Encore of The Dazzlings: Cataclysm's Carnage

by Shadowmane PX-41

Looming Darkness

"What do you want, Apocalypse?" Cataclysm asked, standing up from his throne. "I'm in the middle of enhancing the other Signs of the End for our next assault on the worlds..."

"Forgive our intrusion, oh glorious creator, overlord, and soon to be destroyer of the Lyrican Sirens," Apocalypse saluted with his two comrades following suit. "But we all have something interesting to show you..."

And with that, the three Malefics put their hands together, flew upwards, and projected a screen with their targets clearly visible. Within seconds, images of Indigo Zap, Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, Sugar Coat, Lemon Zest, and Tiwlight Sparkle. This was soon followed up with big black auras emanating off of them.

"Something we found a while back whilst checking the history of Earth, Overlord Cataclysm," Armageddon was the next to speak, "Whilst there is a place that utilizes the Magic of Friendship, we have also discovered a dark power that is just as strong as the magic prior. It turns out that The Rainbooms have dark counterparts in this world, and that their Malefics would greatly serve our cause..."

This perked Cataclysm's ears. "Interesting... And how exactly do you wish to take this darkness?"

"First, we shall try negotiations with these humans. See if we can't butter them up with talk of how they can unleash their full potential, serve a much higher purpose, and be eternally rewarded for eliminating the Lyricans," Carnage talked next. "If they refuse, then we'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way..."

"Hold on, you three," Cataclysm stopped the three Malefics from talking. Once silence had fallen, he looked closely at the picture. "There is a second Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes. It turns out that she, much like the Lyricans, has the power to absorb energy and use it against others," Apocalypse explained. "When it was too much for her to bear, the power that she had stored became enfused with dark desires. In a powerful transformation, she became a powerful Malefic capable of breaking down the fabric of reality," then, he grinned. "But despite this, she was only using a fraction of her true power. If she were in our hands, I get the feeling that our army would be nigh unstoppable!"

"However, given what else we've uprooted, this other Twilight now attends the grounds where The Dazzlings fell again; Canterlot High School," Armageddon leaned back against the wall. "She will most likely say no, but I'm sure that you are aware that we have ways of making her talk..."

My lord Cataclysm, you know we are your three aces.
Of that title, we are just as pleased.
My lord Cataclysm, you realise what we're planning for.
And that success could rid us of this disease...

Apocalypse began to sing, making the images of the six girls move around freely. However, their darkness was growing by the second with each lyric he uttered.

But tell me, creator; why I see them on that world.
Why their growing evil intrigues me...
Believe it, and see it, the chaos in their fiendish eyes.
Is what we could use to let our kind free...

The more he sung, the more the six uniformed students transformed into possible Malefics for Cataclysm to use in the war. Such features like wings, black tentacles, magical sceptres, and more were being created with the song's progression.

The darkness, they harness.
This evil in their skin.
If we can unleash it.
Then this war we could win...

At the end of that verse, Malefic warriors appeared all around Apocalypse, Armageddon, Carnage, and Cataclysm.

The Shadowbolts, freed from their chains.
It is the evil that we need to feed our flames.
Their locked up strength, will soon be out.
And with it, Lyricans will make their dying shouts...

Apocalypse was backed up with a choir from the other Malefics.

We beseech you, our creator; give us permission to engage.
Let us go and recruit these champions.
When we take the dark ones, The Rainbooms and The Dazzlings.
Will see their worlds burn like a thousand suns...

"Interesting analysis, you three," Cataclysm furrowed his wings, sat back down on the throne, and saw visions of the new Malefics killing innocents, destroying cities, and laughing maliciously all the while. "If you can bring these six to me, I will see what place they will serve in our cause..."

"Thank you, Overlord Cataclysm," Apocalypse smiled, then turned away with Armageddon and Carnage. "You shall have them within the hour. Fifteen minutes maximum..."

Dark fires, desires; now Rainbooms, it's your turn.
Surrender your power, and hide, or you will burn!

Apocalypse sat down on the control seat of Apocalyptica, with Armageddon and Carnage strapping themselves in to fly as well.

You were given salvation.
You spat in the face of our dreams.
But now we will win and be free from SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNN!

Apocalyptica fired up its' engines, opened up a black portal, and charged through it as Apocalypse held the last note before he and the others put their helmets back on. They shot through the portal and vanished in the blink of an eye.

---

"Rainbooms, I'm sure that you are all aware of the calamity at hand?" Adagio asked The Rainbooms. Along with Aria, Sonata, and Symphonia, everyone was in the Lyrican War Room.

"Yes. We've all been tasked with keeping our inner evil under lock and key to prevent the Malefics from getting the upper hand in the war," Twilight recapped, "But I still don't see how it's possible for Malefics to steal evil." she tipped her hand. "I mean, so far, we've only seen them kill and destroy; not steal the negative life force from people..."

"Malefics are a tricksy bunch, and will often play dirty to defeat their opponents," Sonata chimed in. "Either with larger numbers, using outside powers to eliminate Lyricans, and even baiting them into unbreakable traps," she crossed her arms. "What a bunch of cheaters..."

"But one thing is for certain: They are a disruption to the balance of good and evil," Aria used her pendants and crystal wings to generate a projection. It was similar to the Balance of Lyrica, but it had light and dark energy on the scales. "Much like our balance, life is governed by both heroism and evil."

"For as long as time has stood, the scales have been perfectly balanced," Adagio pointed out, "Evil and Good weight each other out perfectly, and because of this, our worlds are spared from atrocities beyond comprehension," the projection then showed the Malefics, and how the scales favoured the dark energy over the light. "But now with the Malefics on the prowl, the balance is slowly but surely veering off towards a negative side. If they win the war, the balance will be broken, and chaos will break loose.

"Similar to when the Balance of Lyrica was unbalanced with the death of hundreds of Blissen Sirens, if evil wins over light, the darkness will corrupt every living being across the trinity," Adagio showed a vision of everyone on Equestria, Earth, and Lyrica with purple eyes and evil smiles. "It will make everyone evil no matter what. Even if they're pure of heart, the darkness will plague them all and turn them into living envoys of darkness to serve Cataclysm and his kind!"

"Ok, that sounds really, really bad..." Rainbow Dash's pupils dilated down to little pinpricks.

"Your Majesty?" a Lyrican grabbed The Dazzlings' attention, "Not to interrupt, but I've found something going down on Earth that I think you should look at..."

"Full display, Forte. Let's see what's happening..." Adagio commanded him.

The map of the trinity quickly vanished and was replaced with a massive screen that showed a park on Earth. There were six girls there who were casually strewn about, with their hands on their cheeks as if they were waiting for something.

Then, all of a sudden, Apocalyptica was visible, and Apocalypse, Armageddon, and Carnage landed in front of the group of females fist-first. They dusted off the dirt from their armour and removed their helmets.

"Is that—" Twilight looked at the unmasked Malefics. She knew them all too well.

"Oh no..." Fluttershy quivered behind Sunset's back.

"It can't be—" the rest of The Rainbooms said in unison.

"The Blasters..." Adagio gritted her teeth as she looked at the true identities of Apocalypse, Armageddon, and Carnage. Apocalypse was revealed to be Fortissimo Blast, whilst Armageddon was Allegro Maelstrom, leaving Carnage as Orchestral Chill.

---

"This is the darkness you led us to, Apocalypse?" Orchestral seemed apprehensive of the six girls. "I don't know about you, but I'm not really seeing any potential in these girls now that I've got a closer look at them..."

"Hush, Carnage," Fortissimo said calmly, "These Shadowbolts are special. They exhibit darkness that is on a similar level to that of The Rainbooms' Magic of Friendship, yet they have managed to keep it in chains for the time being..."

"Remember, you two. We offer them a better life first, then take them by force if it doesn't work." Allegro reminded them.

"Sweet mother of..." Indigo was the first to notice The Blasters and their ship. She slowly took a few steps forward towards the three Malefics, then stopped when she believed she was close enough.

"Greetings, beings of Earth," Fortissimo said in a welcomed tone. "My name is Apocalypse, and these are my associates, Armageddon and Carnage," he smiled, "I trust that we have a lot to talk about..."

"First of all, what's with the get-up?" Sugarcoat was quick to the punch. "The renaissance was centuries ago. And there's not another cosume contest for months..."

"These are not costumes, little ones," Allegro crossed his arms. "These are the suit of armour that Overlord Cataclysm gave to us for our war against the Lyricans..."

"Believe it or not, girls, your world stands on the doorstep of two other hunting targets we Malefics are after," Orchestral smirked and created a black orb of energy with his left hand. "I trust you've heard of The Dazzlings? You know? The Sirens who invaded Canterlot High eighteen years ago?"

"You have probably been blinded by talk of victory via any means necessary; feeding the fuels of your dark fire in preparation for something, correct?" Fortissimo asked, "And if that is the case then..." he then noticed that Lemon Zest was violently shaking her head. Seeing that she was wearing headphones, Fortissimo balled one of his hands into a fist. It conjured a sword which he threw at and impaled the device, smashing it against the wall where it broke into a million pieces.

"Hey! Not cool!" Lemon snapped back.

"I AM TALKING!" Fortissimo's voice boomed across the park, making trees shake and throw off many of the leaves that were growing. He furiously looked into the eyes of the CPA student, causing her to slowly back away in fright. "Honestly, it's like I'm speaking with babies here..."

"Sorry about that, sir. Lemon Zest is a little coo-coo if you know what I mean," Sour Sweet spoke next, "She's nuts!" she gritterd her teeth.

"Oh? It seems we have a case of Split Personality Syndrome here, don't we?" Allegro approached the girl with a vicious grin on his face. "Tied in with oblivious joy, sharp honesty, and the desire to win by any means necessary, I think we've found the perfect group of warriors that will bring those wretched sirens to their knees..."

"What are you implying?" Sunny Flare spoke up.

"I'm implying that we are offering you the chance to put you on the highest pedestal we can offer; a stage that towers above all of the rest," Fortissimo began circling the Shadowbolts, with Allegro and Orchestral following him. "You see, you have such potential hidden deep inside of you, yet you are too afraid to let it out, lest you fear the consequences of what your newfound power might bring."

"I know it might seem unorthodox, but you must understand that this is something that benefits all of us," Allegro added in. "A new community, with new friends. No more humanity, no more ponies, just being a Malefic and pledging your undying loyalty to us and our overlord, creator, and soon to be destroyer of the trinity, Overlord Cataclysm..."

"The life of a Malefic is truly the life you girls were meant to live," Orchestral's grin grew wider and wider. "With us, there is nothing you won't be able to claim for your own. Nothing is wrong, and everything is permitted. You simply need to throw away your human shells, and embrace the darkness that you managed to lock up inside of you..."

"What are you talking about?" the Twilight of the other world asked.

"You squandered your talents by shackling yourself in that educational system. But with the three of us, we can ensure that you can become the best that there ever was," Fortissimo answered. "And all we ask is that you either embrace the darkness within you, or let it become your own self-destruction.

"The choice is yours, ladies," Fortissimo, Allegro, and Orchestral regrouped and stood in front of the group of girls once again. "Join the Malefics, and truly become the Shadowbolts we envision. Unless of course, you wish to remain at the bottom of the food chain and prove to be nothing more than weak outsiders whom no-one will ever remember..."

---

The group were watching everything that had happened. However, when the six girls were given a chance to think about it, the projection became littered with black cracks and shattered entirely, cutting off the feed to Earth.

"Dammit! Signal dropped..." Adagio said, banging her fist against the wall.

"The Blasters are back?" Princess Twilight grimaced at what she had just witnessed. "But that's impossible! We vaporized them last year! They should have remained dead and buried!"

"We may still have time to intercept them before they do anything rash," Aria opened up a portal and prepared to leap through it. "Come on, girls. We're goi—"

Out of nowhere, alarms rang all throughout the kingdom, and the War Room lit up red again. The Malefics were making another attack.

"Fuck my life..." Aria pouted and sealed the portal to Earth.

"I know you want to save those girls, Aria; but the Malefics are attacking again," Adagio put a hand around the pigtailed siren's shoulders. "We can't just stand by and let those ruffians, thugs, and brutes just rip people to shreds..."

"Where are we heading, Dazzlings?" Twilight asked with her weapon already drawn.

The lights converged once again, creating the map of Earth, Equestria, and Lyrica. The flashing came from Equestria, namely, the entire area of both Ponyville and Canterlot.

"Not our home! This is bad..." Applejack lurched backwards.

"The Malefics are coating the area with Maelstroms; airships that turn the sky into a lethal monsoon," Adagio took charge and showed them off. Each one had black energy coming from the engines, and had pylons poking out them that generated the storm clouds. "Due to how intense the rain and lightning will be, the fleets are out of action for the time being..."

"So we go in with our wings, fly up to those ships, break in, and take down the Maelstroms. Right?" Rainbow Dash smiled cockily.

"The Malefics thought ahead of you there, Rainbow Dash," Sonata pointed out. "The clouds are so thick and visibility impairing that assaulting them is out of the question."

"Then how in the name of Tartarus are we gonna defeat the Malefics?!"

"Do you have a better plan, Rainbow Dash?" Aria asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah, I'm good..." she shrugged.

"We'll have to go this one alone, team," Adagio flexed her fingers, motioning The Rainbooms to climb up and prepare to leave with her. "But we take down whatever Sign of the End that's attacking, and we can all return for a nice shower and some refreshments..."

With a bright flash of light, The Rainbooms and The Dazzlings vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but a spark of magic in their wake.

Comments

[DazzleMLP84]

No! Not the Blasters!

[00RaiserGundam]

I knew the Apocalypse, Armageddon and Carnage were the Blasters! I knew it!