//------------------------------// // Ghosts of the Past // Story: Tales of the Abyss: Hymns of Equestria // by Genis94 //------------------------------// The wind whipping Asch's face was completely ignored as he took notice of the scene at Canterlot. Their train was now spiraling up the base of the mountain, but he could make out the hundreds of black insect ponies. As he recalled the description given to him by the Doctor and Derpy, he noted that they were changelings, which made him clutch the window frame in rage. The very thought that Van was at Canterlot before him made his blood boil, but he was slightly relieved to sense that Luke was inside the city as well. "Here's the plan. You two will help me break through the changelings until we reach Van. Once we get there, he's mine." Asch instructed his companions. The Doctor seemed flabbergasted. "Are you mad?! I'm no stranger to a flying army attacking a city, but back then I had more help, and technology I could manipulate. Unless you can find an army of Cybermen that I can trick into helping us, I doubt we'll last long against them." Derpy nodded her head in agreement. "I'm not much for fighting at all, really. I'm just a mailmare." Asch grunted in annoyance. "Well, unless we stop Van, none of that will matter!" Derpy looked down in shame. "I-I guess that's true..." The Doctor piped up. "Well, I guess we'll all have to do our part in about thirty seconds. We're about to enter the station." Asch nodded in approval. "Excellent. We'll just have to slow down before we enter." The Doctor shuddered. "That... may be a problem." "How?" Asch asked, fear beginning to worm into him. "When I made the train go faster, I did it by altering the strength of the furnace. That adjustment isn't exactly reversible." He meekly admitted. Asch was now beginning to panic. "Well then, deploy the brakes!" "I can't! When we took this from that maintenance depot, they had removed the lever!" "Then use your Sonic Screwdriver!" Asch yelled. "The main component of the brakes is made of wood!" "So?" "It doesn't work on wood!" The Doctor shouted. Asch looked to see the station closing in. "You complete idi-!" *Crash!* The train smashed into the concrete platform, causing the tremendous vehicle to screech over it and crash into a wall. The remaining scrap of the vehicle was quickly engulfed in flames from the engine exploding. This would have been catastrophic for our heroes, had The Doctor not used his Screwdriver to open the engine room door, and tackled both Asch and Derpy out into an abandoned hay cart. The Doctor burst from the hay to be greeted by the faces of his companions. "You see, this is how I've stayed alive all these years. I always stay near doors." He chuckled. Asch gave him an icy glare. "I hate you..." The trio quickly vaulted out of the cart and dusted themselves off. The chaos taking place before them was horrifying. Changelings ambushed guards at every turn, trapping the ones who could not fight back in a sickly green slime. Several others took to the skies and dive bombed pegasi into the rooftops. "This is horrible..." Derpy murmured. Asch payed little mind to the chaos around him, instead intent on finding Van. He charged headlong into the fray, slashing at any changeling between him and his goal. The Doctor and Derpy quickly followed Asch as he carved a path caked in green blood. The guards were baffled by the strange creature coming to their aid, but were forced to remain on the defensive. "Asch! Wait up!" Derpy called. Asch didn't even acknowledge Derpy as he thrust his blade through the chitinous exoskeleton of another changeling. It hissed with rage as it squirmed on the blade, the last of its life draining from it. Quickly swinging his blade to the side, Asch removed the corpse of the vile creature. He continued his sprint through the streets of Canterlot until he made his way to a plaza in the market. "These pathetic insects are just wearing my patience thin. Where is their Queen? Surely she'll be with Van." Asch thought to himself. Derpy and The Doctor finally caught up to Asch. The Doctor growled as he was becoming annoyed with Asch's recent behavior. "Just what has gotten into you? I understand the need to stop Van, but you're just plain obsessed!" Asch faced The Doctor with an intense scowl. "In case you forgot, Van is planning to destroy this entire world and replace it with nothing but a cheap replica! Forgive me if I seem a bit too focused on the task at hand." "Even so, you completely forgot about us back there. It's fortunate that you made a path that we managed to gallop through, but you're only thinking about your own petty revenge." The Doctor had struck a nerve with Asch, and he was just about to receive a furious series of shouts before another voice cut in. "Blazing Talon!" A flame coated blade swung out in a large circle towards Asch. Quick on his feet, he pushed The Doctor out of the way and parried the blow. Asch's eyes went wide in shock. He had been seeing faces that should have been dead, but the one he saw should not have been here at all. "Largo??" He asked the man before him. The owner of the massive axe that Asch had parried wore faded red armor that covered his chest, arms, and the upper half of his head. The rest of his body was adorned in black and tan cloth. He had the build of a giant, with muscles that complemented his height, and a black beard was visible on his face. "You must be the one my master told me of. Asch the Bloody." Largo responded, his axe resting on his shoulder. "My master told me about how you betrayed him, and denied him his righteous destiny to free the world of The Score. All who would dare oppose Van Grants shall fall before Largo the Black Lion!" -------- Luke and the others were sprinting through the upper districts of Canterlot, battling changelings as they went. Rainbow Dash used her martial arts to pummel any changeling that got in her airspace. Applejack used her lasso to pull changelings and buck them senseless. Rarity used her fabrics and illusion spells to confuse her opponents, before quickly and gracefully attacking them. Twilight used her amazing prowess in magic to blast any changeling that got past Pinkie's Party Cannon. Fluttershy used 'The Stare' to paralyze changelings with fear, and used her knowledge in first aid to help her friends whenever they got hurt. Luke turned to Twilight after knocking back a trio of changelings with his Guardian Field arte. "How far until we reach the castle?" Twilight swatted a changeling with a hardened mana fly swatter. "We just need to make it through this district, then we can take the main road to the gates." "Alright, let's-" "Oh hammer of light. Limited!" A girl's voice cried. Luke saw a fonic glyph glow beneath him and jumped back just before a beam of light fonons blasted the ground where he had just stood. When he got a look at his assailant, he gasped in shock. "Arietta?" Twilight stepped next to Luke, her poise defensive. "Isn't she the one you said could control monsters?" As if on cue, a manticore and cockatrice glided down from above to join Arietta. The girl had long pink hair and wore a white and black dress. She had a sad expression on her face, which was intensified by the gloomy doll she hugged to her chest. Despite her young appearance, she was actually sixteen years old. "You... You're the one Van told me about. He told me that you killed my mommy! My friends and I will kill you all!" She yelled. "Van told you? You mean you don't remember?" Luke asked. Suddenly it all clicked together for Rarity. "Darling, couldn't she be one of those replicas?" Luke slapped his forehead in realization. "Of course! That explains her lack of memories, and the fact that she's even alive." "Don't ignore me! You hurt my friends back in the forest, didn't you? When they came back to me their bark was fractured, and their leaves were tattered." Arietta angrily inquired. "So what if Luke beat the snot out of those timber wolves? They tried to kill us!" Rainbow retorted. "You... I'll kill all of you!" Arietta cried. The monsters at her side growled in anticipation. Luke knew he couldn't handle this fight on his own. He just hoped that the ponies could stand their own against a God-General.