//------------------------------// // Ragnok // Story: To Call the Moon My Own // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------// "What are they talkin' about?" Applejack questioned. "Netu'ung's challenging him," Dan explained. "Challenging him for what?" Twilight whispered. They all winced as small openings ripped apart on Tony's back, letting the metals creep out. Across from him, Netu'ung's skin turned coarse, and cracks began to spread over his body. The shapes bumped out and hardened to make scales, and a tail grew from his tailbone. The mask covered Tony's face, and his mouthpiece shut. Netu'ung grew bigger than he already was, giving him a more intimidating look. With their transformations complete, the two Signa roared ferociously, Tony's being more demonic while Netu'ung's was louder. The ponies shuddered as the roars died off. "We must leave," Luna strained. Her wing wasn't broken, but it was still painful to move. "I'm sorry to say, Princess," Dan sighed,"but we can't." "And why is that?" Celestia asked. Dan pointed behind the guards, and to several soldiers lined up. "When did they get there?!" Rainbow shouted. The guards formed up in front of the wolves, who refused to charge forward. From what Twilight had seen, the soldiers were savage and blood hungry animals. They killed without remorse, but they were just standing there, mere feet from the Solar guards. The second human seemed relaxed with their presence. "Why are they just standing there?" Twilight whispered to the human. "Because, we're with Tony, and they're with Netu'ung," Dan explained, nodding to the scaled adversary. "What does that have to do with anything?" Twilight questioned further, still confused. "Since Netu'ung and Tony are fighting, as long as we don't attack, they won't either," Dan summarized. "S-S-So w-what happens i-if we… run?" Fluttershy squeaked. Dan checked his clip, sighing as he remembered he was just about empty. "They attack… fight's over… and Netu'ung will aim for us." "So we wait for Tony and the other human to finish their battle?" Celestia said from behind him. Dan nodded. "You said he was challenging Tony. Challenging him for what exactly?" Cadence asked. "That's… not for me to say," Dan said. Another roar sounded the start and both Signa shot forward, kicking up dirt behind them. The distance rapidly closed, until the two collided with tremendous force. Given Tony's smaller size, instead of being knocked away, he was carried along after Netu'ung shouldered into him. Before he could continue and slam his adversary into the far trees, Tony shook from his brief daze and jabbed at Netu'ung's stomach, forcing him to stop. He replied with both fists across his face, then raked the boy's chest with his razor sharp claws. Tony roared as he clutched the new gashes, and it turned into a cry of pain as Netu'ung kicked him. He tumbled backwards like a rag doll, slamming into a tree to halt at last. Netu'ung was right behind him, driving his knee into Tony's head. He brought it back and slammed it down again several times before picking him up and tossing him near the bank. Tony coughed up blood and groaned as the slash marks weeped blood. Letting loose a bellow, Netu'ung rushed forward again, attempting to hammer him with his entwined hands. Before he could meet his mark, Tony jumped into the air and flew up. He pursued instantly, taking their brawl to the skies. He connected with his fist, but Tony slipped around his fist and countered with his own punch. Tony grunted as he continuously drove his left fist into Netu'ung's reinforced belly. He brought his knee up into his scaled stomach, then continued his jabbing. Netu'ung, however, had had enough. He curled his fist as Tony kept hammering him with blows, then uppercut the adolescent suddenly, halting the stream of attacks. Netu'ung grabbed Tony before he could fall and whipped his face into his foot. He pulled him back up and started beating his midsection. Now that he knew the Doshu'um had energy left, he enhanced his strikes, pouring more and more power into them. Each strike of his fist made Tony fall into and shake out of a daze. He grunted with each hit, feeling the power with each impact. He held on, enduring the energized punches one by one. Netu'ung didn't let up, even as he tired. The energy he put into the attacks weren't necessary, but he knew the Doshu'um was tenacious, and would be harder to put down. As he laughed boastfully, his voice caught, a pained strain replacing his mocking. Tony had forced his right arm to rocket into Netu'ung's airway, leaving him momentarily dazed. Taking his opportunity, Tony grabbed Netu'ung and hurled him back towards the ground. The ponies, and human, shielded their eyes from the cloud of dirt that exploded out from the impact. Another cloud was kicked up right after, courtesy of Tony smashing his fist into Netu'ung. He jabbed at the fallen man with the energy he had been saving, forcing grunts and attempts to stop his barrage of jabs. Every attempt was met with a crippling punch to either shoulder, causing the arm to crumple. Netu'ung's scales took the brunt of the attacks, but he was still in pain from what did register. He caught Tony's fists and headbutted him, causing him to stumble backwards before getting kicked into the tree line. Tony smashed through a tree and into a large boulder, which stopped him from flying any further. Neither made an attempt to attack; both kept where they were and panted. Their little skirmish lasted a mere ten minutes, their energies nowhere near their maximum. Still, their second forms burned off power to stay active, which was now making them pay. Tony mostly. Being an adolescent meant he didn't have much control in his second form. He noticed Netu'ung had put a considerable amount of power into his attacks, and he guessed he must have wasted some of it. Honestly, he didn't expect to make it this far into the battle. Not like this at least. His stomach was rippling with pain, his neck was sore, his face was swelling, blood was trickling out of his nose and some came from the side of his mouth. All of it pooled within the mouthguard of his mask. Those on the sidelines were in complete shock and awe, save for Dan, who had seen these types of battles. Each of their mouths were hanging open, even Luna. Celestia was wide-eyed from the epic battle raging in front of them. The yellow one, Fluttershy if he remembered, was cowering behind the small white one, Rarity. She was scared, he knew that much. He was too; from the looks of things, Netu'ung was winning. "They're so… savage," Rarity managed to say. "And strong," Rainbow muttered, shaking from her momentary awe. "Think so?" Dan chuckled. The ponies looked at him with confused expressions. "Then brace yourselves, 'cause they've been holding back this whole time." Right then, Netu'ung yelled as he channeled his energy levels to their peak. The wind picked up around him, blowing the guards', mares', and soldiers' fur and manes. Dan and the ponies squinted and raised a limb to try and see past the gusts. Another roar, and another shockwave of wind bursted forth. Tony called on any and all energy he had. You're struggling, are you? Tony grunted, falling to a knee and clutching his head viciously. You only need to— NO! I… I won't… I won't let you hurt… anyone else! "Anyone else"? Unlike the Signa. Unlike your targets. Unlike your care— SHUT UP! Netu'ung's roars died down, his energy lifting chunks of the ground accidentally. But even though he had fully charged his rites, Tony kept on. We can win this… but only, if you release me. No… no… I can… I can do this! …I… I can win! His struggling to keep It in check allowed some power to leak out. The change was incredible. He felt powerful, invincible… and angry. No… enraged. And the man he loathed second above all was standing in front of him. Challenging him. With a more primal roar, he rushed forward on all fours. Netu'ung was taken completely off guard, and the result was a dazing headbutt. Tony jumped on him, roaring and snarling as the power overtook his weak mind. He pinned Netu'ung to the ground and started blindly punching his fists into his chest. Recovering from the burst of energy, Netu'ung started gathering energy in his palms, holding back the red spheres that would appear. He waited for the right moment. The moment the berserk child would give him to end this. Dan noticed Tony's feral behavior. The signs were all too clear. It was making a push. " Tony! TONY! Tony snap out of it!" He didn't seem to hear, or he just didn't care. But he kept thrashing, roaring and yelling with each hit. "TONY! You're stronger! Fight It! Come on, man, you can do this! Just STOP! TONY!" The sensible part of Tony's mind regained control, stopping his violent and inaccurate strikes. He peered over to his friend, then glanced to the others. The mares were giving him horrified looks, but his vision turned to black as he sailed backwards. Netu'ung had taken the opportunity and blasted Tony from point blank. Energy was meant for ranged attacks, but when used in combat it was devastating. Tony dropped like a rock a few feet from the ponies. Shining put up another protection spell, in fear of Tony's body falling on them. He kept it active as Netu'ung walked over, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. The strikes had managed to fracture a rib, which irritated him. He was a full grown Signa, the strongest outside the royal family. Yet here he was: battered by a child. Tony's vision came back, the colorful skies of the afternoon above. The two blasts left him disoriented, and he could sense Netu'ung coming. His ears were ringing, but he could faintly hear Dan's voice screaming for him to get up. It sounded like Dan was yelling from the other side of a glass wall. He could hear the voices of the other ponies shouting with Dan, but Netu'ung stood above him now, a victorious smirk curled on his face. He glanced to the group of ponies, then back to Tony. The smirk twisted into a psychotic smile. Netu'ung knelt beside Tony, grabbed his head, cocked his arm back, then slammed it into Tony's face. The ground shook from the force of the blow. The metals over Tony's face bent and cracked, but he couldn't scream. All he could do was grunt lowly and clench his fists in agony. Netu'ung pulled back his fist slowly, then drove it back down. Same spot, more force. An audible bam! echoed, after his fist made contact. Again his arm came back sluggishly, then came down like a piston. He broke through Tony's mask, which was now cracked open, blood pouring out. The mares watched in horror as Netu'ung slowly beat him. Bam… bam… bam, over and over. Tony wasn't moving, only when Netu'ung delivered another shot at his face. Even then, he only jerked slightly, his arms shaking before resting on the dirt. They winced after each hit, blood dripping from Netu'ung's fist and splattering onto the magic barrier. Dan had to watch… even if it meant watching Tony die. They weren't experienced with these sorts of things. Applejack was using her stetson to cover her face. Rainbow was fuming that she couldn't help. Rarity looked away completely, but still cringed from the sounds. Pinkie stared on in horror, her mane somehow drooping, and Twilight was with Celestia and Luna, trying to ignore the brutal beating. Fluttershy was crying and whimpering alone, peeking slightly but cowering when a hit shook the ground. Dan walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She looked up at him, then buried her face into his torn shirt after another hit sounded. Her tears soaked the spot she was in. Poor girl's scared out of her mind. He stroked her mane gently and whispered, "It's alright. We're safe… don't cry." She sobbed quietly and whimpered. "He's gonna die," she sniffled. Applejack trotted over and nuzzled Fluttershy. "Don't cry, sugar," she hushed, doing her best to console her. Dan could see the tears brimming her own eyes. The princesses and Twilight came too. "We mustn't give up," Celestia said. Another crack of Netu'ung's strike made her cringe. "Yeah, Fluttershy," Rainbow said softly, placing her hoof on the pegasus' shoulder. "We can't give up." Fluttershy still cried, the sounds of Tony's beating still audible. "He's gonna die," she repeated. Dan hugged her closer, then came eye to eye with her. "No he's not," he gently assured her. "He'll make it… he will. He won't let any of them hurt us." BAM! "How is he gonna help?" Applejack questioned harshly, her voice cracking. "He's gettin' beat senseless and we can't do nothin' about it!" BAM! "Applejack's right. That's why… if Tony can't win, I'll send you all back to Canterlot," Celestia said. Twilight quickly turned to the princess. "You can't! You won't have enough mana left to get yourself—!" She paused as the princess gave a solemn nod. "Princess, you can't! You'll… you'll—" Celestia hugged her student close, as well as her sister. "My priorities are my subjects. My life means nothing if I just sit here and let those monsters have their way with us. Yes, I'll send you all to Canterlot… and I will stay here." Dan put his hand on the princess' shoulder, causing her to peer down at him. On his face was a small, comforting smile. "Don't talk like that. You won't have to do that." "I have to—" "No," Dan said, the smile remaining. "You don't, and you know why?"They looked to him as though he was crazy. "Tony will never let something like that happen." BAM! "He made a promise to me, and someone he held dear to him." BAM! "That promise was to protect anyone and everyone he could." BAM! "To keep anyone in harm's way safe, no matter how badly they treated him." BAM! "We're gonna get out of here. All of us. Because Tony's gonna win." BAM! "Tony's gonna beat Netu'ung, and keep us safe. He promised." BAM! "And when Tony makes a promise, he keeps it." BAM! "Always." Tony's eyes shot open. "GRAAAAAH!" Tony channeled all of his strength into his right fist and punched Netu'ung. Netu'ung stumbled backwards, and Tony forced himself up. His left arm was broken, but it didn't matter to him. He charged forward and punched Netu'ung in the stomach with his good arm. Again, and again, and again, pushing him back. Netu'ung stabbed his claws into his sides, which Tony ripped out. Netu'ung was gripping his shoulders as Tony willed his body to keep going, well passing its limits. He wasn't going to let Netu'ung win. He wasn't going to let Netu'ung hurt Dan. He wasn't going to let Netu'ung hurt any of the ponies with him. He was going to stop Netu'ung here, and now. For the first time in his life, Tony summoned energy into his palm. He put his hand on Netu'ung's chest and bellowed as a burst of blue fired out in a huge beam. It ripped through Netu'ung's scales and blasted a hole clean through him. He dropped to the floor, bleeding profusely, but still alive. Tony dragged him away from the group of ponies and got him onto his knees. His left arm pained him as it swayed limply, useless until it healed. With a grunt, he pulled his Daedalak out of the ground and walked back to Netu'ung. He put the tip of the brilliantly blue blade at the back of Netu'ung's head. The dying Signa stared blankly ahead, waiting for his death. Tony poked the tip inside. "This is for Eishla, you bastard," he growled, his voice broken. Netu'ung couldn't scream. Instead, he opened his mouth to roar, but all that came out was a muffled groan and the other end of the Daedalak. Dan shielded Fluttershy's eyes from the execution, the other ponies turning away of their own accord. After a loud thump they turned back, Tony standing above the body of the Signa. Tony sheathed his sword, and turned back to the ponies. The Arthanians were gone, now that their commander was dead. Dan walked to him, but ran when he saw Tony nearly fall. He put his arm over his shoulder and helped keep him up. "Hey, kid," Dan chuckled. "You alright?" His weary body managed to let the metals recede into his body. His nose was dripping blood, and his mouth was streaming with the red liquid. The entirety of his face look mangled and beaten. Tony could only grunt as Dan helped him limp over to a tree. "There we go", Dan grunted as he sat Tony against the tree. "You did it man. You beat him." He coughed up blood when he tried to speak. "Yeah… I… guess I… did," he strained. Fluttershy galloped over to him and looked at his wounds. The metals had covered a majority of them, and only now did she see the extent of his beating. Where the metals had once been were slash marks, teeth holes, bruises, red blood, black blood. His left elbow was pointing at an odd angle and his face was masked by his own blood. She couldn't do anything without a first aid or medical kit. "How do you feel?" Dan whispered. Tony's expessionless gaze frightened him. "Tony? Tony!" "Not so loud," Tony croaked. Dan sighed with relief. "I'm not dead." "No, but you were damn near close," Dan chuckled. He reached into his pocket and took out Tony's old mp3. "My… my iPod. Ah!" he yelped as his left arm moved slightly. "Please, don't move," Fluttershy gently said. Dan showed the headphones that went with it. "Yeah, I always carried it with me. Y'know, memories and all," Dan smiled. He plugged in the headphones and put them into Tony's ears. "What are those for?" Twilight asked from behind him. "Don't worry, it'll help him," Dan said. He turned it on, the Apple logo appearing on screen. The ponies came closer to see it. "What is it?" Twilight asked in wonder. Dan opened up the music app filled with thousands of songs. He played one at random and laid it on Tony's lap. "Its called an iPod. It plays music and other stuff," he said. "He just needs some rest for now, right, kid?" "Yeah," he mumbled. "I…". He fell asleep instantly, which made Dan chuckle. "Working too much, are we?" Dan laughed. He peered over his shoulder and saw the mares with worried expressions. "Will he be alright?" Rarity asked. "He's not gonna… y'know…" Applejack gestured towards Tony, and Dan shook his head. "He'll be fine," he assured them. "This isn't the first time he's looked like this." He chuckled as he recalled all the times Tony had stood at death's door. "This happens often?" Celestia questioned suddenly. Dan nodded, sadly and happily. "There's never a dull moment with him," Dan chuckled. "Not with how hard he works himself." "We should get him to a hospital," Fluttershy said. Twilight lit her horn, and Tony was covered in a faint purple glow. "Don't," Dan said, raising his hand. "We can't leave him here," Twilight said. "He needs to be treated." A muffled heartbeat resounded, and they glanced back over to Tony. Twilight released her spell on him and watched in awe. The scar on his left arm continued to glow a faint blue even after she cancelled the spell. The muffled beating came from him, and as it thumped his arm straightened out into its regular position. It wasn't like before, where the flesh jerked horrifically. This time, small pieces of his essence seemed to break away from the wound, and as it did it healed. The beating faded once his arm was normal, as did the aura. "I thought it took time before that happened," Twilight said, still a bit stunned by what she had seen. "And he didn't glow like that before!" "Normally it takes time, but with music it heals faster," Dan said, pointed to the iPod. "I don't really understand it, and I don't think he does either." "Wow! That's so neat!" Pinkie exclaimed, hopping in place. "So he's gonna be alright, right? Heehee! I said right twice!" Dan smiled at her lively nature. "Yeah. Like I said, he just needs some rest," he smiled. "As do most of us," Celestia smiled. Rainbow stopped mid-yawn and chuckled sheepishly. "Shining Armor, have the guards set the tents for the night. And bring a blanket for our guests." "Yes, Princess." He bowed before walking to the stallions. "Thank you princess," Dan nodded. She smiled warmly and came closer. "No, thank you… I'm sorry," she chuckled softly. "I didn't get your name." "Daniel. Daniel Fondor, your majesty," he bowed. "Well thank you Daniel Fondor, for rescuing my sister", she smiled. Dan nodded and turned to Tony. "I appreciate it, but I can't take a lot of credit," Dan chuckled. Celestia raised a brow, and he pointed to Tony. "All I did was break us out, and I'm sorry to say, but we wouldn't have made it far if Rambo over here didn't come." Celestia smiled and nodded at him. "Rambo?" Luna questioned. "Never mind," Dan chuckled. "It's a human thing." "Sister," Luna said. "Could you remove this ring?" She pointed to the metallic band. "I believe it is suppressing my magic." Celestia nodded and fired a small beam at the ring. It fell to the ground, and Luna stomped on what remained of it. The two sisters horns began to glow, and the sun disappeared over the horizon. The moon rose in turn, and Dan watched in amazement. Luna had told him about her responsibilities, which was raising and lowering the moon. Still, it looked completely unreal. The dark of the night set in, only to be illuminated by the dozens of stars and the moon. "Wow," Dan said. "Do the rulers of your world not raise the sun and moon?" Luna asked. Dan shook his head while he gazed at the stars. "Heck no. On my world, the Earth revolves around the sun and the moon around the Earth," Dan explained. "It must be confusing," Luna said, giggling at Dan's amazement. "Not really," Dan chuckled. This time Fluttershy yawned, and some of the others did too, including Celestia. "Maybe you guys should sleep," Dan smiled. "I'm with him. G'night," Rainbow called as she left. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all followed. "But I have so many questions!" Twilight said. "What's your planet like? What are the ponies like? How does—" "Relax!" Dan laughed, raising his hand. "I promise I'll answer any questions you have tomorrow. I'm pretty tired, and you look like you need the rest too." Twilight managed to stifle a yawn, but she listened and went to join her friends. "Goodnight Daniel," Celestia nodded. "Night princess," he bowed. Celestia left, leaving Dan, Tony, and Luna. She was looking at Tony with a worried expression, and Dan noticed. "Don't worry, he's gonna be fine. Just get some rest." She smirked at the last sentence. "I'm princess of the night Daniel," she began. "Meaning I watch over my little ponies whilst they sleep, remember?" Daniel rolled his eyes and smiled. "Then get to it", he remarked playfully. She rolled her eyes and teleported onto a nearby cloud. Dan turned back to Tony, the muffled heartbeat returning. Behind all that blood, and broken-ness, and power, was his buddy. His pal. He changed a lot since they last met, like height, face, and power. He couldn't even fathom what could have happened over the past 10 years, but maybe Tony would tell him. He fixed his seating against the tree and layed his head on Tony's shoulder, like a brother would. Ten years. Ten goddamn years and you're back. Well, not back home, but we're back together. And you're not dying anytime soon, right kid? Tony stirred a bit in his sleep, and Dan smiled, closing his eyes. "Rad."