You Wouldn't Believe Me if I Told You

by PinkiePiedPiper

Chapter 23: Trial by Fire and Friendship

I don’t own MLP: FiM. That belongs to Lauren Faust and Hasbro.

You Wouldn’t Believe Me if I Told You

Chapter 23: Trial by Fire and Friendship

The massive obsidian dragon roared in anger again. Party Favour, who was still carrying the unconscious Pinkie Pie, Cherry Topper, and Twilight Sparkle, had loop-the-looped around his head to annoy him. It worked.

Despite how often they heard that roar; there was no getting acclimated to the sound and sheer volume of it.

Suddenly, Pinkie’s eyes shot open and she screamed in pain and shock. The searing pain from her tail burns was excruciating, almost losing consciousness again immediately. It was the fear of her situation that kept her awake; hurtling past the head of an enormous bellowing demonic dragon-creature thousands of meters above the ground.

Twilight used some of her slightly recovered magical reservoir to deaden the pain enough for Pinkie to regain a clear head.

Party twisted his head around to look her in the eyes and smile. Pinkie managed a weak smile in return.

“I realize this may be asking a lot of you, all things considered,” Party began, “but I’m going to have to ask you to take Cherry for a while.”

“Wh-what?” she stuttered. “I don’t know if I can-”

“You have to.” He shook his head. “There’s something I have to do, but given my current condition, I can’t manage it while carrying the lot of you.”

Pinkie looked scared. “What are you going to do?”

“It’s probably best you don’t know Twilight’s plan. I don’t need you trying to talk me out of it.”

Now Pinkie was worried. She looked at Twilight.

“Don’t worry, Miss Pinkie,” Cherry assured her, “I overheard their plan. I don’t only think that it will work, but that it is also all of our best chance.”

“OH, CELESTIA!” Party burst out.

Spotting an orange glow growing in the clouds directly in front of them, he rolled over to the left, veering just in time to miss the jaws of a very angry Sauron. Behind the head followed the huge, spine-riddled body and flaming wings. Party dipped back and forth, narrowly dodging each deadly obstacle. Just as the tail began to pass them by, he spied the wide axe-like protrusions at the terminal end. Darting straight upwards he tried to escape the bladed tail.

Just as he thought they were clear, Sauron flicked his tail after them, catching him with the flat side and sending them spinning upwards above the cloud cover. The sudden blunt force of the impact wrenched both Pinkie and Cherry from his grasp. They both started screaming, but Pinkie, remembering her ability to fly, righted herself and shot downwards after Cherry, catching him in seconds.

Party, who had taken the brunt of the glancing blow, took a little longer to regain his composure. He staggered in the air dizzily as he searched for his missing cargo.

Twilight was still securely wrapped around his neck, all thanks to her hoof binding spell. From her perch, she could see Sauron’s wing breaking the cloud layer below them as he turned slowly to prepare for another attack. She magically transmitted her voice to her three friends.

“Pinkie and Cherry, you get below the clouds to ground level and head for that large volcano to your left. Party and I will get his attention and enact the plan. Go!”

Hesitantly, Pinkie ducked under the cloud layer. Just as she disappeared, Sauron’s massive head broke the surface, searching for his prey with his burning eye. Twilight prepped and fired a small ice bolt, missing his head by mere meters; an impressive shot for such a distance. He quickly traced its trajectory back to them, propelling his gargantuan bulk through the air with unnatural acceleration in their direction.

“Here we go…” Party mumbled.

“We have to buzz him!” Twilight projected into his head. “Get all of his attention on us, and keep him close!”

“Roger that, Captain Suicide!”

Adjusting their heading, he launched himself through the air towards the volcano. Sauron noted their direction and veered to intercept them, but because of his mass, he turned just too slowly to catch them as they whizzed a few dozen meters from his face. Roaring in frustration, he continued to turn laboriously. Achieving the proper heading, he turned all of his efforts to speed, something he was better at then his prey. He began catching up to them immediately.

Startled by the dragon’s velocity, Twilight yelled frantically, “DOWN! Down into the clouds! And don’t look behind us!”

“My, my! That’s…comforting.”

Sauron chuckled gravelly. “Fools! Have you not discovered by now that the clouds cannot save you! They may seem inpenetrable to you, but for me they are a mild obstacle. I saw where you’re friends went. They shall be next.”

He then dove into the clouds as well, still rapidly gaining on them despite Twilight’s urgings for more speed.

“I see you!”

“Just a little longer, Party! You can make it!”

“Let’s hope!”

Twilight, suddenly struck with inspiration, began channelling her meagre magical energies into the draconequus. Slightly revitalized, he lunged deeper into the clouds with even greater speeds.

But still they were losing ground.

Laughing at their vain attempts to flee, Sauron decided it was time to end them.

He spewed liquid flames at them as he pursued, but due to the sheer speed and wind resistances, the flames merely curled around his own head and set his face ablaze. Although it did nothing to hurt him, it made him ever blind with fury. He flapped his infernal wings harder and continued to vomit white hot lava streams.

Twilight smiled and yelled, “We’re gonna make it!”

Then she looked back over her shoulder. The smile vanished and her eyes exploded wide with fear.

Flames were licking just twenty meters behind Party’s tail, and behind that was an enormous fireball with blazing wings and a piercing red eye. It was belching molten death constantly, and was steadily getting closer.

Party squinted against the smoggy clouds and vicious winds from his speed, fighting to see while still flying far above his top speed. He suddenly broke through the clouds. Then he saw it; the volcano.

The really, really close volcano. His pupils dilated.

“HANG ON!” he yelled as he strained to veer upwards. He hoped he hadn’t waited until it was too late.

It was too late for Sauron, however. After his prey had suddenly left his direct line of sight, he did not even have the time to register what it was that was now in front of him before he hit it.

And he really hit it.

Pinkie and Cherry closed in on the scene about a kilometer away, watching with awe as the massive form of the obsidian meteor crumpled into the huge volcano. The resulting sound and fireball was unimaginably impressive. Imagine an oil tanker and a fireworks factory colliding into a burning brick wall made of 1000 tonnes of lead bars. Now imagine both times a thousand.

Close enough.

Party continued along the surface of the volcano, dodging plumes of lava as the mountain began collapsing in on itself. The very fabric of the molten mound had been destabilized, glowing cracks and crevasses splitting across the mountain face like cracks in a window. It was blowing itself apart with internal pressure and from the force if the impact. Much the same thing was happening to the back half of their former pursuer, erupting into shards of red-hot stone and fire that showered the whole area and bombarded them.

A huge fissure suddenly opened up directly in front of them. Party slowed as much as he dared to pull up once again. The heat from the lava and the explosions singed their coats as they rocketed upwards from the maelstrom, leaving a streak of smoke and obsidian dust in their wake.

Still too tense to cheer, they looped back around, pulling up right beside Pinkie and Cherry. The former of which was cheering enough for all four of them anyways.

“WOOOOO! Alright Twily! You go, Party!” she cried enthusiastically, the remains of her mane puffed to the max and bouncing around more than she was. “That was totally awesome! I need to throw you a party! A party for Twily and Party! A Party party! WOOOOOO!”

Cherry would have cheered, but he was busy plugging his ears and holding on to the dancing draconequus. Not that anyone would have heard him over Pinkie.

Party and Twilight smiled at their boisterous friend, both thoroughly exhausted. Looking at each other, they shared a mutually knowing chuckle.

A large cracking emanated from the ground below, instantly drawing all of their attention.

The mountain, which had been more like a thick stony shell full of lava, still stood. The gaping wound in its side was emptying out its stored magma reservoir. One more crumbling crack was produced, and the top cone broke off and fell towards the bubbling pool of magma still sitting in the volcano.

Just as it was about to hit, a molten mound burst from the lake of liquid stone and punched the stone cone to pieces. The four hovered slowly backwards in horror and shock as the mound split itself into multiple thinner parts; he claws of an enormous draconic forelimb. They hung there for a second, allowing themselves to harden before coming down and grasping the still intact rim of the volcano’s side. It was followed by another dividing mound, and a third one which besides being much more massive, bore a single burning eye.

“I WILL END YOU ALL FOR THIS!” Sauron voiced. “YOU WILL ALL PERISH SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY IN MY FIRE!"

At first, none of them could say anything. Slowly, Cherry managed to stutter out, “Sh-shall we leave him f-f-f-for a spell? P-p-perhaps we c-can talk this over once he’s c-c-cooled off?”

A sparkle shimmered in Twilight’s eyes as they widened, as they are apt to do when she has an idea.

“Cool off!” she exclaimed. “Cherry, you’re a genius!”

“I am?” he responded quizzically.

“He is?” the draconequui chimed.

“Yes! Party, while I was unconscious, I saw all of the ponies you have stored in your scales. They are awake and active, including all of my friends; each having their respective Elements of Harmony with them. Do you think you could bring them out here so we can use them against Sauron?”

Party shook his head. “Not an option, Twilight Sparkle. I have an escape spell on my scales. I made it so if anything were to happen to me, all of the ponies would end up back in Equestria with little memory of their time here.” He paused. “Even if I willingly release them, they will be in Equestria, and they could never get back here in time to help. And we can’t leave to regroup with them or show them the way.”

“What if...” Cherry started, scratching his chin. “What if you don’t have to, my lord? What if the Elements can still be used by them through you? From what I’ve heard, all it takes is for the wearers to be present and holding their Elements and the bearer of the Element of Magic to instigate it, and we do have them all here, in a sense.”

“You’re right, Twily,” Pinkie said, “Grapey-doodle is a genius!”

“So you want me to use four of the 6 Elements?” Party asked incredulously. “We don’t exactly have a good relationship thus far. Besides, what if they don’t work because I’m not one of your friends?”

“The way I see it,” Pinkie replied, “we are friends! You have saved us from falling to our death; you have saved the lives of everypony in the games, none of whom even liked you, while combating the strongest evil force we have ever encountered by yourself! And you have been toting Twilight around on your back while dodging an enormous dragon for who knows how long. Not to mention that you and I go waaaay back.” Pinkie winked.

A roar burst from below. Sauron had half formed and hardened, slowly extricating himself from the volcanic pit as he worked on his mid-section.

“That, and we don’t have time to argue!” Twilight shouted, preparing her magic and focussing the stone formation spell into the crystal on her now visible crown.

“Good point” Pinkie nodded, and her Element of Laughter necklace appeared around her long neck.

Still worried, Party called out a warning.

“Remember, turn every aspect of him to stone, not just his body. It was your shoddy job on me that allowed me to escape. Turn his very being to stone, and all his powers will be negated!”

Twilight nodded to him as her eyes opened, shining bright with white radiance. Her hooves came unclasped from around Party’s neck, and she hovered up above them. Pinkie Pie and Party Favour were drawn to Twilight’s sides by an irresistible force. Cherry continued hanging around Pinkie’s neck, wondering why he had not requested to be put down before now. The power of the Elements grew larger, burning brightly in response to the task ahead of them.

Four of Party’s scales tingled and glowed; a white one bejeweled with diamonds, an orange one adorned with apples, the yellow one speckled with pink butterflies, and a blue one emblazoned with a rainbow-coloured lightning bolt. As they, too, shone brighter, they radiated a light in colour to the residents’ coats, projecting the image of those ponies around the luminous group; each of them wearing their Element, limbs outstretched and eyes closed.

Sauron, who had gotten his hind legs free at this point, stood on the ground under his own power. Looking up at his troublesome pests, his pupil narrowed in a combination of fear and fury. He quickly opened his maw and unleashed all of his fury in one enormous blast of molten white-hot rage, managing an ear-splitting roar at the same time.

In no time, the group was enveloped in flames. Cherry, the only one of them not engrossed in Elemental powers, cracked open one eye. The flames were passing around and amongst them, but he did not even feel the slightest lick of heat or pain. The fire felt smooth and cool; the lava burst like a spattering of rain, peppering each of them with tickling droplets that cooled to obsidian on contact. All heat seemed to be absorbed by a magical film just barely above his skin.

But Cherry was the only one to even notice. Sauron continued to shower them in pleasant feelings and refreshing temperatures.

Finally, the six Elements of Harmony erupted in a wave of blinding, rainbow light; emanating from them as an expanding sphere of brilliant chromatic colours. Cherry watched in wonderment as the flames were forced back with ease. And much to his enjoyment, he was the only one of them to watch and laugh as Sauron’s single eye widened in sheer disbelief.

Upon contact with the expanding wave of colour, his skin hardened a darker black than Cherry thought possible. The internal inferno was extinguished immediately as it contacted the rainbow force field. His head entirely enveloped, his jaws gaped noiselessly and firelessly as his eye began dwindling. Sauron was trying to incinerate them, but the fires within his throat had died. By the time his midsection was hit, his eye was half the size. The rainbow washed through him and the rest of the plains of fire with growing speed.

Another smaller and faster blast of coloured radiation shot from the glowing group, two draconequui, one with a purple pony around her neck, a lavender unicorn with glowing eyes, and four pastel ponies that appeared as incorporeal as ghosts.

Verifiably the weirdest collaboration of beings ever assembled to use the Elements of Harmony. Ever. Of all time.

The brightness of the group subsided. The projected ponies dissipated into nothingness, and the others regained control of themselves. Party plucked Twilight out of the air just as she had begun to sink down to the steaming plains below.

The group regarded Sauron. He remained frozen to the spot where he had been standing; his tail paused in its still dripping state as it had not had enough time to form. They watched tentatively as his eye socket cooled down and its last glow petered out into cold stone.

Congratulations and high-fives were passed around, despite none of them having five-fingered appendages.

At least until the world began to end. Again.

Wordlessly, Pinkie and Party vanished from the clouded skies, taking their jockeys with them. The clouds, ground, and mountains quickly began evaporating, being rapidly replaced with inter-dimensional clouds of swirling black and purpleness.

Because his being had been turned to stone, his power was unable to maintain his surroundings, or even himself. As far as he knew, the group was still hanging above him in the sky as he raged. He was incapable of preventing, or even noticing, as the ground under him dissipated, followed quickly by his tail and legs. Within seconds, he had entirely evaporated into the void as just another victim of failed inter-dimensional travel; his very being erased from existence.

* * * * *

Twilight gazed around herself in amazement, trying to ascertain the laws that governed her impossible surroundings. After Pinkie’s brief explanation, Twilight became even more confused and decided it prudent to not worry herself on it any longer.

“Not like I can think straight in my current state...” she muttered.

The four of them were exhausted; Party and Twilight just about ready to collapse. At one point in the journey, Party had to grasp Pinkie’s paw in his claw to keep himself from fading into inexistence due to negligence.

Each of them were cut and bruised to various degrees, burned, and coated in dust and fragments of obsidian. Occasionally someone would cough to get some soot or dust dislodged from their lungs, but otherwise they were silent.

Twilight, who’s consciousness was entire optional at this point, fell asleep gladly, but not before re-applying her hoof-clasp spell.

Then she dreamed; dreams once again steered by her friends; the whole gang, almost half of Ponyville, plus her newest friend, Stalwart Bastion. She enjoyed their company, filling in details of the battle, answering questions, and just overall being happy in their reunion.

She smiled in her sleep.

* * * * *

Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence sat in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, mulling over recent events, both sick with worry about their friends, subjects, and in Cadence’s case, her sister-in-law. She had fired off a letter back to Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire with all of the details she had gotten out of Celestia and Spike, who had gone back to Ponyville to update them on any more abductions, or hopefully appearances.

Suddenly, the tuba in the corner behind a curtain tooted a loud note. Cadence yelped in fright. As it blared, it spewed out a sizable clout of dust and soot. The princesses coughed, and were joined by four other coughs immediately. As the dust settled, they peered expectantly.

They were not expecting what they saw.

They watched as a pink and blue draconequus with a trademark mane got up and placed a purple elderly earth pony on the ground. They were joined by an altered Discord, devoid of horns and bearing a light blue tail with matching beard tuft and eyebrows. As he let down a lavender pony from his back, his tail glimmered with many colours before turning back to its regular red.

Before either princess could react, not only Twilight emerged from behind him, but every other missing pony appeared throughout the throne room. Both bolted from their thrones and tackled Twilight in a hug, a very uncommon move from an ancient princess such as Celestia, and they were soon smothered in the rest of her friends. Jokes and laughter rung out from Everypony in the room, and smiles were a common commodity. Party and Pinkie stood off to the side, again paw-in-claw, with Cherry.

“My dearest student and friend!” Celestia said with deep affection. “I am relieved beyond words that you are safe; that all of you have returned to us safe and sound!”

She looked around the room as she spoke. “But where is Pinkie Pie? And Luna? Has anypony seen them?”

Pinkie gasped. She quickly grabbed an imaginary zipper and pulled it down. Reaching into the darkness, she pulled out a curled up dark blue alicorn with a star-spangled mane and tail. She was shivering and blinking in the blinding light. Luna shielded her tear-dampened, light-sensitive eyes for a minute or two before she could begin to see through squinted eyes.

Pinkie looked Luna in the eyes. “I’m sorry for trapping you in that place, but I had to be sure nopony would interfere or get in harm’s way. I did warn you not to follow.”

Party Favour reached behind his head and revealed a pair of red sparkly sunglasses, and placed them on Luna’s face, very much to her relief.

Luna sniffed and smiled sheepishly but said nothing.

Celestia looked from Pinkie, to Party Favour, to Luna, and the rest of the ponies.

“Would somepony care to explain exactly what is going on here?” she asked with mock exasperation and honest curiosity.

“Princess,” Twilight began, “you wouldn’t believe me if I told you!”