The Frozen gate of Tartarus

by Optimistic Pessimist

The Coming of Cronus

Pinkie Pie was blown back with another great battering of a golem. She turned on her back, covered in cuts and bruises. She hopelessly stared up as the great burning hulk lifted his spiked club. Desperately she tried to escape, but the wounds on her legs were too great. "HELP!" She called out in vain as she saw Applejack getting flipped head over heels by a mighty dragon.

The earth pony stared back up at the demon of Tartarus. Its' burning backside would be the last thing she saw so it seemed. She closed her eyes and looked back on her life. What joy, what pleasure she had in planning parties, only to have it end on the battlefield. She opened her eyes again in woe, and wished the burning demon would just get it over with. She did not notice a single snowflake fall past her vision.

Little did she know her savior had arrived.

A great blue apparition blew past her, whisking up her mane and blowing snow and hail past her face. She watched as the great demon was suddenly skewered by a great icicle, and was blown a few yards away. Pinkie Pie stared in amazement, and looked to the sky.

Windigoes came raining down like hail, setting upon the burning army of Tartarus. The demons screeched as the blue ghosts of hate flew in a great circle around them, herding them closer and closer together.

"Pinkie!" The earth pony turned to find a familiar unicorn. "Twilight! There you are! We were getting worried!" The horn of the unicorn sparked once with magic, and Element of Magic responded. Shards of pure energy began to fly off of the tiara, collecting in a staff. A star fell from the heavens, and the staff was complete. Golden and silver, glowing majestically, topped with a lethally sharp star from the sky, Twilight stood ready for battle.

With a flick of Twilights' wrist, Pinkie Pie was restored. "Help me get the others off the field, Cyroxim is back." Pinkie Pie nodded, and quickly dashed off. The earth pony couldn't help looking to the sky.

With the demons rounded up in a tight circle, a great howl echoed through out the field. Out of the sky dropped icicles, deadly daggers of icy cold. The demons had nowhere to run as they were skewered through and through. The unrelenting rain of ice and hail continued until not a demon of Tartarus remained.

Pinkie Pie dragged Applejack away from the field. Her leg was twisted unnaturally, and blood flowed down her face. Pinkie Pie lifted her up onto her back, and quickly galloped through towards Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was busy helping Rainbow Dash. Her right wing had lost nearly all its feathers, and her shoulder was crushed into her body from the impact. Pinkie Pie laid Applejack carefully onto the ground next to Rainbow Dash. "Please Fluttershy. Hurry." The pegasus was worn out after all the healing magic was casting. Pinkie Pie felt a bump on her back, and she went frigid. Pinkie Pie looked over, her teeth chattering like a wind up toy.

She saw a frozen unicorn, armored with crystalline ice. He walked slowly and deliberately towards the battlefield. Pinkie Pie watched in horror as he walked undaunted into the oncoming wave of demons. "WAIT!"

Twilight put her hoof on Pinkies' back. "He can handle them. Stay here and recover. Watch him." Pinkie Pie felt a sense of dread as she witnessed the demons fell onto the unicorn. Pinkie Pie was near tears when they began to pile up.

A sharp and sudden noise caused Pinkie to flinch. Icicles and frozen pikes suddenly skewered out of the center of the pile. Pinkie Pie watched as the burning demons were frozen over and shattered. The unicorn stood almost god like in the reflected light of the ice that had shattered. Pinkie Pie's eyes fell upon his frozen crest. It was large, almost substituting a chest plate.

The ice reformed itself into a large blade. Pinkie Pie got up to take a closer look. It was literally three times his size, and easily heavier than him. The demons pounced him again, ready to take the kill.

Pinkie stared in amazement as he disappeared in his speed. The demons were split in two while they hovered in midair. The demons looked back and forth stupidly as icicles began to shoot out of the ground, skewering anything in its way.

Words cannot describe the speed of the massacre. Demons fell on Minotaur, and Hydras atop of them. Slowly but steadily, the burning light of the demonic army was extinguished. The unicorn froze as he watched the demons begin to retreat back into Tartarus. The field was littered with the bodies of fallen evils, and he walked among them as if they never existed. Pinkie Pie shivered from the thought of how cold a soul had to be to walk unfazed after killing so many.

Twilight rushed out to the battlefield. She trotted fearlessly through the corpses of her dead enemies. Cyroxim stood there, unfazed, at the entrance to Tartarus. Twilight looked out with him. "Wow! That was impressive! You're amazing!" Cyroxim shrugged. "I'm not sure if I've gotten stronger or weaker, but it seems like they've been expecting me." Twilight was confused. "Why is that?"

"I could hear them shriek. 'Fall back! Call upon the master! Call upon Cronus!'"

Speak of the devil, they did, as heavy thuds raced across the ground. The louder they became, the more fear grew in their hearts. The bright flickering light became ever so brighter. And the fear grew near irrepressible. And yet, Twilight could feel it in the air.

The cold got ever much colder.

A hideous roar, and Cronus was at the surface. The master of all demons had finally arrived.

Twice as large as the Ursa minor, burning with anger and hate, Cronus did stand. His hands were the claws of dragons, and twisted horns grew from his blood red head. His eyes were not eyes, but more furnaces of hate, burning red and evil. A tooth from his mouth was more a sword then anything else. A dragon tail grew from his backside, and it was tipped with a solid obsidian mace head.

"Cronus..." Twilight stood by Cyroxim. She knew the cold would keep her from the heat. One by one, the Elements of Harmony walked up towards Cyroxim, the warmth of the Elements shielding them from the cold. They stood alongside each other, ready for battle.

The great titan Cronus glanced about. "What's this? Eight ponies instead of one?" His laugh was dark and twisted. "Have you gotten weaker? HA! I will be so happy when you fall to your death!"

Fire erupted from his body, and the Windigoes scattered, alarmed with such heat. Cyroxim howled. Instantly the Windigoes scattered at his command. Once again Cyroxim froze himself over, creating an icy armor.

"I should feel bad, but then I'd be happy all over again!" He laughed again. "Oh it's so good to be bad!"

A small object flew towards the titans face. "What the..." Berry punch took another swig of her bottle. "Kaboom." The bomb exploded.

Only to reveal nothing had happened. "Oh you little pony. You are so naive." Cronus flicked a finger, and a fire ball came shooting out. Berry Punch was blown far away towards the treeline from the explosion. The group gasped. "One down, seven to go."

"Not if I have anything to do with it." Cyroxim suddenly launched himself towards the great titan. Cronus laughed and swung his fist. Icicles shot out of the frozen armor, tearing the skin on the titans claw to ribbons. "Agh!" Cronus lashed out with his hand and shattered his armor. Cyroxim was knocked back to the ground. Slowly he got up.

"Away girls. You'll only get in the way." Cyroxim suddenly slammed his hooves into the ground. A pillar of ice, half the height of Cronus, shot out of the ground. Twilight gasped as he hefted it out of the ground. "Come on girls, we'll only slow him down." Cyroxim waited a little while until the girls were safely back at the treeline.

"You never learn Cronus! You know you fear me! Flee while you can, else I take your head!" Cronus laughed. "You were lucky. You will fall in seconds." Cronus' hand erupted in flames, and he stepped into position.

Cyro slammed his hooves again into the ground, and ice shot up from the ground, rising to Cronus' chin. He laughed. "That all you can muster?" The pillar shattered as the Cyros' blade slit the stomach of Cronus with a light cut. "HA!"

Claws became flamethrowers as fire shot towards Cyroxim. His icy crest grew into a barrier as the fire hit him. When the flame subsided, Cyroxim stood unfazed, sweating at the brow.

The great pillar of ice suddenly shattered into a million pieces, invisible to the naked eye. Cronus held his arm up as Cyroxim flexed. Instantly molten rock spewed from the arm of Cronus as ice pierced his skin. A claw flew up to meet the icy blade of Cyroxim as he flew over. Cronus was in clear pain from the frost against his flame. Cyroxim knew he had to get away, for the heat of Cronus was too much for even him to be close for too long.

Too late he realized, as Cronus snapped his blade in two, and with his other claw, brought his claw down to Cyros' crown. To the ground he soared, the impact heard by all. As Cyroxim stood up, he staggered ever so slightly. "Aw.. tired already? Give up. My army will conquer this land and the next when you fall."

Many things raced through Cyroxims' mind. "You speak as if I will fall." Although in his mind he knew, he would not make it this time. The icy crest he bore sported a crack.

The unicorn sped away as Cronus fired again with his fiery wrath. "Run! See how much good it will do you!" Cronus fired again, and a wall of flame blocked his way. Cyroxim turned to find Cronus bringing his fist down upon him. A great glacier blew up from the ground, launching Cyroxim into the air. Cronus stared up in fury. "WHY DENY YOUR FATE? IT IS INEVITABLE!"

"Because it isn't." The Glacier flew up towards him, and he grasped it as a hammer. With a powerful swing, he brought it down upon Cronus' head. The strike was quick, but the titans' recovery even quicker as Cyroxim swung a second time. Cronus deflected a swing with his claw, and a swift foot met Cyroxim in his gut. Cyroxim dropped his weapon in his pain, unable to react as the great titan lifted him into the air.

With a twist of his neck, Cronus broke the icy crest of Cyroxim and skewered the Frozen Gate of Tartarus.