Six Manipulations, Six Heroes

by Matthew Stone

A Tough New Foe!! Volucris and Twivine, Terrors of the Universe

The gang was in real shock when they saw the ugly change taking hold of Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Twilight herself, was building up anger, second by second when she looks at Queen Volucris.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM?” Twilight demanded.
“A simple brainwashing spell I've been practicing for months.” Volucris cooed, “Your friends feel no pain from it luckily. In fact, I think they enjoy their new outlook.”

“What short of harmful chaos are you plotting?” Discord sneered.

“Harm? None at all. I’m just maintaining the place from all it’s disgusting acts of friendship and love. All I’m simply doing is giving Equestria it’s true medicine, DEATH AND HATE!”

“D-D-DEATH!?” Discord whimpered.

“Oh, don’t be sad, Discord…” the brainwashed Fluttershy chuckled, “You always wanted to slit other ponies throats anyway. I’m now going to take part in experiencing the pleasure of sending them to hell.”

William and Spike gasp along with Discord. Twilight especially becomes distraught. The Fluttershy they knew is now gone. Volucris’ powers have made her mentally sick and dangerous.

"DAMN IT ALL!!! THEY'RE NOT EVEN THE SAME ANYMORE...THEY'RE JUST CRAZY, PSYCHOTIC BASTARDS NOW!!!" T.J. screamed.

“When… when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna hear of this…” Twilight began.

“Oh, them…” Volucris snickers.

A green hive then crawls out the ground by her powers. Inside that slimy egg is a bound and slime covered Celestia and Luna.

“Oh, my God…” Spike stammers.

“I’ve figured they would take action, so I thought I'd give them a nice nap.” Volucris says.

“Why would you do this?” Twilight asks angrily.

Queen Volucris was quiet for a couple of seconds, thinking of a way to sum things up.

“Thousands of years passed since I was sealed away and banished from this world, by the great Celestia herself.” Volucris began. “I’ve been awaiting the moments for my release, having opportunities when my gorgeous sister Chrysalis take control of Canterlot during some mushy wedding. That completely backfired however. Yet, Chrysalis never knew me as her own sister. You know why?”

“Um….” William uttered in confusion, prompting T.J. to look at him with a 'seriously, dude?' look on his face.

“Force.” Volucris sneers, “I have the upmost power to manipulate ANYTHING to get what I want. To rule with my sister changeling, and have my rules respected by FORCE, and not by earning. It’s been that way for a while since I practiced invasions. And when Celestia noticed, that fool…”

Discord and Twilight stand in position, in case Volucris attacks.

“She’d thought she give me a taste of my own medicine to see what force is like. Having Chrysalis’ memories FORCED out of her, having my manipulating powers FORCED out of me, just so I don’t come back to cause her so called word ‘trouble’ to everypony.”

Volucris then stands still, taking a break from all her pacing while talking. “She made me waste years to be apart from my sister, as if she ignored my comparison with her!” she growled.

"Oh....shut...up...already, will you...?" Tails said, choked.

"INSOLENT FOOL!!" Volucris yelled, sending an energy jolt through the shadow hand Tails was grasped in, knocking him out.

She eyed at Luna, cowered by Celestia in the slimy hive.

“So now I’m jamming in MY justice to clean up this filth in Equestria. To take this world, make it MINE!” she finished up, “Which is why… I’m here to see you last, Twilight.”

“M… ME!?” Twilight asks in shock.

"Stay away from her!” Spike yells.

“Oh, be quiet, you little pests!” Volucris snaps.

She then has the black weeds grab Discord, TJ, Spike, and Ian, to have their hands bound behind their backs with the twisted vines. The other weeds than pin William and Leo to the ground.

“UGH! So much for a massage!” William utters sarcastically.

"DUDE!! NOT THE TIME FOR JOKING!!" T.J. yelled.

Volucris strolled over to the frightened Princess Twilight, circling around her like a hypnotist clock.

“Like Queen Chrysalis noticed, you are too, born with power.” Volucris mused, “Power that comes to somepony unexpected, and willing to change their ranks.”

“I… I only use my magic because of friendship!” Twilight retorts.

“So I also reviewed…” Volucris said, “But I’m willing to offer you something that will help you see things besides that.”

“Don’t listen to that witch!” Discord tries to yell, “She’s like Tirek…”

The black weed than gags Discord’s muzzle.

“I really am not like him at all.” Volucris says back to Discord, smiling with her crooked teeth, “I’m just giving Twilight a simple bribe…”

Twilight stands still, prepared for the worst. Volucris than eyes Twilight strongly.

“I can let you be with your friends. Think of it, you won’t lose them. All you have to do is join them.” the villainess smiles.

“What if I don’t?” Twilight wonders.

“I’ll simply kill them.” Volucris says, “But most importantly, I’ll kill Celestia and Luna.”

Twilight’s eyes widen.

“Be sensible, my dear, I might let Celestia rule Equestia anytime. But what odds will there be that if you don’t hear me out, Equestria will no longer have a prime leader…”

Twilight is now shaking faster while standing.

“Think. You’ll be with your friends…” Volucris whispers, “Together, you and those five will travel all day, century, year, eon! You will show the whole world your own lessons of TRUE POWER! The truth of POWER everypony deserves to know! That FRIENDSHIP DOESN’T EXIST!”

Twilight seethes, but keeps a calm face.

“All in all, your pony girlfriends will live. And in return, I’ll let you take place of me. You can be QUEEN! That doesn’t sound lame now, does it?”

“LIAR!” William shrieks. The weed wraps around his mouth afterwards.

“Being queen is much higher in power than being a princess. So not only will you do it for your friends, you’ll do it… FOR YOU…” Volucris wraps up.

Discord and William are weak, but TJ, Ian, Spike, and Leo still are strong enough to try and think of a way to help Twilight while they’re held down. Twilight notices their slow movements, and decides to play along with Volucris for the time being.

“What sort of magic do you expect me to train in?” Twilight asks.

“Oh, just new spells that involve black magic. Those include death, confusion, hypnotism, hallucinating, and demon casting.”

“Those sound… extreme.” Twilight stammers.

TJ slowly reaches for his wrench with his bound hands. The useful tool is just lying on the dirt ground a couple inches away from him, while the weeds and Volucris aren’t noticing. .

Leo is also using his strongest hand under the black weed holding him, to dig inside it. He jams it through the weed by its heart slowly and silently, to reach for the hiking stick the plant coincidentally swallowed during the fight. The gnome pulled it out very quietly like a cotton ball dropping to the ground.

Leo than eyes his target at the weed imprisoning Discord. He’ll be the only way to initiate the rescue and protection of Twilight, and also release the others.

He stiffens his hand on the stick real tight, like it’s a spear. Pulling back at a good length, he gives one chance of a mighty throw. With that, the stick pierces the weed through its heart, letting go of Discord in a jiffy.

Volucris eyes up to see Discord, becoming enraged. Discord then uses his chaos to smash Volucris into the ground, and destroys the weeds to release his captive friends.

“Try and protect Twilight!” Discord says to Spike and William.

The dragon and worm nod, and with their cunning teamwork, William annoys Volucris after getting her attention, just as Spike helps Twilight sneak past Volucris and the guarding black weeds. They rush off, having Volucris breaking her attention from William.

“Wretched insect!” She shrieks, using her powers to raise William into the air, “Trying to distract me, are you?”

"DODONPA!!!!!"

A blast is then made on Volucris’ back, knocking her down. She turns to see that Discord, Ian, TJ, and Leo are ready to fight.

Volucris then stands up instantly, pushing William aside. She uses her black magic to turn the dark weeds into grotesque, zombie like changelings. At her signal of her stomping hoof, the changelings rush to attack the four fighters. William even escapes the fight, to try and join Spike into protecting Twilight, if he can find where they are that is.

Discord uses a pop culture reference to change into an Ash persona, based from “Evil Dead”. He hacks away through the changelings, using his chainsaw to cut them in half. Slime oozes out in the process, when Discord attacks back while protecting himself and his friends. Ian uses his dog-like moves to bite the changelings through the necks with his teeth. His uses his clawed paw to cut and gash the monsters while dodging their attempting attacks. Leo keeps fighting with his hiking stick, using it like a gymnastic pole once in a while when sticking it into the ground, and flying up into the air. He lands and jumps on each of the Changelings' heads, knocking them down unconscious, or ridding them. Meanwhile, T.J. rushes to Tails, and works on trying to free his cousin from the shadow shaped bindings. The shadow cloud holding Tails soon disappears, and Tails falls flat to the ground, waking up.

“TJ?” Tails utters when waking.

“Spike is protecting Twilight.” TJ sums up for Tails, “Ready to jump back into action?

Tails looks around to see the fight going on.

“Dammit. My… laser gun is destroyed.” Tails confesses.

“Here, borrow my wrench.” TJ says when handing on second one to him, “It’s the best you can do for now.”

Tails nods, and the two foxes get up again to join the fight against the changelings. Tails slams and bashes against the minions’ skulls with his wrench, having squeals come out from the monsters. TJ defends himself and his cousin from the changelings’ upcoming attacks, using his wrench as a shield.

Volucris than eyes Discord, Ian, and Leo.

“You’re doing well.” she admits, “But let’s see if you can fight against…”

The manipulated ponies step towards the three fighters, just as Volucris is about to say it. Discord’s jaw drops in horror, as he figures out what Volucris wants them to do. Ian and Leo are depressed and shocked to. They’re going to fight against…

“YOUR FRIENDS!” Volucris says, meaning Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy.

Discord fights back the tears, and steps forward with Ian and Leo. Knowing they have no choice, the prepare themselves as their brainwashed friends lunge toward them with bloodthirsty looks on their faces.

Twilight’s palace was the only hiding place Spike can come up with at the moment. They rush through the royal hall, looking around, thinking of the best place to hide, where it’s not too open. William pants loudly, as he finally catches up with Twilight and Spike.

“Is there some sort of basement we can hide in?” Spike wonders.

“There’s no dungeons or lower basement levels in this castle.” Twilight informs, “We have to try and hide in the library.”

The three friends ran as fast as they could down the corridor that goes in the direction of a spiral. They finally arrive into the library that’s bigger than the tree one. The possibility of finding some sort of bookcase passage is impossible, so they find the nearest study room door they can find in this vast book room. They come to a wooden door that opens to a room with a ink and quill on a desk. A lantern is also hanging on the stone wall. On top of the desk and hanging on the front wall of the room, is a portrait of an angel pony, rising to the clouds.

“Much as I hate the dark in this situation, we have to blow the lanterns out.” Twilight plans out, “Or else the weeds or somewhat changelings might find us easily.”

Spike nods, and rushes around the library room, putting out each lantern one by one. There is an innocent yellow light coming from the spiral corridor entrance, symbolizing little hope there is left so far…

William stands guard of Twilight standing in the empty study room, to make sure nothing suspicious is going to capture her.

"If I were a philosopher, I would compare irony to reality, like… we’re in a sort a sort of hell that’s already existing.” William says.

Twilight nods in understanding. She’s calming down, now that Spike and William are there with her. But then…

SOMETHING GRABS TWILIGHT BY THE NECK! Twilight wasn’t alone in the room after all! She gawks and coughs in agony and horror, as the blackest hoof drags her up to the ceiling. Twilight turns to see that monster taking her.

IT WAS THE BRAINWASHED RAINBOW DASH!

“Rainbow…” Twilight whimpers.

William turns just in time to see this, screaming.

“TWILIGHT!” William shrieks.

Spike notices too, and rushes to help Twilight. Until a walking weed knocks Spike down, and has a black cloud cover and trap him. More weeds then appear, surrounding William. Twilight cries in sadness for the evil force controlling Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow… please. I’m your friend…” Twilight begged.

“That’s what Pinkie said before I completely changed,” the evil Rainbow Dash mused, “But don’t worry, change will come to you…”

The cyan pegasus’ black hooves then have black veins coming out, sinking into Twilight’s body. The alicorn squirms and winches at the painful manipulation coming to her. To her MIND.

William tries to go around the weeds, but the plants trap him with their firm grips. William screams like a baby when he witnesses the terrible trap Twilight has fallen into.

Twilight’s eyes widen bigger every second. The veins are now in the middle of her body, until they finally make it up to her head, were they sink into her brain. She soon becomes still, silent, not saying anything…

Then her eyes glow green, with a red aura surrounding each one. William now becomes seriously distraught at Twilight’s change.

“Now I certainly will trust you…” the evil Rainbow Dash sneers.

---

Discord is full of pain when he continues his fight alongside Ian, Leo, TJ, and Tails. The lord of chaos is actually fighting against his best friend, who actually wants to kill him. In the background, these themes play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBP-R4TzkU&list=PL4nZN4c5zJBXfRORazGfB01z1Ej4S_Zjr
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T314McK8D7Y&list=PL4nZN4c5zJBXfRORazGfB01z1Ej4S_Zjr&index=9
and don't forget:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFgo2moznQw&index=59&list=PL4nZN4c5zJBXfRORazGfB01z1Ej4S_Zjr0
“Fluttershy…” Discord sobs, “I don’t want to fight you…”

“THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU SO PATHETIC AND STUPID!” the brainwashed Fluttershy shouts at Discord.

She then slaps him real hard, knocking him to the ground. Discord still remains reluctant to fight her, and mainly dodges her deadly punches instead. Pinkie Pie then comes toward Ian, and gives her deadly kicks toward his stomach. The diamond dog gets knocked down now and then, but he still uses his strongest paw to fight back.

“We can’t fight them!” Discord cries.

“We have no choice.” Leo says, “The pony friends we know are no longer themselves. Right now, they’re our enemies.”

As Leo says that, he dodges the black magic ray with his hiking stick, the spell that came from Rarity. He continues to fight against her as she gives her glowing kicks. TJ and Tails then fight against Applejack, who is using her lasso that’s now flaming red. She’s not using it to tie anyone up, but as a blade like whip. She cracks it to the ground every time, trying to hit TJ and Tails. However, the foxes fly up into the air to miss the strikes, and kick back each time at the possessed Applejack. Discord still does nothing to Fluttershy, sobbing and bleeding at every slap and punch he receives from her.

"DON'T BE A FOOL, DISCORD!!! FIGHT BACK ALREADY, DAMMIT!!!" Tails yelled.

“GUYS! STOP!” a voice wails out. It was Twilight's.

Discord and Ian felt relieved to hear her. But Leo, TJ, and Tails felt suspicious. Sure, the possessed ponies are listening to her, but they aren’t attacking. Why?

Discord zaps himself to see if Twilight is hurt, but the moment he come by her, she has her hoof make a black aura, and strikes him with it. It doesn’t infect Discord, but it painfully strikes Discord far back to reach where Ian and Leo are standing. Discord looks up in disbelief, as do Ian, Leo, Tails, and TJ. Volucris than trots by Twilight, and brings a cage with Spike and William in it, setting them by her.

“YOU MONSTER! YOU CHANGED HER!” William wails.

“W-w-what?” Tails stammers in shock.

Twilight then looks at her original friends evilly, along with looking at her possessed friends, who smile at her. The alicorn’s new appearance involves a crown on her head, which looks exactly like what King Sombra used to wear. Her horn has some red glowing at the tip. She wears metal armor on her chest and hooves, including a cape.

“I knew my new student would come to her senses…” Volucris grins, as she now places her hoof on her new brainwashed victim.

"DAMMIT, NO!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Tails screams in anger and rage.