The Land Devoid of Life and Bonds
He didn’t know how long the two of them sat there, letting their fantasies run wild as they created object after object. It had started off simple enough, with the two of them mixing his rocks and the being’s dirt together over a massive area. He initially didn’t want his work to be mixed with that of the being’s own, but he reluctantly realized that dirt was much more capable of shaping itself into proper forms than his rocks were.
The two of them had realized that while the void beneath them was solid enough for them to stand on, they were still able to create their objects beneath it. To gain a better overhead view of their creations, they thus decided to place their work on a level far below from where they were standing. While they were unable to move closer to their work themselves, they could move their objects closer or further away from them as needed.
“Hey, why don’t you create another rock, but one that is MUCH bigger than the other ones?” the being had asked him during their work. While he found this request to be purely out of pointless curiosity, he gave in and pointed at the Ground, as the two of them had agreed to call their combined work. A moment later, a rock of the size the being had asked for appeared. To call it “enormous” or “giant” would be an understatement. It was tall enough to completely dwarf everything else the two of them had made. He was even forced to move their work further away so that the rock’s top wouldn’t reach their level.
“WOW! That’s so cool!” the being exclaimed, eyeing the great mass beneath them with sparkling eyes. “You need to come up with a name for that, we can’t just call that another simple rock!”
“…I suppose Mountain will do,” he decided. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was rather proud of his work. If he were to stand on top of the mountain, he would have a clear view over the entire…
What to call it…? Land, yes, that will suffice, he decided after some thinking. It gave him a sense of pride, staring out over his and the being’s creation. It was then that he realized what he had been looking for within the dark during his search before. He was looking for something to call his own, something that the darkness wouldn’t just keep from him, but share with him. Something he could use and alter as he pleased.
Regardless, he still felt no animosity towards the darkness. It was still the comforting veil that embraced him and his work from all sides, as if it was just watching them. Not impeding, but not praising him either. Just knowing that it was there was good enough for him.
“Hmm, it still feels like something is missing.”
If only this one could act the same, he thought to himself in slight irritation as he turned to the being. It was looking down at their work, scratching its chin as it was thinking about something.
“What do you mean?” he asked it.
“I don’t know. This whole thing just feels so… I don’t even have a word for it, just something-less!”
The being closed its eyes, trying to think up a solution to its problem. He stared at it for a while, and was just about to continue with his work when the being suddenly exclaimed in triumph.
“I got it!” Pointing down at the ground, something began to grow out of the dirt. It began as a simple strand, soon followed by a dozen others. A dozen became hundreds, which in turn became thousands. Before he had a chance to say anything, a large portion of their work was suddenly covered with these objects. Their color differed greatly from the brown and grey soil it had come from.
“I’m calling it Grass!” the being proudly stated. “Do you like it?”
He brought some of the grass to their level, studying it. “What purpose does it serve?” he eventually asked the being.
“Not everything must be directly useful, you know?” the being replied as it rolled its eyes. “The ground just looked so boring, and I think the grass fixed that perfectly!” It conjured some more grass beneath it before it started to roll back and forth over it. “And it feels so nice to roll and lie on! Come on, try it!”
“I’ve no interest in such pointless activities,” he stated, clearly annoyed by the being’s behavior. The grass had begun to burn his eyes with its bright color, making him immediately despise it. “If it has no purpose other than to look ‘pretty’, then I’d like to ask you to leave it out of our work.”
“That’s right; it’s OUR work, not just yours! I don’t see why I can’t make things however I like as well. I mean, just look at all this. It’s big and solid, sure, but does it have to look so li…”
While he hadn’t been listening too much to the being’s complains, he found himself intrigued by its sudden silence. Looking over at it, he noticed how it was holding its limb over its mouth, as if had just realized what it was saying.
“Um, do you think you’ll be all right by yourself over here for a while?” it suddenly asked him. “I-I think I’m going to take a break and check out the area a bit more.”
“We’ve already confirmed that there’s nothing else around here,” he reminded it. “Why do you suddenly want to-”
“I’m sure I’ll find something this time! I’ll be back in a bit, so don’t wait up for me!” the being hastily said before running off in a random direction. He stared after it for a moment, still confused by its sudden change of behavior. After a while, he simply reminded himself that the being’s presence wasn’t necessary for him to continue his own work. With the being’s sidetracking ideas out of the way, perhaps he would finally be able to make some much-needed progress.
Out of his earshot, the being was still running. It had to create quite a gap between the two of them if it would have a chance to test its new idea in peace.
“That’s the word I was looking for. It feels so… lifeless.”
Things went better than Luna had predicted when she and her companions set out from Canterlot. Thanks to Lucario’s speech from before, no angry crowd had gathered to object to their leave from the city. On the contrary, several ponies had gathered to wish them well and pray for their safe return. Even a few members of the remaining upper class had come to see them leave, among them being Rarity’s good friend Fancypants. The highly respected stallion had been most sincere in his well wishes, as well as intrigued to get a chance to meet Lucario in person.
There were three chariots that eventually left Canterlot, dragged by some volunteers from the royal guard. Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy sat in the first. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow were in the second. Luna had a chariot to herself, mostly because she had planned to share it with Lucario, only to find that the Pokémon preferred to fly on his own.
Perhaps that’s for the best, she thought to herself. Some ponies could’ve gotten the wrong idea from seeing us share the same transport… Wait a minute, why would they even get an idea like that?! Ugh, I’m just overthinking things…
Shaking her head to rid herself of the thought, she looked over at the rest of her friends. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were busy with looking at the view. It wasn’t everyday that non-pegasi ponies like them got the chance to see Equestria’s landscape from so high above. Twilight didn’t seem to notice, however. She was staring out into space, probably thinking about their important mission. Rainbow and Fluttershy, being pegasi, didn’t seem to be overly excited either. Fluttershy still enjoyed the wind in her mane, but Rainbow was sulking in her seat. She would’ve flown with Lucario, but she couldn’t keep herself from dashing past the royal guards leading the way to prove her speed. With her luck, she would just get lost trying to get as far ahead of them as possible.
Lucario was flying a short distance away from the others. His eyes were closed as he watched their surroundings with his Aura Sense. Seeing as they were travelling to the possibly most dangerous place in Equestria, he hadn’t been willing to risk them falling into an ambush. His Magnet Rise illuminated the darkness of the night around him, which surprisingly served to give the group’s travel some calm atmosphere. “He’s like a light bulb you lit at evenings to read a book before bed,” Fluttershy had described it, much to Rainbow’s amusement. Imagining Lucario as a light bulb had been too much for her.
All six of the ponies from Ponyville were now equipped with the Elements of Harmony. Twilight was wearing her golden tiara while the rest of her friends were wearing their golden necklaces. Lucario hadn’t asked them how these accessories could represent the most powerful force in Equestria, instead choosing to study them with his Aura Sense. He had yet to explain what he sensed within them, but nopony had remembered to ask him about it.
Apart from a few “Ooohs” and “Aaaahs” from the earth ponies and Rarity watching the view, the group spent the ride in silence. They all had much to think about concerning their destination. Despite all their adventures together, Twilight and her friends still felt nervous about travelling somewhere nopony alive had ever been before. Twilight had explained that she had only escorted Cerberus to the outskirts of the area before the three-headed dog had stopped her and continued on his own. She hadn’t even been able to see the gates before turning back to Ponyville.
“It was like he turned into a completely different dog,” Twilight had said. It was possible that Cerberus had just remembered his important task and stopped Twilight to keep her out of danger, but it still seemed suspicious, especially to Lucario.
Luna impatiently fidgeted with her hooves and flexed her wings a bit. She needed to clear her head a bit, and just sitting back in her seat wasn’t going to help. Looking over at Lucario again, she decided that it would do her good to fly on her own a bit.
“I’m joining Lucario for a moment. Stay on your course and I will rejoin you shortly,” she said to the guards dragging her chariot. They nodded in response, letting her leap out of her seat to take flight and join Lucario a small distance away from the rest of the group. Twilight and her friends noticed Luna flying away, but none of them decided to ask any questions.
“Anything to report?” Luna asked Lucario as she flew up by his side.
“The wildlife has decreased drastically for the past hour,” he answered without opening his eyes. “It seems even regular animals are wary of the gates. Aside from that, I can’t sense any hostility. At this rate, we’ll make it to the gates without any problems.”
“I see. That’s good to hear,” she replied before the two fell silent. From the corner of her eye, she could see Twilight and her friends peeking at them, although all of them constantly looked away to look discreet.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a good speaker,” she eventually said to continue their conversation. “You must’ve done it many times before in your world, I take it.”
“I haven’t, actually. Being Lady Rin’s personal agent, I was often present during her many speeches. She always talked with her people’s concerns and well-being in highest priority. I guess I just picked it up from her. I never had any formal training on the subject.”
“I hope that doesn’t mean that your speech was just empty words…” Luna said quietly, causing the Pokémon to open his eyes and look at her.
“I meant every word,” he quickly told her, but a small giggle from Luna revealed that she hadn’t been serious with her accusation. “What I said about being indebted to you all for taking care of me was true. I really owe you all a lot.”
“You’re welcome,” Luna replied with a small nod. The two of them found themselves keeping their eye contact for longer than planned, eventually causing them to look away rather forcibly.
“Your country is beautiful,” Lucario suddenly said. He had turned his back around and was watching Ponyville and Canterlot slowly disappear over the horizon as he flew backwards. The moon’s shine cast a silver-colored light over the landscape, something even Luna hadn’t noticed until now. While the wildlife had grown more and more sparsely, the ground was still decorated with beautiful trees and flower fields.
“I-It is, isn’t it?” Luna replied, slightly taken off-guard by the Pokémon’s sudden compliment to her and her sister’s kingdom. “I often go out for a flight like this every night to appreciate it all. Not much else you can do when nobody else is up during the night.”
“You’ve been awake during daytime the past few days because of your sister’s absence. Are you feeling well?”
“Do not concern yourself, I’m fine. I hardly even noticed it upon waking up after your battle with Chrysalis. But tell me, isn’t your country as beautiful as ours?”
“It was, a long time ago,” Lucario answered, his eyes losing focus as he remembered images from his past. “Lush, open forests. Clear, sparkling lakes. Deep, breathtaking ravines. Rota was filled with beauty, and I saw all of it several times as I traveled through the land during missions. But, several years later, that changed…”
It was easy for Luna to notice the remorseful expression on Lucario’s face. She still had no idea what had happened to him, nor did she know nearly any details about Rota. She was waiting for Lucario to continue when the memory of their conversation in the Everfree Forest returned to her.
“Not long ago, Rota found itself at w-” Lucario’s story was interrupted by the tab of Luna’s hoof on his shoulder.
“You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want too. We made a deal that day in the Everfree Forest, and I’m not going to have you break it off before we’re both ready for it.”
“…Thank you, Luna,” Lucario responded, surprised that Luna was willing to keep their deal so diligently. He hadn’t actually planned to tell her the events that led to his arrival in Equestria. He almost wondered if he ever would.
“However, I’ve been intrigued by that thing you told me about ‘Legendary Pokémon’, like those who could control time and space. Can you tell me more about other such beings? I’m curious about how much their powers resemble mine and my sister’s own.”
“I only know as much as I’ve read about in the Cameran Library,” Lucario admitted. “But I suppose I could tell you a bit more. I remember that there were tales about a group called the Weather Trio…”
Twilight and her friends couldn’t hear what Lucario and Luna were talking about, but it was clear to see that they were in deep conversation.
“Aww, aren’t they just cute together?” Applejack stated in a teasing tone.
“Oh, stop with your unbiased remarks, Applejack,” Rarity scolded her friend. “I’m sure the two of them just-” Her words got caught in her mouth when her eyes widened in sudden realization. “Wait... No way… You don’t believe that those two really…?”
“They do seem to get along really well…” Fluttershy whispered.
“Like any of you are surprised!” Rainbow exclaimed, still too quiet for Lucario and Luna to hear her, but still louder than the others’ voices. “Lucario is the second-coolest citizen in Equestria after yours truly. Of course even a princess would fall for him!”
*GASP!* “You don’t think Ninja Mister is planning to take her away, do you?” Pinkie asked. “Although that would be rather fitting for a thief or a bandit. Snatching your love away in the dead of night, taking her to a place where nopony could find you so you could live out your lives in blissful happi-”
“Will you girls stop getting such funny ideas?!” Twilight reprimanded the rest of her friends. “I’m sure that it’s nothing like that. But… now that you mention it…” She looked back at Luna and noticed the peculiar smile that was adorned on her face.
“I’ve never seen Luna so happy and open around someone else but us before…”
“I still don’t get how a small, green fairy can travel through time to simply watch over forests. I thought there already was another Pokémon that could control time.”
“I don’t know the full reason behind its powers either. Celebi cannot control time, only travel through it.”
“But how is it connected to that other time-controlling Pokémon? If there was another pony in Equestria who could control the moon and the night to some degree, I would surely know of-”
“Hate to break off your little talk, guys, but look ahead.” Lucario and Luna found their conversation interrupted by Rainbow, who had flown out of her seat and were pointing at the ground ahead of them. Looking down, both of them noticed that the environment had changed drastically. Only a sea of untouched soil laid before them, entirely free of grass, trees, and all other plant life. There were no more clouds around them, and the very air felt dry in their throats. Nobody noticed that, however. They were all too busy staring at the great, black pillar that was standing by the foot of the nearby mountain, as well as the form of a giant, canine-like creature lying by it.
“Is this really it?” Rainbow asked no one in particular. “I can’t see any gates anywhere.”
“It’s that black pillar,” Luna told the rest of her friends. “Don’t let its appearance deceive you. It may not have any doors, but it’s a portal to the land of Tartarus. Let’s land here before we approach it.”
The guards dragging the chariots nodded as they began to descend. Luna noticed how the two guards dragging her own chariot looked at her with slightly annoyed expressions. It was only then that she remembered that she had planned to return to her seat after finishing her talk with Lucario. Had time really passed by so quickly? The guards surely now thought that they had come with the group for no reason, seeing as no one had bothered to ride in the chariot they were dragging.
The group landed a good distance away from the gates. If Cerberus had noticed their arrival, he didn’t bother to approach them. Twilight and her friends stretched out their sore limbs after the long flight, and Applejack offered everyone a last chance to eat some of the provisions she had brought with her. Rainbow flatly refused the offer, having had enough of her friend’s apples for the past few days. But she didn’t object to the cupcake that Pinkie Pie seemingly pulled out of nowhere.
“So Cerberus is all right?” Twilight asked as she looked over at the distant guard dog. “But if he’s been here all the time guarding the gates, how did Princess Celestia and those creatures get past him?”
“Maybe he did notice them, but they beat him down before he could stop them,” Fluttershy offered as an explanation before letting out a loud gasp. “Oh no, you don’t think he’s hurt, do you? It would be terrible if he has broken something, or got a large bruise.”
“We’ll see for ourselves soon enough,” Luna said. “Guards, I want you to stay here and wait for our return. Do not approach the gates at any circumstances. We’ll need you if we have to resort to a quick escape after my sister has been rescued.”
“Yes, your highness,” they all answered at once. Truth be told, they weren’t sure they had anything to contribute to mission in terms of fighting power anyway. Luna looked over her friends, giving them a nod before beginning they all began to walk towards the gates.
Pinkie Pie was bouncing and humming on a song, probably as a theme for their heroic march. While Twilight had seemed worried about their mission before on the chariot, her expression was now filled with determination to save her teacher. Applejack opened her saddlebag to check on the lasso ropes she had brought with her before readjusting her hat with a confident smile. Rainbow flexed her wings and did a couple of small loops in the air to warm herself up. Rarity was walking with her head held high as usual, her Element of Generosity clearly visible for all to see. Creatures of pure darkness or not, their foes needed to see an example of a proper lady before they were all stomped out under their hooves. Fluttershy was almost sneaking over the ground, trying to use her mane as a cover to hide behind. Luna glanced over at Lucario, finding the Pokémon staring at the approaching gates in thought. He noticed her, however, and gave her a reassuring smile. Luna returned the smile before spreading out her wings. The distant sound of thunder echoed over the area as the Princess of the Night announced her arrival to the gates and the creatures that hid behind it.
Behind them, the guards couldn’t help but to stare in awe. The group that walked towards the gates seemed to radiate some kind of power. Even staring at them from behind made the guards gulp nervously. It was clear that they were currently watching the strongest force to ever band together in the history of Equestria.
“…Maybe we should take a few more steps back, just in case.”
“Agreed.”
Lucario kept a close eye on Cerberus as he and his friends approached the gates. The guard dog was still lying on the ground in deep sleep, unaware of the group’s landing. He took the opportunity to further study the dog’s aura. Confirming his previous assumptions, he opened his eyes and decided to wait for the dog’s reaction upon seeing them.
The group stopped a few feet away from Cerberus. Only Luna continued forward while the rest of the group took in the scenery, what little there was to see except for the black pillar. After walking nearly all the way up to the dog’s three sleeping heads, Luna spoke with her royal canterlot voice.
“AWAKEN, GUARD DOG OF THE GATES OF TARTARUS! I, PRINCESS LUNA, AND MY COMPANIONS HAVE URGENT MATTERS TO ATTEND TO THAT REQUIRE YOUR ATTENTION!”
Most ponies would’ve woken up with deaf ears after Luna’s shout, but Cerberus just perked up his ears and opened a sleepy eye to look at Luna. Yawning loudly, the newly awoken head slightly bumped itself into the other two, waking them up as well. After standing up and stretching his legs a bit, he looked over at the rest of Luna’s friends with half-open eyes. The eyes eventually stopped at Fluttershy, and they immediately shot up in recognition.
“Oh, Cerberus! I’m so glad you’re okay,” Fluttershy happily exclaimed as she fearlessly walked up to the guard dog. She had been scared to approach the gates before, but she had no problems with that now after seeing that it was safe. Cerberus happily wagged his tail and fell on his back as the small pegasus began to scratch his belly, like she had done to calm him down the day he ran into Ponyville.
“Can you see if he’s hurt, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
“I can’t see any recent wounds on him,” Fluttershy responded as she flew around Cerberus’ body, scratching his fur while inspecting his body. “He’s in such good shape that I doubt that he’s been in a fight for ages.”
“But if he isn’t hurt, then how did those things get past him with Celestia?!” Rainbow asked loudly as she flew up to Cerberus’ middle head. “You’re hiding something, boy, and I want you to tell me right now!”
“Rainbow, calm down,” Twilight reprimanded her friend. “He couldn’t tell you anything anyway, since he can’t talk. Um… he CAN’T talk, can he?” she asked Luna, realizing that she actually didn’t know herself.
“He has never spoken a word to us since the day we first met him,” Luna explained. “While he’s clearly immortal like me and my sister, I doubt that he’s capable of anything other than normal dog barks.”
“That still doesn’t explain why he seems totally oblivious about what has happened here,” Rainbow continued as she crossed her forelegs in suspicion.
“Maybe he was just really sleepy!” Pinkie offered as an explanation. “I mean, if Princess Luna woke me up with that voice of hers, I would jump so high I would crash my head through Sugarcube Corner’s roof!”
“It does make sense, now that I think about it.” Twilight scratched her chin as she thought about Pinkie’s theory. “Chrysalis’ mind control was strong enough to put Luna in a near-constant slumber, and she was really tired after Lucario rescued her. Maybe she did the same thing to Cerberus.”
“I say, that’s quite a nap he took then, considering that he has slept nearly two whole days longer than Luna did,” Rarity pointed out.
“Either way, it’s good to see him fine and dandy,” Applejack replied. “Now we can all just enter that pillar thing and find Celestia.”
“I would not wish to spend any more time out here than necessary,” Luna said. “Everyone, form a line after Lucario and I. We’ll go in first to make sure it’s safe before-”
Mentioning Lucario’s name triggered a memory in Luna’s head. Wasn’t he capable of speaking with animals, like he had done with Golbez? If so, why hadn’t he said anything? She was about to ask the Pokémon about this, but her question was answered before she had the chance to even speak it.
The entire group was suddenly engulfed in blue light, which carried them up into the air and a large distance behind Lucario and Cerberus. A few of Twilight’s friends tripped over as they were released back on the ground. One of Cerberus’ heads looked at the scene in confusion, while the other two stared at Lucario. The Pokémon was staring back, studying the guard dog’s eyes in silence for a moment as he let his friends gather themselves behind him.
“A part of me believed that Chrysalis had used her shapeshifting abilities to sneak past you. After all, her disguise was so flawless that she was able to trick everyone in Canterlot. She was even able to hide her true identity from me until I found evidence in the castle. She was my enemy, but I’ll admit that her powers were amazing.”
Cerberus raised an eyebrow in confusion, an action that Twilight and her friends mimicked while looking between themselves.
“Because if she hadn’t had those powers…” Lucario continued. “I would’ve seen through her the very first moment I met her outside Canterlot Castle.”
“What?!” the group of ponies behind him exclaimed. He ignored them as he closed his eyes to study Cerberus’ aura once more.
“It’s true that aura surrounds every living being and every lifeless object in existence. But that doesn’t mean that they all look the same. This is especially noticeable when it comes to living beings. Everyone’s aura is connected to their very being. It’s a representation of their strength, their will, their personalities, and even their alignment. Chrysalis, once she revealed herself, showed that her aura was… sinister. It’s hard to describe it in a way that you will understand, but think of it as if it had a different color. Her very aura was corrupted by her selfishness and her malicious motives. I can’t say that your own aura is exactly like hers…” Lucario opened his eyes again and lifted his paw to point at Cerberus. “But it definitely proves that you’re no friend of ours.
“We all thought that it was weird that Chrysalis had somehow snuck past you with Celestia, but that wasn’t what happened, was it? You didn’t even put up a resistance, judging by your lack of wounds. No, you LET them past, didn’t you? She wasn’t an intruder or an enemy to you. She was an ally. You let her walk in and out as she pleased, using Tartarus as her base of operations to hide from the rest of Equestria.
“If that wasn’t a sign of your poor job at guarding the gates, then your tendency to just leave your post and explore Equestria certainly was. Why would the guard dog of the most dangerous place in the land just leave the gates unguarded? You’ve already spent over a thousand years guarding the gates without rest, so why would you suddenly grow bored of it now?
“But the answer is simple, isn’t it? Because what I find most intriguing is that out of all cities, villages, and settlements in Equestria, you chose to visit Ponyville. That isn’t even the nearest located village to this place. But there’s something special about it, something that no other village or place in all of Equestria has.” Without taking his eyes off Cerberus, Lucario turned halfway around and pointed at Twilight and her friends.
“It has them, six seemingly normal ponies who just happen to be the holders of the greatest power in Equestria: The Elements of Harmony. Was it really a coincidence that you decided to visit the very village they live in? Was it a coincidence that you happily chose to run back to the gates after meeting them? But I think the more important question is… why? Why would you travel all that way to see them? That is… if it truly was of your own curiosity and wishes to do so at all.
“I don’t know who or what lives inside that gate, but I assume that it is the same being who was in command of that army of creatures that attacked Canterlot. Perhaps it is the same being that gave orders to Chrysalis. More importantly, I think it is the same being that over a thousand years ago told you to go out here and make sure no one entered the gates.”
Lucario grew silent for a moment, briefly looking down at the ground as he thought of something. He then shook his head and locked eyes with Cerberus yet again.
“No, your master didn’t care if you guarded the gates or not. No normal pony would’ve been able to enter them and return alive anyway. This whole thing about you being a guard dog was just an assumption that the ponies made after meeting you. That was never your true mission, nor your true duty.
“You’re not a guard dog. You’re a scout.”
Silence fell over the area. With the lack of wind or any other natural sound that would occur in other places, it seemed as if time itself had frozen in place. Behind him, Lucario’s friends looked at him, their expressions a blend of shock and bewilderment. Pinkie’s also had a unique blend of amazement and awe to it. They all wanted to object to his accusations. How could he have come to such a conclusion from so little information? He had no concrete evidence, nor did he base his facts on anything but farfetched assumptions. Besides, they all remembered how surprisingly gentle and friendly Cerberus had been when he arrived in Ponyville, letting Fluttershy scratch his belly and all. Lucario just couldn’t be right about this.
But their gazes inevitably shifted towards Cerberus, who had just stood in silence and watched Lucario as he spoke. All six of his eyes were studying the Pokémon, the heads’ expressions impossible to read. Or at least they were until all three of them suddenly closed their eyes, and their mouths shifted into small, uncharacteristic smiles.
“Over one thousand years, and my master’s words still hold true. You ponies are repulsive.”
Loud gasps erupted from the ponies behind Lucario as all three of Cerberus’ heads spoke at once. Fluttershy fell backwards as she covered her mouth in disbelief, tears already starting to form in her eyes.
“He told me all about you the day he created me, but ordered me to stay out here to report on your activities to him, as well as to see how you all truly are for myself. That day I visited you in Ponyville wasn’t the first time I’ve left this place. I’ve done so many times, keeping myself hidden in the shadows as I studied villages and cities throughout history. My master was right. You’re all blind. You live in a fantasy world, refusing to see the truth that is so clearly hanging in front of you at all times. The truth that my master knows, and has so graciously allowed you all the time to realize for yourselves. But just like he expected, you failed, and his patience has come to an end.”
Twilight and her friends gathered themselves together as Cerberus spoke. Only Fluttershy remained where she had fallen over, still distraught over the sudden revelation. Luna’s horn glowed, and her wings stretched out in preparation for a fight. Lucario was still standing between the group and Cerberus, pointing a paw covered in blue flames at the three-headed dog.
“I had seen the powers of the so-called ‘Elements’ before, when they were first used by the princesses so many years ago. I was curious that perhaps, at long last, you would’ve realized what they truly represented. That you would’ve realized how pointless the power of ‘friendship’ truly is.”
Nobody noticed how Fluttershy’s ears slightly perked up at Cerberus’ words, and how her hooves slowly lowered themselves from her tearful eyes as she muttered something inaudible.
“But you cling on to it more than ever before, believing that it is the very reason for your pathetic existences. That’s why you’re repulsing. That is why you and that friendship deserve to be crushed under my master’s will. Only then will you finally know the true meaning of-”
“YOU’RE WRONG!”
Cerberus’ speech was promptly interrupted, and Twilight and her friends nearly fell over startled as Fluttershy suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs. Taken off-guard by her yell as well, Lucario turned around to see the previously timid pegasus walk towards Cerberus in unstoppable fury. Her eyes seemed like those of another pony entirely, staring so focused and unwavering into Cerberus’ eyes that she seemed to look into his very soul. Even with all his powers and experience, Lucario found himself stepping out of Fluttershy’s way without a word, letting her fly up to Cerberus’ eye level.
“HOW DARE YOU CALL FRIENDSHIP POINTLESS?! MY FRIENDS ARE THE BEST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO ME! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO DOESN’T REALIZE HOW GREAT FRIENDSHIP IS! JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE BORN IN A WORLD OF DARKNESS DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU CAN THINK OF US HOWEVER YOU LIKE! NOW TAKE BACK EVERYTHING YOU SAID AND SAY YOU’RE SORRY!”
Cerberus, despite having a six-on-two eyes advantage over Fluttershy, didn’t make a sound as the enraged pegasus floated mere inches in front of his middle head. The rest of the group was equally as silent, watching the scene in disbelief. While Twilight and her friends were rather used to Fluttershy’s mood swings by now, they were always just as surprised as before whenever she let her inner beast out. As this was the first time Luna had seen Fluttershy in this state, she was understandably shocked beyond words.
However, much to everyone’s surprise, Cerberus somehow gathered himself and pushed his head forward to challenge Fluttershy’s stare.
“And what if I refuse?” he asked in a mocking tone.
That was when Lucario saw the next last thing he’d ever expect to see from the pegasus. She turned around in midair, reeled back her hind legs, and kicked Cerberus’ middle head straight in the face. Said head was knocked back a bit from the strike, and the dog lifted his left paw to clutch it in pain. The other two heads stared at it in shock for a second before turning back to Fluttershy, a loud growl sounding from both of them.
“Why you little-” Cerberus snarled as he lifted his paw from his face, intending to swipe it at Fluttershy to strike her down where she flew.
The paw never found its mark, as a purple beam of magic suddenly hit Cerberus left head in the eye. Gnarling in pain, Cerberus’ other heads looked past Fluttershy, only to find the purple unicorn who had fired the beam to be gone without a trace. He had little time to react before another beam hit his right head from his right side. This time detecting Twilight’s presence, Cerberus turned and charged towards the unicorn, who simply teleported away before he could reach her. Another beam hit his back, but Twilight was gone before Cerberus could even turn around to face her.
Figuring that catching the annoying mare would be impossible right now, Cerberus turned his attention to the rest of the group.
“YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME, PONIES!” he roared at them.
“Aw, but it’s no fun if the game isn’t fair.”
Cerberus blinked in confusion, and his left and right heads turned to see Pinkie Pie standing behind his middle head’s ears. The pink pony was giggling and pulling one of the ears with her hooves like a child playing with a piece of rubber. When and how did she get up there? Both annoyed and insulted by Pinkie’s act, Cerberus smashed his right paw onto his middle head. The blow only resulted in a severe headache though, as the pony was already gone.
“Oh, are we playing Whack-a-Mule?! I love that game, although I’ve never been the mule before. Try again! I want to see if I can get the high score! Is there even a score yet for being the mule in Whack-a-Mule?”
Pinkie had somehow found her way beneath the pit of one of Cerberus’ forelegs. Steadily growing more and more frustrated of her constant speaking, Cerberus began to wildly strike and bite his body all over in an attempt to get her. After several bruises and bite marks, Pinkie finally jumped down and began to bounce away cheerfully. Despite the pain he was in, Cerberus had no intention of letting the party pony go, and leaped after her in anger.
However, Pinkie simply bounced high up into the air, somehow defying the laws of gravity by not falling back down. Cerberus paws found no target as they landed on the ground, but he did find a white unicorn waiting for him, her presence previously obscured by Pinkie Pie’s form.
Rarity lowered her head down, pointing her horn at the ground as it began to glow in a light blue light. Soon enough, the ground began to crack open as rocks and gems shot out it, taking formation around Rarity as she levitated them above her.
“Normally I would ask Spike to dig these out for me, but I’m no stranger to such a chore, especially not when it’s to punish a brute like you!”
With that statement, Rarity began to launch the rocks and gems at Cerberus, simultaneously digging more and more out of the ground to replenish her arsenal. While the incoming projectiles would normally have no effect on a creature of Cerberus’ size, Rarity aimed them with perfect accuracy at his eyes. By reflex, he stood up on his hind legs to create distance between him and the unicorn, as well as to shield his eyes with his forelegs.
This proved to be a mistake, as something suddenly wrapped around Cerberus’ middle neck. Behind him, Applejack had taken the opportunity to take out a lasso from her bag and throw it around him. With the rope clenched between her teeth, Applejack grinned confidently at the confused three-headed dog.
“TINDER, ERERYHONY!” she yelled as well as she could before pulling the rope with all her might.
While Big McIntosh was the physically strongest of the Apple family, Applejack wasn’t a joke herself. She demonstrated this by effortlessly dragging the giant dog backwards, tumbling him over on his back like a tower being flicked over by a giant. The surprisingly hard impact with the ground knocked the air out of Cerberus, who began to cough repeatedly from all three of his heads. As he opened his eyes between the coughs, he noticed something strange about the moon that was floating nearly directly above him. A silhouette was flying in front of it, though the moon’s shine prevented him from seeing who and what it was.
Hundreds of meters above Cerberus, Rainbow Dash looked down at the downed dog with a cocky smile on her face. She noticed that the scene was rather familiar to one from a few days ago. The day the new guardian of Ponyville had charged down and punched a dragon right in the stomach. She had been angry that she hadn’t been the one to save the day. Although she had since made up with Lucario, it seemed like fate was a pretty cool guy and wanted to make up with her as well.
“Now we’re even,” she stated out loud before diving down as fast as she could. It didn’t take long before a familiar rainbow-colored explosion shot out from her body, and she slammed into Cerberus’ unprotected stomach before he even had the time to widen his eyes in realization. A large mushroom cloud erupted from the impact, bathing the rest of the group in dust and falling rocks.
Despite the force of the impact, Rainbow calmly flew away from the site and landed next to the rest of her friends with a grin. Standing together, they watched the dust slowly drift away from the area, revealing the unconscious Cerberus lying with nearly half of his body buried in the ground.
“NEW RECORD!” Pinkie Pie shouted while holding some kind of scoreboard above her head.
“That’ll show him, making fun of our friendship and all,” Applejack stated as she readjusted her hat a bit.
“He didn’t just make fun of it, he outright insulted it! Oh, I have the urge to go up and stomp his heads the rest of the way underground so that I can spare myself from seeing him!” Judging by the few steps Rarity made towards the site, it seemed like she clearly meant what she said.
“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked her friend with a glint of worry in her eyes. “I mean, we just-”
“No, it’s all right,” Fluttershy reassured her. “’When somepony tries to hurt your friends, there’s no longer time to make amends’… um, at least that’s what I think Iron Will would say.”
“I heard that guy was kind of a jerk, but I agree with that slogan,” Rainbow replied as she put a hoof over Fluttershy’s shoulders.
By chance, Applejack turned around a bit, making her notice something behind them. Coughing awkwardly to catch her friends’ attention, she pointed them towards Lucario and Luna, who were staring at them in surprised silence.
“Oh, um… sorry, sugarcubes. I think we kind of forgot you were here for a moment,” Applejack admitted while scratching the back of her head.
Lucario didn’t answer. To say that he was impressed by his friends’ fighting prowess would be an understatement. While their individual strength wasn’t all too great, they had displayed amazing teamwork and coordination in taking down Cerberus. Was this one of the powers of the Elements of Harmony?
“…Not to undermine your victory or anything,” Luna slowly began as she gathered herself. “But me and Lucario could’ve taken care of him easily. There was no need for you girls to get involved.”
“Maybe so, Princess, but this case was different,” Twilight answered. “He was looking down on friendship, and so it was our job to make him pay for it.”
“Pay for… what?”
Twilight and her friends’ eyes widened as a trio of voices spoke behind them. Turning around, they found Cerberus slowly lifting himself up from the ground, sand and dirt rolling down his fur. He grunted in pain from Rainbow’s strike on him, but he forced his heads up to look at the group regardless.
“You know in your hearts that I speak the truth, deep within where you can no longer even sense it. You think that friendship will carry you through every problem and trouble, but it is that very same friendship that will eventually lead to your doom. The doom of this entire world! Even if you defeat me here, my master will prove it to you. He will tear down this world and its ideals like shredding the bark off a tree. It’s pointless to resist it!”
Twilight and her friends shared a few glances between themselves. They didn’t say anything, but Twilight’s nod seemed to speak for itself as they all smiled and looked back at Cerberus.
“Oh, really?” Twilight answered. “You mean as pointless as this?”
Until then, Lucario had sensed nothing special about the Elements that his friends had equipped. While they certainly seemed to hold some kind of magical power, they hadn’t been anything different compared to other magical items he had seen in Equestria. But now, as the ponies closed their eyes in unison, something happened.
Using his Aura Sense, Lucario sensed something leak out of the golden accessories. It flowed into the holders’ bodies, fusing with their auras like a stream of water pouring into a lake. One by one, the jewels in the shape of the girls’ cutie marks began to glow, and they all hovered up into the air. The magic force around them continued to intensify, and Lucario found himself having to lift a paw in an attempt to shield him from the light. He expected it all to reach its peak at any second, but the power continued to grow far beyond anything he could imagine.
Then, right then it felt like the very world was about to tear itself apart around them, Twilight opened her eyes. A blinding, white light shined from them, while a mysterious smile grew on her face. The only thing Lucario had a chance to think was how happy she seemed to be before something erupted from above the group. It was two sparkling rainbows, and they playfully spiraled around each other before fusing into one, giant form. It then shot out towards Cerberus, who simply howled in terror as he was engulfed in a giant, rainbow-colored tornado.
Lucario expected the three-headed dog to shout something, to curse their existences or say that their efforts were futile. But all six of his eyes were simply filled with fear. Fear of something that Lucario couldn’t see or detect with either his eyes or his Aura Sense.
This was a fate that any creature incapable of feelings would meet after being struck by the Elements. They were faced with the thing they could never understand or come to know. The very thing they had chosen to discard from their lives:
The magic of friendship.
At last, the rainbow tornado died down, leaving surprisingly little damage on the ground where it had been. Cerberus was gone, replaced by a small cloud of black dust that floated in midair for a short moment. Then, before anyone could stop it, it flew towards the black pillar, disappearing inside it without leaving a trace.
“Did we get him?” Rainbow asked out loud, a bit uncertain of Cerberus’ fate after seeing his remains fly off like that.
“…You did,” Lucario managed to answer, still taken aback by the Elements’ power. “One of the creatures that attacked Canterlot did they same thing after Luna defeated it.”
“Well, no use in standing around here then,” Applejack stated. “Let’s head in. Princess Celestia is waiting for-”
Her sentence got caught in her throat as she noticed something about the pillar, or rather the black hoof that began to extend itself from it.
“Heads up, everypony! Incoming!” she shouted as she pointed towards the gates. As everyone turned around to look as well, several more hooves had already begun to slowly extend from the pillar as well.
“Are those the creatures that attacked Canterlot?!” Twilight asked as she joined back together with her friends.
“They are,” Luna answered as she and Lucario stepped in front of the others. “They must’ve sensed Cerberus’ defeat and are now trying to fight us back.”
“No, it’s more than just a counterattack,” Lucario said, causing Luna to look at him in confusion. “It’s a warning. If we all enter the gates together, what’s going to stop them from exiting the gates while we’re inside? They could invade all of Equestria before we even get out with Celestia.”
“W-What?!” Rarity exclaimed. “W-We can’t let that happen, but how can we stop it?!”
“Some of us must stay behind and fight them off. Meanwhile, the rest will enter the gates and save my sister,” Luna stated, understanding the gravity of the situation. She cursed herself for not bringing Shining Armor and his men with them now. Behind her, Twilight looked around herself as she thought. Her eyes eventually grew determined ah she lifted her head back up.
“We can use the Elements to create a barrier around the gates. That way, we can keep them out without having to engage them in a fight.”
Luna turned around to look at the ponies. “But… can you really hold that barrier up for such a long time? We’ve no idea how long we-”
“We’ll be fine, Luna,” Twilight reassured her. “The Elements are connected to our friendship, and that is a fuel that will never run dry. Now go!”
The rest of Twilight’s friends gave Luna reassuring smiles, even Fluttershy. Knowing that they had no other choice, Luna sighed and looked over at Lucario. The Pokémon gave her a quick nod before entering some kind of stance.
“See you on the other side.”
By then, the first of the black, pony-like creatures’ head had emerged from the pillar. It opened its equally black eyes to look at its surroundings, but the only thing it saw was the blue paw that collided with its face. Using ExtremeSpeed, Lucario had instantly crossed the gap between them, and his strike took both of them backwards back into the gate.
Still flying a bit in the air from his dash, Lucario did his best to take in as much of his surroundings as possible. At first glance, it seemed like he was inside a giant, black cave. The walls around it were decorated with nothing but simple rock, a look they shared with the equally rocky floor and ceiling. In contrast, a large staircase led down from the gates he had just entered from.
But the most important detail that Lucario noticed was the army of black beings that stood around the cave. There weren’t just pony-like in appearance anymore. He could also barely make out the form of something similar to a griffon in the mass, as well as other animals like cows, donkeys, and even diamond dogs. Most threatening of all were the giant, bear-like creatures that stood near the back of the cave. While their size didn’t match that of a dragon, it was intimidating nonetheless.
The brief, seemingly frozen time he spent floating through the air ceased, and he found himself flying towards the army of creatures at great speed. Seeing that he was about to land head-first on the ground, Lucario stretched out his arms and broke the fall with his paws. He took the opportunity to spin around and kick a few of the attacking creatures with a pair of Blaze Kicks. Still in momentum from the previous ExtremeSpeed, he flipped forward back on his feet. Another creature had tried to charge at him at that moment, but he simply hit it over the head with the Fighting-type move called Brick Break as he flipped to a standing position.
Forming a Bone Rush between his paws, Lucario began to rush through the horde of enemies, striking whatever creature that was unfortunate enough to stand in or near his path. Using the staff to trip one of the creatures over, he grabbed the creature by the hoof before it could hit the ground and began to swing it around in a horizontal Circle Throw, all while still dashing forward and smashing other creatures away. He was now getting closer to one of the bear-like creatures, who stood up on its hind legs to pounce at him.
It was at that moment Lucario let go of the creature in his grasp, sending it flying straight into the bear’s face. While it was still in the motion of reeling back from the impact, Lucario used ExtremeSpeed to fly up to the bear’s face and placed his paw at the creature that was still imbedded in it. A single Force Palm was all it took send the bear flying back, crashing into the ground with a loud thump.
Back near the gates, the creatures at the front of the horde had turned around to face the intruder. None of them thus had the chance to react when lightning bolts shot out from the gates, burning several of them to a near-crisp. The others turned around to see Luna emerge from the gates, holding her head high as she looked down upon them all. Right when she passed through them, the gates started to glow in a rainbow light, signaling that Twilight and her friends had closed them off from Equestria.
One of the griffon-like creatures flew up towards her, but it was simply stopped in midair by her telekinetic grasp. Throwing it aside into the nearby wall without thinking more of it, Luna pointed her horn at the ground under the creatures’ feet. A brief second later, a fissure spread between them, leaving countless of them to fall into the newly created abyss. The ones who managed to avoid the sudden death trap were instead smashed aside by Luna’s wings, which had begun to glow with strange, constellation-like lines as she flew through the horde, still shooting lightning bolts anywhere she pointed her horn.
It didn’t take her long before she joined up with Lucario, who was in the middle of electrifying a creature’s face by the grasp of his ThunderPunch. As Luna landed, several creatures that had managed to follow behind her dashed at her, something Lucario quickly noticed. Seeing a part of the ground behind Luna that was cracked and loose, he grabbed it with Psychic and flipped it up just in time for the creatures to run right into it. Their severe concussion was only the beginning of their worries though, as Lucario had already crossed the distance and punched the rock with his right paw. The move he used, a Fighting-type attack called Rock Smash, wasn’t very powerful in itself, but it had the ability to effortlessly smash through any rock and boulder. The rock shattered into countless pieces from his punch, showering the creatures behind it with tiny, sharp shards.
Together, Lucario and Luna stood their ground against the attacking army, sending creature after creature flying with both physical and magical attacks. However, despite their combined effort, the number of creatures didn’t seem to grow thinner.
“We’ll be in trouble if we try to take them out like this!” Lucario shouted over the chaos as he froze a creature’s head solid with an Ice Punch. “Can’t you conjure up a lightning storm to take them all out?!”
“I can only do that if I have clouds!” Luna responded, blasting a group of creatures away with a powerful shockwave. “I need them as a source for my lightning magic! Without one, I can’t send lightning bolts over a large area!”
“Leave that to me!” Lucario replied without delay, striking down the creatures around him to gain some momentary space. Conjuring up a sphere of water between his paws, Lucario sent it flying towards the ceiling. “Hit that sphere with your lightning, now!”
While she had no idea what the Pokémon was planning, Luna obliged and shot up a bolt of lightning at the sphere. Said sphere was the center of Lucario’s Rain Dance move, which soon showered the area with heavy rain. Thanks to the lightning that Luna was now channeling through it, bolts began to chain themselves between the falling drops of water. The creatures had no chance to avoid the downpour, and each of them was struck with powerful bolts. Meanwhile, Lucario had picked up another rock with his Psychic, using it as a makeshift umbrella from the electrified rain to shield him and Luna. He didn’t have to hold it for long, as Luna’s spell made short work of the rest of the creatures. Even the giant bears had been knocked out from the attack.
Letting the rock fall back to the ground, Lucario took the opportunity to catch his breath. Luna did the same, and they looked over the mass of bodies that lied scattered all over the floor. Before they could say anything to each other, they noticed how the bodies began to melt into the ground, fusing with it as if they were of the same material. Luna lifted her hoof in disgust while Lucario simply looked on with curiosity. It wasn’t long until the cave was empty, leaving the two of them alone.
“What… just happened?” Luna asked as she slowly lowered her hoof. “Why did they-”
“I don’t know,” Lucario answered. “This place seems to work entirely different from Equestria.”
“You don’t think… that my sister has been…?”
The sudden worry in Luna’s voice made Lucario turn to her. Seeing the worry clearly displayed in her eyes, Lucario put a reassuring paw on her shoulder.
“She’s all right, I’m sure of it. But she may not be for long if we waste time here.”
“Y-You’re right,” Luna agreed as she turned to look around. “I don’t see an exit anywhere. Do these creatures move around by fusing with the ground like that?”
“If we’re unlucky,” Lucario replied. “If so, I can try to just Dig through the walls. Give me second to sense-”
Something suddenly grabbed hold of Lucario’s leg. Looking down, he saw some kind of claw holding on to him before it pulled him downward with great force. From the side, Luna didn’t even have time to shout his name before Lucario disappeared beneath the surface.
The darkness around him only lasted a second before Lucario found himself freefalling down some kind of cylinder-formed hole. The creature that had grabbed him was now revealed to be a simple griffon, shrieking at him as it pulled him closer to its beak. Lucario, not intimidated by the shriek, simply covered his leg in flames with a Blaze Kick, causing the creature to let go from the pain. He then hit the griffon with a Vacuum Wave, sending it crashing sideways into the wall. Activating Magnet Rise, Lucario turned around and tried to fly back up from where he came. To his confusion though, he found that the walls around him kept flying by him at the same speed, no matter how fast he tried to move. Furthermore, the hole above him was constantly refilled with shapeshifting rock, isolating him further and further away from Luna.
So they wish to separate us? Darn, I didn’t want her to be alone in this place.
Having no choice but to turn back around, Lucario looked down to see more griffons flying towards him. Angered by his separation from Luna, as well as noticing that the creatures of this world didn't seem to be like normal living creatures, Lucario decided to let some of his frustration out while he had the chance.
The metal spikes on Lucario’s paws began to glow, and three sharp claws instantly grew out from each of them. Readying his Metal Claws, Lucario dodged the first three incoming griffons. As he passed by each one, he swung his claws over each of their wings, cutting them clean off with ease. Only after he passed the third one did the first griffon notice its own injury. They all shrieked in pain at the same time, but Lucario was too focused on the other incoming griffons to notice. With a combination of Magnet Rise and ExtremeSpeed, Lucario blurred through the passing horde. Due to the yellow light from his Magnet Rise, he looked like a swiftly descending bolt of lightning that bounced between the walls as he slashed griffon after griffon with his claws from left and right.
At last, he found himself approaching the bottom of the hole. Delivering one final slash to an especially large griffon at the back of the horde, Lucario speeded the rest of the way down in a straight line, a large, yellow line left in his Magnet Rise’s wake. Standing up from his landing position, he walked a few steps forward before retracting his claws. At the same time as he did that, the bodies of his fallen enemies began to hit the ground behind him where he had stood just a second ago.
Not even turning around to look at his work, Lucario closed his eyes to study his surroundings with Aura Sense. The area around him was strange. While the walls around them had their own aura like everything else, he couldn’t sense anything beyond them. It was as he was walking in a tube someone had built around him this very instant. Even if he could Dig out, it would lead him nowhere.
To top it all off, I only have one direction to go, he thought to himself as he opened his eyes to look at the straight corridor in front of him. This is certainly what the enemy wants, but I don't have much choice but to play along for now.
His current goal set, Lucario began to run forward, leaving the bodies behind him to melt into the ground like the others.
“Lucario! Lucario, can you hear me?! LUCARIO!”
Luna received no answer as she shouted at the ground where Lucario had been dragged down. Even if she had used her royal canterlot voice, the Pokémon would still be unable to answer her. Seeing the bodies of the creatures melt into the ground before didn’t help to ease her worry of her friend’s safety.
No, I’m sure he’s all right. If I know him well, it will take far more than that to do him in.
Luna didn’t have more time to think of the subject, as she noticed that another wave of creatures had suddenly spawned around her.
“We do hope thou realize the state thou have put us in,” Luna said, letting her voice echo across the cave. “Thou have separated us from our companion, forcing thee all to take us on alone. Thou see, when he’s not here…”
Luna’s horn glowed in preparation for a spell. What fewer of the surrounding creatures noticed was the fangs that suddenly began to grow from her teeth.
“WE DON’T FEEL THE NEED TO WITHHOLD THY PUNISHMENT.”
The entire cave was engulfed in darkness. It wasn’t the same kind of darkness that the creatures usually lived in. That darkness was their home, and they could find their way in it like any pony could find their way during the day. But this darkness was impossible to see through, even for them. Finding them so abruptly blinded caused some of the creatures to back a few steps away from Luna’s last known whereabouts.
A brief, surprised grunt of pain sounded from the darkness, and the nearby creatures noticed that one of them had suddenly disappeared without a trace. Studying the darkness around them helped them little, and another creature was swept away someplace else. The disarray grew even more when two or even three creatures were suddenly attacked at the same time. Such a feat should be impossible by a lonesome pony.
The creatures on the outer lines of the horde were suddenly pushed towards the center of the room by some king of moving wall behind them. Pushing and attacking the wall did nothing, as it was covered in a hard layer of what seemed to be scales of some kind. Powerless to stop it, the creatures found themselves wrapped together by the mysterious wall, and they looked around themselves in an attempt to find their attacker. Only a single one of them decided to look up, and it was thus the only one who noticed the giant eyes that looked down at them all before they descended upon them mercilessly.
The darkness eventually disappeared, leaving an empty cave behind it. Only Luna stood in the middle of the room, spitting some kind of small, black pieces from her mouth. The pieces mysteriously ran around the ground in an attempt to avoid her, but each of them found themselves stomped flat under her hooves.
“Ugh, why do I keep doing that?” she asked herself as she stomped out the last piece. “Tastes nothing like a good piece of camellia toast.”
From the corner of her eye, she noticed that an opening had suddenly revealed itself in one of the walls. She wasn’t sure when it had appeared, but she guessed that it was some kind of “reward” for her victory over the creatures.
“Very well. If you wish to challenge me so badly, I will accept. I will find my sister, no matter what you throw at me!”
Spreading her wings, she lifted herself off the ground and flew through the passage. The opening shortly closed itself behind her, leaving the cave in silence.
“They have arrived.”
The two shadows within Lord Tartarus’ throne room turned themselves to their master as he spoke.
“They got inside? What was that fool Cerberus doing?!”
“Defeated by the Elements’ holders. We just received his memories of the event, and it seems his defeat was rather devastating,” Tartarus calmly answered.
*sniff* “I will miss you, Cerby boy! Wait, no I won’t, I don’t even know who you are. Oh well, I’m sure you were a splendid fella. Does that mean it’s our turn now, high and mighty?”
“Yes,” Tartarus nodded. “They will arrive at your assigned areas at any moment.”
“At last. I’ve waited for my chance to deal with that indecisive joke of a princess. I’ll make sure her-”
“No, the one called Princess Luna will not be your opponent. You will fight the guardian.”
The shadow turned around to face Tartarus in shock. “But my lord, she’s my-”
“We know who you both are, and that is why you will not fight each other. There’s something we wish to test them both with, and it can only be done if you fight the guardian. Let the joker deal with the princess.”
“You are the best pal I’ve EVER had, leader man! You know exactly what I want as a present. Hahaha, I will enjoy this.”
A spark of light signaled one of the shadows’ leave from the throne room. The other shadow looked at its master one last time before disappearing as well.
The walls changed little as Lucario ran through the corridor. He had been running in a straight line for a while now, and his Aura Sense detected nothing new around him whatsoever.
Have they simply trapped me here to buy time? If so, I’m not sure how to get out.
It was certainly a serious problem. If the enemy somehow had the ability to shape his surroundings like he thought, there was nothing stopping them from keeping him here forever. For all he knew, they could’ve captured Luna herself by now and imprisoned her like they had probably done with Celestia.
By this point, he wasn’t even sure if using THAT would help him escape this place.
Thankfully, his fears were proven false as he sensed a new area approaching him. Deciding to save the energy from using ExtremeSpeed for later, he ran at the same pace as he had done until now, getting closer and closer to his destination. Eventually, he reached the end of the seemingly endless corridor. The area he now found himself in was certainly a change of scenery.
A wide, open field of flowers stretched out around him. Grass was visible under the flowers’ heads, and they waved back and forth despite the lack of a wind. A few lone boulders were placed around the area, having seemingly been there since time immemorial. The field was seemingly endless, as he could neither see nor sense any walls surrounding the area.
In the middle of the field, a giant tower stood placed in the soil. It was of a simple design, and he could sense some simple floors and stairs inside it. A few round, oval-shaped windows were the only things that revealed the tower’s innards for his normal eyes to see. The structure was just tall enough that he could’ve heard someone speaking to him from its flat rooftop. As he followed it up with his eyes, he noticed that this place had its own night sky. The moon was shining even brighter here than it did outside the gates.
Many questions were at Lucario’s mind. What was this place? Why did it exist in a land so devoid of life as Tartarus? Why was it made? For WHOM was it made?
Taking some time to think about it all, Lucario kneeled down and studied one of the flowers with his Aura Sense. If there had been any answers hidden inside its aura, he never learned them. His focus was abruptly shifted to a voice that suddenly echoed across the area. It was feminine, and it sang with surprising clarity and beauty.
Come, little children. I’ll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment
Come, little children. The time’s come to play
Here in my garden of shadows
Looking up at the top of the tower, Lucario noticed the singer sitting with her back turned to him at the roof. It was a pony, her blue mane floating in the air like a cloud of stardust.
“…Luna?” he asked out loud, more to himself than to the singer herself. She heard him though, and laughter escaped her breath as she stood up. Her black coat was adorned with silver armor, and a helmet covered her head, leaving her floating mane to simply leak through it like fog.
“Hehehe, that’s right…” She turned around to face him, revealing her catlike irises within her blue eyes.
“I AM Luna.”
To be continued…
Stats
Page generated in 0.038 seconds
Total duration
947 users online
240,995 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
500358 I do the same thing!
magicarp nuf said
encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSdUkcDLTmok-2_m7RKzvrHeXwxX-BFs8m0uhXli2WB1qF_ZnJt
encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTZZb9J5cIXsJ2yFHeyL1p1X-tLmFcPYoPyFJO-OiDYlQQaw06n
heres wat happened when i did that " ash throws master ball shake shake shake shake shake shake oh no arceus broke free i was like
the i was like
then i was like 
then i was like fuck pokemon
Curse you! Your story blew my mind, and now I can't find it!
Totally knew that Discord was one of the figures summoned last chapter because of the way he talked, and Nightmare Moon was also pretty easy to figure out because other than the now deceased Chrysalis, what other female antagonist from MLP FIM would talk like that?
Will there be a curb stomp battle for Lucario? I wanna see more awesomeness from him and luna!
I'm pretty sure that should be "flown"
Double negative
Should be "lay"; "lied" means "told a lie"
Either "were" or "creature"
1765387
I'm afraid that we cannot find your mind. It has evaded our capture, and we lost several good men.
1765828
BLarrrRRGgggGGGgG <Damnit! I thank you for your valiant effort, kind sir. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to eat some brains while I wait for the next update to blow my mind back.>
So this might be an interesting fight.
I TOTALLY didn't know who they were right afterwards.
Also, SWEETLAURENFAUSTSAWESOMEMINDOFCRAZINESSANDCARTOONSWOONAISGOINGTOFI- *thud*
*dead*
???: Sheeeeee's gonna fight no one! Yup, no one aaaaaat all.
Heh, the end makes me think of how I used the song in Cuatro
Only *insert Admiral Ackbar reference here*
Lucario diving down the tunnel while fighting risign enemies made me think of Dante when he dove down from the highest point of the Temen-Ni-Gru, and I thoroughly enjoyed Luna's combat session when she was separated from Lucario.
Obvious mistake.
Also I see that you are taking this in the Shaman King-esque path by having individual battle arenas in a line that the contenders must power through. I approve.
Also for some reason, I imagine that the two guys at the start are playing GMod.
Because they just randomly create shit. That's really what you do in GMod.
517203 NO
Can't wait for the lucario and nightmare moon 1v1
[img]25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lu5uoah73x1r3k1m8o1_500.png[/img]
Holy crap. Didn't see see this comming. Far from over? This can only lead to darkness spreading over all of Equestria, just to get stopped and banished yet again or that Tartarus escapes and flees off into another land just to be seen later. But i don't wanna jump into conclutions just yet. Crap this is gonna be epic, almost to the 100 K words mark. Just how i like it. Keep it comming!!!
Damn... 12k words.. thank you, I'm going to enjoy this.
CAPTIAN FALCON SAID "IMMPOSTER! FALCON PUNCH HER TO NEXT WEEK LUCARIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
1765753 Thank you again for your help, Mr. "Just passing by, correcting your errors" Guy.
nightmare moon.
1768135 It's what I do
1766344 Are you talking about this?
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/1/14/Verry_angry_Fluttershy-PYHD.PNG
I absolutly LOVE
this story
I'm surprisingly okay with Lucario being a Mary Sue.
1765753 Not to mention the use of "won't" where "want" should be. A mistake I see dumbfoundingly often on this site. It gives me a headache wondering how people consistently do that, especially with "wonder" and "wander."
"They all wanted to object to his accusations. How could he have come to such a conclusion from so little information? He had no concrete evidence, nor did he base his facts on anything but farfetched assumptions."
This sounds a lot like how readers react to me reaching conclusions in DEATH BATTLE: Equestria that they don't like.
I suspect that Lucario and Princess Luna will both be in over their heads
On the one hand, Nightmare Moon is most likely going to compromise Lucario's ability to fight her simply because of how similar she is to Luna.
On the other hand, Luna will be going one on one against Discord. You know, God of Chaos and Disharmony, able to completely screw up how the world is supposed to work simply by snapping his fingers, fought Celestia AND Luna and they couldn't do anything to him until AFTER they got the Elements of Harmony
Of course, Lucario and Luna will then be saved by Palkia and another Legendary Pokemon.
At least, that's my theory. Lets see whether or not it's true.
Too bad this wasn't the next Equestrian Death Battle, if you know what I mean. He's in the tournament while she's up against Steve? (yes, you spell it with a question mark).
you know what would make more sense as a title is "the Aura of Friendship"
Dis gon b good!!
1778858 *sigh* Alright, Luna. Time to get this off my chest. I'm going to make a blog entry about my troubles with Equestria Daily and why Friendship is Aura has yet to be published there.
Sweet!
MORE!!!
“You don’t need to tell me if you don’t won’t too. We made a deal that day in the Everfree Forest, and I’m not going to have you break it off before we’re both ready for it.”
Shouldn't that be want? Great story all around even if you make a few mistakes along the way.
504372
Based on our usernames.... I am now your boss. I commmand you to fetch a sample of Alicirbs DNA so I can upgrade Epona.
1877470Like this? *Hands over DNA*
Anyone else think this sounds like a reference to Fairy Tail?
Spooky, I listened to this, right before I read this chapter............
When The Fire Nation Attacked.
thats what first popped into my head..
Lucario has to deal with the night that had become his friend
Luna has to fight off either chaos or... Cupcakes?
So.... Lucario vs Nightmare Moon and Discord vs Luna then huh? This will be interesting to watch^^
On a side note: Anyone else think that Lucario would be very good friends with Dante if he was in this fic?^^
3411557 no.
This is going to be very interesting...
1768135
Well, while we're at it...
That should be "require",
This should be "unconscious"...
And this should be "for whom".
3010706 Perfect