Baen of Equestria

by CrypticMetaphor


XVIII

Trotem City, two hours after Fire Brand duel

The Power Ponies sat in Mistress Mare-velous ‘s HQ, depressed and defeated. It consisted of a secret cave on a private island with a mansion atop it that possessed numerous computers and weapons. All the girls were silent as they watched a news report on the main screen. A grey stallion in a suit was staring seriously into the camera as he spoke.

“Tonight In related news. The crime fighting team, the Power Ponies, were soundly beaten by the super villain Fire Brand. At this moment,” a small window beside the reporter displayed Fire Brand cackling madly as he torched several blocks of buildings, “Fire Brand is attacking down town most ruthlessly. The city is crying out for the Power Ponies, neigh, anypony to defeat this menace.”

Twilight turned off the screen and paced, “This isn’t good at all.”

Rarity nodded as she reclined on a posh couch made out of her light energy, “I must say, Baen is enjoying his role a little…too much.”

Rainbow Dash snorted, “Well why the hay are we just standing around here for?! Ponies are in trouble! We gotta get downtown and beat him!”

Spike coughed.

The girls turned to glance at the dragon sidekick, “About beating Baen….”

Twilight and the girls leaned forward and spoke in unison, “Yes?”

Spike sighed, “Well….The Power Ponies kind of hit a cliffhanger with Fire Brand.”

Twilight blinked, “Which means what?”

“Well,” Spike spoke solemnly, “It means that when the Power Ponies went to fight Fire Brand in the final showdown….the end result is…unknown.”

Applejack paled, “Meanin that.”

Twilight nodded slowly, “If we go to fight Baen, there’s no guarantee we will win.”

Fluttershy gulped, “Or survive.”

Pinkie smiled, “Oh come one girls, Baen would never hurt us! He’s our friend.”

“Pinkie,” Twilight stated, “Baen is not our friend.”

Pinkie booped her on the nose, “Of course not silly, not yet, why do you think I haven’t thrown him a party yet?”

Rainbow blinked, “What are you talking about Pinks?”

Pinkie smiled, “Well I’m surprised nopony has noticed. He’s not as angry at us as he used to be and my Pinkie Sense says he’s starting to get warm and fuzzies,” she tapped Twilight’s chest, “in here toward us. He’s just too proud to admit it.”

Applejack tapped her chin, “Now that ya mention it, he hasn’t really looked at us with the same,” she air quoted with her hooves, “fire’, as before.”

Rainbow shook her head, “Well whatever, we need to pony up and get moving!”

Twilight nodded, “I agree. Baen or Fire Brand, he’s a villain, and as heroes we need to defeat him in order for us to get home.”

The girls voiced their agreement then turned to Spike.

“Spike,” Twilight asked, “does Fire Brand have any weaknesses we could exploit?”

Spike thought for a moment, “He’s weak against water and Ice. Radiance’s light constructs can hold up against him quite well. Mare-velous’s lasso and horseshoes can harm him, though the last time she used her horse shoes he melted them,” he glanced at Fluttershy, “Saddle Ranger’s ability gave the Power Ponies an advantage so that.”

Fluttershy trembled, “I have to fight Baen? But he’s so…scary.”

Applejack placed a hoof on her friend, “Sugarcube we need you.”

Spike raised a finger, “There’s one other thing,” the girls looked at Spike once more, “his temper.”

The girls and Spike smiled deviously in unison.

*

In downtown Trotem, Baen was having a ball. He was cutting loose with his new abilities and just torching everything in sight. Though he knew that these ponies were fiction and not real, that didn’t stop him from his evilness.

“So this is what all those old foes of mine felt when they attacked me,” tapped his chin as his mane ignited and arced down like an infernal serpent, “Hm…now I have a point of reference.”

“BAE…I mean….FIRE BRAND!”

Baen turned his attention down to the burning streets below, the Power Ponies and Hum Drum stared defiantly up at him. His flame-mass moved down slightly.

“Well, well, well,” Baen smirked, “Look who decided to show up for round two.”

Twilight pointed a hoof at Baen, “We’re here to defeat you so we can return home and save this city from your evil!”

Baen lay on his back and stared at the sky with boredom, “Hm…don’t think you read the footnote,” he smirked, “The direction dictate that ‘either path’, will send us home. In short,” he stared at them with his eyes becoming white hot, “I can kill you and have a complete day.”

Twilight in response fired a freeze ray right in his face, “Well you’ll have to work for it hot head.”

The ice melted off of Baen’s face as steam blew from his nostrils, “Oh, you are gonna pay for that!”

Baen stood on his hind hooves and pointed his front ones at the ponies who scattered. A massive jet of flame erupted toward Twilight, who countered with an equally large freeze ray. The beams locked in mid-air as both ponies pushed their wills and forces against each other. Rainbow Dash flew up into the sky and raised her lightning pendant to the heavens. A massive whirlwind kicked up as frosty air and snow pelted the fiery fiend atop his perch. Pinkie dashed threw the streets and cleared various ponies from the battle field. The last being an elderly grey coated stallion with sunglasses on his face and wearing a yellow sweater with combed white hair and a bit of a beard. His cutie mark was that of a comic book.

“You alright Stan?”

The pony known as Stan looked at the battle, “I’m fine. But I must say this is a monumental battle for you girls, nuff said.”

Pinkie smiled, “Don’t worry about it, we’ll be fine.”

Stan smiled, “Excelsior! Good luck!”

Pinkie sped back to the battle as Baen continued his onslaught on the girls. Fluttershy was avoiding various fiery aftershocks while Applejack was handling ground control with Pinkie and Spike. Baen grit his teeth as he bombarded Twilight with fireballs, though she countered each with a well-placed freeze ray.

Rainbow flew up behind Baen and raised her lightning bolt, “Eat this!”

A mass of concentrated sleet and snow blasted Baen in the back. The sudden impact blasted the stallion into the ground. A small crater was half covered in snow as Rainbow landed atop the pile with a cocky pose.

“HA! I saved the day,” the girls glowered at her, “oh…and all of you helped.”


The girls rolled their eyes and smiled none the less. They all breathed a sigh of relief as Rainbow opened her mouth to speak-

Then a black clad hoof shoved itself into her mouth.

Baen rose from the snow like a phoenix. A bird like outline of fire engulfed him as he levitated a fearful Dash off the ground.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.”

In a flash accompanied by a chorus of horrified screams….Rainbow Dash was gone in a blast of fire. All that remained was her lightening pendant.

“AHAHAHAHAH!!! That felt SO GOOD,” he smirked at the horrified and livid faces below him, “Now which on-“

A massive greenish mass tackled him from the air and smashed him continuously into the ground like a ragdoll. The girls stared at Fluttershy as she finished her anger filled bout. She glanced at them as Baen was prone and squeaked.

“Oh my,” she shrunk in an instance, “Did I do that?”

A growl was heard as the girls turned in fear and gazed in horror. Baen rose from the ground, but he had changed. His black body suit was now a fiery orange with gold segments to it, his mane flickered with flames as his eyes became totally white with black outlines.

Spike backed up, “Oh no, he’s gone Dark Mode.”

Applejack glanced at the dragon, “Dark Mode?”

Spike nodded, “It’s when and I quote, The Phoenix fire burns its brightest and snuffs out all other lights.”

Baen started to growl as his body became consumed with an inferno in the shape of a massive fire bird with burning red eyes. With a mighty yell, a flash consumed all sight accompanied by an earth shattering explosion.

*

Kriger Kongen gazed at the comic as the story unfolded before him.

“Interesting.”

*

Twilight groggily opened her eyes. When she did, she could only gaze on in complete horror. The cityscape was now in a massive crater. Then she cried out in horror, various scorched mementos of her friend’s costumes littered the rubble strewn ground. Glancing up, she saw Dark Fire Brand staring at her from on high.

“Well Sparkle,” he bellowed, “It seems your magic of friendship is insignificant next to me.”

Twilight stood on her hooves and stared Baen down; it was time for her contingency plan.

“You know,” she started, “I fought someone like you Baen. She was angry at me, hated my friendship, and wanted nothing more to see me crash and burn.”

Baen raised an eyebrow, “Your point?”

Twilight smirked, “She was far more intimidating than you.”

Baen’s eye twitched.

“I mean sure she put on my crown and became a monster,” she gestured a hoof toward Baen, “But she pulled off the fire hair look much better than you do.”

Baen seethed in anger, “SHUT IT!”

His fire surged bright as he discharged a massive flame at Twilight. Twilight flew around it and shot a freeze beam widely. It winged Baen and forced him to the ground, Twilight tackled him before he could right himself.

“Now! You’ve lost Ba-“

She was cut off when Baen planted a kiss straight on her lips which caused Twilight’s wings to spring out and her face to turn red.

He pulled away as she started to babble like a lunatic.

Baen smirked, “Smile.”

Twilight was then consumed in fire and flame and her screams were the last things Baen heard.

*

Twilight and the group were on the floor of the library in the old castle in utter shock and horror as Baen stood with a happy smile on his face. Repositioning his armor, he pranced happily from the room.

“Ah, now that’s therapy,” he glanced back at the girls, “we should do that again sometime. It was a blast.”

When he was out of ear shot, Twilight turned to Spike, “Purge that comic with fire.”