• Published 14th Feb 2015
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The War of Champions - Onomonopia



A last attempt to restore a world that has fallen to hate

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Across Reality

Applebloom sighed lifelessly while she stared out the window at the sky, barely having the energy to utter that sigh. Her life had been terrible as of late. First, she lost Granny Smith to old age, and then Billy up and vanished into thin air without so much as a word.

'A month. He's been gone a month and ah haven't heard anything from him,' she whined silently as she flipped over on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, but it didn't hold the answers she sought. 'I know that it's probably hero business, but what kind of business would keep him away for a month without him at least checking in with us. He's okay...right? He's got to be.'

The teenage pony groaned as she once again flipped over, looking at the night sky out her window with sad eyes. 'Applejack and Big Mac are off on business; I don't feel ready to talk to my friends yet and the only person I could find comfort being with is gone.' Applebloom found the motivation to rise from her bed and lumber over to the window, staring up at the stars. 'Please come home soon. I'd give anything to be with you again. No matter w-'

Her thoughts were blasted apart when a deafening clap of thunder roared across the sky while her eyes were assaulted with a flash of lightning that devastated her front yard. But the lightning had barely ceased before Applebloom raced to the ground floor of her home, knowing full well that only one person followed after the thunder.

She threw open her front door to see a human standing in the front yard, a human wearing baggy pants and a red t-shirt, a human that she knew all too well. "Okay, that was not a fun ride," Billy groaned as he looked up at the stars, shrugging before he turned around to see Applebloom staring at him from her front porch. "Holy...Bloom? That you? Man, I'm finally home! Man, do I have a story for-"

WHAM!

Billy's words were knocked out of his mouth as Applebloom drove one of her hooves into the side of his face, knocking Billy flat on his ass while he tried to process what had happened. AB didn't give him a chance, for in the next moment she was on top of him and throwing lefts and rights at his head, forcing Billy to lift his arms to protect himself.

"Holy moly, Bloom, it's me, it's me!" Billy yelled out from under the assault as AB continued to swing at him.

"You've been gone fer a month! And not once did ya try to contact us! Or send a message! Or...ANYTHING!" At this point Billy was aware that her blows had no power behind them and he looked out from under his arms to see that AB's face was filled with tears as she looked down at him. She broke a moment later and pulled Billy into a tight hug while she sobbed softly, getting Billy to smile slightly as he patted her on the back. "Ah was so worried. Ah don't know what ah'd do if ah lost ya as well."

"Hey, don't worry. I'm fine. Had to go be a hero," Billy comforted her as she continued to sob, sitting up so she could cry into his shoulder. "Hey Bloom, mind letting me go?"

"No. Ah'm never letting ya go again." Billy sighed in resignation with a shrug of his shoulders while he looked off into the distance, seeing a number of lights turning on in Ponyville. He figured that his lightning had awoken a number of the ponies. With a smile he thought he saw Spike and Twilight leading the charge, meaning that he was in for more hugs when they got there. He then looked down at Bloom with a happy smile before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Hey Bloom?" Billy asked as he felt her arms wrap around his back.

"Mm?"

"Tomorrow, when everything settles down and I've told you all the epic tale of my adventures, you mind if I talk to you privately?"

"Sure. What for?"

"Not much. Just want to teach you something. Something that will keep you safe."

"What's that?"

"A word."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

The door to the basement was nearly ripped off its hinges as Twilight opened it, yet it had hardly swung to a stop before she was at the bottom of the stairs to see a scrawny human with brown hair working on some project on her table.

"Doctor Banner," Twilight whispered breathlessly, her words getting the human to turn around and wave at her before he focused back on his work. "You're back!" Twilight exclaimed as she raced over in front of him, a huge smile on her face that held both joy and wonder. "You've been gone for over a month! We've all been so worried about you!"

'Just about him? What about me?'

"Of course we missed you too, Hulk, but honestly, we never really worry about you. We worry more about the creatures around you," Twilight said with a smile when Banner relayed the message, her response getting Hulk to chuckle. "But everypony has seriously been worried about you. Pinkie's been on a mission for a month trying to find you and Hulk again. Where'd you go?"

"It's a very long story, Twilight, and one that I don't feel like telling tonight," Banner said with a large yawn before he went back to tinkering with what was before him. "I just want to unwind and get some rest. Tomorrow...I'll tell the whole town tomorrow." Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but then a loud boom was heard followed by the whole library shaking.

"Oh good. Pinkie's here."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"I'm going to kill him," Batmare growled when she saw the state into which her cave had fallen in her absence. Weapons and gear lay scattered around the place, all of her notes and books were in places where they didn't belong, and the computer monitor had been left on. "I don't believe this. I'm gone for a month and during that time the damned griffon turns the Batcave into a trash heap. Oh when I get my hooves on him..."

Regaining control of her emotions, Batmare let out a sigh before walking over to the computer and turning on the dimensional stone. She stared at the screen for a moment, wondering what she was going to say, before she heard the voice she knew all too well speak on the other end.

"Who am I really? Who am I without the mask?"

"You're still the same with or without the mask, Dad," Batmare said with a smile, yet she was surprised when the line went silent for a moment.

"Scootaloo?"

"Yeah, Dad. I'm back. And oh boy, do I have a story for you," Batmare said with a smirk.

"Well, it's late at night. A perfect time for us to discuss it."

"Sounds like a plan. First, let me start off by saying that you were right. Black Adam is on the 'do not fight' list for a reason," Batmare started, getting Batman to sharply inhale with worry. "And to also say that you were wrong. In your report you said that he was an ultimate evil. But the one I met...he wasn't that bad a guy."

"First tell me the details. Then we can talk about you changing my report later."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Trixie raised her hoof to knock against the wagon's door, but she stopped just shy of knocking while she tried to think up what she was going to say to her family. She had been gone for a month without telling any of them if she was alive or not, probably scaring them beyond belief. But just as she decided on what to tell them, the door swung open and the smirking face of Sombra greeted her.

"So. Finally back from vacation, are you?" he said as a smile now crossed her face.

"How'd you know that I was back?" Trixie asked.

"I didn't. She did," Sombra said as he looked down to reveal Starlight, whose eyes lit up like the stars overhead when she saw her mother. She let out an adorable giggle and reached out for Trixie, who had to fight down tears as she reached for her daughter.

"MOM!"

The next thing Trixie knew, she was flat on her back with a young stallion squeezing the life out of her. "You're back! You're alive!" Trixie looked up to see Starshine crushing her ribs while Armora and Bark looked over his shoulder with huge smiles on their faces.

"Hi...Star...Shine..." Trixie gasped out before Sombra grabbed hold of Starshine with his magic and yanked the pony back.

"Screw off, kid, I get first dibs on hugging Trixie," Sombra smirked as he helped Trixie to her hooves before wrapping a hoof around her shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug. "Man, you should have heard this rabble during the time you were gone. It was all, "Do you think Trixie's alright?" and "where could Trixie possibly be?" or "Do you think she's alive?" I swear that they just wouldn't shut up."

"Wait, you knew she was alive?" Bark asked with a look as Sombra released Trixie.

"Of course I did! Do you think that the pony I married would allow herself to be killed so easily?" Sombra asked with an insulted look before the little bundle in his arms cried out, getting Sombra to smile while he offered Starlight to Trixie.

"She's cried the most about you being gone, but Sombra was a close runner-up," Starshine said with a smirk.

"Get bent, kid."

A smile spread across Trixie's face as she took Starlight into her arms, holding the filly close as it cooed softly, tears welling up in Trixie's eyes when she felt Sombra wrap another hoof around her shoulder. "Finally, she's stopped crying. Don't ever go anywhere ever again. I don't know if I can handle single parenthood any more."

"You did just fine," Trixie softly said while she rested her head on Sombra's shoulder, humming a tune to her baby as the others gathered around her, each happily drinking in the fact that their family was whole once more.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Dinky let out a sigh as she knocked on her daughter's door, not expecting an answer and not getting one. Dinky then sighed again before she cracked the door open and walked inside, flicking the lights on as she did so to find that her daughter still hadn't moved from beneath the covers of her bed. "Come on Dippy, you can't be like this all day."

"Yes I can," the defiant voice of her daughter shot back.

"But what about your friends? What about school? You can't just hide under your covers forever," Dinky tried, but all she got back was another defiant 'hmph'. Dinky's gaze softened before she sat down on the bed and looked at the lump in the covers. "I know you miss him, Dippy, but Mr. Bubbles will be back. He's just probably needed somewhere else right now. Maybe he's saving somepony else?"

"But I don't want him to be somewhere else! I want him to be here with me!" Dippy cried out from beneath the covers, getting Dinky to sigh again. "And why does he have to be the one to go help others? Why can't Celestia or Luna or Twilight do it?"

"Because Bubbles is a Daddy. And Daddy always protects those he cares about," Dinky reminded her daughter, who sighed again before going quiet. "You know, my family told me that if you love something, you'll let it go. And if it comes back to you, then it's yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dippy asked sadly before a sound reached their ears. It was the sound of heavy footsteps walking across the lawn of their house. Then a moan came from outside, a moan that the both of them knew all to well.

"I think that means that Mr. Bubbles is still yours," Dinky said as her daughter kicked off the covers and raced out of the room, running downstairs and throwing open the front door to see the gold Big Daddy standing in their lawn.

"MR. BUBBLES!" Dippy cried as she threw herself at the Daddy, who lifted his left hand to catch her so she didn't hurt herself on his armor. "You're back you're back you're baaaaaaack!" Mr. Bubbles let out a happy moan as he pulled Dippy in close to his chest, his eyes a pure green before he looked up and gave a moan of greeting to Pip and Dinky.

"So then, where did you wander off to this time?" Pip asked with a smirk before Dinky elbowed him in the arm. The both of them then walked over to the Daddy, who still hadn't been released from the clutches of Dippy.

"Welcome home, Dad," Dinky said with a smile before she and Pip joined in on hugging Mr. Bubbles, who let out a moan of happiness as he held his little sisters and brother tight.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

The snarling of the wolves loudly pierced the air just behind the human as she ran for her life, not knowing where she was going in the strange forest. All she knew was that strange tree-covered wolves were trying to kill her and she needed to run. She looked back over her shoulder to see that the glowing green eyes could still be seen in the darkness, telling her that they were right behind her.

With a yelp, the human ran out of the forest and nearly ran right off a cliff, barely skidding to a stop at the edge and accidentally knocking some rocks over the lip. The snarl of the wolves reminded her of the danger she was in and she quickly looked around to see a rope bridge that led into the mist.

'Don't know where that leads me, but anywhere is better than here!' She darted across the rope bridge, barely holding onto the ropes to steady herself as she raced across. About halfway over the abyss she looked back to find that the tree-like wolves had gathered along the edge, but not one of them seemed to dare risk the bridge to get to her. 'Welp, no way to go now but forward.'

She slowly made her way across the rope bridge, wiping her black hair out of her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing. She managed to make it across without any problems, but when she reached the other side she looked up to find an abandoned castle standing before her.

"Wow...where did I end up?" she muttered aloud as she walked into the castle, finding it just as broken on the inside as it was on the outside. "Hello? Anyone there?" she called out. She looked around until her eyes came to a stop on something standing next to a wall before her. It was a creature made completely of divine light, yet with the stripes that ran along its sides, it looked almost like a zebra. The zebra seemed to smile at the look on her face before it tapped a hoof against the wall, causing a secret door to move and reveal a passage. The human blinked once and the zebra was gone, leaving the lady more confused than she had been.

"Well, nowhere else to go," she muttered before forging ahead into the passage, finding it relatively short. A door that was slightly open greeted her at the end of it and she slowly pushed it open to find herself in a small room, a room that housed a table, a chair, a candlestick and a book that rested atop the table. "What the hell is this?" she muttered as she picked up the book, flipping it open to find an author's note.

'Greetings reader. If you are reading this and you're a pony or zebra, then goddammit stop touching my stuff! But if you're not a pony and on the off chance you are a human, then congratulations! You're fucked! You've somehow wound up in Equestria, where everything will either try to kill you or make friends with you! Don't know which is worse. If you have a gun or any other sort of weapon, I'd recommend blowing your brains out and save the world the trouble of trying to kill you before sunrise. However, if you're stubborn or stupid like me, then you'll find that this book will give you information on the creatures here, the monarchy in charge and what the hell happened to Earth. I'd don't recommend this option. But I doubt you'll listen to me since no one else seems to. So fuck you. If you turn the page, you will find everything you need to survive.'

Signed,
The unluckiest son of a bitch who ever lived.

The lady re-read the message again with some confusion before she turned the page, finding the next one blank expect for one large title written in the middle of the page--the title of the book she now held within her hands.

A book called, A Survivor's Guide to Equestria.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Luna let out a sigh as she walked back into the castle, hating to give speeches like that to the nation. 'Keep it together Luna, they needed to be told what really happened. Yes, they will be confused for a while, but it will help the nation heal.' Luna ignored her desire to get some sleep and instead walked in the direction of her sister's room, wanting to check up on her first.

"Sister, may I come in?" Luna asked upon reaching Celestia's room, knocking twice before pushing open the door inside. She found her sister exactly where she had left her, laying next to the bed and watching the tiny foal that slept soundly upon it. "How is little Blue Skies today?" Luna asked as she looked at the sky-blue foal who also had fluffy white hair, making it look like a cloud had rested upon his head.

"He's doing well. Doctors say that he should be fully recovered soon as long as he eats well and gets lots of rest," Celestia said with a grateful sigh before she looked at her sister. "Yes Luna, is there something that you wish to tell me?"

"It's just...are you sure that you are ready to take in another foal again?" Luna weakly asked, yet instead of rage she got a wise nod from Celestia.

"I know that it has not been long after I lost Sunny again, but...when I see foals that are abandoned or left to die, I can't just sit by and do nothing," Celestia said as she gently brushed the colt's hair. "And this time...I can protect him. And if I can't, then you can. And if we can't...then Adam will be there to keep us safe."

"Indeed," Luna said with a small smile as she sat beside her sister and looked at the young foal as well. "I have been thinking about getting a foal of my own. I have always wanted one, yet being trapped on the moon and the war...and the fact that I'm not getting any younger...I think it's time that I think I tried my hoof at parenthood."

"You should. They can be maddening at times, but I would never trade any of the memories I have of my foals for anything," Celestia said gently before wrapping a wing around her sister.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Adam sat under the shade of the tree, silently lost in thought and in prayer for those who lay in the ground before him, be it those whom he failed to save or those who were struck down by his own hand. He prayed for their forgiveness and prayed his apologies to them, but mostly he prayed that they were happy wherever they were.

He had wished that he never need return to this place, not unless he came to visit the departed, but once again he had to bury somepony he cared about and one of his allies. Of course, there had been no bodies to bury, but Adam had made sure that the ceremony had been proper and that each of them had received a proper gravestone.

Sunny's had been updated to say 'Loving Daughter, devoted friend, champion of all the worlds', while Adam had imbued some of his magic into hers and all the other gravestones, making sure that neither nature's wrath nor grave robbers would be able to disturb them. Spike's grave had been adorned with gems that even the richest of ponies could not buy, and Adam's magic ensured no one could remove them. His Tombstone read 'Loyal to the ponies, no matter what.' It fit him.

Finally, there was Ryan's tombstone, which was a basic one with only one phrase upon it.

'What an asshole.'

The line made Adam smile, for, despite not knowing the human all that well, from what Luna had told him this seemed like the sort of thing Ryan would want on his grave. He also felt that there was no better way to describe the human. A human without powers who had defeated gods through tenacity and spirit alone. Adam knew he could learn from his example.

But then a sound reached Adam's ears, a sound that he was used to hearing, but one that grabbed his attention no matter how loud or faint it was. Adam heard a cry for him, a cry that demanded he get there to aid the pony or creature with whatever was ailing them. So, as the champion with the golden lightning bolt on his chest rose to his feet, he pinpointed the location of the cry. Something important must have been happening or else they wouldn't have called for him. It could be that it was the end of the world or something as simple as a cat stuck in a tree. But either way, he never ignored a cry for help. So, as he started to race towards the direction where the cry originated, he called down the thunder, changing him from a mortal to a champion, clad in grey gear with a golden lightning bolt and filling him with the power to fly off towards whoever needed him.

The Mighty Adam was on his way.

Author's Note:

Thank you all for reading this story and thank you all for supporting me all these years. This is the last chapter in the tale, but there is still an extra "Chapter" after this, so leave your thoughts on the story here. The next character will also be revealed in the upcoming "Chapter."