The Path of Absolution - Punishment

by Morningstar1337

xlv - Karkinos and the Lernaean Hydra

Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon found themselves in a indigo beach. The sun shined in the saffron yellow sky.

“Wow!” Pinkie was in awe of the indigo sands.”This beach is cool.”

“Indeed it is.”

The group saw a purple earth pony wearing pincer gloves on her forehooves. There was a crab on her head.

The ponies noticed a tall colosseum. The structure matched the color of the sands.

Fluttershy looked at the crab atop the purple earth pony and said, “Wow, your crab is properly taken care of and well fed.”

The purple earth pony said, “Thanks. Name’s Cancer.”

Fluttershy introduced herself and her friends.

Rainbow Dash said, “Well she sure warmed up to her quickly.”

“Maybe it’s the crab,” Rarity said.

Twilight Sparkle noticed the gateway they used was missing. “Excuse me, Cancer? Um, have you seen a large gate?”

Cancer replied, “A large gate? Sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

They heard a roar in the distance. Cancer said, “Oh no, Hide!”

“From what?” Pinkie said.

Fluttershy shivered and shakely point up “That!”

There was a large dragon in the saffron sky. It whooshed down as the ponies tried to evade it. The dragon had seen the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Silver Spoon. It caught up to the ponies and used one of its pincers.

The dragon grabbed Apple Bloom by her tail. Apple Bloom screamed as she was lifted by the dragon’s lobster-like pincers.

“Get your pincers off my sister!” Applejack said. She tried charging the beast, but the dragon just used another one of it’s pincers to smash the ground. The flying sand blinded Applejack and she was soon caught in the dragon’s pincer. There was a flash and soon both Apple sisters vanished.

The other were horrified. Only Fluttershy and Cancer tried to flee. The others tried to fight the dragon.

Rainbow Dash charged the dragon, but its pincers took hold of her hooves. Rainbow Dash saw an eye inside the pincer. The eye flashed brightly and she vanished soon after.

Scootaloo just stood there, shocked that the pony she idolized was defeated by the mutant dragon. She tried to shout, she tried to move but the trauma wouldn’t let her. The dragon landed and flashed its pincer’s eye. Scootaloo didn’t even moved. She vanished in the flash.

Fluttershy and Cancer hid behind a rock. Pinkie Pie tried to attack the dragon with her party cannon. The cannon shot out streamers and a cake, but the dragon smashed the cannon.

“Hey!” Pinkie said. “That was--” The dragon grabbed her and flashed its eye, but Rarity intervened by throwing the sand to its pincer. The pincer or the dragon closed its eye in pain.

Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon were the only ponies still trying to fight the dragon.

Fluttershy looked back, she saw her friends disappearing one by one as the dragon flashed the good eye on its other pincer. Pinkie and Silver Spoon vanished. Fluttershy wondered what she could do. She can’t face off against the dragon. She saw Cancer gallop away. She considered the option.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle still tried to face the beast. But soon they were caught in the light of the pincer’s eye. The dragon noticed Fluttershy and its belly morphed to resemble the face of a crab.

The crab head said, “You, what is your choice?”

Fluttershy was scared, she didn’t know what to do. The dragon flashed the eye of its pincer at her. Fluttershy screamed as the eye flashed.

---

A few hours later, Fluttershy woke up inside an indigo coliseum. She wondered where she was. She saw the gates behind her and a sword nearby. The torches lit the coliseum.

She wondered if she could escape. But she knew her friends are still trapped here. She saw the dragon descended into the coliseum. She thought, ‘I can’t leave, not while my friends are still in trouble.’ She moved away from the gates and approached the dragon.

The crab-like head in the dragon's belly said, “I am Lernaean, the undefeated dragon of the Hydrus coliseum. What shall you do?”

Fluttershy said, “I will not leave, not until you release my friends.”

Lernaean’s dragon head said, “Then prove to me how much they are worth to you.” The gates vanished. “Show me the strength that lies within.” The dragon head let out a fireball.

Fluttershy dodged the projectile and grabbed the sword. She knew that she couldn’t run away.

Lernaean’s form changed. it’s wings started to shrink and a shell appeared over the pincers shaped as gauntlets. six small legs emerged from the underbelly of the beast and the crab-head in the belly receded until it vanished.

Fluttershy flew in with her sword, she dodged the attacks of the dragon, but she wouldn't strike with her sword.

Lernaean used it’s pincer to to strike the ground. More sand went flying and obscured Fluttershy’s sight. She tried to avoid the pincers but the dragon breathed fire once more. Fluttershy flew outside the colosseum as the sand turned to glass and fire burned through the colosseum. The dragon flew up into the air and more fireballs emerged from its mouth.

Fluttershy flew upward as well, she flew past the flames as she tried to face the beast. ‘I’m sorry,’ she thought. She slashed the head off the Lenaean. The dragon fell to the beast as Fluttershy hovered above the burnt coliseum.

A look of horror washed over her face as she realized that she may have killed the dragon.

The headless dragon flew up to Fluttershy. The stump where the dragon head was sprouted two more heads, and it’s pincers grew in the process.

“That...” Fluttershy said, “”That shouldn’t had happened.”

One of Lernaean’s heads said, “Believe me...”

The other head said, “..It did.”

Fluttershy was determined. She tried to defeat the beast, but for every head she chops off, two more would appear in it’s place, and the pincers would grow every time it does. She was unable to kill the dragon-turned hydra Lernaean.

She thought, ‘I can’t give up, there has to be a way to stop him.” She noticed the gauntlets that appeared when lernean transformed, and wondered if the pincers were the key. She flew around and try to cut off the arms of the beast, but he fired more fireballs at her. The sky blended with the ground as fire soon ravaged the land.

Fluttershy’s sword was not enough to pierce the gauntlets. She needed something. She flew away from the beast.

One of Lernaean’s heads said, “So, you changed your mind, huh?”

Another said, “You’ll never rescue your friends like that.”

A third head said, “So weak and helpless.”

And a fourth said, “And your flying sucks.”

Fluttershy used the hydra’s taunting to get some distance and then pulled a sharp U-turn. She readied her sword as she flew straight at the dragon. She aimed for the claw.

Lernaean saw Fluttershy’s attack and lifted his pincers. He flew at her.

The sword slashed th pincers as lernaean tried to smash Fluttershy with them. She accelerated past the hydra. The shell and pincers was sliced cleanly off Lernaean’s arm. It fell to the blazing flames below.

Lernaean said, “So your friends are that important to you?” The other set of pincers vanished as the crab head reemerged on his belly. It’s wings grew to massive size.

Fluttershy was absolutely terrified of the dragon’s new form. The flames engulfed the ground below. as she charged the dragon. She shouted “Let,”

Lernaean charged Fluttershy with his now seven dragon heads.

“My!” Fluttershy was accelerating faster than she realized.

“Friends!” She and Lernaean clashed as she slashed her sword at the heads.

“GO!” She slashed one final time and flew past the dragon.

The backs of Lernaean and Fluttershy were to each other. The crab head chuckled. “Your courage had won you this fight.” The dragon heads slid off their necks and Lernaean fell to the flames. His eyes began flashing as the flames engulfed him. The light had engulfed the land.

---

Fluttershy woke up in the indigo coliseum. There was no evidence of any fires. The saffron yellow sky was free of smoke.

She looked around and saw her friends. They were all okay.

“What happened here,” Applejack said.

“You friend passed her trial.”

Lernaean appeared in front of the group with Cancer. The others were startled.

Rainbow Dash said, “You?” She was about to charge the dragon, but Fluttershy blocked her.

“Rainbow Dash, he’s not here to harm us,” Fluttershy said.

Cancer said, “Lernaean and I were here to test you.”

Silver Spoon said, “Then why did you attack us?”

Lernaean said, “Each of these trials were mean to see if you are worthy of escaping their minds.” He looked at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “There are more trials to come. More tests to pass.” Lernaean dissipated into saffron yellow dust and the dust form the sign for Cancer (♋) on the gates.

Cancer said, “Good luck. And we’ll meet again.”

Fluttershy said, ‘Thanks.” She felt a little braver. The group went into the gates.