//------------------------------// // Ch7 - Battle for Fillydelphia Finale // Story: My Little Medic // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// My Little Medic - Chapter 7 - Battle for Fillydelphia Part 4 With significant distance from her little ponies, Celestia stood tall and strong in front of three Tatzlwurms, not bothered by their roars and coils dancing in front of their mouths. Even with nearly two millennia of gathering power and experience, three of such foes were still a threat and she was not going to lower her guard. Not wanting to take any chances, Celestia charged her horn and focused on the coils. Whenever a Tatzlwurm would roar, it would fill almost every living creature with fright, the very coils they presented marked certain doom, for Celestia however it was a perfect opportunity to strike as she captured their natural weapon and tied them together. If the humongous monsters with mouths that split into three directions were able to show their confusion, now they certainly would as they pulled their opened mouths while trying to retreat their coils but with no avail. With a smirk on her face, Celestia flapped her huge wings, rushing into the air with determination on her face. Her horn lit and ready to strike the wrestling worms. The Tatzlwurm on the left was suddenly surrounded by a golden aura, levitated upwards, only to circle around the other two, the coils that were stuck in a knot now also tying the three monsters as if they were chains. Celestia chuckled at her creation as her foes were now merged together like a ball of wool, her cheerful expression didn’t last long as the coils shattered, freeing the three beasts. Without much time to react, the princess teleported, dodging just in time. With the coils temporarily out of the way, the alicorn had no trouble evading bodyslams as she captured her foes in mid air with her golden aura, only to grit her teeth and swing her head down as the levitation field slammed the giant beasts against the ground with a loud thump. If wings didn’t keep Celestia flying, she would certainly feel the earth tremble upon the impact as the monsters were lying in craters, unmoving, but her last battle against Tatzlwurm over millennium ago taught her that those monsters were very stubborn. With her horn charged while staying on guard, she slowly descended towards her foes, expecting to be ambushed any moment. The princess wasn’t disappointed when the three Tatzlwurms awoke from their fake rest, their regenerated coils shooting from their mouths. With a quick spell, she reflected the attack with a barrier, as her foes started slamming against it with their own bodies. They regenerate faster than I expected, and their speed is unmatched, I need to change my strategy, Celestia thought as she lowered her barrier and teleported before the coils could grab her. The Tatzlwurms looked around in confusion as their prey was gone. With nothing to eat, their attention focused on ponies as they slowly approached them, the distance reducing with every moment. The ponies however held their grounds, while their heads were raised looking at something in the sky with their mouths agape. Upon noticing a huge shadow under them, Tatzlwurms started to look around and up, only to notice a half destroyed five floor building levitating above their heads. When the golden aura disappearing, the building fell down like an anvil. With a slam against the ground after a quick jump to the side, one Tatzlwurm shook his massive head and looked back at the rubble that almost crushed him, his peace of mind didn’t last longer than few seconds though as a golden aura captured him, pushing into the rubble as an entire bathroom crumbled onto his head. Celestia landed on hundreds of tons of rubble and wiped sweat from her forehead, her horn charged as if expecting for her foe to jump out of it any second. As she predicted, rocks under her hooves trembled, only for an opened mouth to emerge and close around the mighty alicorn. With a weak illumination spell, Celestia lit her surroundings as spikes that played the role of teeth inside the monster’s mouth pressed against her wings and neck, her muzzle trapped and immobile. As planned. With a smirk on her face, she unleashed her spell, burning the monster from the inside while flames also struck against alicorn’s flesh. With a push of levitation, the giant mouth opened as the princess walked outside while a trail of smoke followed her. Celestia shot a firm glare at the other two who backed away. The message was simple, and she delivered it. Slightly afraid of the inedible alicorn that could burn their stomachs, the worms advanced towards the crowd of ponies as the princess sighed before following. Much to her surprise, the one she burned from the inside got up and burped before advancing as well. What does it take to beat them? Noticing her guards’ spears aimed and wings spread, Celestia’s expression hardened. She could not let them fight as Tatzlwurm’s were nearly indestructible against conventional weapons. In flash of teleportation she appeared between her guards and the monsters, her horn lit. The monsters stopped, looking at the alicorn with fright before jumping at her, only for their foe to burst into flames as a powerful wide beam struck them, pushing them hundreds of meters into another building as it crumbled. With a few deep breaths and sweat falling from her head, Celestia swept ash and dust from her body while small burned marks were still present on her regal fur. In front of her was a wide line of molten ground two kilometers long while rubble slowly turned into something resembling boiling lava. Now calm, Celestia looked back at her subjects, only to to feel a weak aching in her heart at the stares filled with fear. If one of reasons why she always restrained her power was to not hurt her subjects, planting a seed of fear into their hearts was the last thing she wanted to do. Celestia’s sadness was interrupted by noise coming from the molten rubble as Tatzlwurms emerged, half of their skin covered in melting substance and wounds. If there was any reason why she didn’t exterminate such powerful beings for the safety for her little ponies, it was that they never approached residential areas while keeping many dreadful creatures from doing so. With just one option left that didn’t involved killing. Celestia sighed deeply and charged her horn while spreading her wings, capturing the Tatzlwurms before they could retreat underground. The alicorn grit her teeth as the three humongous beasts slowly levitated above the ground, wriggling. With her wings flapping with all their strength, Celestia struggled, but not by levitating those monsters as her magic would let her lift even thousand tons of weight. What really weighed on her was pressure as it pressed against her body with weight of three tons. Despite her hassle, Celestia smiled and thought, It seems that shrinking myself to adventure with my student alongside that secret training with my guards really paid off. Slowly raising her head, the princess looked at the horizon, focusing on the mountains and hills on Equestria borders. If memory didn’t failed her, those hills were rich with minerals and organic substance while humongous flowers grew on top of them, certainly a wonderful location for Tatzlwurms’ to live, far away from this city. Celestia looked at three massive weights she levitated and calculated the distance she will need to transport them before sighing. This is going to be a long day. *** “Are you saying that the rumours about Her Highness having a tiny size student were true? I find it hard to believe,” said a green earth pony with a bag of Fertilizer as her cutie mark, looking at her son in disbelief. Her attention focused on a small bleeding wound on his head as she carefully covered it with bandage before returning a first aid kit to a nearby pony before saying with a polite nod, “Thank you.” “But it’s true, and she was very kind, she even acted like a plush toy and played with me, and when I was attacked by monsters, she started to pew, pew, shooting beams and stuff. You should have seen that, it was so cool,” Green Apple said before pointing his hoof at the fighting scene in distance. “Almost as amazing as the princess!” Everypony observed the battle between their ruler and three humongous monsters, not daring to look away even for a second. Suddenly the earth trembled as sounds of a collapsing building reached their ears. With a swift move of her hoof, the kneeling mother pressed her son against her chest, blocking his view from the horrors of battle as the earth trembled slightly under her hooves. As every apple family member did, she felt deep respect towards her ruler, but never in her life had she imagined the princess to be so destructive as representation of safety and grace was now displaying violence. “Excuse me!” The green earth pony looked to the side in confusion before looking down, only to blink her eyes rapidly while her opened mouth failed to produce any word. The colt held against her chest pushed himself lightly and looked to the side, only to beam out of her hug and landed in front of the little unicorn as he started to bounce in place with a weak thump as Twilight felt the ground trembling under her hooves. “Hey Twilight! I am so happy that you are fine, and you’re just in time,” he said enthusiastically before pointing his hoof at confused mare, and next at orange stallion behind her. “This is my mom, Rich Fertilizer, and beside her sits my dad, Big Seed. It turns out that they were hiding on the top of a bakery nearby, and now we are together again!” “I’m… glad,” Twilight responded hesitantly. “Mom, Dad,” Green Apple said as he turned towards his parents while pointing at his small friend. “My new friend’s name is Twilight Sparkle. She played with me and kept me company when I was trapped on the roof, and came up with the idea of how to get us away when the monsters came.” “Greetings,” Twilight said with a wave of her foreleg. “It is nice to me–whaa,” Twilight yelped as she was suddenly swept away and pushed towards the mare as she landed on her head. “And she looks exactly like that hat you once brought from Canterlot, see. She fits perfectly.” Twilight turned around and looked down from the edge of the head as Rich Fertilizer looked up at her, still speechless, but he quickly cleared his throat with a cough before giving his son a disapproving glare. “Now, now, Green Apple,” Big Seed said as he straightened his foreleg towards his wife’s head and gestured for Twilight to hop onto his hoof before slowly placing her on a nearby table. His family followed. “You should know better than to grab and throw ponies like that, it is very impolite.” Noticing a weak blush on his son, he added, “Now apologise.” “Oh, no no no… it is okay, I don’t mind,” Twilight interrupted while Rich Fertilizer looked between her son and the tiny mare. The little unicorn rubbed her hoof. “I… I hope I didn't interrupt your reunion or anything…” “Of course not,” Big Seed said with shake of his raised foreleg. “We always have time for friends of our son.” “You seem worried, is something bothering you?” Rich Fertilizer asked after taking a closer look, easily noticing distress on the little mare who responded with an awkward smile and lowered ears. “Not really… I just wanted to say…” “Yes?” Much to their surprise, the little unicorn knelt, her head lowered in shame as quick apology escaped her mouth, “I am sorry!” The family blinked in confusion as Fertilizer asked, “Whatever for?” “For hurting your son,” she said while pointing her hoof at the colt without raising her head as Green Apple tilted his head to the side with ‘what are you talking about’ look. “I underestimated my power and slammed him against… I am sorry, I am sorry!” Both parents looked at the bandage on their son’s forehead before looking back at the kneeling unicorn with a warm smile. Big Seed was about to grab Twilight between his hooves but restrained himself at the memory of his own words of advice and carefully placed his hoof on little pony’s shoulder. “You mean, after you saved our son from being eaten. It is the last thing you should apologize for.” “Yeah!” Green Apple said as he jumped onto the table, causing Twilight to flinch from her bowing position, her foreleg raised defensively. “I prefer to have this,” he pointed bandage on his head, “then being eaten by them,” his hoof moved towards unconscious worms, some already in cages or improvised prisons organized by the guards. “Well… you have a point, but I still hurt you.” Green Apple rolled his eyes. “I already said, I don’t mind, come on.” “I still find it hard to believe that a pony of your size–” Rich Fertilizer started to say before being cut off. “Actually, she was the size of a big cat when she saved me,” Green Apple said before kneeling as his muzzle almost touched Twilight’s, his eyes wide and filled with excitement. “So you can change your size at will, can you also turn into a giant, that would be so cool.” “As I was saying, I find it hard to believe that a pony of your size managed to save so many ponies, my son included, but I am really grateful,” she continued before lifting her hoof towards Twilight for her to shake. “I am forever in your debt.” Big Seed nodded. “If you will ever need a favour from the Apple Family here in Fillydelphia, do not be afraid to ask. My wife and I produce and export high quality fertilizer, if you should ever plan to open a farm, create a garden or plant a few trees, just give us a call.” “Yeah. During the production, we put our earth pony magic into the product, so even if you’re a unicorn, you can rival any farm ran by earth ponies, no problem,” the mare said with her nose raised proudly. Twilight’s ears perked up at the word of earth pony magic, but her guilt restrained her from raising her hoof and launching into a barrage of questions. “Y-you’re not m-mad at me?” She asked, only to feel something punch her lightly on her left side, pushing her a few centimeters away as the colt shot her annoyed glare. “Will you give it a break!” Twilight nodded before standing on her rear hooves, her foreleg straightened towards the colt’s head. “Can I at least heal your head? I would hate myself if I caused it to crack.” “Crack? I may be a city foal, but I am still an Apple, and we are tougher than that,” Green Apple said with serious glare, only for it to soften upon noticing his little friends pleading stare. Not bothering to start a lost battle, he sighed. “Fine.” Twilight once again began using her healing magic, only for a strong headache to remind her how exhausted she really was. She wiped sweat from her face when suddenly her concentration was interrupted by a large flash from beam of solar magic. Her mouth opened agape and her tail shot upward from her position on Green Apple’s back as she couldn't believe her eyes. Her attention quickly shifted to two earth ponies who took few steps back, looking at this with awe. Twilight bit her lips. Even if compared to her mentor she was weak in terms of raw power, would she one day also receive glares filled with fear if she ever returned to normal size? If anything, she was not planning to find out anytime soon. Two days passed since Celestia and her army did their best to contain the invasion. The princess tried to spare as many lives as possible and turned a war into capturing and relocating. Without enough airships to haul so many worms, the princess added her own power, flying long distances with several giant monsters levitated above her head, pushing her magic and stamina to her very limits. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight shouted from her spot on the wooden table next to a damaged restaurant, observing her mighty mentor descending from the sky in all her glory. With a quick look to the left, she could see a broken window and small hole in the wall while the room inside was filled with guards, a few of them kind enough to share bits of their hay sandwich or a cookie with her. It was not a surprise for the guards to eat in an abandoned restaurant after two days full of fighting and working, while there was no time to bring supplies on such short notice. Surely the royal treasury could afford to pay the owner of this restaurant once this was all over. Twilight’s attention once again focused on her mentor as she could see her long legs bend from the impact and feel the table tremble under her tiny hooves. Noticing sweat covering the princess while her mane was no longer floating, Twilight lit her horn and levitated a tray filled with vegetable salad. Celestia quickly took it away with her own magic and started to eat, when suddenly the golden aura disappeared. Out of reflex, Twilight caught the tray, levitating it back onto the table. “Are you alright, Princess? You look... really tired.” Celestia tried to fake a smile, and failed, her heavy eyelids threatening to close. Seeing compassion and pity in her student’s eyes, she let out a long yawn and raised her foreleg. Twilight jumped back as the giant foreleg landed on the table, only for her mentor’s head to be placed on it. Not wasting a moment, she jumped onto princess’s muzzle and cast a scanning spell, the received data caused her ears to drop. “Your magic. It is mostly depleted. You need to take a break to restore it.” Twilight gently pat her mentor on her cheek, knowing better than anypony how unpleasant it felt to use all the magic from one’s body. With a quick cooling spell directed towards alicorn’s forehead, she asked, “The headache will only get worse if you will keep going, Princess.” “I know my dear student,” Celestia said with sleepy voice, her eyes nearly closed. “Only two more, and we will all have our well deserved breaks.” “Actually. Just fifty minutes ago we tied the last two to an airship from Canterlot. Luckily the blimp was big enough to lift them, so I think we can call it a day.” With a weak struggle, Celestia raised her head with Twilight still anchored on her muzzle. “I couldn’t agree more. But there are still few things to take care of.” Twilight’s eyes opened widely, “Whatever it is, it can wait.” Feeling a slight shake under her flank, she added, “You can hardly stand from the exhaustion.” The princess chuckled and said, “Do not worry so much my faithful little student, I will take care of it after a solid rest, but before I do, would you do me a favour?” “Your wish is my command,” Twilight said with a respectful bow. The alicorn rolled her tired eyes. “Please tell Captain Spitfire that I will reschedule the upcoming show that’s taking place in Canterlot, and also tell her that I am very proud of her and her team… I would do it myself…” another yawn followed as Twilight’s hold on the muzzle tightened. “Consider it done, Princess.” Celestia blinked again, her eyes almost closing, “You should take a break too. After patching up my guards, you must be exhausted as well.” Twilight nodded weakly. “I would be lying if I said I am not tired, but I got used to it. I think I can keep going a bit longer, and besides, my healing duty was nothing compared what you did, Princess.” Noticing the knowledge thirsty look on Twilight, she asked, “Do you have any questions, my faithful little student?” The little mare nodded, “Well.. out of curiosity. What happened with the Quarray Eels. From what I read, those creatures live in holes left by other creatures and no one knows where their home is.” “That’s a very good question,” Celestia said, once again fighting against the desire to close her eyes by rubbing them. “It has been so long since I encountered those creatures, and I don’t remember where their home is, so I found them a new one. Those two I levitated just five hours ago are now in a small canyon near Ponyville. I think I named the canyon Ghastly Gorge if I recall correctly? After taking some rest, I will inform the Mayor of Ponyville about this.” “I see. Hopefully no pony will be foolish or adventurous enough to visit it then.” Feeling the muzzle trembling under her flank again, Twilight asked, “The headache is getting worse, isn’t it?” Celestia nodded, careful not to shake Twilight from her muzzle. “It is, but before I go, I need to tell you something.” “Yes, Princess?” “You have matured into a strong, brave and dependable mare, I am proud of you.” Those were the last words spoken before Celestia’s eyes closed as her head slammed into the wooden table, smashing it into pieces. Out of reflex, Twilight jumped from the muzzle just in time to avoid hitting the table while guards ran from inside the restaurant, staring at their proud regal ruler now sleeping deeply between pieces of table with her wings spread and lying flat on the ground. Before any guard could escort the princess towards the chariot, a lavender aura surrounded her, levitating above little mare's head. Twilight gritted her teeth as her legs trembled, feeling four percent of her mentor’s weight pressing against her back. Step by step, she walked towards the chariot, not daring to let her aching muscles stop her. After a minute of effort, she carefully placed Celestia on a cushion in the royal chariot before waving in a farewell gesture, wishing she herself could fall asleep on her mentor’s comfortable wing. With the rest of her strength, she poked her own chest with her shaking foreleg, her heart filled with joy. After all, she fulfilled her job, saved lives and made her mentor proud. “Hop up,” a familiar voice caught her attention. Looking to the side, she saw Soarin’ and Steel Blade, smiling as they pointed at their backs, their wings straightened towards her to climb on. She understood the gesture as it was about time to return to Wonderbolts Headquarters and take a solid rest. She flexed her trembling forelegs, ready to jump onto… Twilight froze, unsure on who to ride as Soarin’ and Steel Blade looked at one another. The guard growled as Soarin’ took a step back with an awkward smile, deciding to step aside before he could be challenged to a duel by the jealous guard. *** The date of the Wonderbolts’ show was pushed back by a week upon Celestia’s wish after the they assisted in luring the invaders out of the city, a relatively safe task since the princess took care of all Tatzlwurms. With the large distance between Canterlot and Fillydelphia and the train station out of commission because of the worm attack, rallying unicorn and earth pony guards took far longer than anticipated as Shining Armor and his troops arrived at the scene after the fact, ending up assisting with cleanup duty. “Twilight! Twilight!” Shining shouted, searching for his little sister. “Going on a dangerous mission, fighting an army of monsters, when I get my hooves on you, I will ground you until the end of your studies!” “Sir!” called a royal guard with salute as Shining Armor looked at him with rage, noticing two of his guards escorting earth pony and unicorn prisoners. “Permission to report.” “Granted!” The prisoners gulped, so did the always stoic guard as he started to speak. “According to our investigation. Those two had explored a cave on Equestria’s borders and stole worm eggs. Among those were Tatzlwurm’s eggs that lured them into this town. Following their instincts, sand worms, rock worms and Quarray Eels followed the Tatzlwurm’s as apparently their fear of their natural predators and dragons, and…” Noticing Shining’s head turn red while his mane bursted in flames, he walked backwards, leaving those poor souls to his captain’s mercy. “So you two are responsible for this mess… do you have any idea what almost happened to my sister because of you?” Noticing the prisoners pointing at each other while another guard got in the way, he frowned. “Step aside sergeant Ironmace.” “B-but sir… the protocol… no violence towards prisoners and civilians.” Shining Armor grit his teeth, his angry expression slowly turning into one of insanity. “I, hurt those prisoners, oh, no no no… I am not that petty to use my rank for my personal revenge, besides,” his smile became very creepy and his eye twitched. “I have a much better solution in mind.”