Episode 13: Ponyville in Crisis! The Emerald Giant's Indominable Will!
The sky was blanketed with pitch black clouds, the likes of which no pegasus has ever dealt with. Gray snow descended upon the land, covering everything in thick, depressing sheets, suffocating the land. In the distance, the residents of Ponyville could see a red, orange-yellow glow, and from that glow a large voluminous black clouds shot forth into the sky. The ground occasional shook as a low, bellowing, rumbling sound echoed through the air. There was only one word that the ponies of Ponyville could use to describe these events…
The end of the world…
Twilight Sparkle, newly crowned Princess of Equestria, hovered over the site of the powerful volcano in the land. A protective charm hung around her neck, a specially made one that acted as an environmental protection field, keeping the wearer safe from extreme heat, to a degree, as well as filtering the ash from the air they breathed in.
She surveyed the area, watching as ponies, unicorn, pegasi, and earth alike, all scrambled about in organized chaos. The volcano was deep in ground, the only point of origin being the large hole in the ground, were molten lava spewed forth, turning the surrounding mountains into a bowl of lava soup.
“Twilight!”
The alicorn princess turned around and watched as her marefriend, Rainbow Dash, wearing the same warding charm.
“Rainbow Dash, what’s the news,” asked Twilight.
“I’ve gathered as many pegasi as I could from Cloudsdale. We’re doing all we can to keep the ash cloud from going any further, but they won’t be able to keep that up forever,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Okay. What about Applejack and Ion’s group, how are they doing?”
“AJ’s team is working on the dams to block the lava flow, and Ion’s working with his team on another. There are few more working on dams as well.” Rainbow Dash let out a frustrated growl. “I hate to say this Twi, but it feels like we’re putting a band-aide on this thing.”
“Unfortunately that’s all we can do until we can figure something out…”
“Can’t you and the Princesses just – I don’t know – combine your magic to stop this or something!?”
“Don’t you think I thought about that already!?” Twilight snapped. “Pooling the collective magic of three alicorns and funneling it to stop
a super volcanic eruption of this size and magnitude, if I had a week I still couldn’t list all the ways that could end badly! How could I let this happen, Ponyville and Equestria, it’s all my fault!”
Rainbow Dash cursed under her breath, if anything, causing her marefriend more stress was not the best thing for the situation at hoof. Rainbow hovered closer to Twilight, and rested her hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t start that, Twi. This isn’t your fault, not by a mile,” said Rainbow Dash.
“If only I paid more attention to the signs…there must’ve been something I missed…?”
(15 Hours Earlier)
The skies were clear and it was bright sunny day in Ponyville. Many ponies were out enjoying the nice weather, going to the park and to enjoy it. Amongst those ponies were Applejack, Ion, and Apple Bloom. Deciding that they deserved a break after all their hard work with the new orchard, the group of earth ponies went out to the park. Ion, after all this time, still didn’t have any idea on how to interpret that kiss he received from Applejack a couple of months ago. Nothing had really changed, she was still her usually sassy self, and they still got into little competitions with each other. But every now and then, whenever the two of them got too close or stared too long, they’d start to blush.
Ugh, c’mon Ion! Trillions of years you’ve existed, captured by Krona, fought side-by-side with two Lanterns, and yet saying that you like Applejack is the most difficult thing you’ve ever faced, thought Ion.
“Ya alright there, Ion?”
The green stallion was snapped out his thoughts by the yellow filly walking beside him. In the last few months, Apple Bloom and Ion had gotten a lot closer, now seeing him as a second older brother. The obvious attraction between him and Applejack did not get passed this filly’s eyes, every now and again she would tease the Entity of Willpower, but just as quickly, he turned the tables and started to tease her about a certain young dragon.
“Yeah, I’m fine, AB,” said Ion.
“No ya ain’t, you were thinkin’ about meh sister. You really should tell her, Ah mean, you said it yourself she has an inklin’ about yer…”
Apple Bloom looked around; making sure her sister wasn’t in earshot. “Powers,” she whispered.
“Having an ‘inkling’ and actually knowing, like you, are two completely different things. There are…things, about me Apple Bloom; my powers are only the tip of the iceberg.”
“So, does it matter? If ya like her, and she likes ya back, then nothin’ else matters right? Isn’t that what love is, carin’ about another pony even though they’re different, ‘cause when ya think about it, that’s why ya like them, ain’t it?”
Ion had to admit, sometimes he was amazed at how mature Apple Bloom could be, and if Predator was here, she’d say she was right. But then again, he wasn’t exactly a pony. Their mortal shells were stronger than many of them thought, with respect to each of their tribes, but did that mean he had the right to be with her?
“Hey look! There’s Twilight!” Apple Bloom shouted.
The green stallion watched as the yellow filly bounded towards the alicorn princess, with Applejack following. Twilight’s horn was aglow with magic, a little picnic basket was grasped within her aura, with multiple items flying out of it and placing them on the blanket neatly. As he made his way towards her, Ion couldn’t help but notice that her gaze would turn skyward every now and again.
“Heya, Twi, nice seein’ ya out on this nice day,” said Applejack.
“It’s nice to see you too,” greeted Twilight.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what were you looking at,” asked Ion.
“Oh, just admiring those three.”
They were confused for a second until they looked up. Up in the air, three different streaks whizzed through the clear sky. A blurred rainbow, followed by an orange and purple streak and another streak of cerulean and light-blue shot through the sky. The two other steaks seemed as if they were trying to catch the rainbow one, but it didn’t appear that the rainbow was going to let itself get caught that easily. Both of the streaks stopped for a moment, revealing both Scootaloo and Adara, hovering near Rainbow Dash. After that brief pause, the three pegasi went back at it, zooming through the air at high speed.
“What are they doin’,” asked Apple Bloom.
“Oh they’re just having some high speed game of tag,” said Twilight as she sat on the blanket.
Applejack looked over at the lavender alicorn, “How come ya ain’t up there with’em?”
“Are you crazy, you know how competitive Rainbow Dash is, she’d hunt me down like I was rabid dog and I’d be screaming my head off
trying to get away from her. Plus, I’m not on Rainbow’s level of speed, but Scootaloo and Adara seem to keep up with her, so I just let them have it.”
Apple Bloom looked around and seemed just a tad disappointed. “Hey, Twilight, where’s Spike at? Didn’t he come with ya?”
“Actually, he decided to go off and spend the day by himself. I don’t blame him really, ever since Rainbow and girls moved in, the library’s been getting a little crowded. He probably just wants some alone time,” explained Twilight.
Ion, while watching his fellow Entity flying through the sky, felt something strange. It was like a tremor, radiating from the ground and up his hooves. The stallion looked around, scanning the faces of his friends and the other park goers, strangely, none of them seemed to have felt what he had.
Odd…
After deciding that they would all join in, Applejack and Ion sat with Twilight and enjoyed some the food they had brought, talking about this and that to pass the time. After a few minutes had gone by, the three pegasi descended down to the ground a couple of feet away. Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Adara all appeared to be a bit out of breath, but otherwise fine.
“Heh, dang Scoots, you’re getting faster. And Adara, didn’t know you could move that fast, it’s like you’ve been flying longer than me,” said Rainbow Dash.
Adara let out a nervous chuckle. “Oh me, nah, just always been like that, a fast flyer.”
“Wouldn’t expect any less from you,” said Scootaloo, playfully elbowing Adara in the side.
“Well, keep it up you two. At this rate, you’ll both be Wonderbolts in no time, you know, if that’s what you want when you get older, I mean. No pressure, just thought it’d be cool to have you guys on the team,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Are you kidding, that’d be awesome! All three of us, in the Wonderbolts, we’d be the fastest trio in the team!” Scootaloo then hooked her right foreleg around Adara’s neck. “What do you think?!”
“Well…”
“Well, first off, I think you need to hold your horses there Rainbow.” The three pegasi looked off in the direction of Twilight’s voice, noticing their guests.
“Apple Bloom,” shouted the two fillies.
The yellow filly quickly got up and ran to her friends. Rainbow made her way to her marefriend, plopping herself next to Twilight.
“Why not, they’re freakin’ fast, and they can only get better from here, they’d be great,” said Rainbow.
“Um, I’m pretty sure there’s an age limit, if I’m not mistaken, I believe the legal age is eighteen,” said Twilight.
“So?”
“They’re eleven.”
“What’s your point?”
“Ugh!”
Applejack and Ion laughed at the conversation of the two mares, earning them both confused stares.
“What’s so funny,” asked Rainbow.
“You two fight like an old married couple,” said Ion.
Twilight and Rainbow blushed at nearly the same time.
“M-M-Married?! I mean, that’s…I, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but Rainbow just moved in not too long ago, marriage is a big step!”
“Settle down Twi, settle down, no need to lose your head,” said Applejack.
Rainbow Dash, knowing that frantic look, opened her right wing and draped it over her marefriend’s body. Twilight squeaked from the sudden wing embrace, but nonetheless, the nervous alicorn started to relax, leaning more into Rainbow as she did so.
“Seems like you two have gotten more, um, comfortable with doing that,” observed Ion.
“Yeah, gotta say, I like not having to tip-hoof around. Now I can kiss her in public,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow!” Twilight smiled in the end and nuzzled up against her marefriend’s neck. “Anyway, no Wonderbolts, at least not until they’re both eighteen.”
“Alright fine,” she conceded, “but we’re still sending them to Junior Speedsters Flight Camp for the summer, right?”
At this, both Ion and Applejack noticed Twilight’s smile waver a bit.
“What is it, sugarcube, ya look a little down,” asked Applejack.
Twilight then turned her gaze upon the three fillies playing in the distance. “I just don’t know if we should so soon. I mean, Scootaloo’s
still adjusting to living with us, and I’m still not certain what our relationship with her is.”
“What, ‘our relationship’, Twi, we’re her guardians.”
“Yes, but not her parents, believe me, there’s a whole different stack of paper work to adopt her….and I don’t want to pressure her into calling us her parents, I was thinking of bringing it up when she was older…”
“Oh…yeah, we’re her guardians, does that mean I can’t be her big sister anymore? And if I become her…mom, that’s going be all kinds of weird,” said Rainbow.
Applejack flashed her two friends a warm and comforting smile, another thing Ion liked about the mare that he couldn’t stop staring at.
“Y’all got nothin’ to worry about. Scootaloo well decide on what to call ya when she’s good and ready. Just take things one day at a time, believe meh, Ah speak from experience. It wasn’t the easiest thing helpin’ Granny raise Apple Bloom, there were times when Ah got low…real low and sad…” Applejack pause for a minute, trying not to let the memories of her deceased parents get her choked up.
“AJ?”
“Ah’m alright, Ion, don’t fret. Point bein’, you two can make it work, if’n there’s anypony Ah know that can raise them fillies right, it’s Ponyville’s resident genius princess, and the most loyal and fastest pegasus in Equestria.”
That was another thing that Ion found he liked about her, she always kept a level head, and wasn’t afraid to offer up some encouraging words to her friends, and somehow, after hearing them, you felt like whatever you were afraid of or worried about just doesn’t seem as big a deal as it was before. And Ion could see that relief in the two mares’ eyes. Although there was one thing that he did have a question on.
“So, you’re not going to adopt Adara, too,” asked Ion.
“Oh, well…”
“Ion, you remember when I said that being her mom and sister at the same time felt kinda weird,” asked Rainbow.
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be weirder for Scootaloo if we did adopt Adara, I don’t think she’d be too eager to date her adopted sister.”
“Date!?” Applejack and Ion blurted out.
“You didn’t know,” asked Twilight.
“Y’all are what?!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“Looks like Apple Bloom just found out too,” said Rainbow Dash.
Ion and Applejack looked over at the fillies; Apple Bloom had a surprised, yet, happy expression on her face. Scootaloo and Adara seemed relieved; the both of them probably worried what their friend would think about them. Now that they looked closer, the two fillies were standing closer together. Ion dared to glance at Applejack; wondering if now may be a good time, amongst friends, on a nice sunny day.
Rage…
Suddenly, Ion shot to his hooves. He felt something, something that was wrong, and now he was feeling the tremors again.
Hate…
“ADARA!!!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouted in fear.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash started to make their way towards the fillies. Adara was trembling, but it looked as if she was trying to fight something off, trying to keep something at bay.
“Adara, what’s wrong, talk to me,” asked Scootaloo.
Oddly enough, Applejack noticed that Ion was stuck where he was, as if rooted to that spot or afraid to move at all.
“Ion, what’s wrong, why aren’t ya movin’,” asked Applejack.
…Kill…
At that moment the entire area began to rumble and quake. A low rumbling like growl could be heard echoing through the air, the ponies all started to panic; staying low and trying to keep themselves steady from all the shaking. It felt as if the ground was trying to tear itself apart.
“What’s going on?!” Rainbow Dash yelled, keeping Scootaloo close to her.
“I don’t know but hang on,” ordered Twilight, keeping Apple Bloom and Adara close to her as well.
Applejack was finding it increasingly hard to keep her balance on the shaking dirt, but for some reason Ion remained steady, not budging, as if defying the natural disaster that was occurring. Just as quickly as the quake began, it stopped, silence reigned over everything, and it was a deathly silence. No one dared to make a sound, fearing that breaking the silence might incur the disaster to continue. They didn’t need to wait long. The quiet was broken by a thunderous explosion, many had to cover their ears and duck low to the ground. It was deafening, like heaven’s thunder. The explosion was soon followed by a large column of black smoke bellowing out from the mountains, spewing it’s darkness into the sky. At the epicenter, an ominous orange-red glow appeared.
The sky then began to rain down a strange gray snow; everypony looked in fear and dismay, wondering what this gray snow was.
Twilight reached out with her hoof, letting a few of the flakes land on her upturned hoof. She then brought it close to her face, inspecting it, giving the substance a light sniff.
“This can’t be…”
“What, what is it Twi!?” Rainbow asked.
“This stuff, I’ve only ever read about it in my books, ones like these are rare…!”
“What is it!?”
“This stuff, it’s ash…volcanic ash…”
(Present)
“You had no idea that a damn Super Volcano was hiding underground! Tartarus, even Princess Celestia didn’t know, and she’s been around, like, forever!”
Twilight shook her head. “That’s still no excuse! As a Princess, more importantly, as a scientist and mage, I should have looked into the geography of Ponyville when I moved here all those years ago! Volcanos like this are the most dangerous kind, and one of them has been hiding under our noses the entire time!”
“Sulk about it later, Twi! We need you to focus, if there’s anypony who can get us out of this mess, it’s you, so start thinking, I’m going to go around and get a status report from the teams,” said Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash sped away, only barely catching the sound of Twilight thanking her. The rainbow maned pegasus flew fast and swift, making her way to every team she could. She hurried to the dam builders, checking on Ion first.
When she arrived, Rainbow Dash watched the green stallion was busy leading his team of fifty, directing them where they should best set the TNT that they had procured to create their dams. Somehow Ion had an innate sense of where the rocks were weakest. Rainbow had nothing against the guy, but she didn’t think that Ion was the best at figuring out complex stuff like that to lead the team, she was glad she was wrong.
After seeing that the ground teams were doing alright, Rainbow checked on the air teams. The pegasi she had brought with her from Cloudsdale, along with others from Ponyville and the surrounding towns, were doing their best to keep the ash cloud from veering any further than the boundary they set, even the ones above the cloud were keeping it as flat as possible, compacting it so that the cloud wouldn’t spread up into the upper atmosphere.
If that happened it wouldn’t be just Equestria that gets hit, thought Rainbow Dash.
The cyan pegasus gazed out towards Canterlot, the royal capital looked so small from her height, but she could see it. Her thoughts strayed to the Scootaloo and Adara, they, along with others, were shipped by train to the city in order to get them as far from the cloud as possible. Rainbow couldn’t believe that this was happening, so soon after she had just moved into the library, and started living with everyone there. Twilight, Spike, Scootaloo, and Adara, they were like her family now, just like their friends.
I’ll be damned if that’s going to end, I know we can beat this thing!
The low roaring of the volcano grew more prominent; as if it knew what she was thinking and was doing that to affirm that there was no way they could.
“You heard it, same as me, it’s him, there’s no doubt about it.”
“First Ophidian, now this, how is it that they found Equestria, out of the endless universes that we could be in, why this one,” said Adara
“Ophidian appeared rather subtly, if this power is really him –”
“You know it is Proselyte.”
“Then we have to assume the worst, that in addition to Ophidian, Parallax might also be in Equestria. Unlike the others, he’s probably entered here unnoticed. Butcher on the other hand…”
“If he’s trying to manifest himself into Equestria, then we have time to stop him from doing so,” said Adara.
“Princess Twilight’s getting groups of ponies together to start damming projects to stop the eventual lava flow. I’ll get on one those teams and get closer to the epicenter, from there I’ll figure something out,” said Ion.
“I’ll go too.”
“No, Adara, your place is by Scootaloo’s side.”
“My place is by your side if it is Butcher! You know his light erodes at your willpower, you’ll need my light to weaken his and empower
yours!”
“She has a point, Ion,” added Proselyte.
“I know she does! But we can’t afford that. You said it yourself; our bodies are vulnerable while we’re in mortal form. Adara, you need to stay here in case Butcher does arrive, your light will be the one thing that’ll keep everypony here safe, yours, and Proselytes.”
~~~
“Dam the lava flow or we’ll lose the town!”
Ion stood and watched as the TNT they had setup exploded. The result was a rock slide that filled a canyon, effectively blocking it. Applejack’s team had to rendezvous with Ion’s, the number of explosives they had weren’t enough, and so by combining their explosives, they were able to create the makeshift rock dam down below.
“Alright everypony, we’ve used up what we have, let’s head on back to base camp and find out what else needs doin’,” ordered Applejack.
The large group of ponies started making their way back to base camp, Ion brought up the rear as they galloped down the dirt path. When he was sure that they weren’t aware of him at that moment, he stopped, and turned around in the opposite direction. The Entity of Willpower continued to gallop as fast as he could. Ion then spotted a splintering path that led towards the center of this disaster. With conviction in his heart, Ion ran, he wasn’t about to let his new home, the home of his friends and fellow positive entities, become the Butcher’s bloodstained playground.
After about ten minutes of continuous galloping, Ion was reaching his destination. The heat was intense, though it wasn’t as hot as the primordial flames when Earth was born, now that was HOT. And thanks to the charm on his neck, Ion barely felt a thing.
The green stallion approached the cliff that overlooked the lake of molten lava that was slowly building, the ash flakes danced in the air as the center continued to bellow out the suffocating ash cloud. Lightning arced through the cloud, heat lightning if he remembered from Twilight’s lecture/briefing. Ion crept closer to the edge of the cliff, staring directly at the center. For at that center, without a doubt, was where the Butcher would soon arrive.
“Not if I have anything to say about, you won’t,” he muttered to himself.
“What in tarnation are ya doin’ out here!?”
Ion quickly turned around and saw that Applejack was standing a few feet behind him. Her coat was soaked with perspiration, no doubt a result of the intense heat radiating from everywhere, her breathing was also labored, another sign that she wasn’t used these kinds of extreme conditions like he was.
“Applejack you need to go, right now! You shouldn’t be here,” said Ion.
“And neither should you! Ah mean – gosh darn it, it’s hot – I don’t get it, Ah can barely stand it, even with the charm, how in the hay aren’t you passin’ out bein’ that close,” asked Applejack.
Ion looked frantically between Applejack and the lava lake, grunting in frustration. “AJ, I promise I’ll explain, but right now –!”
“No Ion, no explaining later, ya tell me right now what y’all are up to?! Ah want to trust you, Ion, and I do, but how do ya expect me to fully trust you when ya go and hide everythin’,” shouted Applejack.
“I swear to Celestia and Faust on high, Applejack, I will, after all this is over, I will! But right now you need to get out of here before –!”
*KA-BOOM!!!*
Applejack and Ion watched as the column of ash became a raging inferno, lava spewing in its stead. The surge caused a lava wave to hurl towards them, fifty feet high. There was no time to run away from it, no time to think, there was only time for action. Ion’s cutie marks began to glow, his eyes shined, and in that moment, the only thing that Applejack saw was a blinding flash of emerald light.
A giant pillar of green light shot up into the sky, with a thunderous boom. Everypony for a hundred miles could see the column of light, shining like a beacon in the darkness. The pillar then dispersed into tiny particles as a figure emerged. The figure was humanoid, with white eyes and a body made of emerald light. Standing at a hundred feet tall, the giant crossed its arms to form an X. A barrier of light formed as the lava wave crashed against the shield, effectively cancelling the wave.
The unknown, rarely seen creature that saved many ponies during the Running of the Leaves event, and others around Equestria had arrived at the critical moment, the Emerald Giant was here.
Applejack had shut her eyes, not wanting to see the impending doom coming. She expected a searing burning sensation to overcome her at any moment, and hoping to Celestia that the pain of being burned alive by lava would be quick. But instead, she felt no pain, only warmth, a comforting, yet powerful presence surrounded her. Applejack dared to open one of her eyes and gasped in surprise.
Okay…this is…this is new…
All around Applejack was green light. She felt weightless, as if floating in nothing. The earth pony mare thought she might be flying or that she was in Elysium and was about to be reunited with her parents.
“Applejack, are you alright?”
“Ion?! That you, where are ya, Ah can’t see ya?!”
“I’m here…actually, I’m all around you.”
“Come again?”
“It’s kinda hard to explain, but I didn’t have much time to get you out of the way, so I created the construct around you.”
“‘Construct’? Look just tell me where the heck Ah am, ‘cause Ah’m freakin’ out a bit right now,” warned Applejack.
“……I’m the Emerald Giant, Applejack. I changed to protect you from the lava wave…I wanted to tell you, but…”
Applejack had to take a minute to let that sink in. Ion was the Emerald Giant, and she was inside of its body. The very same giant that saved her during the Running of the Leaves, it was Ion. So many questions swam through Applejack’s mind, she felt as if her head was going to explode. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have the time to ask them. Applejack looked straight ahead, the emerald light, as if answering her unspoken request, cleared a bit to allow her to see outside. The roaring, fiery geyser was building up, becoming stronger and raising the lava tide. Both of them knew that their makeshift dams wouldn’t be able to take the strain of the increased lava flow and would either break or the lava would just overflow.
“This ain’t good, at this rate, all our hard work’s goin’ to go down the drain,” said Applejack.
“These dams aren’t strong or high enough to hold this in. Unless…”
“What?!”
“Forget it, doing it like this…! I don’t know what kind of strain that would put on you!”
“Whatever bright idea ya have to fix this mess tell me or do it, ‘cause we don’t exactly have a lot of time,” shouted Applejack.
“Ugh! We have to work together! I’ve seen what Earth Pony magic and my power can do together. In my current form, and with you at my center, we may be able to use our energies to build something that’ll keep the lava from escaping!”
Applejack was hesitant for a second, “What’ll happen, to me Ah mean?”
“I don’t know… I’ve done this before, but nothing on this scale. Forget it I’ll get you out of here and think of –!”
“Do it.”
“Applejack?”
“We’re the only ones that can keep Ponyville and the rest of Equestria from bein’ destroyed, and besides, Ah said ya earned meh trust, so do what ya have to do, Ah’m ready!”
Ion was weary of doing something like this; this was practically an inverse possession. Still, the options were limited and this was the best shot they had.
“You’re going to feel a slight tingling sensation, and a rush of power. The energy works via willpower and your imagination. Just think about something and then will it into existence!”
“GOT IT!”
With that said the connection was made. Applejack opened her mind and body to the emerald light of Willpower, letting it course through her being, charging every cell, every molecule of her body. It was indeed a rush, she felt as if she could move the mountains themselves if she so chose. Applejack scanned over the area, watching the geyser continue to pump more and more lava out. She closed her eyes, sensing the molten earth through the feet of the construct. It was then that Applejack felt it, the way to block it. And thanks to their connection, so did Ion.
“Let’s do it, partner!” Applejack yelled.
The Emerald Giant raised its right leg, and in one swift motion, stomped down on the ground below. Green light surged through the ground, spider webbing in different directions. The surges stopped when they reached their designated spots, which so happened to be all the spots where the dams were. The Emerald Giant then raised its arms up slowly, as if trying to pull at something. The ground around the dams shivered and quaked, responding to the power that coursed through it. With great effort the Emerald Giant thrust its arms high into the air, and at that same time, great slab walls made of hardened rock jutted out from the earth, each bearing the insignia of Ion. The walls of stone stood as tall as the mountain peaks. The Emerald Giant then waved its arms, sending out a wave of green energy.
The energy struck the slabs, activating their latent power. Each of the slabs fired off a beam into the air, ten in all. The beams met at the center and united into a giant dome that cutoff the ash and lava geyser. Applejack was amazed at what they had accomplished; she never knew this kind of power was even possible.
“Rainbow said we were puttin’ a band aid on a broken leg, but now it’s more like a cast. All we need to now is figure out a way to stop this,” said Applejack.
“It’s not going to be easy.”
“And why not?”
“Because HE won’t make it easy.”
As if on cue, the geyser burst apart revealing a pillar of crimson light that shot straight up, the light struck the barrier and smashed through it, leaving a gaping hole. The barrier, although damaged, seemed mostly intact. Applejack looked at the epicenter of the pillar, and what emerged made her think that the gates of Tartarus had been opened.
The beast trotted out from the pillar, it resembled a bull, but its body was red as blood, and stood at roughly the same height as the emerald giant. On its face the bull had two long tusks, and the horns on its head had a slight curve to them. The center of its head was slightly bulbous and round, a hardened cranium, perfect for ramming and smashing. This creature, born of the first act of murder, and the Entity of Rage, was the Butcher. The beast snarled and snorted as its red eyes gleamed over its surroundings.
“So this is the place Ophidian and Parallax were bragging about,” Butcher snorted indignantly, “I’ve seen better.”
Applejack couldn’t help but quiver at the sight of the monster before her, but regardless, she did not turn her gaze away from the monster.
“Let me handle this, Applejack.”
“At this point, Ah’ll follow your lead,” she said.
“BUTCHER!!!” Ion yelled.
The Entity of Rage finally settled its gaze on the humanoid construct a few feet away from it. It’s eyes narrowing at the sight.
“Willpower…what’s a Green Lantern doing here?! Wait a minute…” Butcher sniffed the air a bit. “Ion? So this is where the Life Entity dumped you.”
“I’m only going to say this once, Butcher. Leave this world and return to the one that the Life Entity had taken you to!”
Butcher stomped the ground with his right forehoof, causing a mini-quake. “You DO NOT give me orders! I do as I please, kill who I want, hate what I want! That is my way! And if I want to stay here then I will, challenge me, and you’ll find that I have killed for less!”
Scary thing is, he has killed for less, thought Ion.
The Emerald Giant then widened its stance and balled up its fists as it entered a fighting stance.
“Then I’ll MAKE you leave!”
Butcher then released a boisterous laugh, “I’d like to see you try! It’s been eons since we last fought! Let us see if your Will is stronger than my Rage!”
Butcher roared into the air as he charged the Emerald Giant. Ion readied himself and took the charge head on. He quickly grabbed Butcher’s tusks, holding them firmly in his hands and forcing the demonic bull’s head up. Butcher tried to kick Ion with its forelegs, but only managed to scratch at the constructs chest. With a great heave, Ion threw Butcher into the molten lava, slamming his head and submerging it. But that did not last long as Butcher began to thrash about, kicking and goring with his horns and tusks. One of his horns cut into the midsection of Emerald Giant’s body, causing Ion to release Butcher and fallback.
“Ion you okay,” asked Applejack.
“Fine…!”
The wound on the giant’s stomach had wisps of crimson energy coming off of it, almost mimicking blood loss. But Ion knew what it was, Rage erodes Willpower, and although his construct was strong, it was still vulnerable to the effects of the red light of Rage. And right now, he couldn’t afford to be reckless, not with Applejack inside.
Butcher got back onto his hooves and faced Ion. He raked his hooves and snorted, preparing to charge yet again.
“Ion, listen to me, let me help!”
“How exactly?!”
“Watch!”
At that moment a green lasso appeared in front of the Emerald Giant. Ion quickly understood what Applejack was getting at and grabbed the rope. He then began to twirl it in the air, his eyes fixated on his target.
Bellowing roar, Butcher charged at the Emerald Giant for the second time. “Not yet…” Ion waited on Applejack’s cue, channeling her experience through their link. “Not yet…!” Butcher continued to get closer, his curved horns ready to gore the construct. “NOW!”
Ion released the lasso. The loop flew through the air as Butcher charged forth, his head fitting through the hole. Ion pulled back on the rope and tightened the noose. Butcher gagged for a second from the sudden constriction, but Butcher kept on going.
“Now run!”
Ion did as Applejack instructed. Keeping a tight grip on the lasso, he dashed towards Butcher. The two Entities were on a collision course, neither one willing to deviate.
“Feint right, stop, and then pull forward!”
A mere few seconds before Ion crashed into Butcher, he feinted right, with the Entity of Rage whizzing by him. The Emerald Giant then planted its feet and pulled on the rope. The result was the momentum that carried Ion forward was transferred into the rope, causing it snap back and pull Butcher backwards. Butcher felt the jerking pull on his throat, abruptly stopping him and causing the entity to fall his back. Ion, under Applejack’s direction, sprinted for the downed Entity. Ion then quickly grabbed each of the demonic bull’s legs and tied the remainder of the lasso around them, effectively hogtieing him.
“And that’s how we do it rodeo style, yeehaw!”
“I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL OF!!!”
Butcher’s body then began to emit a red aura; the harsh energy ate away at the green lasso, the light fibers quickly snapping under the power of Rage. Ion went to a fallback position and watched as Butcher freed himself from his bonds.
“I don’t get it, how come everythin’ we try doesn’t seem to be makin’ a dent in him!?”
“My power doesn’t exactly do well against his. It weakens mine, but we’ve lasted longer than I thought we would, mostly thanks to your willpower, Applejack,” said Ion.
“Then how do we beat’em if we can barely hurt’em?!”
Butcher widened his stance, his nostrils flaring with anger. He then took in a deep breath, and upon exhaling, released a powerful blast of crimson red energy. The energy had a liquid, almost fire-like appearance as it shot towards them.
“OH CRAP!!!”
Ion created a shield, bearing his insignia, in front of them, pouring all his and Applejack’s Willpower into it. The inferno smashed against the shield with resounding force, pushing back the Emerald Giant. The blast continued to berate the shield, showing no signs of stopping. At that moment, Butcher’s aura raged and the blood-fire breath doubled in power and size. They watched as the shield shattered and Emerald Giant swept away by the blaze. The blast struck the side of one of the mountains, exploding violently. Butcher ceased his attack and inspected the damage.
The Emerald Giant lay sprawled out on the mountainside, which was steaming and melting from the blast. Its body had several light green cracks all over it, and tiny wisps of crimson lapped off its body. Ion peeled his construct off the mountain, staggering to his feet and swaying from side to side as if disoriented.
Napalm blood breath, Rayner was right, grossest fireworks display, ever, thought Ion.
“Oh, meh head, feels like Ah had ten barns dropped on me, all of them on fire,” groaned Applejack.
“Applejack, are you alright?”
The earth pony mare rubbed the back of her head and winced a bit. When she pulled back her hoof, she saw that it had traces of blood on it.
“Ah…Ah’m fine, Ah can still keep fightin’!”
“You’re a terrible liar, Applejack. That attack took a lot out of me, even if you were protected; I doubt that it was any less pleasant for you.”
He was right, it wasn’t. During the whole fight, Applejack could feel the red light affecting her. Eating away at her will, Applejack didn’t want to abandon Ion, not when he needed her.
“Look Ah’m fine! We can beat’em Ah know we can, we just gotta hit him and hit him hard!”
“……Sorry Applejack, I can’t risk it. For your family’s sake and yours…goodbye…”
“Say what?!”
Before Applejack could protest, she felt a strange tugging sensation on her body. In less than a few seconds, Applejack was sent flying through the Emerald Giant’s body, exiting out of the middle of his back in a sphere of green energy. Applejack continuously pounded against the sphere, trying to break it or force it to go back.
“ION, DON’T YOU DARE DO THIS TO ME!!! LET ME HELP YA, ION!!!”
The sphere continued to carry Applejack further from the fight, it was then that the sphere passed through the barrier and landed in one of the safe zones. The sphere then released Applejack as it deteriorated into small particles of green light. Applejack gazed in the direction of the barrier, flashes of green and red light could be seen warring within it. She wanted to stay, to continue fighting with Ion, but she knew that he wouldn’t have sent her away if he didn’t think the fight was going for them, and she knew well that it wasn’t.
“Not again…! Why is this happening again!? I’m older and stronger, Ah’m not a weak little filly anymore! Every time…first with meh parents…and now… Damn you Ion…Damn it…Damn it…Damn it!!!”
Applejack furiously stomped at the rocky ground, venting her anger at the whole situation. AJ stopped when her hoof became sore, tears started to fall from her green eyes, old memories returning and mixing with the sorrows of the present. She hadn’t done it in a long time, and only rarely when the situation was bad enough, but now she thought now was a good a time as any. Applejack removed her Stetson hat and then bowed her head.
Ah don’t know if this will do any good, but I don’t want to have to go through that ever again…So please, whoever’s listenin’, Ah’m prayin’, Ah’m beggin’, don’t let Ion die…
(Elsewhere)
During the disaster, many residents of Ponyville were evacuated to safer distances from the super volcano. Because of its high elevation and distance, Canterlot was chosen as the destination to shuttle the evacuees. Royal Guards had set up tents to house the overflow, while the hotels opened up their doors to help with sheltering. Others didn’t have to use tents or hotels, but instead, took to the family they knew in Canterlot. Many of their relatives were more than happy to open up their home during the crisis.
When it started, Twilight had sent for a royal chariot to shuttle Spike, Scootaloo, and Adara to Canterlot to stay with Twilight’s parents. The young ones protested this arrangement, declaring that their place was at their side. But Twilight and Rainbow Dash would not be swayed. So, reluctantly, and with sad looks upon their faces, they were taken to Canterlot, where they were escorted to the home of Twilight Velvet and Night Light, Twilight’s parents. The mare and stallion were happy to see Spike again, but paused when they noticed the two fillies behind him.
“Oh yeah, you haven’t met yet. This is Scootaloo and Adara,” said Spike.
“Oh, now I remember! Yes Twilight described you two in her letter last month, well, I’m Night Light.”
“And I’m Twilight Velvet. Our little Sparkle told us so much about you two.”
“Thanks for taking us in,” said Scootaloo.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” said Adara.
A few hours after their arrival, Scootaloo and Adara were getting restless. They could spot the ominous orangey glow and black clouds that settled over Ponyville and the mountain range, both were gazing out the open window when they heard the door to the room open.
“Hey guys, maybe you want to come down and get something to eat, Velvet made it for us,” said Spike.
“How can you eat at a time like this, Spike?! Rainbow Dash andTwilight are still back in Ponyville doing – Luna knows what – to stop this thing!”
“Believe me, I know you’re worried Scoots, but that doesn’t mean I’m not either. We’re not helping them by starving.”
Scootaloo snorted, “We can’t help them at all.”
“Scootaloo, have faith, they’ll be alright,” said Adara.
The orange pegasus met the gaze of her fillyfriend, there was worry in those eyes, but also a glimmer of hope. She knew by now, of course, that Adara might’ve had an inkling as to the outcome of this situation. Her special talent was Hope after all. However, she could’ve sworn that Adara flinched uneasily when they saw the flashes of green and red light coming from the volcano.
Her suspicions were cut short when a grumbling noise was heard within the room. Spike and Adara’s eyes looked to Scootaloo and her stomach. She blushed in embarrassment but then quickly regained her composure.
“Yeah, I guess we can eat something. Don’t wanna be rude to Mrs. Velvet,” said Scootaloo.
Spike smiled and rolled his eyes, while Adara giggled from Scootaloo’s show of coolness. As they were about to leave the room, Adara halted in her tracks.
“Adara,” said Spike.
The cerulean filly turned around and gazed towards the open window.
“Adara, you alright,” asked Scootaloo.
It was then that Scootaloo saw it; Adara’s cutie mark was starting to become slightly visible. Thinking fast, Scootaloo pushed Spike out the door and quickly shut it behind him, propping herself against it to prevent reentry.
“Hey!”
“Sorry, Spike, just – uh – give Adara me a few minutes, we’ll be down in minute,” said Scootaloo.
“Oh no, you two aren’t having a make out session in Twilight’s parents’ house, they’ll kill me!”
“We are NOT MAKING OUT! Please just go, Spike.”
“Humph, fine!” Scootaloo started to hear the pitter-patter of dragon feet walking away. “But you two owe me for this!” Spike shouted back.
“Fine, we owe you big, thank you!”
Scootaloo slumped to the floor and wiped her forehead with her hoof. Adara was still gazing out the window; her cutie mark was now completely visible.
“Adara, what’s wrong?”
“Somepony is crying…praying for the wellbeing of someone close and dear to them,” she spoke.
Scootaloo got up off the floor and stood beside Adara. “Who is it, and where is it?”
Adara raised her right hoof and pointed towards Ponyville.
“There, somepony is praying for a miracle. I have to go.”
“WHAT!!? Over there, where the eruption is happening, forget it!” Scootaloo shouted.
“Scootaloo, please, I have to. There’s something wrong going on, and my power tells me I am needed,” said Adara.
“NO! You’re needed here!” Scootaloo quickly wrapped her forelegs around Adara’s neck, embracing her tightly. “I don’t want to lose
you, or Rainbow Dash, or Twilight! I don’t want to be alone again, not now!”
Adara felt Scootaloo’s warm tears on her shoulder, she returned the embrace, and Scootaloo cried a little more. “That will never happen, I promise you. You will never be alone again, and believe me when I say I’m not going to die so soon after getting fillyfriend.”
Scootaloo pulled back and saw Adara smirking kindly at her. The orange filly returned the smirk with a confident grin.
“All will be well, right?”
“Yes, yes it will.”
Scootaloo slowly released Adara, but not before planting a kiss on her cheek.
“You better come back…”
“I will. Also, I suggest you stand back, behind the bed would be best.”
Scootaloo did as Adara instructed and peeked over the bed to watch what was happening. Adara’s body began to glow with the blue light of Hope. Her cutie mark shined as her eyes were filled with the azure light. Adara slowly rose five feet into the air; she then flared her wings and, with one flap, took off through the open window. The resulting takeoff created a mini-gust that nearly blew Scootaloo against the wall. After getting over the initial shock, she bounded towards the open window and watched as a blue stream of light zoomed off in the volcano’s direction.
Ion was starting to lose his strength. The Emerald Giant construct had several cracks all over its body. The way its body swayed indicated that it was tired and nearly out of breath. On the other hand, Butcher didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat; he was still full of fervor, ready to go another round.
“Why do you keep fighting with that weak construct, Ion?! Change into your true form and fight me for real,” ordered Butcher.
“Really, I thought you might’ve liked the little handicap,” said Ion.
Butcher snorted, “Humph, do what you want; I’ll end your life like I have everything else that has crossed my path!”
Ion let out a fierce battle cry as he dashed towards Butcher. Balling up his right fist, Ion threw his punch. Butcher met the attack head on, literally. He used his hardened skull to intercept the strike, when the fist made contact there was a powerful shockwave that resonated outwards, pushing some of the lava away. Unfortunately, cracks in the right arm spread out faster. A second later the entire right arm burst apart, shattering like fragile glass. Ion recoiled from the loss of his appendage. Butcher took this opportunity to lunge toward Ion. He aimed his right curved horn and thrust into the midsection of the Emerald Giant.
Ion could feel the Rage energy begin to eat away at his construct form, corroding him from the inside out. Butcher pulled and launched a flurry of goring strikes to the injured area. Slashing with his tusks, piercing with his horns, kicking at him with his hooves, it was a regular frenzied melee. Ion could barely react as he felt his construct getting torn apart. It was starting to become hard to concentrate, the red corruption spread throughout his form, breaking him down. Ion’s mind started to drift, thinking about all he had been through, and everyone he encountered while in Equestria. One face kept popping up again, and again, Applejack.
Sorry AJ…Thought I could beat him…
Butcher stopped his attack, watching as the one armed giant swayed about. Butcher’s body flared with crimson light once again, charging for Ion to finish the job.
Everything was happening in slow motion, Butcher’s charge. The various, spreading cracks all over his body, the rumbling of the ground as it continued to erupt…Huh, so this is death…NOT HAPPENING!!!
Ion took a firm stance and sprinted after Butcher, creating a tidal wave of lava in his wake. Ion tightened his left fist, drew back, and punched Butcher in the jaw. The resulting impact shattered his left arm, but sent Butcher flying in the opposite direction. The Entity of Rage caught himself and stared daggers at Ion. He then reared back and bellowed out another deluge of his blood-fire breath. Ion wasn’t going to get hit twice. He quickly jumped into the air, the blast striking only the spot where he once was. Ion then did a front flip and reared his head back.
When he descended Ion head butted Butcher. A powerful shockwave blasted everywhere, pushing the lava away in a giant ring, allowing sight of the molten ground below. Butcher pushed up, while Ion pushed down, neither one willing to give an inch. Unfortunately, Butcher had been doing head butts a lot longer than Ion. So he knew just how to work the momentum in order to throw the Emerald Giant backwards.
Butcher gave some slack, when felt that there was a significant gap he raised his head up, striking with renewed force at Ion’s head. The giant skidded back, till he stopped fifty feet away from Butcher. He was a total mess now, both arms gone, his head on the verge of shattering, and his power levels were low. All in all, it wasn’t a good day.
“Caught your second wind, huh?! Just admit it, Entity of Willpower, you’re beaten, it’s over!”
Ion stood up straight, rooting himself as his eyes glared at Butcher. “I’m not beaten, not while there’s still HOPE!”
At that moment a bright blue star shined in the darkness of the ash ridden skies. Butcher looked up and watched as the clouds began to shrivel and disappear into nothingness. The star shined brighter and brighter till a beam of blue light shot down from the star and struck Ion. The white eyes of the Emerald Giant blazed with blue light, its aura erupted like the very volcano beneath their feet. Instantly his arms regenerated, all the cracks on his body vanished without a trace. The insignia for Hope hovered over Ion’s chest as the energy continued to course through him. The muscles of the construct began bulk and smooth out. Just then, four beams of light shot out from Ion’s back, the light then took form and became four additional arms. And finally, Ion’s Willpower insignia appeared behind him, as a giant ring. The twin symbols shined forth with resonating power as Ion let loose a powerful war cry.
“Just who do you think I am, Butcher?! Don’t think I’m in this alone, I never am! Where there is Will, there will always be Hope!” Ion proclaimed as he pointed a finger towards the blue star overhead.
Butcher snarled and growled as he looked upon the blue star. “DAMN YOU, ADARA!!! I’LL STILL KILL YOU!!!”
Butcher wrapped himself in his crimson aura and charged for Ion, his body turning into a red, blazing fireball. Ion did not move. He merely widened his stance, crossing his two middle arms in front of his chest, while the other four flexed their fingers. When the fireball reached him, Ion’s upper and lower arms thrust out and grabbed Butcher by the tusks and horns simultaneously. The sudden stop cancelled out Butcher’s aura, leaving him staring at Ion as he struggled to land his attack.
“Your Rage no longer corrupts my Willpower, but instead, the Hope energy that courses through me now purifies your Rage!”
Ion uncrossed his middle arms, drew them both back, and double punched Butcher right in the face. He released the demonic bull at the right moment, the power and force of the punches sent the Entity of Rage sailing across the lava and into a mountain.
“Time to finish this!!!”
In one swift step, Ion crossed the distance between him and Butcher. With his six fists, Ion unleashed a flurry of punches at the Entity of Rage. Butcher had nowhere to dodge or run, he, and the mountain were being pummeled into the ground. Ion drew back all three of his right fists, each one blazing with blue and green energy. Butcher wasn’t going to take this anymore. The Entity of Rage then bellowed another blood-fire stream. Ion’s fists and Butcher’s blast collided at point-blank range. A giant explosion erupted from the attacks causing a blinding light to shower over everything.
Ion was crouched on one knee, eyes narrowed, with all six arms ready to fight once again. Butcher was breathing heavily, snarling as he stared down Ion. His eyes flicked to another direction for just a split second before he snorted angrily.
“This isn’t over Ion,” Butcher then turned his gaze skywards, “or for you Adara! Next time, the outcome will be different!”
Butcher’s body then glowed with crimson light, changing into pure light that shot up into the sky and zipped off into the horizon. Ion followed the light with his eyes, standing up and preparing to go after the demonic bull.
“Ion stop, you can’t go after him now! We need to cap this volcano, now,” said Adara through their link.
Ion continued to stare off in Butcher’s direction, but he knew Adara was right. He could sense that the pressure was starting to reach its zenith, and that their resent rumble didn’t exactly help matters. Ion then jumped into the air and began hovering over the lava geyser.
“Adara I have a plan, but I’m it’s going to require a little of your pegasus magic to work. Listen closely!”
Applejack galloped frantically to find a better vantage point to view what was happening. Ion had ejected Applejack from his body, knowing full well that the fight might be going bad for him. She had no idea that he was the Emerald Giant, but now it all made sense. The Running of the Leaves, how the giant just happened to know where the buried ponies where, plus Ion’s quick recovery. Not to mention, the incident with the revived apple trees, why he was so secretive. It all fit.
But right now, that didn’t matter, what did matter was that Ion was fighting for his life, and the lives of everypony around. Now that blue star appeared and the ash cloud was destroyed, which only made Applejack worry more. As she continued to gallop up the mountain she noticed two figures flying towards her. Applejack skidded to halt and readied herself for a fight, given today’s events, it was reasonable to be on edge and weary. Luckily, these two figures happened to be ponies she knew well.
“TWILIGHT, RAINBOW DASH!!!”
The alicorn and pegasus spotted their friend and dove down to meet her. Once they landed, Rainbow Dash quickly enveloped the farm pony in a tight hug.
“Applejack, thank Faust, you’re alright,” shouted Rainbow Dash.
“When we went to base camp your team said that you had run off somewhere, and after everything that’s happened we thought…we thought…” Twilight couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Ah’m alright, sugarcube, but we got bigger things goin’on. Twi, Dash, have ya seen what’s been goin’ on, tell me ya saw the Emerald Giant fightin’ up there!?”
Rainbow Dash separated herself from Applejack and looked in the direction of the barrier. “Oh, we saw alright, and the Giant had that big red bull on the run!”
“Ya mean he – IT – won!?”
“Apparently the tide turned when that blue star appeared,” said Twilight, as she pointed a hoof to the glowing star. And that’s when she noticed something else. “What is THAT?!”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack both looked up to the blue star and watched was as black clouds began to swirl around the shining blue star. Applejack broke off and galloped faster, watching as the barrier began to fully deteriorate. Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew to catch up with the earth pony mare, watching as she frantically made her way to the edge of a cliff. Applejack finally stopped, reaching a place where she had a good view of what was happening.
The Emerald Giant, or Ion as she now knew, had six arms and had a blue symbol on his chest and another floating a few inches behind him. He was hovering over the geyser of lava, the demonic bull having left the fight, and stared down at the rumbling hole in the ground. The storm clouds overhead started to tighten their swirling pattern, for some reason, even amidst the sweltering heat of the lava, the air began to cool. Applejack saw her breath with each exhale, wondering what exactly was going on. Rainbow and Twilight finally caught up to her and landed beside her.
“Dash, Twi, do you know what’s goin’ on,” asked Applejack.
“The temperature’s dropping considerably, and those clouds aren’t made of ash, they’re actual storm clouds,” observed Twilight.
“I don’t remember anypony at the Weather Factory sending in a storm front. The ash cloud would’ve made it impossible to do that, plus, given the looks of those clouds, that’s a winter storm front, it’d take at least a couple of months to get that ready. They would’ve sent rain clouds instead,” said Rainbow Dash.
Suddenly the clouds nearest the blue star let loose a concentrated blast of ice, snow, and rain water all at once. Ion raised his fists into the air, his insignia growing in size as the deluge aimed straight towards it. The flurry passed through the insignia, transforming into energy that coalesced around each of the fists. The blue insignia shot forth from his chest and grew three times the size it once was. Ion then flew towards the blue symbol, passing through it and becoming a giant made of blue-green light. All three mares watched as the Giant continued to descend further and further down to the geyser.
As if sensing his incoming attack, the geyser let loose its pent up fury, exploding magnificently upwards toward the Giant. The Emerald Giant then thrust each of its six fists at the gushing lava.
“GET DOWN,” ordered Twilight.
Her friends didn’t have to be told twice. All three of them hit the dirt. The next thing they heard was a thunderous explosion, followed by an equally powerful shockwave and a rush of strangely cold air. Another sound rang out, Applejack dared to crack open one eye to see what was happening. She almost screamed in terror as a lava wave started heading in their direction. But just as quickly as she spotted it the glowing magma started to lose its reddish yellow color and turn brown. There was what sounded like, a hardening and cracking of rock. The wave then came to a dead stop, having turned into solid rock and frozen in place. Applejack then nudged her two friends, urging them to look up and see what she was seeing.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s mouths gaped at the sight of the solidified wave. The three of them gazed over the land, the lava pool and the rivers that were dammed had become solid rock, instantly cooled. The giant wave obscured the view of what happened to the Emerald Giant, Applejack slightly feared the worst, but some part of her felt that Ion wasn’t one to be defeated so easily. At that moment, the rock started to crack, each of the fissures glowed with the combined light of blue and green. The fissures spider webbed outwards, continuing to grow and spreading out towards the now hardened rock. All at once the fissures radiated the unified light and flashed, destroying the giant rock wave and shattering the remnants that splintered off.
The entire area was bathed in a blinding blue-green light, making them shield their eyes with their forelegs. After a bit of time the light faded away, allowing Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight to slowly open their eyes. When they did, they gasped. The rock that was once the lava had completely disappeared. The Emerald Giant stood tall and proud with its back turned to them. The glow of the blue star then faded away, disappearing altogether. The Giant’s body lost its powerful dual glow, the insignia on its back vanishing, along with its six arms.
“How…how did it do that,” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Somehow, the Giant used the super cooled flurry, combined it with its power, and used it to instantly cool the lava into rock. The hole it’s standing on, where the caldera used to be, it must’ve hardened it all the way down to the core. Amazing,” said Twilight in awe.
Applejack took a tentative step forward, her eyes never straying from the strong and broad back of the Emerald Giant. After gulping down a lump that had formed in her throat, she spoke quietly, “Ion…?”
The Emerald Giant straightened up, and then turned its head to glance over its right shoulder. It’s white eye seeming to have locked with Applejack’s. It wasn’t apparent on its face, but somehow, Applejack knew that Ion was smiling at her. After that, the Giant’s body dissolved into particles of emerald light and shot into the air, disappearing from sight. Applejack smiled a little and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, y’all, guess we’d better start the cleanup.”
(A few hours later)
Ion had reconstituted himself a mile or two from base camp. He slowly walked back, his head hung low, ears flat against his skull. In order to save Applejack, Ion had to quickly form the Emerald Giant construct around her, and in the process revealing his powers. It was one thing to have Apple Bloom know and there were extenuating circumstances when showing her his powers. And such circumstances had arisen once again today, but this wasn’t exactly how he had thought he would tell her. And it wasn’t as if she knew of his true form, now that was a can of worms that had yet to be opened, but still, this wasn’t how he wanted it to happen.
Ion let out a deep sigh, “Oh well, better go and face the music. Ah crap, we still need to tell the Princesses about what’s going on! No way we’ll be able to handle this quietly, not after that spectacle! Thanks a lot Butcher, I’ll remember to give you an extra special beating when I see you next time!”
The base camp was coming into sight, many of the Royal Guards and volunteer ponies were busy scrambling about, trying to organize everyone. Compared to the last time they were scrambling about, there wasn’t a hint of fear in their actions, it was more relaxed, and without worry that things were going to get worse. Princess Twilight Sparkle was under the main tent, talking to different team leaders. Now that the ash cloud was gone, and the volcano silenced, there was only the clean up to worry about. Thankfully the preventative measures taken by the Princesses and pegasus ponies kept the ash from spreading too far into Equestria. Apparently there wasn’t that much ash around Ponyville either, some of it had been blown away by the shockwaves that erupted from the fight and the subsequent flurry Adara had created.
It wasn’t long before Ion spotted Applejack. She was leaning up against some crates, a sprig of wheat in her mouth as she stood there. The relaxed, nonchalant way she was standing there, it was almost as if she was waiting for him to return. At this point he wasn’t sure which of the two evils was the lesser. Telling Princess Twilight about the appearance of the Negative Entities of Emotion or telling Applejack that he was the Entity of Willpower and that he was from another universe? Oh yes, those are great options! Damn…well, it was fun while it lasted.
Ion trotted up to Applejack, once he got there, she turned to him and smiled. The green stallion chuckled nervously, wondering where this was going to go.
“Um…heh, heh…Hi, Applejack, are you alright,” asked Ion.
“Ah’m fine, Ion. But…”
Ion blinked once, but then felt pain resonating through his jaw. The world spun about till he finally landed on something hard and unforgiving. Ion realized that he was on the ground, the inside of his mouth tasted of iron, blood. When he looked up Ion saw that Applejack’s right foreleg was stretched out, putting two and two together, he figured that the farm mare had just punched him out, which sent him spiraling to the ground.
“That’s for throwing me out of the fight, and getting me all worked up and worried about you,” growled Applejack.
Ion slowly rose up, wiping the blood from his lip. “Okay, okay, I admit it, I deserved that.”
“And this –!”
“Wait let me –!”
Ion was struck speechless, for the second time. Applejack had wrapped her forelegs around Ion, hugging him tightly. He then felt warm tears falling on his shoulder. When Applejack pulled away Ion saw the same smile from before, but with tears streaming down her muzzle.
“That’s for comin’ back in one piece, and for savin’ the town and Equestria.”
Ion wanted to say thanks, but that wasn’t the first thing that popped into his head. “I haven’t saved anything…that thing; it’s still loose, for now he’ll be lying low. I’m sorry Applejack; I wanted to tell you…”
“Well, Ah guess, now that the big secret is out of the way, Ah can do this…”
Ion didn’t have much time to register what was happening. One minute Applejack was looking at him, and the next, she was kissing him on the lips. His mind had ceased up, Ion didn’t know how to respond to this action. But it felt, nice. Applejack pulled back and stared at the stallion with the dumbfounded expression, her eyes flicked between his face and the ground, feeling very embarrassed about what she did. Her muzzle was red, blushing hard, but her smile didn’t waver.
“Ah didn’t feel right, tellin’ ya how Ah felt. Yer secret, it just made it hard for me to tell ya, it was like a wall that Ah couldn’t see over, and Ah was afraid. ‘Cause, Ah didn’t know what was over that wall. Was the Ion Ah knew right now the same one as the one behind that wall, or was he something else completely? But now Ah saw what’s beyond that wall, and Ah ain’t afraid.”
Ion bit his lip, “Applejack, you haven’t seen beyond that ‘wall’. There’s still a lot I haven’t told you…”
“Well at least Ah got to get a peek. And now, we can work from there, sugarcube.” Applejack separated herself from Ion and put on her usual smirk. “C’mon now, we got a ton of work to do, cleanin’ up this mess and such.”
Ion happily followed Applejack, not certain of where this was going to go. Ion knew he’d have to tell her about his origins, about what he really was, but, at least for now, the two of them were honest with each other about how they felt, and for the time being, that was enough.
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EPIC WIN!
Also can't wait to see Ion's reaction to fighting Parallax. I know it won't be a major one but still the idea that his exact opposite is here has to be unsettling even more so than learning The Butcher arrived to Equestria.
That was really awesome. I look forward to more
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I promised that the fight between Ion and Butcher would be epic, I try not to disappoint.
4395403 You did not disappoint.... now top it with Ion vs Parallax. 1v1 type match!
I like how the Emerald Giant's green text changed to a lighter green as if merged with blue when boosted by Hope Energy.