Chapter Eight - Knightmare
Flare had a deep-rooted hatred of the Void, which was the name he had given to the space between Equestria and Earth. Twice before, he had nearly died travelling through it, so he figured that the hate was justified.
But this time…
“Something’s… different.” The thought ran through Flare’s mind as he and Sparkler floated through the Void.
Unlike the last time, it wasn’t cold, and despite being in an endless open space, Flare didn’t have that feeling of being closed in and trapped.
Well, maybe he felt a little trapped. “Umm... Sparkler, you don’t have to hold on to me so tightly.”
Sparkler pouted. “But I want to make sure we don’t get separated in this dark, empty void.”
“I think we’ll be okay,” Flare replied.
“Oh, alright.” The mare sighed, loosened her death-grip, and floated alongside him.
Before long, a white speck of light ahead of them rapidly grew larger. “I guess that’s our stop. I wonder if everypony will be surprised to see us.”
Then something happened. Flare felt like he was suddenly shaken to his very core. It was like being hit by an Earthquake attack while floating in mid-air. In other words, it was weird.
But it did have the effect of separating Sparkler and Flare from one another. Sparkler let out a scream and disappeared from Flare’s sight. He tried running in the empty void to catch her, but the attempt was futile. All he could do was hope that she made it to Equestria safely.
***
The fight was going… well, Spike couldn’t really tell how it was going. Zecora was kicking some major flank, but the changelings kept coming. Just how many of them were there?
They seemed to be totally ignoring him too, focusing all their efforts on taking down the lightning-slinging zebra.
And speaking of that, just what the heck was a ‘Zebstrika?’ She had said she was a Pokémon; did that mean she was like Flare?
Spike was snapped out of his thoughts when a changeling suddenly grabbed him.
“Hey, zebra! Stop what you’re doing before I- GAH!!” His threat was cut off by the searing emerald flames that scorched his face.
“You think she’s tough!?” Spike yelled at the changelings. “Then you just wait till you see what I can… uh-oh!” Twelve changelings suddenly flew straight at him, and he panicked, letting loose a stream of flame that almost burnt the nearby zebra.
“Watch those flames!” Zecora barked as she dodged some incoming attacks before retaliating with Thundershock. “I have to end this fight, but I’m running out of electrical energy.”
There was a yelp as Spike was kicked into the dirt by a hovering changeling.
“Heh! Poor widdle baby. You sure you’re actually a dragon?” The bug dived at him, but pulled back as Zecora fired a bolt of lightning at it.
Several changelings suddenly pounced on her, pinning the zebra to the ground. “Get off of me!”
She fried them with Thunderbolt, but the unconscious bugs still weighed her down.
“Well,” Zecora’s heart rate quickened as the changeling commander, a male named Synth, who had been staying back from combat up till now, approached her, “what should I do with you?” His voice dripped with perverse intent.
“I shall see you all burn!” Zecora spat at him, but to her surprise, the changeling’s reaction wasn’t one of malice or anger.
He laughed.
“Oh? I’m sure you’d love to do that, but I’m afraid my hostages might disagree.”
Zecora’s heart nearly stopped. Spike was still running from some changelings, so it wasn’t him. The others were inside an impenetrable shield, so it couldn’t be them either. One of the townsponies, maybe?
There was a shriek, and Zecora lifted her face from the dirt to see Sweetie Belle being dragged
outside the library by a changeling.
“How-?”
The commander laughed again; it was a sound that was beginning to rattle Zecora. “Oh, maybe I should introduce you to Switch. She’s a wonderful operative, being in a disguise for all this time… It’s really quite something.
“Though this is our trump card, so I hope it works.”
“That’s right!” the changeling that held Sweetie Belle replied, and then her voice changed.
She sounded exactly like Diamond Tiara. “It was really easy to wait for the one pony that could beat me to step outside. Now be a good mare and surrender… I really don’t want to hurt these little darlings.” She nuzzled the still squealing Sweetie before silencing her with a hiss. “Well, that’s a lie, actually. I really, really, want to hurt them. So by all means, struggle.”
“Don’t make this any more difficult for me, Switch. This… thing has taken out a significant number of us.”
Spike had run all the way around the library, and when he approached the front again, he saw Sweetie Belle being held by Switch. The sight made him pause, which allowed the changelings to finally catch him and pin him down.
“NRGH! Sweetie Belle!”
Switch laughed at the dragon’s outburst. “Haha, oh wow! Just what do you think you can actually do?” The hoof she had wrapped around Sweetie’s neck tightened ever so slightly. “This is how it’s going to go down. You’re going to march inside, get the Elements, and hoof ‘em over.” Her eyes narrowed and she leered at him. “And then maybe… just maybe, I’ll let your little fillyfriend here go.”
Zecora’s mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan. She could simply use Discharge and fry the changelings pinning her down, but the changeling infiltrator could hurt Sweetie Belle before Zecora could reach her. “What can I do? This situation isn’t looking good…”
Everything suddenly went white, and everypony and everybuggy shielded their eyes, but the tell-tale ’crack’ of a teleportation could still be heard. During the confusion, Sweetie Belle managed to wiggle free of Switch’s grasp and run back inside the library, locking the door behind her.
The light faded, but it had provided Zecora with the distraction she needed. She used Discharge to blast away the changelings holding her down before racing forward with Quick Attack to strike Switch, knocking the changeling out cold with a single blow to the head. Spike breathed a plume of emerald flames and scrambled free.
“What the crap is going on!?” It took a moment for Synth’s vision to clear so that he could finally see what had caused the flash. A female unicorn with a purple mane and tail was standing on a scorched patch of earth. Her eyes were unfocused, and some of her coat was singed.
“I… uh? Wha?” She seemed out of it, and it took but a second for Zecora to rush to her side. She caught Sparkler as her legs gave out and laid her gently on the ground.
“Miss Sparkler? How did you appear here?” Zecora was confused, but Spike stared wide-eyed.
“I-It’s… no way… Sparky?” Spike ran over and dropped to his knees to look Sparkler in the eye. “It’s really you? Then… then what about Flare? Is he okay?” Everypony had assumed the worst when Flare and Sparkler had disappeared, but now she had just shown up out of the blue.
The unicorn opened a weary eye and looked at Spike, a small smile on her face. “…I think so… We… got separated… But I think he’s here… somewhere.”
***
Rainbow Dash zigged and zagged through the sky, trying to avoid the dive-bombing changelings. The Crystal Reavers had been a big enough problem, and the Celestia-damned bugs were not making things easier. One changeling clipped the tip of her left wing, and Dash was suddenly pitched into a sharp downward spiral.
“Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap!” Rainbow adjusted her wings, trying to slow her spinning and pull up, but the ground was getting closer very quickly, and some quick math in her head showed that there was no way to avoid becoming a rainbow smear on the ground. She closed her eyes and braced for the worse, but a strong pair of hooves grabbed her waist and pulled up, depositing the cyan pegasus on the ground roughly, but still in one piece.
“Wha?” Dash looked up, her head spinning as she saw a golden blur standing in front of her. “I totally had that!” she slurred, and after shaking her head, Rainbow saw Spitfire standing over her.
“You’re welcome,” Spitfire replied dryly. “You alright, kid?”
Rainbow got to her hooves, and after flexing her wings, she nodded. “Yeah, just caught me off guard.”
“That’s good,” Spitfire smiled. “I’d hate to lose a potential member like that.” Rainbow Dash would have let out a squee of delight, but the sound of more changelings approaching quashed her mood somewhat. She still had a Cheshire Cat-sized grin on her face, though.
“Can you fight?” Spitfire asked, “I don’t wanna drag civvies into this, but right now, we don’t have much in the way of options.”
Rainbow shot forward, delivering a powerful blow to one of the changelings, burying the bug in a trench. The second attacked her from behind, but she moved slightly to the side and grabbed its hoof, flipping it over her shoulder and pile-driving it into the concrete below.
“Cadet Rainbow Dash reporting for duty, Ma’am!” Rainbow saluted. Spitfire just stood there for a second, processing what had happened, before she burst out into a hearty laugh.
“Well I’ll be damned… We’ll make a mare out of you yet!”
***
In a quieter corner of Canterlot, Flare Blitz slowly got to his hooves, groaning and grumbling.
“That… was uncomfortable.” In the end, the travel between worlds had been as rough as always, but what had caused that disturbance?
He looked around, and he could tell that he wasn’t in the library. In fact, he had no idea where he was. The room was dark, save for the sunlight filtering through the thick wooden boards covering the windows. His teleportation had kicked up a layer of dust, causing him to cough.
“Okay, so we got separated, then there was a light…” He was trying to get his scrambled thoughts under control when something crashed through the boarded window. Flare lit up his horn and took a defensive stance as the creature got up. He blinked and lowered his guard when he saw that it was the same type of creature as that one mare he had encountered during his race against Arceus.
“And you are?”
The changeling tried picking himself up and winced, falling back to the floor. Being punted by that rainbow mare was not his idea of fun. His ear flicked as he heard a voice and turned to see a cream-coated unicorn staring at him. The strange thing was that even though the changeling wasn’t disguised, the unicorn didn’t seem afraid.
“Uh… I’m a changeling?” The little bug didn’t seem so sure, but perhaps that was the blunt force trauma talking.
“That was a pretty impressive entrance.” Flare looked at the changeling-shaped hole in the window. “Do you need a doctor?”
“Why… aren’t you afraid?” the bug asked. “Or attacking me, for that matter?” Flare tilted his head. Why did this creature think he would attack it? Flare raised a hoof to help it up, but the changeling flinched, making Flare wonder if it was the changeling who was really afraid here.
“Alright, you stay here, and I’ll get some help, okay?” Before the changeling could respond, Flare left the building, and everything fell into place. Hundreds, if not thousands, of those creatures were swarming all over the city. Flare couldn’t see anypony though; it was like the entire city had been abandoned.
“Now what the hell is going on around here?” Flare turned back towards the building he had just exited, only to have the changeling from before race past him and flee into the city. A moment later, several of the bugs were flying towards Flare, and they didn’t look too friendly.
“Hey!” Flare jumped to one side as the first changeling tried to tackle him. “What is going on around here?”
“What? Are you stupid?” The changelings’ horns began to glow green as they focused binding spells on Flare Blitz. “We’re the ones that are gonna take this city for ourselves and suck the love from you miserable ponies.”
“Hey, boss!” Another changeling flew up to them. “Our scouts finally found that purple unicorn that the Queen wants!”
“Finally. Let’s wrap this guy up and put him with the others-” There was a sickening ‘thwack’ as Flare’s hoof collided with the changeling and the changeling collided with an adjacent building. Flare’s crimson eyes flashed with anger as he stared down the remaining changelings.
“Tell me about this purple unicorn, now!”
***
Fluttershy darted from one bed to the next, applying bandages and gauze to wounds, while Pinkie was slathering ointment on magical burns.
“It’s like icing a cupcake!” she giggled, but stopped when everypony in the room glared at her. “Too soon?” she asked sheepishly. Just as Fluttershy was finishing up, the doors burst open, and a fresh batch of injured soldiers stumbled in.
“Oh, my.” Beds were quickly becoming a luxury, and the doctors and nurses began to prioritise the more dire injuries. “I didn’t think it would get this bad,” Fluttershy said, as one soldier cried out, his leg bent in a direction it was not meant to. Pinkie suddenly went wide-eyed as her whole body shook. She dove across the room, and in a flash, she was boarding up windows and doors.
“Pinkie?!” Fluttershy was used to her friends odd behaviour, but this? “What are you doing?”
No sooner had the words left the pegasus’s mouth, then something pounded on the door, hard.
“Let us in, little ponies!” the taunting voice of a changeling rang through. “We won’t hurt you… promise!”
“We won’t let you in!” Pinkie declared triumphantly. “Not by the hairs of Celestia’s chinny chin, chin.”
***
Twilight watched the holographic map of Canterlot with increasing worry. The Crystal Reavers were starting to re-appear, and the changeling horde was getting closer and closer to the castle. Princess Celestia had left to assist on the front lines; a glowing golden dot showed her location. Others showed the Elements. Pinkie and Fluttershy were trapped by a changeling squad, but the closest soldiers were a good five or ten minutes away, provided they were not intercepted by another squad.
With the same crystal receivers that she and Rainbow had been using earlier, Twilight relayed the information to a Kicker platoon, hoping the elite soldiers could get there a little sooner. She saw that Rainbow had joined up with Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts. “That’s good; perhaps some weather fronts will give us an edge…” She then noticed a group of changelings suddenly disappear from the map, leaving a single, glowing dot. Twilight pressed in on that part, curious as to what could have done that, when the map began to shut down, section by section. Soon, there were no dots showing troop movements, no communications, nothing!
“W-what?” Twilight ran to the crystal that linked her map with the scanning beacons around the city. One by one, the beacons were being shut off.
“Oh no; nononononono!” Without those beacons, she wouldn’t know what was going on outside. “But how?” Her answer came when the doors to the room burst open and Queen Chrysalis, flanked by three changelings, strode inside.
“I believe the answer is right here!” Twilight’s horn flashed, but Chrysalis didn’t seem too concerned. “Oh please, I took down Celestia! What makes you think a weak little unicorn like you stands a chance?”
“That was only because you stole my brother’s power!” Twilight took a step forward. If she could beat Chrysalis, then the tide of this battle would turn. “You’re not as strong now as you were back then!”
Chrysalis stopped, blinked a few times, and then burst out into a fit of laughter. “Aaahahahahahahaa, oh… Do you really think I’d attack Canterlot, home to two Princesses, and the Elements of Harmony, without a plan?”
“Yes, I really do believe you’re that stupid.” Twilight said.
“She’s probably right,” one of the changelings, Frenzy, agreed. “You would do something like that.”
“Yup!” Banzai, another of her guard added. “You’ve been talking about revenge non-stop since last time.”
The third changeling said nothing and just stared awkwardly at Twilight.
Chrysalis growled and stamped her hoof. “Well, things have changed. Now we have the power to invade, and soon, food won’t be a problem either.”
While Chyrsalis was talking, some oddly Caribbneighan-sounding music began to play, and Twilight’s mouth fell open. “You have got to be kidding me…”
~~~
Pony love always tastes sweetest
When it’s ripped out of the heart.
I can’t wait till I can taste it
When I tear your world apart.
Such delicious love surrounds you,
And on it, I soon will dine.
Just look at the world around you,
For soon, it will all be mine!
Chrysalis’s voice rang out through the room as she danced around.
When I am queen.
When I am queen.
Life will be greater,
When I’m dictator,
At least for ‘lings.
Ponies will make our food all day,
And we’ll make sure you slave away.
While we’re relaxing,
Consuming and basking,
When I am queen.
Frenzy and Banzai began to sing too, harmonising surprisingly well.
Now all the ponies are happy,
With all that their lives include.
But the changelings are not happy.
They’re sad ‘cause they’ve got no food.
But now the changelings are lucky;
They’re in for a better fate.
‘Cause once the queen’s taken over,
Guess who gon' be on the plate.
Chrysalis was not one to be outdone as she rejoined the song, with her little changelings providing backup vocals. To Twilight’s great irritation, she found her hoof tapping the floor in a steady rhythm.
When I am queen.
When I am queen.
You will be beaten,
And your love eaten,
Don’t care if it’s mean.
Your love is what we want to eat,
And that’s why you must taste defeat.
We’ll have no troubles,
Free from our struggles,
When I am queen.
(When she is queen.)
When I am queen.
(When she is queen.)
Since there’s such joy here,
We must deploy here,
See what I mean?
Even the fillies and the colts,
They have the love to fill our bowls.
We’ll steal emotions,
Here to the oceans,
When I am queen.
We’ll eat your defeat
And feed on your need.
We’ll consume your gloom,
Your pride, and your greed.
We’ll grope for your hope,
Treasure your pleasure,
And sap all your happiness!
(Yeah)
We’ll toy with your joy
And drain all your pain.
We’ll plunder your wonder,
Your hurt, and your shame.
And we’ll sink our teeth
Into your relief,
And feast upon your love!
The instrumental part of the song kicked in, and Chrysalis and her changelings danced around the room, so totally lost in the song that they failed to notice Twilight sneaking out.
When I am queen.
(When she is queen.)
When I am queen.
(When she is queen.)
War is declared.
My army’s prepared.
It’s quite the scene.
So bring it on, you big white horse!
I’ll take this kingdom from you by force.
Each little pony
Will bow before me
When I am queen.
Each little changeling,
Will love what this change brings,
When I am queen.
You cannot stop me.
No one will top me.
Your world is mine now.
It’s time to dine now.
You’re out of luck now,
And really bucked now,
That I am queen!
Once the music had stopped, Frenzy looked around before poking Chrysalis on the leg.
“Uh, Boss?... She’s gone.”
~~~
The empty halls clicked as Twilight bolted through them. It was difficult to ignore the Music of Harmony once it got going, but Twilight knew a spell that could suppress the urge to sing along.
“Okay, so first those ‘Crystal Reavers’ show up, and now changelings?” Twilight was pretty certain that Chrysalis wasn’t the one who had summoned the golems. “Maybe she hired a mercenary? Or was she working with somepony else? It doesn’t seem like Discord’s style, and I doubt he’d do anything to upset Fluttershy…”
Twilight turned to head for the armoury, her hooves sliding on the smooth tiles. Before she lost the map, it had shown that Pinkie and Fluttershy were pinned down in the field hospital. And with Chrysalis here in the castle, the defences would be compromised.
“Okay, mental checklist. One, get to the Armoury and organise a new command post. Two, inform Princess Celestia that the castle is compromised, if she doesn’t know already. Three, regroup our forces and retake the palace-” Her thoughts were interrupted as a mob of changelings cut her off from an adjoining hallway. A quick sleep spell slowed them, but failed to put them to sleep completely. Twilight grunted as a drowsy bug took a swing at her, barely missing her head. She ducked under it and kept running.
“Note… to self,” she puffed, her legs burning from the effort, “I need to exercise more.”
***
Zecora panted heavily as fatigue caught up with her. Piles of unconscious changelings littered the ground around the library, but they just kept coming. Synth’s plan of simply throwing drone after drone at the Pokémon was working; all he had to do now was finish the job.
“It seems our playtime has come to an end,” he declared loudly. “This has been fun, but you appear to be all puffed out... and I’m far from running out of minions.”
Zecora growled as she got to her hooves; that smug bug was right. It had been years since she last took her Pokémon form, and the lack of training was showing. So was this it? It had fallen to her to protect Ponyville, but she wasn’t able to do it. “Forgive me, everypony…”
“Made your peace with the Princess, have you?” Synth flittered over to the front of the changeling horde; he wanted to finish this himself. “Don’t worry, everybuggy here will be joining you soon enou-.”
Another flash of light and a loud ‘crack’ cut the changeling off and caused him to backpedal.
“What is it this time!?” he shouted. “Another unicorn?”
“Tch! That bastard could’ve told me that the trip was that damned cold!” The light dimmed and faded away as a tall, sapphire blue dragon rubbed her claws together. “I thought I was gonna freeze my friggen tail off!” Her yellow eyes scanned the area as she blinked in confusion. “Where the hell am I?”
“W-what the heck is that!?” Synth looked at his army, but none had a response. Zecora knew though. She knew exactly what that dragon was.
“How can it be? A Garchomp here!?”
A small smile crossed Sapphira’s face. “Oh, you know what I am? Hmm…” She looked Zecora over and nodded. “Well, you kind of look like a Blitzle or a Zebstrika. Mind if I ask you a question?”
“…I guess so?” She was not ashamed to admit that she was thoroughly confused. First Sparkler had appeared out of nowhere, and now a Garchomp wanted a conversation? Synth, on the other hoof, did not want a pleasant chat.
“I don’t care anymore!” He glared at his forces. “New plan: kill anything that isn’t a changeling! Forget harvesting for food. I think the Queen can forgive some collateral losses. KILL THEM ALL!”
Sapphira frowned as she heard all that. “Friends of yours?” she asked Zecora a little too calmly.
“Sapphira!” Sparkler called out from the library doorway while Cheerilee held her up. “Bad guys,” she simply said, pointing at the changelings. “Help!”
With that put into context, the scene around her suddenly made a lot more sense. Sapphira could see some frightened children behind Sparkler, a weakened Zebstrika-thing, and a pile of knocked out bugs. “Oh, I get it now…” Turning to face the incoming swarm, a wild grin appeared on the dragon’s face. “Hey, Thunderpony! Are there any innocents behind this horde?”
Zecora shook her head. “No, just empty buildings. Why?” Her eyes widened as Sapphira opened her maw and dark energy began to gather. Zecora dove to the ground as Sapphira fired a devastating Hyper Beam at the changelings. An earth-shattering explosion followed, and the screams of dozens and dozens of changelings being blasted to Celestia-knows-where filled the air.
Synth, who had jumped aside at the last second and protected himself with a barrier, was the only one to survive the massive attack. “What. The hell. Was that!?”
Sapphira took a breath and nodded. “Well, that was easy enough. Is there anything else, or can I get down to business?”
Synth charged at Sapphira, his horn flashing brightly as his eyes bulged with pure rage. The navy-hued dragon sighed again, a rather annoying habit she picked up from Flare years ago. Raising a claw, she swatted the bug aside with a Dragon Claw. He let out a pained groan as he hit the ground, bounced, and slammed into a nearby tree.
“Yeah, well, that happened.” Sapphira let out an exasperated yawn and turned back to Zecora once more. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, I can see Sparkler over there, which means that Flare must be here somewhere as well. You know where he is?”
Zecora was silent as her brain tried to process what had just happened. This Garchomp had just shown up out of nowhere, annihilated the changeling swarm that she had nearly died trying to repel, and now she asked about Flare Blitz? Zecora’s spiked mane fell limply against her neck as she resumed her zebra form.
“I do not know the location of Flare, but perhaps Sparkler has something to share?”
Sapphira tilted her head, wondering why she rhymed. “Well I… suppose…” She dropped to one knee and winced in pain, and Zecora noticed several injuries covering the dragon’s scaled body.
“How is that you are hurt? The changelings did not touch you before they ate dirt.”
“Ah, these?” Sapphira groaned as she got back to her feet, ignoring the pain. “Don’t worry, I got these trying to get here.” She paused and decided that she’d better make sure. “This is Equestria, right?”
Zecora nodded, and Sapphira smiled. With the coast clear and Sparkler reassuring everyone that Sapphira was a friend, Spike and the others emerged from the library. “It’s good to see you again, Miss Sapphira!” Sparkler smiled weakly. “But how, in Celestia’s name, did you get here?”
“Remember what I said?” Sapphira pulled out a Sitrus Berry and popped it into her mouth, humming as she relished the smooth taste of the berry. Sparkler thought for a moment, recalling the conversation that they all had before she and Flare left.
“Um, something about… Palkia, was it?”
Sapphira nodded, “Mew couldn’t send me here, but she did show me to Palkia. Stubborn bastard wouldn’t listen to reason, so I reminded him why no one pisses me off.” Sapphira’s grin turned a little more manic and Sparkler resisted the urge to back away while she cast the translation spell on the dragon. “Plus, I owed him for what he and Dialga did to Alamos Town.”
Sparkler took a breath, that translator spell was a weak one, but it was still difficult to cast in her condition.
Zecora sat there, wide-eyed. This crazy dragon made Palkia send her here? Well, at least she was on their side. And her arrival was rather well-timed. “We do not have time to sit around idly, lest the chaos in Canterlot grow more wildly.”
Spike nodded, not realising that he was still holding Sweetie Belle’s hoof. “That’s right! I have to get the Elements to Twilight and the others.” He let go of Sweetie and dashed inside. The barrier around the treehouse flickered and then dispersed as he re-emerged with the Elements of Harmony. “Now that the changelings are gone from here, you guys should try to find the townsponies.”
“And I know where they are,” Cheerilee said as she walked outside, her mane dishevelled. “Our ‘friend’ inside has been quite helpful and told me where everypony is being held.” She gave Silver Spoon a warm smile. “And it would seem that Diamond Tiara is just fine as well.”
Silver Spoon smiled with relief, hugging Button Mash closer. “Thank goodness… she may be a bit mean, but she’s still my friend.”
Spike had finished writing a message to Princess Celestia, requesting a return trip to Canterlot, and sent it on its way, only to have it rematerialise right in front of him. “What the?” He tried again, but it had the same effect. “Why won’t this send!? And how will I get back now?”
“I… can try and teleport you there,” Sparkler said, only to put a hoof to her head as she tried to light her horn. “Owowow. Okay, maybe not.”
“Where is this ‘Canterlot’ place?” Sapphira asked, and Spike pointed to the distant mountainside city. “Well, that looks doable. I’ll take you there.”
Spike gave the older dragon a dubious look. She didn’t appear to have any wings. In fact, she barely looked like a dragon at all; she looked more like a shark with legs. “How are you gonna do that?”
Sapphira looked at him like he had asked the stupidest question in the world, and to Sapphira, it probably was. “I’ll fly there, duh!”
“Uh, right, of course…” Had she hit her head or something? Zecora approached the two and handed Sapphira a small wooden box.
“Should you see our friend Flare, tell him that this is for him to wear. Should he have need in a fateful hour, this will give him greater power.”
Sapphira blinked at the rhyming again. Was she doing it on purpose? “Okay, sure.” She looked down at Spike, “Ready to go, little guy?”
“Don’t call me little,” Spike grumbled. He fastened the clasp on the bag that held the Elements and nodded. “Let’s go; I’m getting pretty worried.”
Sapphira put him on her back and nodded. “Time to go!” Spike couldn’t have replied even if he’d wanted to. Sapphira shot into the sky so fast that Rainbow Dash would’ve been quite jealous.
“I wish you both the best of luck,” Zecora whispered and turned to the others. “Let us find our friends and clear away this muck.”
***
Flare ran through the empty streets of Canterlot, pausing for just a second to get his bearings. The group of changelings had generously provided him with some information about a purple unicorn in the castle, who the queen of the changelings was personally hunting. He leapt over some rubble, and his whole body glowed white as he activated Quick Attack, racing through the streets at incredible speed. A scream filled his ears, and he glanced up to see a familiar blue pegasus falling towards the ground. Flare quickly turned into a narrow alley and leapt from one wall to the other. Once he reached the top, he spun in the air to catch Rainbow in his hooves and landed on the roof, grunting as his back struck the tiled surface.
“Oof, nice of you to drop in, Rainbow.” He lay there for a moment as Rainbow groaned and opened one eye, looking directly into his. It took a moment, but the pegasus finally recognised the stallion that cradled her in his arms.
“Flare? But- no… it can’t be…” She rolled off of him and got to her hooves. After a moment of looking him over she couldn’t deny it; the unicorn that lay there really was Flare Blitz. “No way.” She suddenly went wide-eyed and slammed her hooves down on his chest. “Wait, how do I know you’re not a changeling?”
Flare opened his mouth a breathed a small flame. Dash felt the heat radiating from it, and her singed fur proved it was no illusion. She closed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. “You’re really you! I can’t believe it!”
“Last time I checked,” Flare wheezed. He was pretty sure his ribs were about to crack. “But I think the reunion’s gotta wait.” He pointed skyward, and Rainbow’s eyes followed until she saw the group of changelings that she had been fighting just a moment ago.
“Heh, kinda forgot about them.”
Flare sighed and smiled wryly. “Then perhaps you should let go so we can beat them and find the others?”
Dash nodded, and with a single beat of her wings, took off into the sky with renewed determination. Flare stayed on the roof below, firing Flamethrowers at the changelings trying to get behind Dash, and it only took a few moments to beat the bugs down.
“Oh yeah! You and I are an awesome team!” Rainbow cheered. She landed next to Flare and looked at him shyly. “I’m really glad you’re back,” she said as she nuzzled him. “Me and the others, we thought that you’d… that…” Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away when another mare landed near them. Her coat was a stunning orange, and her mane was quite similar to Flare’s. She wore a uniform that Flare thought he recognised, but he couldn’t quite place a hoof on it. Not that it mattered; the uniform was so tattered that it was barely there.
“Who’s this?” Spitfire asked. “Is he a friend of yours, Rainbow?”
Dash nodded and smiled. “His name is Flare Blitz. And now he’s here… things just might turn around.”
Spitfire looked at Flare, not convinced that a single unicorn could really make that much of a difference. “Forgive me if I don’t sound entirely convinced.”
Rainbow was about to protest, but Flare put a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s fine. Can the two of you fill me in on what’s going on around here?”
Dash nodded, fluffing her wings and taking a breath. “It started a while ago, when some crystal golems attacked the city. We managed to fight them off, and with Twilight’s help, I destroyed the crystal that was keeping them around.”
“But that’s when the changelings struck,” Spitfire continued. “Currently, we have the Royal Guard engaging them on the ground, while the Wonderbolts secure the skies and prepare a tactical weather front. Or at least, that was the plan…”
“What happened?” Flare asked, but a gut feeling told him that he wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Canterlot Castle has fallen.” Spitfire grit her teeth as she glared at the palace she failed to protect. “Scouts have reported that the changeling queen, Chrysalis, took the castle about a half hour ago. Some guards and others managed to escape, and our tactical officer has been accounted for as well.”
“Twilight’s alright!?” Rainbow exclaimed in relief.
“Twilight’s here!? Where is she now?” The increased volume of Flare’s voice didn’t faze Rainbow, but Spitfire was caught by surprise.
“She’s at our field hospital in the north quarter of the Cloud District. Why?”
Though he had spent a lot of time in Canterlot, Flare had never really explored the city much. “That’s near the castle, right?”
Rainbow nodded. “I’d go with you, but they need my help here…” Flare smiled and hugged her, causing the cyan mare to blush profusely.
“It’s alright; I’ll go find Twilight and help end this nonsense, ‘kay?” Rainbow nodded, and Flare took off at blinding speeds, disappearing from sight in only a few seconds. Spitfire let out a small whistle at the feat.
“He’s pretty fast.” She turned to Rainbow with a small smirk on her face. “So, Dash, he a friend? Or something more, perhaps?”
Rainbow stumbled and waved her hooves in denial. “W-what? No way! That’s not true. He’s just… a friend.” She thought she’d finally gotten over this. “I am over it… right?”
***
Twilight took a quiet breather as she lay on one of the hospital cots. Rarity and Applejack, on the other hoof, had been fretting over their friend ever since she’d arrived.
“Now, are you sure that the queen didn’t harm you?” Rarity asked for what must have been the twentieth time.
“Yes; I’m fine!” Twilight replied once again. “I slipped out mid-song and made my way here. What we should be worried about is-“
“TWILIGHT!” The unicorn looked up to see who had called her name, only to have a pair of pink forelegs wrap around her. “You’re okay too,” Pinkie cried into her mane.
“Thank goodness; I’m glad to see everypony is alright.” Fluttershy added and thanked the Guard that had saved her and the others who had been trapped. “Thank you so much. You were all really brave.” The guards nodded and saluted, one wearing a slight blush after being praised by the pretty pony.
“Ah don’t want to interrupt, but what do y’all suppose we should do now?” Applejack was happy her friends were safe, but Dash was still out there somewhere, and they needed to do something about the castle.
“We shall take the castle back!” another voice called out. The five mares turned, and they all let out surprised gasps. Princess Celestia was standing in the entranceway to the tent, her body covered in gleaming gold plate armour. A massive war hammer floated next to her, burning with pure sunfire.
“P-Princess!?” Twilight had heard rumours that Celestia possessed a suit of armour and an extremely powerful magical weapon, but whenever she had enquired about the truth of those rumours, Celestia had always dodged the question.
“This conflict has gone on long enough; it will end now!” In truth, Celestia believed that the worst was yet to come, so it was better to end this quickly. “Stopping Queen Chrysalis will cause great harm to the enemy’s morale. So once everypony is ready, we will storm the castle!”
“Because Chrysalis certainly won’t expect that!” Twilight said almost reflexively, before her eyes went wide and she put a hoof to her mouth. Her friends looked equally shocked. Did Twilight Sparkle just snark the Princess? “Wait, I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s alright, Twilight.” Celestia didn’t seem angry, she was actually more worried than anything. “It’s just that Luna is still…” Her eyes gazed at one of the tall towers of the castle.
Princess Luna was still in the castle!? Twilight began to formulate plans. Should they try the direct approach? Or perhaps something more stealthy? She growled and scratched her head in frustration. Where was Shining Armor when you needed him?
Then she had an idea, one that just might work, simply because it was Chrysalis that they were dealing with. “I have an idea, if anypony wants to hear it?”
Celestia nodded and they huddled together, like a hoofball team preparing for a big game.
***
“I simply cannot believe that she would run out during my song like that!” Chrysalis sat on Celestia’s throne and leered at the empty room. “Doesn’t she know how rude that is? It’s in the rules, for crying out loud. If a villain starts a musical number, then you have to stay and hear it out!”
“Whatever you say, Boss Lady!” Frenzy muttered. She wondered why they hadn’t heard anything from the swarm that had been sent to Ponyville. She knew that Synth was utterly insane and a complete idiot, but he had never failed a mission before.
Banzai and Ted had gone to see what could be looted from the castle and if any ponies were still hiding within, but a good deal of the doors were magically sealed with seals too strong for the changelings to break.
“Well, this is boring,” Banzai scuffed a hoof on the floor, scratching the pristine tiles beneath him. “There’s nopony here. Why’d the queen even make this place a priority?” His horn suddenly flashed as he received a summoning call from his queen. “Well, c’mon, Ted; maybe she finally got tired and wants to go home.”
Ted just nodded. His mind filled with images of the pretty unicorn from earlier. He really wished he could have talked with her. He bet her love would taste like lavender and ice-cream.
By the time they reached the throne room, Chrysalis had already amassed the rest of the seventy or so changelings from the surrounding area.
“Okay, we heading home now?” Banzai asked as they sauntered in, but one look at Queen Chrysalis’s eyes told him everything he needed to know. “We’re not going home yet… are we?”
Fury filled the queen’s eyes as she pointed towards the courtyard. Banzai walked to the window and looked outside, where he saw something quite out of the ordinary.
At the front was Princess Celestia, decked out in gleaming armour, holding a very dangerous looking weapon and looking a tad angry. Behind her were five of the Element Bearers and a contingent of Royal Guard. The changelings inside still outnumbered them, but Celestia alone could probably take all the drones.
But it was what they were saying that was really interesting.
Celestia opened her mouth and let loose the Royal Canterlot Voice, which she had not done in some time.
“CHRYSALIS! YOU LAY CLAIM TO THE THRONE, YET HERE I STAND. AND WHILE I CONTINUE TO DO SO, THAT THRONE IS JUST ANOTHER CHAIR TO YOU. IF YOU TRULY WANT TO RULE, THEN COME AND PROVE IT!!”
“Holy- did she just call out the queen?” The look on Chrysalis’s face showed that the taunt was working too.
“I’ll skin her alive and use her wings for feather dusters!” Chrysalis roared. “She thinks she’s a match for me!?”
“Well, you kinda had the power boost from your ex-fiance last time-“ Frenzy instantly regretted those words. Shining Armor had been a touchy subject ever since that ‘incident,’ and nobuggy really knew why, only that the queen got weirdly quiet and depressed when the unicorn was mentioned.
But this time, she only seemed to get angrier. “I am far more powerful now. The power I received means that Celestia is little more than an appetiser for me.”
She stormed outside, melting a hole clean through the massive main doors, and stomped out into the courtyard.
“Alright, Celestia, you want some? You’re going to get some!” A smirk crossed her face. “Though I appeared to be outnumbered, so do you mind if my associate helps out a bit?”
Celestia was puzzled. She looked to Twilight, who shrugged in response. The looks of confusion quickly turned to ones of disbelief and horror when a swirling vortex of black smoke appeared next to the changeling queen before dispersing and revealing none other than King Sombra.
“T-that’s impossible!” Twilight couldn’t believe her eyes. “You were defeated by the Crystal Ponies!
“Defeated, but not destroyed.” His voice was deep and gravelly. “And now I help the beautiful queen here… for a while anyhow.” His eyes glowed with malevolent power and his curved horn ignited with the same power. “The Crystal Empire will be mine once more. When Canterlot falls, the Empire is next!”
Chrysalis also powered up her magic. “But first, we have the small matter of making you all disappear!”
Celestia was barely able to raise a barrier before the combined might of the two beings slammed into it. The ground around them was blasted apart and the earth shook, but the shield held… barely.
“Ah! Where are they getting that power from?” The shield fell, but Sombra and Chrysalis were already preparing to fire another blast.
“I didn’t account for this!” Twilight began to cast her own barrier. “Why is King Sombra here? Why are they so powerful?” The second beam fired, deflected this time by Twilight, but a third was already being prepared.
Rarity and some of the unicorn guards began to cast, but they weren’t as fast as Twilight and Celestia. They weren’t going to make it.
“It’s been fun, really!” Chrysalis smirked. She was a tad upset that she wouldn’t get to gloat anymore, but oh well. She and Sombra fired once again, and Twilight closed her eyes, unable to cast another shield.
There was a sound like an explosion, but Twilight couldn’t really tell. What she could feel was another matter though. What she felt was… well, nothing. No being torn apart by dark magicks, not even a slight tingle. Her brain was telling her that by definition then, she should be fine, but she didn’t want to jinx it.
“Seriously, can’t I spend a month in Equestria without some sort of drama?” That voice sounded so familiar. Twilight finally opened her eyes and she tried to speak, but nothing came out. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Standing there, his horn glowing a vibrant red, was Flare Blitz!
“Sombra, dear?” Chrysalis’s voice was calm and sweet-sounding. “Would it be too much to ask to ACTUALLY KILL THEM!?”
Sombra didn’t flinch; the changeling queen didn’t scare him. She irritated him, but didn’t scare him. “Well, since it seems to be too difficult for you…” Chrysalis growled and seethed in a not so quiet rage.
“So just who, in the name of Tartarus, is getting in the way now?” The red shield dispersed after the attack, and Chrysalis laid eyes on the stallion who had cast it. “Who is that?”
“Beats me,” Sombra replied. “A friend of theirs, maybe?”
Flare turned to face the ponies he had just saved, wanting to fire some quip or quote like a badass, but Twilight had already thrown her hooves around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.
“Looks pretty friendly to me,” Chrysalis mused, feeling the overwhelming love flowing from them.
“I-I thought you were…” tears flowed down Twilight’s cheeks as she continued to hug him. “Where were you!?”
“I took an unexpected vacation.” Flare hugged her close, a smile on his muzzle. “I’m really sorry I worried you, but I’m here now.”
“Sparkler!?” Twilight pulled away. “She disappeared the same time you did. Did she-?”
“She’s fine; she got dragged along with me. I think we got separated on our way back, but since I got here safely, I’m sure she did too.” He looked over his shoulder at Chrysalis and Sombra. “So who might they be? Obviously not friends of yours?”
“That’s Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.” Twilight explained, wiping her eyes. “And that’s King Sombra, former ruler of the Crystal Empire.”
“I see.” Flare crossed the gap between himself and the villains almost instantaneously. They had no time to react before Flare’s powerful hooves slammed into Sombra’s face, sending him careening into the palace walls. Twisting his body, he opened his mouth and let loose a searing blast of flames at Chrysalis, causing the mare to shriek in surprise and pain as she flew up to avoid it.
“What the? What kind of pony breathes fire?!” It took a second, but it dawned on her. “You- you’re one of them? A Pokémon?”
“That’s right.” Flare landed, and his eyes flicked sideways, glancing at something before looking up at the flittering bug. “And you’re about to be paste!”
“You got the first hit, but that’s all you’ll get!” Chrysalis snarled, but Flare looked quite calm.
“Oh, I won’t hit you… she will.”
“She?” Chrysalis didn’t get out another word before a resounding boom filled the air. Chrysalis looked towards the source of the noise as a cyan hoof slammed into her like a bullet, a rainbow contrail following the mare behind the attack. Chrysalis soon joined her partner in making a new hole in the castle wall.
“Suck it!” Rainbow yelled, the light from her Sonic Rainboom slowly fading away. “That’s for messing with my friends!” She landed next to Flare and flicked her mane with a hoof. “And that’s how awesome I am. Thanks for standing in for a while, Flare.”
“Good to see you’re as modest as ever,” Flare chuckled. He turned around, only to be hugged by Twilight again.
“It’s finally over,” she cried. “And you’re okay.” Flare embraced her, happy to be holding the mare he loved close to him. This was where he belonged, right by her side. But she was wrong about one thing, it wasn’t over.
“A little early to be celebrating, isn’t it?” That chilling voice froze Flare Blitz to his core. There was a loud thump, and Fluttershy screamed as something large and heavy hit the pavement next to her.
It was Celestia who recognised it first. “LUNA!?” She ran to the fallen alicorn’s side. It was Princess Luna, wearing armour similar to her sister’s, but much of it was dented, torn, or missing entirely. Her wings had lost feathers, and her fur was scorched. Celestia tried to wake her, but the lunar princess was unconscious, having been badly beaten.
Flare looked skyward and saw what he feared was there.
“Darkrai!”
The Darkness Pokémon floated there silently, his cold gaze cast over the courtyard and then to the holes in the castle wall. “It’s so hard to find good help these days,” he sighed with an exasperated tone. “If you want something done right, then do it yourself, I suppose.”
Flare didn’t let him get off another word and launched himself at the Pokémon, his body igniting with his Flare Blitz attack. Darkrai raised his hands and waited until Flare drew close before firing a powerful Dark Pulse, sending the unicorn spiralling back down to the ground, hard. Flare coughed as the wind was knocked from his lungs, but was left wondering why the fall hadn’t hurt more. He noticed his body glowing with a gentle magenta light and Twilight’s horn shining brightly.
“Thanks for the save, Fairy,” he smiled. “I guess attacking head on won’t work.”
“Who is that?” Rarity asked, as Twilight put Flare down. “And why do I feel so terrified?”
“I am Darkrai, the embodiment of darkness, and the lord of nightmares!” he introduced himself. “And one thousand years ago, that accursed princess locked me away in the shadows… But now I am free.”
There was a powerful concussive wave of magic as Celestia rose to her hooves, her Warhammer flaring up with sunfire. “AND YOU SHALL GO BACK, MONSTER!” She launched herself at Darkrai, but twin beams of energy intercepted her, sending the raging princess into a nearby building. Chrysalis and Sombra emerged, the former with a wide smile on her face.
“Oh, that was rather satisfying!” she purred. “I want to do it again.”
“So good of you to join us,” Darkrai said. “Take care of these ponies. But the Rapidash is mine!”
Chrysalis tilted her head and looked at the group standing before them. What the hell was a Rapidash? She hazarded a guess that it was the strange, fire-breathing unicorn and decided that Darkrai could do as he pleased. She was really looking forward to draining that purple unicorn of her magic.
The building Celestia had crashed into exploded violently as the solar princess emerged. Her helm was missing, but she looked relatively unharmed… and extremely pissed off.
“Twilight? Can I leave Sombra and Chrysalis to you and your friends?” The purple unicorn just nodded. She was unsure if she could handle the two super-powered villains, but she would try. “Good, then Flare and I will take Darkrai!”
“No! You help Twilight,” Flare responded, eliciting a gasp from Twilight and a deathly glare from Celestia. “There is no way she and the girls can beat those two… not without the Elements of Harmony.” He still hadn’t seen these ‘Elements’ in action, except for when they’d freed Discord. But he’d already gauged the strength of Sombra and Chrysalis, and they were powerful. “I’ll take Darkrai, he’s a Pokémon problem, so a Pokémon will take care of it.”
“Are you serious!?” Darkrai mused. “You think you can actually stand against me? I almost killed you last time with no effort; what makes you think you’ll fare any better now?”
Flare knew that it would probably not end in his favour—Darkrai had supposedly taken out Arceus—but the fire horse wasn’t going to let that stop him from protecting his friends and loved ones. “You caught me by surprise last time, but that won’t happen this time.”
“We shall see.” The two Pokémon launched themselves at one another, causing their spectators to jump back as they collided. Darkrai raised a hand as it became cloaked in a dark energy.
“Magic Attack: Shadow Severance!” The magic infused Shadow Claw sliced through the air, missing Flare by mere inches, though a few locks of his mane fell from his head.
The pony slid across the ground, moved under Darkrai, and aimed his horn.
“Magic Attack: Flame Burst Rapid Fire!”
The numerous fireballs should have deep-fried the dark Pokémon, but his body disappeared right before the attack connected. Chrysalis took the chance to fire a blast of magic at Flare, but Twilight shot forward, blocking the attack with her own magic.
“Are you sure you can handle this, Flare?” she asked, and Flare nodded in response. Twilight didn’t like this, not one bit. But as long as she and her friends could at least keep Sombra and Chrysalis off of his back, his task would be a little easier.
“Fluttershy? Can you keep Princess Luna safe?” The pegasus nodded and flew to the fallen alicorn’s side. “Girls, we’ll take Chrysalis. Princess, Sombra’s all yours!”
It went unnoticed by the unicorn, but a flash of sadness washed over Celestia’s face. But she knew it had to be done. Raising her hammer and taking one last look at her sister, she steeled her resolve and flew at Sombra, solar magic flaring from her horn.
Flare barely had time to dodge as Darkrai re-emerged from the unicorn’s shadow and took a swipe with his claws. Flare countered with his fire breath and the true battle for Canterlot began.
***
Zecora entered Town Hall, having heard from the changeling they captured that this was where the townsponies were being held. The door was sealed shut with thick green gunk, but a few solid bucks opened it up. The hall was shrouded in darkness, and the zebra was wary of surprise attacks, as well she should have been. A few seconds after she entered, four changelings flew from the shadows, fangs bared.
She pulled out her staff and delivered a few quick strikes to their heads. “This had better be the last of that, these bugs are more tenacious than a horde of Zubat.” She knew she was tired if her rhymes were that weak, and her head was pounding. Now that the doors were wide open, she could see everypony in town hanging in viscous green pods. While she was wondering where to start, the Crusaders ran in, gasping at the sight.
“Hold tight, everypony!” Applebloom shouted, causing Zecora to jump, having not heard them enter.
The three fillies nodded and put their hooves together. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER RESCUERS! YAY!”
Zecora’s headache only got worse.
***
Battles raged through the city of Canterlot as Flare and Darkrai traded magically-enhanced attacks and Celestia and Sombra crossed weapons, her hammer versus his crystal scythe. Property damages accumulated quickly, as buildings collapsed and roads were torn up and broken apart. Changeling swarms still prevented the Wonderbolts from setting up weather fronts, and Twilight Sparkle was realising that she might have bitten off more than she could chew.
Queen Chrysalis was much more powerful than last time, and the changeling knew it. She had yet to suffer a single blow from her opponents, and they looked like something the cat had dragged in.
“Why don’t you give up?” she taunted. “It’s hopeless. I will defeat you without breaking a sweat, and not just because changelings don’t sweat. Your little Pokémon friend will fall to Darkrai, and that infernal Celestia won’t last against all three of us.”
“We will win!” Twilight summoned another blast of magic, but Chrysalis merely buzzed to one side, avoiding the attack. Rainbow Dash tried another high-speed kick, but Chrysalis snared her with telekinesis and threw the prismatic pegasus into Applejack, sending them tumbling down the street. Pinkie tried firing her party cannon, only to have it fizzle out.
Pinkie rummaged around in her mane, her eyes widening when she realised that she was out of ammo. “Twilight, do you have any balloons?” Balloons were hard to find in Canterlot, those fancy ponies never used them at their fancy parties.
“Face it, foals!” Chrysalis jeered. “We have all but won. Submit now, and maybe I can find a place in our new world for you.” Her horn lit up with her sickly green aura as she prepared her final spell. “Just kidding; you’re going to die, and there will be nopony left to mourn for you…”
“DRAGON RUSH!” Chrysalis turned her head as something powerful slammed into her with tremendous force. She screamed as she collided with a small home, utterly obliterating the residence and burying her in the rubble.
Sapphira hovered there, looking pleased with herself. “Is this world always so fun?” she asked Spike. “I could get used to staying here if there are always so many butts that needs to be kicked.”
“I really wonder sometimes” Spike replied. “But that was awesome. Are all Pokémon as cool as you and Flare?” Sapphira blushed at the praise and turned her head to hide it. “Yeah, so where are these ponies that we need to find?”
Spike pointed below her, and Sapphira landed, causing Twilight to back away until she noticed Spike riding on the strange creature’s back.
“Spike!? What are you doing here?”
Spike had his ‘are you serious?’ look all over his face as he hopped down and produced the bag that held the Elements of Harmony. “I went to fetch these, remember?”
Twilight applied her hoof to her face as she realising that she totally forgot about that little fact. Though in her defence, a lot had gone down in the last hour. “Oh, Spike, thank you!” she hugged the little dragon and Sapphira chuckled, getting the unicorn’s attention. “And who’s this?”
“Ms. Sapphira; she’s a friend of Flare’s-” He was cut off as Twilight rushed forward, her eyes sparkling brightly.
“You know Flare? Are you from his world? What kind of Pokémon are you? How long have you known Flare?” Sapphire blinked and then raised a claw to silence the excited unicorn.
“Uh, don’t you think we have something more important to tend to?” She motioned towards her friends and the rubble that housed the buried queen. “I think the questions can wait, Purple.”
“My name is Twilight Sparkle,” she huffed. “But you’re right; this isn’t over yet.” Spike handed her the Elements, and she wasted no time in putting hers on. Sapphira looked around the city, a concerned look on her face.
“Where is Flare?” she asked. “Is he here?”
Twilight nodded and pointed towards the castle. “He’s over that way, fighting Darkrai.”
“DARKRAI!” Sapphira yelled. “And you just left him alone!?” Twilight took a step back from the outraged dragon.
“He told us that he’d be fine, and he seemed to be doing alright.” Even as the words left her mouth, that sinking feeling in her stomach wouldn’t go away. Was Darkrai really that dangerous, and why was Sapphira so upset?
“He’s the reason that this is all happening, and he’s already defeated Arceus!” Twilight’s eyes widened, and her pupils shrank to pinpricks. Darkrai had defeated Arceus? That massive Pokémon from a few months back who Flare had said was a god? Oh Celestia, Flare was in deep trouble.
Sapphira took the little wooden box that Zecora had given to her and flew off towards the castle, hoping that she wasn’t too late.
***
Flare fired another volley of Flame Bursts. Some of them found their mark, but Darkrai teleported again and avoided most. Both Pokémon were showing signs of damage, and both were refusing to yield.
“Face it, Darkrai, you can’t beat me in a fair fight!” Flare was confident… sort of. Darkrai was strong, that’s for sure. But he’d fought a pissed off Sapphira; nothing was more terrifying than that.
“You think so, hmm?” Darkrai emerged from Flare’s shadow to strike him from behind, but Flare had seen this trick. He spun on his hooves and fired a point-blank Solar Beam, engulfing the dark Pokémon in pure sunlight.
“RRAAARRGGHHHH!” Under the intense blast, the dark Pokémon screamed in pain and was promptly vaporised. Flare ceased the attack and stood there in shock. Had he really just won?
A powerful Dark Pulse attack suddenly hit him, wracking his body with pain. He tried to pick himself up, only to be hit with another attack.
“What’s the matter, little Rapidash?” Darkrai hovered above him, not a single mark on his body. “After beating my shadow, are you too tired to go on?”
“His shadow? I was fighting a fake?” And just like that, his confidence and hopes fell. He put his all into that fight and it was all for nothing!? No, not again. Was Darkrai’s dark magic getting to him again?
“You did well; I’ll grant you that much.” “Darkrai hovered closer, until he could whisper in the stallion’s ear. “But in the end, you lose…” He raised a claw, and the city fell into deep darkness as the moon moved in front of the sun. “I have taken Luna’s power, and with the coming of the darkness, my power will increase a hundredfold. This city has already fallen, and soon, this world, along with our own, will follow. And you shall have a front row seat to the destruction and chaos I will unleash. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
Darkrai was right; he had failed. Maybe Celestia could still stop him. Maybe Twilight could if she got the Elements. All Flare knew was that he had failed, and everypony would pay the price. The shadowy pokemon suddenly vanished as an energy beam ripped through the air where he just was.
“How about you get up and fight, huh?” Flare opened his eyes; he knew that voice. But it was impossible; how could she be here? He lifted his head and saw Sapphira standing between him and Darkrai, who was now floating a few feet away. She had her back to Flare, but a brief turn of her head to check on him showed her usual fierce expression. Swapping her glare between Flare and Darkrai, she tossed the box to Flare, who fumbled with it slightly, surprised by the gift . “A Zebstrika told me that this would help you. Now get up and fight!”
Flare opened the box as Sapphira lunged at Darkrai, only to be swatted aside like a Hoppip in the wind. Flare pulled out the object inside, a small amulet in the shape of an Alicorn.
“What is this?” he muttered. “And a Zebstrika? I don’t know any Zebstrika…” Sapphira landed roughly next to him, dust and wounds tarnishing her scales.
“You know, anytime now would be fantastic,” she growled.
Twilight galloped around the corner just as Flare clasped the Alicorn Amulet around his neck. “No! Don’t put that on!” Her warning was too late though, and a dark sphere of magic surrounded him, cutting him off from everyone else.
~~~~
“Where am I?” Flare looked around. The darkness around him reminded him way too much of the Void. He hated it already.
“Darkrai! Is this your doing?” Flare shouted out, but he could see and hear nothing.
Had Darkrai used Dark Void on him?
“Now why are you here?” The voice that had responded was cold, dark, and surprisingly attractive sounding. “This is my realm, and somepony intrudes upon it?” It sounded as though the voice was conversing with itself. “The last wielder couldn’t do this.”
“It’s not exactly by choice.” Why was he responding? “I just put on this amulet and-”
“My amulet? You wear it? And you can hear me as well?” The voice sounded genuinely surprised. “I… didn’t think it was possible…”
A swirling cloud of blue mist appeared, and as it thinned, a black alicorn stepped forward. Her eyes shone like the stars, and her appearance reminded Flare of Luna. She focused her cat-like gaze on him, and a small smile revealed her sharp fangs.
“You are… different, aren’t you?” Flare found himself unable to move as she walked around him like a hungry predator gazing at its prey. “Your mind is repelling the curse of insanity I placed upon our amulet, which either means that you are already mad… or that your willpower is stronger than most.” She licked her lips as she ran a mythril clad hoof along his spine. “But what really got my attention was that name you mentioned—a name I have not heard for over a thousand years.”
“Darkrai,” Flare whispered and flinched as azure flames suddenly roared around him. The alicorn’s eyes filled with pure rage.
“You fight against Darkrai?” The gears turned in her head, and she suddenly bellowed with malicious laughter. “Oh, that is delicious. You wish to fight Darkrai, the Lord of Nightmares?”
“And I was winning until he cheated. So yeah, care to let me go so I can help save my friends? I’m getting worried about Twilight and the others.”
“Twi…light?” This stallion was just full of surprises, and perhaps, just maybe, he was the solution to all her problems. “Alright, little stallion, I’ll make you a deal. I will give you the power to defeat Darkrai, save all your friends, and live happily ever after.”
“And in return?” Every fibre of his being told him that this mare was trouble. But if she could help him save his friends…
“You will help me to become whole again. A simple spell is needed, and I will be glad to assist you first. I want Darkrai gone as much as you do.”
“Whole again?” What did she mean by that? But he didn’t have much choice. Darkrai was powerful, too powerful for him to defeat alone. “Alright, lady, you have yourself a deal.”
“Excellent. Just the words I was hoping to hear.” She melted back into mist as she surrounded Flare. “Now watch, for we are about to obliterate our enemy!”
~~~~
The sphere that had trapped Flare inside began to warp and shift as concussive waves of magic poured forth. Almost immediately, Twilight could feel a malevolent power surge from within it. It was something she had felt before, but from where?
Darkrai had also paused, sensing the power. He knew it better than most, for it was the dark power of Nightmares made real. “It cannot be.”
Fluttershy finished removing that last of Luna’s ruined armour and dressed her wounds with magic bandages. The lunar alicorn’s eyes flickered open as magic washed across the area, making her skin crawl.
“She’s here,” Luna whispered hoarsely. “But how…?”
Celestia finished burying Sombra, but her hammer was all but useless now, as the enchanted metal had crumbled from overuse. Once the magic reached her, she knew where she would head next.
The dark sphere shattered as a blast of searing heat erupted from its core. The stone pavement beneath melted into slag as four armoured hooves touched down. Twilight raised a hoof, attempting to shield herself from the overwhelming heat.
“Flare? Is that you?” Her voice caught in her throat as she laid eyes on the creature standing there.
An equine figure as tall as Celestia was standing there. His body was covered in gleaming red and gold plate armour, and his mane and tail flickered like the flames of the sun. Piercing blood-red eyes scanned the area with an almost bored expression. His long spiral horn crackled with magical power, and wings made from flame opened from his shoulders.
“…Flare?” Twilight really hoped it was him. The stallion cast his gaze at her, and Twilight felt her blood turn to ice.
“Nay, child of Celestia!” His voice had a strange resonance to it, like two ponies speaking at once. One was Flare’s; she knew that. And the other was a voice that still haunted her nightmares on occasion.
“Nightmare Moon,” Twilight whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Close, but not quite.” The stallion took a step forward, glaring at Darkrai. “It has been some time, Lord of Nightmares.”
“So it has, you traitorous wench!” Darkrai’s voice dripped with loathing and contempt, but the armoured alicorn didn’t seem to care.
“Tonight is the night I end you. For tonight, you face…” The stallion’s voice rose, magically amplified.
“KNIGHTMARE NOVA!!”