//------------------------------// // Prologue: Part II // Story: War of Ali: New and Improved Version // by Soviet_Minister //------------------------------// LMA. Luna's Magic Academy. Dell stood at the entrance, gazing at the massive, rustic metal gates that opened up into a little university of magic. The words 'Magic is Magical' were planted above the gates, which, unlike the old gates, were brand new. They shone like diamond in the sun, its chromed letters near-blinding anyone who looked directly at it for too long. "OK. All I have to do, is walk in, train, then come back out. Simple.", Dell said quietly to himself, unsure of what to do next, even though he just said it. He walked to the main office, his bags hanging over his back. He entered, finding only three ponies there, only one of which looked official. "Excuse me, can I help you?", the official pony asked. "Oh... Uh... Yeah, I got a pass... thing... yeah...", Dell mumbled awkwardly. Luckily, the official just heard him, and knew what he meant. "May I see the Official Pass, please?" Dell reached into one of his saddle bags, and pulled out a laminated, white sheet of paper, stating his birth, his parents, and his validity for the Academy. He stood there, shifting his weight from one side to the other, waiting for the official to say something. "Well, everything seems to check out. Welcome to the LMA. Enjoy your learning, and enjoy your stay." The official smiled, briefly gave him a time table, and went back to her office duties, which looked like sorting out Semester One reports. Dell went to the room that was printed along with his time table. Fourteen. He searched for Wing C, then went to the second floor. He walked along the corridor, looking for the number fourteen. *Twelve... Thirteen... Fourteen... Fifte- Wait! There it is.* He entered the room, and found his roommate, who was a obviously a unicorn, asleep in bed. Dell couldn't tell whether it was a Male or Female yet, so he just referred to it as 'IT'. Dell went across the room, where the spare double bed was, and set his saddle bags on it. He unpacked everything, trying hard not to make any noise. He had started off well, not making so much as a peep, until he brought out his favorite snow globe. He got it out nice and slowly, and also silently, but when he went to set it down, he was distracted by a fly, which caused his magic to faulter. The snow globe dropped the rest of the way. It didn't smash, but it made a reasonably loud THUMP! "Ugghh... Uhh.... Whasss goin on...." Oh shit! Dell looked over to the bed, where a Female unicorn was rising. "Sorry I woke you. I just dropped something, that's all." Another loud THUMP echoed through the room. The snow-globe had rolled off the bedside table. It still hadn't smashed. "It's alright, newbie. It's almost time for my next class anyway." She let a long yawn, and got fully out of bed. Dell picked up his snow-globe, and set it back on his bedside table. He inspected it, making sure there weren't any cracks or chips in the glass. To his satisfaction, the snow globe didn't have a scratch on it. He looked back to his saddle bags, and saw his favorite book, 'The Season's Pass'. It was a book about how romance and violence can destroy friendships, and relationships. He relished it simply because it was a gruesome book, full of ideas on how to destroy ones friendship, or ruin anothers life. Life long pain was much more effective then death. But the dream to kill all royalty still remained. He stayed in that room, conversing, studying, sometimes even flirting with the unicorn who he now knew as Ali Serenity. He aced nearly all of his classes, his grades never dipping below A-. His teachers were more than a little impressed, so they called in the expert on extra talented unicorns. She was scheduled to arrive in three days. Other unicorns were showing signs of jealousy, ignoring Dell when he said hello, or just plain talking behind his back. Dell tried to shrug it off, but it was getting to him. Each day was somewhat worse than the last, being called a nerd, a know-it-all. A teachers pet. Ali stood up for him whenever she had the chance, but her classes were always at the other side of the university. The third day arrived. This so called expert was supposed to arrive this afternoon. He studied as hard as he could, trying to remember as much as he could handle. He paced, he yelled, he was easily frustrated. And he was extremely nervous. "Dell, just calm down. You still have another two hours before she arrives. Why not take a break? You've been studying since dawn." Ali slowly walked up to Dell, levitating the work he had been doing onto the bed. She went close to him, her face only a few inches from Dell's. " Why not... have a little fun?" Ali said as she backed up, her luscious hind hitting the desk. Dell, who had been having feelings for Ali for some time now, walked up to her as she sat on the desk and spread her legs. "C'mon, don't be shy..." Dell leaned over Ali, his rapidly quickening. And just when he was about to wuss out, she pulled him forward with all her might, gasping loudly as he entered her. "Ooh... I can tell I'm gonna enjoy this..." Whispered Ali, as she started moving back and forth. Some time later, Dell went back to his research papers, having only half an hour before the expert arrived. He quickly had a shower, washing down all of the sweat, some of it not even his. He quickly reviewed over his study sheets, memorizing everything he could. Then Professor Clive opened the door. "Dell, she's here. She will be coming up to the Auditorium in five. Lets go." Dell ran his hoof through his hair, and set off. He walked from the dorm room, through the corridor, down the stairs, past the classrooms and into the large room called the Auditorium, his nerves getting the better of him, step by step. But he forced himself to push forward, pacing himself to make sure he didn't trip in front of the special arrival. He walked to the center of the large room, his hoof-steps echoing off the walls. He waited there for about two minutes before the doors to the Auditorium opened. The expert walked through, and as soon as Dell realized who it was, he almost dropped. Standing there, with her midnight-blue coat and regal crown, was Luna, Princess of the Moon. "Ah! So we meet again, Dell!" Shouted Luna excitedly. Dell, on the other hand, was struggling extremely to contain his rage. "Well, my young colt. It seems that I was called to witness your talents, so I may have the chance to take you under my wing!" Luna walked, with such grace, over to the seats. From then, he was put through rigorous sessions, testing the magic of this talented unicorn. He spent hours standing there, doing what the teachers, and what Luna, told him to do. He made objects appear and disappear. He morphed objects into completely different things. He showed his levitating skills by lifting all five of the teachers who sat at the back, some whooping, some letting out a short scream when they where lifted. His stamina was depleting by the second. Wiping sweat from his brow, Luna chucked in one last suggestion. "Teleport from there to the other side of the room." Dell went wide eyed, remembering that he never even considered doing research on that spell. He stood there, mentally kicking himself in the groin for being so forgetful. But, even though he hadn't even tried it before, he had a crack at teleporting. He stood there, concentration plastering his face, sweat beading from his forehead. He stood there for about a minute, until he felt a cold, empty sensation crawl over his body. Then, just as quickly as it had come, it had gone. And he was now standing on the roof of the Auditorium. He wasn't really concentrating on where to teleport, only on the teleportation itself. And it worked! He did it! He teleported! "Well, I'll be blown up twice. You did it!" Luna, flying with her beyond strong wings, rose above the roof, and was now looking down at Dell. She took him back down, got him to sign some paperwork, then got him into her chariot. "You will do well being my apprentice. Someone with your skill has great potential to become something big!" It took three long hours before they arrived at the Canterlot Castle, it's white and gold structure standing out like a fire in the darkness. They landed on the east wing, where Luna's private quarters was. Dell spoke up, "Rather nice room you have here..." "Thank you! I think it looks great as-well." They made their way to a corridor, which was one floor below Luna's floor. She led him to a large room with nothing, apart from a king sized bed and two bedside tables. "Need anything else?" Asked Luna, her smile reaching from ear to ear. "No, thank you." replied Dell, as he walked into his room, and slammed the door shut. He jumped onto his bed, and that was the last thing he remembered until he woke in the morning. For three years, he trained to become Equestria's next best unicorn. He went through rigorous training, rough tests and extreme sessions. His magical stamina grew stronger and stronger, his magic strength growing just as much. He did nothing but train, and train, and train. But no matter how much training he was put through, how nice Luna or Celestia were to him, he still hated them with all his heart and soul. *Some day...*, He thought, *Some day, I'll trample over their limp bodies as I take Equestria for myself...* It wasn't until a year later, when he had the courage to stand up to Luna. It was in the hallway that led to Luna's quarters, that he decided to confront the majestic Princess. "Dell? What are you doing here in the middle of the hallway?" All he could manage was a nasty, sinister smile, bearing his teeth. As Luna was about to ask what was wrong, an orange aura surrounded Dell's horn, and out of nowhere, a large wooden table flew past Luna's head. Dell was a master wizard, but he still had minimal accuracy when throwing objects around using telepathy. As quickly as he could, he recovered the table just before it ht the marble wall, which would have rightly smashed the table to bits and pieces. He threw the table once again, but even if the aim was spot on, he hit nothing but air. Luna wasn't where she was anymore. He looked around the large hallway, an expression of fear plastered on his face. "I-I'm not scared of you. Not now, n-not ever...", shouted Dell, struggling to believe his own lie. "But you should be... You fool..." Out of thin air, Luna flew down and smashed Dell's head into the hard, marble floor. The impact should have caved Dell's skull in, but his quick thinking had led him to use his levitation power on himself, causing the impact to dramatically reduce. Dell, who was shocked and stunned by the impact, quickly rose to his hooves, this time preparing for anything. Which is what he should have done in the first place, seeing how Luna is an Alicorn. "Time for you to DIE, LUNA!" This time, he decided to take a massive risk, putting his own life in danger. But if it meant Luna's death, then so be it. He concentrated all of his power on the roof, his horn flaring brightly, almost blinding Luna as she tried to counter Dell's magic. But, because she could hardly see, she couldn't find where he was concentrating his magic, therefore she could not counter it properly. Then, as Dell was about to give up, he heard cracking. Cracking and crumbling. Then, he felt a cloud of rocky dust fall onto his head. It was working. He pushed himself to keep going, to cave the roof in. He would have had it done quicker, but he was now trying to hold a force field, it's purpose to keep the royal guards out. Fighting Luna was enough without having to worry about guards coming from all directions. He was running out of energy, yet he kept going, the cracks in the roof getting bigger and bigger, until finally, a large chunk of marble came crashing down to the floor, spraying rock and dust everywhere, some small portions of the boulderous marble hitting Dell in the face, getting his eyes. But that didn't deter him from caving the roof in. If anything, it encouraged him to keep going, showing that his plan was working miraculously. Then it occured to him: What if I DON'T make it out? What will happen? What if Luna escapes unharmed, and I die for nothing? Then he stopped. He stopped trying to cave the roof in, and instead, he concentrated on Luna, whose leg was trapped under the massive chunk of roof. "Pinned, and helpless. There is no way this could get better." Dell said, a malicious smirk appearing on his face. Then Celestia walked in. Dell jumped around with joy. "Oh, how wrong I was! HAHAHA!" But, unlike her sister, Celestia was a quick thinker. She picked up the boulder of marble, and threw it at Dell. He stopped it with his own magic, though barely. He struggled to stop it, but he had no difficulty sending it back. With all his might, he sent the boulder flying through the air, faster than Celestia, or Luna could throw it. Luna jumped to the side, proving his sister wrong that she was a slow thinker. Her sister, though, was less fortunate. The boulder collected Celestia, her and the boulder flying through the air, and crashing into the doors that led to Luna's quarters. Luna, now lost in a feeling of psychotic rage, threw Dell into the wall, and with a sickening crack, his head hit hard, blood steadily pouring from his wound. He fell from the wall, and with a dull 'THUMP', his body hit the ground, motionless. Luna ran to her quarters, lifted the boulder, and threw the boulder out of the large window that let light into her room. All Luna could do was stare in horror and shock. There lay Celestia, blood coating her from head to hind. She was breathing, though Luna feared that she might not be for very long. She sat on her haunches next to her bloodied sister, tears falling down her cheeks. Luna sat there, not knowing what to do. She then thought that maybe a new spell that she had learned would help. It was to repair injuries, but she wasn't sure she could use the spell to save her sister from near death. Besides, it might put her in more pain. But, when it came down to it, she had no other option. She would either have to perform the spell, which might save her, or leave her own sister to die beaten and broken. The choice was obvious. She quickly ran through her memories, trying to remember the spell. She found it, and prepared, as this spell took a lot of stamina. Trying to heal injuries was one thing, but healing from near death? That was another matter altogether. She gathered all of her strength, and started the spell. It took Luna three long hours, before her sister was finally strong enough to walk. She still had trouble keeping her balance, but she could walk long enough to make it to her own quarters. Once she made it to her own bed, she collapsed, falling into the deep abyss named unconsciousness. Luna, remembering Dell, ran back to the half demolished hallway, and found no sign of Dell, other than the pool of crimson blood that had left the wound in his head. *He'll be back...*, thought Luna, fearing the worst if he did. Two long, long years passed, and the land couldn't be better. Everything in the palace was back to normal, the Princesses telling the absent guards that Luna had gone through an 'Episode'. Those who DID see, were sworn to secrecy, never to tell another living soul what had really happened. And the best part was, that Dell hadn't been seen during the time it took to return things to normal, which was a relief. Celestia hadn't forgotten about what Dell had done to her. He had humiliated and harmed her. And she wanted revenge. Sweet, delicious revenge. But, what the royalty of Canterlot did not know, was that Dell was building an army. Murderers. Sadists. Rapists. Terrorists. Ayone who could kill, ravage, humiliate and destroy could join. Dell had destroyed three of the highest security prisons, all with his magic and help from a certain unicorn friend. These prisons were Barwon, Port Fillip and Pentridge. All of Equestrias most dangerous, ruthless criminals were now out and about, already forging new plans to kil, to steal, to destroy. But, once he had the chance, Dell had pulled them into line. He had organized the most danerous ponies in the country. "We have all been cheated! We have all been brutalized! And now, our time for revenge has come! We will pillage! We will kill! We! Will! Conquer!" The up-roaring noise of applause shook the ground, everypony there showing their allegiance to the insane unicorn who led them. It was when he put on a brilliant show of magical fireworks that he collapsed, though it was unknown what had caused it. He was in a white, empty space of... well, he didn't quite know what it was. A void? That was his best guess. He wasn't standing, but he wasn't flying either. He was floating. Then, out of nowhere, a great, bright ball of light flew into his chest. He went back into consciousness the moment that light struck. But, the moment he awoke, he was in pain. A pain unimaginable to the normal pony mind. His back felt like it was tearing itself apart, his spine sawing the flesh that stood between it and the open air. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone. And he felt better than ever. He looked out to his army of criminals, and was astonished to find them bowing to him. Bowing! He had no idea why, but they were treating him like he was a king. Like he was somepony to be feared. He went to jump in joy, but once he was in the air, he didn't go back down. He looked behind him, and there they were. A pair of beautiful, big, orange wings. Wings! Ir took a few minutes for him to take it in, but when he landed back on the ground, realization struck him. They were bowing because they DID fear him. He was an Alicorn. "It is time, my brothers! Time to take the war to the City!" The ground shook as applause roared all around him. He had finally did it. He had an army, and to his surprise, he was now an Alicorn. He ,lifted his wings, and with minimal effort, he took to the sky, flying to Canterlot as fast as he could. The unicorns were strong, so they teleported across the landscape towards the City, and the earth ponies simply ran, though they had superpony amounts of stamina. Dell didn't know fully whether he would win or not, but one thing was certain: This. Is the Rise of Dell.