Chapter 3
What we think we should be
Tempest was getting restless by the minute. Time and time he wondered how even the heaviest of artilleries couldn't even penetrate the glowing castle in front of them. Each attack was only powerful enough to shake the crystal structure. Him and his allies couldn't even break through the magical barrier covering the castle let alone destroy it.
The white sea serpent closed his red eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He hated having to sit through impossible tasks doing almost absolutely nothing while he waited for Charlie to finish the job. He lazily watched his minions keep on firing blasts after blasts from the trebuchets that arrived a few minutes before.
"Sir, we are almost out of Obsidian Pellets. At this rate we won't have enough to save for the other castles" a green crocodile reported.
"What do you suggest?" Tempest asked, silently cursing the intact castle for its defiant behavior.
"Uh...call Charlie?" he replied.
"That's your suggestion?!" Tempest suddenly got up in anger, "I'M NOT CALLING FOR THAT WRETCHED PONY UNTIL I AM DONE FINISHING WHAT I STARTED!" he pointed to the castle, "AND DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT NAME IN MY PRESENCE HENCEFORTH!"
The green crocodile gulped before he scampered away, wanting nothing else to do with their leader.
The leader of the assault let out a heavy breath before regaining his composure. Another thing he hated was being asked to request others to do his job for him especially if they weren't respected veterans like he was. Advising Old Nick to control the mind of a pony was really starting to be a bad idea in hindsight.
However, he was proud of himself for being the one to instigate the escape along with Lord Tirek. Making Equestria's Ancient Foe believe that he would get revenge upon the Grand Empress was also impressive on his part. They didn't call him The Deceiver for nothing.
"Sir! Sir!" he heard someone shout.
"What is it now?" Tempest groaned, "Another petty problem?"
"We have managed to capture Grand Slam, sir!" a purple drake happily announced.
"What?" Tempest arched his eyebrow in disbelief before he saw him.
There he was. The stallion who had caused him and his minions so much pain for two straight days. His underlings were often on the receiving end of assaults from the former Canterlot Royal Guard.
Grand Slam was one of the escapees from the Subterranean Prison in Canterlot when the city was attacked. He had been demoted to a jailor after he was deemed too unjust and merciless by Princess Celestia a few years before. From what Tempest heard, he was one of those ponies who weren't tagged by the Oblivion spell three days before.
"Well, isn't this a surprise?" Tempest smiled sadistically as the battered grey earth pony was held in place by two armored dragoons, "The tormentor of me and my kind".
"I'll kick your freaking teeth in, buddy" Grand Slam growled, wiping a trail of blood from the side of his mouth.
"Are you threatening me? Are you?" Tempest merely chuckled.
"That wasn't a threat. That was a promise!" Grand Slam suddenly lunged forward, only to be forcefully jerked back by the two dragoons near him.
"To be honest, I am a bit how do you say...intrigued. Why would you continue to fight the might of Master Nuckelavee even though you're doomed to fall?"
"You don't know anything about my intentions" Grand Slam held his throat with a hoof, still fixing his eyes on the white serpent.
"But I do know who you are" Tempest smirked, patting the pony, "I know you were once part of the Royal Canterlot Army but Princess Celestia dismissed you for your violent tendencies"
"That's none of your business" Grand Slam gritted his teeth in anger. The white sea serpent was starting to get on his nerves.
"I also know that she made you the permanent jailor in Canterlot, giving you the worst possible job in the whole army" Tempest added, "Now tell me, why did you continue to work under her even after she disgraced you?"
"I...changed. It wasn't too hard to find something to keep me sane and satisfied" Grand Slam replied.
"Something? Or was it somepony?" Tempest's grin widened, "Is that why you fight against us?"
"I don't fight for or against anyone unless my wife and kids are in danger" Grand Slam answered.
"Oh, is that so? Then what if you continue to stand against us and they paid the price for your mistake? Would that keep you sane and satisfied?" Tempest asked with a smirk. He knew that Grand Slam was somepony who would put love before ideals or beliefs. That was what made him an interesting foe.
"No, but it would be extremely painful for you" Grand Slam replied indifferently.
"I suppose it would be" Tempest let out a chuckle.
The next moment, a loud shout was heard from the entrance to the castle. Every reptile in the area turned their attention to sounds coming from within. Some readied their weapons while others shielded themselves.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" someone shouted.
Suddenly, a gigantic ball of magic tore through the castle's gate before phasing through the magical barrier.
"RUN!" another voice yelled in horror before the reptiles scurried in different directions.
Screams of agony and terror filled the area as the ball obliterated everything in its path. Unlucky reptilians were instantly vaporized while some had their limbs disintegrated by the powerful attack. Tempest and Grand Slam watched in shock as the ball flew into the distant mist, a few yards from their position before it exploded.
The explosion completely wiped out any trace of life in its radius, taking almost a quarter of the remaining reptiles along with it.
As the smoke cleared, corpses of over forty reptiles which littered the place could be clearly seen. It was hard to imagine how many more had been killed by that mysterious ball of magic.
"What...the hell was that?" Grand Slam asked in disbelief. Even a self-proclaimed fighter like himself was surprised by the gruesome scene in front of him.
"Great!" Tempest grumbled sarcastically, "Now the castle's defending itself"
"Not quite, sir" one of the armored dragoons corrected him, "Some of our comrades have surrounded a pony and a purple hatchling near the entrance to the gate. It seems like they were the cause for that blast of magic"
"I thought you said except for the Cyan Shadow, nopony was able to use magic" Tempest raised an eyebrow.
"You're not gonna even give a buck about your soldiers? You're an even bigger piece of shit than I thought you were" Grand Slam commented as he watched blood slowly flow out from the dismembered bodies.
"Good minions are not hard to find" Tempest chuckled before he headed towards the entrance to the castle.
"Watch your mouth, pony" one of the dragoons warned Grand Slam, "Or Tempest will rip your throat out"
"Sorry, I stopped giving shit about authority ever since Celestia dropped me from the Canterlot Army" Grand Slam retorted.
A few distance from the grey pony, Sunset Shimmer and Spike stood in one place, partly out of fear and partly out of horror at what they had done.
As Sunset Shimmer had anticipated, her cannon had torn apart the second after it blasted a hole through the castle's barriers. What she didn't expect was the destruction it would cause. Deep inside, she was horrified at the carnage she had instigated. She only expected the blast to knock out the reptilian monsters assaulting the castle without annihilating them or shooting their body parts in different directions.
Spike wasn't feeling any better either. He could see the anger and rage in the eyes of the monsters in front of them. They gripped their claws, ready to shred him and Sunset Shimmer into pieces at any moment.
"I...I can't believe I did that...I...murdered them..." Sunset Shimmer stammered as she was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.
The cries of pain echoed inside her mind. She was afraid that she was turning back into the ruthless monster she used to be.
"...they look pretty mad..." Spike whispered before he realized he was standing on some scaly surface, "What's this?" he looked down.
In an instant, his eyes widened in shock before he immediately hopped off the severed limb he was standing on.
"That is so...gross..." he winced as he tried his best not to throw up. It was the first time he had seen a dead body...or a part of a dead body and it definitely wasn't pleasant.
"I caused...all this..." Sunset Shimmer said lowly before she dropped to misty ground. Those long forgotten feelings of guilt were overcoming her again.
"Hey, Sunset" Spike comforted the amber unicorn, "You didn't know what you did" he added, glancing at the other severed body parts in the vicinity, "Even if it was...yuck...I think I'm gonna be sick..." he said before he fainted.
"Spike?" Sunset Shimmer lifted her head up, "Are you alright?" she shook the dragon, trying desperately to wake him up.
She could feel her magic slowly waning away, as if someone was draining the remaining magic out of her. Shifting her focus to the figure walking towards her, she saw a grin etched on the face of it.
"Well, isn't this a surprising turn of events" Tempest smirked as he noticed Sunset Shimmer's cutie mark, "Another student of Princess Celestia!"
"Another student?" the other reptiles chattered, "That explains that killer blast"
"Who are you?" Sunset Shimmer asked, glaring at the white serpent while holding Spike with her hooves, "Wait...you didn't capture..."
"Of course I did!" Tempest replied with a smile, "As much as I find imprisoning lowly ponies such as you, I was quite happy when the Bearer of the Elements of Harmony fell onto my laps"
"What!? You imprisoned Twilight and her friends?"
"Princess Twilight Sparkle and her five friends weren't too compliant upon capture so I had to drain the pure magic inside them, much like I'm doing to you right now" Tempest answered."He's right...I can feel him taking it all..." Sunset Shimmer thought. She wanted to retaliate but she was afraid of causing further harm to Spike and herself. She remembered what the purple dragon told her. These monsters were more powerful than anything anypony had faced recently and the eclipse in the sky was proof of that.
"I thought this day was going to be dull but your capture and the death of him will be enough to keep me smiling for the rest of the day" Tempest signaled for the dragoons to drag Grand Slam near him.
In a few seconds, the two armored reptiles dragged the grey stallion near their leader. Grand Slam was still a bit freaked out by the mass killing but he kept his composure nonetheless.
"Oh buck..." Grand Slam let out a sigh as he saw Sunset Shimmer, "Not you..."
"Grand Slam?" Sunset Shimmer asked in shock.
"You know her, knave?" Tempest asked the stallion.
"Like hell I do" Grand Slam replied angrily, "She's the little brat who caused me to be dropped from the Royal Army!"
"Wait! I...I did that?"
"Don't you dare play dumb" Grand Slam growled, "I specifically asked two of my cadets to stand guard near the Crystal Mirror the night you disappeared. And when they failed to stop you, I rightly punished them and you know what happened next? Boom! I'm dismissed by Celestia for my unprofessional behavior. Thanks a lot, bitch"
"Oooo...this is fun" Tempest chuckled mischievously.
"I'm sorry for that, Grand Slam" Sunset Shimmer immediately apologized after hearing what happened. She had never thought that her one mistake could lead to somepony else losing their job.
"Too late for that" Grand Slam growled, "And if I lose my wife and kids due to all of this, I'm ripping you apart with my bare hooves before they can"
Sunset Shimmer gulped at the threat. This wasn't just somepony who was bitter at her for abandoning Princess Celestia and everypony she knew. Grand Slam had always been sensitive about keeping his loved ones safe even before he was married so putting them in danger was the worst thing anypony could do.
As she saw the reptiles loom nearer, she shielded Spike with her body. To get to the unconscious dragon, they had to go through her.
Scootaloo had no idea what she should do. Staying hidden behind a stack of hay while the monsters were about to kill Spike and the other two ponies was something she couldn't allow to happen. She needed to figure out how to help the trio.
After she saw a bright explosion nearby, she dashed towards the place. At first, she was appalled by all the body parts scattered around her but she kept on going, determined to find out if it was Glint who was behind the explosion. However, all she found was about twenty or so reptiles surrounding Spike and two unfamiliar ponies.
"You're still alive?" she heard a familiar voice say.
She quickly turned around and saw Mr. M in his usual expressionless self. Apart from him holding some odd stick-like object with a trigger, he was exactly as she had last seen him.
"Mr. M?"
"We've been watching you closely" M told her.
"Who? Me?" Scootaloo asked before she remembered the situation Spike was in, "Whatever but we have to help Spike and those two ponies before those monsters harm them"
"Not me, kid" M replied, giving the weapon to Scootaloo, "You're going to do that by yourself"
"Me? With this? Against all of them?" she asked, surprised that M had declined to possibly save his own kind.
"Just point it at their heads, pull the trigger and wipe 'em out" M added without any hint of emotion.
"I'm gonna what!?" Scootaloo asked in disbelief, "I can't...I mean I can't". She tried to back away from what M was suggesting. Even if the reptiles were as mean and bad as she thought they were, she didn't know if they deserved the penalty of death, especially at her hooves.
"Just ask yourself: What would your idol Rainbow Dash do? What would she do if she saw her best friends at the mercy of merciless beasts like them? Would she just let them perish or would she do anything to save them?" M asked back.
"I...I...I only know Spike. I don't even know those two"
"That's not a good enough excuse, kid. What if I had hesitated and let that Spawned Panther kill you? Would that have been the right choice?"
"I guess you're right" she sighed. M wasn't giving her any choice. It was either her conscience or her friends.
"And in case you had been wondering why nobody's been able to sense your presence unless they saw you, it's because you hadn't been tagged" M added, "You're one of the fortunate ones who weren't hit by the Aftershock. We've only traced about ten of you and that stallion over there's untagged as well. So for now, stealth is your ally"
"Stealth? They can't see me?"
"Just point and shoot" M advised her once last time before he disappeared off into the fog behind her.
"Point and shoot" Scootaloo let out a heavy breath, "Remember, Scoots. You're doing this to save lives"
"Any final request or words, knave?" Tempest asked Grand Slam.
For once, Grand Slam didn't reply. He could only lower his head in shame. After all his hard work, after everything he had done, he was unable to protect his beloved wife and kids in the end. Nothing else mattered in life to him.
Just as he was about to accept his faith, he noticed some movement in the distance from the corner of his eye. An orange filly was moving silently amongst the debris. He stared at the kid intently while Tempest prepared his blade for execution.
"Just one" Grand Slam replied with a smirk.
"Oh? And what's that?" Tempest asked.
"Head's up" he replied as he saw the filly point a wand or something in his direction.
The next moment, one of the crocodiles near him fell to the ground. The others including Tempest immediately turned their attention to their downed comrade and saw blood flowing from a clean hole at the side of his head.
"What trickery is this? Find out who did this, you good-for-nothing idiots!" Tempest yelled at his...er...men. Whatever killed his minion was certainly not anything magical, rendering him unable to protect himself from the non-arcane source.
Sunset Shimmer heaved a sigh of relief as she saw the reptiles turn their attention away from her and Grand Slam. Although she was afraid that she might be killed as well, she was definitely relieved to see the monsters scared and confused for a change.
BANG!
"Stomper!" a green dragon cried out as he saw his friend fall the ground dead.
"Dammit! Who the hell is out there? Show yourself!" Tempest shouted furiously.
BANG!
The green dragon was the next one to go down. The remaining reptiles looked on in horror as they prayed not to be the next one to fall.
Tempest had enough of the whole situation. First, almost all of his squad were killed by a magical ball of destruction and second, he was filled with fear for his safety. Quickly, he ran over to one of the armored dragoons who were holding onto Grand Slam.
"Give me your armor! Now!" he commanded, rapidly stripping the dragoon of his helmet and plated armor.
"Sir, what's the plan" the dragoon asked, shuddering in fright as he witnessed another ally die.
"Just don't die" Tempest coldly replied before scanning the area for any signs of their attacker.
Scootaloo quickly darted behind a tree to avoid being seen by the monsters. Mentally she was struggling to keep herself calm and composed after she killed each one of them. It was the most difficult thing she had ever done in her life. She knew she now had murderous blood on her hooves but the thought of saving her friends kept her going.
After stopping for a second to catch a breath, she brandished the gun M gave her and targeted the heads of a red hydra a few yards out. Trying her best to focus on her target, she pulled the trigger and another bang was heard.
The shot went in through one head and then passed to the other. The third head of the hydra yelled in agony before it quieted down and fell unconscious.
She could see the tension and frustration on the face of the white serpent who appeared to be the leader of the reptiles. Ignoring the serpent's calls, she pointed at a nearby crocodilian before killing him with another shot from the gun.
"Only four more to go" she said to herself while hiding, "It's almost over...it's almost over" she persuaded herself to continue.
Just as she was about shoot at a dragoon who was holding the stallion, said stallion broke away from the grips of the reptiles who held him. In one swift motion, he kicked the armored one to the ground before headbutting the other. She also noticed the unicorn mare grabbing a chunk of wood before throwing it at a blue dragon.
The stallion continued to pummel the unarmored dragoon while the other was struggling to get to his feet. Scootaloo winced at each hit the dragoon took before he lost consciousness, beaten to a bloody pulp.
"Buck you" Grand Slam cursed at the unconscious reptile.
"What is going on here!?" Tempest held his head between his claws, trying to piece together how in the world a bunch of ponies managed to kill all of his underlings.
"You can come out now, kid" Grand Slam said with a smile as he stomped at the head of the armored dragon. Blood splattered from the holes in the helmet as the body of the reptile twitched involuntarily.
"Uh...D-Don't move" Scootaloo gulped, pointing her gun at Tempest.
"What!? A little pony was behind all this?" Tempest eyes widened in disbelief, "And to think I was dealing with some murderous bloodthirsty pony"
"Gimme that, kid" Grand Slam signaled Scootaloo to hand him her gun.
Scootaloo immediately obeyed and gave Grand Slam the gun. She had enough of the loud bangs and the necessary killings already. All she wanted to do now was talk to somepony she knew like Spike.
"Now you can be sure that you're dealing with a murderous, bloodthirsty pony" Grand Slam scowled, placing the nozzle of the gun right between Tempest's eyes.
While the stallion and the serpent were busy, Scootaloo raced over to the unconscious Spike with concern for the dragon's well being. Although it pained her to see him in such conditions, she was glad to finally see someone close to her and the other crusaders.
"Is...he alright?" she asked anxiously.
"He's alright...he just fainted from seeing all those...um...bodies" Sunset Shimmer replied while holding Spike in her hooves, checking if he was still breathing.
"That's a relief" Scootaloo smiled.
"Hey...are you by any chance...Scootaloo?" Sunset Shimmer asked as she saw the orange filly clearly. She could've sworn she looked just like one of the Crusaders back in Canterlot High.
"Uhh...I guess I am. How'd you know?"
"Just...a lucky guess" Sunset Shimmer smiled sheepishly.
"Can I ask one question?"
"I guess you can"
"What in Equestria is happening to everything?" Scootaloo asked. It was the one thing she wanted answered the most ever since she woke up to the strange environment.
"I wasn't present when it happened but Spike told me that there was a big explosion in the sky which sort of almost destroyed everything. It prevented everypony from using magic and after that, these monsters appeared and they captured anypony they saw" Sunset Shimmer repeated what Spike told her earlier.
"Huh...I thought it was all just dream" Scootaloo said with resignation.
"I wish it was too" Sunset Shimmer added before she realized she hadn't introduced herself, "By the way, I'm Sunset Shimmer" she extended her hoof with a warm smile.
"I'm Scootaloo" Scootaloo returned the hoofshake, "But you already know that heheh"
"You don't happen to know Twilight Sparkle, do you?" Sunset Shimmer asked.
"I do. She's friends with Rainbow Dash"
"Have you seen her or any of her friends anywhere?"
"I haven't seen them anywhere. I don't know how to fly yet so it's hard for me to search for them. Besides, I can't even find my best friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle" Scootaloo said before she started to tear up. The thought of losing her friends to these monsters filled her with sadness and frustration.
"I'm sorry for that" Sunset Shimmer placed a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder, "I promise I'll help you find them".
"But...but...aren't you scared of what might happen to you?" Scootaloo looked up.
"I'll be honest with you. I'm terrified of going forward but if we stick together, we can get through this, okay?" Sunset Shimmer wiped the filly's tears away, "Besides, we've got Grand Slam. He has a bit of a problem with me but he'll gladly get rid of any monster who might try to stand in our way as long as we help him ensure his family's safety"
"He's...scary..." Scootaloo shuddered at the thought of an enraged Grand Slam.
"What's that weapon you used to...er...kill those bad guys?"
"Looks like a gun or something. Some strange business pony named Mr. M gave it to me. He said me and Grand Slam weren't tagged by the big explosion so the monsters won't notice unless they see us"
"Any last words, asshole?" Grand Slam growled, preparing to pull the trigger as he had seen Scootaloo do so before.
"Waitwaitwait! I can make sure that you and your family are unharmed" Tempest said frantically.
"Now why should I believe you?" Grand Slam asked back, still pointing the gun at the serpent.
"Come on! You trotted all the way from Canterlot to here, didn't you? You must've seen the vast number of reptiles that are left. Those who died here were only a handful compared to the entire army" Tempest explained.
"Then I'll just kill them all as well. I know you're just trying to wriggle your way out of this one" Grand Slam smirked.
"You may but they can sense where you kept your wife and kids. Unless you can convince Charlie that Ponyville is fully purged, they won't stop searching until they capture them"
Grand Slam pulled the gun back after hearing what Tempest said. He wanted to kill the serpent who had tried to do the same to him just a few minutes before but he wasn't too sure on his ability to keep his family safe and sound forever.
He recalled the waves of reptiles he had to dodge before reaching Ponyville. They were definitely more powerful than the ones he had to deal with and they would definitely find his family before he could kill them all.
"What do you want?" he mumbled, motioning the serpent to get up.
"I want you to lead those three to the holding cages in the Town Square to be transported to Canterlot" Tempest smiled, "I don't know why but like you, I can't seem to detect their presence at all. That is why I need to have them captured before they cause me more problems"
"And?"
"And after we reach the Town Square, I'll tell Charlie that everypony in Ponyville has been captured and that there is no need to search further"
"Very well. But if I have to put this to your head again..." Grand Slam tapped Tempest' head with the gun, "It'll be the last thing you'll ever see, understand?"
"Understood" Tempest grinned.
"Hey! Sunset Shimmer!" Grand Slam shouted, "Looks like we've got ourselves a new guide"
"Huh? I thought you were going to shoot him" Sunset Shimmer asked, surprised at seeing the sea serpent still alive.
"Change of plans. He's going to help us free all those ponies trapped in the Town Square and after that, we'll head for Canterlot" Grand Slam replied.
"Head for Canterlot? Can't we wait inside the castle before we go? I think it is better that we stay low for sometime otherwise his lackeys might be waiting for us somewhere" Sunset Shimmer suggested.
"I don't know how you got out..." Scootaloo chimed in as she tapped the barrier around the castle, "...but we're definitely not getting inside the castle. It's not letting us"
"Huh? Let me see" Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow before she approached the castle. She noticed that the hole they made in the barrier had been filled and there was no way they would be able to open it again.
"My way it is then" Grand Slam chuckled as he pushed Tempest, "Go on! Lead!"
"Whatever..." Tempest grumbled, walking slowly.
"Looks like we're gonna be able to save your friends after all" Sunset Shimmer told Scootaloo as she placed Spike on her back.
"I can't wait to reach the Town Square and see them!" Scootaloo responded with glee.
"Ditto" Tempest chuckled mischievously. Everything was getting more and more interesting by the minute.