The pain... oh, Goddess, the pain!
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“Throwin'!” Applejack called out before she hurled a storm grenade toward a particularly troublesome group of enemies. The burst of lightning and thunderous boom dazzled anyone not looking away.
Jynx hurled a silvery ball of magic into the air that rained down shards of sharpened ice on the enemy while Flicka teleported around the battlefield, firing down from rooftops with her shoulder mounted rifle. Vinyl poured a gout of flames from her horn, incinerating any in its path. Fluttershy and Parry tried to save another life. Pinkie Pie had acquired a chainsaw from god knows where and had a few Dratali on the run.
Then... it went silent.
The ponies peaked their heads up, searching.
“Did we get 'em all?” AJ asked.
“Stay on your guard,” Jynx replied, “I don't see anything but... Oh horse apples. I'm feeling magic and it's not from a pony.”
“One of them adept fellers?”
“Stronger... a lot stronger,” Jynx squinted in focus, “It could be one of those Archons Twilight spoke about.”
The ponies stood back to back, scanning around for signs of the spell caster. The quiet was unnerving. It was like the whole world was holding its breath. AJ caught a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't think. All she could do was move.
“Down!” she hollered as she drove her shoulder into Parry, knocking him out of the way of the silver blade. She gasped as the weapon buried itself into her abdomen.
“Applejack!” Perry managed to roll under her to catch his future sister-in-law.
The unicorns in the group erected a joint shield as quick as they could as the crimson robed figure showed himself and began pummeling the shield with spells.
“Why?” asked the colt.
“Oh, mercy that hurt,” the farmer moaned, “Ah ain't gonna let Applebloom's fiancé get himself killed if'n Ah can help it.”
“Don't talk,” Fluttershy advised, tears streaming down her face, “Save your strength.”
“We can't keep this up!” Jynx cried, “He's powerful, and knows exactly how to attack a shield. We have to get out of here!”
“Keep the shield up!” ordered Flicka and flickered out of the shield.
The others looked in shock as the nomadic unicorn engaged the Archon in single combat.
“I-I-I can't,” Fluttershy stuttered, “I can't treat this here... she needs a hospital.”
Why am I always so useless?
She was starting to hyperventilate.
I can't even save my best friend.
She looked over at Flicka fighting that... thing.
Everypony else has been fighting to save the world and all I've done is let them die. I can't even heal them right. I'm just too afraid... I'm afraid.
Flicka teleported around the mage, casting spells at point blank. She was moving so fast the Archon could do nothing but hold his shield. It was only a matter of time before-
As the nomad teleported again, time seemed to stop. The Archon's hand was already pointing in her face, his mouth curled into a sick smile. A flash of light was all she saw.
“No!” an ear splitting yell shock the air as a yellow and pink blur shot past, colliding with the reptilian caster. The others stared, jaws hanging, “Take Applejack and get out of here. Get her to a hospital.”
“We're not-”
“Go!” bellowed the pegasus. “I will not let anypony else die!”
The others' bodies seemed to make the decision for them. Jynx took the wounded farmer and took off with the others, leaving the animal loving mare behind.
“What are we doing?” Jynx asked nopony, “Why are we just leaving Fluttershy behind?”
“Cause...” Applejack said weakly, “We don't wanna be caught up in the hurricane.”
“What? You're delusional from blood-loss. The weather is perfect.” Jynx assured her
Applejack smiled, “Ah ain't talking about the weather.”
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
I... can't fight it... much longer... please... someone help...
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
The great beast skidded to a halt only to get right back up again. Spike let out a frustrated growl. He knew he couldn't keep this up. Even after all Force-Mag runes he used, the cyborg turtle-dragon kept getting back up, as if it were pillows that hit him. If he had more time to prepare, he could have learned more than the growth spell and force magnification. There was a spell he saw that drained the target’s energy, making them tired and sluggish. He wasn't sure if if it would work on a cyborg, but he wished he had it anyway, just in case it did.
Come on, Spike, you were raised by the smartest pony in the world. You should be able to think of something. Argh! Something other than stupid math. What the hay can math do fo...
“That's it!” he exclaimed as a plan formulated in his mind. He turned back to the abomination with a grin on his face, “Come at me bro.”
He did.
Fast.
Both claws working, Spike made two runes that hovered in the air. The purple dragon rolled out of the way as the beast plowed into floating fire. Kicking off the ground, he dove at the monster and latched onto his shell. As fast as he could, he inscribed another three runes before the turtle-dragon flopped onto his back, nearly crushing the scaly warrior.
Spike rolled to his feet, inscribed two runes in the air and grabbed one in each claw. A massive claw attempted to become intimate with his face. He quickly ducked under and slapped a rune on the back of the deadly limb. The other was placed on its thigh as he dove away. The second he regained his footing, two more runes were made, the placing of which was done for him as another enormous limb swiped at him.
“Whoa, thanks dude.”
Another charge, another couple runes lit the creatures body. After fifteen runes adorned the shelled horror, Spike no longer risked losing track of it thanks to the light it was giving off. Finally, twenty glowing runes made the behemoth look like Hearths Warming and Nightmare Night had an ugly mutant baby.
“Alright, here it goes!” Spike hollered and charged. His left claw inscribed a strength rune on his right as it burst into emerald flames. With a powerful stroke of his wings, he launched himself forward. At the last moment, he hit the ground rolling underneath, and rose up with a powerful uppercut. The strength rune tripled his punching power and the twenty runes increased the force by two hundred. It was like being punched six hundred times by a dragon straight up into the sky. The freak rocketed up higher and higher, until Avol's gravity could no longer hold it. It hurtled through space with a silent roar.
“Yeah! It worked!” Spike celebrated his victory.
He watched the sky for a minute to make sure it didn't fall back. When he was sure it was on a one way trip to nothingness, he let out a sigh.
“I need a-” whatever he was about to say was lost as a pair of rockets slammed into his side.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
I... I'm sorry... I can't control it...
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Feather Duster had rushed to the tower room when she heard the screaming. As if waiting for her, the moment she opened the door, an explosion threw her against the wall. Stone and wood soared through the air, as the tower was torn apart by the blast. The maid pushed the door off of her, worried for the mare that was in the room. She struggled to her hooves and froze. The pony that stood in the ruins of the tower was like something out of a nightmare. It was a shade of purple so dark it was almost black. Its draconic wings flexed in the sunlight.
“M... Miss Sparkle?” she ventured, hoping she was wrong.
The monster turned toward her with a sadistic, hungry look and shot toward her. The Nightmare slammed the maid against what remained of the wall, pressing her hoof into the poor servant’s neck.
“Show me your blood,” the demon hissed as she reared back her metal hoof.
Feather shut her eyes, unable to watch the end. When the Nightmare was about to strike, it stopped. This wasn't the one they needed to kill. It released the mare and turned away. There was one that needed to die before any other...one they wanted to suffer by their hooves. The dark pony exploded into the sky, leaving the quaking, terrified mass behind.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Celestia looked up at the imposing alicorn standing over her, with an angry scowl across her old, wrinkled face. Her gray mane was matted and disheveled, no longer flowing majestically in a non-existent wind.
The undead alicorn grinned down at her and gave a mock bow, “Oh your highness. You seem a bit under the weather. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. Don't worry, I'll take care of all your little ponies.”
“You...” Celestia had difficulty even speaking, “I thought you wanted to rule, not destroy.”
“Hmm? Oh! You mean my Dratali allies?” Xander laughed, “Nothing more than puppets. Tools to use for my own purposes. Once I drain your precious little sister, they will follow me or I'll destroy them. Luckily, they're religious fools. It's easy to manipulate those that see you as a god, but I don't have to tell you that, do I? You've been manipulating your subjects for centuries. Ignorance is bliss and your ponies are oh so blissful.”
“I protect them.”
“You stifle them!” he roared, “They're weak because of you. They outnumber the Dratali, somehow had prior warning, and have the home advantage. Despite that, they struggle to repel their enemies. The Griffons are already driving them back without Alliance technology. They're better off without you... or they would have been, if your pathetic student hadn't gotten in my way. I would have lead Equestria to a brighter future, but now I’m going to kill every last pony... and I'm going to make you watch. And after this world burns, I'll move on to the rest of the galaxy and conquer it.”
“You're a monster,” the fallen princess wheezed.
“Yes,” Xander agreed, “I truly am.” He let out an evil laugh that was cut short by a purple and red mana blade slicing through his neck.
“Your voice irritates me,” said a twisted voice.
Xander groaned as the bone and tissue reformed, connecting his head back to his body.
“Well, you survived our little encounter Miss Sparkle,” the magic thief shot her an angry scowl, seeing the black coat and leathery wings, “And gave into the darkness a second time.”
“Twilight!” another new voice asked, growing closer.
“Rainbow, get Celestia and get out of here,” commanded the nightmare.
“Oh, did somepony tame her demon?” Xander chided.
“No way!” replied the cyan mare, “I'm not letting you fight him alone!”
“He's mine to kill. Now go away,” Twilight glared daggers at her friend, “before I tear your fucking wings off!”
Fear crossed the pegasus' face. She could see by the look in her eyes that her corrupted friend was one hundred percent serious. Rainbow Dash wasted no time in grabbing the drained Sun Princess and her fallen sword, taking off toward Canterlot.
“Hmm,” Xander grinned, “Maybe not as tame as I thought. This should be interesting.”
“Tell me,” Nightmare Twilight turned toward the lich, “Can you regenerate if I eat your heart?”
“I honestly don't know,” Xander smirked, “Why don't you come try?”
Taking the invitation, Twilight charged.