//------------------------------//
// Beast 
// Story: Tale of a Flame 
// by BlazeKindling 
//------------------------------//

Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs, but it was too late.  The attacker jumped Axle and knocked him to the floor. Axle got up, only to be smacked back down. Axle swept his leg in front of him, stumbling his attacker. He got up, and the pony got up and readied himself. Axle gave a wild kick, but the other dodged, instead going for a take down. Axle grabbed him and threw him, somersaulting the assailant into the wall.

“Stay down, or I’ll make you stay down!” Axle yelled as the pony tried to get to his feet. Axle then dropped onto him with his hoof going straight into the back of the pony. He held him on the ground. Just before Axle could smack his hoof into him, a cloud of black mist overcame him, and he saw that the attacker had fled. Axle looked around for anything that he could trace back to the assailant, but nothing was there. Twilight squirmed free of her bindings, and thanked Axle on freeing her.

“Wait a minute, how’d he trap you? Ain't you got some unicorn magic hidden in you?” Axle asked, confused about what had happened.

“He must have used some sort of spell. I can’t reach my mana pool.” She said, showing him the fault of her horn. He nodded and asked her about what had happened.

“I was reading, when he jumped in and gagged me. I tried to knock him back, but before I knew it, he had already knocked me out.” She said, catching her breath. “There must have been some chemical on the rag he gagged me with.” 
Axle walked out of the house and into the streets. He knew that he had to tell her.

“Twilight, I think I uncovered something about Blaze.” He said as she stepped outside, breathing in the cold eternal night air.

“And what would that be?” She asked him. Axle began to explain what had happened.

Blaze sat in his confinement, finally accepting his fate to spend all days in this unforgiving glass box. He then laid down on the ‘bed’ he had and attempted to get some sleep. He fell into the trance, and then into the subconscious sleep. He found himself in the same black nightmare, the wasteland where met the horrible being made of flame. He saw the fire, but something was different. Laid beside it was the one and only Celestia, looking like she had been drained of her power, a horrid dark grey hue enveloping her. Ignis erupted from the fire and looked down onto Blaze, not with the anger from last time, but with a look of pure joy.

“BLAZE. I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD SHOW AGAIN. I HAVE A TASK FOR YOU.” It bellowed in a softer but still ear-shattering loud voice.

“But in reality, I'm all chained up.” Blaze said, his expression still that of fear and terror.

“NO NEED TO ACT IN REALITY BLAZE, YOUR TASK LAYS AT YOUR FEET.” Blaze looked down at Celestia, and then back at Ignis.

“Wait, you’re telling me that this is the real Celestia? She’s dead!” Blaze said with a shocked tone, and Ignis nodded.

“THAT IS THE TRUE CELESTIA. YOU HAVE BUT ONE JOB TO COMPLETE WITH HER…” Ignis said with dramatic flare showing in his voice.

“What is the job?” Blaze asked with concern and worry.

“DOWN WITH THE FALSE GOD.” 

Blaze felt his jaw drop, his soul completely shudder. He witnessed Ignis raise her to a stone table, and lay a large knife at her side. He felt himself quiver. He couldn't kill her! He wouldn't kill her!

“I-I… I can’t…” He stuttered, his fear of Ignis growing.

“YOU FORGET THEN. ON OUR FIRST ENCOUNTER, I SAID IF YOU EVER DARE DEFY ME, I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET IT.” Ignis yelled, staring his burning eyes straight into Blaze. Blaze felt himself crushed between a rock and eternal suffering. Blaze grasped the knife in his wing, preparing for the most evil deed he had ever conceived. He raised it over his head, and dropped it. He heard not the piercing of flesh, but the metal blade smashing off of the stone table. He opened his eyes to find her nowhere.

“IT IS DONE, BLAZE. NOW YOU WILL AWAKEN WITH THE POWER OF THE FALSE GOD. USE IT FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF EQUESTRIA, AND PAVE THE ROAD TO YOUR KINGDOM!” Ignis shouted, and Blaze fell back through the wormhole and back into reality. He sat up from his sleep to see a red horn protruding from his skull. He felt the power coursing through him like a bolt of lightning through metal. He knew that it was time to get his long desired freedom. He focused his energies on the door, and blasted a huge beam straight through, cutting his way back to civilization. The guards tried to stop him, but he knocked them over like bowling pins. Just as he walked the hallway to freedom, a group of unicorns blocked his path.

“Surrender or we will open fire!” They said. Blaze detected a slight worry in their tone, and replied:
“No, I don’t believe you will. Me on the other hand…” He said as he charged another beam. They barely had time to run before he incinerated them. He walked into the open to see the eternal night time that was now Equestria. He felt guilty, responsible for this wasteland of a planet he now walked. All will to see the sun was lost, and he now felt that he needn't do more. It was at this moment that triggered the ticking time bomb inside him. He felt the evil inside start to take over, and he knew he had to contain it. He tried to hold it in, but a voice inside his head had other plans.

“BLAZE! YOU DARE RESIST YOUR GIFT! IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO HAVE IT, THEN I GUESS I WILL TAKE IT FOR MYSELF!” The voice of Ignis screamed inside him, as Blaze felt his insides tear apart. He felt himself split, and felt the power drain from him. He fell onto the ground, and heard heavy breathing behind him. He looked back to see the beast inside him, staring intently at him. Wait, if that's me, then who am I?! Blaze thought as he looked down at his hooves. They were a bright blue. He felt his brain melt.
“I-I’m me again…” He said out loud, as the creature laughed a deep, fake laugh.

“OH BLAZE, YOU CRACK ME UP. YOU WERE ALWAYS YOU, BUT I WAS ALWAYS WITH YOU. EVERY FIRE, EVERY CATASTROPHE. ME. AND NOW YOU WILL SUFFER THE FINAL TRAGEDY OF YOUR LIFE.” Ignis shouted as his horn glowed a fiery red. Suddenly, a blast of purple came from Blaze’s blind spot, and Twilight stood triumphantly at the horizon, accompanied by Axle at her side.

“Leave him be, you monster!” She yelled at him. It roared and charged, running top speed straight at her. She then teleported her and Axle away, to a nearby hill. Out of nowhere, a blinding flash of multiple colours struck him in the back, sending him flying into a wall not far away. Dash landed, smiling. She then flew over to Twilight, and watched Ignis step out of the stone wall.

“PETTY MORTALS! I WILL SHOW NO MERCY TO YOU!” It bellowed, and charged a beam of light to fire. He then felt a sharp pain in his side, and looked to see Applejack kicking him. He then turned to disintegrate her, but she was teleported at the last minute. The beam tore into the ground, tunneling a large hole into the dirt and rock. He unleashed a hellish scream, piercing the ears of any nearby, but he then saw that the others had joined into the fray. One by one, they stood at the peak of the building. Ignis knew what came next, and stared with malicious anger into Twilights eyes. Then, Ignis realized all six of them were wearing their elements. Sooner than later, the energy flew high into the sky, and plummeted down onto him, completely enveloping him in a swirling typhoon of rainbow. They stopped the bombardment, and saw him lying motionless on the ground. Twilight stepped forward, checking to see if he had survived. No pulse, no activity of any sort. She looked back at the others.

“He's down for the count!” She said, and the rest of them cheered in triumph. She then began walking over to Blaze, checking to see if he was in fact all right.

“I'm fine… just glad that he’s finally gone.” He said, feeling a wave of relief wash onto his shores. He looked at her with a smile.

“Well, you’re not the only one. Equestria will survive a little longer, knowing he is finally dead.” She said, and smiled back.
“WELL, LETS JUST SAY THAT IF HE’S GOING DOWN, HE’S TAKING YOU WITH HIM.” A booming voice sounded from behind her. She looked behind her to see the beast grab her, slamming her head against the ground. She was knocked out. The beast took her body and disappeared, fading away into the thin air. Blaze looked back at the building the mane six had been standing on, only to find them all lying unconscious. Blaze lifted himself up, and saw a note on the ground. It read:

"If you ever wish to see her again, meet me in the void.