This story is a fan-fiction of MLP:FiM. I don't own any of it. It belongs to Hasbro, etc, etc.
Don't sue. Seriously. That would be so uncouth.
Part Twelve: The Storm, the Flame, the Frost, and the Earth
‘We should warn Celestia of this.’ Storm said. ‘Let’s go find her Little Wing.’
I got up from the ground and started to walk towards Ponyville as Agni came up beside me. ‘Celestia was here?’ he asked in confusion.
“You probably didn’t notice her because at the time you were trying to kill me.” I replied, making a knowing look appear on Agni’s face. We walked on in almost complete silence, our minds blanketed by one thought; that Asmodeus was back. Even though I didn’t know what this meant, I was silenced by it all the same.
As we walked back to Fluttershy’s cottage, we became painfully aware to our little jaunt on the outskirts of Ponyville. Every few yards were large burn marks in the shape of Agni’s paws and puddles or other scorch marks marred the ground around them. When we got back to Fluttershy’s, three angry mare were waiting for us. Agni and I looked at each other and a slow smile spread across our faces. We were so screwed.
Before any reprehending could be had, Octave flew out of a tree and landed on my head.
“Did you beat the tiger, Lord?” he chirped while eyeing Agni with suspicion.
“We tied, more or less.” I replied, making Agni smile and the mares look at me in confusion.
‘We must speak Celestia.’ Storm boomed.
“I think so.” Celestia said with a disapproving scowl towards Agni. “Lord Agni, I will not let anything needlessly terrorize my citizens, nor will I have two very powerful beings fight whenever they feel like it.” She said with royalty.
Agni just rolled his eyes. ‘It’s not like you could stop us anyway.’ He muttered.
‘Enough of this.’ Storm said, quieting both of them. ‘Asmodeus has been found.’ He continued, making Celestia pale.
“This is dire news indeed.” She replied, her voice faint with fear.
“Asmodeus?” Rainbow and Fluttershy asked together.
‘Yes. The great snake of the earth. He was once lost, but now we found out where he was. And yet, he is still lost to us.’ Agni said sadly.
‘Take us to the clearing, Little Wing.’ Storm said tiredly. I nodded and started the long walk into the Everfree. As I walked along, I let myself change back into pony form, an Earth pony leading two pegasi, an alicorn, and an ancient. They all followed me onto my own snaking path into the forest as I led them in deeper and deeper. Finally, I felt the magical field around the clearing wash over me and I felt like I was home. I sat beneath the tree in the clearing and everyone else followed me. Rainbow sat to my left, Fluttershy to my right, Agni curled around the trunk of the tree, and Celestia sitting towards us.
‘Agni, I must rest, but I implore you show them the last fight. Celestia will help.’ Storm vocalized quietly, his consciousness receding from us and going into the very pit of my mind.
‘As you wish my friend.’ He said as he closed his eyes and we were all warmed by his magic. ‘Celestia, keep them safe while I show them.’ He directed Celestia who nodded and responded with a glowing horn.
Soon the wave of heat turned into a giant flame which engulfed all of us. I could hear Fluttershy let out a worried squeal, so I pulled her towards me in a hug. However, I never took my eyes off of the fire. Celestia’s magic held true as the fire grew more and more intense, making different colors appear within its writhing being. Greens, blues, yellows, oranges, reds, purples, and even black came into existence in the tornado of flames. I could feel something very strange as Agni’s consciousness flooded over eyerpony, but then the flames grew stronger and spun faster, making the walls of fire look like conjoined gems. Rubies, Diamonds, Amethysts, Topazes, and Obsidians became our entire world, but then it all faded away and we were in the same place, but a different time.
I could tell from the feel of it that this place was the same clearing, my home, but it was nothing alike. Instead of the great Everfree, there was nothing. No trees, no grasses, nothing of any sort other than blank earth and dark skies. However, what was there was power. And that was when we saw them.
Horned serpents of many sizes, some as big as Canterlot castle, numbered in the thousands. But they were not alone. Distorted creatures and vile monsters of every size and sort joined them, making their forces so formidable that the earth beneath them shook out of fear. But from the barren lands and bleak scene, hope was born. I heard a roar and I looked behind us to see the heroes.
On the opposite side of the approaching evil forces stood some familiar faces and some unfamiliar ones as well. I immediately saw a younger Storm and felt his power as he screeched to the heavens, bringing storm clouds and lightning to fill the sky. I also saw Agni in all of his rage, a tiger burning bright with flames and challenging the world with his roar. Celestia and Luna stood in front of them, glowing like the celestial bodies they controlled. Beside them stood another few alicorns, all of them giving off their own powers, yet unified by one single bond. A full white alicorn stood at the forefront, his silver mane outlined with an amber aura and his body giving off waves of strange power. However, he and the other alicorns were not the only ones there.
Behind them and next to Agni and Storm stood the rest of the ancients. They numbered six in all and each was incredibly powerful. There was a large bear that froze everything she touched off to one side of Storm and I assumed she was Moroz, the bear of the frost. Off to her side stood a large creature that looked like a pony, but was much taller and had a long snout. He also had fins on his legs with his hooves and his tail was long and forked. His gaze reminded me of a beach and I faintly smelled a hint of coconuts coming from his direction.
On the other side of the line, off to Agni’s side, stood a large snake. He looked sinisterly like a horned serpent, but his scales were emerald green and his eyes were a comforting yellow. The burned into your soul and left me feeling like I was back in the Everfree. I could see tiny sprouts of grass and flowers shoot up from where his trunk touched the ground. And lastly, next to him, stood a large pony-like creature. He was the size of the ancient that looked like a pony, but his form was covered in a long cloak and ebony wrappings underneath that. However, I caught a glimpse of his eyes and became deathly afraid and impossibly enjoyed at the same time. His cold and friendly eyes were a paradox, but they glowed like stars and showed his majesty. With him, the line-up was finished and our heroes stood against the oncoming forces.
I could feel the angry power of the oncoming forces, but the flow and ebb of energy from behind me made everything seem like it was weak in comparison. As the oncoming forces came closer and closer, the only one to move was the all-white alicorn. He walked out to meet the forces as they got close enough, his horn glowing with impossible energy. As the enemies reached a certain point, he cast his spell, throwing a force field around the battlegrounds. Then our heroes began to move against the enemy forces. Storm and Agni leaped into battle, sending flames and lighting throughout the enemy army with ease, encouraging the other ancients and few alicorns. Soon, they jumped into battle too. The alicorns flew around and shot their magics at the enemies, teaming up and taking them down a few at a time, for the enemies were much stronger than they were. The only alicorn that joined the ancients with their head-on battle was the ever-present all-white alicorn. His powers slowed down the enemies around him, allowing him, Storm, or Agni to take them down with ease. However, as strong as the ancients were, there was much too many of the enemies.
I heard Moroz growl as she was slashed across the side by some creature holding a large scimitar. Asmodeus slithered next to her with impossible speed and helped her fight the creatures attacking her. He hissed back at many a horned serpent before he crushed them in his coils, bit them in two, or let the earth swallow them whole. Moroz reared up onto her back paws and swiped at the enemies, freezing some with her touch and her roars, while slicing other in half to spill semi-frozen blood on the ground. Similarly, the strange fish-horse was fighting more than any other of his kind was. He was weaving in and out of their attacks, attacking back with just the gentlest of touches, which made water spurt from the mouths of the creatures as they gripped their throats, choking on the liquid. Their bodies fell to the ground unscathed, except for a few the sea-pony touched; they turned into water which the ancient used to drown or attack other monsters.
Yet, there was one ancient that wasn’t attacking. It was the cloaked one and he sat back as his fellows fought. He watched with and unreadable expression as many bodies fell to the ground and his friends risked their lives. I saw him look up as I heard one of the alicorns scream and fall to the ground, hurt by something. Next to fall was another alicorn, his golden blood staining the earth. Then the water-horse whinnied and all the ancients looked back at him. He was on the ground, clutching his skull as the water around him turned a deep red. His eyes were blood shot and he screamed in pain. Somehow, I knew this wasn’t an attack from an enemy, but something worse.
‘Azrael, you must join us now!’ Storm shouted to the cloaked horse as he flew over to his downed comrade. The water-pony was now erupting water, the liquid coming out of every pore in his body and threatening to flood the battlefield. Luckily, Storm was there to create tornado that sucked up the water quickly and sent it flying towards the enemy with enough force to push back many and kill some. I wanted to know what the heck was happening with the water ancient, but all my thoughts were silenced when I saw the cloaked horse move.
He strode silently into the fray, enemies falling around him and his allies yearning for his help. He vanished from sight for a moment, but then I saw him again, yards away from where he once was and now surrounded by bloodthirsty monsters. I wanted to yell out to him, to make him move, but an incredible power washed over all of us. It made me want to curl up into a ball and go to sleep forever, but at the same time made me feel like I would live forever. I watched as the horse, “Azrael” according to Storm, cast his cloak off of his body. What remained was a horse wrapped in ebony strips of cloth. But then the singing started.
The song drifted through the air slowly and solemnly, ancient and filled with a power that made all the ancients, even the current Agni and I, shiver and cower inwardly. The song slowed the battle from the past and Azrael’s wrappings started to float from his body. They drifted in the air like black snakes and they unwound from his body. Soon, we all gasped as we saw the skeletal horse with six wings hidden by the wrappings. The wrappings flew to the bodies of dead enemies and they snaked their ways down the throats of the dead. Then Azrael flew into the sky on wings of death and said something in the most ancient of languages.
The enemy army was taken completely taken by surprise by the rising forms of their dead comrades. But even scarier, the once dead now started to fight the monstrous army, bringing panic, mayhem, and bloodshed back to the battle. The once dead had come back and now they were fighting for our side.
The whole time Azrael used his powers, I could see that Asmodeus was watching greedily. His yellow eyes narrowed and all warmth left them as he saw the horse’s immense power. His gaze chilled me worse than the sight of Azrael’s power, but a gasp from and sharp squeeze around my midsection pulled my attention away from him. I saw and felt Fluttershy holding onto me with a death grip, her eyes closed shut tightly. I put a gentle hoof on her shoulder in return, but I was shoved from behind and ended up holding her just as tightly. I looked behind myself angrily to find a happy Rainbow Dash who was giggling at my cheeks which were red with embarrassment. Agni even popped open an eye to look at our antics, but soon the memory-battle became faster and faster, like a movie on fast forward. Most of the fighting skipped ahead of us, until the very end.
The armies of the monsters laid dead all over the battlefield, their blood staining the earth as a testament to the violence that had happened here. It looked like our forces were all alive, but not without injury. Agni and Storm both looked very beaten up and Moroz was crying; her side was lacerated with one million claw marks. She was not crying because of her wounds, but because Asmodeus was gone and the water ancient lay in front of her on the ground, convulsing in pain.
‘HELP! Vaten is rejecting all the power!’Moroz screamed with frost coated tears streaming down her face. Storm and Agni raced to her side along with Princess Luna. They stood around the convulsing ancient with concern in their eyes, but Luna looked at him with determination. Her horn lit up and his body was covered in a deep blue glow. His convulsing stopped slowly, but I could still see the panic in his eyes.
‘Please…’ he said desperately. ‘Get me to the oceans.’
Luna nodded once and they teleported away instantly. Moroz cried even harder at this and Agni and Storm cradled her between themselves.
‘It’s over.’ said a certain skeletal ancient who was not joining in on the hug. His voice was like silk in the middle of the night, inviting yet threating all the same.
‘But it is the beginning as well.’ he finished with a nod towards the remaining alicorns. There was only seven, including the missing Luna, but they were powerful enough to rule this world and make it anew. They formed a circle as Luna teleported back without Vaten, and all their horns began to glow.
The glow blinded us for a moment, but then we found ourselves back in the clearing. I thought I understood now, but I had too many questions to ask before my mind could comprehend what was happening.
“What the hay was that?” Rainbow asked for me.
“That my little ponies, was the Great War that ushered in this world.” Princess Celestia said with a voice that seemed tired by age. “Back then there were many of us alicorns, but now there are about are four of us. The same amount as the ancients.” she continued, a tear coming to her eye.
“But why was that one ancient, Vaten, so hurt? No one else was that hurt; plus he was never even hit once.” I asked. “And what about that other ancient. The skeletal one! He was a monster!”
‘You should never speak of Azrael that way, Little Wing.’ Agni said seriously. ‘He is the strongest and most ancient of all the ancients. He only comes in times of great change. However, Vaten, his story is a sad one.’ Agni continued with a frown.
‘Being the element of water, we were never truly close. Yet, it was still terrible to see what happened to him. Before the Great War, he thought he could gain immense powers by absorbing all the power in the oceans. As ancients it is true we are incredibly powerful and can handle such power; but nothing comes without a price. All the power in his body slowly ate away at his health and sanity, so by the time he came to the Great War with us, he was untouchable, but the weakest of us all.’
“The only one who could help him was Luna.” said Celestia. “She could help him with her powers over the tides from the moon, so she took him to the oceans and let him free there. She still won’t talk about what happened that day, even to me.”
“But what happened to Asmodeus?” I asked,
‘He disappeared in the battle and we thought he was dead. Only now do we understand what truly happened.’ Agni said slowly.
“So what happened to him?”
‘He was taken back to the badlands by the last known Horned Serpent. There they must have broke him with evil magics, for we now know that he is still alive, but it would be better if he was dead.’ Agni said with the fires of revenge burning in his eyes.
“Why?” I asked quietly.
‘For he is now the king of the Horned Serpents. He helped them rise back and will be the one leading them into battle against you.’ Agni said as a cold wind blew through the clearing. I shivered out of fear, the cold spreading up my spine and into my soul.
I was going to have to fight, and possibly kill, an ancient.