes.
“‘Quite a spectacle’ indeed! Not every day it is that you see a fight in the Throne room! And In the presence of Celestia Herself! I’m surprised that they didn’t kill you right there!” Antony nearly shouted, prancing down the halls. Feeling quite giddy, he stopped next to a suit of armor. He imitated the pose, and asked me as I walked past him
“Where in Equestria are we going, Edwin?” He asked, following me as I trotted past the armor.
“We’re going to Luna’s quarters. She won’t mind me there, and besides, she is probably out in the courtyard. She really likes it there, and is barely ever awake in the daytime.” I replied, trying to find the right door. Luna told me much about herself when she showed me the courtyard my first night in the castle.
“No... No... Not this one...” I murmured to myself.
“Edwin you are frighteningly terrible at this. It’s right here.” The pale grey colt jumped and bucked over to a door on the opposite side of the hall. He waited for me to reach the door, and pushed it open with a foreleg. I could see the rug with Luna’s blanket, with the one I summoned for myself in the opposite corner. I thought of how warm and soft my blanket would be, and sighed. There would be time for sleep and blankets later. Now was the time for something else.
“Edwin, why are we here?” Antony asked, his tone interested. I paused before I answered, thinking.


“You must teach me to summon blades.” I said.