The Original Mad Scientist in Equestria

by Br0nyb0y123

Chapter 41: The Undying Flames

Nikola and Rouge trekked further for another good hour or two, before they finally stood at the gates of Canterlot. They looked upon the ruins of the once great city, now fallen, rubble, enlightened by the undying flames of a scaly hellbeast. Masai's plan had come through. Nikola and Rouge were struck with silence as soon as they caught sight of the city, they paced quietly into Canterlot, hoping they wouldn't burn with the other buildings. The sky was grey, death was felt at every corner. The castle of the once bright kingdom still stood tall, but just barely, the towers were slanted, almost falling, an endless smog fumed out of the windows, the constant and distasteful smell of charcoal hurt their snouts,

"I can't believe that... all of this happened," Rouge uttered, her voice stricken with fear.

Nikola couldn't find the words to respond to that, he couldn't believe it either. Almost the entirety of Equestria had fallen into... Chaos is dead, Tesla thought. The world had turned into something else. Something much worse,

"We need to keep moving, Rouge," Tesla told her, firmly.

Rouge sighed, "I know. But, Nikola..."

She stood in her tracks, staring down at the ash sodden ground, Tesla glanced at her with sympathy,

"I'm scared."

"I am too. But I need to do this," He told her, "Rouge, I never asked you to come with me. Ponyville is just a few hours away. You can head back, you'll be safe."

"No," Rouge denied, "Nikola. You need help to defeat this thing. This isn't just your cause."

"I can't risk another life for the sake of my own, Rouge," Nikola explained, "I understand your fear."

"Maybe... the fear can help us, Nikola," Rouge replied, "This is Equestria's cause. We need to stand together if we're going to face these monsters."

"We'll stand together, Rouge. I can guarantee that. But it's my fight against the Brotherhood," He told her, "They aren't going to stop until I stop them. I need as much help as I can, but they won't allow it."

Tesla continued to walk, she followed him, rubble, ash and hollow bone crumpled at his hooves,

"They'll kill my friends. Too many ponies have died because of this," Tesla continued, "They'll kill them if I don't stop Umberoth. No pony else deserves to die."

"You ever met a dragon before?" Rouge asked.

Tesla chuckles,

"I have. And he's one of the nicest people I've ever met. He's a small guy too," Tesla replies, his voice holding back a laugh.

Rouge still remained stoic, Tesla noticed this,

"Um... his name is Spike. He's Twilight Sparkle's assistant," Tesla explained.

"Ah, right." Rouge paused, "What are they like?"

"Who?"

"The Elements of Harmony," Rouge confirmed, "What are they like?"

Tesla smiles, "They're some of the most amazing people I've ever met. Pinkie Pie is a hilarious character, very energetic and lovable, caring too. She was the first person to come to me when I arrived here, I feel bad for being mean to her when we first met."

"What about the rest?" She asked.

"Applejack is a courageous mare, honest and kindhearted, she'll stick by her friends in a time of need. Rainbow Dash... she's brash, verbose, but she's loyal, she'd never give up on her friends. Fluttershy is remarkably sweet, I'm worried for her because she's the most naive, the most quiet, the most vulnerable. Rarity is sharing of them, a little bit snobby at times but, she's great," Tesla continued.

"What about Twilight?" Rouge questioned.

Tesla paused, and thought strongly about Twilight, trying to find the right words to describe her,

"Twilight... well..." He paused, "Well, she's... she's my best friend. Twilight's always been there for me, she gave me shelter when I had no place to go, she taught me the ways of this weird but wonderful world, she helped me to try and find my way back home, she's... she's the best."

Rouge smiles, "They sound great."

"They are."

The duo continued to trot across the grounds until they made it to the gates of the palace, the metal was corroded and bumpy from the fires of Umberoth, slanted open very slightly, not big enough to get through. Tesla went over and tried to pull the gate open, but to no avail. His hooves were stained in dirt and soot,

"No luck?" Rouge asked.

Tesla shook his head, Rouge began to walk another way,

"We should find another route in," She told him.

Tesla looked at his dirty hooves then at Rouge,

"Wait," He called to her.

She turned around and looked at him,

"What is it, Nikola?" She asked him.

"In this book I read about dragons, they have a fantastic sense of smell. But they won't recognize something if it smells like their environment," Tesla explains to her.

"Meaning?"

"Get dirty," Tesla told her.

Rouge went wide-eyed at his command, almost like he was hitting on her,

"Call it like you want it, eh?" She asks flirtatiously with a raised eyebrow.

"NO! No! I didn't mean it like that," Tesla retorts as he tries to defend his words, "I need you to be covered in ash to hide your scent, so you can go to my machine whilst I distract and taunt Umberoth."

"Distract and taunt him? That's a death wish, Nikola," She tells him.

"I'm good with my words," Nikola explains.

"You're very concise, I'll give you that," She chuckles with a wink.

Tesla sighs as she smirks at him. She turns around and goes over to a fallen cafe shop, roasted from fire, she digs her hooves into the soft wood, and then smears ash over her face. Tesla was shocked by her commitment to get covered in dirt so quickly. He looked away, grunting grumpily, he could almost hear her smiling from behind him,

"Nikola?" She calls him.

"Yep?" He replies as he turns around.

"I need some help," She tells him with jolt of song in her voice.

Tesla saw her, she was half covered in ashes, her lower body as dry as a bone,

"Can you cover me?" She asked.

"No," Tesla declines.

"C'mon..." Rouge tempted, "It'll be quick if you like."

Tesla rolls his eyes and goes over to Rouge, he dabs his hooves in ash, and then proceeds to rub the ash over her torso. He hears her giggles as he unintentionally tickles her, he passes over her typewriter cutie mark on her left hind leg, then does the same on the right, before heading all the way down with both legs. He leaves one part behind. Literally,

"Aww, stopping so soon?" She deadpanned.

"Christ's sake," He mumbles to himself.

"Hey, it's alright," She comforts him, "I'm covered now."

"I'm surprised you agreed to it so quickly," Tesla told her.

"Well, when you've been out in the woods for days without washing then you'll get dirty. Being covered in soot is the least of my worries," She explains to him.

"Seems reasonable," Nikola responded.

"Yeah," Rouge said, "Do you know another way in?"

Tesla thought to himself as he observed the environment, hoping he can find another way past the gates, he wasn't too sure the gates ended up the way they did anyhow,

"Let me think, please," Tesla requested.

Tesla looked at the charred buildings and carriages, and something sparked in Tesla's head once he saw a nearby one,

"Okay, we'll push that carriage," Tesla instructed, "We'll get it against the gate then it'll give us a boost to get over it."

Tesla goes over to the carriage, and leans against it, Rouge follows him and leans as well,

"Alright, on three. Push gently," Tesla ordered.

"Okay," Rouge agreed.

"One..."

The duo steadied their hooves,

"Two..."

They readied themselves,

"Three!"

The ponies pushed the carriage strongly but also gently, the wheels loosened and it moved unevenly until Tesla felt it soften against the other side of the wall, Tesla offered his hooves to Rouge,

"Want a boost?" Tesla offered.

Rouge nodded, "Yes, thank you."

Rouge stepped on his open hooves and then he hoisted her up. She lowered her hoof, Nikola jumped up and grabbed it and she pulled him up. They carefully began to tread on the top of the carriage until they came to the gate, Rouge climbed over it and Nikola followed after her, and with a quick thud they were over the gate, just more than thirty-five feet from where the dragon was hiding. Rouge felt an uncomfortable knot form in her throat that she tried to swallow down, and the sight of the disturbingly quiet castle sent shivers down Nikola and Rouge's spine, like a barrage of icy spiders. Nikola took one step towards the palace, Rouge reluctantly followed after him,

"When we get inside, what's the plan?" Rouge asked.

"I need you to find my machine. Its a tubular pod, red lever, many buttons, it is somewhere near the throne room. You got that?" Nikola made clear.

"Of course, near the throne room," Rouge repeats.

"Now, there'll be a large button on the right of the control pad, press that button then pull the lever upright, then get the hell from it and find somewhere safe," He continued.

"What are you going to do?" Rouge questions.

"I'm going to talk to Umberoth," He explains, "I'm going to lure him out. I have a plan."

"Tell me," Rouge requested.

"It's difficult to explain, you'll just need to trust me," Nikola replied.

Rouge sighs, "Okay."

Nikola continues to make his way to the entrance along with Rouge, taking each step with caution, they stopped in front of the door of the palace, they opened each of the heavy doors, a loud creak echoed throughout the empty grand hall, it chilled them to their bones, the hall was cold, each of their steps echoed silently. Rouge stayed closer to Nikola, anxious of what was to come,

"Okay, this is where I leave you, Rouge," Nikola told her.

"Don't go, please," Rouge begged.

A ragged sound blasted through from a dark corridor. Rouge jumped in fright and leaned into Nikola, they stared down the dark corridor,

"Is that...?" Rouge asked in fear.

"Yes," Nikola confirmed, equally as frightened.

Nikola walked away slowly from Rouge,

"Nikola?"

He stops in his place and looks at her,

"Be safe," Rouge says.

"I'll try," Nikola smiled, trying to remain confident.

Rouge nods to him and then walks further across the hall, she's got an objective. So does Tesla.

He paces slowly down the dark corridor, the loud snores of Umberoth increasingly grower louder and bombastic, Tesla then came across a stairway, leading him further to inside the hill, the treasury of Canterlot, he kept on trotting further into the depths of darkness... until he came across... him. The beast laid asleep on a mountain of coins and diamonds. Nikola felt the temperature rise. Umberoth was coiled up like a snake, his monstrous tail wrapped around several pillars of the underground treasury, his blood red scales, as tough as stone, shined against the gold and silver, the neck was long and slender, his head like a spear, his teeth a million unbreakable blades, his talons as dark as midnight. Nikola breathed shakily at the sight of him, he was terrified.

He slowly makes his way down the steps, his eyes are locked on the beast, the platform Tesla was approaching wasn't too far, it was held up with pillars, covered in jewels. With his eyes locked on Umberoth, Tesla didn't notice the chipped step near him. Tesla fell, right on the platform, knocking off several jewels to the ground below,

Fuck!, Tesla thought, afraid for his life, You stupid old man.

With a tinkle and a clang, the jewels hit the sea of treasure that led to Umberoth's mountain, Tesla quickly crawled behind the pillar as he heard Umberoth's spine-tingling snort. A low hum echoed the underground cave. Umberoth's eyes opened, as yellow as the sun. His monstrous breathing made Nikola's mane stand on end, smoke escaping his flared nostrils,

"Who is it that disturbs my slumber?" His deep baritone voice booms out.

Tesla steadied his breathing as he heard Umberoth stand, the coins shuffled beneath his magnificent claws, tinkering as he moved. Quakes filled the air which each gigantic step,

"I sense your fear," Umberoth speaks, "I smell your dread."

Each thump of his movement made Tesla's heart beat faster and faster, he was sure the dragon could hear his beating heart. The steps continued until they stopped, an eerie silence filled the air, Tesla calmed down, he breathing went shallow, quiet. He slowly peeked around the pillar and was confronted by two yellow,, giant, angry eyes,

"I recognized your scent," He growls, "I recognize it from the volcano."

Tesla gasped, his heart was thumping against his rib cage, his eyes widened in horror,

"How foolish could you be to return... to me, pitiful creature?" The giant red monster asked, his large head cocking sideways, almost curious.

Tesla was sure his heart stopped beating.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Just how sad will the ending be?

[RuinQueenofOblivion]

Holy crap, Nikola Tesla is facing off against a dragon , this is simultaneously crazy and awesome.