//------------------------------// // Death Descending // Story: Project: Transcendence // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// Meanwhile, ignorant of the escape going on below, Nalik continued his efforts. Without the collar, Osiris had reverted back to his Serpent form, and was funnelling his power into the artefact in Nalik's possession, which in turn sent it into the Prince's horn, still under the delusion that he was helping his sister. "That's it." Nalik smiled, relishing the power flowing into him. "Ah, such power... I can feel my magic being boosted to unfathomable new levels..." Within the illusion, Osiris was still funnelling his energies into the object embedded in "Isis"' side. "Is that enough, Isis?" Osiris asked. "Yes." "Isis" nodded, pulling the object free. "Thank you, brother. I am whole again." "What of the object that pierced your side?" Osiris asked. "Perhaps I should take it away and destroy it?" "No!" "Isis" said harshly. Catching herself, she said more softly "I'll dispose of it myself. You should rest now. I'm sure you're feeling tired after using up that power." "I am a little exhausted, yes." Osiris yawned, tiredness creeping upon him. "Perhaps I should sleep..." "Yes." Nalik smirked, back in the real world. "Take a quick nap. You should rest up... for phase four." Meanwhile, Big Red and Eclipse were sneaking around the corridors, trying to find some means of communicating with the outside world. As a Guard walked by, they hid behind a corner. "Maybe this wasn't the best idea." Eclipse frowned. "Trying to sneak around a castle that's packed with Unicorns? We're sticking out like a sore wing." "Maybe Ah cin fix that." Big Red smiled. As another Guard walked by, Big Red jumped him, pounding him into submission. He then stripped him of his armor and placed it on himself. "Not bad." Eclipse nodded, before pointing out the empty horn hole in the helmet. "But you've forgotten one small detail." "Oh, right." Big Red noted. He pulled a flower out of a nearby vase (which happened to be more or less the same shade as his coat), rolled it into a point, and stuck it in the hole. "Ta-daa!" "Okay, that's a little better." Eclipse admitted. "Let's just hope these guys are dumb enough to buy it." They continued walking down the corridors. Another Guard crossed paths with them. "What's this prisoner doing out of the cell?" The Guard asked. "Jest... takin' 'im someplace else." Big Red said quickly. "Walkin' feather duster don't belong with ponies, now do they?" "Good point." The Guard nodded. "Maybe we've got a nice little birdhouse somewhere you can stick him in?" Eclipse scowled. He would've liked nothing better than to claw the racist Guard's eyes out. But since that could have broken their cover, he had to keep that idea to himself. "Here's hopin'." Big Red joked. "As you were." The Guard nodded, as he walked past them (making sure to avoid Eclipse). "Lousy racist slimeball..." Eclipse spat. "Easy, kiddo." Big Red whispered. "First we get us some help, then we cin teach these clown the error of their ways." "Oh, I plan on it." Eclipse smirked. At the same time, Daring and Huckleberry made their way to the basement. "Boy, this takes me back." Daring smiled. "Sneaking around the enemy stronghold, right under their noses..." "Yeah, I'm sure it's great." Huckleberry frowned. "But do you think you can hold off on the nostalgia for a couple of minutes? We have a Deity to free, remember?" "Easy, kid." Daring glared. "That mouth of yours could get you into a lot of trouble someday." "So I've been told." Huckleberry shrugged. Locating the door to the basement, Daring and Huckleberry eased their way inside. It was a large, dank area, with many side doors. "Great." Huckleberry frowned. "How do we even find her?" "Isis?" Daring called. "Isis?" A loud growling sound rippled through the basements. "Please tell me that was your stomach." Huckleberry cringed. "No such luck." Daring shook her head. From out of the shadows emerged a monstrous creature. It had a long, serpentine body, and a disproportionately large, rounded head, filled with razor-sharp teeth. Its eyes were huge, and beetle-black, matching its body. "Wh-what the..." Huckleberry gulped. "Easy there, big guy..." Daring tried to sooth the creature, which only growled more. "Run, witch, run!" Huckleberry screamed as he darted off, as Daring soon followed. The two ran down the basement hall. The creature gave a loud bark-like noise and followed. The ponies fled for dear life, the creature right behind them. "Over here!" Daring pointed to a side passageway. The pair slipped into it, and stopped to catch their breath. "What... the buck... was that?" Huckleberry wheezed. "Language, kid." Daring scolded him. "And to answer your question, I think it was a Chompra." "You've seen one of these before?" Huckleberry gaped. "No, just read about them." Daring admitted. "They're very rare, and very bad news." "Great." Huckleberry cringed. "Like things were bad enough with the psycho Prince, we gotta deal with some freaky monster." "I think we lost it." Daring announced. "Come on, we still need to free Isis." "Yeah, yeah..." Huckleberry frowned. They emerged back into the main basement, looking around. "See?" Daring smiled. "We lost it." Suddenly, the Chompra emerged from the shadows, roaring again. "Wanna bet?" Huckleberry yelped. "Run!" Once again, the two ponies took flight and ran as fast as their hooves can carry them, the Chompra right on their tails. "Geez, how can that thing move so fast?" Huckleberry wheezed. "Big head, stringy body... I'm surprised it can move at all!" "The mysteries of nature..." Daring declared. "Maybe we can solve it. Y'know, if we aren't eaten first!" They ran all over the basement, the Chompra following. Before long, they ran into a dead end, several barrels and boxes lining the walls. "That's it." Huckleberry gulped. "We're Chompra chow!" "Don't be like that!" Daring frowned, "We're gonna live, you'll see!" Unfortunately, she heard the barking of the Chompra. "Uh-oh." Daring cringed. "Game over! Good bye, Pa, Eclipse, Globe, Shine, and all those adoring mares who will never meet this glorious face!" Huckleberry whimpered. "Relax, kid." Daring told him. "I've gone up against bigger beasts than this, and come out on top." "Yeah, well, no offense, but you were a lot younger then." Huckleberry declared. "Okay, little tip for the so-called 'ladies' stallion': Never bring a mare's age into things." Daring scowled. "Second, don't give up. We're not finished yet. "We may as well be." Huckleberry groaned, as the Chompra neared them. "Face it, this is the end!" "Not while I'm still breathing." Daring scowled, always thriving on desperate situations. She looked around, and found something that could be their salvation. The Chompra closed in, growling. "I am sick of your crap!" Daring grabbed a nearby powder keg, and used a flint to light it. "No, don't do it! Don't-" Huckleberry stammered. Daring threw the keg, and the world seemed to turn to slow motion. "I just wanted to be your friend." The Chompra said sadly. "I'm so sorry!" Huckleberry said, tearing up. "I don't give a buck!" Darling snarled. The keg went off, causing an explosion big enough to send the Chompra flying right out of the castle. "And that is that." Daring smiled. "Jeez, lady." Huckleberry cringed, still whimpering. "Remind me never to get on your bad side..." "You and the rest of the world, kid." Daring smiled. "Daring?" Isis' voice called from the gloom. "Is that you? Where are you?" "We're here." Daring called. Following the sound of the Serpent's voice, she and Huckleberry rushed over to the cage. "There you are." "I'm so glad to see you guys." Isis smiled. "I'm glad to be seen." Huckleberry joked. "Just hang on." He pulled out his hairpin. "I'll have you out in a jiffy." "Just do it quietly." Isis urged. "There's something down here. Something big." "Well, unless there's another Chompra down here, I think we are good." Daring said proudly. "Yeah." Huckleberry smirked. "Besides, this isn't my first lock picking. I'll be as quiet as a mouse." Huckleberry wiggled the hairclip around, until finally, the lock clicked. "Ta-daaa!" He threw the cage door open. "Good work, kid." Daring smiled. "Gimme a second, and I might be able to get that collar off." Huckleberry suggested. "Go for it." Isis nodded. The collar was harder to work than a simple lock. But Huckleberry found a space, and jammed the clip into it. Using all his strength, he pushed until the collar opened. "Finally!" Isis smiled. "I can feel my powers coming back." "Might be best if you stay as a pony for now." Daring suggested. "Element of surprise, and everything... Now, let's find the others." "And Osiris!" Isis added. The trio rushed out of the basement. A few floors above, Discord and Shine were sneaking around. "We can end this farce in seconds if we can find Nalik." Shine declared. "Hopefully, before he puts his plan into motion." Discord frowned. "Osiris isn't my favourite Serpent, but I still shudder to think of what Nalik's planning to do with him." "If Nalik manages to harness Osiris' power, it'll be a catastrophe." Shine declared. "He's too vain and egotistical to have power like that." "Well there can't be many places in this fancy-shmancy place to keep something like Osiris." Discord declared. "We just need to keep looking." "Or better yet..." Shine spotted a Guard coming up. Lying in wait, Shine tensed himself... then pounced, grabbing the Guard and dragging him into an empty room. "Get away from me, winged scum!" The Guard yelled. "I will." Shine shoved the Guard against the wall. "Just as soon as you start talking." "You really should." Discord added. "It'll make things so much easy for all of us." The Guard swung a punch, but Shine caught it. "Where is Nalik keeping Osiris?" Shine asked. "I'll never tell." The Guard spat. "Oh, really?" Shine frowned. He put the guard in an hooflock. "Where. Is. He?" "Gahhh!" The Guard yelled. "He's on the top floor. Last room on the corridor! You won't stop Prince Nalik anyway!" "We'll see about that." Shine chopped him in the neck, knocking him out. "Good work, Shine!" Discord cheered. "Better than I could have done in my current condition." He tugged angrily at his collar. "This blasted thing still won't come off..." "I'm sure Nalik will have some kind of toy lying around that can get it off. Shine declared. "In the meantime, you'll just have to get your claws dirty." "Ugh, physical force." Discord gagged. "So undignified...." As Big Red and Eclipse played their prisoner/Guard schtick to the best of their abilities, they stumbled up a room with what looked like an elaborate radio fixture. "Bingo!" Big Red smiled, taking off the helmet. "Now we cin call fer help!" "You sure you can work this thing?" Eclipse asked. "Ain't nuthin' ta it." Big Red shrugged. "It's a little like the radio back on the S.S. Cherryblossom... poor gal." As Big Red reached for the device, a blast of magic suddenly struck, reducing it to scrap. Big Red and Eclipse turned to the doorway, where several squad members were standing. "Not so fast, Earth Pony." Slink snarled, his horn still smoking. "Oh, boy." Big Red gulped. "You think you can fool us with that disguise?" Slink taunted. "Maybe the lower guards, but not us." "Please tell me I can scratch their eyes out." Eclipse snarled. "How like a Griffon to resort to savagery." Sepulchre sneered. "Now, now." Slink told his cohort. "He can hardly help his nature." "Seriously?" Big Red frowned. "You folks still spoutin' that nonsense?" "It's not nonsense." Slink declared. "Some species are just better than others." "You know something?" Eclipse asked. "I don't think you guys are racist at all." "Naw, they ain't." Big Red agreed. "Not really." "Of course we're not." Slink declared. "We just hold the belief that some species are naturally better than others. There's nothing personal behind it. It's just the way things are. Our separate races will always stand apart from each other, no matter what." "That's a load a' buffalo hocky." Big Red snorted. "An' Ah oughta know. Ah live with an Unicorn, a Griffon, and Ah adopted a couple a' Pegasi before that. We ain't never had a problem gettin' along. An' ya know why?" "Why?" Sepulchre asked. "Because we didn't get inta the whole 'whose species is better' thing." Big Red declared. "We all got our own unique abilities, and usin' 'em together makes life better fer all a' us. We may look different on the outside, but we're all pink on the inside, right?" "Prince Nalik says that Unicorns are the pinnacle of the evolutionary ladder." Slink said proudly. "We are above all other races, save the Alicorns, and must be treated as such." "Yeah, well, your boss is kind of a dingbat." Eclipse snorted. "How dare you!" Sartorius lunged. "Whoa there, hoss." Big Red stepped in between them. "That's mah son yer threatenin' there." "Son?!" Sartorius spluttered. "But you're not even related!" "What?" Big Red frowned. "Ya don't think a Pony cin love a Griffon like his own boy?" He put a hoof on Eclipse. "Well, yer wrong. Ah love Eclipse like he's mah own flesh an' blood." "Thanks, pa." Eclipse smiled. "Ya see?" Big Red smiled. "What ya are on the inside don't matter. It's what's inside that counts." "I... I never thought of it that way..." Slink admitted. "Prince Nalik always said-" "Prince Nalik ain't right about everythin'." Big Red declared. "Sumtimes, he makes mistakes, like any other pony, regardless a' species. An' he's about ta make a majorly big one. One that'll ruin the world instead a' savin' it." "Unless you help us stop him." Eclipse added. "I... I can't." Slink declared. "I serve Prince Nalik, like my father before him, and his father... I can't commit treason..." "Sumtimes, treason's justified." Big Red declared. "If yer Prince ain't stopped, he culd really mess our world up." "I... I..." Slink muttered, his fellow agents also unsure. At that moment, Daring and the others rushed over to them. "Hold it right there, you racist jerks!" Huckleberry yelled. "Don't you touch my pa and bro!" "Now you'll pay for what you've done!" Isis spat. "Yeah, you're outnumbered now!" Daring agreed. "Easy there, pardners." Big Red declared. "These fellas ain't so bad." "'Ain't so bad'?" Hucklberry scowled. "They foalnapped us!" "They were jest followin' orders." Big Red told them. "Well, those 'orders' involved taking my brother!" Isis yelled. "Where is he?" "He's probably up in the special containment room." Slink declared. "We can take you there." "And we should trust you why?" Daring asked. "Because they're not all that bad." Eclipse smiled. "They've just been under a bad influence." "...Okay, let's go!" Isis growled, too impatient to argue. "This way." Slink urged. "Right behind ya." Big Red nodded. Meanwhile... Osiris's eyes blurred as he woke up from his exhaustion-induced nap... but as soon as his eyes became clear... he was instantly shocked. He was now standing in the middle of a ruined city. The corpses of Unicorns were everywhere. "What the-?" He gasped. "Who has done this? Who could have committed such evil? I haven't seen anything like this since-" "Since what?" Isis suddenly descended on him. "...Nothing." Osiris declared. "Isis, what happened here? How did I get here?" "I had to bring you here." Isis began, "So you would see what had caused all this destruction. It was 'them'!" "'Them?'" Osiris murmured. "The Earth Ponies and the Pegasi." Isis declared, her voice brimming with venom. "What? I don't understand... why would they do it?" Osiris frowned. "I don't know. All I do know is that they came from out of nowhere." Isis told him. "Massacred all these poor Unicorns." "No." Osiris gasped. "That can't be..." "It can be." Isis declared. "Osiris, you know I can't lie to you. What I say happened. And it's still going on. All the Earth Ponies and Pegasi in the world had come mad. They are hunting all the Unicorns that they claim to had oppress them and slaughtering them by the hundreds!" "No...no, this isn't possible." Osiris shook his head, unable to comprehend such a thing, "They supposed to be a peaceful race." "Well, they're not!" Isis snarled, "They're evil. Every last one of them. And they must be stopped. You must use your power and cut their threads. Kill all of them!" "What?!" Osiris gasped. "Isis, have you gone mad? I can't wipe out two entire species! That would leave most of the world in shambles if I did that!" "Why not?" Isis asked coldly. "That's what they did to us." "What are you talking about?" Osiris asked. "They are responsible!" Isis began. "Responsible for the fall of the Serpents! They somehow obtained a power that could kill our kind and slaughtered our brethren as they did the Unicorns. They saw us as unnecessary, our existence pointless... they showed us no mercy!" "No..." Osiris whispered. "No..." "I know the truth is hard, brother, but they must be stopped!" Isis snarled, "We are all alone in this world because of them!" "But Isis... this isn't like you..." Osiris shook his head. "Why would you wish death upon them if you-" "Things change, Osiris." Isis glared. "They must die, and not just the mudcrawlers and those pigeons. All the other races that stood by and did nothing as the Unicorns suffered: the Griffons, the Changelings, the Buffaloes, even the damn Breezies. You must make them all pay! Wipe them all out!" "But... it is not my place to eradicate entire species." Osiris shook his head. "I can't just wipe them all out." "Why not?" Isis asked. "The mudwalkers and pigeons didn't think twice about wiping our kind out! It's because of them that we are alone in this world, with only an empty little island to live in, with nothing but animals for company!" Isis' words struck a chord with Osiris. All the years of loneliness and bitter resentment for their situation starting bubbling within him. "I can't use my powers this way..." He shook his head, trying to stay rational. "It is not what I was chosen to do..." "Those who chose us are gone!" Isis yelled. "Taken from us, without mercy, or regret! And the ones who orchestrated those deaths are about to wipe out another species! Is that right? Is that fair? What good is having such power if you can't use it to make the world better?" "It's not my place..." Osiris spluttered, his resolve failing, a cloud of blood-red rage descending upon him. "Even if I wanted to... It's against the natural balance." "What those monsters are doing is against the natural balance!" Isis yelled. "They won't stop until they wipe out all the Unicorns, like they nearly wiped all of us out! They are spitting in the face of you and your position! It is your job to decide when mortals die, but they are taking that decision out of your claws!" "They are, aren't they?" Osiris gritted his teeth. "They are the ones tampering with the natural order..." "Yes, that's right!" Isis nodded. "And they must be made to pay for it! You must teach them the price for such insolence! Eradicate them all!" "...Yes." Osiris nodded, his mind clouded by both the spell and his rage. "I'll do it." Suddenly, he raised his head skyward, as a dark purplish orb formed between his mandibles. WIthin it, it seemed like threads after threads were being formed in it. As soon as the orb reached the size of a melon, it began to pulse, unleashing a purplish wave of energy... In the real world, Nalik watched with glee, as said purplish wave of energy started slowly flowing out of Osiris's orb. Osiris's eyes seem fogged over, unaware of what he was actually doing. "Excellent." He smirked. "Now that the time for pretense is over, perhaps I should inform my guests..." Nalik entered into one of the private guest rooms, where Caboose and Globe were sitting. "Honored guests." He smirked. "Um... hi?" Globe frowned. "I think you should know that everything is going to plan." Nalik declared. "Your big 'wipe out the bad dudes' plan?" Caboose asked. "Ah, yes." Nalik nodded. "That plan... Well, I'm afraid I haven't been entirely forthright with you." "What do you mean?" Globe asked. "Well, when I said the spell would kill all the 'undesirables', I'm afraid I left the definition quite... broad." Nalik admitted. "Broad?" Caboose asked. "What are you getting at?" "Only that I may have withheld certain details of my plan up until now." Nalik shrugged. "What kind of details?" Globe asked. "What aren't you telling us?" "Yeah, 'fess up already!" Caboose added. "It's rude to leave guests in the dark!" "Oh, I believe you should know the actual truth." Nalik smirked. "True, I am seeking to deal with the 'undesirables', but all the murderers, terrorists, and monsters inbetween can do whatever they want. The true undesirables I am aiming for are all races that are not Unicorns!" "...What?!" Globe gasped. "What?!" Caboose gaped. "It's obvious, isn't it?" Nalik sneered, "I am aiming for a perfect world, and by definition, Unicorns are the perfect species. All other races other than the Alicorns are irrelevant!" "No, you can't!" Globe yelled. "Pa! The others-!" "Will soon be dead." Nalik chuckled. "And good riddance, I say." "But they're my family!" Globe whimpered, "If this spell kills them, I will be all alone!" "First off, not my problem." Nalik scoffed, "Secondly, you will surely find family in other Unicorns..." "But I don't want another family!" Globe growled. "What about me?!" Caboose snarled. "My wife and daugher are Pegasi! You can't take them away from me! My son Michael needs his mama!" "Oh, quit your blubbering and be thankful that you and your son were born Unicorns." Nalik grunted. "Oh, I knew it..." Caboose growled. "I knew you were still a meanie! Well, maybe not this big of a meanie, but..." "Say what you will. You'll think differently soon enough." Nalik declared. "When we're the only mortal race left, that is. We will band together and rule the world the way it is intended to be." "We won't let you do this!" Globe yelled. "You don't have a choice!" Nalik roared. "With the Serpent Deity of Death under my command, I can do whatever I want!" "Not if I go and kick your stupid butt!" Caboose darted towards him. "Oh, please." Nalik yawned as suddenly, with a blast from his powered-up horn, he threw Caboose against the wall. "Now, you two stay here, and think about things. As for me, I have a extermination spell to oversee..." "Caboose!" Globe dashed over to the elder Unicorn. "Are you okay?" "...I don't wanna feed grandma peppers while she's in the bathtub..." Caboose babbled. "...Here, kitty, kitty. Time for your Brayzillian wax..." "I'll take that as a 'no'." Globe frowned. As Shine and Discord ran down the halls, the purple wave passed through them. "Urghhh..." Shine grimaced. "What was that? I feel all cold." "I know that magic." Discord gasped. "Osiris! That was some kind of death spell!" "What?" Shine gasped. "Since he can't affect immortals, we're safe." Discord declared. "But the others..." "We have to hurry!" Shine realized. Meanwhile, the others, not too far away, also felt the wave's wrath. "Guh!" Big Red cringed. "Ah!" Eclipse yelled. "What's... happening?" Huckleberry cringed. "So... cold..." Daring shivered. "Osiris..." Isis gasped, as she then began to glow. "Hold on..." In a flash of blinding light, Isis returned to her true form. "Whoa..." Sartorius gaped. As Isis' eyes started to glow, she circled the others, who were struggling to stay standing. The markings on her body started to glow too, and they were enveloped in the green light. As the warm, nurturing life energies flowed around them, they found their strength and vitality returning. One by one, they stood up once more. Once Isis saw they were back to normal, she uncoiled herself. "By my horn..." Sepulchre gaped. "What wuz that?" Big Red groaned. "Just the worst thing that could possibly happen." Isis declared. "Nalik is using his power to send out a wave of death magic. And judging by how it didn't affect Slink and his fellows, I'd say it's purpose is to wipe out non-Unicorns." "But... how did we...?" Eclipse asked. "I saved you." Isis declared. "I used my own life magic to cancel out the effects. But that wave will continue to flow outward, claiming the lives of every non-Unicorn mortal it touches. It will start out with a feeling of weakness and pain in your forehead... and then..." She couldn't finish that sentence. "No... Slink gasped. "His highness couldn't possibly..." "Now do you see how evil your precious Prince is?" Daring asked. "We have to free Osiris from whatever hold Nalik has on him." Isis declared. "It's the only way to stop the wave!" "Then let's go!" Big Red yelled. Back in the containment room, Nalik looked on in glee as Osiris continued pushing his magic outward. "It won't be long now..." He grinned. "My perfect world, at last..." "Nalik!" Nalik turned to see Shine and Discord. "What the..." Nalik frowned, "Why aren't you..." Suddenly, he realized something and scowled. "Oh, right... immortal. I forgot about that..." "It's over, Nalik." Shine growled. "We won't let you do this." "Try and stop me." Nalik smirked, his powered-up magic flaring. "Just try it..." "That can't be good." Discord cringed. "We can take him." Shine declared. "For all the living beings in the world, we have to..."