//------------------------------// // Judgement Draws Near // Story: Blooming Talent // by Griffin Productions //------------------------------// "Battle stations!" Flash Sentry, the new captain of the royal guard bellowed to the ponies as his orange wings flapped aggressively. Pinkie Pie, still in Rainbow Power state, took up a fighting stance at the front of the assembled guards and soldiers; several of Ponyville's old residents, including Mr. Cake, Bulk Biceps, Berry Punch, and even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, stood amongst the ranks like militia. They had lost many friends this day, and weren't about to let the changelings get away with it. Pinkie knew they were scared; all of them. She could feel it in the air as the tension became more palpable with each passing moment. To her, it seemed as if a pony could seriously choke under such pressure. Her thoughts were brought back to the present with the sound of hundreds of buzzing wings approaching rapidly. Sapphic looked down on the city of Canterlot as he approached with his siblings behind him. It seemed like the entire population wanted a piece of him; spears, swords, and magical weapon constructs could be seen all over the soon-to-be warzone. As much as he would love to stay and kill all of them, he had a mission to complete, and he had wasted enough time with the common rabble as it was. Turning to his followers, he pointed down at the army of pastel ponies aggressively. "This is it!" He shouted so every changeling ear could hear. "This is to be our moment! Our glorious, long-awaited moment! These ponies down on the ground want to once again take that very moment from us! Even now, with their cities in shambles and their families and friends disheveled, they resist us! Show them the error in their ways, brothers and sisters! Show them what happens to anyone who tries to take what is rightfully ours! Our revenge!" Wit roars of approval, the large cloud of changelings began to descend upon Canterlot like kamikazes hell bent on destroying every bit of their targets. As if they were mortar duds, they impacted the ground hard, leaving small craters in the cobblestone streets of the royal city. Some landed in the middle of the formations of ponies, causing sudden panic and injury to those they landed around and on respectively. Pinkie herself cringed when she heard the sound of a pony's skull shattering under one of the bug-creature's high impact hooves. Flash Sentry let out a battle cry, which every other soldier did immediately afterwards, followed by the civilian ponies shouts. Like a tidal wave of bloodlust and violence not seen in Equestria for over a thousand years, the streets exploded into war. Blood, both green and red in color began to run down the storm drains as magical bullets, swords, spears, energy blasts and everything but the kitchen sink was shot, swung, thrown and blasted in every direction one could imagine. Sapphic grinned in satisfaction, knowing his changelings could handle this for the moment. The only pony they really had to fear was Pinkie Pie, as Twilight was in no state to even speak thanks to him. He chuckled darkly, and started to fly off towards the castle. Pinkie Pie immediately noticed this, and started to take off after him, but one of the changeling drones grabbed hold of her. Another soon joined in, dragging her down,and once they had her grounded, another joined in on the fun. The trio started to beat on the pink party pony savagely, until she fired off a few rainbow colored blasts from her forehooves, frying two of them. The last one pinned her down, and made for her throat with it's teeth as Pinkie shut her eyes. The pain she was expecting never came, and when she dared to open her eyes, she was surprised to see the changeling choking and writhing for air as Octavia held her bow, string first, across it's neck. The nylon wire caught underneath one of the faults in the monster's exoskeleton, and began to sink into it's cyan flesh like a saw blade as Octavia pulled back as hard as she could. Once the changeling stopped twitching, she released it and it fell to the ground, devoid of life. "I....I just killed somepony..." She said, looking at her hooves shakily. Pinkie knew she didn't have much time, and placed a hoof on Octavia's shoulder. "Thanks, Octavia, but let the others handle it from here. You saved me, and that's an ok thing to kill for...you go home and..uh...do what you do. I gotta run! Er...fly!" With that short and blunt statement, the usually jovial party pony blasted into the air after Sapphic; those words now tasting sour on her tongue. She never thought she'd say it was an ok thing to kill somepony, even a changeling. Sapphic sensed her approach before she actually arrived, and quickly turned around to fire several consecutive ki blasts in her direction. That blasts that came near her, she merely knocked away with her hoof; an angry expression upon her face. "You think you're gonna get away with everything you've done?!" She howled at him, her bright eyes going dark for a moment. "I got news for you, buster!" Scoffing, Sapphic charged up a slightly more powerful attack. "And I have something for you!" He tossed the sphere like a volleyball serve, batting it downwards at Pinkie. In her rage, Pinkie misjudged the power, and was flung back as the ki sphere exploded at the touch of her powered up hoof. Grinning, Sapphic turned towards the ever closer castle once more, but sensed Pinkie's Power level again. Turning back in surprise, he saw her not just catching up now, but gaining rapidly. She was fast; not as fast as Scootaloo or Rainbow Dash had been, but still amazing all the same. He weaved out of the way of her charge, and was nearly caught in a rainbow beam of energy which she fired back from in front of him. He saw her coming in for a follow up attack, and grabbed her muzzle; Pinkie thrashed, and shot several beams out in all directions, but Sapphic would have none of it. As if slapping a ragdoll into the floor, he swung her body back, and smashed it a good two feet into the ground. The outline was comical in a way, but to Sapphic, it was a grim satisfaction. The party pony began to get up again, and Sapphic figured he should end this wasteful fight. Diving in feet first, he pounded on her and began to kick her down through the rock and clay as if he were doing a jig atop her back. The pain was non-stop as Pinkie couldn't even think; her body being used like a living oil drill, but with no oil to bring up. Everytime the changeling prince's merciless feet struck her back, it felt like a railroad spike had been driven into her, and the bed rock she was now being smashed through didn't feel too great either. Pinkie was finally knocked out of her Rainbow Power state just as they hit magma; the searing sludge bubbling beneath the too was intensely hot and the air around it just as much so. Sapphic smashed her downwards with a final kick, and she began to rapidly descend into the liquid fire below. He didn't waste time to see her burn in agony; she was an earth pony, and her Rainbow Power was depleted. She was as good as liquefied. He had two much bigger ponies to fry... "Celestia! Luna! I'm coming for you!" * * * Celestia's eyes shot wide-open as she felt the air around her tighten a bit, and not from her own impressive power. Luna looked to her elder sister in worry, but an instant later felt the same, eerie sensation. "'Tis Sapphic, isn't it?" Celestia nodded solemnly. "He is here; him and all his changelings...we are out of time, sister..." "Surely the townsfolk will buy us a little more." "I'm afraid he has skipped over them, Luna." The slender white mare stated. "His changelings have them occupied...it is up to us now...up to us to defend what's left of our kingdom." The last bit of that stung Celestia a bit. She knew it was for the best interest of Equestria as a whole, but she couldn't help but feel responsible for all the deaths that had happened this day in her name. So much pain and suffering, all so she could gather power to defeat the tyrant who would see her and her sister dethroned. She would not let her subjects down; would not let their sacrifices be in vain. The floor shook as a huge boom echoed throughout the castle, vibrating the very bricks that made up it's walls. Sapphic had entered. "It's time, sister." Celestia said, taking wing. Luna followed without a word; readiness and righteous fury in her sparkling eyes. This battle would decide Equestria's fate.