Author's Note: You know what? Screw it. I can't get passed these stupid technical sifficulties, so most of the environments and punishments from here on out are gonna be of my own creation. It's either this or postponing the fic, and I am NOT doing that. So, on with the story I say!
Grim repeatedly punds the back of his head against his throne in frustration. "Idiots! Idiots! Idiots! IDIOTS!" he flings his hooves into the air, sending the plate of cookies flying. "WHY ARE THEY ALL SO INCOMPETENT?! HOW HARD IS IT TO KILL EIGHT MEDDLING PONIES?!"
The tray goes flying before landing to the ground next to Graze. Graze picks up a cookie. "Might wanna rethink what you just said, dude. There's eight of them. Kinda hard to kill them when it's always one against all of them." he takes a bite out of the cookie and swallows. "Hey, you're right, these things are pretty good."
Grim looks over. "My cookies!"
Graze takes the last cookie off the plate and eats it. He smiles at Grim. "I'm sorry, did you want one?"
Steam comes off of Grim's head as he gets increasingly frustrated. "You're all going to pay dearly for this."
"I doubt it. Correct if I'm wrong, but that was the sevnth circle, right? And there are nine circles in total, yes? Then that means they only have one more to go before they get down here, save me, and we all kick your flank."
Grim smirks. "I doubt that. Ignis Core is my strongest man. I'd like to see them try to get passed him."
Graze gives his on smirk. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Grim slumps back in his chair as he looks at the portal. "Indeed, we shall. Tombstone, more cookies!"
"Yes, sir!" the grey earth pony says before dashing off.
"I enjoy having a snack while watching bugs burn. It's like the cherry on top."
A few floors back up
I can feel this terrible journey nearing the end. We literally only have two floors left before we can start making our way back home and get back to our normal lives.
If I remember correctly, the eighth circle is the circle of Fraud. This circle is the home(or prison really) to ponies who lie, cheat, and steal. I don't see how that's worse than violence oe greed, but it's not my place to judge this stuff.
After having beaten Giro back in the desert in Violence, we had made our way into the mountains, on our way to the second to last circle.
As we enter further inside of the rocky mountains, we come across a very deep chasm with three red rivers all pouring down into a vortex in the middle.
"What is all this?" Zeph asks.
"It's the meeting point of all the greatest rivers in Taurtarus." Vine says. She sighs. "We're going to have to jump in it to reach down to the next circle."
I shrug. "Meh, I'm not surprised."
"Yeah, with all the other stuff we've done in here, this isn't surprising." Rhino says.
"Indeed." Zeph says.
"Indeed? Heh, been a while since you've said that." Drax says.
He shrugs. "Eh, I'm trying to get back into saying it."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Dark says before diving off.
"Yeah! This looks like fun!" Orion says, jumping after him.
Vine takes out a empty canteen of water. "You stay in here, Ciel. Don't want you getting swept up." the ooze goesinto the canteen before Vine jumps off the side herself.
The rest of us shrugging, we follow them down below. I'll admit, as I get closer, I start getting nervous before landing in the bloody river. The forces of the spin swerve of all around as we go down it like water going down a drain. As we go down, I actually pass out, the others not fairing much better.
After a bit of time, we wash up on some solid ground, luckily all still in one piece. As I get up, I spit out the blood in my mouth and shake some off of my body.
I look over at my friends to se them doing the same. "You guys all right?" I ask.
"Definie all right." Zeph says.
"Yeah, you guys are fine."
As they all get up, Vine lets Ciel out of the canteen. We look over to see a very large bridge suspended over a lake of lava. On the bridge are a buch of chains tied around colums along the sides of the bridge. At the end of these chains are tied up ponies.
"What's all this about?" Dark asks.
"One of Taurtarus' cruelest of fates." Vine starts explaining. "For those who come to Fraud are sentenced to suffer an enternity of being tied to this bridge over the lava while wyverns rip 'steal' parts of their body and eat them. Once done, the ponies' bodies are fully healed, as if they were never hurt, making them incapable of ever dying from this torture."
Rhino gags. "That's just sickening."
"Ugh, tell me about it. Even I'm not that bucked up." Dark says.
"Let's just go." Vine says impatiently. "I'm getting tired of all of this."
We start crossing the huge bridge, trying, as you can probably guess, to get to the other side. As we make it about half way, several wyverns come down and begin feasting on the helpless ponies.
For those who don't know, wyverns are basically like small dragons, but lack normal arms or the ability to breath fire.
They start doing things like rip off their flesh, tear off limbs, one even pulls out an eye and eats it right infront of the pony. All the while the ponies are screaming out in pain and suffering.
As the ponies continue eating, Vine starts trembling in anger. "Enough!" she hops onto the side of the bridge and stares down the wyverns. "You evil demon! You shall pay for harming these defenseless ponies!"
She summons a bunch of vines that attack and tie up the wyvern. Constricting the wyvern's wings, Vine chucks it down into the lava, completely incinerating it.
Seeing their brother be killed, the other wyverns start surrounding us in a circle as we back up into each other.
"Uh oh." Vine says.
"Nice going, Vine." I say.
"Sorry, I just kinda lost it there."
Dark pounds his hooves together. "Good thing too. I was just starting to get bored. Come on, let's do this!"
*sigh* I'm not surprised.
(More random battle music for your ears' pleasure)
Dark immediately goes in at the closest wyvern to him grabs it by the tail. Rather than using his powers, he spins around and around until eventually letting go and throwing the wyvern into a rock wall, making it fall asleep.
Being the next to get jumped at, Zephyr takes to the air for his bout with a wyvern. The wyvern keeps at trying to hit him, but his good manuevering skills allow him to go untouched. Eventually he flies over the wyvern and bucks it in the back of the head, taking it out.
Vine, being the way she is, simply summons some vines that grab and take out another wyvern. She can be a bit boring sometimes.
Ice, being unable to fly, takes the defensive against his foe. As the wyvern swoops in, he dodges to the side before creating a wall that the wyvern runs into and falls unconscious from.
Also being unable to fly, Rhino does the same against his target. He uses his Res to skate around before stoppiing. AS the wyvern comes in, Rhino teleports away, making this wyvern too crash into a wall and get knocked out.
I get a bit more up close and personal against the wyvern going after me. As it comes in, I give it a Hurricane Hoof to the face, knocking it back. I fly above it and give it a Blustering Buck right into the ground, creating cracks in the ground and knocking the wyvern out cold.
As Drax's foe comes in, he dodges to the side before giving it a hard slam over the back. He picks itup by the tail and slams it again and again repeatedly before chucking it over the bridge.
Last up is Orion. He dodges back and forth as a wyvern repeatedly tries to take a bite out of him. Eventually seeing an opening, he takes the wyvern by the stomach and flies around a bit. After gaining up some speed, his trail forms and he slams the wyvern hard into a wall, making its body go limp.
(End battle music)
We all land back on the bridge and do our traditional highoofs and broohoofs.
"Easy peasy." Zeph says.
"Yeah, but didn't seem a bit too-" Ice starts before I clamp a hoof over his mouth.
"No! Don't say that! It always jinxes us." I take my hoof off and start walking down the bridge. "Let's just go already."
Ice waits a few seconds. "Easy."
"Rain of Fire!" a voice shouts.
We look up to see fire start raining down from above. I grab Ice and shake him. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY THAT!"
"BUCK THAT! RUN!" Vine shouts before taking off.
We all start running down the bridge, avoiding any incoming fire from the skies. We have a few close calls, but luckily no one gets hit or burned in our dash.
As we near the end of the bridge, we are stopped by a tall, red unicorn stallion with a long, flowing, and orange mane and tail, each with yellow points. He also has serpent eyes similar to Shadow Blade and Alloy and a splotchy mark on his backside similar to Iron Shell.
He steps forward. "The trespassers." he says bitterly. "You are not welcome here. Turn back or burn for your insolence."
I sigh. "Great, another one of Grim Blade's men. So, what's your name?"
"What does that matter?"
"I'm making a list of all the wackjobs we meet down here."
"Fine then. I am Ignis Core, the Burning Phantom."
"Burning Phantom?" Zephyr asks.
"I am not an ordinary pony. I was a phantom when I was created. I always detested the living for getting their chance to live when I didn't. My hatred eventually gave me physical form, that's why I am here. My entire being is all a fraud! I am not supposed to even exist!"
Dark steps forward. "Yeah, that's real sad and all, but you're in our way."
"Dark, what did we talk about when saying we shouldn't piss off big, angry ponies with powers that could easily kill us if they wanted to?" I say.
Rhino takes the front, trying to be the voice of reason. "Look, we don't want to fight. We only came here to save Graze. We don't need any of this confrontation."
"It is already too late for that!" Ignis shouts. He takes a deep breath, ready for an attack.
Why is this always so difficult?
(Boss Battle 8: Ignis Core. BEGIN!)
Ignis releases his breath as he spits out a fireball. I push Dark and Vine out of the way as I fire a Wing Wave that intercepts the fireball and makes it explode. As the smoke clears, we see Ignis bring up his front hooves before stomping them down, creating a shockwave of fire.
We all jump back from it. Getting frustrated, Ice decides to go in. He fires a bunch of ive shards, Ignis breathing fire to put them out. Using them as a distraction, Ice stomps his hooves, making Ignis shoot up from an ice pillar below him.
Being stuck in the air, Ignis starts breath fire down on us, but I use my Blue Typhoon to keep the flames at bay.
With Ignis suspended in the air, Zeph and Orion decide to make their move. Zeph goes in first, using his speed to act as a dustraction to Ignis' attacks. With Ignis busy with Zephyr, Orion hits Ignis hard in the abdomin with a slam, sending him up to a small cliff.
Ignis growls a bit. "Meteor Storm!" his horn glows brightly as molten balls of rock start raining down. Still up in the air, closest to the meteors, Zeph and Orion start dodging the rocks like crazy.
"Oh buck that!" Dark shouts. He starts shooting off bolts of lightning at the rocks, making them explode. I join in with my own projectiles.
"Time to bring you down a notch!" Vine shouts. Using her amazing ability to grow plants anywhere, she summons several vines that grab Ignis and chuck him down lower.
Rhino teleports under him to give him a swift buck, hitting him hard as he falls down.
Ignis growls again as he gets up. He summons another batch of meteors, Dark and I continuing to stop them with projectiles. But it's no good as too many get through and destroy the bridge we're standing on, leaving us all floating on stone blocks.
As a metor comes in, Drax does the unthinable and catches it. He chucks the huge boulder at Ignis, knocking the red stallion to another platform.
Ignis growls once more. "No more games. YOU ALL SHALL PERISH!" his horn begins to glow furiously as fire from the surrounding area begins building together and taking shape. Soon, the fire begins to resemble a dragon, claws and wings and all.
"FIRE DRAGON, MOLTEN INFERNO!" the dragon roars out in a loud screech.
Oh buck us.
The dragon starts swiping at us, looking for easy takedowns. Being shrunk by fire, Ciel takes cover on a high up cliff. The pegasi of the group start flying around as Ice and Rhino try to hop their way over to solid ground.
Rhino ducks as the dragon swipes at his head. "Watch it! I've only got one of those!"
"Just give up! It'll make it all the less painful!" Ignis calls out.
"No way!" Dark shouts. He creates a grenade and chucks it at the dragon, creating an explosion. He crosses his forelegs. "Heh, it wasn't so tough." as the smoke clears, the fire starts reforming into the dragon. Dark's legs slump. "Oh buck."
The dragon starts breathing fire all around. I try flapping my wings to blow out the flames, but they only reform like before.
The others make attempts to go for Ignis, but his dragon continues to keep them all at bay.
Ice starts growling as he gets continuely frustrated at all of this. "I'm sick of all the fite. Sick of all the lava. Sick of all the smoke. Sick of being in this place. I'm going to end this right now!" Rhino looks at him. "Ice? You all right?"
"NO!" he shouts. A huge amount of mist starts coming from his body as ice forms in the air. We all look down at him as we notice the huge build up of mist and ice.
Much like Ignis did earlier with fire, the ice starts forming into the shape of a dragon, almost identical to Ignis'.
The dragon roars as it takes shape. "ICE DRAGON, FREEZING TUNDRA!"
The two dragons immediately notice each other and start glaring, feeling the hatred of being polar opposites. The go to attack each other, causing a massive explosion to take place.
As the smoke from the explosion clears, neither dragons are left visible, both of them cancelling each other out in their duel.
"NO!" Ignis shout. He begins to charge his horn again, ready for another attack.
"Oh no you don't!" Drax shouts, looking at him. He quickly flies down to Ignis and grabs his horn, dutting off his magic. Drax smirks as Ignis looks on in shock. "Let's see how much damage you can do without this!" he throws his hoof down, snapping off the horn and sending a shockwave of pain through Ignis' head.
(End battle music)
He rolls around on the ground as he grabs his head and grunts in pain. We all go down and surround him.
"Let me restrain him." Vine says.
"That won't be necessary." Ignis says.
"What?" we all say in confusion.
Ignis sighs. "I know when I am defeated. Without my horn, I have no powers. I am no longer a threat to you. Just go on and leave me be."
We all exchange skeptical glance before agreeing with Ignis.
Only one last floor to go.It's almost over from here.
Author's Note: Ignis Core comes from Star Light. Last OC from her, I promise.