//------------------------------// // The Empty Castle // Story: He Who Wields The Lightning // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// 'These indicators worn on the spine seem to communicate the wearer's health to the other members of his squad,' Adam mused as he lifted the spine-like container that was now empty. 'I suppose that it is placed there, because the wearer does not need a "life bar" to know how he is feeling.' Black Adam placed the bar down and turned his attention to the odd gun that rested beside the suit, wondering why the humans would bother to make such a confusing design. 'But that does not take away its effectiveness. Three barrels; three times the fire power,' Adam concluded as he took aim with the gun, observing with interest the four blue lines that showed him where he was aiming. 'These would give away the element of surprise, but they give a very clear idea as to where one would be shooting. Intriguing.' He placed the gun down on the table before him and picked up the two items that had been the most interesting. 'One of these items grants telekinesis. The other can slow down whatever is struck with its energy. According to what Celestia was willing to share with me, that is what prevented her from rescuing Radiance. She had been struck by this energy.' Adam placed those down as he turned his attention to the other items that he observed: The collapsible helmet, the jet boots and the small oxygen tank. 'Despite the harm that these weapons have, if I could figure out how to refit them...' "Will you please quit staring at me?" he asked the guards who stood in the laboratory door behind him. He had felt their gaze burn into the back of his skull for nearly an hour, and it was starting to annoy him to no end. The two guards spun around and took up their posts again, but it wasn't long before he felt their eyes on him again. The sound of running hooves could be heard and another guard rushed down the stairs to the lab, skidding to a stop outside of the door, not daring to enter. "What is it? A monster? Luna?" "Actually, Black Adam, Celestia is requesting your presence," the guard relayed as Adam raised an eyebrow at him. "Shining Armor is there as well and he does not look happy. They...request to see you now." Adam sighed and stood straight up before walking out of the room, ignoring what looks he assumed the ponies would be giving him as he passed. "Just...just so you know, Sir, not everypony in this castle hates you." Adam came to a stop halfway up the stairwell, waiting for the pony to continue what he had been saying. "We know that nearly all of the ponies in the land feel that you are a monster for what you did, but..." "The Royal Canterlot Guard still remember what you've done for us," one of the large guards who had been watching him said with a stoic voice. "Like the day when the changelings attacked. We were useless that day, and we were certain that Equestria was going to fall. But then you showed up and beat the changelings and killed their queen. And we haven't had a problem since." "Not to mention we all thought we were dead when Tirek showed up," the other guard said with a dry chuckle as he looked down at the floor. "Here we are, supposedly the best of the best, and we were nothing...no, less than nothing to him. He walked through us without so much as a second glance and took down the princesses. And then you showed up, in a flash of lightning." "My...foal was in the city when Tirek attacked it," the gruff guard added as he looked away. "I thought he had been evacuated, but when I got down to Ponyville, I found out that he had gotten separated and wasn't there. I was hysterical, believing that he was gone for good, before we all watched as you brought Tirek down. Afterwards, I found my foal. He told me how you took an attack that destroyed the Everfree Forest for them, before helping them to escape...and I wanted to thank you." "Not to mention, you single-handedly prevented a war with the griffons from happening," the guard who had delivered the message continued. "We can't handle griffons, they're far too strong and fast for most of the normal guard. But thanks to you, we never even had to fight them. You ended a life-long war with the changelings within an hour. And you stopped the unstoppable and sealed him within stone when you brought down Tirek." "So why are you telling me this?" Adam eventually asked them. "We wanted to let you know what we think of you...and to tell you that most of the guard think along the same lines as us," the gruff one said. "We know that what happened with the Elements was an accident...and all of us owe you our lives many times over. We just wanted you to know that despite whatever the ponies out there think of you, the Royal Guard stands behind you. All of us." Adam turned his head as he heard their words, smiling slightly. "What are your names?" "I'm Fleethoof," the messenger said. "Stonewall," the gruff one growled. "Starlight," the final one said. "Thank you all for your words." Adam headed to the throne room after saying this, noticing that the guards' words rang true, because he could see respect in most of the palace guards' eyes as he passed them. He cast the doors to the throne room open to see Celestia and Shining talking amongst themselves, with the royal advisor Willow and his protégé beside him. Their talking ceased when Adam walked in. "Teth, I'm glad that you came here so quickly," Celestia said with a small smile, but the air in the room told Adam that it was a forced smile. The look he got when he turned his gaze to Shining Armor confirmed his suspicions. "Whatever you have heard is false. I have not been out of the laboratory today until you called for me," Adam said before they could begin accusing him, but Celestia giggled slightly at his response. "No, you're not in trouble...well, not entirely. The reason I have asked you here is that..." Celestia stopped talking as Shining Armor stepped forward, looking at Adam with both rage and hesitation in his eyes. "I haven't just asked you here Adam, I've asked a number of guards as well," Shining began as he motioned around at all of the guards who were looking on in interest. "The reason for this meeting is...I am retiring as Captain of the Royal Guard." The guards wore the shock these words had on their faces, but Adam waited for Shining to continue, knowing that there had to be more. "The reason for my sudden retirement...is you Black Adam." "I assumed as much," Adam muttered. 'I killed your sister. You must feel the same hatred for me that I feel for those who took my family.' "You killed my sister a year ago, and ever since then I haven't been able to forgive you," Shining began, emotion filling up his voice. "I wanted nothing more than to bring you to justice myself. I will always hate you for killing her. But at the same time...I still owe you my life. You saved both me and my wife when the griffons attacked a year ago. So that is why I have decided to quit. Because I cannot bring myself to work with you...but I cannot fight against you. Now, I will head to the Crystal Empire and live alongside Cadence for the rest of my life," Shining choked out as he took off his captain's helmet and placed it on the floor. "I wish you well, Shining," Celestia softly said. Shining nodded with gratitude before he turned and walked towards the door, his head held high as he walked past the guards he used to command, all of whom weren't sure whether they should salute or be angry at him. Adam decided for them. "Guards." All eyes turned towards Black Adam and even Shining stopped walking, but he never turned around. "Your Captain is choosing to leave with dignity and honor given an impossible choice. You should show him the same respect that he has shown his position." These words did cause Shining to look behind him at Black Adam, while the guards began to stomp their hooves on the floor to applaud, giving him the thinnest of smiles. Shining turned and once again began to walk towards the exit, saying one last thing to his ponies before he left. "If...I don't come back to visit, it's not because I don't care about you. It would just be...too painful." He left with his head high, the ponies watching him until he turned a corner at the end of the corridor. "What now, Princess?" one of the guards asked Celestia, breaking the silence. "We must find a new Captain of the Guard," Celestia sighed as she picked up Shining's helmet, looking at it for a moment with sadness before she used her magic to remove his symbol from it. "But that is a task that will take a while. Guards, I want you to talk amongst yourselves and decide who you think would be a suitable replacement. That is all. You may all go. Teth, you stay." The guards left the room, leaving the princess alone with Black Adam. "I take it there is trouble?" Adam asked her, Celestia nodding as she pulled out a letter that was far bigger than a normal one. "This is from the king of the dragons, Firewing, who has requested that I come to visit his nation so we can...negotiate something," Celestia bitterly said as she crumpled up the letter. "That can only mean that he is considering war with us or that he wants something. Those are generally the only times dragons speak with ponies." "Did those fools not hear what I did to the griffons?" Black Adam said with a shake of his head. "Dragons are naturally resistant to magic, though I do not think their defenses could stop your spells," Celestia said as she stood up. "But that does not matter now. Teth, I want you to stay here while I head to the Dragon Empire." "You cannot be serious," Black Adam half-laughed. "You said it yourself, that the dragons only wish for war or spoils and yet you wish to travel to their nation by yourself? No, Celestia, I will come with you and make sure that they understand that they will awaken the monster if they seek war with the ponies." For a brief moment, gratitude flashed in Celestia's eyes before she turned away. "Very well, but you must get ready quickly. We will leave within the hour." Black Adam nodded as she left the room, before he turned as well and headed out through the main doors. He was just beginning to plan out his actions for when the talks turned violent, when a large number of guards laughing outside of a room gained his attention. They parted as he approached and as he looked into the room, he wondered why they were all bunched around the weight room. "For the sake of Amon." Inside of the weight room was one very crushed purple and green dragon, who was trying to lift a barbell that Adam assumed weighed more than he did. And from the bruises that covered his body, he knew this was not the first time that he had tried this foolish action. With a huge effort, Spike lifted the barbell over his head and for a moment a look of triumph shone on his face, before his arms gave out and the barbell crushed him beneath its weight. The guards outside of the room began laughing again, while Black Adam shook his head and walked over to the dragon. "What are you doing?" Adam asked the crushed dragon while he reached down and flicked the barbell off him, sending it through the wall. Spike pushed himself back up and gently brushed himself off, before walking over to more weight equipment. Spike picked up a squat bar and lifted that over his head, his knees beginning to shake before Adam took that as well. "This is not happening. Why are you so determined to crush yourself beneath these objects?" "None of your business," Spike grumbled while wincing with pain, both physical and emotional. "Leave," Adam said to the guards who were watching, and they obeyed him without so much as a look. Once they were all gone, Adam picked up Spike and placed him on a chair, crossing his arms to tell the young dragon that he wasn't going anywhere until he talked. "It is my business to make sure that all are safe. Now speak." "Fine, jeeze," Spike grumbled before his face fell a bit. "I'm...trying to make myself stronger." "Dragons get stronger the more they are crushed?" Spike rolled his eyes at the attempt of a joke. "No, I was trying to lift weights, build myself up...become stronger." Adam watched his eyes and he could see the tears Spike was trying to fight back, making Adam all the more interested. "Why do you wish to be stronger?" "Because...I couldn't save her," Spike whispered weakly, but Adam's eyes widened slightly at the words. "On that day when the other humans showed up, I was inside, re-arranging the books in Radiance's room. I didn't know what had happened until Celestia brought Radiance back into the castle." Spike rubbed his eyes on his arm, Adam saying nothing as the dragon regained control of himself. "I keep thinking, 'if I wasn't a baby dragon, if I was as strong as you, then maybe I could have helped her! Protected her!' She was my only friend and now...she's gone." Spike broke down and sobbed bitterly at this point, while Adam thought silently to himself. "You wish to become strong, so you can protect others, correct?" Adam asked Spike, who nodded slowly. "Very well, then. Shazam." Spike cried out as a little of Black Adam's lightning went into him. The pain stopped as quickly as it began, and it left Spike looking down at himself with confusion. "You wished to be stronger and now I will help you. My magic will help you grow faster, stronger. But you will have to push yourself harder than before." "I...I can do that," Spike growled with fire in his eyes. "But why help me?" "I know what it is like to be powerless when those you care for need you," Black Adam said as he turned to leave the room, looking back over his shoulder at the young dragon with a thin smile. "But you need not worry about that any longer. I will help you to become Spike, to help protect." Spike looked down at his claws as Adam left, clenching them with a look of determination on his face as lightning crackled in his eyes. S=H=A=Z=A=M 'It is incredible just how diverse the landscape of this world is,' Adam mused silently as he and Celestia flew side by side across the land below, said land being gray and filled with cracks. Within the cracks were streams of lava, all of which came from the multiple volcanoes that towered over the land. Celestia had a barrier around herself to defend against the intense heat and the gases from the volcano, but Adam had not felt the heat or cold in a lifetime. He could handle it. The three hour flight on the other hand... "I am surprised that they have not tried to kill us yet," Black Adam called over to Celestia, who rolled her eyes at him. "I highly doubt they would want to kill us right off the bat, but it is odd that they have not sent a dragon to meet us yet. Normally, they do not trust ponies traveling across their land without an escort," Celestia said before chuckling to herself. "Of course, by escort I mean a warrior who would sooner eat us than help us. That will be their palace right up ahead." The palace was everything Black Adam expected the palace to be. It was crafted by what his eyes made out to be bricks made of metal and the castle rose high over the land, reflecting like a fire from the red lava that surrounded it. Spiked towers stood on each side, observing every avenue of approach. It was also far larger than any castle to which he had ever visited, but after seeing what full grown dragons looked like, he supposed it was for them. The two of them landed at the front of the large gate, Celestia prancing in place slightly to keep her hooves off of the hot ground. "Shouldn't the gates have already been raised for our arrival? They sent the message to us; you think they would have had the decency to open the gate for us." "Keep it down, Teth, remember that we are on their territory," Celestia whispered to him, but all Adam did was smirk in response. "And remember who you are talking to. I have not yet fought a living dragon, but I would not hesitate if given the chance." Celestia rolled her eyes at his response, but she regained her regal composure as the gates slowly began to open. When they were a third of the way up the stairs, the two walked inside of the castle, easily making it within. The castle was far more red on the inside than it was on the outside, which was saying something because the outside was surrounded by lava. Large hallways went in every direction from the main room, and numerous scales and claws covered the walls. 'Most likely parts of their fallen foes,' Adam pondered as Celestia looked around for a dragon. 'But for such a large castle, it seems to be fairly barren.' Celestia tapped Adam with her wing and motioned for her to follow him. "I do not like this," Celestia muttered aloud as the two of them walked through the nearly empty corridors alone. "There were always at least a dozen dragons watching at all times whenever I came here before. But now it is completely deserted." Adam closed his eyes and allowed his senses to travel farther than the room they were in, confirming a suspicion. "Not entirely abandoned. Come with me," Adam instructed as he turned left down a corridor. "Teth, the throne room is this way," she said, but Adam continued to move as if he hadn't heard her. With a sigh she ran up beside him. "Teth, I know these dragons and they keep all of their loot in the throne room. Trust me when I say there is no way in Tartarus that they would just leave--" "It is abandoned," Adam cut in. "I tried sensing the odd magic that dragons give off, and I have found this place to be completely abandoned. Except for one dragon that seems to have been left behind." Celestia looked shocked at the news, but Adam pushed ahead until the pair came to a stop outside of two large metal doors. "Maybe there is a key? Or I can try to use my magic to--" Adam cut her off once again by lifting one leg and kicking both doors in with a single strike, walking past the torn hinges without a word. "Or we can do that." Adam looked around the large room with narrowed eyes, knowing that he had sensed the dragon in here. But all he saw were some pots and a number of piles of treasure that he assumed the dragons slept on. "I will only say this once! Come out or I will wipe this castle off the face of the map!" Adam threatened, Celestia giving him a look before she stepped in to stop him. Black Adam raised his hands over his head as lightning crackled in them, but before either could act, a voice was heard. "Stop! Wait!" A small dragon, roughly around the same size as Black Adam, walked out from behind a number of pots, holding the broom in his hands with a death grip. His eyes were filled with fear as they looked at the two while the two looked at him, one with rage and the other with confusion. "Why are you the only dragon here?" Celestia asked. "Where are the other dragons?" Adam asked in a darker tone. Adam was upon him when the dragon failed to responded and the small dragon found himself lifted off of the floor as Black Adam slowly crushed his throat. "I will not ask you again, where are the-?" "Put him down Teth, he's no good to us dead," Celestia ordered, Adam scowling at the dragon before throwing him onto the flagstones. The dragon curled into a ball as both Celestia and Black Adam stared down at him. "I am not going to hurt you, and if you don't want him to hurt you, then I suggest you answer his question. Where are the dragons?" "O-our king, Firewing, knew that if he sent you that letter, then both you and your pet...CHAMPION!" the dragon yelled as Adam crushed his tail with his foot. "Would come here almost immediately! So he took every dragon that he had and went the long way to Canterlot, knowing that you two would be here by the time he showed up in Canterlot!" Both Celestia and Black Adam looked at each other with horror in their eyes. "Damn it all!" Adam roared as he turned to take off into the sky, but Celestia grabbed him with her magic before he could. "Teth, if Firewing has taken every dragon that he has, then they could be in the thousands," Celestia began. "That means little to me," Adam growled as he started to turn away, but Celestia held him back. "Teth...keep my ponies safe," she whispered. "But also...please don't kill any of the dragons, unless you have no choice." Adam looked at her for a long moment before he slowly nodded his head. Celestia released him and he shot through the ceiling of the castle, heading back towards Canterlot. It had taken the two of them three hours to fly to the dragons at Celestia's pace. It took him only seconds to get back. But he did not need super-sight to know what was happening at Canterlot. The walls of fire told him everything he needed to know. But, he also knew that the burning buildings would not be the only things reduced to ash at the end of the day...