Addition
Changelings and thugs went flying. Their ranks were cleaved apart. Those that managed to avoid the implacable charge were blasted with a sharp scent that stung their eyes and brought them to their knees in fits of hacking.
Bulk reared up, clearing away the villains closest to himself and Aloe. Slamming his hooves back on the ground, the thick sphere around his head dissipated into the air. With a big breath, he yelled, “Yeah!”
Bulk Biceps
Talent- Air Head: Muscles aren’t all this pegasus has got! His talent allows him to bend the air around his head into an impenetrable bubble. Nothing gets in or out of it… including fresh air, so he can’t use it for long periods of time. When active though, he’s basically a pony-sized wrecking ball!
“Good job, Bulk!” Aloe slid off his back. The sand swirled near her. Flicking a hoof, the wind bent ahead of her and flew into some nearby villains. A few lunged and buzzed out of the way, but many joined their comrades on the ground, in tears and gasping for air.
Aloe Vera
Talent- Aromatherapy: This mare can certainly prickle your nose if you get on her bad side! She can create all kinds of scents based on what she’s eaten. From a soothing fragrance to melt away the day’s labors to a noxious combination that makes pepper spray look tame, this mare is an olfactory dream or nightmare!
“These brats are annoying!” a bearded stallion cursed before charging at Aloe. He extended out a wing, transforming it into a massive sickle.
Bulk sucked in his breath and met the stallion’s blow with his head. The sharpened edge cracked and the stallion howled in pain. Behind Bulk, Aloe summoned up more invisible aromas and threw them all around herself and Bulk.
Aloe dared to grin. “Professor Tantabus would be happy now.”
Bulk gave a muffled “Yeah!” He then scooped Aloe onto his back and plowed into the villains again.
While they barreled into the crowds, a villain watched them with a glint in his eyes. Despite his comrades gasping for air around him, he stood unfazed. Brushing a hoof against his well-oiled and maintained mane, he grinned. The tips of his deep purple hooves began to bubble. Noxious fumes rose off them.
~~~
A fist of shadow smashed into Enigma’s head from the right while a volley of tiny needles flew at his side from the left. Tree Hugger strafed around him, but she could always sense his gaze on her, so she dared not draw any closer. Maud’s shadow’s fist slipped through Enigma’s face and remained caught there for a moment before Maud dispelled and reformed it by her side. The needles Lotus Blossom had thrown passed through him just as easily.
“What’s with this guy?” Lotus asked.
Lotus Blossom
Talent- Soft Spot: Lotus knows just the spot to relax your muscles if you’re seeing her for a massage. If you’re fighting her though, she’ll knock you out with a simple touch or strike with an array of augmented spa tools that complement her talent. Together with Aloe, they make an amazing spa treatment and crime fighting duo!
Tree Hugger’s eyes narrowed. “Huh, so not warping.”
Tree Hugger
Talent- In Touch: This mare can really feel you out. Despite being an earth pony, she can see magical energy and target opponents to throw off their groove. She still needs to understand what she’s looking at, though.
“Darn, he’s, like, scrambling everything.” Tree Hugger jumped back to avoid a swipe from Enigma. “Must’ve encountered similar talents before. It’d be far out if he wasn’t a villain.”
“Maybe he’s intangible,” Maud commented.
“Let’s find out!” her shadow screeched. It then melted into the ground and pooled under Enigma. Shoots of shadow then sprung up from under him, skewering him. Maud sucked down some air.
Maud Pie
Talent- Shadow-play: Her shadow seems like it has a mind of its own, but it’s actually connected to Maud’s emotions and stamina. The more of either she has, the stronger her attacks. If she lets her emotions get out of hoof though, her shadow becomes more and more uncontrollable.
Enigma remained suspended for a moment, allowing the students to take in the grisly sight before he sighed and swam through the spikes going through and around him. He could have just as easily been taking a stroll. “My word, is Celestia really teaching you to be so violent? No wonder Equality wanted to rescue you.”
“Oh, she’s one of those villains,” Maud droned while retracting her shadow.
“What does that mean?” Lotus asked.
“There are, like, some ponies that think Princess Celestia is a major bummer,” said Tree Hugger. “I hung with a few fillies and colts like that, but they just had, like, a super negative aura around them. If it wasn’t the Princess, they’d be mad about something else. Really not a good way to deal with bad vibes.”
“Speaking of which…” Maud’s eyes homed in on Enigma. “When I attacked him, something felt strange when he moved through my shadow.”
“Yeah, I noticed it too.” Tree Hugger gazed at Enigma. Through her eyes, she saw a maelstrom of colors in his shape advancing towards them. Through all the shifting hues of magic, she glimpsed a speck of gold that was quickly cloaked by the maelstrom. “Part of him is definitely giving off different waves than the rest, but it’s like mad crazy to pinpoint inside all his scrambling.”
“Leave that up to me!” Lotus declared.
Maud summoned her shadow to her side and split it into multiple spears. “I’ll help draw it out.”
Enigma shook his head. “Celestia really is such a bother.”
~~~
Sunset annihilated a mosquito as big as her eye when it buzzed just a bit too close for her tolerance to stand. Its brethren’s buzzing hummed in her, Fluttershy’s, and Twilight’s ears. The noise was a constant reminder of their location, but it managed to avoid rising to the level of an annoyance. What it portended made Fluttershy shudder.
She hovered closer to Twilight. “Those… those were changelings back there, right?”
“They matched the pictures,” Twilight answered. “We’ll need to be cautious of anypony we encounter.”
♪You can’t trust anyone♪
Twilight’s ears prickled, but Sunset’s words brought her eyes forward.
“I say we just knock ‘em out and sort it out after we clobber those freaks.”
“What?” Fluttershy gasped.
“There are better ways to find a changeling than that,” Twilight retorted. “We can’t just leave our classmates out cold while there are villains all around.”
♪Tell her how you really feel♪
“Even for you, that’s reckless,” Twilight added with a bit more bite to her words.
“Hmmm?” Sunset snorted. She stopped and glared back at Twilight. Perhaps it was the fog and a trick of light, but it looked like there were licks of red around her eyes for a second. “If you don’t like it, who cares? What are you going to do?
♪Tell her♪
“I won’t let you hurt somepony based on paranoia.” A stomp sending up some water emphasized Twilight’s point. “This isn’t like before, Sunset. You can’t just bully ponies around.”
♪Yes, you can. Yes, you can.♪
Sunset turned and splashed down, hitting Twilight and Fluttershy with a few drops of the fetid water. “I can do whatever I want! What? You think you could stop me with that dinky horn and your worthless magic?”
“G-girls,” Fluttershy squeaked, “this really isn’t that time for this.”
“My magic is not useless.” The same aura that had flickered around Sunset’s eyes danced around Twilight’s. “In fact, it saved your stupid flank from blowing up yourself and half of the school.”
“Oooooh.” Sunset crouched. “When did you learn to mouth off?”
Twilight mimicked Sunset. “I have been around you since kindergarten.”
“P-please stop,” Fluttershy prayed.
♪No, go on.
Yes, go on.
Here’s a chance to find your flame. Are you a loser or a fighter?♪
“Get out of that stance, Twilight,” Sunset growled. “You really don’t want to do this.”
“I know when you’re lying, Sunset,” Twilight spat back. “You’ve wanted this for a while.”
♪Me and you, you and me, why don’t we see who is better?♪
Sunset’s faceplate was still open, so she displayed her sickle of a smile to Twilight and Fluttershy. The latter shuddered and glided an inch back, muttering “Stop, stop, stop” over and over. Twilight lit up her horn. “You’re right, I have. You don’t belong here, Twilight. I just haven’t had the chance until now to prove it. Even though you gained that mangy patch of fur on your flank, nopony gains that much skill in just a summer. You’re a damn cheater!”
“Some of us have to actually work for what we want!” Twilight snapped. Her horn was growing brighter.
♪You’re a star and you should know it. You rise above the rest. It doesn’t matter who you hurt if you’re just proving you’re the best!♪
“Shut it!” Sunset’s horn flared, the water below her boiled. “You need t—”
Twilight vanished in a flash and then came from Sunset’s left and smacked her hard across the face. Her helm crumpled in on her right cheek.
Below, the sirens reached the chorus of the song. The water around them reverberated with the shock of Twilight striking Sunset and Sunset skidding across the surface. ♪Battle! You wanna win it! Let’s have battle, battle before the feast! Let’s have a battle, we’ll go all in it! Let’s have a battle, battle, battle!♪
Steaming waves rose up around Sunset, but her body remained above the water with her hooves firmly planted in it. It roiled beneath her. A bit of blood dribbled down her lip. She raised a leg, wiped it, and looked down at the smear it had left in her fur. She then glared at Twilight. “Okay, now I can actually fight you like a mare.”
Her legs shimmered and turned crimson. In an explosion of water, she burst forward at Twilight and pulled back her right foreleg. Twilight gritted her teeth and sent up a shield. Fluttershy lost her amphibious features and leapt out of range. Sunset hooked Twilight’s head from the left.
The blast tore Twilight’s shield away and singed her ear and cheek. Her helm managed to protect the rest of her face, but the left side of it was ripped apart by Sunset’s blast. The rest of her helm precariously balanced on the right side of her face for a second, held only in place by Twilight’s right ear. Then, Sunset drove her hoof into Twilight’s face. The blow had lost its explosive force, but Sunset had more than enough strength left to send Twilight tumbling across the swamp.
She had been hit so hard, she actually skipped across the water, but even Sunset’s attack could only carry her so far before she started to sink into the waters. Fluttershy raced over to pull her up, but a flare of purple aura drew her back. A second later, Twilight reappeared behind Sunset and leveled her horn at her.
The magical blast crashed down on a shield rather than Sunset, but the defensive spell had been as hastily put together as Twilight’s. Cracks formed and spiderwebbed outwards from the initial point of contact. Just before it looked about to burst, Sunset let down the shield and she swerved left. Twilight’s attack burst into the water below.
The Sirens momentarily stopped their chanting to dodge the blast.
“Ooooh,” Sonata cheered, “this is fun!”
“Shame the boss said we can’t eat the purple one,” Aria sighed.
“Oh, I don’t think she’ll mind a little bite.” Adagio’s fangs glistened. “Now, let’s keep on seasoning and maybe get the pegasus in on this too. More for us to have that way!”
With that, they resumed their song. Above, Sunset struck at Twilight, but Twilight allowed gravity to take over with nothing keeping her on the surface and she disappeared into the murky water. Sunset ground her teeth and tore open the swamp below her, sending out geysers of steam and scalding water. It was all Fluttershy could do to avoid them.
Twilight was nowhere to be seen. Then, the water behind Sunset gained a purple aura and rose up around her. The sudden shift took away her footing and she crashed to the left while the water came cascading down on her. Just as it encircled her torso and head, Twilight popped out of the water and caught her breath. “Now to just wait.”
“Twilight!” Fluttershy cried out. She rushed over and grabbed Twilight’s shoulder. Ahead of her, Sunset was punching and kicking at her watery prison, sending volumes of water gushing outwards. Twilight summoned up more to replace it and keep Sunset contained. A trickle of bubbles was coming out of Sunset’s mouth and grew smaller with each kick she sent out. “Stop it! She’s going to drown!”
“I’ll let her out when she loses consciousness!” Twilight snapped at Fluttershy. “She’s unhinged, Fluttershy! It’s too dangerous to let her do as she pleases!”
“Twilight, you’re going to hurt her, stop it!” Fluttershy pleaded. Gathering her resolve, she shoved Twilight.
The water around Sunset fell and she collapsed onto the surface of the swamp. She was left sputtering and gasping for air until Fluttershy rushed over and pulled her up. Fluttershy looked over to Twilight and gulped. She expected brashness from Sunset, but the malice in Twilight’s voice was unnatural and had scared her. When Twilight raised her head though, there was clarity in her eyes.
Fluttershy was about to say something when fire blasted her in the gut. Fluttershy tumbled into the air with her stomach smoking. Sunset dropped down to the ground and landed on the water.
“Idiot,” she growled.
The red aura rekindled in Twilight’s eyes. “You’ll pay for that!”
Both she and Sunset charged at each other. At the same time, Fluttershy crashed nearby but neither paid heed to her. They continued at a full gallop.
“Stop it,” Fluttershy muttered as they neared each other. Sharpened teeth could be glimpsed through her dripping mane. It obscured her eyes for the moment.
Twilight leveled her horn at Sunset. Sunset pulled back a shimmering crimson leg and made it glow even brighter.
“I said…” Fluttershy burst out of the water, causing the whole swamp around them to ripple. Below, the sirens were rocked off balance by the current. Fluttershy was upon Twilight and Sunset in an instant. It was speed they had only seen Dash exhibit before. With that same agility, she clasped Twilight’s horn and Sunset’s leg above the knee, where her magic did not reach up to.
Both their spells fizzled out and a chill took hold of them. They could only relate the dread to what Tantabus could inflict on them. A single blood-red eye peered out from behind Fluttershy’s mane, the rest of her face was left in shadow, enhancing the pull the eye had on them. Both felt their blood freeze and the hair stand on end. “Stop.”
Pressure exploded off Fluttershy. Twilight’s knees gave out and Sunset’s went limp. It was only Fluttershy’s grasp keeping them above water now. Below, the pressure slammed into the sirens and sent them spiraling through the water. Their song faded into the depths with them.
Fluttershy blinked and her eyes returned to turquoise. She took in the state she and the others were in and gasped, “Oh my goodness!”
She let go. Twilight and Sunset both fell into the water, but the splash returned some sense to Fluttershy. Amphibious features once more returned to her body and she swam down and kept their heads above water.
“I am so sorry!” she cried. “I… I don’t know what came over me!”
“Me either,” Twilight coughed. “For a bit there, all I could feel was…”
“Anger,” said Sunset. She pushed off from Fluttershy and pulled herself back onto the surface of the water. “I may hate your guts, but not enough to beat you silly in these conditions.”
Twilight kept her hold on Fluttershy, but also stepped up onto the surface of the water. Her eyes darted left and right. “A mental attack?”
“T-that means there’s a vi—”
Before Fluttershy could finish, something rose up through the depth and grabbed her by the throat. It rammed her into a nearby tree and snarled at her. Its hot breath stank of the swamp and something even more foul. Adagio bared her fangs down at Fluttershy. “You! You spoiled our me—”
Twin blasts of magic nailed Adagio in the head and torso. The strike to her head left a smoking impact while the one to her torso sent a bolt of lightning through her body. The combined forces of the spells knocked her away from Fluttershy. She snarled at Twilight and Sunset before unleashing a deafening wail the made the air around her vibrate. It forced Sunset, Twilight, and Fluttershy to close their eyes for a second. When they opened them, Adagio was gone, but the water around them was now roiling. Yellow, purple, and blue fins poked up periodically while a shrill trio of laughs filled the air.
“We could have let you destroy yourselves, but now you will know true terror!” Adagio’s voice boomed from what seemed like every direction.
“This just keeps getting more fun!” Sonata snickered.
“Let’s just eat them and get it over with,” Aria chuckled.
Twilight rushed to Fluttershy’s side and helped keep her head above the water while she regained her breath.
“Great.” Sunset slid her faceplate on. Her horn burned bright and the water around her steamed, but it did not boil. “Sirens.”
~~~
Labored breaths escaped from both Lyra and Bon Bon. The great pink aura that had cloaked them minutes ago was now just embers flitting around them. Changelings and dragons lay stuck together and crumpled near them, but a hoard of the villains still encircled them. Rarity’s heart thumped faster.
Lyra gritted her teeth and charged at a nearby dragon. She dodged a strike from its left claw and nailed it in the stomach. A bit of spittle went flying from its mouth before it snatched Lyra’s extended arm. It sucked in its breath through a fanged grin. In one swift move, it slung Lyra over its shoulder and slammed her into the ground. The blow knocked the wind out of her and her arm snapped back so that it was at an obtuse angle. She tried to hold back a pained cry, but a yelp escaped.
“Lyra!” Bon Bon yelled. She turned in Lyra’s direction just long enough for some changelings to latch onto her. The last embers of her Bon Bond Enhancement faded. Cold flooded her veins in its place. Her knees shook. “N-no.”
When Bon Bon collapsed, Rarity stiffened. The duo had kept attention off her, but now compound and slitted eyes turned on her. Garble grinned. “Well, this is disappointing.”
Lyra sprang up from the ground and latched onto Garble’s leg. “Rarity! Run!”
“Run where?” Garble kicked Lyra in the barrel. The snapping of ribs rang through the air. Lyra flew for a second and then tumbled onto the rocks. She wheezed for air, but could barely suck any in. Garble advanced on her. “Stupid pony, you think you can run away from a dragon? We’re bigger than you. Stronger than you. You’re just a waste of space!”
Garble reared back a leg and aimed it at Lyra’s head. He kicked, but the blow caught against two raised crystalline hooves. Rarity shook, but she planted her rear hooves.
“Y-you’re right, but we ponies… we heroes will never abandon each other!” Rarity pulled back her right foreleg. “If you want a fight, take this!”
Rarity threw all her weight into the punch and aimed for Garble’s head. The blow knocked his head to the side and sent up a flurry of dust. Rarity pulled back, but her leg stuck. As the dust cleared, her pupils shrank. A few of Garble’s fangs were cracked, but the rest were clenched down on Rarity’s leg. He took a moment to savor the terror in her eyes and then chomped down. Rarity’s crystalline leg cracked.
A blast of fire exploded out from below Garble and nailed him right in his underbelly. He hacked and let go of Rarity’s leg. Both jumped back and held their wounded areas.
Where the flame vanished, a small fissure appeared in its place. A voice called out from it, “Nice call, Rarity.”
Another blast of flame tore the ground apart and sent blazing hot lumps of rock into the villainous horde. A purple claw latched onto the edge of the fissure and Spike pulled himself up. Garble glared at Spike and Spike met him with a determined stare. “What say we finish these guys together?”
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I noticed the cover art, as well. It looks very nice.
Really liking Bulk's quirk.
OMG! Fluttershy just use haki!
9111411
The art is by Vavacung, in fact, t'was I who recommended it.
Okay, that was really clever!
"scrambling", perhaps?
The Beast within has tasted blood {figuratively}!
The Divine Lights Are Blazing!
9111639 Well-played. I thought it looked familiar.
Woo, new chapter, really liking it!
Though Aloe and Tree's Talent seems similar...
Also, good for introducing the Flutterstare. Wonder if it is like some quasi-Talent or just a natural ability, though.
All those talents are really well done and thought out!
9112250
Tree Hugger’s talent is akin to seeing and being able to attack chakra/chi points
Lotus’s is more on the physical side of things, attacking actual muscles, joints, and vitals
9112536
Ah, I see. I guess that is why Tree Hugger sees all those weird colors. Hope to see all the names you introduced for the other Talents (and maybe we will finally have a clearer idea what Pinkie's Talent is besides Pinkie).
Also, could you give me a hint towards who Enigma is? I admit, I am still trying to build familiarity towards MLP, and honestly, Enigma does not seem to be any canon character.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAY SUCH A GOOD FANFIC! I MISSED THIS! :D
9116362
you say incompetent i say does it on purpose. she is both seeking the true serious threats to her and try to get them killed. she has been handling hundreds of threats alone and without the Elements during the thousand years since Luna's banishment and suddenly they are too powerful for her? they are nothing compared to her and yet she loses instantly to them? she is seeking any true threat to her so she can stab them in the back after earning their trust.
9119084
I'm pretty sure that you're wrong.
9121248
Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it.
9121458
comparing anyone to the longest running villain in the show is extremely rude.
9125631
Villain? What villain?
9125639
you know, Sakura, wants Naruto dead. has been giving their position away to the enemy since day one. gave Naruto daily concussions. that villain.
9125664
I won't argue that she can be kind of a (*female dog*), but if Naruto wasn't so persistent in chasing her, she'd probably leave him to his devices. Or focus more on Sasuke, who to be fair, has a similar opinion of her as she does of Naruto. It's just a three-way loss, all around.
I also won't deny that the ninja ostrich was more useful.
9125672
she literally tries to kill him on a daily basis. she sent him on a suicide mission. she essentially said "Bring him back alive or I will hate you forever." if it wasn't for the worst promise he ever made he might not have held back in that last clash and Orochimaru would have never gotten his new butt buddy. sure, Sasuke would have probably been dead but I can't call him a traitor when he was never an ally in the first place.
9125682
Fair enough. Though, she already hated him, so that's not much of a threat.
9125694
But he didn't know that
9125730
And that's like half the problem.
9125619
Voldemort? What?
9125968
You know, Tom riddle from Harry Potter
9126100
... If I didn't know Voldemort, how in the blue blazes would I have recognized the even more obscure nomen of Tom Riddle?
More importantly, why was he brought up and where did you get your numbers?
9127230
well, someone was talking about how the group of villains in this story are tougher than the ones in BNHA (or that the students are weaker) and i was responding with a quip of how truly pathetic that group was. the five man thing is actually canon as i recall (or has been around in fanon for so long noone could tell you the original source), the SOP of any death eater raid calls for a minimum of five even against a no-maj. that is how pitiful they are. they require five guys to take down someone they claim to be superior to. the 30 guys thing is just me insulting them further.
9127248
Ah, ok. See, I read far enough to Know about ole Tom Riddle but not far enough for the nitty-gritty on death eaters. So, I lacked the info to make sense of your quip.
9127679
yeah, fair warning, i tend to go into great detail when i make a comment.
But your always angry sunny...