//------------------------------// // Act XVII: Fate // Story: Fade Away // by JoeBobWhitney //------------------------------// Cole felt rough pavement under his body but his body refused to move. The throw from the portal slammed the Conduit straight into the ground and he didn't get up. No matter how hard he tried, his body refused to get up. He laid there, hearing the world move without him. Moments later, he heard the voice from the man who had been gone for so long. "Cole?" Zeke ran to his body, seeing the Conduit in some sort of pain. He bent down and nudged him. He groaned in protest. "Damn, my everything." Cole mumbled. "Cole, what happened?" "Bad shit. Zeke, I need help bad." Zeke took off, leaving him alone. His body started to respond to the commands from the brain. He could move his arms allowing him to pull himself off the ground. His legs kicked in and everything followed suit as he got up. Opening his eyes, he saw Zeke driving up in a truck. He hopped out and gave him the "okay" to drain it. Cole placed his weary fingers on the cold metal and absorbed the electricity. Sparks of blue electricity ran up his arms, filling him with energy at last. Cole looked towards the worried Zeke and smirked. "So, I'll explain." He went over everything from him leaving to Discord's failed reforming. "Wow. That... happened. So, that's how you got here." "Yeah. So, how did you get here?" "Well, I can't rememb-" A deafening explosion interrupted the conversation. They looked at the skyscrapers as they fell, decimating everything around it. A large cloud of dust settled upon the ground. "The hell?" "Let's check it out." Cole ran off and Zeke followed suit. He used his parkour skills to jump up the buildings and what he saw when he landed on one, he thought he was dreaming. Changelings were destroying everything. Zeke got to the roof by going up stairs and noticed the things too. "The hell are those?" He asked, walking up to Cole. "Changelings." Cole stated. "Creatures that feed on love but there isn't none here." "Actually, there's a wedding going on downtown at the Church." Zeke replied. "Right. Zeke, we got to take care of them." He cracked his knuckles. "We have to kill them." He jumped off the building as cool blue electricity ran along his arms, giving of pulses of lightning around him. As he neared, many tried to attack him but a few bolts and they were done. Zeke was in the truck, running over unfortunate ones. As Zeke drove next to him, Cole jumped on the side, holding onto the door handle. "Zeke, head towards Smut Triangle!" "Roger!" As they drove, the Changelings followed as they thought. Any of them that got too close were zapped, killing them. They arrived at the Triangle and he hopped off. They continued to near him and he looked upwards at the signs above the nearby move theater. He aimed and fired a Rocket at it. It fried the lights and destroyed the wall and with that, the sign fell crushing hundreds of them. Cole smirked at his work until it was interrupted by another blast. Looking towards Fort Phillipe, Militia were being slaughtered by more of them. Cole told Zeke to head towards the fort and Zeke did as said. Meanwhile, Cole was busy getting some equipment. He was grabbing some steel poles, wires and other things as Zeke headed into the fort. Moments later, Cole arrived carrying metallic things much to Zeke's surprise. "The hell are those for?" He asked the Conduit. "Fighting." He stabbed the poles into the ground and wrapped wires around them. Putting his hand on them, he surged electricity to them, creating a chain of lightning. Pulling out a belt steel chain he concealed, he tied them together. The blue lightning surged around it. Smirking, Cole backed away. "Zeke, we're gonna do this my way. Everyone, follow me!" Cole called out and the Militia listened and evacuated. As Cole thought, the Changelings followed them. Everyone all got a good distance as they all poured in at the gate. "Cole. Any day now." Zeke groaned, loading his revolver. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he fired a Hellfire Rocket, causing a explosion, magnified by the poles. Every changeling was killed but at the expense of the the Fort. Half the wall was destroyed. "Ho-ly shit." Cole turned around and help up his right hand and as he did that, a destroyed pole landed in that hand. "Later." Cole walked off, leaving them in shock except Zeke who caught up with him. "Man, I forgot how hectic things got when you're around." Zeke chuckled and so did Cole. "I know. So, that story..." "Oh right!" Zeke began explaining how he was thrown from Ponyville into New Marais once again. They headed towards the original area that they used as a headquarters previously. They arrived to it shortly. Cole took the express elevator while Zeke used the stairs. "Huh, still looks the same." He chuckled and sat on the oh-so familiar couch. Zeke arrived minutes later and sat on the couch, next to him. "You... dick..." He panted. "Hey, I can't help using my powers, Zeke." He patted the over-weight man on the back. Zeke grabbed the remote and changed the channel and they began watching television. Moments later, someone landed on the roof. They heard a gasp and they turned their heads towards the surprised Lucy Kuo. "Hey Kuo." Cole took a sip of his beer as he answered her. "C-cole? Zeke?" "Who else?" Zeke chuckled. "How are you two here?" They both sighed and told her the story. She was snickering at the mention of ponies and they couldn't control themselves over how insane it actually sounded in person. About thirty minutes later, they finished their story. "So, that's what happened. That definitely explains the blue lightning and your current clothing." Kuo stated. "Yeah and that recent attack was from Changelings. Creatures from Equestria. That's what I don't understand. How could they get here? Celestia told me that I was stuck here but the changelings just disproved that. I'm starting to believe that she kept me here so I could keep Equestria in check. If that's so, she's one selfish bitch." Cole declared. "Would make sense, brother." Zeke agreed. "So, I guess that you're staying here then?" Kuo asked the Conduit. He sighed. "Yeah. But, I'm not leaving Equestria to defend without me. I wouldn't dare to leave them alone. So, I need to figure out how they're getting on Earth." Kuo then gave him a picture showing a image of a large circular device that Changelings were guarding. "I got a few pictures in. That's in Flood Town. Near the machinery. I think the Beast's residual regeneration energy is fueling it." Kuo explained. Cole nodded and stood up. "Perfect. Zeke, get a truck. We got a job to do. Kuo, let's do this, one last time." She nodded and they took off. Zeke stood up and went downstairs, grabbing his phone and making a call. "Hello. Yeah, it's Zeke. Listen, Commander, I need some heavy backup from the Militia. Yeah. Trucks, soldiers, all that. Thanks." Cole was skating along the power lines, feeling electricity spark beneath his feet as he moved forward. The high voltage filled him with excitement and adrenaline as he rushed forward. Turning along with the power lines, he found the bridge for Flood Town. It was flooded with Changelings. In fact, there was a perimeter of them guarding the way to it. He hopped off the lines and lightning sparked on his arms. The Changelings stared at him, ready to fight as the ground began to rumble. Militia in trucks and even transport vehicles drove up, wielding sorts of weapons. To add to that, Vermaak 88 piled up, eager to kill more. Cole had long established his role of leader of Conduits. Kuo made her way here and so did Zeke. "I hope you remember this, guys. This will be a battle for all of us to enjoy." Cole smiled. The tension between them was shattered when of the Militia fired a RPG at the changelings. "Vermaak, move in!" One of the soldiers spouted, sending them into battle. The Militia did the same and a full-on war was brought to the table. Cole moved along with the battle, removing any obstacles in his path as he moved forward. He approached the portal as he assumed and more were there to fight back. Many unleashed blasts of flame-like, green colored magic at him, but Cole dodged and either hit them with his Amp or blasted them with bolts of plenty. While he was occupied, many piled up unbeknown to Cole was stopped as Kuo and Zeke stepped in. Frozen and then shocked or blasted with a shotgun that Zeke picked up earlier on. They approached the portal as many were taken down. As they walked up to it, it opened and more came in. They were blasted by Cole and they all jumped in, before it closed. They all hit the ground hard except Cole who floated down. He stared upon the destruction that was Ponyville. Buildings were charred and torn apart by war. The once bright paint was burnt and falling apart. Changelings, animals or ponies lay on the ground, most of the ponies being Guards. Everyone's armor was cracked and holes punctured the armor as dark green or red blood were splattered on their once golden plates of metal. Dark smoke raised into the sky as ash populated the air and caused them to cough. The once brilliant azure sky was now a deep rusty orange. The clouds speckled with soot and dust colored them brown and dirty. This was not a sight to see after so long. "No..." Cole dropped to his knees, hope shattered. Zeke and Kuo groaned as they got up. Rubbing their heads, they saw what was Ponyville as well. Their eyes drifted to the Conduit on the his hands and knees, punching the dirt. Kuo walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Cole?" Zeke began. "They're dead." Cole stated sorrowfully. "The war ravaged their lives and killed them. What do we do when there's nothing left to do?" A lone tear rolled down Cole's cheek as Zeke took off his glasses in respect. His face was drooped in sorrow as Kuo's the same. "Cole. There may still be hope. We can't say that it's all over yet. There is still something we can do." Kuo pulled him up and they saw battle raging on over at Canterlot. Cole stared upon the wrecked, but still defending mountainous castle. "You're right. We still have a job to do. Guys, we can still give Equestria one last chance. I say, we give them this chance. Let's go, you two." Cole running off and they followed suit. Cole ran towards the train station as it would bring him to Canterlot the fastest and they followed the man, no questions asked. He hopped on the rails and lightning began sparking on it. "Let's go." Propelling himself forward, he skated along the rails as they followed. Zeke kept up because of the cart there that Cole pulled as he skated. Kuo simply teleported with them. They arrived about a hour later. The battle was slowing down as the ponies began losing. They hurried up and they rushed into the castle as fast as they could. Nearing the castle's door, they saw more bodies and blood coat the area. Walking throughout the castle, they found the same sights and were saddened and disgusted by it. Cole was most hurt of all for not being there when they needed it most. As they neared the throne room door, Discord began to speak from inside the room along with two other voices he didn't recognize. "We are nearing the end, Celestia." Discord laughed. "Yes, your subjects have failed." A dark feminine voice with a faint echo in her voice spoke up. "No more will you rule. Your precious elements have failed." Another deep more masculine voice spoke. "End of the line, Princess." He heard magic being charged and that was their cue. Kicking the door open, the three speakers were blasted by Ice and Electricity and a grenade that Zeke picked up. Gaps were heard as the three turned around and their expressions changed to surprise. "Miss me?" Cole stepped forward. "Cole MacGrath." Discord spoke up. "And Zeke. And you... I thought I stuck you on Earth, permanently." "Changelings had a portal." Zeke spoke up. Discord and the dark unicorn turned their heads at the Queen "What? I thought having both worlds would be better." She exclaimed. "Would be. Except COLE WAS THERE." The dark unicorn hissed at her. "Say it, don't spray it." She growled at the unicorn. He growled back as they got in each-others faces. Discord sighed and pulled them apart and cleared his throat. "This is why I had problems with all of us teaming up." He face-palmed. "Oh shut up, like they can defeat all three of us. Zeke isn't even a Conduit, right?" The Queen smirked. Zeke pumped his shotgun, loading a slug into the chamber. "I've tested guns against changelings, honey. They die easily." He smirked back and she growled at him, he just stared at her. "I know you don't have more power this time, Discord. I am who I am now and I accept that." Cole unveiled his Amp and readied. Discord just chuckled. "Ice is it then." The unicorn stared at Kuo. Three against three. Dark, Chaos and Magic against Lightning, Guns and Ice. What a match-up. Tension piled up as they stared, preparing. That tension was sliced as the villains blasted them away with magic. They were slammed through the wall, all of them entering different rooms. Cole was slammed into the kitchen while Kuo was thrown into a large room. And Zeke ended up in the barracks. The villains each went after their respective targets. Discord ran after Cole as he slid across the table, sending plates and dishes everywhere. Cole fired bolts and bolts at him but he dodged them all and kicked Cole in the chest, sending him into the wall. Cole growled and fired a Unstable Grenade at Discord, blowing the room up in electricity. It hit him and he recoiled in the continuous flow of pain. A layer of thick dust covered the distance between them until Cole rushed at him, whacking him with the Amp, cracking a few bones in the process. He slammed the Amp between his neck, sending millions volts of throughout his body. Discord grabbed Cole by the neck with his tail and threw him against the wall, cracking a few bones of Cole's. Zeke bobbed and weaved after every bolt of magic blasted at him. Anytime, he could he shot at her, cracking her tough chitin like armor skin. "Damn, you got tough skin, sister!" He narrowly ducked, avoiding a bolt of magic aimed at his skull. "Hold. Still!" She stopped firing and threw a nearby sword at Zeke. He didn't notice the blade coming at him until the last moment and he was sliced on the shoulder but not stabbed, luckily. He groaned in pain but continued firing at her. She moved and dodged but shotguns were harder to avoid at close range. She kept taking pellets to her skin, creating small dents in them. While she was ducked, Zeke stopped and delivered a brutal right hook to her face, causing her to stumble back at the hit. He smirked and chucked a grenade at her. It hit her and nothing happened. She began laughing until it exploded, blowing her up. "Bitch!" He laughed. Kuo unleashed a Ice Beam at King Sombra with which he blocked with a dark barrier but shattered after so much Ice being applied to it. He fired a powerful blast of dark magic but Kuo teleported and blasted him with Ice shards, stabbing him but he shook it off like nothing. King Sombra ran at her, horn glowing darkly and blasted at her but she avoided it by using Ice Pillar and getting away from him. She slammed unto the ground, creating Ice all around her, freezing the ground underneath. He slipped and slid on the Ice while Kuo kept blasted him with more, freezing him. Cole slammed into Discord, arm first, sending electricity throughout his body and blasting him back. They were both slowing down at the immense energy that being used on each-other. Cole's attacks slung slowly and did less and less damage by the second as Discord couldn't use magic by now as it would waste to much precious magic. Cole finally used a Firebird Strike and slammed into the God. As he rammed the God into the wall, he stuck the Amp on his neck and began electrocuting him again but he placed his foot on the Gods tail. Zeke, being the way he is, had long slowed down for his body. But the Queen was seeing her fight die away as well. However, she was more damaged than Zeke was. Too many bullets to the body means loss of blood and she was definitely feeling that. Zeke took aim and unloaded more slugs into her as she got a good shot on Zeke. He fell to the ground, clutching his chest. The Queen's knees buckled and she fell. They both stared at each-other as he aimed his handgun once more. Kuo was long drained after using all that Ice on the King. She was tired but as well as Sombra. His head ached after so much magic used repeatedly. Kuo used the last of her energy, sending shards and shards of Ice at him, cutting his flesh but he pushed forward, sending dark bolts of magic at her, knocking her down. Finally, she dropped to her knees but the King fell too. They looked upon themselves and reached for the last bit of power that they could muster and prepared for the final hit to end it. In sync with everybody, everyone used their last bit of power to blast their foe. Cole slammed down the Amp upon Discord's neck as the God tightened his grip on Cole's throat. Zeke fired his last bullet as Chrysalis used the last of her magic on Zeke. Kuo used one last Ice Spike and rammed into Sombra as he raised a dark crystal, stabbing Kuo. Everyone dropped, with the enemies seeing death and our heroes feeling near dead. "It's... finally... over.." Was all Cole muttered as he rolled over to the side and passed out.