The Final Days of Man

by Anima Reaper


Chapter Eleven

There once was an old grandfather and his young grandson. The old man looked down at the young child and said,

“My son, there’s a battle between two wolves inside us all.
One is evil. It is, deceit, cruelty, greed, sorrow, and betrayal.
One is good. It is honesty, kindness, generosity, joy, and loyalty.”

The boy thought about what his grandfather had said and asked,

“Grandfather, which wolf wins?”

The old man quietly replied.

“The one you feed.”

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A lone missile soared through the sky, the flames behind the rocket screeched as they struggled to propel the metal cylinder over the grassy plains in front of Canterlot.

BOOM!

The missile had hit its target. A cloud of thick smoke swirled around the site that the rocket had impacted. A disgruntled snort quickly dispersed the dark cloud to reveal two burning red eyes. Bubbles, the ursa major that Fluttershy had brought, glared at Pandora Prime. The ursa major’s eyes continued to burn with rage,  refusing to break its glare on the robot. Pandora Prime stood motionless. Not a single part of the titan moved, except for a closing metal panel located on the machines left shoulder. The square opening used to have six full missile slots, but now... one was empty. The sheet of metal clanged as it finally closed over the hole in the robot’s shoulder. Pandora Prime slowly raised an arm towards the ursa major and motioned for the giant bear to bring it.

A frenzied cry was heard for miles all around as the bear stood up on its hind legs and roared. Pandora Prime didn’t hesitate. The machine took a lunging step towards the ursa major. Changelings and robots unfortunate enough to be near Pandora Prime found themselves bouncing a meter up off the ground as Pandora Prime’s right foot stomped into the earth. The ursa major got down on all fours and stampeded towards the metal giant. The two titans clashed as the bear leapt towards the robot. Pandora Prime swung its right fist. The heavy blow sent the colossal beast into the ground.

A voice that was once human could be heard screaming orders from atop a black steel war machine. Remnants of Ajax’s voice was overlapped and enveloped by a demonic twisted tone. “Legions five and six move on Canterlot! The remaining legions shall prevent the gryphons and minotaurs from making their way into the city!” Ajax turned around to face his five comrades. “Sombra, Chrysalis, Lighting Dust! I want you three to handle the gryphons and the minotaurs! Dispose of them quickly so we can make quick work of Celestia!”

“If that is what you want…” said Sombra as he vanished into a cloud of darkness.

“Come on Lightning Dust,” ordered Chrysalis as she turned away and spread her wings.

“Right behind you!” exclaimed Lightning Dust as the pegasus took off after Chrysalis.

Ajax watched the two ponies fly away before turning back to his last two allies. “Trixie, you already have your orders. Nightmare Moon...” as the man said the alicorn’s name, two pairs of bone wings emerged from his back and caught fire. “Let’s go visit sister...” The alicorn smiled, Nightmare Moon spread her wings without saying a word.

“Wait Ajax!” exclaimed Trixie, but it was already too late. Ajax and Nightmare Moon had left the unicorn all alone. Trixie  had no choice but to quietly watch as the battle commenced. Pony, changeling, minotaur, and gryphon were now locked in a deadly battle that would decide Equestria’s fate.

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The sound of claws scraping against metal, the sound of steel pounding flesh; the battle between the ursa major and Pandora Prime carried across the whole battlefield. Each blow was so loud and carried such weight, anypony who heard it couldn't help but flinch after each strike.

Pandora Prime slid backwards as the ursa major tackled the robot’s chest. The astral bear wrapped its arms around the metal colossus and lifted Pandora Prime into the air. With all of it’s strength the ursa major began to squeeze the metal titan. The straining of steel could be heard as bolts and screws began to burst out of Pandora Prime’s joints. The robot clenched an open hand around a closed fist before bashing its fists down on top of the bear’s head. Pandora Prime fell to the ground, crushing acres of trees. The ursa major stumbled backwards, dizzied by the blow. Pandora Prime quickly rose to its feet and charged the dazed giant.

BOOM!

Pandora Prime’s advance slowly turned into a slow walk as it spun around and fell past the Ursa Major. A heap of smoke stemmed out from the robot’s back as it laid on the ground.

“A direct hit!” shouted a pink pegasus pony.

Dozens of mares and stallions ran back and forth shouting at one another. The ponies were manning the Skyline, the infamous flying fortress. They had just successfully blasted the unsuspecting robot from behind with the full force of their cannons.  A tough looking mare stood at the helm of the legendary vessel. She wore an admiral’s hat and an eyepatch over her left eye. A long blue captain’s coat swayed as she turned to face the pink pegasus who had announced the accuracy of their shot.

“Swing back around! We’ll hit it again!” she shouted as she looked out the window.

Pandora prime propped itself up on its arms. The machine looked up at the enormous sky ship and began scanning the unknown threat. As the robot continued its analysis with the foreign vessel, something grabbed ahold of it from behind and tossed it into the air. Pandora Prime crashed down, creating an enormous crater beneath it. The robot suddenly felt an intense pressure begin to crush its left shoulder. As the dust cleared, Pandora Prime was able to make out the ursa major. The bear’s jaws were firmly clamped onto the robot. Pandora Prime began to punch the gigantic bear, trying to peel it off of its shoulder. The ursa major, however, was resilient, and refused to release Pandora Prime. The robot pressed its arms against the ursa major, and with a mighty push, released itself from the beast. Pandora Prime stood up and saw that the monstrous bear was holding a chunk of metal in its jaw. The pistons on the iron gargantuas back revved violently as it bolted towards the cosmic bear.

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On the other side of the battlefield, outside of Canterlot, a burly minotaur made his way across the battlefield, cleaving all who dared to stand before him. The scarred creature removed rows of changelings and robots alike with each sweep of his axe. The mighty minotaur had a scarred eye and a broken horn. He was Ironhoof, the same minotaur that had met with Celestia and Bjorn at the council. His strength is legendary. Some say “He is the strongest minotaur to ever walk Equestria.” Another robot fell to the notorious minotaur, but as the strapping warrior removed his axe from the corpse, he felt a chill in the air.

“Hahahaha… The ages might change, but I see the minotaur king will always remain the same. Just a simple minded lumbering buffoon. No matter how many I see, you’re all still the same, just some beefed up warrior...” A ghastly voice rang in every direction. The minotaur, however, didn’t respond. He only gripped his axe tighter. King Sombra emerged from the shadows and walked across the trail of dead changelings and robots left by Ironhoof.

“My… you’ve sure done a number on Ajax’s forces,” said Sombra.

“If I’m not mistaken, you associate with the human… tyrant,” said Ironhoof in a low and heavy voice that complimented the minotaur’s demenour. Sombra laughed at the scarred minotaur.

“I suppose you could say that. We do have a deal together, but unlike the others I’m no foolish subject. I am a king myself... after all,” said Sombra proudly.

“How can you be a king if those that you ruled over were just slaves? A king is not a fitting title for a slavemaster, no matter how many you ruled over.”

“Heh, you know, there once was a unicorn who said the same thing to me,” mumbled Sombra.

“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t care less. Can we just get to the part where we try to kill each other?” asked the minotaur as he readied his axe.

“HAHAHA! Very well! Show me what you got, mongoloid!” exclaimed Sombra.

Despite his size, the minotaur was surprisingly fast. He blasted towards Sombra with remarkable speed and began to swing his axe wildy. Sombra easily dodged each attack. The unicorn king danced around the minotaur’s blows as if he was but an amorphous shadow.

“I would like to hope you have more than just muscle on your side, but I feel like I would just disappoint myself,” laughed Sombra as he reformed on top of a tall rock. The minotaur spat off to the side and continued to glare at the unicorn king, not saying a word. “My turn…” whispered Sombra as his horn bubbled with dark purple magic. Black jagged rocks burst out of the ground beneath the minotaur. However, the minotaur easily dodged the attack by leaping up into the air. Sombra created another patch of sharp stones where the minotaur was going to land. In a flash of steel, followed by a loud crash, the ebony slabs crumbled under the minotaur’s steel axe. Two dark blue eyes looked up at Sombra.

“I would like to hope you have more than magic on your side, but I feel like I would just disappoint myself.”

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The might of Ajax’s forces was too great. The robots and changelings swarmed the battlefield, overpowering the forces in between them and Canterlot. The only thing they really had to worry about was being crushed by Pandora Prime or the ursa major. The battle between the two giants raged on in the middle of the battlefield with no sign of ever stopping.

Pandora Prime was missing a chunk off of its left shoulder. The ursa major however had sustained far worse injuries. Dozens of the beast’s teeth were broken, it’s body bruised and beaten. The only thing allowing the beast to still stand was the primal fury driving it further and further into a crazed frenzy. The ursa major swiped and slashed at the robot, but the thick coating of dwarven steel was far too strong for the creatures glancing blows. Pandora Prime’s pistons cried out as the robot dashed forward and grabbed ahold of the bear’s muzzle. The ursa major flailed about, but Pandora Prime’s iron grip refused to let go.

“Ma’am the robot seems to have a hold on the ursa major! What are your orders?” shouted a pegasus pony on the Skyline. The sky ship was still making a wide turn back towards the two giants. The pink magic shield around the zeppelin's balloon gleamed under the light of the moon as it approached Pandora Prime and the ursa major.

“Ready our lasers for maximum firing power!” shouted the captain.

The unicorns, located in the sky ship's room of mirrors and lenses, began to charge the ship’s weapons to their fullest potential. The Skyline descended slowly as it approached Pandora Prime from behind. The robot was preoccupied with fighting the ursa major and didn’t notice the ship. The massive machine continued to hold onto the ursa major, raising the beast up off the ground with it's iron-tight grip.

BOOM!

The tremendous blow sent Pandora Prime flying forward, as the beam of energy continued to drill into the robot’s back. The robot’s dwarven plating was nearly crushed by the intense blow. Chips and pieces of dwarven steel projected outwards as the bright blue laser continued to push the robot forward. However it did not release its grip on the ursa major. The mythical bear seized the opportunity and swiped its claw upward at Pandora Prime’s chin. The bear’s paw ripped deep into the robots head and sent scraps of metal flying everywhere. A few stumbling steps back were the final actions of Ajax’s war machine before it crashed into the ground.

“Pandora Prime is down! I repeat Pandora Prime is down!” cheered a pony on the bridge of the Skyline. The crew was ecstatic, an uproar of cheers and shouts could be heard throughout the ship as the news spread. The captain was swarmed by her crew. The ponies shook and patted her, but then a voice was heard.

“I see something emerging out of the smoke! I think it’s the robot!” screamed an urgent voice.

The ponies rushed to the window side and looked down at the battlefield. A figure rose up from the dead.

“J.A.X.-002 Pandora Prime initiating system reboot. Loading, most fatal profile.” The robot’s voice was different. The blow to its face must’ve messed with its voice box. Pandora Prime sounded like a high pitch child one moment, but then sounded like a demon from the darkest depths of Tartarus the next. The frequency and range of the machines voice shifted randomly mid sentence. The gargantuan looked up towards the skyship. It’s face had been ripped off. Two exposed lights stared at the skyship. An internal steel framework that resembled a human skull laid beneath the exposed surface of the robot’s head.

“I-it’s still alive!?” shouted a pony as he backed away from the window.

Pandora Prime’s eyes changed from a dark red to a vibrant bright green, as steel studs appeared on it’s knuckles. Rows of spikes shot up from beneath the robot’s dwarven steel plating and ran up it down its arms and shoulders. A roar was heard while the robot was still morphing, the ursa major stampeded towards the robot from behind. Right before the bear was upon it, Pandora Prime quickly spun around and backhanded the colossal bear, sending it flying across the battlefield. Pony and robot alike looked up as the titanic bear eclipsed the moon before it crashed on the opposite side of Canterlot.

“It just sent the ursa major flying…” murmured a guard as his voice cracked.

The captain stared at the faceless metal horror with wide eyes. Pure terror gripped the once bold mare. The plating on Pandora Prime’s chest slowly opened up as two thick beams of metal shot out of its back, digging into the ground behind it. A short barrel, the size of a small building, slowly poked out of the robot’s chest and pointed towards the Skyline.

“Oh Celestia! That’s a cannon!” shouted a pony. The captain of the ship quickly turned around and rushed back to the helm of her ship.

“Put all possible power into our shield!” shouted the mare captain as she spun the wheel.

The glass-like magical barrier around the enormous sky zeppelin grew so thick that it lost all transparency. A tiny bright light in the middle of the robot’s chest appeared and grew larger and larger. The bright light in the middle of Pandora Prime’s chest resonated as it began to reach the mouth of the cannon.

“Brace for impact!” shouted a stallion as he grabbed ahold of the ship’s railing.

Pandora Prime fired the massive cannon, the pillars of steel dug deep into the ground as they tried to hold the robot in place. The pure white energy created a cone that nearly covered the entire sky. The entire ship shook as it took the full frontal force of the blast. A light brighter than the sun flooded the entire ship through it’s windows, nearly blinding everypony onboard. The rumbling grew softer after what seemed like an eternity, the Skyline was still intact, but it’s shield had been exhausted.

“Status report! shouted the captain as she stood back up. Red lights flashed as jarring sirens blared. Ponies scrambled around the ship, trying to fix nearly everything.

“Our shield is down! The unicorns have exhausted their magic! Our engines are busted! We’re stranded!” shouted a scrappy tiny stallion.

“Damn it!” shouted the captain as she stomped a hoof down. Suddenly, the ship jerked violently. “What the hell was that?!” she shouted.

“Captain! Come take a look at this!” cried out a pony.

The mare’s heart sank. Pandora Prime had fired two javelin spears from its waist that were now locked onto the Skyline. The airship jerked once more.

“Its pulling us down!” cried another pony.

A chain link, easily two meters thick in diameter, was attached to the ends of the javelins lodged in the Skyline. Pandora Prime was slowly pulling the legendary airship out of the sky, as if it were an overgrown fish.

“We have to get those harpoons out!” shouted the captain as she quickly left the bridge. The mare jumped over downed beams and unconscious crew members, she had no time to stop for anypony. The pony galloped as quickly as her hooves would carry her to where the first javelin was embedded.

“AGHAHAGGH!” A voice of pure agony.

When the captain reached the first javelin, what she saw was sickening. One pony had been completely nailed by the enormous spear, but another had her hind hoof caught underneath.

“Help me! Oh for Celestia’s sake! Please help me!” cried the mare as she tugged on her hoof. A crew of stallions rushed forward and began to pry the metal spear out of the wall. The captain rushed forward and knelt down next to the mare. The ponies hind leg was, for the most part, missing.

“Stay still!” shouted the captain as she tore of a sleeve of her admiral’s coat and began to tightly wrap the ponies hind hoof.

“M-ma’am!” exclaimed a guard.

        “What is it?!” asked the captain; but when she looked up, she saw what had riled her guard. They had successfully removed the first harpoon from the ship, but it was too late. Looking through the hole in ship’s hull they could see a solid green eye staring at them.

“Celestia have mercy on us…” whispered the captain under her breath.

Pandora Prime raised its right arm into the air and with all its might, crashed it down on top of the sky ship, severing it in half. Mares and Stallions helplessly fell from the wreckage. Pegasus ponies who were strong enough tried to catch others, but there were too many to help. Ponies splattered like ants as they hit the ground. Pandora Prime, began to swat pegasi that were trying to help others, out of the sky. After the robot had killed everything in front of it, the machine revved its mighty pistons and sounded its ear shattering broken horn. The frequency ranged from its low devastating howl to a high pitch siren, due to its broken voice.

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“Legions three and four, follow me!” commanded a demonic voice.

Ajax stepped over the rubble of Canterlot’s outer wall. Nightmare Moon and four massive battalions of robotic soldiers accompanied the man. He had nearly lost any signs of humanity. Two burning embers for eyes, two demonic horns, rows of sharp teeth; it was hard to even recognize who he was. Six elements floated behind the monster, hovering in an arc behind four blazing wings.

“Strange… I remember it being harder to storm this city…” mumbled Ajax as he slowly headed towards the royal palace.

“Maybe Celestia has given up,” said Nightmare Moon with a laugh.

“Possible, I do suppose that…” Ajax halted mid sentence. As he turned the corner he laid eyes upon all Canterlot had to offer. Rows upon rows of guards, both from Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, held a spear at the ready, pointing it towards Ajax.

“Or not…” whispered Ajax under his breath.

“Ajax!” cried out a voice.

The troops began to clear the way for somepony. Ajax was able to figure out who it was before he even saw her.

“Ah, the crystal princess… Even at the final battle you manage to make yet another appearance. Perhaps I underestimated your worth as a warrior. I should’ve killed you long ago,” said Ajax.

“Enough! This ends now!” shouted Cadence as she approached the human. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity all accompanied her, suited for battle.

Nightmare Moon took a hoof step forward with an evil grin.

“I’ll make quick work of these insects…” hissed the evil alicorn.

Ajax raised a claw and blocked Nightmare Moon from stepping further. The man’s hand had turned into a demonic paw with blade like fingers that were easily a foot long.

“No, you’ll take too long. I’ll handle this,” said Ajax as a shroud of churning black fire engulfed his legs. The man drew his swords as he slowly hovered towards the ponies, leaving a trail of fire behind him.

“How dare you…” said the man. “You have the audacity to think that your friendship is stronger than me? That your feelings for one another outweigh the power I’ve attained through my suffering? I’ll show you how much stronger my hatred is than your friendship...

Ajax pointed his sword towards the ponies. A veil of unnatural darkness fell on Canterlot. Even seeing a few yards out in front of one’s self became a difficult task.

“AHH!” A scream in the darkness followed by silence.

“GAH!” Another scream that went unanswered.

“Girls, stay near me!” shouted Cadence as she took a hoof step back. The six ponies slowly backed up until they had formed a circle that faced every direction. Cadence lit her horn, but the unholy darkness still lingered. The six ponies waited in pitch black for Ajax to strike, but he never did. All they heard were the screams of guards followed by silence.

“Enough of this!” cried Rainbow Dash. “I’m not going to sit around while ponies need my help!” The cyan pegasus galloped off into the darkness.

“No, Rainbow Dash! Wait!” shouted Cadence, but it was already too late, Rainbow Dash had been swallowed by the dark. The five remaining ponies waited in silence for a sound, but there were no more screams. The unnerving silence began to worry the ponies. Fluttershy couldn’t stop her legs from trembling; she felt something brush against her side.

“AH!” squealed Fluttershy.

“Relax it’s just me,” said Applejack as she nodded at the frightened pegasus.

  “Hold on, I think the darkness is starting to clear!” shouted Rarity.

The unnatural darkness began to dissipate as moonlight slowly returned back to Canterlot. Cadence squinted her eyes trying to make out what she was seeing. Pure terror took over the alicorn as she began to make out what she was looking at.

“Oh, no…” murmured Cadence.

Every single soldier that had answered the call to defend Canterlot had been butchered. Not a single soul was left alive. Fluttershy and Rarity couldn’t look, the carnage was far too gruesome.

“This isn’t possible… over a thousand soldiers… in seconds?…” thought Cadence.

“What’s the matter? Lost faith in your so called friendship? Was it that easy for me to break?” whispered a voice. The voice resembled Ajax’s, but there was an overlay of a second voice. A voice that was by far inhuman, a voice that shouldn’t exist.

The five ponies turned to the sound and saw Ajax, but the human had progressed even further from being human. A ribcage of milky white cartilage surrounded the man’s chest, adding another layer on top of his ebony armor. His leg’s had even changed. They bent backwards and had long spikes growing out of their shins. They resembled dragon legs more than anything. A long black burning tail swung back and forth as the man waited for the ponies to say something.

The ponies however were speechless, for under the creature’s clawed foot was Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was beaten and bruised, but there was no sign of fatal injury… at least not yet.

“You’re a monster…” growled Cadence as tears of frustration began to swell under her eyes.

“This is what the world has made me into!” snapped Ajax.

“This is what you’ve made yourself into!” cried Cadence.

Ajax paused for a moment. “Maybe if I show you a taste of what I went through you might begin to understand,” growled Ajax as he thwacked Rainbow Dash with his tail. The pegasus slid across the floor like a hockey-puck towards her friends. Ajax pointed a talon towards the ponies. Black fire erupted beneath the six ponies and bound them in black chain.

“I will teach you something that can only be learned through experience,” said the demon as he approached the bounded ponies. Cadence, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, didn’t say a word.

“I will show you what it’s like to watch the ones you love suffer and die before your very eyes. THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND!” Ajax took a moment to settle down. “You have one minute to choose who dies first,” said Ajax as he drew his sword. The six ponies looked at one another as the gravity of the situation was beginning to sink in.

They were going to die.

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Outside of Canterlot the earth rumbled as pure might faced off against tyrannical magic. King Sombra and the minotaur king, Ironhoof, continued to trade blow after blow, but neither had taken a single hit yet.

“I’m starting to think this just a farce…” mumbled Sombra as he re-appeared in front of Ironhoof.

“What’s the matter? Are you getting tired, slavemaster?” asked the minotaur as he rested his axe on his shoulder.

        “I should be reclaiming my kingdom… but instead I’m here fighting the likes of you. I grew tired of this fight the moment we started…” said Sombra.

“I’ll try to end it quickly for you then,” said the minotaur as he charged forward again. Sombra rolled his eyes and began to dodge the minotaurs strikes once more, but this time the unicorn felt something scrap against the tip of his crown.

“My crown!” growled sombra as he dispersed into shadow. When the unicorn reformed he reached for his crown, but learned that the glancing blow had knocked it off.

CRUNCH!

Sombra froze; the unicorn slowly looked up at the minotaur and saw a crushed silver circlet under his hoof.

“What’s the matter Sombra?” asked the minotaur as he kicked the misshapen disc off to the side. “Can’t handle my ultimate technique?” asked the minotaur as he stepped forward.

“Ultimate technique?!” thought Sombra. The unicorn looked the minotaur up and down, but saw nothing different, until he laid eyes upon Ironhoof’s axe. The double-sided weapon had split into two individual one-sided axes.

“Two axes…” muttered Sombra.

“That’s right! Now I can attack twice as fast!” shouted Ironhoof.

“TWO AXES?! THAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE?! YOU MINOTAURS ARE SUCH HULKING, SIMPLE MINDED, BUFFONS! HOW DARE YOU CALL TWO AXES A SPECIAL TECHNIQUE YOU IMBECILE!”

“Well, it was good enough to destroy that crown of yours…” said the minotaur with a smile.

Sombra’s face contorted into a source of pure fury; blind rage and anger filled the unicorns eyes. What was he doing here? Why is he fighting this disrespectful mongrel? He had a kingdom to reclaim! If only he could leave now and reclaim the crystal empire, for crying out loud, the city had been abandoned by Cadence for the time being!

“Wait, why don’t I just leave? Our intel reports that the crystal army and Cadence are here defending Canterlot... the Crystal Empire is defenseless. I could reclaim my empire unchallenged,” thought the unicorn to himself.

“What’s the hold up? You still mourning that stupid piece of metal?!” asked Ironhoof as he waited for Sombra to attack.

The angry unicorn now had a devious smile.

“The battle is yours minotaur. I yield,” said Sombra as he turned into a shadow.

  “Hey! Where are you going coward!?” cried Ironhoof as he rushed forward, but the unicorn had already vanished.

“He was so eager to fight just a moment ago. I wonder why he decided to run off…” thought Ironhoof.

The minotaur looked around the battlefield, now that Sombra was gone he needed to find something else to fight.

The minotaur hopped across stones and deceased soldiers for what seemed like hours. Minotaurs don’t particularly enjoy participating in battles that they don’t get to fight in. Ironhoof sprinted and lept over the devastation left by the war as he headed towards the minotaur encampment. He needed to find something else to fight. Ironhoof came to a grinding halt when he had finally reached the temporary base.

  “Somebody give me a status report!” growled the minotaur as he walked through the camp. A band of minotaurs were gathered around a fire, the brawny soldiers turned to their king and saluted.

“My liege it is good to see you,” said one of the minotaurs as he stood up. Half of his face was wrapped up and he was missing patches of fur all over his body. Ironhoof looked the minotaur up and down.

“Does the moonlight deceive me? How did you happen to come by these injuries? You’re good to fight I hope soldier,” said Ironhoof.

“Yes my king, it was only the left of my face that was burned. Luckily I was blessed with a right side when I was born,” remarked the soldier.

“Those metal men may be weak, but there sure are a lot of them…” added another minotaur. Ironhoof patted the wounded soldier and stepped past him. The minotaur stepped towards a small tent and pushed past the drapes and walked inside. A minotaur soldier could be seen hunching over something on the other side of the tent. When Ironhoof approached he could see that the soldier was intently analyzing a map of the battlefield.

“So, are we winning?” asked Ironhoof as he began to look at the map as well. The soldier shook his head and looked up at his king.

“That giant metal machine destroyed the ponies' airship and disposed of the ursa major… Ajax has already pushed his way into Canterlot, there’s no way Celestia’s forces can hold out against him.”

“Why haven’t we gone after him?” asked the minotaur king.

“Some of Ajax’s forces have created a blockade that prevents us from entering the city,” answered the soldier. After receiving no response for a few seconds, the soldier looked up. Ironhoof was gone.

“My king?” asked the soldier as he looked around. He caught Ironhoof just as he was leaving the tent.

“Where are you going?” asked the soldier as he turned to the minotaur.

“I plan on clearing the blockade of course…” said the minotaur as he stepped out of the tent.

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“Legions three and four what are you doing?! Push forward! Don’t let them surround us!” cried a voice.

The sound of heavy warfare forced the changeling queen to shout. Queen Chrysalis hid behind stationary artillery as she shouted orders into a device given to her by Ajax. Her and Lightning Dust had been given the task of preventing the minotaurs and gryphons from entering Canterlot.

BOOM!

An explosion sent the changeling queen flying forward. Chrysalis tumbled and rolled before coming to a stop. As the alicorns eyes fluttered open, she could see a wave of armored gryphons pushing up on her position. The changeling pushed herself up to her hooves and took to the sky.

“I don’t understand! How could they already be on my position?!” thought Chrysalis.

“Chrysalis!” shouted a voice.

The changeling easily recognized the voice. Chrysalis looked to her left and saw Lightning Dust frantically flying towards her.

“Chrysalis!” shouted the pegasus once more.

“What is it?” asked Chrysalis as she continued to fly forward.

“Our forces have been completely overrun!” shouted Lightning Dust.

“That’s impossible!” shouted Chrysalis.

“We’re missing half our army,” said Lightning Dust as she narrowly avoided an airborne projectile.

“What do you mean?” asked Chrysalis.

“Legions three and four have gone missing,” said Lightning Dust.

“What?!” shouted Chrysalis.

“That’s half of our forces! How can we lose track of two large battalions!? They were supposed to cover our flanks!” she added.

“Watch out!” cried Lightning Dust. Chrysalis looked down, she hadn’t even noticed the artillery shell hurling towards them. The changeling and the pegasus rolled out of the shell’s path, but it was too late. A massive explosion filled the sky as two figures fell towards the ground.

“They fell over here!”

Chrysalis eyes shot open just in time. The changeling queen barely avoided having her head cut off. Chrysalis pushed herself up to her hooves, but something smacked her from behind and sent her flying. The world spun around as the changeling soared through the sky. She flailed her hooves and flapped her wings, trying to stabilize herself, but another blow sent her straight into the ground.

“You should’ve just let me finish you off…” said a raspy voice before coughing.

Chrysalis turned herself over and saw the gryphon king. The giant birdlike-creature wore gold armor from head to claw. It’s wings were plated with the same golden-like armor, the armored tips on the feathers however, had been sharpened to act as blades. Bjorn reached down and lifted Chrysalis up with a mighty grip. The gryphon was absurdly large, it nearly doubled the changeling’s size.

“Why…” choked out Chrysalis as the gryphon continued to crush her throat.

“Why what?” asked Bjorn as he continued to suspend the changeling off the ground with his claw.

“The human had no quarrel with you… Why would you come all the way out here to fight him? Don’t tell me you did this all for Celestia’s sake,” choked Chrysalis.

“I and Ironhoof came here today to ensure Ajax’s downfall. The human may only have a grudge against Celestia, but the Elements of Chaos are an unpredictable hazard to Equestria and her people. As long as Ajax posses the elements he will only bring death and destruction wherever he goes,” stated Bjorn as he flexed open the talons off his empty claw. “I suppose that it is just a fortunate coincidence that I also get to dispose of you changeling menaces as well.”

“HYAH!”

Chrysalis felt the pressure crushing her neck vanish as she fell to the ground. The changeling looked up and saw the bright flash of light-green that had just saved her life. She saw a still frame of Lighting Dust, striking the elderly gryphon across the beak with one of her hind hooves. The blow was strong enough to stagger the gryphon.

“Are you alright?” asked Lightning Dust as she turned to Chrysalis.

“Y-yeah, T-thanks,” mumbled Chrysalis as she stood up. Lightning Dust had a proud smile on her face as she waited for Chrysalis to clean herself off. While the changeling was in the process of dusting herself off she noticed a large shadow rise up behind Lightning Dust. Bjorn had both of his blade wings ready to slice the unsuspecting pegasus’ head off. Chrysalis lunged forward, as the blades swung down on the pegasus.

Red.

Crimson red blood sprayed outwards. Lightning Dust’s eyes shot open. The pony was in a state of shock as she watched drops and streams of blood fly across her face.

“Is this my blood?” thought the pegasus. “I-I don’t feel anything though,” it was at that moment Lighting Dust noticed the black pony wrapping her hooves around her.

“Chrysalis?”

Lightning Dust caught sight of the changelings green eyes as she looked up past the pegasus’ shoulder. Queen Chrysalis was glaring at Bjorn with fire-like intensity. The gryphon was astonished, he had expected to behead the pegasus, he never thought Chrysalis would…

BAM!

An explosive blast of green light sent the elder gryphon flying backwards. Chrysalis screamed as the gryphons blade-like wings ripped out of her sides. The changeling fell to the ground as an intense of wave of pain washed over her.

“Chrysalis!” cried Lightning Dust as she caught the changeling.

“Why?...” asked the pegasus as she shook her head in disbelief.

“I did it out of instinct, don’t think too much of it…” muttered Chrysalis.

“T-there’s so much blood,” said Lightning Dust as she tried to apply pressure to Chrysalis’ wounds. The screeching of gryphons filled the air as the armored creatures dived down and landed in front of the two ponies. Bjorn stomped forward. Half of the elderly gryphon’s helmet had been broken. A single green eye filled with rage stared at the two ponies.

“You have to call for reinforcements…” whispered Chrysalis as she forced herself to stand up.

“I-I can’t. You’re…”

“YOU MUST! I will give you enough time to make the call… here take this,” murmured Chrysalis as she handed the pegasus the device Ajax had given her.

Lightning Dust noded and darted away as fast as she could.

“I never thought that you of all ponies would ever be capable of self-sacrifice,” laughed Bjorn as he approached the wounded changeling.

“You’d be surprised... if you knew the lengths... I have gone... to protect my changelings.”

The alicorn’s breath had grown rapid and short. Blood continued to seep down her coat and drip onto the ground.

“You don’t actually think you stand a chance, do you?” asked Bjorn as he took another step forward. A blast of green energy put a hole in the ground in front of the gryphon. Bjorn looked up at Chrysalis with a grin. “I guess we’re doing this the hard way.”

Chrysalis horn pulsed with green magic, the pony was trying her best to remain conscious.

“Hurry up Lightning Dust…”

A stream of clouds shot down behind a wreckage. Lightning Dust fumbled with the device that Chrysalis had given her. The pony peered over a broken heap of metal. She wasn’t too far away from Chrysalis and Bjorn. She wanted to make the distress call as soon as possible.

“HELP! HELP! THIS IS LIGHTNING DUST!”

The pegasus waited for a response, but received only static. She quickly took another glance over at Chrysalis. The changeling had created a green barrier and was trying to hold the gryphons back.

“HOLY FUCK! IS ANYONE THERE?!” shouted the frustrated pony as she shook the mechanical device. Once again the pony received only static. Lighting Dust screamed as she threw the device. She could hear the sounds of Chrysalis trying to buy her more time. The pegasus threw her hooves over her head as she listened to the changeling’s struggle.

“Lightning Dust?!” shouted a voice muffled by static. The pony froze for a moment before she realized what had just happened. Lightning Dust frantically began sifting through the rubble.

“Lightning Dust, are you there?!” shouted the same voice. Lightning Dust was finally able to locate the contraption when the voice came a second time.

“YES! YES! WE NEED YOUR HELP!” shouted the pegasus into the device.

“What happened?!” The voice belonged to Trixie. The unicorn had orders to stay back and watch the battle from a distance.

“Legions one, two, three and four have been completely wiped out. I and Chrysalis are all that’s left! You must send help!”

“Legions three and four are with me,” said a heavy voice over the frequency.

“A-Ajax?” asked Lightning Dust unsure if she was talking to a human or a monster.

“Ajax! Lighting Dust and Chrysalis need help! If you were to break through the Canterlot wall a few meters away from your position you could easily flank the gryphons and the minotaurs!” shouted Trixie over the frequency..

“No need. I’ve already breached Canterlot. Lighting Dust and Chrysalis have served their purpose,” said Ajax.

“I-If we don’t help them… they could die…” said Trixie, but Ajax showed no concern.

“If they die, that’s fine by me,” said Ajax.

“Uh, A-Ajax? You know I can still hear you r-right?” said Lighting Dust with a forced laugh into the device, but the pegasus received no response. “Um, Ajax… ?”

“AHHH!”

Lightning Dust shot up when she heard the scream.

“Chrysalis!”

Lightning Dust sailed towards the sound of Chrysalis’ scream, but before she could reach the changeling a gryphon blindsided her out of the air.

“Let go of me!” shouted Lightning Dust as more gryphons gathered to restrain the restless pegasus.

“AHHHAA!” The sound of Chrysalis’ pain drove Lightning Dust mad.

The pegasus overpowered the gryphons with strength that surprised even her. The pony raced towards Chrysalis. Lightning Dust stomped her hooves into the ground and came to a jarring stop. The changeling queen was covered in dirt mixed with blood. Chrysalis’ eyes were closed as she winced in pain after each breath.

“Chrysalis…” whispered Lightning Dust as she trotted towards the changeling.

“Did you… call for...back up?” The changeling had to use every ounce of her strength to push the words out of her mouth.

“I don’t think anyone is coming Chrysalis…” whimpered Lightning Dust.

“Let’s finally put an end to this,” said a raspy voice. Lightning Dust’s tearful eyes looked up. A colossal shadow loomed over the tiny pegasus.

Bjorn pushed Lightning Dust out of his way with a quick wave of his wing. The gryphon grabbed hold of Chrysalis and pressed a claw to her throat. Chrysalis didn’t even struggle, it was hard to tell if she was even still alive.

“Let go of her! Let go of her right now!” cried Lightning Dust as she pitifully beat against the armored gryphon with her hooves. Bjorn paid her no mind.

“This is the end for you changeling…” muttered Bjorn.

“Don’t you dare touch my friends,” said a voice, but it wasn’t Lightning Dust... Bjorn had never heard this voice before.

“What?” whispered the gryphon as he turned around. The gryphon king’s face met the end of a bright purple concoction of pure magic and energy. A thick dust cloud raised up from the pure force of the blast. Lightning Dust coughed as she tried to crawl towards where she had last seen Chrysalis. The pony covered her eyes with a hoof as she tried to feel her way through the thick cloud of dust. A light-blue hoof stepped down in front of the pegasus. The pony looked up as a glowing pink light illuminated her face.

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A pale moonlight cast down on Lightning Dust as she sat up and rubbed the back of her head.

“Where am I?” asked the pegasus as she looked around. Lightning Dust saw buildings, streets, fountains...statues.

“Am I in Canterlot?” thought the pony.

“You’re going to have to hold still if you want this to work," said a voice.

“Trixie?”

Lightning Dust looked over and saw Trixie hunched over Chrysalis. The unicorn’s horn was glowing bright as she tended to the alicorn's wounds. Lightning Dust slowly trotted towards Trixie.

“Is she going to be alright?” asked Lightning Dust. Trixie looked up at the pegasus.

“Yeah… she’ll pull through,” said Trixie.

“Thanks, Trixie… if you didn’t come when you did…” whispered Lightning Dust as she tried to confess that the unicorn had saved both hers and Chrysalis’ lives.

“Relax, everything is fine now,” said Trixie as she began to wrap Chrysalis’ wounds with white fabric. The unicorn used her mouth to tear off the bandage after she was done.

“Things out here…” Trixie stopped mid-sentence. The sound of hoofsteps could be heard down the road. Lightning Dust turned to the sound as well, but neither pony could make out who it was in the darkness.

“Who would be out here? We’re not even close to the battle…” said Lightning Dust. Trixie stood up and took a few hoofsteps towards the sound.

“Take Chrysalis and get out of here. Meet up with the rest of the forces in Canterlot. I’ve got this…” said Trixie as she began to channel magic into her horn.

As the hoofsteps grew closer Lightning Dust finally could make out who it was; Twilight Sparkle, ex-apprentice to Celestia...Princess of Magic.

“I said go! I’ll handle this!” shouted Trixie. Lightning Dust nodded and grabbed Chrysalis by her front hooves and slowly lifted the alicorn up into the air.

“You better catch up to us when you’re done!” shouted Lightning Dust as she flew away with Chrysalis. Trixie turned to face Twilight.

“Twilight Sparkle…” said the unicorn. Twilight stopped a few meters away from Trixie.

“Trixie… I don't get it. Why do you still insist on helping Ajax?”

“Don’t even try Twilight Sparkle… No matter what you say, things won’t change,” said Trixie.

“I see, then let’s get started, Trixie.”

“Very well, Twilight Sparkle. Let round two...begin.”

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“Times up…” Ajax slowly approached Cadence, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. The creature’s new tail swung from side to side as it approached the bounded ponies. Ajax wasn’t only intimidating due to his new appearance; he had also grown taller. The creature nearly reached fourteen-feet tall when it stood on its dragon-like legs.

“So, have you decided which one of you is going to die first?” growled the monster as it picked its jaws with a talon.

“Take me…” said Applejack.

“No, take me…” said Rainbow Dash.

“No, me!” said Cadence.

“Enough, I figured something like this was going to happen. Fine, I’ll decide…” said Ajax as he circled the restrained mares. “When I guarded the Everfree Scar I and my comrades were attacked by a demon. A creature unlike anything we had ever encountered. The first friend I lost was Sin Faye. A warrior whose speed was unmatchable.” Ajax stopped in front of Fluttershy. “The first death didn’t even seem real. I couldn’t believe that I had lost her.” Ajax grabbed Fluttershy by her hair and dragged the pony away from her friends.

“LET GO OF HER!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she struggled against the chains.

“You’ll do nicely, Fluttershy,” said Ajax as his hand set ablaze with black fire.

Fluttershy trembled in fear.

“This isn’t you Ajax…you’re not really like this…” whimpered Fluttershy. The demon paused and looked down at the yellow pegasus with a puzzled look.

“Oh, you think you know me? Tell me how could possibly know what I’m really like?” asked Ajax.

“T-that time you abducted me to heal your wounds, you and I talked. You were kind to me, you actually seemed friendly,” said Fluttershy as she looked up at Ajax with wide eyes. The demon only laughed at Fluttershy’s words.

“How gullible. This is who I really am…” snarled the demon as it pounded its chest.

“This is the real me! This is what Equestria has made me into!” added Ajax as the Elements of Chaos vibrated violently. The abomination of bone, shadow, and scale leaned over and picked Fluttershy off the ground by the tip of her long pink tail. “Such lovely hair...Fluttershy.” The arc of dimly glowing elements began to hum as the man looked the frightened pegasus up and down. “Be a shame if something happened to it, wouldn’t it?” said Ajax with a grin. As Ajax dropped Fluttershy the arc of crystals floating behind the creatures climaxed before falling silent.

The pegasus smelled something...something she was unfamiliar with, but still recognized. Fluttershy looked down and screamed. The tip of her tail had been set on fire. The yellow pegasus screamed as she rolled around on the floor, if only she wasn’t tied up she could put it out.

“HAHAHA Yes, scream. Soon you’ll be writhing in agony when the flames consume you!” cackled Ajax. The black flame slowly began to creep up the pegasus’ long pink tail.

“STOP! PLEASE!” cried Rarity.

Ajax head turned to the tearful unicorn, the man had a monstrous smile.

“No…” he whispered. “You’ll experience the pain that I went through… then you will understand.”

“AH!” cried Fluttershy as streams of tears began to race down her cheeks. The black fire had already burned away half of her tail and was making its way towards her flank.

“Take comfort in the fact that when you’re gone, your friends will soon follow,” said Ajax.

“Hmm?” Ajax felt something tapping against his lower back. When he turned around he looked down at a metal soldier that had just poked his back.

“Ajax, there is something you should see,” said the robot.

“And what would that be?” asked Ajax as he leaned down, when he spoke small bursts of black fire would escape in between his sharp teeth.

“That,” said the robot as he pointed off into the distance.

Ajax wasn’t sure what he was seeing. The entire horizon had been replaced by dark smoke.

“What is that?...” asked Ajax as he cocked his head to the side.

“Sir! I’m detecting multiple heat signatures from within the cloud!” exclaimed a robot soldier.

“WHAT?!” shouted Ajax as he took a second glance at the smoke cloud. “Wait I remember something like this, but that was over a thousand years ago…” The creatures empty eyes went wide as the tiny white embers in them dwindled. “Dragon raid...”

A swarm of dragons, which rivaled that of a migration approached Canterlot. The fire-breathing lizards gathered behind a massive dragon with a long white beard.

“Altragio… what are you doing here…” whispered Ajax under his breath.

“What do you plan on doing?” asked Nightmare Moon as she stepped towards Ajax. The demonic creature turned to Nightmare Moon with a frustrated look.

“These ponies aren’t even worth my time,” hissed Ajax as he turned to Fluttershy. Ajax raised a palm, the fire burning up the ponies tail vanished without a trace. “Lucky for you Fluttershy... but the next time we meet I will enjoy watching you burn.” He was right; Fluttershy was lucky, only a few inches of her tail remained.

Ajax spread his four blazing wings and shot up into the sky.

“They call you Altragio the wise, but I’ll show you how big of a fool you are for showing up today…”

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Streaks of magic raced across the sky as two powerful wizard clashed. A portion of Canterlot had already been destroyed by the wizards chaos.

“Face it Trixie! You can’t win! You’ll never beat me!” shouted Twilight as she shot down a beam of purple magic. The bright laser crashed into a wall made out of interconnected bright lights,that resembled miniatures stars. Twilight continued to hover above Canterlot scanning the wreckage for Trixie. The alicorn sensed something behind her. Twilight turned around and faced a celestial tiger. The alicorn vanished in a flash of magic and reappeared on a rooftop.

“LEO! STRIKE!” shouted Trixie.

The Celestial tiger pounced at Twilight once more. Twilight’s eyes glowed white as she prepared her next spell. Just before the tiger was able to reach her, a pillar of stone shot up from the ground and slammed into the underside of the spectral creature. The pillar arced until it pointed back towards the ground. The tiger was helplessly pinned against the accelerating pillar.

BAM!

Thousands of tiny lights scattered through the streets of Canterlot when the stone pillar crashed into the ground. Twilight took a deep breath, but she didn’t even have time to breathe. The alicorn noticed a bright light flying towards her from the corner of her eye. The mystical arrow crashed into a thick purple barrier before scattering into dozens of tiny lights. Twilight looked down and saw Trixie standing ontop of a Celestial minotaur.

“Fire at will Sagittarius!” shouted Trixie. As the celestial archer readied its next shot, Twilight created a magical rune in front of her. The colorful circle was inscripted with magical writing that would take even a master of magic hours to decode. Trixie’s celestial creation fired its bow. As the cosmic arrow hurled towards Twilight, the alicorn unleashed her own spell. Three streams of magic shot towards Trixie, a mix of fire, ice, and arcane blew through the magical arrow as they flew towards the unicorn.

Trixie jumped off the celestial incantation as the three blasts annihilated her creation.

“Let me show you a spell that not even Starswirl could pull off! A spell I created all on my own through research Twilight!” shouted Trixie as she spread her hooves. The unicorns magic created a massive circle that nearly covered a fourth of Canterlot. Trixie began to channel all of her magic into the incantation rune.

“What could she possibly be summoning that requires a circle that large?!” thought Twilight. Trixie strained to funnel sufficient magic into the spell. The pony opened an eye as she continued to cast the spell.

“I admit it! When I first came to ponyville I was a liar and a fraud! I claimed to be capable of feats that I had never accomplished, but now… I am truly deserving of my title. Behold, Twilight Sparkle, as I The Great and Powerful Trixie, summon an ursa major!”

A enormous cosmic bear paw reached out from behind the magical rune and grabbed ahold of a nearby complex as it struggled to pull itself out of the portal.

“Oh no you don’t!” shouted Twilight as she bolted towards Trixie. The alicorns eyes glowed white as she raced towards the unicorn. Twilight began to fire bolts of magic at Trixie, but an invisible barrier deflected all of Twilight’s shots. A second bear paw grabbed ahold of another building as a bear snout protruded out of the portal. With all the force Twilight could muster, she rammed straight into Trixie’s magical barrier, horn first. The arcane magic fizzed and sparked as it tried to stop Twilight, but the alicorn was too strong.

Twilight broke through Trixie’s defenses and directed her horn towards the unicorn. Trixie had no choice but to abandon her spell. The light blue pony jumped out of Twilight’s way as the purple pony blew past her. The bear paws and snout dispersed into thousands of tiny stars when Trixie cancelled the spell.

“Why must you always best me, Twilight!?” shouted Trixie as she began to fire bolts of white magic at the alicorn. The alicorn easily evaded each shot with the help of her wings as she galloped towards Trixie.

“I already told you why you can’t beat me Trixie! I fight for my friends!” shouted Twilight as she shot a beam of magic towards Trixie. The unicorn jumped back, but the magical missile quickly arced and flew straight towards her. Trixie tried to cast another protective barrier, but she was too late. The bolt of magic crashed directly into her chest, slamming her into a wall. “I don’t fight for a master. I don’t fight because I serve a higher power. I fight to protect those I care about. That’s why you’ll never win.” said Twilight as she trotted towards Trixie with a glowing horn. Twilight caught site of a shadow to her right and quickly fired a blast of magic at it.

She nailed Trixie... but it wasn’t really Trixie… it was an illusion.

“I’ve got you now!” shouted Trixie as she pounced on Twilight and fired her own magical blast. Trixie’s attack hit Twilight, but it wasn’t really Twilight… it was an illusion.

“GAH!” Exclaimed Trixie as she felt her hooves sink into mud.

“Nice try Trixie, but I will always be one step ahead of you. Now, give up!” shouted Twilight.

“Never!” cried Trixie as her horn glowed with magic.

“WHY DO YOU KEEP ON FIGHTING?! DO YOU HATE YOUR OWN SPECIES?!” shouted Twilight, frustrated with Trixie’s determination.

“I can’t lose!” groaned Trixie as she tried to pull her hooves out of the mud.

“Why do you care about beating me so much?!” asked Twilight.

“I don’t care about that! I just don’t want to fail Ajax!” shouted Trixie.

Twilight couldn’t figure out why Trixie cared so much. Why was the unicorn so dedicated to Ajax? While Twilight stood baffled by Trixie’s actions, the unicorn managed to free herself from the sticky tar.

“You said that I couldn’t beat you because I fight for a master? Well, you’re wrong, Twilight! I also fight for my friends!” screamed Trixie as she rushed forward.

Twilight didn’t move, it was as if Trixie’s words had sent her consciousness to another realm.

“How bout a taste of your own medicine, Twilight? How about I show you the power of friendship!” roared Trixie as she channeled a beam of magic towards Twilight.

  The purple pony gathered her senses and channeled her own magical beam towards Trixie. The two beams of white and purple clashed as the two wizards pushed each other to their limits. Twilight felt herself being pushed backwards as Trixie’s beam of white magic began to overtake Twilight’s.

“Impossible…” whispered Twilight as Trixie’s beam swallowed hers. The alicorn prepared herself for the shockwave of energy that would soon follow. When Trixie’s blast reached the tip of Twilight’s horn the alicorn was sent flying. Twilight bounced off alley walls and crashed into a fountain before coming to a rest.

The unicorn heard a splash, she looked up and saw Trixie standing over her.

“I now fight for my friends too, Twilight. I will do anything to see that they are happy,” said Trixie as her horn began to glow with magic. Twilight tried to cast a spell, but her horn was still recovering from the blow she had just taken.

“But I choose to help them in my own way,” said Trixie as she encased Twilight in a block of ice. “Stay down Twilight and no further harm will come to you.” Twilight was encased in a block of ice; only the pony’s head was exposed. The unicorn smiled and adjusted her hat before trotting away from Twilight.

“You call yourself a friend?!”

Trixie stopped and looked back.

“Some friend you are! Have you looked at Ajax recently! Have you seen what he’s become?! Clearly you don’t know the first thing about friendship! You have to do what’s best for your friends! Tell me, do you think what’s going on is best for your friends?!” shouted Twilight as she struggled to break free of her icy prison.

Trixie didn’t say a word. The unicorn took a brief moment to think about what Twilight had said before trotting off.

Twilight slowly began to chip away the glacial ice.

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Dragons, one of Equestria’s most feared creatures, deadly beyond comprehension, spikes, fire, teeth; the dragons had many weapons to crush their foes. Ajax was familiar with the large bearded dragon leading the pack. Altragio, the father of the dragon Ajax had torn a heart out of to fuel Pandora Prime.

 “What possible reason could Altragio have to show his face here?” thought Ajax as he continued to fly towards the pack of dragons. The once human creature left a trail of burning black embers as it soared through the sky. An elderly green dragon came into view and flew ahead the rest of the pack. The green lizard had a roaring fire brimming in its mouth as it swooped towards Ajax.

“Just as I figured… why must all of Equestria’s inhabitants always try to get in my way, minotaurs, gryphons, and now dragons?!” Ajax slashed his sword at the dragon, creating a burning wave of  shadowfire that cut the beast in two.

“ALTRAGIO! WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE?!” cried Ajax as he crashed down on top of a roof. The moonlight around Ajax vanished as a massive creature slowly lowered itself down towards the demonic humanoid.

“Human… we’re here to protect Equestria by ensuring your demise!” growled the bearded red dragon.

“Why do you care about ponies?! I thought dragons cared not for the affairs of mortals?” hissed Ajax as he readied both of his swords.

“We don’t. However, I do care about those crystals that you posses. I may be old, but I can still remember the devastation the Elements of Chaos caused over eight hundred years ago. The safety of the world is jeopardized as long as you possess them. And since I know you are not willing to give them up freely, I will rip them from your corpse!”

Ajax laughed, as spider-like appendages of shadow grew out of his back and propped him up to match the height of the dragon. The demon’s body set ablaze with black fire, the roaring flames continued to grow in size until Ajax’s body was completely encased in flame. Two darkened patches of flame, resembling eyes appeared behind the blazing torch.

“I’m really starting to grow sick of Equestria and its inhabitants. I’ve been starting to wonder if its best that I just burn the entire world to ash! Let me show you the power that I posses dragon! The power I’ve achieved through the elements!”

“Die…”

The roaring fire grew to a size that matched the dragons.

“DIE!”

Two burning claws bursted out from the flame and grabbed onto Altragio. The elderly dragon spread his wings and tried to fly away, but the shadowy claws tightly gripped its shoulders.

“DIE!”

A blazing skull of black shot out from the dark patch of fire. It’s lower jaw dragged behind as it rushed towards the dragon. Two small white embers glared at Altragio as the flaming skull blitzed the dragon.

“Be purged by dragonfire!” exclaimed the enormous red lizard as he took a deep breath before spewing molten magma over the ebony skull. Screams of agony could be heard as the dark skull fell backwards as the scalding fluid washed over it. Altragio seized the opportunity to free himself from the burning claws. The red dragon snapped at the burning talons holding him, the severed shadowy arms sank back into the steam created by the molten magma. Altragio flapped his mighty wings, the heavy dragon was slow to make his way off the ground, but finally made his way into the sky. The lizards eyes searched the cloudy mist, but couldn't see any sign of Ajax.

Two white flames appeared behind the grey misty cloud. A dark skull dripping with molten lava emerged from behind the milky veil. Liquid fire dripped down its forehead, seeping into it’s eye sockets. The Elements of Chaos could be seen dimly glowing in the center of the skull’s forehead. A massive ebony and ivory horn emerged on the skull’s head as four enormous bone wings, easily fifty feet long shot outwards from behind the fog. A wall of burning darkness slowly pushed it’s way out into view as Ajax stepped into the moonlight. A wall of burning black covered the creature from the waist down. It looked human, but it was still far from it. Thin arms, with long claws at the end, a thick spine holding up a malnourished ribcage, it was an enormous monstrosity.

“AHH!” The creature screamed as it wrapped its talons around its skull. Five of the six Elements of Chaos glowed bright as a fifth blazing wing emerged on the giant’s back. “I’LL KILL YOU!” shouted Ajax as his bone legs coiled back and shot him up into the air.

“Gah! He’s fast!”

The massive burning humanoid nearly blew right through the dragon. The burning titan turned around and dove back down towards Altragio.

“Impossible… So fast, at such a size… I’m no match… No one could face a creature like this. He’s stronger than…” Altragio couldn’t believe it, in the blink of an eye Ajax had already turned around and crashed into him. The human drove the dragon into the ground. The earth ruptured for miles when the two colossal creatures crashed. A black flaming horned skull was the first to emerge from out of the crater, a red blast of fire crashed into the back of the skeletal head.

Dozens of dragon’s had gathered in an attempt to save their elder. The jaw of the burning behemoth dropped down to the top of its chest as it vomited obsidian fire towards the winged creatures.

“BACK OFF! HIS LIFE BELONGS TO ME!” screeched a demonic voice. Ajax reached down and lifted up the dragon’s head, the demon slammed Altragio against a building and dragged him through the entire city block.

“You thought you were a match for me? No creature posses the power to oppose me! You’ve made something clear for me, Altragio. Obviously I need to show the world what it’s like to lose everything! Only then will my crusade of vengeance be complete! After I’m done with Canterlot, I will purge Equestria of all life! The whole world will bathe in my black fire!”

“Ajax, please… look past your hardships…” The dragon was cut shot when a burning claw coiled around his mouth.

“I was not the first to possess the gift of black fire; a man named Traeger was. They say he was the strongest human in recorded history! I’m sure a dragon like you has heard the tale… of how he ripped a dragon in half with his bare hands!” Ajax grabbed ahold of Altragio’s bottom jaw, the creature forcefully opened the dragon’s mouth with both of its hands. “Let’s see if it’s truly possible!” Altragio jerked when he felt the human forceful pry his mouth wide open. “I’ll murder you, like I murdered your son!” growled Ajax as he continued to pull open the dragon’s mouth. A pond of blood began to pool in the dragons mouth as the red lizards flesh began to give way. Altragio claws tore up the streets of Canterlot as he desperately flailed about in an attempt to free himself from Ajax. The dragon’s eyes stared at the full moon, then at his tail, then at his back. With a final explosive burst of energy the behemoth tore the bearded dragon in half. Ajax was covered from head to toe in red. The Elements of Chaos hummed violently as the demon’s breath grew steady.

“I… am… a… GOD!” A roar of inhuman pride, rage, and cruelty rang throughout the streets of Canterlot.

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Dragons fell like flies out of the sky as gryphon’s fled.

“It’s no good! The thing is unstoppable!” cried a gryphon soldier.

The earth shook as the gryphons continued to run for their lives. Pandora Prime was damaged, but not destroyed. The machine had become more deadly if anything. Pandora Prime’s vibrant green eyes could be seen from miles, piercing the dark of night, a beacon of terror for those who opposed Ajax. The giant machine routed gryphons and minotaurs away from Canterlot as it continued to pluck dragon’s from the sky and crush their necks.

“It’s unstoppable! There’s no way into the city!” shouted a minotaur. Even the fearless minotaurs didn’t dare to stand before the hulking machine.

A cry of rage and pain…echoed throughout the valley.

“Did you hear that?” asked a gryphon soldier.

“Y-yeah, but what was that?...” answered another soldier.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

The gryphon’s turned to see a half-dead ursa major making its way across the battlefield towards Pandora Prime.

“The ursa major!? I-It’s still alive?!” shouted a gryphon.

Pandora Prime turned to face the crippled bear. The machine cast dozens of bright lights onto the bear.

“J.A.X.-002 commends you...Ursae Majoris… you have proven to be resilient.” Pandora Prime’s voice still oscillated frequencies. The ursa major only responded with a low pitched growl. The bear’s pace towards the robot slowly turned into a stampeding charge.

“J.A.X.-002 can’t formulate a reason as to why you insist on fighting.” The immense robot remained motionless as the bear continued to race towards it. With lightning speed Pandora Prime shot its arm forward and grabbed onto the ursa major’s head. The robot effortlessly lifted the astral bear into the air and over its head before slamming it into the ground. The ursa major moaned as its broken ribs pressed against its internal organs. Pandora Prime began to jab its fists into the astral beast. The dying cries of the ursa major sunk the hearts of the gryphons, minotaurs, and dragons. The machine continued to pound its fists as if they were pistons, into the bear’s underside. The ursa major fell silent. Satisfied, Pandora Prime turned away from the ursa major.

“None but robot’s and changelings are allowed in Canterlot! Leave or you shall be dealt with forcefully!” said Pandora Prime.

A yellow eye slowly opened. It’s vision was blurry, but it knew what it was looking at. Pandora Prime… an unstoppable machine; it had ridiculous strength, unbreakable armor. The eye shot wide open; it wasn’t sure if it was seeing straight. Pandora Prime’s back plating was cracked. The blast from the Skyline had dealt a blow strong enough to break apart the dwarven steel. The robot had a weak spot.

The ursa major stood up, its eyes were out of focus, the bear wasn’t even truly conscious anymore. One step, two steps, three; the zombie-like bear stumbled towards Pandora Prime. One last chance, one final opportunity, the ursa major took it.

“Prepare to be exterminated! J.A.X.-002……..” Pandora Prime jerked forward, the machine looked down. The head of a bear had bursted out of its chest, clenched in the ursa major's jaws, a beating heart, bleeding molten fire.The ursa major forced its mouth close with all of its remaining strength. The dragon heart bursted into flames as it was squashed between the bear’s enormous jaws. Pandora Prime pulled its arms back and with two open palms flattened the cosmic bears head with a single blow. The robot stumbled forward as the ursa major’s head slowly slid back into its chest and fell out the other side. The metal titan reached at the gaping hole in its chest as it fell to its knees.

“J.A.X.-002... shutting... down…” Pandora Prime fell forward, the robot shook the earth one final time as it collapsed to the ground. Without the dragon’s heart, the robot no longer had a source of energy.

“The giant is dead!” shouted a gryphon. “Quickly, storm the city! Now’s our chance!”

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A blast of energy blew open two luxurious doors. Ajax stepped into a dark room, the ex-human creature had reverted back to normal size, but still retained its repulsive figure. Nightmare Moon trotted in after Ajax, she took more time to look around the room, the alicorn was more attentive to detail.

“She’s not here,” concluded Ajax as he left the room and blew down another door.

“Where are they hiding her…” hissed Nightmare Moon as she stamped a hoof on the white palace floor.

“Ah, found her,” said Ajax as he stepped into a different room. It was another dark room, but it had a glowing fireplace, which at least provided some light. The moon could be seen sitting in between the panes of a large window. The white gem lit up a luxurious bed at the other side of the dark room. Etchings of the sun could be seen decorating the bed frame. Ajax heard hoofsteps as two royal guards stepped forward and approached him.

“S-s-stop r-r-right there,” muttered a guard, petrified with fear. Ajax laughed as he stepped towards the pony.

“Really? You’re going to stand up to me? Just the two of you?” asked Ajax. The demon laughed at the two frightened ponies. “Go ahead… get out of here,” said Ajax peacefully as he motioned for the two ponies to leave the room.

The stallion’s eyes went wide. The guards took a brief look at each other before dropping their spears and running towards the exit. Ajax turned and watched the two ponies flee, before shooting them in the back with black fire.

“HAHAHA… pitiful,” cackled the monster as it walked back towards the royal bed. “I find it hard to believe that Celestia would sleep through something like this,” growled Ajax as he slowly pushed away the drapes surrounding Celestia’s bed. “Well I’ll be damned.”

“The reason she’s passed out is because the moon I’ve placed in the sky is special. As long as it stays up, her energy will continued to be drained.” Ajax turned to the doorway, Nightmare Moon slowly trotted into the bedroom and stepped over the two charred stallion guards. “The same thing happened the first time I eclipsed the moon, a few years ago. She’ll be up with some of her energy in a few hours… if you’re willing to wait that long.”

“Nope.”

Ajax gripped the underside of the wooden framework and flipped Celestia’s bed over. “Wakey-wakey, Celestia!” exclaimed Ajax. He didn’t even wait to see if the pony had woken up, before firing a blast at the collapsed bed frame. A white alicorn crashed into the next room as bits and pieces of wood scattered across the floor. Ajax and Nightmare Moon stepped into the open room.

“Don’t tell me she’s just going to lie there,” groaned Ajax as he approached the alicorn. Celestia tried to push herself up to her hooves, but she was too weak. “Oh good, she’s finally up. Well, go on then,” said Ajax as he turned to Nightmare Moon. “I want her die by the hooves of her own sister.”

“Go...to hell,” groaned Celestia.

Ajax spat on the white alicorn as he walked back over to Nightmare Moon. “Go ahead, kill her,” said Ajax as he folded his arms. The dark alicorn slowly trotted towards Celestia.

“Gladly…” whispered Nightmare Moon as she lifted Celestia up into the air.

The white alicorn twirled around before being thrown against a stone pillar. Celestia grit her teeth as she tried to maintain her composure. Nightmare Moon stomped her front hooves into Celestia’s side. The pony spat out blood as she screamed out in pain.

“This is boring,” groaned Ajax. “I was hoping for this to be more... eventful. Whatever, if this is how it’s going to end I suppose I’ll just have to accept it.”

“Sister, this isn’t you, elements don’t decide who you… FIGHT IT! I know you can,” said Celestia as she struggled to look up at Nightmare Moon. The dark alicorn hesitated to deal the final blow to Celestia.

“Well, what are you waiting for?! Finish it!” shouted Ajax, the creature was watching intently, waiting for the black alicorn to finish his fight. However the pony didn’t move a muscle, she remained motionless as her eyes struggled to focus.

Ajax stomped towards Nightmare Moon and began to shout in front of her face. “I posses the Elements of Chaos! I own you! Now, do what I say!” screamed Ajax.

“I’m... the one who decides... who I am… not you... or the Elements of Chaos,” said a voice that Ajax had hoped not to hear. Princess Luna had broken free from the Elements of Chaos’ influence. A blast of fire smashed into the reformed pony after she spoke.

“I’ll do it myself!” shouted Ajax. “I need to stop trusting others to handle important tasks, the only one I can trust… is myself!” Ajax turned to Celestia, but in a burst of magic, Princess Luna appeared between him and her sister.

“You’ll have to go through me first!” growled the alicorn. Ajax rolled his eyes. The demon’s right arm quickly shot up and caught something mid-air. A sharp golden wing… was caught in between the long talons of Ajax’s right claw. The demon slowly looked over at the gryphon that had tried to catch him off guard.

“You’re rude to interrupt. We were in the middle of something,” said Ajax as he tossed Bjorn across the room. The gryphon spun himself around and dug his claws into the marble floor.

“Look at you! You’re…” said Bjorn, but the gryphon paused, he heard something.

“Great… is that more visitors I hear?” hissed Ajax as he turned to a door. Trixie, Chrysalis and Lightning Dust bursted through an extravagant white door. Both, Trixie and Lightning Dust were trying their best to carry Chrysalis, the alicorn's bandages were soaked red. The changeling queen was no longer even conscious. The unicorn and the pegasus desperately turned to Ajax.

“Ajax! We’ve finally found you!” exclaimed Trixie. “Chrysalis needs your help, I’ve done all I can with my magic, but its not enough. If we don’t get her proper treatment…” Ajax raised a hand towards Trixie without even looking in her direction.

“Shutup, or I’ll kill you...” said Ajax casually.

“A-Ajax?” stammered Trixie. Trixie was unsure why her friend was acting so cold towards her. The unicorn slowly looked up and down Ajax’s new demonic appearance.

“Ajax? Is it really you?” she thought to herself.

“Celestia!” shouted a voice. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Cadence, and Pinkie Pie rushed into the large open room through a door located on the other side of the room. Ironhoof stomped in a few seconds after the ponies arrived.

“Great everyone’s gathered in one place so I can kill them, without having to hunt them down,” declared Ajax.

“We’ll see about that!” shouted Ironhoof as he jumped up into the air and swung his axe down onto Ajax’s head. The axe crashed into Ajax’s skull, but the heavy steel head didn’t leave a mark on Ajax. The demon stood still with its arms folded as the minotaur brought his axe back and swung towards Ajax's neck. A direct hit, but not even a scratch was inflicted on the human. The smug monster didn’t even budge.

“I-Impossible... “whispered Ironhoof as he stepped back.

“Enough! This ends now!” shouted Twilight.The air sparked with energy as Twilight, Luna, and Cadence stepped forward. The three alicorn’s horns glowed as they prepared to blast Ajax with their most powerful spells.

“Take this!” shouted the three ponies as they unleashed their magic on the human.

The three blasts of energy entwined with one another as they flew towards Ajax. An explosive force filled the room that nearly sent every pony, minotaur, and gryphon flying. When the smoke cleared a quiet laugh could be heard. Ajax hadn’t even moved despite taking the blow head on.

“Don’t worry, your deaths will be quick… for the most part,” said Ajax as he raised his arm. Everyone in the room was instantly wrapped in bonds mixed with bone and chain, except for Trixie, Chrysalis, and Lightning Dust.

Five of the six elements of chaos on Ajax’s back resonated with energy as the human slowly approached the captive ponies, minotaur and gryphon.

“Let’s see how much power the Elements of Chaos are capable of, shall we? After I’m through with you I shall become Equestria’s new god…” boasted Ajax. “I will rule over everything! Forever!” he howled as his body resonated chaotic energy.

“This isn’t you, Ajax…” A light blue unicorn stared at the creature Ajax had become.

Trixie was heartbroken.