//------------------------------// // Act 1 Chapter 3 - End of Act 1 // Story: All the Trolls. ALL OF THEM. // by Alex Prior //------------------------------// “Ugh,” Rainbow groaned. “Ugh ugh ugh. This is so boring!” “Rainbow, calm down,” Twilight said, turning back to the monitors. “Ugh… ugh!!!” Rainbow cried. “I don’t know how long I can stand this castle. There’s just… why?” “Rainbow, watchin’ the monitors is an important job,” Applejack said. “What if the Doomed Gods make a move and we aren’t there to respond?” “Look, these Doomed Gods haven’t made a move since Twilight went back to get her book, and that’s like, two weeks ago,” Rainbow said. “I thought we’d be done with this in, like, a couple hours at most.” “Well, that was a little silly of you, wasn’t it?” Rarity said. “Just because our past affairs with evil were wrapped up quickly doesn’t mean that this one will.” “But… we’re trapped inside on Nightmare Night!!!” “Mmm, yes, that is an issue, isn’t it,” A voice said serenely. The ponies turned around to see Celestia standing in the monitor room doorway. “Err- Princess,” Twilight stuttered. “We were just-” “Go,” Celestia smiled. “Uh- what?” “Go on,” Celestia said. “It is Nightmare Night. I’ll get Luna to give you all a ride back to Ponyville. I’ll take over here.” “YES!!!” Rainbow screamed, dashing out of the room without a pause. Pinkie followed quickly after, followed by Applejack and Rarity. A stunned Twilight turned to leave as well. “Err- thank you,” Fluttershy said, before exiting the room as well. “Ah…” Celestia breathed. “Well, it’s about time now. Let’s get to work.” ----- “:33< Alrighty, Captor. Try again!” Leijon cheered. “I’m sure you’ll get it this time!” Captor gave a frustrated sigh and took a deep breath. Concentrating, holding his breath, his eyes began to bubble with lights of red and blue. Struggling to control the wild energy, a bead of sweat dribbled down his forehead as the multicolored glow intensified. “H-hey, guy2?” he stuttered. “II thiink II may ju2t have iit-” Suddenly, with an explosion of light, the energy blasted free, sending shockwaves through the room and throwing Captor to a nearby mattress. “Owww,” he groaned. “:33< Dangit,” Leijon swore. “:33 I thought fur sure that you had it that time!” “At least we thought to bring out the mattresses,” Vantas said. “That’s made it maybe half as likely that he’d kill himself over the course of this. Would be easier if we could find a more open space to practice.” “:33< But Vantas, Zahhak said we couldn’t leave!” Leijon reminded. “I know, I know, I just wish he’d tell us why,” Vantas complained, jabbing a finger in the direction of the massive troll. “He’s just sitting there over in the corner, staring at the wall and twiddling his fingers, telling us not to go anywhere.” “...” Zahhak said. “L00k, everyb0dy,” Megido interrupted. “We’ll get thr0ugh this, I kn0w it. We may have limited res0urces, but we’ve g0t the drive and determinati0n t0 succeed!” “Uh, M3g1do?” Pyrope interrupted. “C4n 1 t4lk to you?” “Sure,” Megido replied, breaking off as the group moved to help Captor back to his feet. Picking a deserted corner of the lab, she asked, “S0, what d0 y0u need?” “L1st3n, M3g1do,” Pyrope said. “1 r34l1z3 th4t th1s 1s blunt 4s 4ll h3ll, but Captor h4s to go.” “N0,” Megido said. “L00k, Pyr0pe, I d0n’t care what y0u 0r any0ne else has t0 say. We’re a team and we’ll stick t0gether, even if 0ne 0f 0ur members sp0ntane0usly emits deadly laser fire.” “Look, 1 know you m3an w3ll, M3g,” Pyrope argued, “But th1s s1mply 1sn’t som3th1ng w3 c4n r1sk. 1n c4s3 you h4v3n’t not1c3d, w3’r3 on th3 fr1gg1n’ moon. Wh4t h4pp3ns 1f Captor sl1ps 4nd f1r3s 4 hol3 through th3 c31l1ng?” “Pyr0pe, I d0n’t think y0u quite understand,” Megido cried. “This is about 0ur principles, and the highest principle we have is each 0ther. We’re here f0r each 0ther, we supp0rt each 0ther, and we’re n0t ab0ut t0 thr0w s0me0ne 0ut f0r an issue that we can fix.” “Would you stop pr34ch1ng 4nd th1nk, M3g?” Pyrope glared. “Th1s 1sn’t 4n 4nnoy1ng hab1t or som3th1ng w3’r3 d34l1ng w1th, th3s3 4r3 d34dly d34th r4ys of d34th! 31th3r Captor l34av3s, or som3body 1s go1ng to g3t s3r1ously hurt.” The two dissidents growled at each other in frustration as, elsewhere in the lab, another pair prepared for a stealthy exit. Nitram and Maryam slowly approached the transportalizer pad when suddenly, an angry voice rang out behind them. “And y8u are going WHERE?” The two trolls were shuffling awkwardly, neither wanting to meet their captor’s eyes. Nitram rubbed the back of his neck. “uHHHH, WELL, WE K1ND OF THOUGHT...” Maryam took over. “Currently, Equestria Is Observing A Celebrartion Known As Nightmare Night, And Given The Somewhat Cramped Available Spacing In Combination With Our Recent Lack Of Outwards Ventures, We Thought We Would Disguise Ourselves As Local Populace And Observe The Current Festivities. I Read One Of The Books Megido Brought. It Had A Lovely Description Of The Modern Nightmare Night, And I thought I...” She quailed under Mindfang’s glare. “I Am Sorry.” Serket rolled her eyes. “And h8w, ex8ctly, were y8u pl8nning to ‘8lend in’, hmmmmmmmm?” She cast another glare over the quavering trolls. “Need I rem8nd y8u th8t we are a compl8ly differ8nt species? I’m w8ing.” Nitram spoke up. “wELL, i, UHHHH,” He paused. From the concentrated expression, it seemed that he was gathering himself. “Remem8er when we tr1ed our hand at work1ng under D1scord? He, uHHHH, AHEM. He gave me th1s.” He picked an item from his sylladex, a ray gun-esque device. “1t’s, uh, a pon1f1er. He sa1d 1t was, uh, ‘for contr1ved conven1ence’, 1 th1nk ... ” Mindfang blinked. “Why is it th8t everything is so damn convenient f8r us? This is getting 8ooooooooring. Z8p me.” This time, it was Maryam’s turn to blink. “Zap You? I Am Afraid I Do Not Understand.” Serket rolled her eyes. “G8ds, you are such 8 fussyfangs. Zap me. Zip. Nada. I want in on the fun. Etc. Etc. Zap me!” The two would-be escapees glanced at each other. Slowly, Nitram shrugged. “Ok.” He leveled the device first at Serket and then at Maryam, zapping each once, before turning the ponifier on himself. ZAP! The other two trolls stared. “What?” Nitram had gained height, his head now those of a bull’s, while his legs had gained cloven hooves. Simply put, he was now a minotaur. He shrugged. “1 just don’t know wh8t went wrong.” He took another look over the two trolls-turned-ponies. Both were unicorns with similar hairstyles to their anthropomorphic counterparts. Serket was a steely gray-blue, while Maryam was a rich green color. “Nothing to do a8out it,” Mindfang said. “Now, let’s go!” A woosh later, and all three were gone. ----- Megido snapped to attention at the telltale woosh of an outbound transportalizer. “0h n0. N0n0n0n0! Wh0 t00k 0ff?” She took a look around the lab. In retrospect, the question was kind of redundant. There was no obnoxious presence of Serket nor the stuttering Nitram. In a closer look, the mothering Maryam was also gone. That calmed her a little. No need for a complete panic, then. Wait, was that a hand? ...Alone. Huh. She shook herself out of it. She raised her voice slightly. “Hey! D0es any0ne kn0w where Serket and Nitram w0uld have g0ne?” Most of the trolls in hearing range shook their heads with various degrees of annoyance. But there was one answer that surprised her. “D --> Nightmare Night.” Megido turned to see Zahhak glaring at the empty transportalizer, his mighty fists clenched in rage. “D --> Those idiotic f001s.” ...What? ----- The night was dark, the air cool, as Spike stood on the balcony of the Golden Oaks library, surveying the sky for some expected visitors. “Come on, Twilight,” he whispered, scanning the horizon. “Wait- there!” Spike fled from the balcony, descending through the treehouse, and rushed quickly into town square. “They’re here!” He called “Twilight and everypony are back!” A considerable crowd had gathered by the time Twilight’s golden carriage alighted into town square. Everypony cheered as the Elements exited the chariot, smiling at the crowd. Spike leapt up and gave Twilight a great hug. “Oh, I’ve missed you Twilight,” he whispered. “It sure is good to be back,” Twilight replied. Suddenly, the cheers of the crowds turned to gasps. Twilight and Spike turned around to see Princess Luna climb from the carriage, standing tall and proud. “Best greetings be upon ye!” she cried. “For on this Merry Evening, ye shall have the honor of partaking in the great celebration ye title ‘Nightmare Night’ with none other but Ourselves!” As the crowd stared wide-mouthed, Spike gave Twilight a tap on the shoulder. “Twilight, could I talk to you for a moment?” he asked nervously, dragging Twilight behind the carriage. “What were you thinking!” he whisper-shouted. “Bringing Nightmare Moon to Ponyville on a holiday meant to encourage fear of her?” “That’s not Nightmare Moon,” Twilight whispered back. “That’s Princess Luna and she’s reformed now. All the townsponies saw it too, remember?” “Yeah, but then Luna was smaller and lighter,” Spike argued. “Now, she’s Nightmare Moon without the armor!” Twilight sighed. “Alright, look. I’m just going to wrap everything up here and now.” Stepping out from behind the chariot, she addressed the crowd. “Listen up, everypony,” she called. “This is not Nightmare Moon. This is your benevolent ruler, Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night and artist of this glorious starry sky we’re all glad to have tonight. You have no reason to fear her. She’s a pony just like you or I, and she just wants the best for her citizens.” “Well spoken, Twilight Sparkle!” Luna shouted. “Ye are a truly talented speaker indeed. Citizens- truth pours from the unicorn’s mouth. We are here for the sole purpose of celebration and festivity, and therefor, by the powers invested in Us, please let Nightmare Night truly begin!” The townsponies, though clearly still uneasy, seemed to have calm down a bit, and dispersed, readying themselves for the upcoming event. Twilight smiled at this development. “With any luck,” she said, “that will be the extent of panic tonight. I’d love a relaxing celebration right about now.” It was unfortunate, however, that Twilight had none of the luck, owing of course to the fact that somepony else had all of the luck, and wasn’t about to share. ----- “So,” Vantas said, addressing the gathering of trolls- “And also maybe someone else who might be tuning in!” Pinkie, I thought I dealt with you’re interference already? How did you figure out how to get here? “Simple. I just went back and reread the first part!” Son of a… Fine then. Pinkie, you’re interrupting the story. “Oops! Sorry, ‘Mr. Narrator.’ I’ll be quiet now.” Excellent. Now where was I? “So,” Vantas said, “You’re telling me that all this time you’ve been using your void powers to shield us from detection and that since Maryam, Serket, and Nitram left, they could be found out?” “...” Zahhak nodded. “And you didn’t tell use this before because you’re too busy working on… whatever it is you’re working on?” “...” Another nod. “Oh, for the love of… do you know how insufferable you can be?! Do you? Do you? Really freaking insufferable!” Vantas cried. “We’ve g0t to g0 after them,” Megido said. “W3 don’t h4v3 to,” Pyrope argued. “Th3y w3r3 stup1d 3nough to h34d out on th31r own, l3t th3m f1x th1s on th31r own.” “No, we’re helping the wigglers,” Vantas growled. “Like it or not, Nitram and Serket are the most powerful ones here. We’re going after them.” Snapping into Leader Mode, Vantas climbed atop the transportalizer. “Alright everyone. We’re going to do this real simple. We transportalize down there. We grab the idiots. We transportalize back. Now come on.” “Oof.” “Ergh!” “Thii2 ii2 really crowded.” “Somebody hit the button or whatever!” *Woosh!* ----- In the Canterlot Monitoring Station, alarms started blaring. Celestia spat out her coffee. Her hooves began flying over the keyboards, typing orders and commands. Turning to the stack of parchment on her right, she snatched a quill with her magic and scribbled a quick letter, before casting a spell that sent the message on its way. Doomed Gods detected! Nearing your location! Wait for backup! ----- Two ponies and one minotaur stood on the outskirts of Ponyville, just staring somewhat awkwardly at the village before them. “So… I guess we just go in?” Nitram asked. “I Suppose So,” Maryam replied. “We Ought To Dispel Any Notions Of Anxiousness Here, Though. Our Disguises Will Hold Up Only So Long As We Stay In Character, So Acting Nervous For No Discernable Reason Is Sure To Set Off Some Warning Alarms.” With those words the trio took their first steps into Ponyville. “Hey there!” Suddenly a pink Earth Pony, which Maryam recognized from the trolls’ escape from Canterlot, appeared before them. “I know word gets around, but I’d never expect ponies to travel here specifically for Nightmare Night! Though… it looks like not all of you are ponies!” Sticking her muzzled into Nitram’s face, she asked, “You’re a minotaur, aren’t you! Oh, I’ve never seen one of you in real life, before. What’s your name?” “Uh- my name?” Nitram stumbled. “Yes, your name, silly,” Pinkie said. “Everypony has a name!” “His name is Swift Lance,” Serket interrupted. “I’m Silken Sheen. That’s Eclipse,” she gestured to Maryam. “We’re here for the Nightmare Night cele8ration, though you seem to have figured that out already.” “Tee hee. Nothing get’s past me!” Pinkie giggled. “Come on, I’ll show you all the best spots for fun!” Pinkie set off down the street. The pony trolls glanced at each other, then followed after. “Err- thanks, M1ndfang,” Nitram whispered. Serket smirked back. “It never hurts to 8e prepared,” she replied. “Now hurry up. I think the pink pony wants to show us something.” The group had now reached town square, and the eager Pinkie was already gesturing frantically at the attractions around them. “Here’s some apple bobbing,” she announced, pointing to the water-filled barrel and its fruity content. “It’s being run by my friend Applejack here, so feel free to give it a try. Ooh, here’s a classic!” she rushed the group ahead to another game. “Take a spider, land it on that web!” she explained, grabbing an arachnid from the basket and tossing it towards the web. Serket looked intrigued until Pinkie hurried the group along again. “And here’s one of my personal favorites,” she explained, pointing to the enormous catapult. “See those targets out there. You can shoot a pumpkin at them! Ooh, but wait. You should probably wait ‘till Princess Luna is done with it.” Pinkie trotted along, intent on explaining something else, and failed to notice that her charges were no longer following her. Instead, they stared in shock at the Princess, distraught at the sight of their enemy. Well, Serket and Nitram were distraught. Maryam, having never met Luna, was simply gazing upon the alicorn with undisguised curiosity. The Princess, noticing the stares, turned to face the disguised trolls. “Err- citizens? Be there anything with we ye require Our assistance?” Serket grabbed the others and dragged them quickly away, to a deserted section of the town square. “Hmm. Well that was rather rude. The things Celestia allows these days,” Luna muttered to herself. “Princess!” Luna turned to see Twilight racing across to her. “Princess Luna, I’ve got some terrible news! The Doomed Gods have been detected in the immediate area.” Luna’s eyes widened in shock, before narrowing suspiciously and turning to face the citizens holding conference on the other side of the town square. “We’ve got to go,” Serket announced. “gO? b-But we just got here!” Nitram argued. “It’s no use,” Serket declared. “It’s just too dangerous. We didn’t expect either the Princess or her companions to be here. Now let us escape while we still can!” “I Would Hate To Be The Voice Of Pessimism, But Our Window Of Escape May Already Have Been Closed,” Maryam interrupted. The arguing trolls turned to see Princess Luna and the Elements of Harmony approaching. Serket blinked. “Screw it. Run!” The Trolls-Turned-Pony(-And-Minotaur) turned tail and ran -- full tilt into the trolls approaching from the other side of town. “We f0und y0u!” Megido cried as Serket, Nitram, and Maryam picked themselves up. “Looks l1k3 th4t’s not th3 only th1ng th3y’ve found,” Pyrope warned, gesturing at the ponies. “M3g1do, fr33z3 th3m 4g41n!” Before the Maid of Time could follow through on the command, Twilight’s horn glowed and a wave of purple washed over her and her companions. “You won’t be freezing us in time now that I have a counterspell running,” she grinned. “Now if you all hold still, Princess Celestia might give you mercy when she comes to collect you.” “Hmph. Not likely,” Ampora replied, drawing his wand. “No c)(eap time tricks just means we can give you lot a beatdown the R-E-EL way,” Peixes grinned. All around, the trolls were drawing their weapons and preparing for strife. Luna glanced towards the townsponies, who were staring with shock at the unfolding scene. “Citizens!” she cried. “Get back. Your princess will defeat these fiends and keep you safe.” A flash of the ponyfier and Nitram, Maryam, and Serket returned to their troll forms. Vantas gave them a look that said “We’re going to talk later,” before he turned to the rest of his team. “If Celestia is coming by, then we need to defeat this lot before she gets here,” he announced. “Take them out quickly and then we abscond. Understan-” “Yaaa!!!” Rainbow Dash cried as she zoomed towards the trolls. Megido zoomed ahead to meet the pegasus head on, and knocked her away. Strife! From the start, the ponies were at somewhat of a disadvantage. There were only seven of them, as compared to the twelve trolls, and Fluttershy barely counted as she was hardly a fighter. In fact none of them were trained combatants, aside of course from Princess Luna, who hadn’t seen real combat in over a thousand years. The muscle memory of flight, however, of bucking enemies in the face and of offensive spells, was still deeply ingrained inside her as she flew towards the sheep-horned Megido. Her horn lit with the shine of night as she sent a blast of dark magic in the Maid’s direction. Megido avoided the attack and seized Applejack’s apple-bobbing-barrel in her telekinetic grip. She hurled the container at Luna, who responded by blasting the barrel to smithereens. Clearly, Luna was not one to be trifled with. Applejack having seen how Rainbow’s reckless approach led to her immediate fall, was taking a more cautious approach. Leijon had engaged her soon after the Strife began, and the two were circling each other, each hoping for an opening. Leijon smiled, baring her sharpened teeth, and quite suddenly she pounced at farmer, deploying sharp blades from her claw gloves as she aimed to slice the pony in two. Applejack leapt backwards, barely avoiding Leijon’s swipes. Pressing her advantage, Leijon sprung again, her claws scratching Applejack slightly as she was slow to dodge. Grunting in pain, the Earth Pony ducked beneath another slash, before she rushed forwards, intent on knocking the Troll down. Leijon nimbly bounced over the pony, and turned to attack only to be distracted by a floating hand and receive an Apple-family-buck to her chest. Leijon flew backwards and slid across the ground. Applejack dashed forwards to continue her attack only to be stopped by a much bulkier troll. “D --> Don’t touch her.” ----- Rarity was not one for violence, as she found it unbefitting of a lady. She was not, however, naive. She lived in a dangerous world, and as such has taken classes on the art of combat, the elegant type. She had never guessed that she’d use these skills to dodge the vicious stabs of a mad troll, however. Pyrope gave a crazed grin as she continued to assault the seamstress with her stabbing cane. After barely avoiding a particularly wild swipe, Rarity’s eyes narrowed and she seized the weapon with her telekinesis. Pyrope clung to the cane, and the two struggled to gain control of the sharp instrument. Rarity grunted as she gave a great tug, finally ripping the cane from Pyrope’s hands. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Maryam, wielding a large chainsaw, approaching. Swinging the sword cane, Rarity blocked Maryam’s initial attack. Twirling the cane in her dexterous telekinesis, Rarity made several stabs at the Dolorosa, all of which she avoided. Rarity prepared for another strike when Pyrope, her steps hidden by the whirring of the chainsaw, bodyslammed into the Element of Generosity. Rarity hit the ground, the wind knocked out of her. Before she could struggle to her feet, Pyrope grabbed Rarity around the horn, and slammed her head against the ground. Rarity’s vision spun before fading away. “4nd 1,” Pyrope said, reaching for her stabbing cane, “W1ll t4k3 th4t b4ck.” Rainbow Dash had barely recovered from her one-way flight into the ground when she found a trident at her throat. “Move, and you get speared,” Peixes threatened. “Hmph. You think you’re fast enough?” Rainbow smirked, in spite of her situation. “No. I t)(ink you aren’t,” Peixes grinned. A flash of color and Rainbow was behind Peixes, grabbing her around the waist. “Big mistake,” she said before taking off, lifting the troll into the air. Peixes tried to stab at the pegasus, but the sheer speed of flight kept her from moving. Rainbow reached the peak of her flight before she looped around and dove back towards the ground. Streaking to the earth, she prepared to slam the seadweller into the hard rock below. A blast of white filled her vision, and she dropped her passenger, spinning away as the beam of magic launched her across the sky. Peixes fell, descending uncontrollably until she felt herself caught in the arms of another troll. “Gotcha,” Ampora said, wisps of white still flowing from his wand. “Aww, you’re so sweet sometimes,” Peixes smiled. Glancing away for a moment, she saw Rainbow Dash up again and zooming towards them. Grabbing her nearby trident, Peixes said, “Excuse me for a moment,” and hurled her trident at the incoming pegasus. The fork soared through the air and caught Rainbow by her neck. It’s arc continued until it plunged into the town square, pinning Rainbow Dash to the ground between its prongs. ----- “You ever think?” Makara asked. “About all this existential shit, I mean. Like, what if who we are isn’t really who we are. And what if all our actions, these random miracles… aren’t so random. It just blows your motherfucking mind, you know?” “Yeah, I know,” Pinkie replied a little tipsy, taking another drink from her cup. “This is some strong stuff here.” “Faygo is the strongest of beverages,” Makara said. “It’s so unassuming, and yet so imposing. That’s like some paradoxical description there.” Overhead, two figures darted back and forth across the sky, trading attacks. Luna fired several more volleys of dark magic, all of which Megido avoided with ease. Zooming towards the princess, Megido struck Luna across the jaw. To her surprise, the alicorn barely flinched, and instead gave Megido a massive headbutt. Megido spun through the air and crashed to the ground, dazed from the strength of the hit. Luna’s horn lit with a dark glow as she charged a spell when suddenly she spotted a second attacker. Serket, clad now in her orange god pajamas, flew towards the Princess of the Night. Her hand glowing orange, a status message popped up next to the Thief of Light. +ALL the Luck! Luna glanced to her side to see that another message had popped up next to her. --All of it! Serket gave a mischievous grin before throwing the Fluorite Octet. Arachnid of Unusual Size! A monstrous white spider appeared before the suddenly terrified princess, baring its pincers and fangs. “I had no idea they could get that big,” she was heard muttering, before charging forth with eyes closed and her horn glowing. The gigantic arachnid took a leap to avoid the scorching beam, spitting web at the Princess. Luna opened her eyes in time to see and avoid the incoming blast of silk. She fired another ray of magic, and this one hit home. “Aww, come on!” Serket yelled. “You’re killing spidermom? No8ody kills spidermom except me, dammit!” ----- Fluttershy cowered in a corner, careful not to interrupt any of the ongoing fights. Though she wanted to help her friends, she was terrified of getting in the way, and even more so that she may cause one of them to get hurt. Her fear was a powerful thing. It obscured her senses so, and she didn’t even notice the clanking of robotic legs as a troll approached. “Hey, you,” Nitram said. Fluttershy leapt into the air in surprise, before nervously turning to face her aggressor. “What’s your name?” Nitram asked. “F-f-fluttershy,” the pegasus stammered. “Great,” Nitram said, holding his palms to his forehead. “Fluttershy. Go to sleep.” The animal caretaker immediately flopped over, out like a light, and Nitram wondered how much of it was from his influence and how much of it was from sheer terror. “Well, at least it was easy,” he said. Glancing up at the sparring Thief of Light and Ruler of Night, he sighed. “This, on the other hand, will be hard.” ----- *hOnK* Makara, with a mostly-drunk Pinkie draped across his shoulders, waltzed past. “Yooo, starfield. I got yo motherfuckin’ pony right damn here.” Ignoring the incredulous stares, he stepped on a transportalizer pad (where the hell did that even come from?) and vanished. ----- Twilight Sparkle avoided another swing of Vantas’s sickle. Readying her magic, she fired several blasts of violet at the troll, who barely dodged. Vantas growled and dashed toward the unicorn, slashing furiously at her. Suddenly, he was enveloped by a purple aura, as Twilight flung him away. “Aww, come on!” Vantas yelled. “It figures that everyone else has cool magic powers and I get stuck fighting the one with cool magic powers.” Twilight ignored the troll’s rant for the most part, as she surveyed the field of Strife and shivered at what she saw. Rarity and Fluttershy were down, and Rainbow was solidly pinned. Pinkie had disappeared, and Applejack was struggling in the grip of Zahhak, futiley attempting to resist being repeatedly punched in the face. Luna was the only one who was still fighting, but Twilight was unsure of how long she could keep it up. Megido was back on her feet, and Serket and her were circling Luna, occasionally swooping in for an attack. Megido grabbed the princess with her telekinesis and hurled her at the ground. Luna struggled to resist the attack, slowing herself with her wings. Serket dive bombed her, tackling her until Luna grabbed her in her blue aura and flung her away. Megido sped up time, zooming towards the princess and striking her to the ground. Serket rolled the Fluorite Octet again. Weasel! A platoon of warrior weasels appeared around Luna, attacking her with their practiced arts of flipping the fuck out. Megido absconded from the scene as the weasels descended on Luna, shaking uncontrollably and violently waving their swords around. Luna narrowed her eyes and let out a cry of anger. With a beam of magic, she blasted the weasels to oblivion. Turning to the God Tiered trolls hovering above her, her horn shone like the moon as she charged a destructive endgame spell. Suddenly, she stopped, and Twilight Sparkle noted that something about her was different. Some indescribable change of expression, perhaps, that signified a sudden shift in demeanor. Twilight couldn’t quite tell, as she was a bit preoccupied being attacked by Luna. ----- Twilight hastily erected a shield to block the blaze of magic Luna shot her way, though it did little but cushion the blow that threw Twilight across the square. Twilight struggled to her hooves, and then quickly leapt to avoid a second beam of dark magic. A vaporized crater stood where she had but seconds before. Twilight squinted at Luna, trying to discern why she’d suddenly attacked her. Her gaze traveled downwards… there! The Controller was standing tucked away in a corner, focusing intently on the Princess of the Night. He wore a devious grin and his hands were pressed to his forehead. Twilight recalled Celestia’s previous words: He is able to completely take over a pony's mind with nary a thought. No mind is safe from him. Luna shot down at Twilight, rocketing towards her like a ballistic weapon. Twilight took a breath and teleported in a flash of purple. She appeared near Nitram, who took notice and jumped back in surprise. “H-hey. What’re you doing here?” he stammered “You’ve been a naughty foal,” Twilight grinned. “Time to go to sleep.” A violet aura encircled the Controller, as his eyes slid shut and he drifted off into a deep slumber. Fifty feet above, Luna shook her head, as if waking from a long dream. Her face curled into a snarling growl as she glared at Megido and Serket, who responded with nervous glances. Luna fired an enormous blast of magic at Megido, blasting her into the ground to the sound of crunching stone. Luna turned to Serket. “Oh no, you don’t!” Ampora cried, his wand glowing white. With a swing of the instrument, Ampora let loose a powerful stream of white magic at the princess. Luna responded with a blast of dark magic. The two beams met, blinding white and suffocating darkness, each pushing against each other, vying to overtake its opposite. Luna’s jaw tightened with focus, and a bead of sweat rolled down Ampora’s cheek. Despite his best efforts, the dark magic was slowly coming closer, his own attack failing to repel Luna’s assault. Luna’s beam pushed ever closer. Almost upon him now, Ampora prepared for a final push, hoping, but not quite believing, that he could turn the tables. “Ampora, you iidiiot.” The seadweller barely had a chance to look before Captor slammed into him, knocking him away from the laser of death. Seeing the ray of darkness now zooming towards him, Captor sighed. He felt power well up in his eyes, at the tips of his pupils, waiting to be unleashed. He couldn’t control the energy, so… perhaps he could unleash it. Twin beams of blue and red smashed into Luna’s blast of darkness. They struggled against the night’s power, before with a jolt, they cut through the laser. Both Luna’s and Captor’s eyes widened, though for different reasons, as the blaze of red and blue struck the Princess of Night in the horn. She dropped like a stone, crashing into the town square, her horn scorched, her body battered, her eyes shut tightly. “Ha! Hahaha!” Captor laughed. “II’ve got iit! II’ve got control! II am the ma2ter!” “Princess! No!” Twilight cried. She turned to Captor, readying a powerful spell, but didn’t see the enemy coming from behind. “Yaa!!!” Vantas cried as he punched Twilight from behind. The librarian flew away, crashing hard against a building, and slumping over unconscious. Rarity and Applejack were beaten into submission. Fluttershy was asleep. Pinkie Pie had been taken gog-knows-where, and Rainbow Dash was still struggling to dislodge the trident that pinned her down. Luna was injured, lying motionless on the cold ground. On the trolls’ side, Nitram was asleep, Leijon was unconscious, and Megido was climbing out of her crater. The rest were unharmed. “We- we did it,” Vantas whispered. The trolls gathered around him, looking at the bodies of their defeated enemies. “We’ve won! We actually fucking won! I can’t believe it - I didn’t even have a chance the first time around - and now we’ve done it!” “C4n 1t, K4rkl3s.” Pyrope limped forwards. “W3 n33d to fl33, 4nd qu1ckly.” She swept her gaze over the battlefield. “Two of us 4r3 out of th3 count, 4nd Tor34dork 1s on3 of th3m. 4nd th4t’s th3 probl3m. 1f 1t w3r3n’t for h1m, w3’d h4v3 b33n d3f34ted.” Captor laughed. “2o? II fiinally have control of my optiic bla2t2! We wiill be iinviinciible! II defeated the Priince22 all by my own!” Pyrope quickly showed what she was named for. “1d1ot! Th4t w4s only th3 young3r, l3ss pow3rful Pr1nc3ss. You’v3 m3t th3 3ld3r, 1 know you h4v3. Sh3 comm4nds th3 FR34K1NG. SUN. How do you th1nk sh3’s go1ng to r34ct wh3n sh3 r34l1z3s you just hurt. H3r. L1ttl3. S1st3r?” Captor gulped. “2hiit. Zahhak! Get u2 out of here!” “Hey! There they are!” The trolls looked up to see swarms of royal guards, descending from the skies. “And that’s our cue to leave,” Vantas shouted. “Seriously, Zahhak, get us out of here!!!” A flash of blue and the group faded away. ----- Celestia slammed her hoof on the table and sighed. Her commanders had updated her on the day’s events, and the news was rather grim. The elements of harmony and her sister, Princess Luna, had fallen before the might of the Doomed Gods, and if not for the timely arrival of the guards, worse may have occurred. Granted, the Elements had lacked the necessary regalia for their Rainbow of Friendship attack, and Luna hadn’t seen combat for over a thousand years, but she’d still never expected the Gods to be this powerful. One thing she knew, though, was that they’d regret everything, when they finally faced her wrath on the field of combat. Celestia took a deep, shuddery breath. They’d survived, and that was all she could have asked for. At least it couldn’t get any worse. ---- “You understand your mission?” The dark figure asked. Her eyes glowed lime green, and her voice was laced with a deep venomous hatred. Her subordinate nodded in understanding. “Good,” she said. “Eliminate the targets. With Equestria that weakened, our conquest will be easier still.” The subordinate nodded again, before turning to leave the cavern. The figure smiled as he left, for she had complete confidence in his abilities. Hive Lord Noir never failed a mission. ----- Pinkie showed up on the Golden Oaks doorstep the next day. Her mouth was stained red with faygo, she had somehow acquired troll horns, there momentarily appeared to be a hand in her hair and she was muttering in her sleep. “The secret to control was not to try to control it? How cliché…” ----- End Chapter 3 End of Act 1