//------------------------------// // Chapter 29: Summer Sun Celebration Pt. 4 // Story: Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 3: Unicorn // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Lightning dropped onto the top of her balloon, panting for air as she looked around. There were just so many of them. Her own forces were cutting through them, but sheer numbers were taking their toll. For every soldiers they took down, two more seemed to take their place. The Shadowbolts were the worst. She and Rainbow managed to take two of them down and even managed to work together to take down a few more soldiers, but they'd been split up after another balloon was sliced to ribbons. Even worse, her leg was still not obeying her commands, making her move slower as she fought. She'd had to spend more time cutting ropes and balloons than she could charging in and fighting. Her muscles were burning and her forces were exhausted. She didn't dare look under the ships to find how many of their own had fallen and lost their lives. “Captain Lightning!” a voice yelled from behind her, making her turn with a glare. One of those Wonderbolts. She couldn't guess which one, they all looked alike in their silly uniforms. “What is it?” “Retreat has been called.” “What? We've got them on the run!” she said, struggling to keep the exhaustion from her voice. “Forces from the south are moving in, we can't hold them off forever,” the mare said with a shake of her head. “The ponies on the ground are already retreating to designated safe spots. They'll require these ships to pick them up.” The mare paused. “Well, whichever ones remain.” Lightning cursed before nodding. “Fine!” She dove back down to her ship. There were ponies on it, all hers. It was a sign of how much terror her ship brought to their enemies that none of them had dared try to board it. She galloped down under the deck and entered her quarters. With a sigh, she pulled out a small blue cylinder from under her bed. It made her a little sick having to do this, but she was no fool. They'd defeated many a vessel today. A retreat meant they'd survive to destroy many more. She galloped onto the deck and spread out her wings, soaring up and over the top of the balloon. She held the cylinder up and, grudgingly, pulled a string from the back. There was a sizzle and then a rocket shot out from the top. It sailed into the air and exploded, dousing the balloons in blue light. There was a momentary pause in her soldiers, but the shift was almost instant. Lines were cut, grapples were released and more than a few of the enemy ponies were finished. She peered through the mess, trying to keep an eye out for any problems. “What's going on?” Rainbow's voice suddenly cut through the air. Lightning turned to the mare and let out a soft gasp. The air bender looked... untouched. Not a cut on her. “I hate you damn benders,” Lightning said bitterly. “Retreat has been called. I'm getting my ships out of here.” Rainbow glanced to the airships. “But there's still so many of them here. What about--” “Not our problem. Ponies on the ground are getting out of here, we're moving too.” The blue pegasus nodded and a slow, wicked grin formed on her lips. “How fast can you get out of range?” Lightning snorted and looked at the Water Nation's ships. Only a few of them seemed to be opposing the retreat, most seemed quite content to let the flying bringers of death go. “Shouldn't take long. I don't expect more than a token pursuit.” Rainbow smirked and cracked her neck from side to side. “I wouldn't expect any.” She then took off into the sky, flying higher and higher. The pirate watched for a moment before shaking her head. “Really? You run away now?” She rolled her eyes and motioned towards the east. “Okay you lily livered scum buckets! We're heading east! Any of these bastards try to follow, send them to hell!” There was a loud, if exhausted, cheer, followed by the final snapping of lines. Her fleet pulled out. She glanced back and chuckled at the Water Nation ships, those that could follow them putting up only the barest token of pursuit. Then a high pitched sound filled the air. She craned her head up and saw Rainbow, flying almost straight down, the wind swirling around her hoof. “What in tarna--” ------ Spitfire pulled back, wheezing softly as she stared at the ships in front of them. They couldn't hold on much longer, not like this. She was struggling to stay in the air, a few shards of ice embedded in her front right hoof. She was exhausted and the ships were moving again. Trying to surround them. Then there was an explosion from behind. She turned and gasped, staring into the sky. A rainbow of colors exploded out in a wide, ever expanding circular wave. She stared for a few moments before her mouth fell open. “No... no way. She did it AGAIN?” She then paused and looked back to her ponies. She took a deep breath before sighing. It was now or never. She flew up into the air and started gathering clouds. Using her air bending she formed it into a large X. She then dove back down, sending more bursts of wind into the ships as she went. Her air benders were already doing as expected, gathering up what they could and pulling back. To her horror, she couldn't help but notice only about half of them were making the trip back, compared to how many came. Plenty had already retreated, but there were still many dead and captured. She gave the boats a sad look, before turning to join her comrades. Their battle was over. She just hoped they had bought enough time. She gave one last glance and, as expected, the ships that were still sea worthy were already making their way towards the shore. ------ Vinyl pulled the water up from the ground, quickly forming it over her head and sending spikes of ice in rapid bursts at Nightmare Moon. Octavia danced amongst the rubble, striking and hurtling boulders the size of carriages at the mare. The ruler of the nation merely hmphed. She barely moved, sliding aside as the ice slipped by her, only to twitch her head and send the blades twirling back around at the earth mare. The boulders she merely ducked under or moved aside, letting them strike the ground away from her. Her stance was perfect, stable and calm, without a single wasted movement. Their attacks might as well have been completely still for all the good they did. Vinyl stomped a hoof down, making the blades of ice impale the ground before they could touch her friend. She was already panting, forced to work both on defense and offense at the same time. The two had managed, barely, from letting the ruler get by them. However, no matter what they sent, Nightmare Moon seemed ready for it. She drew the water up from behind the mare, attempting to ice the path she walked on. The dark mare merely stepped aside, her own hoof moving to draw the water from Vinyl's control before sending it out. She deflected a few more boulders, making them spin wildly off course, before she flicked her hoof and more blades of ice shot out at the two. Vinyl yelped and charged forward, getting between the blades and Octavia. Her horn glowed and they turned to water, harmlessly splashing against her. The ground under her shook for a moment and she was pushed a few feet in the air, a spike of ice skewering where she had been standing. “Vinyl, are you okay?” Octavia asked, eying the ruler as she pulled her hoof back. She brought her friend back to her side. “You're slowing down.” “Just a l-little tired.” “You're still not recovered from the wave, are you? Go, I can do this on my own, I--” “Don't lie to me, Octy,” Vinyl growled. “I know how hard it must be using the dirt around here. There's still magic water in a lot of it, I can feel it. You can't fight her forever, not without my help.” “I can fight her long enough...” Octavia snapped. “How quaint,” Nightmare Moon said as she stepped forward. “If you two really wish to die so badly, you only had to ask.” She thrust her hoof forward again and more water shot out from the ground, enveloping them on all sides. Vinyl pushed up against Octavia, lifting a hoof and sending the water swirling into the air. The ruler was gone. “Where did sh-- ahhh!” She felt something cold and slick on her hoof, a moment before she was lifted into the air and slammed back down. Octavia struck a hoof out, severing the water whip that held her friend with a stone blade. She turned around and stepped back, glaring at the ruler. She then gulped nervously. The dark mare was now blocking their way into the city, their only means of escape. “You've both annoyed me... quite a bit,” Nightmare Moon said with a scowl. “My forces are closing in and we will find the avatar.” The water rose up and practically melded with her body. “But, since you two insist, I will grant you your desire of an eternal rest.” Vinyl got to her hooves with a grunt, wobbling back to Octavia's side. The two stared down the mare and prepared. The ruler of the Water Nation charged as the sky above them exploded in color. ------ Applejack did her best to hold onto Twilight, occasionally giving her a little bump when the alicorn started to sag or roll down a little. Fluttershy and Pinkie kept besides her, keeping a careful eye as they went. The avatar had barely moved since they'd left the palace, only occasionally mumbling incoherent gibberish. The sky suddenly erupted high above, making them pause and stare at the rainbow of color. “Holy buck. What was that?” “That would be Rainbow,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “Sonic rainboom!” “What's a sonic rainboom?” Applejack asked as she stared up at the wave of rainbow spreading across the sky. She looked towards the source and gasped. The Water Nation's airships were crashing down, the pegasi flying over board as they quickly abandoned ship. A few vessels had managed to survive the explosion, but most were in ruins. Some had even caught on fire, rainbow colored fire. She'd never seen anything like it. “It's where Rainbow flies up realllllly high and uses powerful air bending to just blast down and break the sonic barrier and then BOOM!” Pinkie jumped up, waving her hooves around. “Big explosion and everything!” She paused again and looked up. “It ummmm, can be a bit disorienting to be near. Clouds hate it.” “I'd say...” Applejack muttered, before shaking her head. “Right. Escape now, staring at that later. Come on.” She turned and started trotting again. A rainbow blur streamed across the sky, zigging and zagging from side to side before finally descending on them. It crashed into the ground, eliciting a startled cry from the group(as well as making Twilight sit up and yell “Oatmeal!”). The blur skidded along the grass, leaving deep gouges in the ground as it went. Finally, it came to a stop, revealing Rainbow. Electricity seemed to shoot off her, little rainbow colored bolts arcing across her body. “W-wow. That... that was AWESOME!” the mare said, giggling a bit. “Did you guys see that? I was totally amazing, I was all zoom zoom zooooom BOOM! Those ships never saw what hit them!” “Yah also went an' told 'em where we are,” Applejack hissed, glaring at the mare. Rainbow eeped and gave a sheepish smile. “Oh. Heh heh. Sorry. Totally forgot that I was... hey, is that Twilight?” She paled. “Is... is she okay? Did she win? Nightmare Moon didn't--” “She's exhausted,” Applejack said with a shake of her hoof. “But well. There's no need to worry. She just needs some rest, a little sleep. A lot of sleep.” “Then Nightmare Moon is--” “She's fine. Twilight... couldn't do it,” Applejack muttered. “She wrecked the place, but we gone an' lost. We need tah get outta here.” She started trotting again. Fluttershy gulped and looked back. “I... I don't know if we really lost. I mean... we... we didn't win. But neither did they...” Rainbow snorted and walked besides them. “A tie is just as bad as a loss. Just means there were two losers, not one.” Pinkie sighed and looked back as the group disappeared into the trees. She paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face, before shaking her head and trotting after the others. ------ Nightmare Moon growled, her eyes glowing with a green light as she watched the two benders before her. Their blood coated the ground and shards of ice were buried throughout the dirt. She merely watched as the two got to their hooves, wheezing and panting. “You're both pathetic.” She thrust a hoof forward again, sending both crashing to the ground with another water whip strike. Once again, they tried to stubbornly get to their hooves, though their bodies fought them the entire time. “I really thought you two might put up more of a fight. Especially you, Vinyl. To think you were once the commander of my armies.” She sat down and lifted her horn high. The water gathered from the ground, swirling above their heads into long, twisted spikes of ice. “If only I'd gotten rid of you oh so long ago, perhaps this annoyance could have been avoided. Good bye.” The shards fell. Vinyl and Octavia cringed, awaiting the sharp sting of fatal blades. The shards exploded, peppering the area in a thin layer of ice. “Who--” Nightmare Moon started, before freezing. The world seemed to go quiet as a single unicorn slowly made her way forward, her hoof steps seeming to echo through the courtyard as all three ponies stared. Celestia slowly raised her head and narrowed her eyes, before her horn began to glow and the water droplets lifted into the air and gathered over her horn. She didn't say a word, meerly watching the ruler of the Water Nation. Vinyl and Octavia gulped, looking at each other, then to their savior before finally focusing on Nightmare Moon. “Sister... how good of you to join us,” the dark mare said with a scowl. “I should have known you'd take this little... display as an opportunity to increase your treason.” Celestia didn't respond, merely moving closer to the ruler, the water gathering over her head as she went. “Oh? Do you wish to fight me now? You foal! I am all powerful, even the avatar could not hope to defeat me without her precious sun trick! What hope could you possibly have?” Her eyes glowed a dark green. The elder sister continued walking forward. She motioned for the other two to follow behind her. They shared a confused glance, but slowly got to their hooves and followed after the white mare, their bodies objecting. Nightmare Moon took a step back. “Don't think I... won't strike you down, sister. I'll--” “You can defeat me, that much is true,” Celestia finally said. “There is no pony who doubts that. But you won't. For the same reason you've kept me locked in a prison and never done more than threaten me.” The younger mare took a deep breath and another small step back. “I am the ruler of the nation! Of the world! I have more power than you could ever dream, I--” “Would kill me. But the victory would cost you, wouldn't it?” Celestia asked coldly. “It would hurt you. Hurt you more than you've ever been hurt before. Do you believe you'd be able to take all three of us, even wounded as they are?” She advanced ever faster, nearly upon the younger mare now. “What would your ponies do, now, if you were that hurt? Weakened? How many do you think would move to strike at you when you were at your most vulnerable? Especially after this?” She stopped directly in front of Nightmare Moon. “Do you really believe you could defeat us and get away unmarked?” The ruler stared before slowly standing aside, her eyes narrowed into slivers. Where were her soldiers? Where were those foals? Why hadn't they returned with the avatar no longer destroying everything? Celestia took the opportunity presented to her and galloped forward, past the burnt reckage and towards the outer walls. “That was amazing!” Vinyl said, panting as she went. “Could you have really done that?” “Not a chance,” Celestia said, her face completely pale and a cold sweat going down her face. “As she is now, none but the avatar could hope to stand against her.” “Then why did she buy it?” “My sister never bested me before her... change. We have never come to blows since. I... was able to use those lingering doubts against her.” She took a deep breath. “Were there not three of us...” She shivered at the idea. It likely would have been her body to join theirs. “Had I arrived a few moments later...” “Say no more,” Vinyl muttered. “She... fights like... it's impossible. Not like a bender, something...” “Unpony,” Octavia said softly. “Only the avatar could stand against her. At least now...” She stomped her hooves and a descending tunnel formed in front of them. They disappeared into the dark, each thinking of the deadly creature they left behind. ------ Rarity's eyes widened as she sat up, her mind reeling. She flailed around for a few moments as she tried to process where she was. She was... laying down outside. Somewhere. There was grass and trees. Off in the distance she could see the castle. Or rather... what remained of it. “W-what? How... how did I get... get out here?” A low groan drew her attention. She turned back around and gasped at the little dragon, laying still on the dirt. “Spike? Darling?” “What hit me?” he groaned, slowly looking up at her. “We... we were in your room and... what happened?” Rarity blinked and looked back at the castle, then back at the dragon. She looked to the city again and... how had she gotten out here? She took a deep breath and tried to ascertain where they were. She... at first thought they were on the north end of the castle, but it seemed weird. Everything seemed off, and the castle was in horrible shape for a landmark. Her eyes widened when she realized the city was gone. Just gone, no walls, no stone, just gone. Completely gone. The shock was forceful enough it made her sit down. “H-how... how... what? That's not... what?” Spike let out another groan and got to his feet. “What... happened? I feel like I got my head stuck between two heavy rocks...” “The city... it's... it's a... what?” She just stared. She could see the ships returning from the sea. Or at least, some of them. To the north there were only a hoofful of airships returning. “We... we must have... escaped in the conflict. That must be it. We must have... gotten struck by whatever hit the castle.” “It knocked us all the way out here?” Spike asked questioningly. “It's... not impossible? I think?” Rarity said, staring again. The castle was in ruins. It looked like it had been cut to pieces. Then drowned. Then burnt. Then cut to pieces again for good measure. “Maybe... I must have crawled out with you. The blow we received must have been very severe for us not to remember.” She rubbed her head, but didn't feel so much as a bump. What happened? A sudden chill went down her spine before a word cut through her. Unfortunately, they answered her mental question. “Avaaaaaaaatar.” The princess froze in place. She turned and shrieked, falling backwards. She stared up at the... creature before her. Sombra. He stared down at her, eyes narrowed into slits as he took a step closer. “N-no,” Rarity squeaked as she crawled backwards. The creature moved closer, staring down with dark, merciless eyes. “I-I'm not... I'm not the avatar! G-go away! Leave the avatar alone! I was wrong! I never, leave her alone!” The creature kept walking forward, only stopping as Spike suddenly jumped in front of her. “Hey! You heard the lady! Get lost!” He yelled, putting his claws up in a boxing stance. The display would have almost made the princess laugh if she wasn't so abjectly terrified. Sombra moved closer, his mouth opening to reveal short, deadly fangs. She could almost hear Spike's terrified heart pattering away, but he didn't move aside. He just continued waving his fists in the monster's direction. It stepped closer, before freezing. It's eyes widened, before it gave her yet another look. It then turned towards the north and started to walk away. Rarity stared, her entire body shaking as the creature left. She then took a deep breath and decided to do the last thing she ever wanted to do. She slowly scooped up Spike and got to her hooves. “C-come... come along, Spike. We... we have to follow it.” “Why? Why would we EVER follow something like THAT?” The princess paused for a moment before lowering her gaze. The monster didn't even leave hoof prints. “Because... it's our best chance of finding the avatar. I... have some things I have to tell you. Horrible, horrible things.” ------ The gathered ponies kept their heads low, doing everything they could to avoid looking at their ruler's gaze. The hall they were in, fortunately, offered a myrid of distractions. From the cracked and collapsing pillars, sunken roof, shattered glass. Frankly the second greatest fear they had at the moment was the room collapsing and crushing them all. There was a fairly high chance it would occur. Fortunately, it had survived the last few hours after the avatar had left, it would likely last a few more. Unfortunately, the far more terrifying, and likely cause of death for any of them, was the calm Nightmare Moon who sat on what remained of her throne. She seemed almost relaxed, gentle, unangered. But the ponies knew that was in no way the case. Nightmare Moon had in fact managed to be so enraged that she lapped all the way back to being calm. There were small glimpses of tension and twitching from the ruler, the sure sign that she had less remaining threads than most of the castle's flags. The throne room may have offered death, but questioning the ruler at this point promised it. “Re... peat... that...” she said slowly, each word strung tightly. “We suffered... considerable losses in... in the sky,” the pegasus said slowly, his entire body shaking. The other ponies felt for him, namely as they knew it could soon be their turn. “Our commander was... one of the first to fall. As one of the few unicorns aboard he... he...” The poor pony's throat locked up, making him shake. “Enough,” Nightmare Moon hissed. “Begone!” she ordered. The pegasus didn't hesitate, flying out one of the broken windows. Unfortunately, as the assorted unicorns knew, as higher ranking members they couldn't make such a display. Many of them would have happily tossed aside all their power to not be in that room at the moment. She took a slow, steady breath. A breath that told the ponies she could, and likely would, kill each and every one of them before the night was through. “Now... now tell me,” she said slowly, straining on every word. “How is it that these... that these ponies. These... pathetic, out numbered, even... even untested ponies.” She paused again, closing her eyes as she took another slow, steady breath. The calm in her voice threatened to send each commander there running for their lives. “How these ponies managed to... kill... destroy... DEFEAT a force comprised of my most powerful and well trained soldiers? Water benders, pegasi? Nearly every air ship destroyed... nearly...” There was another long, slow pause. The ponies trembled and kept their heads low. Oh, how they wished Caballeron had been the one in command. But this had been a trap, comprised of benders and pegasi. Her greatest forces. She couldn't leave it in the hooves of some dirty earth pony. The destruction of the fire benders? It would have cemented his position and they all knew it. Instead he'd been sent on some other task and a unicorn had been put in his place. That unicorn's body now decorated the courtyard. In multiple places. She'd answered the ruler's questions poorly. Everypony there feared meeting the same fate. “Only a hoofful of prisoners,” she said slowly. “Losing almost... ten times the ponies they did. Now... now tell me. How is this possible? My own forces... not arriving until long after the attackers were gone,” She pointed towards one of the ponies, a young mare. “Tell me. Now.” The mare shook in place, stepping forward but somehow seeming to move farther back from the ruler as she cowered. “I... I do not know, your highness.” She closed her eyes and awaited death, praying it wouldn't come. Fortune was on her side. There was a snap as her helmet was knocked from her head. “Is that all you can tell me? 'I don't know'?” she said in a mocking tone. “Foals!” She glared down at the pony. “Leave here. Turn in... whatever command you have. 'I don't know'. Report to the clean up crews and your new captain.” There was no eloquency, no subtle nuances to her words. Just distressingly calm, simple words. The mare quickly bowed her head and galloped from the room. Demotion seemed a far kinder prospect than death, she'd almost welcome it in comparison. The ruler then looked at the others. “Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?” None of them offered a word. She sighed. “All of you. Follow that mare. Report to your new commander.” Then one pony slowly raised his head. “But your highness. None of us could have predicted this. The avatar was too powerful, even you were forced to flee before her--” There was another flick of water. He lost more than just his helmet as the other ponies merely turned and walked for the door, ignoring the body of their comrade as best they could. The ruler of the nation glared down at the corpse, her rage boiling within her. She bared her teeth as a clump of stone fell from above, shattering on the floor of her once beautiful throne room. “Just you wait, avatar. I've been playing nice, up to this point. Now though...” She closed her eyes. “I will not rest until I find and destroy everything you hold dear. This is my world. Mine. You will understand that before I am finished with you.” She got to her hooves and walked to the doors. The guards outside yelped, jumping when she exited the room. “Have a message sent throughout the kingdom,” she said, glaring down at the soldier. “Send out every pegasus we have. Every remaining airship is to return to Canterlot. Every water bender as well.” She paused for a moment. “No exceptions.” The guard nodded rapidly, before turning and galloping away. She watched the fleeing pony. Soon she'd make that alicorn run the same way. Right before she impaled her body on a spike to show to all the nations. She ruled the world. It was time they all learned it.