//------------------------------// // lvi - Typhon and the Cord // Story: The Path of Absolution - Punishment // by Morningstar1337 //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Silver Spoon were near a viridian lake. The stars in the fuchsia sky were fading. They saw a green unicorn lifting a fishbowl. “There there, Cupid, Venus. Mommy’s not gonna let that big nasty Typhon get you. No she’s not.” The green unicorn noticed the group. “Oh, hello. I’m Pisces.” She placed the fishbowl on top of her blue mane. “And this is Cupid and Venus. I assume you’re here for the last trial? I’ll be right back.” “This is gonna be weird,” Rainbow Dash said. Pisces just returned with a large cord. She said, “If you’re a pegasis, it might be a good idea to open your wings.” Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo opened their wings. “And why are we doing this?” “It’s part of the test,” Pisces said. She tied to cord to Pinkie Pie, then Apple Bloom, and Applejack. Eventually, the group were connected by the large cord. “There, all done,” Pisces said. Twilight said, “Is this necessary?” Pisces said. “Of course. You might not want to be separated while Typhon’s around here.” “Who’s Typhon?” Apple Bloom said. “I don’t really know,” Pisces said. “But rumor has it that he rises up from the lake to avenge his family. He’s seems very vicious.” Pisces left with her fishbowl. The ponies just shrugged and looked for the gate. The ponies searched around the viridian lakeside. The cords binding the ponies to another stretched as they checked faraway areas. Soon, the ponies regrouped after a fruitless search for the gates.   “Any luck, darling?” Rarity said. “Uh-uh,” Rainbow Dash said. “There are no gates here,” Apple Bloom said. Fluttershy saw something pop out of the water. It was the head of a dragon. Fluttershy galloped away. The other nine ponies looked to the lake and saw another dragon head. The ground rumbled as a third popped out, then a fourth, then a fifth. Soon one hundred dragons were seen from the lake, all focused on the outnumbered ponies. “What are dragons doing underwater?” Applejack said. “I don’t know!” Twilight Sparkle said. “This makes no sense!” The dragon heads started to rise. Pinkie Pie said, “Oh maybe they’re looking for fish?” Fluttershy peeked from behind the tree. “Um, guys...” She saw that the necks of the dragons were converging at a single point. “...I don’t think those are dragons.” The dragons saw Rarity with the Nemean hide and rose out of the water, revealing that they were connected to one body. The body was covered with wings. The largest pair of wings spanned miles at the back of this monstrosity. The necks of the hundred dragon heads were obscured by the wings into they reached the lower body, where they coiled into two legs. The legs stepped on the ground creating devastating shockwaves. “Is this...” Twilight gulped. “Typhon?” “My eyes,” Scootaloo said. “It hurts to look,” Sweetie Belle looked away from Typhon. “We have to go. Now!” Rainbow Dash said. The ponies ran away from the lake and into a forest. Typhon spread out its massive wings and took to the fuchsia skies. The ponies ran from Typhon. Heavy winds blew over the forest. They eventually found the gates but they were on the other side of a large chasm. Rainbow Dash saw that Typhon was catching up to the ponies. She severed the cord connecting her to Scootaloo and Rarity and said, “Go! I’ll distract him and buy us some time.” Twilight Sparkle said, “What?” Rainbow Dash said, “He’s already catching up, Look!” She pointed up to the behemoth as it flew through the sky. “There’s no way we can cross this gap before he catches up.” She flew into the air to intercept Typhon. Rainbow Dash threw to the dragon heads of Typhon. “Hey, ugly! You want my friends, you’ll have to go through me!” Typhon took one of its and used them to slash Rainbow Dash, but she dodged. Rainbow Dash was care not to look into the beast. She flew around the beast. One of its hundred dragon heads kept a close eye on her. The other heads opened their many mouths and fireballs emerged from them. The balls of flame were targeting Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash saw the flames. She dodged some but other hit her. She struggled to fly. She looked the beast and became disoriented. The head that was focused on her open its mouth and a fireball went out. The fireball hit Rainbow Dash and she plummeted to the ground. The other ponies saw Rainbow Dash fall to the ground and went to her. Rainbow Dash crashed in the forest. She woke up to find that her wings had been broken. ‘Not again!,’ she thought. Though her wings became the least of her concerns. Rainbow Dash saw Scootaloo gallop up to her. The others soon followed. Scootaloo said, “Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash stood up. “I’m fine. But you shouldn’t be here. You have to escape now!” Applejack said, “We’re not leaving you here, Rainbow.” Scootaloo tied her end of the cord to Rainbow Dash, while Rarity draped the Nemean skin over her back. Twilight said, “You’re our friend too. We are not gonna leave you.” The other ponies voiced similar opinions. Rainbow Dash tried to walk. Applejack helped her. Rainbow Dash said, “You guys.” She smiled a bit. The ponies went back to the chasm to find a way over to the gates. The ponies were at the chasm. The monstrous Typhon was closing in on them. Its head lunged into the ground in an attempt to trap the ponies. Rarity looked at her ruby star. She felt that now was the time to use her wish. “Please grant us safe passage through the chasm.” There was now a platform floating over the gap. Applejack and Scootaloo helped Rainbow Dash onto the platform. A head of Typhon quickly lunged at the ground. Applejack, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Rarity, and Scootaloo wen ton the platform. Twilight went on the platform along with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Silver Spoon. Twilight used her horn. A magical aura surrounded the platform as she moved it across the gap. Typhon’s heads breathed fire as it tried to stop the ponies. Twilight kept herself focused on the gates. She wasn’t gonna let any of her friends go down in flames. The platform was almost there. Typhon swooped down and charged the ponies. Rainbow Dash and Applejack saw Typhon was closing in on them “Hurry!” Rainbow Dash said. The platform was a few inches away. Typhon closed in of the ponies. ‘Come on,’ Twilight thought. The platform had made it across. They hurried off the platform. Applejack and Fluttershy helped Rainbow Dash off. Typhon was turning into fuschea dust. He flew faster and faster in a last attempt to stop the ponies. The ponies ran to the gates but Typhon hit them. The gargantuan eldritch monstrosity became a fuchsia cloud of dust that flowed to the gates and formed the sign for Pisces (♓). The ponies saw Pisces approached them. She still had her fishbowl. “Congratulations, you passed all twelve trials! You can now exit the talismans.” “Wait,” Silver Spoon said. “There’s still something I have to do first.” The other fillies knew what Silver Spoon wanted. So did Pisces. “You wanted to see her, huh?” The mares were baffled. Twilight remembered that Silver Spoon wanted to come with them to rescue somepony else as well. Pisces said, “I’ll lead you to her. Just let us know if you’re ready to leave.” She went into the gates, and the ponies followed. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna returned to Canterlot. There, they found Shining Armor and Princess Cadence had returned from Ponyville. “Any luck?” Shining Armor said. “It is as we feared,” Celestia said. “Six of the seven seals are now broken. What did you find in Ponyville?” Cadence said, “Not much. We found an unused article for the school paper and a freak hurricane but that was it.” Luna said, “We must find out where Ithaqua is.” “I already know where he is,” Celestia said. “He preparing to break the last of the seals now.” “Is there anything we can do?” Cadence said. “We need the Elements of Harmony,” Celestia said. “Are Twilight and her friends out?” “Not yet,” Shining Armor said. The Princesses and Shining Armor hoped that the bearers would come back soon. Celestia looked out her castle and saw that the disasters were getting progressively worse.