Chapter 23- Perspective
Chapter 23-
Perspective
The wind whistled at the top of the dark castle’s east tower, the howling only temporarily interrupted by a flash of light. Sweetie jumped back and skid to a halt as another flash filled the air. Midnight appeared, her fury practically palpable as she glowed with power. “I’m going to kill you slowly,” the alicorn promised as she floated forward, her magic holding her up over the crystal surface. “And hang your body from a flagpole!”
“Give it your best shot!” Sweetie yelled in response, rushing forward as she spun her staff around in her hand. Her opponent let out an angry cry as she ripped her saber from its sheath, slashing through the air and knocking away the blade-like point at the end of Sweetie’s staff. The younger mare spun as the end was knocked away, the crescent of her staff glowing on the end. Midnight was forced to glide back as pale green energy slashed through the air, slamming into the floor where she’d been. Sweetie dropped down into a fighting stance as she spun and twirled her staff expertly before letting it lay in the crook of her right arm, the bladed ended pointing over her shoulder as the crescent glowed dangerously while the mare extended her left hand in front of her.
Midnight raised an eyebrow as she finally let her boots touch the ground, putting one foot behind the other as she squared her shoulders and held her blade in front of her. “You couldn’t possibly-” The alicorn cut off her sentence as the off-white unicorn suddenly spun, the arc of her scepter launching another slash of magic towards her and forcing her to bring up the glowing blade of her saber to cut through the magic. However, she soon found herself working overtime to block and cut through wave after wave of magic as the mare in front of her seemed to dance towards her, a silent deadly melody in her form as she pushed her assault.
Sweat formed on Sweetie’s brow as she pushed forward, the pale green Static around her burning brighter and brighter alongside her own magic as she pushed out more of her power. She stomped down with her foot, cracking the crystal as she twirled one more time, the blade at the end of her staff swinging towards Midnight’s head. Metal met metal as the alicorn’s saber came up to block the blow only for the opposing weight to disappear as Sweetie swung her weapon behind her and slashed towards the other side of her opponent’s head and forcing her to once again block the attack. Sweetie drew her weapon back once more, twirling the staff horizontally so that the glowing crescent was flung upwards.
Midnight’s eyes widened as the glowing arc passed only a hair from her snout, but what truly alarmed her was how the arc of energy didn’t dissipate as its metallic focus point left the air it occupied. An explosion rumbled the floor, a dust cloud filling the air in front of Sweetie Belle. The off-white unicorn stayed where she was, her eyes wide and pupils pinpricks as her ears swiveled back and forth. Both ears suddenly shot up as she pulled her staff down, pushing her torso forward as her ankles twisted. In a single fluid movement, Sweetie turned her front stance around into a back step that faced the opposite direction, her staff arcing up and stopping the three crossed blades of teal magic that had been launched at her. The younger pony didn’t even seem phased as the smoke cloud rushed around her to reveal her opponent in much the same place where she’d been standing at the beginning of the fight.
The dark alicorn glared daggers at the blue robbed mare, her face twisting into a snarl. “How!?” She yelled out, stomping her boot on the floor as she kept her saber poised in front of her. “How could you possibly move like that while casting!?”
The unicorn’s response was to twirl her staff and bring her front foot back, the polearm resting between her shoulder blades with the crescent peeking over her left shoulder while the spearhead pointed to the ground in front of her. “When your sister is a master at multitasking,” she replied before she pulled her scepter out from behind her and stepped into a fighting stance as she put her other hand on the weapon. “You pick up a few things.” Midnight Sparkle’s eyes widened further as the younger mare once again charged her.
The clash of metal on metal rang through the air, sparks flying from the blades of both Cobalt and Spike as they pushed forward, trying to gain more ground than their opponent. The dragon drew his lips back in a snarl, a low growl filling the air as a green glow began to shine behind his fangs. Cobalt grit his teeth, digging in his boots as the crystal beneath them began to give way. Spike opened his jaws and the thestral jumped out of the way, the spear of green flame that had been spit at him flying over his shoulder. The pony hit the ground and rolled, coming up in a kneeling position, pulling his fist back as shadows flowed over his body to cover it before he slammed it into the floor.
The wall of shadows that sprang forward and rushed the drake made his eyes widen in shock. Spike leaped into the air, spreading his wings and taking to the air in the huge chamber. Cobalt raised his eyes towards his foe, a frown crossing his features before he rushed up to meet his opponent, shadows and yellow Static trailing behind him. The dragon turned mid-flight and returned the charge, a pair of roars filling the empty space of the throne room before the fighters clashed once more. A shockwave rushed through the air, sparks jumping into the air as metal ground against metal, the two warriors growling into each other's faces.
“You’re a fool,” Spike hissed, green embers flaring from his lips with each breath. “Your resistance will crumble and die.”
“A fool has nothing to fight for,” Cobalt answered, pushing back with a flap of his wings. “I have everything to fight for.” He shoved the swords apart, drawing his back as shadows covered the blade. He slashed forward, a slash of dark mist hurtling towards Spike, the drake’s eyes widening in shock.
The purple reptilian dropped out of the way just in time for the attack to sail past his fin-like ear to smash into the wall behind him. His surprised look jerked over his shoulder to look at the slit-shaped crater in the wall before the rush of wind drew his gaze forward just in time to bring up his guard. He drew his blade back as the metal reverberated, moving his wrists to the opposite side to block his opponent’s next strike only to have to twist his wrists and spin in midair to parry Cobalt’s charging thrust.
The stallion came to a harsh stop with a forward flap of his bat-like wings, whirling in place and letting out another battlecry as he slashed the air again, sending another shadowy slash to rush towards his draconic adversary. An explosion rocked the chamber, a cloud of dispersed shadows clouding the air around his target. He stared for several seconds before his eyes narrowed as a green flicker caught his attention from within the thinning cover.
The green flame surrounding the dragon’s broadsword served to illuminate the drake in a sinister light. Especially the deathly calm expression he wore as flames ebbed and flowed from his nostrils with each controlled breath. “...I’ve had as much of this as I can stand,” Spike murmured, opening his eyes slowly as he lifted his gaze towards the stallion, pulling his blade away from his forearm where he’d braced the flat of it. Without warning, a slash of blinding emerald green engulfed Cobalt’s vision.
Caught off guard, the thestral stopped flapping and fell, letting gravity drag him out of harm’s way. He let himself drop several feet before his wings flared, twisting him so that he was belly-down before he surged forward with a flap of his wings. He flapped upwards, flexing his body to help with the sudden ascension, barely dodging another slash of green flame as it sailed under him. He took off again, racing forward as he gained altitude and circled the throne room, more flames following him.
The stallion began to sweat as he felt the heat of the green embers growing closer, gritting his teeth as he tilted his body to avoid another projectile and swerved behind the throne in the middle of the room. His hand shot out, grabbing the edge of the chair’s back to bring himself to a sudden halt. The stallion grunted and grit his teeth as his shoulder jerked with the sudden halt of momentum, the thestral tucking himself behind his cover before flames slammed into the other side. He clenched his eyes shut as he waited for the burning tongues to die down, not opening them until several seconds passed by. He opened his mouth and let his chest heave as he pressed his back to the stone, feeling the heat that had seeped through from the opposite face as he waited. And waited… and waited….
Seconds ticked by and Cobalt’s gaping lips frowned at the corners as he moved his gaze to the border of his safe-haven. Another few moments ticked by and still nothing. The stallion closed his jaws and slowly turned around, putting a hand to the edge as he looked out from behind the throne. And immediately froze as his gaze met that of the dragon that now filled the chamber, flames licking at his jaws. And death was in his eyes.
“You are a fool.”
“GRRRAAAWWW!” Staroid roared as he brought his arm up and knocked away yet another metal table as it was launched his way only to be forced to bring up his long, slender sword to block Chris’ own blades. “Stop throwing shit at me!”
“Stop not dying!” Chris replied, rotating his body and launching a kick towards the Machine Captain’s head. The automaton raised his hand and caught the boot sailing towards his face only for a loud bang to ring through the air as the Ranger twisted his body in the grip to bring an ax kick down with his other leg. The machine lost his grip as his head and upper body were forced down, his opponent’s body starting to roll through the air. Just as a glint of gold rushed the ranger’s face.
Punch-A-Bunch’s knuckle-duster slammed into Chris’ helmet, launching him through the air to slam into the wall across from the two robots. A cloud of dust erupted as debris crumbled to the ground, obscuring the pair’s vision as Staroid pulled himself back up.
“...That sucked.” Staroid jerked his optics towards the dispersing cloud to see a slight pink and teal glow began to emerge. “Seriously, for a machine built specifically to punch the scheisse out of its opponents,” Chris continued, stepping into the open as the glow died from his metallic armor, a pink, glass-like substance flaking off the black suit. “You punch like a schlampe.”
The pink and turquoise glow in his gauntlets and leg armor began to fade back to the normal red and blue of his Chrome form before the colors began to shift into dull silver and gold tones. “Now,” the ranger said before slamming his arms down to either side and into the solid metal tables that wrapped around his arms at the impact sights. “Who’s ready for round two?” The man raised the improvised metal gloves, tapping the sides together with a sharp ‘clang’ before he rushed towards the dumbfounded machines. Punch-A-Bunch was the first to react, taking a step back and cocking his fist before throwing the power-jab towards the oncoming ranger.
Chris smirked inside his helmet as the only squares left visible, those on his legs, changed from the metallic colors of his Magnet powers to the striking yellows and oranges of the rising sun. The fighter turned into little more than a blur as he sidestepped the rushed jab, knees bending as he lowered his body and reared back, slamming his armored fist into the robot's midsection. The of rushing air sounded out alongside the gong-like boom echoed through the room, forcing the boxing automaton to skid back across the floor. Chris straightened his legs and quickly threw his other arm up to block the horizontal slash of Staroid’s blade. The man glanced towards the Machine Captain before he seemed to blur out of existence only to slam a fist into his surprised opponent’s back.
The blow sent up a shower of sparks from the robot as he was thrown forward to crash into the ground, rolling several feet before slamming into the same wall that Chris had earlier. The already structurally unsettled barrier toppled down on top of him, making him disappear from view. The Ranger didn’t get time to confirm his opponent's condition though as he moved his head out of the way of the spiked punch that whizzed by his face. “How do you keep doing that!?” Punch-A-Bunch demanded.
“Fick you, that’s how!” Chris replied angrily as he raised his arms and wrapped them around the boxer’s own. With a twist of his hips, a shift in his shoulders, and a yank on the Machine Captain’s arm, the Ranger threw the automaton over his shoulder and slammed Punch-A-Bunch into the floor. The man reared his fist back, his Chrome Aura and Swift Static leaping forth to cover it before he brought his hardened fist down into his adversary. Anyone watching would have described the flurry of blows that followed as a man-made meteor shower, the metal heating up from sheer friction from the air as the punches rained down with unimaginable speed. When he finally stopped his arms, the man was panting inside his helmet as his raised arm shuddered.
Punch-A-Bunch lay unmoving at his feet, dents, and cracks covering his body as smoke and steam rose off of him in a similar fashion to the Ranger’s improvised glove. The sinister glare of the helmet stared down at the fallen machine as he started to drop his fist only to jerk his other hand up to catch the sudden punch thrown by his adversary, now minus the golden spikes. “Damn…” the robot said, a slight smirk in his voice. “Thought I had you… with that… OHKO….”
The machine groaned with pain as his metal fist crunched, looking to his hand to find the underside of the Ranger’s metal boxing glove torn open from the inside to reveal the hand that was current crushing his glove. “You should have stayed down.” The machine focused upwards once more to find himself staring down the barrel of the Chrome Blaster, the only difference from the Cyber Blaster being the third ax blade that sprouted from the middle of the Psycho Sword’s barrel, forming a triangle with the already split blades of the Psycho Axe on the underside. The Psycho Ranger squeezed the trigger and orange and yellow energy began to form inside the weapon, the barrel sparking with red and blue electricity. Punch-A-Bunch’s optics widened and his mouth opened as if to say something only to be interrupted by the beam of pure energy that engulfed him. Several seconds passed as the Chrome Blaster roared before the discharge started to die down.
When Chris finally lifted the laser rifle up to rest it on his shoulder, he found himself looking down a series of holes that had both been punched and burned into the floors below. As smoke leaked away from the melted edges of the beam’s path, the man sighed and let his body relax. “Let’s go find the other’s,” he muttered, turning towards the collapsed wall and walking forward as he lifted his weapon off his shoulder and brought it across his chest so that he could support the weight with both hands.
Let’s hope Midnight likes her present, Sam added as the Ranger stepped over what was left of the wall. Behind them, the pair of oversized, makeshift gloves laid on the ground, both glowing with an unsettling burnt orange color as energy of dull yellow sparked off them.
“Gah!” Midnight cried out as her opponent landed a solid kick to her midriff, forcing the dark alicorn to skid across the tower. She raised her eyes just in time to throw herself backward, another wave of pale green sailing over her body as she flipped through the air. She put one hand to the crystal floor to guide her body down as the wave of magic destroyed the parapet behind her, the mare rushing forward and slashing her saber horizontally through the air to meet the crescent of the green-eyed unicorn’s staff.
Sweetie didn’t miss a beat as she thrust the pointed end of her staff up into the blade to knock it away, quickly reversing directions to once again bring down the glowing crescent. The mare in front of her leaned back nimbly to let the attack pass by her only to be forced to jump back as the younger pony spun with her momentum, letting go with one hand to extend the distance of the strike. The magic staff came down with a boom, the built up energy in the focal point detonating to form another small crater in the ground.
The dark purple alicorn landed on the ground roughly, her stance wide as she held the end of her blade up with both hands. She breathed heavily, her mane disheveled as sweat dripped down her face. “What does the Resistance do to its ponies?” She muttered, the cyan in her eyes threatening to flicker away and die.
“It gives us a reason to fight.” The alicorn jerked her gaze back to the dust cloud as Sweetie Belle walked out, the crescent of her staff already glowing with her magic as the Static around her burned an almost blindingly white. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, though, would you?”
Midnight’s eyes narrowed at that, the pony taking in one last breath and straightened up to show some form of decorum. “I fight for power,” she said, taking up her stance. “Something I was forced to strive for alone when the one pony I thought understood me did just what all the others did and abandoned me to my own devices.”
Sweetie let out a huff at that. “That almost sounds sad,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re fighting for the one thing that’s pushing everyone away from you.”
“Don’t speak as if you know anything!” Sweetie’s eyes widened as her opponent disappeared and reappeared in front of her in a flash. She hardly had time to swing her staff up to block the slash rushing towards her throat. She took a step back as the alicorn’s strength surged against her weapon only to be forced back again as she blocked another attack. Back and back and back again. Soon, the unicorn found herself dancing backward just as much as she had been going forward when she had first pressed her attack earlier. Her eyes grew wide as her mind and body worked overtime to keep the deadly blade from biting into her flesh. If only it had been a little more a little earlier.
“AH!” The mare gasped in pain as the glowing blade slashed through her fur and skin, opening a shallow gash in her right shoulder. She winced as pain exploded in her opposite thigh only to have to dodge her head out of the way of another piercing thrust. She hissed as the blade raked just over her eyebrow before it was drawn back. Sweetie dropped her gaze and lit up her horn, a layer of green magic covering her body as the green Static flickered over. The younger mare could only cross her arms and staff in front of herself as the enraged Alicorn pressed her assault.
The pupils of Sweetie’s eyes shrank to pinpricks as she observed the mare in front of her that was effortlessly pushing her back despite her planted stance and magical barrier. At first, it seemed that Midnight’s eyes had completely glossed over with the cyan of her magic, but on closer inspection, she found pinpricks of the brilliant mulberry that represented the mare’s pupils. “What would you know about me!?” She screamed as her mane and tail flared and whipped about like flames of various shades of purple. “What would you know of how I felt!? What would anyone know!? They all just abandoned me!?” Sweetie braced her hand against the shaft of her scepter as the Alicorn gave a last, two-handed thrust of her burning blade. Magic met magic in a blinding clash, shockwaves rippling through the air as mage struggled against mage, one snarling in anger and the other gritting her teeth as she refused to give in.
The tip of Midnight’s saber dug in deeper, the burning magic around it carving its way through her opponent’s own. The smallest of openings was made and soon the pinnacle pressed against the handle of the younger mare’s weapon. An insane smirk morphed from the dark pony’s snarl and she pushed forward with everything she had. Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened as cracks splintered through the meeting point and an explosion shook the tower.
Cobalt could do nothing as he once more jumped out of harms away, rolling over his shoulder and back onto his feet to continue running as rubble bounced around him. He twisted and drew back his fist, throwing it forward and launching a spear of shadows that slammed into Spike’s enormous jaw. And just like the last few attempts, the dragon tilted his head with the impact, emerald eyes tracking down the thestral instantly. The stallion huffed as he turned back only to have to dive up and over the drake’s tail as it came hurtling towards him. The wall of scales slammed into the wall behind him, throwing up another cloud of dust as it crumpled.
And still, the pony kept running, around and around hoping to confuse the huge dragon. “Would you just give it up!?” Cobalt slammed on the brakes, jumping back with a flap of his wings as the wrecking ball that was his adversary’s fist cannoned into his path to form a crater. He quickly turned to the side and rushed towards the space between Spike’s four large claws, throwing a leg forward and sliding under the swipe of the dragon’s other hand. Cobalt hurried back onto his feet and continued forward, ducking as the tail swept by overhead with the dragon’s efforts to turn in the limited space.
The thestral flared his wings, shadows pouring out of them and down his arms as he threw them out to his sides, the charm of his longsword long forgotten on his hip. Mist began to drift from his eyes as the yellow Static condensed around his forearms. Cobalt hardened his eyes before he did a one-eighty, his boots grinding against the floor as he came to a stop facing his opponent. Spike’s eyes narrowed as green flames began to flicker within his large maw. Pony and Dragon stared one another down before each let out a roar and unleashed their respective elements.
Fire met shadow in a blaze of light, one part of the chamber bathed in darkness while the other burned in brilliance. Sweat poured down from Cobalt’s brow as he kept his fists pointed straight out towards his powerful foe, though he knew before his boots started scraping against the floor beneath him that it wouldn’t be enough. A claw stepped forward, cracking the crystal underfoot as Spike pressed his attack, the flames of his Dragonfire pushing the shadows back down towards the small pony. The thestral continued to force the blast back, as helpless as it seemed as he grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.
Reptilian eyes suddenly narrowed and Spike stepped forward again, a fresh wave of his breath weapon rushing out as he strained forward. The clash of magic between the two attacks built exponentially and pressed towards Cobalt even faster than before. The stallion opened his eyes and his pupils shrank at what was in front of him before the sphere of built-up energy exploded in blinding light….
“...That’s enough of that.” Cobalt groaned as the deep, rumbling voice beat against his hearing, the ringing having barely faded at all. The stallion started to pull his limbs back towards his chest, finding himself draped over some rough surface as he tried to push himself up. “Slow,” the voice warned, Cobalt immediately taking the advice as his body tightened up in protest to his movements. He took a moment to catch his breath before he tried again, eyes slowly blinking open. His vision was blurry and shifting, the ringing in his ears growing slightly louder as he managed to stand with some help.
...Help?
The stallion turned his eyes towards his hand that was still pressed against the rough surface he’d been supporting himself on and slowly his sight swam into focus to reveal a wall of purple scales. Cobalt’s eyes widened and he made to step away only to feel his leg give way painfully. He hissed as he collapsed only to hear the scraping of scale on crystal as the tail wrapped around to his other side and caught him again. “What part of ‘slow’ did you not understand?” Spike rumbled as he lowered his head to the thestral’s level, smoke trailing from his nostrils.
Cobalt only stared up into the huge emerald eyes looking down on him, his eyebrows cinched in mistrust. “The hell are you playing at?” The thestral growled, pushing himself off the drake’s tail to stand on his own. “You do your damnedest to kill me and my team and suddenly you’re concerned about my wellbeing? I call bullshit.”
Spike looked down at the stallion before him before he snorted and shook his head. “Had to make it a good show,” the dragon said before looking over to the far wall and pointing. “We never know who might be watching.” Cobalt’s brow twitched and, while he was hesitant to do so, he slowly turned to follow the direction of the claw. In the corner of the room, a camera hung from a single wire, the others sparking from the singed base. “There were more than a dozen of those things in here. It took a while to finally root them out, but I’m glad to be rid of them.”
The pony turned back to look back at Spike as the dragon did the same for him. They stared at one another for several long moments before the thestral crossed his arms and huffed. “What’s your deal?” He questioned, still unconvinced. “What’s your story?”
The dragon averted his eyes at that, a frown crossing his features. “That’s… a long story,” he muttered quietly, eyes falling to the floor. “Twi- ...Midnight wasn’t always the monster you see her as. When she was a filly, all she wanted was for someone to notice her. In that vein, she thought that if she improved her magic and became powerful… she’d get the attention she wanted. ...She scared Celestia and the princess thought it would be best to pause her studies… but all Midnight saw was her parents sending her to Celestia’s school in the first place.” Spike paused as he let out a tired sigh and suddenly the tiredness in his features was clear as he began to shrink back down. “She tried to run and I went with her, but when we jumped through the portal… we really were alone. I think… I think it drove her mad….” The drake finished shrinking back to his normal size, standing before the thestral and looking towards him with something akin to desperation. “We tore that world apart like monsters… but she never took a single life. I made sure of that.”
Cobalt looked over the being in front of him as he paused, taking in every nasty scar, every burn, every blemish that was now abundantly obvious on his smaller frame. “...You killed them,” the stallion finally muttered, bringing his gaze up to match the dragon’s. “You killed so she didn’t have to.” The drake only nodded in response, something that annoyed the pony more than it calmed him. Here was his opponent, a beast, a monster that had helped to take everything from him and his comrades, a being at least partially responsible for the war they now fought. And yet… he was nothing more than a guard dog, a loyal one at that, doing everything he could to protect his master.
“I don’t think she’s out of reach.” The sudden statement drew the stallion back to reality, looking up to find the drake stepping towards him and making him put his body on the defensive. “She has… nightmares. I see her over and over again in her lab, muttering to herself and constantly hesitating to make decisions.”
“Maybe she’s just crazy,” Cobalt countered, eyes narrow and muscles tensed.
“Maybe,” Spike conceited with a small shrug and a sad nod before he looked up with determination in his eyes. “But I can’t take that chance. Now, we need to finish this.” The drake held his arms out to his sides to expose as much of his torso as he could. “I’m going to need you to hit me as hard as you possibly c-”
No sooner had the words left his lips did a huge fist made up of shadows slam into him, bright yellow Static buzzing and cracking around and through it as Cobalt Steel let out a feral roar. The blow carried the dragon back, dragging him off his claws and throwing him against the wall. The crystal cracked under the pressure as the shadows kept up the onslaught before the sound of the stallion’s warcry grew in volume. Spike’s eyes widened in shock as the thestral raced forward and slammed his real fist into his scaley chest. The wall behind the dragon exploded and the drake was sent flying into empty air. Cobalt stepped up to the edge, breath heaving as he watched his opponent fall… before a loud boom caught his attention and his world was filled with light.
Sparks flew from the chest of a cog as it turned a corner, Firefly sprinting around it not a moment later, quickly followed by Tarsi, Thorax, and the Sirens. The pegasus’ pupils had dilated and her heart beat loudly in her ears, her breath coming and going rapidly. She knew she was scared. Her team was scattered about the castle, leaving her, the scouts, and the prisoners to their own devices and she knew that all of them together weren’t even close to one of the others. She was the weak link, the scared damsel amongst warriors. And the thought angered her.
“Firefly!” The shout made the pink mare dig in her heels and come skidding to a halt. Looking behind her, she found the rest of the group several yards behind her. The blue siren sat slumped against the wall while Aria leaned against it behind her, both taking haggard breaths. Meanwhile, Thorax, Tarsi, and the last golden seapony stood next to them, the two Changelings trying to get their breath back while the other tried to look as if none of this was affecting her, though the slight tremble that trailed through her body every now and again betrayed her. “We can’t keep going like this,” Thorax added as the pegasus hurried to their side. “Especially not those three.”
“‘Those three’,” the biggest siren interrupted through gritted teeth, throwing a slight glare at the Changeling. “Can handle this just fine.” Firefly’s eyes traveled her, practiced eyes catching all the details she could.
“I hate to say this,” the mare said letting out a breath to steady her stampeding heart. “But Thorax is right. I don’t know what you’ve had to endure here, but you’re not in any shape to keep this up for much longer.”
“So, what?” Aria spoke up, pulling the group’s attention to her as she straightened up off the wall. “You’re just going to leave us here?”
“Absolutely not,” the blue-maned mare answered, swiping a hand through the air and cutting off the female Changeling behind her as she started to open her mouth. “Everyone’s getting out of here. We just need to figure out how.”
“If I may,” Thorax said, stepping forward. “The main entrance to the castle is closer to us than our original exit point.”
Firefly’s eyebrows furrowed as she studied the prince. “What are you suggesting?”
“That we take that exit instead of our previously planned one,” the male replied. “We find ourselves facing a race of endurance, something that our escorts are currently lacking in. For that reason, I think it would be wise to take the shorter route despite the increased obstacles we’ll meet along the way. The strike force will be attacking the castle from that direction, which is even better for us if we can get out and get to them before the real fighting breaks out.”
The pony thought about what was being told to her even as the eldest siren traded aggravated looks with Tarsi. Soon, she closed her eyes and took in a long, shuddering breath. “Okay,” she said, looking up and steeling her features. “We’ll make a break for the main entrance, but we’ll have to move fast. If we meet any opposition, I’ll take them out and if I get stalled you guys need to keep going without me. Our priority is the prisoners and we need to do everything in our power to get them out of here. Everyone clear on that?” Tarsi and Thorax each nodded in response before the mare’s pink eyes shifted to look at the sirens, receiving a slightly cold look from their leader. At least, until Aria put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her gaze to her. They looked into each other’s eyes before the gold seapony deflated and let out a heavy breath, nodding as she bowed her head.
The purple siren turned to look at Firefly, eyes hard. “Let’s go,” was all she said before she went to her younger companion, the smaller siren reaching up and letting herself be pulled up tiredly. The blue siren made to take a step forward only to stumble and force the other to catch her.
“Here, let me,” Thorax offered, stepping around Firefly and going to the sirens’ side. He held his hand out and the tired seapony took it without a second thought, the Changeling lowering his neck a bit as she wrapped her arm around it and her purple compatriot helped her position herself next to the taller insectoid.
“No funny business,” Aria warned, pointing a finger towards Thorax’s snout, which only drew a breath of laughter from him.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” the Changeling promised, flashing a grin before looking towards Firefly. “We should be able to take the next left and take that corridor to the entrance.” The mare nodded and together the group began to run down the hall, those unencumbered slowing down for Thorax and the blue siren before they took their only turn.
Firefly soon found her thoughts from before starting to surge forward in her mind again, the pegasus feeling the blood begin to pound in her ears again. She shook her head, opening her eyes wide as she tried to keep her current pace even as her every instinct screamed at her to pick it up. Her arm shot out and the barrel of her pistol flashed, sparks shooting into the air from another cog’s chest. The group passed by before it even had a chance to hit the floor and the blue-maned pony found herself assaulted by her next thought.
What was the point of her joining Ranger Operations? She was nothing special. Intelligent? Sure. Athletic? Definitely. But was she really Ranger material? Was she even worthy to call herself a warrior?
“On our left!” The shout of alarm had Firefly jerking her eyes up, her blasters following suit before she laid waste to the cog that had appeared, though not before it managed to get a shot of its own off. The mare’s eyes widened in surprise, her head dodging out of the way just enough for the bolts to race past her ear and carry on towards the golden siren behind her.
“Shit!” The seapony shouted, throwing herself forward to let the projectiles fly overhead. She tucked her shoulder forward and rolled back to her feet, continuing her mad dash with the others. “What the hell!? I thought you were our sentry!”
“I-” The mare started to reply only to stop and bite her lip, turning her head forward and eyes down.
“No time for criticism,” Tarsi warned, the pony’s ears twitching in response. “You’ve got a job to do.” The words rang through the pink mare’s mind, Firefly glancing up and behind her right shoulder at the female Changeling before she hardened her features and looked forward. She felt the terror that had been building start to ebb away as her thoughts of doubt began to fade, each one replaced with something else.
“Here it comes!” Thorax shouted, the hall ending ahead of them to be replaced by a banister. Unlike before though, Firefly didn’t shrink from the challenge. Instead, she surged forward to meet it.
The mare put on a burst of speed and soon outpaced the others before she slammed her foot down and turned sideways. She slid into sight of the grand doors that led to the outside, her twin blasters lighting up in a deadly show to lay waste to the pair of machines that guarded the doors. Dozens of small explosions detonated from the cogs’ bodies before the slumped to the ground with the occasional buzz of electricity and mechanical twitch. Firefly raised her smoking guns to her shoulders just before the others slowed to a stop beside her. “...Damn,” Aria said with a whistle. “What’d they do to you?”
“Took my home,” Firefly answered before she holstered one of her pistols and began to break down the other. “Let’s get out of here.” With that, she swept passed and started towards the closest staircase with the others following behind her. Together, they rushed towards the door, the pink mare putting her hand to the huge handle before glancing behind her. Thorax and Tarsi had relief written all over their faces, but the sirens wore something else entirely. The purple siren stared at the door, eyes searching it as her hands clenched and unclenched, her younger counterpart looking up from her slouched position against the male Changeling, eyes shining with hope. Finally, the eldest didn’t even seem to see the door. Instead, she seemed to look through it, tears starting to form as she saw freedom. The pegasus gave a small smile at their looks before turning back to the door. “Let’s go home,” she said before she pushed as hard as she could, the door swinging open to let the light shine in before they ran out into the sun.
Firefly barely made it a few yards before she dug her heels in and came to a halt, eyes widening at the sight and sound of dozens of cogs readying to fire on them. The group behind her clamored to a halt and she could almost feel the hope and sense of victory leave them. “...It’s not fair,” she heard one of the sirens say, glancing back to see the blue seapony let loose several tears that splattered to the ground. The pegasus slammed her eyes closed and grit her teeth together. It wasn’t fair… not one bit. She’d been given one job, to get them out safely and she’d failed. Not even a miracle could get them out now.
The mare’s eyes snapped back open as the thought struck her. “Tarsi, Thorax, shields!” She shouted, throwing her empty hand into a pouch on her belt. The Changelings threw their hands out, colored bands of magic symbols, Tarsi’s being purple while Thorax’s was green, appearing and spinning around their wrists before large spell circles of matching colors sprung to life in front of them with enough area to cover them all. Firefly took a position behind them alongside the sirens as she pulled a scroll and roll of canvas from her pouch.
“Whatever you’re going to do!” Tarsi shouted, gritting her teeth as more laser bolts slammed into her barrier. “Do it now, Firefly!”
“I’m working on it!” The mare replied, eyes quickly scanning the scroll before stuffing it back in her pocket and closed her eyes. With hushed whispers she began to chant the Tale of The Dragon Slayer, feeling her pegasus magic start to grow within her. “-And, lo and behold!” She began to shout, wrenching her eyes open and locking them on the forces in front of them. “The monstrous drake lay dead at the knight’s feet!” With the final cry, she drew her arm back and threw it forward… only for nothing to happen. The mare’s eyes widened in shock before the ground rumbled under their feet and another wave of lasers slammed into the shields, cracks beginning to spiderweb through them.
“The hell was that, Fly!?” The female Changeling shouted, her other hand glowing with another purple ring as she added more magic to her shield as her partner mirrored her actions.
“I-I-” The pink mare stuttered, staring at the talisman in her hand as thoughts rushed through her head. The miracle had failed, her magic had failed… her faith had failed. But why? All the faith she had in her team had been more than enough the first time and even during training, and yet it had failed her when she needed it most. So why had she failed!?
Like the flip of a switch, everything slowed down. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, the sensation of the steady and slow filling and emptying of her lungs reaching through her. She watched the burning red bullets of light fly through the air towards them only to splash against the purple and green magic of the Changelings’ shields like rain on a window. She felt her breath roll up and out of her chest as she turned and looked towards the sirens behind her. The two older sirens stared unblinkingly at the army of cogs in front of them, the gold seapony clutching the youngest to her as the blue-haired siren sobbed. They needed a hero… but she was all they had. No one was coming for them. The others were all busy fighting their own battles and facing down their own demons. And she was here, failing at her only job….
“No.” Firefly clenched her teeth and looked back towards the cogs facing her, lightning flashing through her eyes. She had to- no, she needed to do this. To protect those behind her. To protect those in front of her. To protect those yet to come. And she had the strength to do it. With hardened eyes, she lifted her scroll and once more began to say her miracle, but this time she began channeling her pegasus magic. “-And, lo and behold, the monstrous drake lay dead at the knight’s feet!” Lightning jumped into her hand and she looked to the sky and launched the spear of electricity into the sky. A second ticked by as the streak of yellow disappeared only for the skies to turn black as the mix of Mia and Octavius’ lessons coalesced into a storm of unnatural proportions. Thousands of bolts of lightning lanced from the sky, and a single, almighty boom ripped through the air and earth as the flash of light blinded the entire party.
The Changelings flinched as their shields shattered like glass, bringing their arms up to cover their eyes. All the while, Firefly stared hard as the results of her spell played out in front of her, the sirens behind her holding each other close as the held their eyes closed. The thunderous storm only lasted a moment or two longer before it faded away just as quickly as it had appeared. Tarsi and Thorax slowly brought down their arms as the sirens behind them blinked their eyes open again as the pegasus between them finally started panting after the effort she’d thrown forth.
“...Jeez, Firefly,” Thorax muttered, eyes wide as his gaze swept over the smoking scrap yard that had once been an army. “Where were you hiding all of that?”
“Oh, you know,” the mare panted, throwing up a terse smile as she got her breath back. “Back pocket.”
This drew a short breath of laughter from the male Changeling before he made his way over to the sirens. “Everyone alright?” He asked as he stopped next to them and offered a hand.
“Little shaken,” the eldest answered as she moved so the blue sea pony could take the insectoid’s hand and stand up. “But we’ll be fine.”
“Speak for yourself, Adagio,” Aria muttered, still blinking her eyes to clear them from the blinding light.
“Adagio?” Thorax repeated as he helped the blue siren lean against him before giving a small smile. “That’s a pretty name.”
The gold siren looked up and eyed him for a moment. “Yes, it is,” Adagio answered as she got to her feet, hands going to her hips. “Beautiful and alluring, just as it was designed.” She almost seemed to have a predatory tone as she said this, though even Firefly could feel how thin the veil was between the siren’s strength and weakness. However, this did little to encourage the Changeling’s tact.
Thorax gave a short chuckle before he looked to the shorter sea pony at his side. “And what about you?” He asked, a small smile still playing on his features. “What’s your name?”
The blue-haired siren looked up at him, her cheeks brightening up slightly. “Um…” she started, looking down to hide the grin growing on her features before looking up again. “I’m Sona-”
“Fly!” The blue siren stopped short as the entire group looked up in the direction of the shout to find Cobalt flying down to meet them, scorch marks and slashes in his canvas jacket and armor underneath telling the story of his battle. “What are you guys doing out here?”
“We were forced to change course,” the pink mare answered as the thestral landed next to them. As the stallion curled up his wings, Firefly looked around, a frown forming at what she didn’t find. “Where are the others?”
The dark pony’s brows furrowed as he grew a frown of his own. “They’re not with you?” He questioned, the mare only shaking her head in response. Cobalt started to say something else only to stop as a soft hissing met their ears. They turned back towards the walls of the crystal castle to see Chris step out of the wall, shadowy gray energy in the pools of his arm and leg armor.
“Finally found you guys,” the armored man said, stepping down to the ground before jogging over. He stopped and looked up around the group, stopping on the sirens who drew back cautiously. “...Where’d you guys pick up the Dazzlings from?” He asked as gridlines drew themselves over his helmet before it dematerialized to show off his look of confusion.
The sirens’ eyes widened at that, Adagio’s mouth falling agape. “How did you-”
“Sorry, that’s a long answer that will have to wait,” Chris interrupted, lifting a hand and casting a short, reassuring smile before he looked to the others. “...Where’s Sweetie?”
“Last we saw her,” Tarsi spoke up, her eyes starting to dart around the battlefield. “She was throwing down with Midnight.”
“WHAT!?”
The Ranger’s roar was cut off by the rumbling of the ground, the group lurching their gazes up towards the corner of the castle. The group stepped back as they watched a purple claw curl around the crystal, cracking it as the beast’s head came out from around the corner. “You don’t know how to leave well enough alone, do you?” Spike’s voice boomed over the ruins of Ponyville, the drake growing even larger as it spoke.
“Guys…” the young man breathed before his helmet rematerialized. “Run!” The entire group turned-tail and put their boots to the ground, Chris raising his hand to the side of his helmet. “Sunset!? Sunset, come in!”
“Chris?” The fiery mare’s voice buzzed through the coms. “What’s going on? You went dark after your report.”
“Get the strike force out of here!” Chris replied, looking back over his shoulder as the bipedal dragon’s wings loomed over them.
“What do you- What the hell is that!?” Chris winced as Sunset’s voice ripped through the earpiece.
“The reason you need to get the strike force out!” The ranger shouted in response as the rumbling of their enemy grew louder in his ears. He moved his hand back down as Sunset’s voice began to frantically shout orders. “Cobalt! Where was Sweetie Belle when you last saw her!?”
“She was in the throne room!” The stallion shouted in return, glancing back towards the man only for his eyes to widen at what he saw behind them and quickly turn back around. “She and Midnight teleported away!”
“Scheisse,” Chris muttered before he lifted his right hand. Suddenly, the Static surrounding his unit shot from them to his hand, coalescing in a cascade of colorful energy. It took a few seconds before a line of pale green Static joined the mass from behind them and instantly the Ranger’s eyes widened inside his helmet. “Gott verdammt alles!” The man spun with his next step, sliding to a stop as the rest of his party ran by. All except Cobalt.
“What are you doing?” The thestral questioned as he skidded to a halt next to him. “Do you see that!” He threw his hand out in front of him as if to display the enormous purple and green dragon in front of them. Spike’s head-fins had hardened to point forward in a pseudo-mohawk, the scales having hardened into sharp peaks. His ear fins had solidified as well to be more like spines, the green scales on his upper chest hardening into a three-pointed crest while four large spines had grown out of his back, two out of his shoulder-blades with a smaller one below each. The drake’s tail had also grown longer in comparison to his smaller form, pairs of green spikes forming at the base of his tail and halfway down it. Spike straightened up on his digitigrade legs, his humanoid form completing itself with spikes sprouting from his elbows to compliment his elongated talons and the lance-like ornament at the end of his tail. Emerald green eyes stared down at the pair, a loud rumbling growl echoing out of his chest as his wings spread to cast a shadow on them.
Man and stallion stared up at their nemesis, the pony’s eyes wide in fear as Chris’ expression was hidden under his helm. “...Get out of here, Co,” the man spoke up, taking a step forward and raised a hand to the side of his helmet again. “I’ll cover you guys.”
Cobalt Steel jerked his gaze to his friend, a look of concern taking over his features. “What do you mean you’ll cover us?” The pony questioned, turning towards him. “This isn’t a machine captain, Chris. You’ll be crushed!”
“Not with the Megazord,” Chris said before his glove pressed against his helmet’s fin. “Astro, Delta, I need you. Send the galaxy gliders to pick up the others.” As he put his hand down, a flash of light and color lit up behind the castle before six different colored streaks of light shot into the sky. Five changed course and sped towards them, while the sixth, the silver stream, made its way towards the tallest tower of the crystal castle, only to ricochet off of a teal barrier that suddenly flashed into life.
The man frowned as the other five galaxy gliders raced by, the black glider coming to a stop next to Cobalt. “Get the others to safety, Cobalt,” the ranger said, voice stern. “That’s an order.” The dark thestral looked up at the ranger, eyes roaming his squared shoulders, straightened back, and planted feet.
Finally, he nodded. “Yes, sir,” he replied before stepping onto his board and racing off just as the loud roar of engines filled the air. Chris looked up to the sky just as the Astro and Delta Megaships screamed onto the scene, a barrage of laser fire rushing forward to meet Spike the dragon. The behemoth of a drake crossed his arms in front of his chest, wings snapping closed around his body as the bolts slammed into the diamond-like purple scales. The pair of ships never let up until they buzzed passed him and the castle, shooting off just passed his shoulders.
“Coming your way, Astro!” Chris warned as he tensed his body. He leaped into the air, a burst of Static carrying him up into the air as the disk-shaped ship flew by and caught him. The ranger settled into his seat on the bridge, taking the controls. “Astro, Delta, fighter mode.”
“Sir,” DECA’s electronic voice spoke up even as the Delta could be seen taking off into the atmosphere outside. “Transforming the Astro Megaship into fighter mode with only one pilot is ill-advised. Doing so could cause serious mental and physical backlash-”
“Just put Astra on deck like last time,” Chris interrupted, checking some of the gauges and meters on the console. “I’ve got an idea.”
“As you command,” DECA replied before the Astro tilted up towards the atmosphere and shot upwards. Chris was teleported into the Megazord cockpit where he sat forward and grabbed the controls.
“I’m going to need you big time on this one, Sam,” he said as the Astro began to transform next to the nearly complete Delta.
Whatever you need, bro, Samson replied, bringing himself up in their collective consciousness. What’s the plan?
“Something reckless,” the physical brother muttered in response before he took a breath. “Astro, Delta, begin link up!” The Delta suddenly glowed with blue energy outside, its body splitting apart into four parts; the ship’s lower legs, main body, and head. The Astro responded by folding its arms back, the ship-like helm folding up. The parts of the Delta converged on the Astro before attaching like armor to the huge machine. The lower legs of the Delta formed boot-like armor on the legs of its sister-zord, the main body wrapping and twisting to form a chest piece and arms with shoulder-mounted gatling guns before the nose of the Delta split horizontally into two pieces, most of the cockpit coming to dock on the Astro’s back while a smaller portion formed a black, triangular visor for the Megazord, twin cannons on either side of the robot’s head.
“Docking sequence successful,” DECA announced, the Megazord’s sword and shield coming to rest in its hands. “Astro Delta transformation complete.”
Chris grit his teeth as he felt the weight of the controls slam down on him and his brother, Sam letting out a strained growl. “Delta,” Chris muttered, grip tight on the controls. “Use your AI to help us pilot.” The weight alleviated slightly on the pair and the Ranger began to pant heavily. A grin broke out on his face. “Let’s get to work.” Thrusters suddenly blasted into life as the Megazord rushed back down to the ground below. Spike’s head lurched up from he’d been stomping towards the Everfree, following the Megazord’s dissent with his eyes before it landed on the battlefield in front of him with a solid boom.
“Hmph,” the dragon grunted, green jets of flame leaving his nostrils. “And here I thought you ran away.”
“Rangers never run,” Chris replied, his voice booming from the mecha.
The dragon grunted as he took a battle-stance, the enormous machine in front of him mirroring him. “Big words,” he growled, flames licking his lips and fangs as he spoke. “Hope you can back them up!” With that, Spike rushed forward with his claws splayed. The Astro Delta raised its shield, sparks flying off of the surface as green talons slashed across it. The mech threw its shield out to the side, deflecting the dragon's limb before it slashed down with its sword. Spike reacted by lifting his other arm, wing following suit to intercept the blade.
The saber slid from the hardened scales, opening the Megazord’s defenses. The dragon twisted his body, launching his tail forward towards the mecha’s face and cockpit. The Gyro Blaster congruent to the lance-like tail turned and fired, the laser bolts slamming into the appendage and knocking it away as the Astro Delta stepped back. Spike righted himself just in time to slam his palm down on the flat of the Astro Saber, knocking it into the ground with the power of its thrust. The drake hiked up one leg and cannoned it into the Astro Delta’s chest, sending up a shower of sparks as the Megazord stumbled back.
Chris gritted his teeth as the mech got its feet back under itself. “Gr… alright then,” he muttered, the dark visors of his helmet gleaming as he leveled his gaze on the dragon outside. Green and orange Static surged through him before he reached across the console in front of him and pushed the button that opened the battlizer port. He put his hand over it and the energy surrounding him trailed down his arm and into the port. On the outside, the Megazord straightened up emotionlessly, Spike tensing up as his eyes narrowed. Slowly, the Astro Delta raised its arm up to its sides and dropped the Astro Saber and Shield. Both weapons boomed to the ground before red and black Static burst out around it. The Gyro Blasters on its shoulders folded up before rotating to store themselves behind the Megazord’s shoulders as the machine took a step back and raised its fists like a boxer.
Spike stared at the Megazord in confusion before he hardened his gaze. His tail thrashed and slammed into the ground before the huge drake rocketed forward, fists clenched and held out to his sides. With a roar that streamed green flames from the corners of his jaws, he threw a monstrous right hook that could have crumbled a mountain only to have it met with the Megazord’s arm as it blocked the blow.
The dragon’s eyes widened before he brought his hand up to catch the robot’s counterpunch. His eyes bugged out, though, as the Astro Delta drove its knee up into his soft belly. He loosed his grip on the machine’s fist as he stumbled back only for the limb that had blocked his haymaker slammed into his torso, staggering him further. He was forced to step back as another blow from the other limb slammed down into his shoulder only for his chin to be knocked up as an uppercut followed it. That blow was followed by another and another and another and soon the Megazord was all but running forward, arms swinging back and forth as its fists separated from the wrists and flew around the machine under their own boosters.
Spike was lifted off his feet by the force and could do little else but absorb the pain of the rocket-propelled knuckles slamming into his body over and over again until his back slammed into something solid. The dragon let out a deafening roar of pain, his limbs slumping against the structure he’d crashed into before coming to a limp rest. “SPIKE!” The dragon’s emerald eye shot open and he looked to his left where he saw Midnight Sparkle at the edge of the tallest tower’s parapets with an off-white unicorn behind her. And in the dark Alicorn’s quivering eyes he saw fear.
His pupils narrowed to slits and with a roar, he thrust his tail out towards the Megazord towering over him. The Astro Delta’s left hand shot out, having returned to the wrist, and caught the attack just behind the enlarged tail spike. With that, time slowed to a crawl as the machine drew its right arm back, its other hand reattaching with the Astro Saber in tow before it swung down. The slash cleaved through scale and flesh, splitting the huge crest on the dragon’s chest in twain as blood gushed from the wound. Spike’s eyes quivered before they turned empty, a gasp escaping his lips as his head fell back against the crystal castle.
“NOOO!!!”
With the roar of pain and grief ripping through the air, time resumed. “Sweetie Belle!” Chris’ voice boomed out before the Astro Delta’s empty hand shot across its body and rushed towards the top of the tower. Midnight slammed her eyes shut as she grit her teeth against the hoarse pain of her throat, flinching as the air rushed past her ears. She only opened them when the end didn’t come and a whistling howl filled the air. Her eyes widened at the hunched figure of the Astro Delta before she threw her gaze skyward just in time to see a silver streak race towards her. All at once, her entire world was consumed by fire from above and below.
As the twin explosions of the silver galaxy glider self-destructing and the Explosion Static soaked boxing gloves detonating faded, the Astro Delta slowly moved its hand out away from its chest and uncurled its fingers. In the middle of the machine’s palm sat Sweetie Belle, Static of red, black, green, and orange shining almost blindingly all around her. “You okay?” Chris’ voice asked as the Static died down around the mare.
Sweetie stared up dumbfoundedly at the machine before she nodded hesitantly. A tired, worried sigh sounded out before light surrounded the unicorn. In a flash of light, the mare found herself in the cockpit next to Chris, his helmet off as sweat poured down his face. “I should be asking you that,” she said, putting a hand to his shoulder as she leaned forward with a frown.
The man nodded tiredly before he raised a hand up to meet hers. “I’ll be fine,” he answered before he moved his hand back to the controls, maneuvering them until the mecha started to rise from the ground back towards the atmosphere. As the Megazords began to deconstruct themselves and transform, Chris and Sweetie were teleported into the Astro’s cockpit. As they settled back, Chris glanced back towards his marefriend. “What happened up there?”
Sweetie went quiet for a second as she lowered her eyes and brought her other hand up, opening it up to show off the two silver pieces of her staff’s shattered charm. “Nothing good….”
“Gah!” Sweetie cried out as her back slammed into the tower’s parapet, though her voice was no match for the deafening boom of thunder that shook the air. Midnight was thrown back, opposite from her as the lightning exploded through the air. The two mares slammed their hands over their ears as they waited for the light to fade, eyes clamped shut. A few moments later and the off-white unicorn gasped for air, her back and shoulders throbbing with pain. Her eyes fell open as she leaned forward, trying to take some of the pressure off her back only to stop as a glint caught her gaze. She looked over and her breath caught in her throat as she saw the remains of her staff, the polished, carved wood splintered and shattered almost perfectly in the middle.
“No… no, please…” she murmured, waving her hand towards the kindling. The staff glowed in pale green light before shrinking down and jumping into her hand. Upturning her palm, Sweetie stared down at the shattered remains of her staff’s charm… her symbol of power and accomplishment shattered to pieces. The mare cried out as something slammed into her shoulder, slamming and pinning her back against the crystal.
“Aww, something the matter?” Midnight questioned in a sour-sweet tone before snarling and forcing her boot deeper into the younger mare’s shoulder. She smirked as the unicorn let out another cry of pain. “Am I being too rough?” The dark alicorn bent over her pray, Sweetie looking up at her captor with wide eyes. “I’m going to show you true pain. The pain of losing everything before you lose yourself. I’m going to make you watch as I kill every single piece of trash you call an ally. Only then, when I’ve torn down your petty resistance and slaughtered your friends, I’ll break you. I will torture and torment you until you’re on the brink of death, but I won’t let you die. You’re going to come back again, and again, and again until you are nothing more than a broken down pile of shit! ...And then you will have my permission to di-”
Shaking and rumbling cut the older pony off as the quake unbalanced her. Taking her chance, Sweetie’s horn ignited and she thrust her hand up, magic energy forming a rushing wall that slammed into the alicorn and threw her away. Gritting her teeth, the off-white mare put her feet under her and jumped to the side before a blast of turquoise magic obliterated the wall behind her. She rolled to her feet, yanking her zeo laser blade from its sheath as Midnight turned her enraged snarl on her again, hands, horn, and saber burning with her magic. Before either of them could move, though, the tower under their feet shook violently once more as a shadow started to fall on them.
Both mare’s jerked their eyes up towards the source, and both widened them. But only Midnight grew a chilling grin. She let out a mad chuckle that quickly devolved into manic laughter before she shifted her gaze to Sweetie’s petrified figure. “Problem!?” She yelled over the roar of shifting scales and collapsing crystal walls. When the pale unicorn turned her frightened stare on her, her grin widened before she pointed up towards Spike’s massive form. “That is why you cannot win. You cannot possibly fathom the power we possess… and how badly we’ve been dying to use every ounce of it to crush you.”
Sweetie Belle’s pupils turned to pinpricks as the alicorn turned fully to face her only to stop as the screaming of engines filled the air alongside a flash of polychromatic light. She shot her eyes to the sky where she saw the galaxy gliders rocket into the air, most of which changed course and screamed away from the castle. However, the pale unicorn’s terrified gaze broke into a triumphant smirk as she saw her silver glider rush towards the tower. “Sorry, Midnight!” She yelled over the roar of jets as she started to step backward. “We’ll have to reschedule our play date!”
The dark alicorn ripped her eyes from the silver board and turned them on the mare behind her, eyes widening as she realized what was about to happen. “No,” she growled, once again shooting her gaze towards the galaxy glider. “You will not escape!” She thrust the blade of her saber into the air, teal magic exploding out to form a dome that met the glider mid-air and deflected it. The board flipped backward several times before it stabilized and hovered in place as if waiting for the barrier to drop. This only made Midnight smirk. “Quite loyal, isn’t it?” She questioned, throwing her look back towards her opponent. “I know a thing or two about that.”
The unicorn’s face contorted into confusion at that before the air rumbled with the much louder screaming of much larger engines. The mages looked up past the giant mass of purple dragon in front of them to watch as twin black ships, one disk-shaped and the other more of a star, raced into view, letting hell rain down in the form of laser fire on the enormous drake. Sweetie Belle raised her hands as the ships raced back, fully expecting the ships’ cannons to obliterate the tower with them on top. Except, they didn’t. Instead, any burning bolts racing towards them either detonated on impact with Midnight’s shields or bounced off. Pale green eyes looked back towards the dark mare at the center of the tower, and, for the first time, her eyes were neither filled with fear or rage but with… awe.
Midnight’s smirk morphed into a snarl, a ‘tsk’ escaping her as she watched the twin ships race up into the sky, a streak of silver, red, and blue racing up to meet the disk-shaped ship. “Persistent, isn’t he?” The dark alicorn growled before she ripped her eyes from the sky. “Spike! Go! Tear the resistance apart! End this now!”
The great dragon turned his head, emerald eye landing on the mare before he blinked and nodded. The ground rumbled as the dragon started forward and the purple mare let out a heinous chuckle. “This is it,” she murmured. “This is the day it ends.” She strode forward, an almost giddy energy in her steps. She stopped as she reached the edge of the tower, leaning and putting her hands on the parapets. “The day it all ends….”
Sweetie stared at the older pony. Had she been forgotten? Or was the evil warlord simply biding her time, allowing her prey a chance to relax before snatching away hope at the last second? Her thoughts were interrupted as the thunder of jets once more filled the air. She looked to the sky to find a Megazord unlike any she’d seen race down to the earth. Her eyes widened as she saw it land between the Everfree and colossal dragon, only just realizing that in a few moments Spike had made his way out of Ponyville and halfway across the planes to the trees.
The dragon huffed. “And here I thought you ran away,” he boomed over the battlefield.
“Rangers never run,” the machine answered with Chris’ voice.
“Big words… hope you can back them up!” Spike roared, rushing forward and the fight began.
Sweetie’s eyes widened and her ears twitched as the titans fought against one another. She flinched when another bout of manic laughter reached her ears and drew her attention to Midnight. “Yes, Spike,” the mare hissed, her expression hidden from Sweetie’s gaze. “Tear him down to dust. Show them our power!” The off-white unicorn gaped at the mare before a loud boom drew her back to the fight. The dragon let his leg fall back to the ground as the black Megazord backpedaled to regain its balance. It stopped and straightened up, Sweetie letting out a gasp as it dropped both its shield and sword.
“No, Chris,” she murmured, rushing to the short wall. “What are you doing?” Red and black energy suddenly buzzed out around the machine, both mares leaning back with confused looks. “What…?” Mech and dragon lunged towards each other and after a short exchange of blows, it was clear which had the upper hand.
“No…” Midnight whispered before her snarl returned. “Fight back, Spike! You have to win!” Sweetie Belle glanced towards the older pony, a strange feeling creeping into her heart as she looked into the mulberry eyes blazing with teal energy. Hatred, power, rage, all these filled the fiery orbs… but so did fear. “No!” The alicorn clenched her hands only for both of them to lift their hands over their faces and brace themselves as the huge purple drake was pummeled into the side of the castle. “SPIKE!” The young unicorn looked up, gawking as all remnants of anger and resolve were torn away from her opponent’s expression. In its place, horror and panic ruled….
“And then you…” Sweetie Belle stopped, biting her lip as her hands clenched her robes. She let out a shutter that steadied as the man beside her wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Chris didn’t say anything, simply held her as she calmed down, leaning against his chest as they sat on their couch. “...I didn’t want to do it,” he finally muttered, eyes locked on the floor. The mare in his arms looked up at him, worry filling her eyes. She didn’t need to speak to prompt him forward. “I… I know what Spike is supposed to be. He’s supposed to be friendly, childish… the kind that you’re glad to have at your back…. And the entire time we were fighting, all I could see was that happy, optimistic baby dragon he was supposed to be.” The man stopped and lifted a shaky hand, looking at it like it was a deadly serpent. “And I killed him.”
He fell silent, lowering his hand back down. All the while, Sweetie Belle continued to look up into his eyes, searching for… something. After a few more moments, she simply let out a breath and laid her head against his chest again. “...We can’t save everybody,” she murmured, shifting slightly as the only response she got was her boyfriend holding a little tighter. The couple stayed curled up together on the couch, letting the time begin to fade away. It wasn’t until Chris’ eyes began to feel heavy that anything disturbed them.
The jingle of Sweetie’s communicator jostled both of them awake, the man blinking tiredly as the mare yawned and lifted her wrist. “Sweetie he-”
“SWEETIE DIANA BELLE!!!”
Man and mare flinched as the yell filled their tiny apartment, the sounds of barking, hissing, and yowling churning up the background. “If you don’t come down here and get the twins, I’ll- I’ll- I’ll go nuts damn it!!!” Without another word, the call cut out, leaving the pair to stare in fear at the tiny device on Sweetie’s wrist.
“...I’m just gonna-”
“Yep.”
Sweetie all but teleported from the young man’s lap, rushing out the door as fast as she could. Chris was left in his stupor, mind still frazzled. After a moment, he shook his head and blinked. “Rarity never curses.”
Across the planes, passed the decrepit remains of Ponyville, the crystal castle stood. Its walls, that had never been affected by the elements or any other outside force, appeared haggard and ruined. The entirety of the tallest tower’s crown was gone, the melted and cracked crater the only evidence it had ever existed. A large portion of the stronghold’s southwestern wall had been carved in and the front of the castle was pockmarked with holes and craters, both big and small. But, to top it all, was the pile of scorched and wrecked remains of the cog army.
Inside, the scene wasn't much different. Bodies of the androids lay strewn about the halls, their corpses left to be forgotten. No sound could be heard within the corridors, the death of silence reigning over all… except in the furthest corner of the structure.
Deep beneath the ground of the once menacing fortress, a black smear trailed down a curved out tunnel. The stain trailed down the crystal, following the slow, painful sound of a long screech followed by a clanging thump. Staroid, hand pressed against the wall as he limped along, seemed to be the only living thing still within the four walls. The machine captain had seen better days.
His armor was filled with hole and gouges, wires poking out and mechanical fluid leaking into the floor. His right arm was completely absent, the foot on the same side hanging on by a bundle of wires as it was dragged along. His remaining eye shone dully in the dark, flickering constantly as he strived forward toward his goal.
Finally, he reached it, resting his shoulder against the wall as he reached his hand out to the lonely wooden door before him. The hinges swung open with a soft squeal, letting the sinister light within fall into the hall. Slowly, carefully, the machine made his way inside, eye flickering as he tried to take everything in. An alchemic circle filled the center of the floor, pulsing with a strange purple light while six thick white candles dripped wax onto the floor around it and cast a sickly green light. From the ceiling hung beaded lines and veils, unidentifiable and archaic ingredients hanging from them, casting distorted and monstrous shadows on the walls.
Staroid let his gaze sweep back over the room, optics buzzing critically until he stopped. With a shudder, he began to limp into the room, a few drops of his internal fluids splattering onto the circle. He stopped once he reached the edge of the shadows, in which a single cot could be made out. On it rested Spike the dragon, blood-stained bandages wrapped around his torso tightly. His breath came in shallow, painful gurgles, his mouth gaping as dark, sickly smoke drifted from his nostrils. And over him hunched the solitary figure of Midnight Sparkle, armor and clothing ripped, dented, and scorched. Wounds seemed to cover her body, left unattended and bare to the world.
The room was void of any sound for several long minutes, only the flicker of flame and spark of electronics breaking the silence. “...When Sombra arrives,” the mare suddenly spoke up, not looking up at her most loyal machine. “Bring him to me. Until then, do not disturb us….”
The machine stood quietly for a moment before he bowed to the best of his ability. “Yes, mistress,” he answered quietly before turning and thumping his way out the door, closing it as he went.
Midnight was left in the crippling half-light, shadows engulfing her face. Her body shuddered and a hoarse gasp escaped her as she reached a hand out and rested it on the dragon’s forearm. “I promise you, Spike…” she mumbled hoarsely, using her other hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks before opening her eyes and bathing the corner in burning teal light. “I’ll make them pay… I’ll make them pay with their lives….”
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So is Spike actually dead or does Chris only think he killed him given that last scene? I hope he Is still alive.
9054121
He is alive, if only barely
9054312
Well that's good. Say if you happen to need a medic to help Spike let me know, My character PRINCESS HEART happens to be a healing summoner so she can help everyone who needs it while trying to fix the world in whatever way she can.
9054638
Will do, my friend
9057334
Sweet. ^^
Great chapter can't wait to see what happens next