//------------------------------//
// Mission 5 - Canterlot Conflict 
// Story: Double Dragon: Shadow over Equestria 
// by Scarlett Haze 
//------------------------------//

	The sudden change from inside the dark base to an open hallway of the Canterlot castle threw off the Lee brothers, not used to having a snap transition like that happen to them before.

"Explain yourselves," Princess Luna commanded.

Honor Bound immediately got to a knee and bowed his head to the ground. "Your greatness-"

"WE WERE NOT ADDRESSING YOU!" Luna bellowed at the minotaur, making the massive brute only shrink more in his knelt state.

"Would you believe that I'm here under the guardianship law as passed by you and your sister during the founding of your land of Ponyville?" Leash asked.

A moments pause came from Luna as she looked to the floor and then looked back at Leash. "Your left paw, show it to me."

Leash held her paw out and Luna held it close, observing a mark that was on it. "The heart symbol with a dragon's eye..." Luna sighed, her eyes closing to leaf through her memories. "This mark... why does it make me feel a sense of unnerving?"

"We can't stay too long," Billy interrupted. "Marian's still in trouble and we need to figure out where she's being hidden at."

Luna's quiet ended and her eyes looked to Billy and Jimmy Lee. "The dragon protectors," she mouthed. "We had not thought that love's avatar would be returned back to this realm!"

"How come everyone here keeps calling Marian the 'Avatar of Love'?" Jimmy asked. "She's a policewoman from New York! She's not some godly figure that is revered!"

"Not where she was sent, no," Luna explained.

"Huh?" Billy and Jimmy spoke in unison.

Luna moved to a hallway entrance and turned back to the group. "Come with me, Celestia needs to be made aware of this development."


***Old School Cutscene***


Luna moved into the next hallway with everyone following behind. "The shadows of the changelings were becoming too great for Equestria." She started. "Many ponies fell under the illusion of love, when they were instead treated as slaves. From this, my sister and I developed a plan to create a lifeform which embodied love in its purest form. She would be kind, honest, and caring. As the illusion broke, she soon became the affection of the world. Not wanting to tip the balance to the opposite side, we sent the avatar to another plane of existence."

"She would fall from the sky like an angel to the care of two dragons," She continued, making Billy and Jimmy freeze in place.

"When two dragons soar through the sky," Billy began to speak, remembering a legend they heard long ago.

"An angel will fall to earth," Jimmy finished, now thinking back to the moment that the brothers stood over the fallen body of Marian.

Luna nodded, "The avatar searched far. We knew not where she went, but she found her dragons."

Billy and Jimmy looked to each other in shock. The Marian they had fought and fell in love with was a true goddess, hidden from even their eyes and hearts.

"Now she is in danger of losing the very thing that kept the changelings at bay, the longer she stays here," Luna continued. "And if the changelings gain a hold of the avatar's true form..."

Leash slapped herself in the head, "Stupid!" She angrily hissed at herself. "All that time!" She looked up to the group staring back at her. "I let the changelings in because I had believed... the avatar never existed."

Luna took a step towards Leash, making her take a defensive position. "Your pack and its generations are meant to be the protectors of the gates!" Luna spoke through her teeth. "You did not believe in the avatar and what could have been done if she were to return?!"

Leash's ears hung low and her tail tucked between her legs in shame. "I just... I saw what my pack was doing was a distraction to our nature as diamond dogs. We were meant to be hunters of gems and jewels, not guards of an empty alter. That's why when I was approached with the deal of gems..."

"You could have prevented all of this!" Billy yelled out, pointing an accusatory claw at Leash.

"Do you think it was easy for me to admit that I was wrong?!" Leash barked back. "I didn't want to be a part of it after seeing your 'Marian' in the hooves of Chrysalis and now I don't even have that choice! It's either I help save her and never have to deal with this again or I fail and-"

Leash cut off, trying to finish off her sentence as tears began to form. "I fail and I don't have a home to come back to."

The room grew quiet, now everyone feeling the weight of time running out for action.

"Your greatness," Honor Bound spoke up, clearing his throat. "Should a greater enemy get in our way, we should join together and fight another day." His steel grey eyes looked up to Luna from his bowed position. "Please let me help these fighting troupe. With my immense power, we can be a complete group!"

Luna huffed, still surprised the minotaur that was genetically created by her darker form was still here. "We don't care what you will do," Luna finally responded. "As your queen, we release you from your duties. Whatever choices you wish to make are your own."

Honor Bound stood back up and nodded to Luna. If nothing, his name would remain true as he looked to the dragons, the pony, and the diamond dog.

The stained-glass windows of the hallways burst open as changelings began to fly in.

"I'll send these guys away," Shining Armor said, readying his protection spell.

"Wait!" Billy yelled out. "They came from somewhere. No doubt from Chrysalis' hiding place!"

"I get ya," Shining Armor responded. "We follow the path, not remove it."


***Mission Start!***


Jimmy gripped a changeling and rushed it into a wall, cracking the armored shell and letting it go.

Honor Bound stood his ground as two changelings leapt and grabbed onto his massive arms. With a loud clap, the heads of the changelings hit each other and lost their grip on the large minotaur.

Leash dodged a green blast from another changeling before responding with her whip, snapping it against the black shell. "I'm not going to be lenient against you monsters this time!" She screamed out, spinning in place and using her tail to hit against the changeling.

Billy and Shining Armor took a charging changeling and threw it over their heads, using its momentum against itself. The changeling faltered in the air for the smallest moment before its back smacked the tile.

"Save the avatar, Double Dragons," Luna proclaimed. "You will be the only ones that will be able to keep the power out of Queen Chrysalis' hooves!"

Billy and Jimmy nodded before rushing towards the broken windows and leaping out.

"How high up are we, exactly?" Leash asked before being swept up by Honor Bound. Shining Armor found himself wrapped up in Honor Bound's other arm as they all charged the window.

"When time's of the essence," Honor Bound yelled. "Danger is of no quintessence!"

"You crazy minotaaauuurrr!" Leash howled out as they all fell out of the window.

Luna looked out of the window to the black swarm cloud below. Time was running out, and she could only hope that the dragons could reach their love in time.


***


The dragons touched down, leaving small craters in the ground as they found themselves surrounded by changelings. Billy put his back against Jimmy's and readied for anything to jump out at them.

Before the changelings could make a move however, a heavy crash came in the form of a minotaur carrying a unicorn and a diamond dog. The minotaur dropped the passengers of his arms and lifted his head up in a threatening manner. "When multiple creatures act like poseurs, You need to charge through like the force of multiple bulldozers!"

The minotaur rushed forward, creating an open line for the group to go through. Some brave changelings continued to cross their path, but many felt the punishing effects of a leaping kick or shoulder tackle for their troubles. The path soon ended as Honor Bound had hit his head against a massive changeling, much like the one that Billy and Jimmy fought at the beginning of their journey.

"Chrysalis must be getting more and more power," Billy mentioned, flying up and landing a few punches in the face of the massive changeling. "We can't let this get any more out of hand than it is!"

Jimmy dropkicked the knee of the large changeling and watched it give a groan of pain before it fell. "We better, I don't want to keep meeting up with these huge dudes!"

Entering the city streets, now random ponies were leaping into the fray to jump the dragons. Billy recognized one as Twilight Sparkle, but knew something was wrong when he didn't see wings.

The others tried to keep the ponies off, not knowing how to handle against them without hurting them.

Billy took a big risk and brought his fist into the jawline of the Twilight Sparkle that was in front of him. He watched her fall before igniting in green flame and turning into a changeling. "They're changelings!" Billy yelled out. "Don't hold back!"

Jimmy gripped the stunned pony in front of him and moved over to an open table. Lifting the pony, he threw him through the table, making a crunch sound as it exploded through and hit the ground.

Honor Bound took his fists and locked them together over his head before dropping them onto his attacker, causing the pony to become buried into the ground.

Shining Armor fired off a magic bolt that sent his opponent flying into a glass window of a coffee shop, letting loose coffee beans slip and roll to the ground outside.

Leash remained focused as her leg was caught by the pony in front of her. With a grunt of effort, she flipped backward and let her free leg smash under the jaw of the pony. Completing the flip, Leash stood back up and began panting heavily, feeling exhaustion creeping up. "Are we any closer to finding where these things are coming from?"

"Have you tried Ponyville?" A sarcastic, almost overconfident voice asked.

The group looked over to see Discord floating in front of them, crossed arms as he stared right back.

"What in the-?" Jimmy reacted in shock. "What is that?"

Discord scratched an ear in disinterest to the question. "I was more expecting a 'Who' than a 'What', although 'Why' is my favorite to answer."

Billy tensed up, he knew that Discord was reformed, but in his presence, he knew that this creature was capable of everything and nothing. "We're not here to play games, Discord," Billy said threateningly. "We're here to-"

"I know, I know," Discord interrupted, blinking in a book. "I've read it all in this fascinating read called 'Double Dragon: Shadow over Equestria'." Blinking the book away, Discord began to pantomime in dramatic fashion. "The action! The romance! The continuity between universes! It's all so yuckily ordered out in a cohesive manner."

The group shared a look of united confusion before looking back to Discord.

"But! I'm here to provide not only another added conflict," Discord happily cheered. "I'm here to test you in your bonds of love and friendship!"

Jimmy's face fell in disbelief. He attempted to find the right questions to ask as he stammered. "Who-? Wha-? I just-?"

Discord sidled up beside Jimmy and wrapped his eagle claw around the dragon's shoulders, "Fantastic, isn't it?" A moment of realization crossed his face before he smacked it with his lion's paw. "What am I doing?"

Blinking back in front of the group, Discord threw up a health bar with his face posted at the far side. "Can't have a fight without the proper equipment, right?"

"Fight?" Shining Armor hesitantly asked.

"Duh," Discord answered. "Can't test you without some fisticuffs involved. Everypony ready? ThreeTwoOneGo!"


***Best Pony - Discord***


Discord vanished from sight, making the group look around them in panic. They weren't sure of what to expect, but each of them knew it was going to be wild.

"Expect some rain!" Discord called out.

The group looked up to see a cloud overhead begin to drop random objects from the sky. Pianos, Safes, Crates of hair gel, canned food, a kitchen sink at one point. Each of them dodged hectically around the objects, doing their best to attempt to not run into one another.

With the 'rain' ended, Discord came skating in from off screen, his claw and paw behind his back as he slid on the rough ground as though it was ice.

Honor Bound went to rush into the skating Discord, but was soon carried off by the god of chaos as he just kept moving along fluidly.

"Care to dance?" Discord's voice said as Honor Bound came spinning back to the group, acting as a top. Billy was unfortunate enough to not get out of the minotaur's way and was sent careening into a table.

"I'll be zere een a meenute!" A french sounding Discord mocked as Billy pushed himself up from the table.

"This guy is untouchable!" Jimmy yelled in frustration, attempting to stomp on Discord's head as it now started to poke out of the ground.

Billy looked up at the health bar that remained in the sky and had a wild thought. With a push of his wings, Billy gripped onto the health bar and waited for the right moment to strike.

Discord came skating in again, still calmly as he approached Billy.

"Outta the park!" Billy cried out, swinging the health bar with all of his might.

Before the health bar struck Discord, a moment of fear crossed his golden eyes as he was sent sailing into the air.

"Sneaky, sneaky," Discord tutted as he righted himself in midair. "I like that."

Billy felt himself lose control of the health bar as it now tried to whack him in the head. The health bar had now added itself to the mixture of falling objects, skating Discord, and now sudden spurts of water coming out of nowhere!

Leash couldn't contain her frustrations as Discord passed her. Wrapping the whip around his neck, she pulled him back, forcing him to land on his back.

"Do be gentle," Discord said with a smirk. "It's my first time dealing with a mistress."

Leash went to stomp on Discord's smug face when he vanished again. "I. HATE. THIS. SO. MUCH." Leash punctuated with absolute venom in her words.

Shining Armor was having difficulty keeping balance on the ball that now rolled in, but then saw Discord on the same ball trying to move it at the same time he was.

"Where's the ignition on this thing?" Discord asked, acting like he didn't notice Shining Armor there.

Shining Armor gave a grin and began running backward, making Discord give a look of surprise before he was run over by the ball, his body giving a squeak as it passed over.

"Surprisingly, I'm not even mad about that," Discord flatly noted.

Honor Bound felt something yank at his tail, prompting him to turn around, but see no one. Another yank happened, and Honor Bound kept spinning to find who or what was doing it.

Discord only chuckled once before his neck was clamped down on. He had been hanging off the back of the minotaur and holding the tail the whole time. Discord's face turned blue from the lack of oxygen as the minotaur eyed the draconequus.

"When you're being made a fool of, give them death from above!" Honor Bound roared before pulling back his fist and crushing the head of Discord. Removing the fist, Honor Bound felt unnerved by Discord's now flattened head still in his hand.

"Thanks for that," Discord's crumpled voice spoke before he vanished again.

The mania felt like it had gone on for awhile. Bouncing rubber balls spread out across the ground and tripped up everyone. Large chess pieces such as knights and rooks came bouncing across with little care to who or what they ran across. Pies were chucked. No, quite literally, the Pie family had managed to get roped into the fight and were projectiles. It was chaos!

And Discord was enjoying it all. Through the enjoyment, he remarked the attitudes and determination of the dragons and their compatriots. Despite being embarrassed or humiliated in many ways as they were hurt more and more, they kept going. The dragons in particular gave Discord the most enjoyment as they kept finding workarounds to some of his off putting tactics.

With enough testing done, Discord clapped his hands and everything returned to the way it was.

The group kept looking around, still panicking to what else could possibly occur.

"Congratulations!" Discord cheered, "You've proven your worth to me and completed this segment of the game!"

Billy blinked, still trying to pull himself back into a sense of normality. "Game?"


***Mission Complete!***


Discord rubbed the back of his head and then shrugged, "Well, it was a game to me, anyway."