My Brave Pony Starfleet Magic: Season II

by DakariKingMykan

Episode 23: Part 2: To Fight or Not to Fight

“Previously on Starfleet Magic”

After learning about an immense source of power kept in the bowels of the Dark Planet, Lightning and some of the others venture forth to obtain it, only to be separated from one another and to fall victim to several illusions in the enchanted caverns.

Lightning managed to uncover the resting place of the great power, but also a dark clone of himself, seemingly impossible to conquer, and soon surrounded by dark clones of his friends.

EPISODE TWENTY-THREE

Lightning was still faced with the six evil clones, backing away from them as they crept forth. When suddenly, a shadowy shining wave came out from nowhere and grabbed Lightning, and he vanished. The evil ones searched all around the shrine, but they had no idea that Lightning was merely invisible-- cloaked in the magic of the real Princess Luna’s shadowy mane.

“Are you alright?” Luna asked.

“It’s really you guys?” asked Lightning, and the others proved it by saying anagrams of Starfleet; the secret approval only they knew.

Twilight: “Feral Test”

Luna: “Flat Trees”

Spike: “Treat Self”

Krysta: “Let Faster”

Rhymey: “Stale Fret

Believe me yet?”

“Okay then.” said Lightning. While the evil ones were still searching for their foes, a lot of the others still didn’t understand who they were or what they were or what was going on. “It must be some kind of test, like a final course before the power.” said Krysta.

“So, we have to beat those clones in order to proceed.” said Twilight.

“Easier said than done.” said Spike “I’m starting to wish I had stayed behind.”

“Well we can’t stay here, that much is true.

We may as well go out there and see this through.” said Rhymey.

Princess Luna agreed and came up with a plan “If you can all successfully distract those monsters, I shall make a break for the tomb and attempt to bypass the barrier and open it.”

“I wouldn’t advise that, Princess.” Twilight said, and then she suddenly felt everyone gazing at her. “Twilight, what’s wrong?” asked Lightning.

“Don’t you remember what Grand Ruler said about the legend of the barrier? It will bring fatal harm, maybe even death to anyone who was ever evil… which may include a former Nightmare Moon.”

Everyone, even Luna just remembered that. “You may be right. That could be possible.” Luna said. She now felt unsure of her initial plan. “Maybe one of us should try and break through the barrier instead.” Krysta suggested “The barrier won’t hurt you guys, since you were never really evil.”

“We better do it.” Lightning said. “All right, get ready to break.”

On his word, Luna dispelled her invisibility spell, and everyone leapt out into the open. The clones turned to face each of their counterparts and glared at them with their red eyes, and the fight was on.

“This should be easy.” Spike gloated at the Evil Spike “I don’t even know how to fight, so you must-- AAH!” His clone grabbed him by the tail and began to whacking him on the ground like a hammer. “Ow! Ouch! Ooh…! Know how to fight.” Spike said all dizzy and groggy. He shook himself awake and glared angrily at his clone. “Try this!” he shouted as he belched a big flame at evil Spike, but not only was Evil Spike good at fighting, his fiery breath was stronger than Spike’s. “YEOW…!” groaned Spike! “This is going to be harder than I thought.”

His clone just angrily snuffed at him.

Twilight and her clone stared each other down and then charged at one another. Their horns glowed and they collided, smack-on, and were engaged in a struggle. Twilight grunted and growled as she pushed with all her might and the two Twilights each fired a magic blast form their horns at the same time, knocking each other back. “I’m just getting started!” hissed Twilight, she charged at her clone again ready for more.

Krysta and her clone fluttered about and flew round and around gazed one another down, and then the evil clone waved her scepter, forming an energy ball and flinging it at Krysta who parried the shot back at her foe, and her foe retaliated by sending it back. The two fairies ended up playing a game of tennis with the blast, constantly flinging it back and forth. Each time one managed to successfully repel the blast, did it get bigger, and stronger, more violent and harder to repel. The blast suddenly exploded in midair knowing the two fairies backward into the walls, but neither was ready to give in yet, but Twilight couldn’t seem to get her opening to head for the tomb.

Neither were the two Rhymeys. They clashed and parried their swords at one another while dodging and evading open attacks. They even engaged in a blade-lock, and eventually broke free by kicking each other away.

“Time to get tough…

Try this stuff!” snapped Rhymey. “DRILL QUILL” He fired his swarm of quills, but the Rhymey clone simply whirled his sword round and around negating the entire attack, and then lunged at Rhymey engaging in a another sword fight, but Rhymey got hit a few times, so did the clone. Rhymey then quickly tried to dash for the tomb, but his clone shot at him, causing him to crash to the ground. The brawl was still on with them.

The two Luna’s were fighting just as fiercely. Luna really despised there being an evil clone of her. It was almost like facing Nightmare Moon all over again. “I… am not… evil!” she kept saying to herself and to her clone as she fought. Punches, kicks, magical blasts were exchanged between the two princesses, yet the battle seemed to be in the favor of Dark Luna.

Lightning saw his chance and tried to make a break for the tomb, but Dark Lightning intercepted him and the two began to brawl. In this midst, Lightning managed to kick his clone hard sending it soaring backwards into the wall, but it quickly got back up and attacked Lightning with more force than ever.

This was getting the team nowhere!

Both they and their clones seemed evenly matched in almost every way, except the clones never seemed to get tired, and always seemed to be getting stronger, but still, they knew they just had to get to that tomb and the power inside. So, the team kept on fighting, and they kept on getting beaten.

Poor Spike got tail-whipped and bashed by his evil clone and flew smack into Twilight, crashing hard into all the others, and they all fell all over one another.

“Gosh!” groaned Spike “I really had no idea I was this tough to beat.”

“Um, Spike, I hate to say it but, you’re not really all that tough.” Krysta said “I could easily flip you with my magic.”

Twilight then protested that she could overpower Krysta if she ever got the right opening. Lightning said he and Rhymey could easily flip her over any day. Easily, Luna didn’t mind saying that as she was a royal alicorn; her power was greater than that of any of theirs, to an extent.

Suddenly, everyone happened upon the same idea. “If we can’t beat ourselves so easily…” Twilight said.

“…Maybe we can beat each other.” added Lightning.

Rhymey nodded and said

“We’ll stare our own clones down then in a twitch

Before they attack us, we’ll make a switch.”

The others agreed, and got back up as their clones approached them. Each was staring down at their respective counterparts, and they waited, and waited. “Go!” shouted Lightning, and they all leapt up, and over their clones, and went after different clones instead of their own, and the plan seemed to work at first.

Evil Spike tried his fire, but Krysta evaded it and used her magic to lift up high and slam him down hard. “Guess bigger isn’t always better.” she teased.

Dark Krysta tried to go after her but Twilight popped right up and swatted the little pest with her tail. Dark Krysta conjured up a magical energy-ball ready to fling it at Twilight “Oh, no you don’t.” Twilight said, and just as the evil Krysta fired her blast, Twilight fired a blast of her own, much larger than her opponents, smashing right through it and hitting the little fairy hard.

The Evil Twilight tried to rush at Twilight, but Lightning grabbed her by the tail, and when she turned to face him, she got a swift punch in the cheek and a kick to the gut sending her skidding across the floor. Evil Rhymey tried to rush to defend her only to get tripped up by Luna, who had hidden in the darkness and used her mane to trip him off his feet and lose his sword. He tried to reach for it, but Luna stepped on his limb preventing him from reaching and sent him skidding across the room with a magical blast from her horn.

The evil Luna tried to attack, but Spike pushed and pushed on a hard column with all his might, pushing it over at the evil Luna, causing her to leap out of the way, and Lightning grabbed her by the tail, picking her up and whirled her round and around and around. The other evil clones tried to rush over and help her, only to get bashed by Lightning whirling Dark Luna around and tossing her hard to the floor.

“Blast them!” shouted Lightning, and one by one, everyone fired a strong shot at the evil clones. Sparks and explosions blasted all over, and the clones fell over backwards, but they didn’t explode. They just lay there for a moment, and then leapt right back up again, and now their eyes were glowing brighter, redder, and angrier than ever.

“I don’t believe it!” snapped Lightning “They just won’t stay down!”

The clones looked ready for more, but the gang was starting to feel tired and worn out. They couldn’t fight off much longer, but Luna saw her chance and despite the risks, she dashed straight for the tomb. “Princess, No!” shouted Lightning.

“Come back!” cried Krysta, but Luna already managed to make it past the clones, up the small stairs right at the barrier surrounding the tomb. “Don’t do it!” shouted Spike. “I must!” growled Luna, but the second she touched the barrier, she screamed as the powerful magic harmed her, and blasted her hard to the ground. “PRINCESS!!” screamed Twilight, but poor Luna lay perfectly still.

The whole gang rushed over to her, and Lightning scooped her up in his arms, and scanned her with his visor. “She’s still alive, just barely.”

Everyone sighed ever so heavily in relief…

“I’m so relieved that she’s okay…”

…but he then saw the clones. “Oh, but they’re coming this way.”

All the clones, even the Luna clone still looked as snarling and ready for more action, but neither of them knew what to do. However, Spike was so angry and sore about Princess Luna being hurt that he took off in a fiery rage for his clone. “Spike!” cried Twilight, but Spike already lunged at Evil Spike, only to get beaten and thrown hard against the wall. “Spike!” cried Twilight, and she tried to rush over and help him, only to get pushed back by her evil clone.

This really seemed to be it. They tried their best, and still couldn’t stop the clones, and Princess Luna was badly hurt.

Spike’s clone was coming towards him with his claws ready for the kill. “Don’t, please!” yelled Spike “I don’t want to fight anymore!” and he actually got down on his knees and put his claws up in a surrendering pose. “Don’t hurt me. I just can’t take it.” he said, and his clone did nothing. It just stood there gazing at him, and its eyes began to lose their evil glow. Spike could hardly believe it, and neither could the others.

“Did you see that?” asked Krysta.

“When Spike refused to fight,

His clone let him off light.” said Rhymey. He wondered if it would work for him too. He stood to face his clone, but instead of attacking him, he just dropped his sword. Sure enough, his clone didn’t fight him.

The others soon did the same, and refused to fight anymore. “The Princess does not wish to attack either.” Lightning spoke on Luna’s behalf. The clones didn’t so much as raise a punch and their eyes stopped glowing so madly and their bodies suddenly turned into shiny streams of light that swirled round and round near the celling and disarmed the barrier round the tomb and opened it wide. Out of the tomb rose a giant clear urn containing the mystical glowing energy.

Spike could hardly breathe. “That’s it? Did we do it?”

The others weren’t sure, but suddenly they heard voices. “Ye can who hear this, listen well.”

The voices explained to the team that they worked hard to make it all this way to their secret caverns, by sticking together, not giving up, and working together against their evil clones, their hearts had proven that they sought to use the hidden power for goodness and righteousness, and not for greed, by also showing the clones that they no longer wished to fight, they had proven themselves to be pure of heart, despite the fighting and struggle.

The team were confused and baffled by all that mumbo-jumbo-- showing pureness by how they fought, how did it make sense?

“Take the power with you. It is yours, and finally may our duties be fulfilled and may evil perish at the hand of pureness.” The sound of the voices faded away, and everything seemed clear. “Hello?” Krysta called out, but no one answered.

Princess Luna softly began to awaken. “Oh! What happened?” she asked. “Are you alright, princess?” asked Lightning “We almost lost you.”

Luna suddenly remembered being blasted by the barrier, but strangely enough she actually felt, while she was being shocked, it wasn’t because of her former connection to Nightmare Moon that did it, but rather because she hadn’t properly passed the test along with the others by refusing to fight the clones. Only then would the barrier dispel, and the tomb would open.

The others decided no longer to think about it, but rather take the energy and leave, but strangely, the energy was beginning to fade out. “What’s going?” asked Spike. “The power, it is being drained away!” cried Luna.

“You’re correct.” hissed a voice. Everyone looked up and saw “CHRYSALIS!” She was standing, over an opening in the ceiling, and she was no illusion. She had been aware of their arrival on the planet for some time, and she was baffled at why they hadn’t come to settle the score with her, she followed them into the caverns and learned all the secrets while keeping in hiding. The mirages didn’t affect her as she was a master of manipulation and knew they were not real from the start, but now that the power was revealed, and free from the barrier that would have blocked her off, she was syphoning it and using it to increase her own power, and stealing more of it every second.

“Twilight, give me the rainbow rod, quick!” snapped Lightning, and Twilight tossed him the rod backpack. Lightning quickly began to absorb some of the magic. “Oh, no you don’t!” Chrysalis yelled as she prepared to zap Lightning. “Oh, yes we do!” snarled Luna as she fired a blast, forcing Chrysalis to dodge, but the blast had hit the roof so hard, not to mention all the blasts from the battle with the clones were finally taking their toll on the cavern. The whole place was starting to collapse. “We’re going to be buried alive!” cried Krysta.

Lightning and Chrysalis were still struggling to gather the most of the remaining power and the refused to stop, not even when large rocks began to fall from the ceiling. “Lightning!” cried Twilight “Forget the power! We have to go!”

“No, we need it!” shouted Lightning, but Luna grabbed him in her mane and the team began to flee for it.

Chrysalis laughed at them “Cowards!” but soon she realized it was best for her to leave with what little power she had gathered.

Luna used her magic of shadow-slipping, to help slip everyone through cracks in the walls and ceiling, finally emerging out of the cave, and outside of Chrysalis’ palace, which was about to collapse any second along with the caves. Now that they were outside again, Krysta quickly formed a portal and they all jumped through just in time as the castle caved in, and the leftover magic that was left in the cave burst with an explosive force so bright…

…it could be seen from afar on United Equestria. Starla could see it through her dimensional astral telescope. “Lightning!” she cried. “What? What happened?” cried Fluttershy. She was worried and hoped the others were okay, especially Rhymey.

Their majesties were very worried too, when suddenly the portal gate appeared and the team fell out of it. “We made it!” cried Lightning.

“Lightning!” cried Starla as she ran to him tackling him to the ground and planting kisses all over his face. “Starla…!” Lightning giggled from her kisses tickling him.

“Rhymey!” Fluttershy cried as she ran into his arms.

“Oh, my…

…Fluttershy!” he cried as he twirled her around and around.

All the others had gathered and welcomed their friends. Their majesties then asked for some order. “What happened out there?” Grand Ruler asked. “We could feel that force all the way here.”

Luna explained, “Sister, brother-in-law… we are in terrible danger.”

Lightning presented the royal ones with the, now, glowing and enchanted rainbow rod. They had managed to store plenty of energy in it, but told their majesties about Chrysalis, the caves, and just barely escaping with their lives. This only meant that the final battle was nearly ready to begin, and Chrysalis was bound strike anytime.

Lightning felt very concerned. “Who knows how strong she’ll be with all that power.”

“Oh!” cried Rarity “Of all the worst things that could happen to us, this is THE…WORST…POSSIBLE…THING!”

Everyone gazed at her for an awkward moment, and then began to chatter in worry and concern, until the royal ones ordered them to remain calm. “We all knew this was coming.” Grand Ruler said “And we have since been preparing for it. Correct?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Celestia nodded “So, we’re going to do everything we can to protect our kingdom, and together we will triumph and end this war.”

Everyone soon regained their confidence, especially now that the rainbow rod was restored. With all that, duties were assigned to prepare the kingdom for their fiercest upcoming battles yet to come, but all in all there wasn’t much any of them could do but wait for the first move.

As for Spike, Twilight and the others thanked him graciously for helping them. It was he who found the real secret to unlocking the power while the rest of them had been blinded by the battle. When Rarity heard of this, she made Spike a special sash, and their majesties gave him a medal for bravery. Even Princess Luna was pleased with him and the others, and realized that there was still much for her to learn about the hazards and many mysteries of the dimensional universe.

But for now… despite there was a big struggle nearing commencement, everyone thought it best to get a little rest.

While back on Dark Planet…

Chrysalis, having escaped the caverns, didn’t at all feel upset about the loss of her fortress. The power she had just absorbed made her physically stronger and her magic even more immense.

“I can feel it! The very power is pulsating in my veins!” she thundered.

Finally, she began to feel her shape changing.

She became a fully humanoid creature, with dark skin, an actual human face with pointy ears. Her long blue hair hung loosely. She wore ghastly purple armor, with a black cape, and a witches had on her head.

No one would ever stand in her way again, and she had a good idea of how to actually kill two birds with one stone to begin her ultimate attack! “Prepare yourselves, ponies! Prepare… for the hunt!”

(Promo)

In our next episode, the chaos begins as Fratello prepares for his ultimate attack on United Equestria, but Chrysalis invades his hideout and plans to add his resources to her own for her own ultimate attack.

The armies attack and Chrysalis unleashes a deadly storm upon the land to further decrease the ponies’ chances of victory.

How will it all play, and what will become of the planet?

Don’t miss the next exciting episode of “Starfleet Magic!”

(Next episode: Part 1: Swarms and Storms!”)