//------------------------------// // Prepare For War! // Story: Blazing Dragon // by Zanem-Ji //------------------------------// “So…Ubenox spoke to you. Is that what you’re telling me?” Twilight questioned. Sparks nodded quickly, “Yes, Miss Twilight. And he mentioned something about a ‘dark weapon that now breathes’.” “Why did he choose to speak to you?” Dash asked. “I mean, we haven’t had a vision from him in like, over 90 years…” “He didn’t show up in some vision.” Haze replied. “He was actually there.” Pinkie slammed a hoof down, “That’s impossible! You two would be ‘loco in the coco’ if you saw him with your real eyes.” “I had Haze close his eyes.” Sparks stated. “I used a ‘Mind’s Eye’ spell to see him.” The others nodded in understanding, and the meeting room fell into silence for a few moments. Applejack rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “So…a dark weapon that breathes…that’s the clues that he left us.” “Hold up,” Dash raised a hoof up, “You mean to tell me that we’re about to follow some clues from somepony who hasn’t spoken to us in almost a century? Why?" “We still must have faith in him and his advice. He has yet to lead us astray.” Rarity pointed out. “He hasn’t been leading us for a while, so how could he lead us astray to begin with, Rarity?” Dash debated. “Where has he been since the world turned to shit?” “It could be worse, Dashie.” Fluttershy uttered out, earning the attention of her lover. “If the world had truly turned to shit…then instead of giving Sparks and Haze that little piece of advice, he would’ve just killed everypony off to restore balance.” “He may do just that if we don’t take heed to this…” Rarity’s voice was low. “And then, this will all have been for nothing…” They all looked at one another. Twilight rose to her hooves, “If he warned us about this weapon, after almost a hundred years of silence, then we must be nearing the end of this fight.” She drummed her hooves onto the massive table, “Rainbow and Patch Work, you two are going to go to the armories and make sure that the armorers are ready to start passing out weapons. Pinkie and Purple Haze, you’re going to go down to the biochemical weaponry wing down at the lab to start loading the chemicals into their respective shells." Pinkie and Dash nodded, while Patch and Haze jumped up to go start on their tasks. “Applejack, you and Skye Wave are going to tell the blacksmiths to get ready to pass out armor, and when you get there, please, make sure you’re get the additional pieces for your hind legs.” “Ah don’t need all that extra garbage on mah flank!” “Jackie, please, just go get the upgrades!” Pinkie implored. “We don’t have time to sit here and bicker about that!!” Applejack let out a sigh and nodded, “Yes’m.” she ignored the snickers from Rarity and Skye, while Dash made whip sounds. Twilight rolled her eyes before looking over at Fluttershy and Dee, "You two go to the cave quarters and get the vamponies ready.” Fluttershy and Dee nodded in understanding, before Twilight turned to look at Rarity, “You and Bright Spark are going to let the council know to start sending the children, the elderly, and anypony who's not fighting into the fallout shelters.” “And what are you going to do, darling?” Twilight’s face hardened. “I’m going to talk to Scarab and Sylphina. It’s time to rally up the troops.” She looked around at all of them, “Does everypony know what they’re doing?” They all nodded in understanding. Twilight smirked. “Alright then, let’s do this!!” ~MLP~ Twilight stood beside Scarab and Slyphina on the kingdom’s main balcony, as they over looked the Hive’s court yard. It was filled to the brim with everyone from the hive and the rebellion. Scarab took a couple steps forward, “The First Fallen has brought something to the attention of my wife and I.” his voice boomed loud and clear, commanding the attention of his subjects. “She feels like it should be shared with all of you, so give her your undivided attention just as we have done so.” He stepped to the side, allowing Twilight to step up to the balcony’s edge. “For years, your kind has lived in peace and tranquility, despite the chaos and destruction that continues outside of these walls.” She started. “And then, your King and Queen allowed us into your home. You may have not trusted us, but they did. And thanks to them, my group have all felt the type of peace and comfort that they have not felt in decades. You gave us food, a home, and a chance to rebuild what we had lost. As the First Fallen, I could probably never thank you fully for what you have done for the rebellion, and for allowing us to become a part of your colony.” There was a stomp of hooves that echoed throughout the courtyard. Twilight let a small smile flash across her lips before stomping her hoof loudly, making them fall into silence once more. “While we couldn’t thank you enough, we did try to show you our ways. We combined our forces, and fortified your home. We made ourselves stronger and now, it’s time for us to show them what we’re made of.” She looked around at the court yard. “The Hell King and his minions have started to rise up again. They bring with them, a new weapon. Something that could destroy our hard work. Something that could kill our loved ones. Something that could not just take away our home, but end our way of life as we know it. We are in the process of bringing back all forms of life from the verge of extinction, and we shouldn’t let them take that away from us!!” Another round of stomping began again. “So we will don our armor! We will pick up our weapons! We will rally up our troops! We will stand against them, bravery etched into our faces, and we will fight them! And for generations to come, they will sing songs of praise for us, as history will tell how to put an end to the Hell King’s reign of terror FOREVER!!!” The stomping reached new levels of intensity, causing Twilight to pause. Her eyes and horn glowed bright, as she reared up on her hind legs, “NOW, WE SHALL PREPARE FOR WAR!!!!!” Everyone reared up, roaring in response to her command. Sparks and Rarity, who had finished their task up rather quickly, watched Twilight’s speech from the crowd. Chills rippled through their spines from the power of her words. “Wow…she’s…awesome.” Sparks stated slowly, completely at a loss for words. Rarity had a grin on her face, “Yes…my love has always had a way with words. That mare can make or break a pony.” Sparks smiled in agreement, then proceeded to join the others in their cheering. Rarity couldn’t help but giggle and stomp her hooves as well. The time would soon come where they would cheer again, and this time, it would be for victory. ~MLP~ “Ah heard about ya lil’ speech earlier!!” Applejack stated. “Good job Twi, fer bringin’ up everyone's spirits.” “They need to be pumped up.” Twilight replied in a serious tone. “We’re at the war’s boiling point now. None of us have had to deal or even seen Spike in three years, and he has no idea where we are.” “We already know that, or else he would’ve came straight for the colony.” Dash pointed out. “Exactly. Which means, when we show our faces, he’s going to make sure we don’t get away from him again.” “He may even…” Fluttershy gave a tiny gulp, “He may show up to kill us off with his own two hands...” Twilight looked down at the ground, “He might…” Rarity stood beside the Unicorn and nuzzled her cheek, “Don’t worry, Twilight. We’re going to do everything we can to get our dragon back.” Dash flicked Applejack’s side with her tail, “Let's go, AJ. I need to get those leg reinforcements in place. I don’t want to procrastinate and risk messing them up.” Applejack let out a sigh of discontent, before following the prismatic maned Pegasus to her ‘Awesome Room’, as her friend called it. Pinkie giggled and trotted behind them, disappearing from the room. Fluttershy let out a soft sigh, “I just don’t understand how they can be so…calm about all this.” Rarity’s head tilted to the side a little, “What do you mean, darling? “We’re about to put an end to a war that’s been going on for decades…and we don’t know if it will end because we beat Spike, or he beats us…” she started a slow pace in front of them, “And what if we can't save him? Luna was under the spell of The Corrupted One for years….and this thing is something far more powerful and the Nightmare Energy. We were able to save her from the Nightmare…but once she had decided to let the Corrupted One take over for her…she had to be killed off.” Twilight and Rarity exchanged worried glances as Fluttershy continued. “And then, there was when you…when you became the Corrupted One…” the Pegasus’ gaze suddenly hardened a bit, “I have a question for you, Twilight.” Twilight arched a brow, slightly confused by Fluttershy’s change in demeanor, “What is it??” “We saw Luna make the choice to become the Corrupted One. She chose to become that...thing, that killed my daughter and Applejack’s sister. So…I can’t help but wonder...if you made that same choice.” Twilight’s jaw locked as she stared down the Pegasus, whom had lost all traces of her meekness. Rarity let out a nervous cough as she looked back and forth between the two, “Fluttershy, what happened in the past should stay there.” She looked over at Twilight, “Honey, you don’t have to answer that, you know.” “I did make the decision…” Twilight answered in a hardened tone. Fluttershy’s irises flashed crimson for a second, “So just like Luna, you chose to become that monster.” Twilight’s expression turned into one of regret, “It’s not what you think. When I made my pact, I only wanted to make the kingdom better.” “You turned Celestia into a helpless filly!!” Fluttershy snarled. “I didn’t know things were going to spiral out of control like that!” “You betrayed us!!” “And I still regret that ever happening!!” Fluttershy’s irises flickered and stayed crimson. “You murdered Pinkie, Dashie, and I!!” Rarity stepped in between the two, “Fluttershy, that’s enough!-” “Are you kidding me right now?!” Fluttershy hissed, fangs now bared for the two of them to see, “Look at you!! She made Spike burn you alive!! She made you look like that!!” Rarity bit her bottom lip, a few tears pricking at her eyes. Fluttershy gasped, immediately regretting that she let the sentence slip from her mouth. Her irises lost their crimson hue, and wings plastered themselves to her sides. Her ears folded against her head as she looked at Rarity, “Rarity…I’m…I’m so sorry…” Rarity sniffed, then gave Fluttershy a sharp glare, “You may think I look like a hideous beast…but that’s okay…I have somepony here who loves me, just the way I am.” She tilted her head upward and headed for the door leading out, “Now, if you don’t mind me, I’m going to the spa. A lovely mare such as myself must look fabulous when she goes to battle.” With that she left. Fluttershy stared at the door, before turning back to Twilight. The Pegasus shifted under the intensity of Twilight’s glare. “I made a terrible decision. I wanted to make something for the kingdom. Something that could be truly appreciated, just like Celestia’s Day and Luna’s Night. And when they fought, and the sky turned into those colors…well, that’s where EvenTide came from.” She took a couple steps closer to Fluttershy, “I was upset that Celestia wouldn’t let me prove myself. Let me show her that I could be more than just a pretty face to the Kingdom’s royal lineage. The Corrupted One took advantage of that part of me. I fell into that. So, not only did I fail Celestia, and let my friends down, and not show I could better the kingdom, I helped in the near destruction of the planet, because I was too afraid to sacrifice my own life, and let the Corrupted One die while it was still inside of me. I still feel that pain, and that regret, and I don’t need you to make me feel shittier, than I already do…” She made her way past the Pegasus, turning to go to the spa so that she could comfort and be with her lover. Fluttershy sighed softly to herself…she didn’t know what had come over her, but she’d have to do something to make things right…” ~MLP~ Corrupted Spike looked down at his precious new experiment. Beside the dragon, stood Eternal, Trixie, and Sombra. The three ponies all looked at the new Unicorn with distrust in their eyes, “If I may ask this, Great Dragon…who is this pony??” Sombra questioned. The dragon let out a throaty chuckle, “This is Dark Star…he’s the little experiment I’ve been working on for the past 16 years…” “I feel like I have seen his face before…” Eternal said softly. “That is because you have…” Corrupted Spike stated. His smile got even more dastardly as he stared down at Dark Star, “But worry not...everything will be revealed in due time. But I must point out, some of his strengths come from you.” He pointed at the trio of ponies. They looked at one another before bowing to him, “It is an honor that you find our genes to be worthy enough to go into your newest creation.” Sombra stated politely. “I know…I would be honored too.” Corrupted Spike replied, his ego seeping from between his teeth.” He looked back down at Dark Star, who looked up at him with an unreadable expression. The dragon arched a scaly brow, but ignored the pony’s expression, “Dark Star…I have brought you into this world with but one purpose; To serve me. You will be my great claw upon this world, doing my bidding without a moment’s hesitation.” Dark Star gave an evil sneer, “But of course, Hell Father. I will gladly carry out your darkest desires. ” He replied, the base in his voice sounding like the deep rumble of a far off volcano. A slight shiver jolted through Trixie. She looked between the two ponies standing beside her. They both gave her a look, each of them confirming that they could feel something strange coming off of this stallion. Corrupted Spike nodded in content, “You’re going to make a fine addition to my collection of fighters…” Dark Star’s horn sparked with a bit of black magic, “I sense magic that is not of our own.” Before Corrupted Spike could respond to his statement, an armored Hellion rushed into the room. His body appeared to be more beaten and twisted than it should, as his armor looked like it had taken some hits as well. He stopped before the group, gasping for air as he reached for something in one of his saddle pack pockets, “Mighty God-King…forgive me for coming…in here unannounced.” The Hellion started, still struggling to breathe. “But we were ambushed…by the Fallen.” Corrupted Spike knelt down, a dark sparkle lit his eyes, “You were attacked by the Fallen? Are you absolutely sure?” The Hellion nodded, “Yes, your Majesty…Applejack and Fluttershy were with a group of rebels. Their numbers were vast, and we were no match for them…” The dragon’s brow furrowed, “So you fled for your life like a pathetic coward?” The Hellion shook his head, “They sent me here. Teleported me to the castle’s main gate.” He pulled out a small crystal, “They told me to give this to you…” Corrupted Spike snarled, as he snatched the crystal from the creature’s hooves. They knew where this place was? How long had they known? And did that also mean they knew about his newest weapon? He was going to find out. He snapped his fingers, and the crystal was engulfed in black flames. It spun in his claws before hovering into the air. It then sparked with it’s own lavender hued magic, before dispelling the flames surrounding it. Corrupted Spike grunted at this action. It would seem that Twilight had grown in strength, if even a simple messenger crystal held that much power. It flickered, and a hologram appeared above it. Twilight stared him down, and the Hell King couldn’t help but let a smirk crawl onto his face, “Wow…Trixie really did do a number on you.” He chuckled, “You look like an experiment gone wrong.” ‘My Gods…she did that to you?’ Twilight smirked, “Yes, but just like the rest of your little minions, she too, failed to stop me and my friends.” His smile immediately dissipated. “Whatever…what was the point of sending me this crystal? What was the point of attacking my Hellions, when you all have been hiding your worthless hides for three years?” “Hiding? We were doing no such thing.” Applejack suddenly appeared beside the Unicorn. She tilted her Stetson up and grinned at him. “Ya see, in order ta be hidin’ that would mean we’re afraid of ya’, an’ we aren’t afraid of ya at all.” Dash appeared as well, leaning her head on top of Applejack’s hat, “And not only are we not afraid of you, we’re going kick your scaly ass all up and down that kingdom!!” “YOU WILL HOLD YOUR TONGUE, FOOLISH PEGASUS!!” Eternal bellowed, a trace of Luna’s Royal Canterlot Voice still within her. “HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THE MIGHTY GOD-KING OF HELL IN SUCH A MANNER!!” Fluttershy scooted herself into the camera, a gentle smile was on her face, “Spike…we’re going to get you back. We promise…” ‘I look forward to it!!’ “The Spike as you know him is no more. All that lies behind these eyes, is my rage…” Pinkie bounded into view, squeezing up to Applejack and resting her head underneath the farmer’s chin, “Then we’re going to put a smile on that face, and make the old Spike come back to us.” ‘My friends…’ Rarity trotted into view, standing beside Twilight like a proud lover, “Corrupted One, it would be wise for you to simply surrender, and return Spike back to us immediately.” “We know where the castle is, Spike.” Twilight stated in a dangerous tone. “You’re not going to win this. We’re going to destroy your kingdom of fire and evil…” ‘Please do…’ “We’re going to put an end to your tyranny,” ‘They’re going to beat you, Corrupted One.’ “And we’re going to be reunited with my brother.” ‘Twilight!!’ Her gaze softened, and a small smile appeared on her lips, “Spike…Brother…I know you’re in there, and I just want you to know, that I love you…very much…” “I LOVE YOU TOO, TWILIGHT!!” Everypony gasped, as the room fell into silence. Before any of the Fallen could say anything, Corrupted Spike smashed the crystal into dust. He let out a roar, one that shook the very foundations of his castle. He snarled and raged on, and everypony in the room vanished so that they wouldn’t get caught in his rage. He continued to roar and slam his fists into the walls, shouting out his anger, pounding away his frustration. How dare the insolent little spirit that was still lodged into this body spoke out! He hadn’t actually spoken in over 60 years, so where did this sudden burst of willpower come from? He took a couple deep breaths, then snapped his fingers, summoning the mirror that allowed him to see Spike. The reflection gave him a snarky grin. Corrupted Spike’s rage started to rumble through him again. He pointed at the mirror, “You don’t speak. Don’t you ever open your mouth again, or I’m going make you watch a horde of Hellions rape and torture your family!!!” Spike’s smile immediately disappeared. He bared his fangs, but said nothing. “You think this is over, don’t you? You really think the Fallen are going to be able to kill me? This world belongs to me, and I will not let some pathetic rebellion take control of it!! I’m going to destroy them, and after that, I’m going to destroy your very soul!!!” He snapped his fingers again, making the mirror vanish. He teleported himself to his balcony. He let out another fierce roar, one that summoned all of his minions into the courtyard. He slammed his fist on the railing, earning the attention of his followers, “My legion of Hell….the Fallen have done us a great favor!!! They have managed to find the location of the castle, and they will be bringing the battle to us!! Soon, you shall all have countless bodies to feed upon!!” The creatures of brimfire and darkness cheered on. “They think they stand a chance against us, but we know that we greatly outnumber them, and the strength I can give you is limitless!! So be ready, for you all will bring about an end to the Fallen, and the Kingdom of Hell will rule for all of eternity!!!” They cheered on even louder. He smiled and roared out his final command; “GO FORTH, AND DESTROY THEM!!!!”