//------------------------------// // Let the games begin // Story: The collapse of the universe // by KRissCHu573 //------------------------------// The collapse of the universe Chapter 9: Let the games begin Nocturne, Hecarim, Shaco and Mordekaiser rushed after Rengar, who was tracking the changelings. After two minutes of galloping, the Pridestalker suddenly stopped, and raised his hoof, motioning his followers to stop as well. “What’s wrong?” The spiked metal pony asked. “I’ve lost their scent.” The ponified hunter replied. “What do you mean you lost their scent? Do you need to empty up that blowhole of yours, so you can sniff them out again?” The dagger winged pegasus snorted. “No, just the opposite. There are too many scents…strong ones at that. Rengar said, with his gaze locked on in the direction they were headed. “Well let’s follow, if all are coming from one direction. What’s the strongest smell you can catch?” Nocturne spoke. The Pridestalker slowly turned his head towards his comrades, and said somewhat worriedly. “Blood.” -- One of the infested changelings was carrying Twilight to the spawning pool. Discord stood in the air above it, proudly bearing the Eye of the night on his neck, feasting on the stolen power in it, and held a coconut with an umbrella. “Let her soak in for a few minutes, then dry her out.” He said as he sipped from his cocktail. Just as the creature was about to drop the mare in the green liquid, a dagger dropped from the sky, and pierced its head, nailing it to the ground. The purple unicorn landed right on the edge, almost falling in the pool. The spirit of chaos spat out his drink in surprise. In a moment, hundreds more daggers seeped like rain, killing changelings, zerglings and wolflings. Two twin pegasy in jester outfits flew low, and slashed through the masses of flesh beneath them. Two other, large ponies charged from the forest. One was a unicorn, covered in spiky metal armor, wielding a giant mace with his magic. The other was about half as much his size, and had a strange upper body, in the hands of which, span a weird looking lance. They rammed, stomped, and busted through all the creatures. Some sort of blade flew through, leaving a dark trail, from which a legless creature appeared. With its large armblades it cut down the surrounding it wolflings. Another unusual pony, whose eyes were in different colors, and had some sort of claws and blade, roped to its front legs, pounced from out of nowhere, saddled a roach, and stabbed its skull. The zerg organized themselves, and began to take up the offensive. The champions murdered light and heavy ground units, which charged at them, while dodging the mantalisks’ bio charges. Rengar cut off another head, when something kicked him in the face. The hit tossed him in an open area. Before his eyes stood a familiar figure. “So this is the guy you were looking for Zixy?” Discord asked as he flashed next to the Voidreaver. “Zixy?” The Pridestalker burst into laugh. Kha’Zix growled with anger. “Yes, that’s him. Now keep your end of the bargain.” “Ah yes.” Discord snapped his eagle fingers. In a second Rengar was in his humanoid form, and looked at himself confusedly. With another finger snap, a ball of dark energy trapped the two champions, and a zergling from a nearby pack. As he slashed a mantalisk, which flew too low, Hecariom saw the Pridestalker in his normal form. “Rengar?” He asked confusedly, when the hunter leaped and slashed at him. The centaur dodged several slashes and stabs, turned around, and kicked him with his back legs. The cat died on the spot, but when it fell on the ground it transformed into one of the infested changelings. In the next moment the Shadow of war saw his exact copy, with two Shacos on his shoulders, charging at him. Four infested hydras unburrowed, and pressed forward. One of them pinned down Mordekaiser, as he smashed a copy of himself with his mace. The Master of metal struggled to break free, with no success. One of the heads rose up, about to strike its prisoner, when suddenly it fell off its neck. On the place, where once was a killer machine, stood a two legged figure, wearing gold armor. The head on the left opened its mouth, trying to bite him. Klastanar jumped atop of it, and stabbed its left eye. The head roared in pain, and shook itself, but the protoss kept on, by gripping himself to the eye socket, which showered blood. The other heads moved in for the kill. The alien dodged a few bites. When he saw a mouth which gaped wide, he threw inside a device, he took from his armplate. Then he kicked the neck of the head he stood on. It nodded backwards, straighting its throat. The protoss jumped, pierced it from underneath the jaw, and began sliding down, as he cut open the whole length of the neck. He bounced from it, to avoid the mouth on the creature’s chest, landed in front of it, as a ray of blue light dissolved it to nothingness. Unfortunately the shock wave from the explosion shook the spawning pool. The motion pushed Twilight Sparkle into the green liquid. Klastanar reached there in about six seconds, and pulled her out. With a grim expression, he noticed that a small piece of brown bone had began to cover her back leg. He held her in both his arms, jumped off, and landed right next to Nocturne. “Who the hell are you?!” The nightmare asked. “Not important. We have to get her back to the city, and slow down the spread of the infestation.” Klastanar replied. The darkling sighted, and then yelled. “Hey sharp ass, get over here!” Shaco unstealthed in front of them. “What do you want?” He asked. “Get her back to town…” Nocturne pointed at the unconscious mare with his eyes, and continued. “…and tell Fiddle, or whoever you find, that she has some kind of virus, that needs to be slowed down somehow.” “Ugh, can’t you get that centaur to do it?” The jester snorted. The nightmare thrusted his blade, right next to Demon jester’s head, stabbing a wolfling. He pulled his arm back, and stared at the pegasus with annoyance. “I’ll get there right away.” Shaco squealed. The protoss put the purple unicorn on his back, and the dagger winged pony flew away with his cargo. “WHAT?! NO! NO!” Discord shouted, and flew after him. “Soo…anything else I should know, mister fancy pants?” Nocturne asked. “There are two other ponies, which have been infested. The Princes has instructed for us not to kill them.” Klastanar replied. “See, if you haven’t noticed, there are LOTS of infested things around. Which are the ones that are off limits?” Just as the nightmare finished that sentence, the two jumped to dodge a concentrated force pulse. They looked up with surprise, to see an infested pegasus, which chucked pure force at them, and had a striking resemblance with a face, Klastanar had seen before. “That one.” The protoss said. All of a sudden the ground behind them exploded. They turned around, and saw another pony like creature, with force around her hooves. She was larger, with purpleishly-brown bone covering. A set of insect like wings. From holes in her hooves, came out short tentacles. The mane and tail looked like they were made from purple silk, with a large horn on her head. On her face there were two sets of jaws. One like the side ones of the wolflings, and inside a shorted one, filled with small sharp teeth. “And that one.” Klastanar said. -- Rarity, Applejack and Annie helped Fiddlesticks get to the library. It was very strange to walk around the city, when there was nopony in it. The two mares felt like ghosts. The filly didn’t bother with such thoughts, she was worried about her uncle. “How are you uncle Fiddle?” She asked in a both caring and cute way. “A lot better. With a little rest I should fully recover.” He replied. “Aight, we’re here. Try to get some sleep.” AJ said. Just when they were about to open the door, a serious voice spoke from behind them. “My little ponies.” They turned around. “Princes Celestia…” Rarity gasped, before everypony bowed before the alicorn, next to which stood Rainbow Dash. “Princes what’s goin’ on?” The orange pony asked worriedly. “Discord has taken Twilight Sparkle, and using a magical artifact, he stole the power of my sister.” “That…monster, took Twi…” Rarity uttered and fainted. “Princes, can’t we do anything?” Applejack asked. “That’s just it Applejack. Klastanar has probably reached that vile serpent’s location. I came to get you, so we can aid him.” The following reply was stopped by a shout in the distance. “Coming through!” A dagger winged pegasus, wearing jester clothes, rammed into the library door, and dropped a purple unicorn. “Twilight!” The three mares and the alicorn grabbed her. They were stunned from the look, their friend had taken. Fiddlesticks tore Shaco away from the door, and asked. “What happened to her?” “She fell in a weird pool. A guy dressed in gold said she’s been infested with some kind of virus, and that we must slow it down somehow.” The jester replied. There was a strange covering of bone and tissue, going from the back leg, through the ribcage, up to the head, on Twilight’s body. “I think I can slow it down.” The princes of the sun said. She closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow in blue. Celestia touched the purple mare’s forehead with it. Suddenly ice began to appear over the unicorn, until it covered her in a cold shell. “Princes, what did you do?” Rainbow Dash was confused. “I froze her. The magic keeps her alive, but the processes in her body have stopped, meaning that until we unfreeze her, the virus won’t spread.” Celestia explained. “Let’s get her inside.” The princes said. They took her to her bed in the library. “Scarecrow, I have to tell you something else.” Shaco whispered to Fiddle. “What is it?” The Harbinger of doom asked. “I think someone followed me.” “Who?” Everypony heard an evil sounding chuckle. They went out, and saw Discord. “That guy.” The Demon jester said. -- A summoner was muttering to himself, as he walked down the staircase, which led to the dungeon. He was carrying a platter, with a big cow leg on it. “Ugh, couldn’t they put me in manual labor? Even coaching the novices would be better.” He gave out a loud, annoyed sight. “Why do they do this shit to the middle leveled summoners? That guy scares the crap out of me.” He shivered. The man put on a confused expression, due to the fact, that he was nearly at the hall, but he couldn’t hear anything but his thoughts and footsteps. He was right in front of the door, but silence still reigned supreme. ‘What are the chances of him being asleep?’ He thought instead of speaking. The summoner went in. He closed to the cage, and saw how two reptilian eyes locked onto him. “Uh…breakfast?” The man asked with a shaky tone, the figure, which calmly sat on the floor, without struggling in his shackles, as per usual. “I wish to speak with my brother please.” The soul eater said, without any sort of note in his tone. After that one word “please”, the summoner fainted, and collapsed on the floor. Renekton couldn’t hold himself from rolling his eyes, which were no longer zealous red, but yellowishly green.