//------------------------------// // Life 3: The Battle to Determine the Strongest Little Sister Begins - Part 4 // Story: Ponyville DxD // by Naughty_Ranko //------------------------------// Part 4 This chapter picks up with Issei where Life 3 - Part 2 left off, so some of the events happen simultaneously with those depicted in Part 3. This can't be happening. I saw Koneko-chan go down right before my eyes. It's like the same events from our match against Raiser are repeating themselves. And now there's enemies at the base. I want to go help, but all I would accomplish is lead the opponent in front of me to our base as well. I have to make my stand here, so I get up from my kneeling position, keeping an eye on the two ponies in front of me. Both Twilight and Rarity look alert, slightly crouched as if to lunge at me at a moment's notice, though it seems more likely that they'll fire some spells at me. [Boost!] I'm outnumbered and at a disadvantage due to not having a lot of ranged abilities. I need some time to power up the Boosted Gear. Out of the corner of my eye I can see something glittering at my feet. It's the red gemstone Koneko-chan pulled off my jacket to free me from the illusion. “Were you already planning this all the way back, when I came to your shop and asked you to repair my uniform?” I feel like an idiot, yet I can't help but admire the foresight of these ponies. It's something I lack and need to work on, if I ever want to become a high-class devil and participate in the Rating Game as a [King] myself. The white unicorn gives me a guarded smile. “No, darling. Twilight and Princess Luna came up with this strategy only recently, making use of a talent for illusions I acquired a while ago. Though I will admit that I knew of the magic-enhancing properties of the stone and thought it might come in handy during the game.” [Boost!] So I've been played for a fool from the start. It makes me mad, but at myself rather than them. I should have caught it and because I didn't, Koneko-chan ended up paying the price. I can't let that stand. As we circle around each other, the two ponies seem unwilling to attack. They probably know that dragons have a higher resistance to magic. That's why they were hoping to take me out with a surprise attack. Suddenly they break and storm off in different directions. Dammit, which one should I follow? [Boost!] Deciding that Twilight is the greater danger, who took down Koneko-chan with just one shot, I turn to the left and raise my gauntlet just in time. Crack! The force of her spell strikes the Boosted Gear hard and I can feel the power of light emanate from it. Had it hit any other part of my body than my dragon arm, the damage would have been catastrophic. “Argh!” I yell out in pain and look around. At least a dozen sharp needles have embedded themselves in my back. More worryingly though, I can see at least three pairs of scissors engulfed in Rarity's magic glow and heading straight for me. In my haste to avoid them, I roll to the side, driving the needles even deeper into my back. Although my devil body can handle that amount of damage, it still hurts like hell and I begin to pant as the scissors whizz over my head with inches to spare. “Dammit, too slow,” I can hear Rarity curse. Ah, I get it. Rarity's good at manipulating multiple objects, but her magic power is limited. She was able to accelerate the small needles to break-neck speed, but the heavier scissors were slower, so I could avoid them. “Rarity, let's attack him together!” “Got it!” [Boost!] It's here! And it's down to the time I spent in the Everfree Forest. Since danger lurks around every corner there, I had to power up much more often. As a result I've noticed that I've started doubling my power more quickly. It's only a few seconds less that I need to power up, but it's about to save my hide. I get up and charge straight ahead. Evidently neither of the two ponies expected such a suicidal charge and they don't have the time to alter their approach. Before they can unleash their spells at me, I lunge forward, crossing my arms and managing to give each one a slap on their flank, where a magic circle appears. “I've never seen something so reckless,” Rarity asserts as she wheels around the same as Twilight. While looking over my shoulder, I give them a triumphant grin. “You haven't seen anything yet. Behold the results of my training. [Dress … MAKE!]” I snap my finger and a bunch of linen wraps spring up from the ground. With shrieks of surprise their legs are being wrapped, locking them in place. As they work their way up along their bodies, they also wrap themselves around their horns. [Rias Gremory's Knight retires.] The announcement shocks me to the core. Is it Xenovia? I can't even imagine Kiba getting taken down. But right now I have my own problems to worry about. I walk up to Rarity who is glaring at me. “What is this?” She's struggling to get free, but the bonds are too strong. “Ironically it's a technique I learned from Spike, adapted from a spell he originally copied for you.” “How dare you? My little Spikey-Wikey would never use something so vile. Why, I'll … “ Rarity gasps. Looks like she was gathering magic in her horn to counter it. But the linen cloth is infused with my dragon magic, sealing her ability to cast a spell of her own. “You're right, Spike could never do this, because he doesn't have the imagination I do when it comes to ecchi things. I started reevaluating my [Dress Break] after our talk. This is what I came up with. [Dress Make!] Instead of imagining my opponent naked, I imagine them in bondage!” Akeno-san! Thank you. This victory is in part thanks to you. Without your scary S-face, I wouldn't have been able to conjure up the imagery necessary to develop this technique. * * * “What's wrong, Discord?” Azazel asks with a grin, after I slap my talon against my forehead. “I can't decide whether this boy is an idiot or a genius, or maybe both,” I reply in a grumpy tone. “He's a strange one, alright,” Sirzechs says happily. “His potential for unusual growth is perhaps the greatest advantage he has, even if that growth seems to be triggered primarily by dirty thoughts.” “Well, he is a devil,” Michael adds dryly, as if that explains everything. But even for a devil he is unusual. “Michael!” Oh, that's rare. Celestia has some actual concern in her voice as she watches Issei reach out his hand right in front of Rarity's face and it begins to glow in a green hue. I can see why she would be worried. “I see it,” the archangel replies calmly. “I'll get her out in time.” * * * [Dragon Shot!] I can see the fear in Rarity's eyes as I unleash the power of my Boosted Gear. Even to a mediocre magic user like her the power must feel overwhelming, especially at such close range. She's being enveloped by the purple energy that transports her off the field a split-second before my power reaches her. I'm thankful for that as I see the green beam strike the earth and carve it up in a straight line to somewhere beyond the playing field. Although I have to beat them, I don't really want to hurt the ponies. [Princess Luna's Bishop retires.] Suddenly I can feel every hair on my body stand on end. Kabooom! A huge explosion of magic energy hits me from the left and I'm sent crashing to the ground. Once again I'm lucky my dragon arm took the majority of the impact. When I lift my head, I can see a furious Twilight Sparkle. No way! She was able to break free of my new technique by her own strength? Something's different about her, though. Her eyes are glowing white. Did the image of her friend being defeated tick her off? Faster than I can even look, she spreads her wings and charges at me. Though her mass is relatively small compared to mine, the sheer speed of her approach knocks the wind out of me during impact. I yell out in pain as her jaws snap shut around my shoulder, after our wild tumble around the floor comes to a stop. I can smell blood spurting from the wound and she's effectively locked my left arm. Acting on pure impulse, I bring up my right and hit the side of her face again and again. But still her grip remains. Altering my approach, I grab her wing and begin to twist it. “Aaahhh!” Only now does she yell and I'm free again. Taking the chance, I headbutt her and manage to throw her off. Memo to myself. DO NOT PISS OFF A MAGICAL PONY PRINCESS! My victory only lasts for moments as she makes it back to her hooves and snarls at me. These ponies really share a strong bond. Intellectually she must know that Rarity's fine, but Twilight has completely gone off the deep end. She rears up on her hind legs and another glowing white sphere of magical energy appears at the tip of her horn. In this instant I know that I'm dead meat, if that hits me. I know this feeling. It's the same as that time when Vali was about to get serious during our battle at the peace conference. Vali! In a desperate bid to avoid defeat, I make the white gauntlet appear on my right arm. [Partner! You know that this power is dangerous.] “I know, Ddraig. But I don't have another choice.” The ball of magic has grown bigger than even my own body and as Twilight unleashes it, I put forth my right hand that has the power I managed to steal from the Vanishing Dragon. [Divine Dividing!] It's working! I can see the magic getting smaller as the power of the White Dragon Emperor halves it every few seconds. When it's almost reached me, I duck to the side. The magic is still strong enough to shatter the fountain behind me into a million pieces. “Aaaargh!” I cry out in pain as the white gauntlet disappears from my right hand. Then I look at Twilight. There's no way I can survive another hit. Am I done for? To my surprise, though, the white glow has vanished from her eyes and she's panting heavily, swaying from side to side. This is my chance! I force myself to get up and charge her. But when I'm in striking distance, the green glow from my Boosted Gear suddenly gives out and I feel the strength leave my body. With my knees suddenly going weak, I tumble and trip, planting my face in the dirt right in front of the alicorn princess. Twilight takes a shaky step backwards, but instead of attacking me, she begins to flap her wings weakly and lifts off. Panting, I watch her fly off in a zig-zagging pattern. It's like she's drunk or something. Maybe she exhausted her power with that one insane attack? As for me, my desperate defense worked, but due to the fact that Albion's power is the exact opposite of Ddraig's, my own power-up got canceled out and I need some time to recharge it. “Ise! Report!” I shake my head to get rid of the weariness and answer Bucho's voice. “I'm still here, but their [Queen] got away. Should I give chase?” Actually I'm not sure I'm in any condition to do that. If I run into another enemy, I might be finished. “Negative. Head south towards the river bank. We'll regroup there. Our counter offensive is already underway. You've done well, Ise.” That's good to hear. “Thanks, Buchou. I'm on my way.” With a groan I lift my aching body off the ground and head south to meet up with the others. I'm in dire need of some of Asia's healing magic. * * * [Princess Luna's Bishop retires.] The announcement runs down my spine like an icy chill. Fluttershy should still be at base, so that can only mean … “Rarity,” I whisper. Rainbow Dash, who I've been carrying on my back, notices me stop dead in my tracks. “Spike?” she asks quietly. “Are you okay?” What do you think? I'm sad, I'm angry! Rarity lost! “I … I don't know … I wanted to show her how strong I've become. I've wanted her to see my cool side.” It almost makes me wanna cry. “Don't worry,” she assures me, patting my back with her hoof. “I've seen how cool you were. I'll be sure to let her know.” “Yeah, thanks.” I grip the mare I can protect right now tighter. “For now I gotta get you back to base, though. Nopony else gets taken down on my watch!” I declare. “Yeah, and we'll win for Rarity!” “Right!” I begin to walk again. I don't want to risk running, since an enemy could be just around the next corner. My senses that I've honed in the Everfree Forest tell me that the path is clear, but there's no telling what kinds of tricks these devils could be using to avoid detection. After a few minutes we reach the river bank and the bridge that leads to Fluttershy's cottage. “Is that Twilight?” Rainbow asks in alarm. I see her, too. But something's very wrong. The purple alicorn is resting against the wooden railing of the bridge. She seems kind of wobbly. “Twilight!” As I call out to her, she turns around and I get a nasty shock as we get closer. She's got a black eye and one of her wings looks injured. “Hey … guys … “ she wheezes, though her eyes seem to be having trouble focusing in on us. “What happened?” I ask in alarm. “Oh, no. Twilight, tell me you didn't do THAT!” She lowers her head in response to RD's exclamation. “Sorry. I kinda lost it, when Rarity was defeated.” “What in Tartarus is going on!?” I shout, not so much at my friends rather than out of a desire to vent my frustration. “Princess Luna has been training with Twi to unlock her full potential as an alicorn,” Rainbow explains. “But there is a drawback. These powers are still new to her, so if she gets too worked up, she runs the risk of depleting her power too quickly.” “If I had at least managed to beat their [Pawn],” Twilight moans in regret. “At this point I won't be much use in a fight.” Dammit! I know first-hand what it's like, when Twilight loses control. To have it happen here and to top it all off, the way we are right now RD and I won't be much good in a fight either. Conversely the enemy has a healer among them. This is bad. “Princess Luna will find a way,” I declare hotly, trying to make myself believe in that statement through sheer willpower. Then I readjust Rainbow's weight on my back, supporting her with only one arm. “What are you … ?” Twilight yells out in surprise as I scoop her up with my other arm. “You can hardly walk. I'll carry you the rest of the way.” I can't afford to take my sweet time any longer, I think as I set off for our base at a light jog. That's about the fastest I can go with my injuries and carrying the two mares. Oddly enough Twilight seems to have that same blush on her cheeks that Rainbow had earlier as she nestles her cheek against my chest, though there's no fire anywhere near us. “Thanks, Spike. I always knew, we could depend on you.” I'm panting heavily by the time we reach Fluttershy's cottage. “Look, y'all! There they are!” After Applejack's shout all of our friends turn towards us. I take a few last steps and fall to my knees, managing to hold on to my friends barely until I can safely deposit them on the ground. “Good work, Spike,” Princess Luna tells me with a gentle smile. Wow, she looks really pretty despite the golden armour that's meant to give her some severity. It almost makes me forget the pain. “The same goes for the rest of you.” “Thanks,” Rainbow Dash says with a grunt as Applejack helps her remove the dented armour that has become useless. “But maybe it had been better if Spike had left us. I don't think Twilight and I have anything left in us.” This coming from Rainbow Dash must mean her injuries are even worse than she's letting on. Twilight's silence also speaks volumes. We managed to win this opening round on pure numbers, but the three members from our vanguard who made it back are all injured. “That remains to be seen,” Luna says cryptically and then turns to Fluttershy of all ponies. “Now is the time.” The yellow pegasus already looked frightened when she saw us, but now she's crossed into terrified territory. “What if I fail? I only have enough magic to do it once and in practice it only worked once out of three times.” The Princess of the Night lays a hoof across her shoulder. “Tia saw something in you and I believe in you, just as she did. You are the only one who can do this.” “But … “ I have no idea what's going on and judging by the looks of all around us, even they don't know what the goal of Fluttershy's secret training with Celestia was all about. Fluttershy is shaking, so I decide to try and encourage her a bit. “Fluttershy, you might be the strongest out of all of us. You're the one who stood up to a fully grown dragon, remember? Even I couldn't do that. If there's something you can do to help … please try.” We lock eyes for a moment and I can see her trembling stop. I don't know whether it was what I said or just the eye contact, but it seems that I've managed to give her some courage. Taking a deep breath, she nods. “Alright, Spike. I'll try.” I nod at her with a smile, which she returns. Then she stretches out her hoof and draws a circle in the dirt with it. Eh, okay? Is her secret technique building sand castles? Then Twilight gasps next to me, when Fluttershy adds some strange symbols that I don't recognize to the circle. “It's ancient magic,” she says in disbelief. “Magic?” I'm stunned. “So pegasi really can do magic?” Twilight bites her lip. “I don't know. A long time ago, before unicorns mastered the art of storing magic in their horns, they worked spells with runes and incantations. Maybe with her [Bishop] piece it's enough for Fluttershy to work a spell.” We all watch intently as the mare in question steps into the circle and closes her eyes. Suddenly I can feel a light breeze pick up. It feels warm. Strange, isn't this supposed to be a completely closed off dimension? Maybe this is Fluttershy's weather magic as a pegasus at work. When she opens her eyes, they are glowing red and the symbols on the ground are glowing as well. As her mane flaps in the unearthly breeze, Fluttershy speaks in a steady voice that is somehow hers and at the same time isn't. [By rising moon in this dark night, from ponies stricken harsh by plight, I call upon thee, phoenix light, please assist us in this fight!] Then she raises her muzzle to the sky and speaks a single word. “Philomena!” Suddenly there's a bright flash that makes us all avert our eyes momentarily. But the squawk is unmistakable. Philomena, Princess Celestia's pet phoenix, has arrived and flies over our heads, trailing brightly burning embers behind her, before settling on Fluttershy's extended hoof. “Well done, Fluttershy,” Luna congratulates her. “Thank you for coming, Philomena,” Fluttershy says as the bird nestles against her mane. “As you can see, our friends are hurt. Can you help?” With another squawk the phoenix flies over and lands on Rainbow's head. “Hey, what are you … ?” The bird leans down and a single tear rolls from her eye, landing on the injured pegasus' rainbow mane. Then she flaps her wings and heads over to Twilight. “Whoa!” Rainbow Dash exclaims in astonishment, flapping her own wings, one of which was broken a minute ago. Carefully she lifts herself off the ground and with a wild grin makes a few loops in the sky. “I feel … AWESOME!” Then I can feel Philomena land on my shoulder. Next to me Twilight is smiling and her horn is lit up! Not only are her injuries gone, it also looks like her magic has returned. Philomena squeezes another tear from her eye and rubs her face against my cheek. I can feel a fire ignite inside of me as if to burn away all the pain and tiredness. “Oh, yeah! That does feel awesome! Thanks, little one!” It feels like she's winking at me and then she flies back towards Fluttershy. “Curious,” Luna states with an odd look. “I had been afraid that it wouldn't work on Spike, since dragons and phoenix' are natural enemies.” I think of Pee-Wee, the phoenix chick I rescued from those teenage dragons and raised until I returned him to his parents. Maybe Philomena sensed that somehow? “All the better,” Luna asserts eventually. “Now we can commence with the second stage of our plans.” Duuuuuuunnnnnnn!!! Suddenly we all jump at what sounds like an ominous horn being played from somewhere far off, but it's still incredibly loud. [All players are hereby instructed to remain where they are and not initiate combat. The Rating Game is on hold due to a possible illegal move by Princess Luna's team.] All of us are mystified at Michael's sudden announcement of a time-out, all except Princess Luna that is. “Drat, I was afraid of that. That's what I get for taking advice from Tia.” Team Luna (members still active): 7 Princess Luna [King] Twilight Sparkle [Queen] Rainbow Dash [Knight] Fluttershy [Bishop] Rarity [Bishop] Applejack [Rook] Pinkie Pie [Rook] Spike [Pawn] Team Gremory (members still active): 6 Rias Gremory [King] Himejima Akeno [Queen] Kiba Yuuto [Knight] Xenovia [Knight] Asia Argento [Bishop] Gasper Vladi [Bishop] Toujou Koneko [Rook] Hyoudou Issei [Pawn]