//------------------------------// // XI: The Flower // Story: To Save a King // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Wisdom had to admit it, traveling through a riftgate, as their new friend Copper called the huge stone gate the train had passed through with ease, was actually fun. On one side they could get to the desert riftgate, about an hour away from Appleloosa, and have plenty of time to discover the exact location of the Angels Root. The downside was that they had to spend three hours passing through some weird space dimension that not even he could figure out. It officially sucked when the original groups wisest pony couldn't understand something that was being presented to him, or rather him passing through it. The only good thing about the three hours was that they could gather the truth from the mare who had provided them with what she called a warpstone. It looked like an ordinary rock, at least to Tick it did, but insert one into a train and it would interact with whatever riftgate it came into contact with, sending the riders wherever they wanted in Equestria. "So," Tick said, watching the uncomfortable mare take a seat, "Care to tell us why exactly you have such a hatred for Changelings?" "Of course," Copper started, taking a deep breath before she began her tale, "It all started a year ago when I met an injured Changeling hiding out behind my workshop at the time, a male soldier by the name of Shape Shift. I remember him now, the bottom of his back left hoof had been completely crushed by a boulder, which had led me to believe he had resorted to using magic to cut his own leg off to survive. When I found him I immediately brought him inside and began treating him so he didn't die from blood loss or starvation. A day or two later I noticed that his right eye had a dull color to it, so much unlike his turquoise colored left eye that I had to ask him about it. He told me that he had suffered permanent damage to that eye and he was, effectively, blind in his right eye, marking him as an outcast of the Hive. While I watched over him he shared what details of his life that he could, without betraying his honor to his Hive, and eventually he decided just to give in to fate. I couldn't let him do that to himself. That following night I spent hours toiling away, taking measurements and jotting down notes while I worked on something I had never done before. I knew the length needed to repair the damage of a removed limb and took what was left of his own into consideration while I crafted something nopony had ever seen. When morning broke I outfitted him with the prototype limb and, much to the delight of the both of us, he was walking without a problem. The following day I gave him a relaxing shot to calm his body and replaced his blind eye with a completely functional robotic eye. You could not imagine his joy when he woke to find that not only had I repaired his broken leg, but also fixed and improved his sight in his eye. He was grateful to me in so many ways that he said he would forever be in my debt, and I was inclined to believe him. After a couple more days he was fit enough to leave my workshop, making him cast a disguise so he wouldn't be recognizable by anypony. As he left I could not help but think that our days, however small, were at an end and that he might visit me when Chrysalis was no longer Queen. I was wrong in that regard. About a week after Shape Shift left my workshop I got a visit from seven ponies, six of them being the normal run of the mill Changelings. The seventh, however, was none other than their vile Queen, and you would not believe how angry she was at me. As I backed up I inquired why she was even angry with me, I had saved the life of one of her soldiers just a week ago. She had told me I had turned Shape Shift into a freak, a walking disaster who Chrysalis couldn't trust due to my mechanic parts. She threw me against a wall and that released a piece of my machinery that crushed my front left hoof, pinning me to the ground so Chrysalis could threaten me even more. She told me that in a year or two, after she had dealt with Celestia and the rest of the alicorns, that she would be coming back for me. She would hunt me down and kill me for what I had done to a poor injured Changeling in need of assistance. I cursed her as she left me there, leaving me to weaken as I lost blood in my own workshop. When I awoke I was in a hospital bed, my hoof completely removed due to the damage that Chrysalis had caused to my body. That part was completely treated with magic, wrapped up tightly, and sealed so nothing could harm my wound. I was told I was lucky to be alive and that with as much blood as I had lost I should have died right then and there, but they were amazed I had survived. They gave me a walking aid and discharged me immediately, leaving me to my own devices and, more importantly, myself. I went back to my shop and constructed a second hoof, like I did for Shape Shift, but this time I made one that resembled a fully grown leg. Getting the limb installed was no easy task, as the searing pain of the wires connecting to the bone was painful enough to almost make me tear the limb off. I held on and was able to walk again, but with the added features I built into it I knew Chrysalis would be in trouble next time we saw each other. For the next year I went about my business, building programs to keep Manehatten safe while I built something that would have ruined even Chrysalis' great magic. I tangoed with the darkness of King Sombra as he attempted to build an army of evil ponies to take the Crystal Kingdom and I emerged victorious every time. My systems grew until the entirety of Manehatten was protected, allowing me the pleasure to build a device to defeat Chrysalis, until you four came along and told me she was dethroned. That is all there is of my tale. Its up to each of you to determine if you believe me or not." Immediately after Copper went to check on the warpstone Tick and Peachy began to discuss the story, with Sucker Punch throwing in an idea here and there. That left Wisdom alone with his own thoughts. I get it now, he thought as he mauled the information around in his head, The events Copper described must have happened before the Canterlot Wedding, when she wanted to fight Celestia and conquer everypony. Copper's entire year of preparation for Chrysalis' return was the entire year of the third season, giving her plenty of time to fight Sombra and devise a plan to get at the evil Ex-Queen. "Not to burst everypony's bubbles," Copper said, pointing a hoof at the approaching light, "but we have arrived in our destination; the Appleloosa Desert." And there the desert was, stretched out before them as the train came rolling out of the space dimension with as much ease as it had going in. Now all they had to do was locate the location of the flower, craft the legendary elixir, return to the Hive, and they would have saved their friend. "If I was an ancient flower where would I be?" Tick asked, though it was mostly to himself while he looked out the windows. "I would personally grow somewhere where not too many ponies knew about," Peachy said, "Maybe on top of a mountain that almost nopony climbs." "You would be pretty close to the sky then," Tick laughed. "That's it," Wisdom said, catching the two off guard, "The flowers name is Angels Root. Angels are in Heaven, or in our case close to the sky. We need to be looking for a mountain that nopony visits and that will be where we find our elusive flower." "I know where a mountain is in this forsaken desert," Copper spoke up, reminding the four that she was there, "If you would direct your attention to the east of the train you will see a mountain with jagged peaks and what looks like a cloud of smoke circling it." True enough there was a mountain matching Copper's description in the direction she had specified. Wisdom figured she had been to the desert once or twice before, taking measurements and finding the perfect location for her riftgate to fit into. She must have taken notes on what was all around her in case of emergencies or in case she ever found herself on the other side of Equestria again. And for some strange reason there were a set of tracks leading directly towards their mountain, which they switched onto with ease. "I knew I would be back here one day," Copper explained, "So what I did was construct a secondary station at the base of the mountain, complete with a turn around section, and left it there. From what I can tell the station is in need of some repairs and the turn around area is in perfect shape to be used again. Once we reach the station you will have roughly two hours to find this ancient flower your bent on finding, craft this legendary potion, and get back. Something tells me that it would be best if we finished this quickly and got as far away from the mountain was we can before we go over two hours." Hearing that time was still of the essence Wisdom nodded to Sucker Punch and the two of them escaped the train, flying directly towards the tallest peak of the mountain. It was the simplest strategy Wisdom had in his arsenal of strategies, he and Sucker were going to locate the flower and craft the elixir. Tick and Peachy would defend the train from anything, or anypony, that wished to delay them. "So, what's the plan?" Copper asked, interested as to why the two ponies had left the train. "We guard the train," Peachy answered, shaking her mane as she looked out at the surrounding area, "I don't know if you realized the truth behind everything, but there is a reason why those monsters came after us back in Manehatten. We figured out that Sombra would be working with Chrysalis to take over the Hive yet again, though the only way she can do that is by removing her only target; King Rocket Sky." "The Alicorn Prince whose power is unbelievable?" Copper asked, pieces falling into place the more she thought about things. "Yes," Peachy confirmed, "She needs to remove him from existence, leaving his wife in turmoil so she can step in and claim what she has lost. Then when the Hive is her's again she can help Sombra take over the Crystal Empire and then they can move onto the rest of Equestria. Their plan is simple, kill the one pony who stopped them in the past, not Twilight and her friends, but the one who nearly won Chrysalis everything. Our friend, the Alicorn Prince as you call him, has been the target ever since he defeated Chrysalis." "Back to our plan," Copper said, easing the train into the station, "We defend this train until they come back with that Elixir that could save the King?" "Yes," Peachy answered again, noticing that darkness seemed to gather around the various places around the base of the mountain, "and it seems that Sombra found the location of the Angels Root before us and decided to set a little trap in case we arrived. I count at least a dozen hostiles approaching from the north of our location, maybe half that from the east and west at the moment. It seems that Sombra isn't taking any chances with preventing our success. And what in Luna's name are you doing?" Copper had magically grasped a lever and had pulled it down just as Peachy had asked her question, causing the train to shake for a moment. They seemed to rise for a few seconds before something happened to come out of the sides, causing the nightmare to look over the edge. "Why does the train have cannons?" Peachy asked, her darkness seeping out of her so she could be ready for the shadows. "They are an old defensive measure," Copper explained, the cannons pointing towards their northern enemies, "I update them every now and then so I can be ready in case this happened. Good thing I was prepared, otherwise a defense with three ponies would be impossible." "Fire," Peachy shouted, jumping out just as the first round was fired into the waiting shadows, destroying the unfortunate ones that got hit. ~Tip of the Mountain~ "We must hurry," Wisdom said, locating a flower with a pure white petal and an ivory colored stem, "There it is. Do what you need before our enemies arrive." "Will do," Sucker acknowledged, sitting by the flower as he pulled over a variety of tools, "It should take me a few minutes to complete the Elixir. Just guard me in case Sombra was smart enough to predict your tiny plan." "Sombra's not that smart," Wisdom said, watching shadows rise out of the cloud ring and come their way, "but Chrysalis is that smart. Smart enough to devise a plan in which she had two fronts. Focus on the elixir while I hurt our unfriendly shadow friends." His staff appeared in his hold as he bashed the first shadow out of the sky, making it separate into what looked like seven more shadows. They not only had the ability to come out of the shadows, but they also had the ability to conjure more of themselves when they were broken down. Wisdom had to be extremely careful, if he broke them too much he would soon be overrun by shadows and Rocket would be lost. ~The train~ Peachy wasn't having such problems with the shadows, instead of worrying about creating too many of them she focused on guarding their escape route. Tick, on the other hoof, was using his cannon to blast them away left and right, though he had to be careful with what energy his cannon possessed. Copper focused on making sure the cannons worked and tossing any poor shadows that made it to her in front of the cannons, earning them a one way ticket to oblivion. But as the minutes passed Peachy began to realize that even with them guarding the train and the shadow demons multiplying at rapid speeds that not even they could stand a chance. Sure, Tick and Peachy were considered monsters in their own right, but even with their collected powers they didn't stand a chance. With Wisdom they did or even with a small army, but with nearly a two hundred enemies in the span of five minutes Peachy began to wish that Rocket was there with them. It would have been fitting, having a dying pony fighting for his own life. Pathetic. Peachy remembered that voice; it was the familiar voice of the demonic pony known by a name that had given dread to so many ponies in Equestria. It was a pony who Peachy had at first feared, but now that he had returned she was glad that they had a guardian angel, or demon as it were, watching over them. In the coming days she would wonder how he managed to escape or if it was a trick of her eyes, but there was no mistaking what she saw. Floating above the enemy ranks was the familiar form of their friend, but with his colors darker and his voice sounding like thunder. It was the most dangerous pony in all of existence, a pony whose power was feared and respected by those who had witnessed it. Dark Sky, the hollow of their friend, was here to help defeat their enemy. Not even the vile hollow wanted to die an early death by the hoof of trickery. "I was wondering if we'd be getting reinforcements," Peachy shouted, kicking a shadow right in the face, "though to be honest I wasn't expecting you to arrive." "Foolish mare...I mean, my friend Peachy," the demon said, surprising her with his sudden friendliness, "I was told by my harmonic half to assist you three in your quest to save us. If you'll excuse me, I have free reign to destroy those who oppose me. Stay to the other directions besides the north, I will deal with them." And deal with them he did, jumping into the frying pan and blasting shadows with magic that Peachy could not even begin to recognize. With what she saw she knew that Rocket hadn't fully recovered enough to send him anywhere, he had just left his body to make sure the flower was attained. ~The tip~ Wisdom had reached the same conclusion, but he was still surprised that Dark had found his way to them in such a short amount of time. He was glad to have the hollow around, as he drew in the attention of all the shadows that had been built from their fights and gave them more time to get prepared. But even as his enemies began to be drawn in by the lure of the hollow Wisdom could not help but marvel at the power he still contained. "We've got the elixir," Sucker whispered, holding up two vials with a silvery liquid in each, "and enough left over to ensure that we can treat a second case. Shall we return to the Hive?" "Of course we return to the Hive," Wisdom said, slipping the vials into a pouch, "I just hope we can get away before the shadows come after us." ~The train~ Peachy wasn't surprised to find that Wisdom and Sucker returned about ten minutes after they had left the train, but what she had been expecting was the elixir in their hooves. When they didn't say if they had it or not it made her worry that Sombra had destroyed the flower to prevent them from succeeding in case his shadows failed. "Get this train moving," Wisdom shouted, Copper nodding and hitting the lever, "We have the elixir in hoof. Now let's hope that Dark can keep our friends busy so we can get back to the riftgate." Peachy was glad, they had what they came for. Now they needed to leave before the shadows figured out they had succeeded in their mission. The train returned to its original form and started forward, heading for the turn around while the shadows faced the demon. While the train moved Peachy and her friends blasted whatever shadows got too close to them, while Sucker made sure that the vials were safe. It wasn't until the train was heading back to the riftgate that the shadows realized that their prey had succeeded in their mission and were returning to the Hive to save the King. They abandoned the demon and made for the train, getting blasted in the back at random times, but not even that stopped the wave of five hundred demons. "Calibrating the warpstone for the Hive," Copper said, causing the stone to glow a darkish grey color. "What does that mean?" Tick asked, keeping his eyes ahead as the riftgate appeared in seconds, "I hope it means what I think it means." "It means we will be closer to the Hive," Copper explained, "The stone will lock onto our gate and we will appear somewhere near the Hive, but there is a special mechanic spell I have in this stone. I'm tracking where your friend is, so if he moves out of the Hive we will appear closer to his position to administer the elixir. Either way we will reach his location within the next three hours and save his life." ~The Hive~ Rocket snapped awake, his eyes glowing just a bit as he felt his chaotic half return to his body. His friends had the elixir, but what they failed to realize was that time was already nearly out for him. The riftgate allowed them to traverse large distances in a span of three hours, but it cost them a whole day each way. A two way trip would cost them two whole days, leaving them with just a few hours, if not minutes, to deliver the elixir to him. "Rocket, your awake," Rose sounded surprised when he turned to face her, "How do you feel?" "Terrible," he answered, shaking his head slightly, "but that is to be expected from the poison in my veins. Where have the other rulers disappeared to?" "They are currently sleeping in our guest rooms," Rose answered, "Why do it matter?" "In case my friends fail, which I'm sure they won't, I would like to have one more war game with them," Rocket replied, coughing just a bit, "Tell them its just between the five of use and I'll go all the way. They will catch my meaning." At least he hoped they understood what he had meant by that.