Chapter 17
Princess Luna stopped her party’s advances in order to scan the area ahead of them. Closing her eyes, she focused her magic to create a mental image of the forest in front of her. She could sense life ahead of her, lying in wait in various areas, and magical readings from what she assumed to be changeling traps.
“The enemy is here,” she announced, cancelling the spell and opening her eyes again. “Be on your guards, everypony.”
“Not ponies,” Shark reminded.
“Uh, right. Everybody,” Luna corrected. “Anyway, there may also be traps ahead of us. We must tread carefully, but we are still running against the clock.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Alexander said, charging up his magic. “Odysseus doesn’t want either me or Aura getting through. But since he never planned for us to have gotten this far in the first place, they probably won’t be so difficult to defeat.”
“Unless he knows that the princess is free,” Mystic pointed out.
“If that’s the case, then we can probably expect to see two generals as we move ahead.”
“Just two?” Shark asked. “For the Princess of the Night? I thought Odysseus was supposed ta be some kinda genius or something.”
“Odysseus is a genius, but he has trouble adjusting when things don’t go his way,” Alexander explained. “His sense of pride also makes him reluctant to deviate too much from his original plans. He put so much effort into assigning each and every soldier to their roles that he won’t rearrange them lightly. He’ll send two or three to try to slow us down, as opposed to sending them all to try to kill us.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Trust me. When it comes to battle strategies, although he may not have noticed it himself, Odysseus actually learned from me. Therefore, I at least know how he thinks on the battlefield.”
“Perhaps we should continue moving?” Mystic suggested. “We must find the queen before Odysseus does, after all.”
The group pressed on through the forest. Not even a minute after they had resumed their walking, a group of changelings jumped out of hiding and surrounded them. “Princess Luna, please allow us to handle this!” one of the Royal Guard ponies accompanying the group shouted.
The changelings attacked, and the Royal Guard fought back, allowing Luna, Mystic, Shark and Alexander to pass through. As they ran, more and more changelings came out of hiding, slowly dwindling the numbers of their Royal Guard escort until only three remained.
Luna grit her teeth and had to resist the urge to stop her advancement so that she could turn back to help her soldiers. “Why?” she asked herself. “After I worked so hard to unite our two races… why did it have to turn out like this?”
“I guess we’re just destined to always be enemies,” Alexander replied. “We’re just too different… But, right now, we’re fighting together to take out an even greater threat. A common enemy, who is attempting to take down both of our lands’ rulers.”
“So in a sense, we are united, right now.”
“… In a sense.”
A loud bang echoed from behind the group, startling them all for a moment. “Those guys were wielding weapons I’ve never seen before,” Shark noted.
“That was the weapon Odysseus and I developed. Those were Odysseus’ personal troops,” Alexander revealed. “So don’t hold back. They’re knowingly committing high treason. The only penalty for that is death, so there’s no escape for them even should they surrender.”
“That’s rather harsh,” Luna interjected. “What if they have simply been played, like Shark, Shock and Chill were?”
“Those three will also suffer the same fate,” Alexander said, eliciting a grunt from Shark. “The laws were made to protect us after Equestria’s betrayal. They were made to be strict because we were in a highly vulnerable state, and because they worked so well, no one ever felt it necessary to change them. The only way they can be changed is if Mother herself appeals for a revision of our laws.”
“… Well, while we don’t agree with capital punishment being used so loosely, now is hardly the time for us to debate such things.” Luna stopped suddenly, as did the others running alongside her. “It seems you were right. We sense two powerful foes heading towards us.”
“If it’s just two, that means two of us can run past them whilst the other two stay to keep them busy,” Mystic said, gathering magic into her horn. “As an illusionist, I should be able to sneak by fairly easily, provided they aren’t illusionists, too.”
“Yeah, and we’ll need your powers to catch Odysseus off-guard,” Alexander added. “Remember, that’s the key to defeating such a foe: catch him off-guard and he really isn’t that big of a threat. But the soldiers that he brought with him might be, so I’ll go on ahead with you. That leaves you two to handle these guys.”
Shark, more than happy to finally see some real action, grinned and stepped forward in front of the group, lifting up a clawed hoof. “That’s fine with me. Just remember, I get the stronger one of the two.”
“You enjoy fighting that much?” Luna asked, walking to Shark’s side and glaring down at the ecstatic changeling. “Even at the risk of your own life?”
“Hell yeah! It’s the ultimate test of one’s character! Putting your life on the line only makes you draw out your full power!”
“… You almost sound like somepony I knew, a long time ago. He met an untimely fate.”
“I’m not afraid of death.”
“Clearly. And that’s a good thing right now… because they’re here.”
Two changelings stepped forth from the trees ahead of the group, both dressed in dark-purple armour and both complete opposites of each other in terms of physical characteristics. One was a large, bulky changeling, who suddenly started flexing his muscles in front of his enemies and who seemed to be wearing armour two sizes too small for him, and the other was a short, slim changeling, who practically hid his entire body in bandages and a black cloak. Even his face was completely covered, save for his eyes.
“General Gemini and General Scorpio,” Alexander said, pointing to the larger changeling and then the shorter changeling respectively as he announced their names. “The stronger of the two would definitely be Scorpio, but-”
“Then he’s mine!” Shark interrupted, cackling as he stared at the shorter general, who simply stared back with two big, bloodshot eyes. With the rest of his face hidden behind his bandages, it was impossible for Shark to gauge his reaction.
“These are the threats that Lord Odysseus told us about?” Scorpio asked, looking over the rest of the group. “… They don’t even seem worth my time.”
“Now, now,” Gemini responded, staring at Princess Luna with a large grin on his face before shifting his gaze to Mystic and giving an appreciative whistle. “They’re obviously dangerous enough that Lord Odysseus wanted us to slow ‘em down. Anyway, I’ve got dibs on these two, y’hear?”
“Always after the pretty ones,” Scorpio sighed as he reached into his cloak. “Just remember to stay out of my way.”
“Oi!” Shark shouted to get their attentions. “You two! We’re gonna be your opponents, so stop yammering and draw your weapons already!”
“… So impatient,” Scorpio said, glaring at Shark. “I’ll be more than happy to take you on. But first, let’s find a vacant area.”
“Heh! You don’t want others butting in, eh? I like your style!”
“No, I just don’t want to risk killing my comrade,” Scorpio corrected. “Anyway, there’s a clearing just past those trees.” Scorpio pointed to his left and Shark followed his hoof.
“Sounds good.” Shark turned to Luna, who was staring at him with an uncertain look in her eyes. “I’ll kill him quickly and then make a break for the battlefield. If he’s trying to stay away from his comrades, that means I’ll have a clear path ahead of me,” he said quietly to the princess.
“Then I’ll try to finish off this one quickly, too, so that I can join you.”
“I can handle myself, so take yer time.”
“But there’s safety in numbers.”
“… Tch, fine. Do what ya want.” Shark turned back to Scorpio, who was patiently waiting for his opponent to make up his mind. “Okay, lead the way!”
As Scorpio led Shark away to another area to do battle, Gemini reached for something behind him, prompting Luna to raise her guard. “What? It’s just my bag,” he said, pulling out a large rucksack that he was carrying on his back. He opened it up with his magic and pulled out a gourd from inside. “Hope ya don’t mind. I like ta have a drink before every battle. You wanna join me, lass?”
“… Neigh,” Luna said, her wings flared as she watched the changeling general cautiously. “We make it a point not to drink on duty.”
“‘We’?” Gemini asked, raising an eyebrow. “What, you and your sister?”
“The royal we,” Luna explained.
“Oooh! … Didn’t know ponies still used that these days.” Gemini lifted the gourd up to his mouth and tilted his head back as he took a huge drink of whatever was inside of it.
Luna turned to the two changelings standing behind her. “Go, now, whilst he’s distracted. We’ll keep him busy here.”
Alexander nodded and led Mystic further into the forest, running past the drinking changeling, the Royal Guard ponies with them following his lead. “Catch up to us as soon as you can!” Alexander shouted as he looked over his shoulder.
Gemini pulled the gourd from his lips and let out a huge sigh. “Man, that’s good! You sure you don’t wanna taste?”
“… You have no problem letting them through?”
Gemini shrugged and lowered his gourd back into his bag. “Don’t bother me. If I went after ‘em, you’d just stop me, right? I’d be giving you a clear shot at my flank, an’ that’s a mistake that can cost a warrior his life. Besides…”
“… Besides?”
Gemini grinned at Luna, but this time, it was a big, goofy grin. One that looked like the kind Discord once gave her whenever he pulled one of his pranks. It made her stomach churn. “I always prefer fightin’ the pretty ones any day! And you, lass, are just about the prettiest darn thing I’ve ever met!”
Luna wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. Was he serious, or was he simply mocking her? She examined him closely. He looked a little dazed, and his face was a slight shade of red. ‘Perhaps he’s just drunk,’ Luna thought to herself, grinning as she charged magic into her horn. ‘In that case, I have the advantage.’
“Hey, lass!” Gemini shouted, snapping Luna out of her thoughts. “Just ta make sure, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to betray your sister and join us, would ya?”
“… If that is a joke, then We suggest you make that perfectly clear, right now.”
“No joke. If you swear your loyalty to us, that’d make things easier for me!”
“Well, we have no intention of betraying our sister, or our country, for that matter.”
Gemini looked depressed as he let out a deep sigh, and lit up his horn as he reached with his magic for something in his bag. “Ah well. Guess I’ll just have ta kill you, then.” Luna tensed when she saw a large tomahawk being levitated out of Gemini’s bag, surrounded by a green aura. “Don’t hold it against me, lass. I just gotta stop you from reachin’ Lord Odysseus. Since yer friends ran off, it means I gotta kill ya so I can catch up.”
“I warn you,” Luna began as her eyes started to glow white and she began to hover into the air, her wings flapping hard enough to create a strong gust of wind, “While I may not be as powerful as my sister, I am still well-versed in the art of combat! Furthermore, We shall show thee no quarter, General Scorpio!”
Gemini’s face hardened and he took a threatening step forward. “GEMINI!” he shouted, startling Luna. “Scorpio’s the other one! My name’s Gemini!”
“Oh,” Luna said with a slight blush. “Our apologies, General Gemini.”
“Honestly, I know you’re old, but c’mon now!” Gemini charged towards the floating Princess Luna, brining his tomahawk up as he unleashed a furious battle cry.
In a clearing far from Luna’s battle against Gemini, the sounds of explosions could be heard. If the trees weren’t obscuring their views, the two changelings would have been able to see the flashes of light from the distant battle.
“Looks like they’ve already started,” Shark said, grinning with excitement as he faced his opponent. “Who d’ya think’ll win? The general, or the thousand-year-old princess?”
“… I really don’t care,” Scorpio replied in a monotone, narrowing his eyes as he stared ahead at Shark. “Will only you be fighting me? How easily they send their own comrades to their deaths.”
“Reachin’ Odysseus and makin’ him pay is more important. I can take care of you on my own.”
Scorpio sighed. “I knew that it was a mistake to only send the two of us, but Lord Odysseus is difficult to reason with…” he mumbled.
“Sheesh, you’re quite the gloomy guy, aren’t ya? What, did Odysseus cut yer pay cheque or something?”
“You wouldn’t know from looking at me, but I’m actually pretty lazy,” Scorpio explained, pulling something out of his cloak. Shark examined it closely and saw that it seemed to be a small needle. “Add onto that that now I have to track your friends and kill them before they reach the battlefield, and I think you’ll understand how I’m not in a comfortable position right now. So let’s finish this quickly, okay?” Scorpio quickly swung his hoof through the air, throwing the sharp needle towards Shark, who nimbly dodged it with little effort.
“What was that? You think a small thing like that will be enough to take me down?”
Scorpio pulled out a few more needles and threw them all at Shark simultaneously. He dodged all of them and then charged towards Scorpio. He felt a sharp pain on his cheek, but it wasn’t enough to make him stop his attack.
Scorpio pulled out a small purple ball from his cloak and threw it at Shark, who retaliated quickly by swiping at the thrown object with one of his claws. The ball exploded into a cloud of gas, prompting Shark to quickly hold his breath and jump back. Another sharp pain made itself known on his cheek, and once he was some distance away from the gas, he raised a hoof his cheek to find out what was going on.
“Blood?” Shark thought aloud, feeling the wet substance on the side of his face. He breathed in through his nose and could indeed catch the scent of his own blood in the air. “But from what?”
“You should pay more attention to your opponent,” Scorpio advised as he threw a few more needles towards Shark. Shark dodged them all again, but as he did so, he felt a stinging sensation on his left foreleg. He examined it to find yet another cut that seemed to have been caused by nothing.
“What the hell’s causing this?” Scorpio threw some more needles at Shark, but this time, Shark used his claw to slash them all out of the air. Once they were on the ground, he lifted one up with his magic and examined it closely. “… I see,” he said, a grin forming on his face. “You’ve attached wires to these. Very thin, so they can’t be seen very easily.”
Shark quickly slashed the area around him several times, and then turned his attention back to Scorpio. “Is that all ya’ve got?! I thought you were a general!” Scorpio threw five more needles at Shark, but just like last time, the changeling had no problem knocking them all out of the air with his claw. “Stop screwing around! Otherwise, I’ll just kill you right now!”
Shark began charging towards Scorpio, who quickly reached into his cloak once more. ‘Well, that didn’t work, so I guess I’ll have to use…’ Shark stopped his advance and jumped back a few steps when he saw two more balls being thrown in his direction, and just like last time, they both unleashed clouds of gas upon impacting with the ground.
“What’s that?! Poison gas?!”
“That’s right,” Scorpio answered. “I am General Scorpio, one of Princess Victoria’s knights, and my weapon of choice… is anything coated in poison.”
“Wait, Victoria’s knight?” Scorpio nodded in confirmation. “So you betrayed the princess you serve, eh?”
“Not at all. The only reason I became her knight was at my master’s orders.”
“Your ‘master’… Odysseus?”
“Neigh. My master is the one who taught me the art of fighting with poisoned weapons. He’s the one who ordered me to serve Lord Odysseus, and to infiltrate Princess Victoria’s ranks in order to gain information about her.
“Unfortunately, the princess was more perceptive than we feared. I was originally to become a mere hoof soldier to her, but that accursed princess offered me to become her knight, so that she could keep a close eye on me. Naturally, I couldn’t refuse. Otherwise, I would have drawn unwanted attention to myself. But Lord Odysseus somehow made it work to his advantage.”
“Cool story,” Shark said, not at all interested in hearing about the other changeling’s past. “So you’re a poison expert, huh? I’ve faced enemies like that before, and I’ve learned a thing or two about how to best take your kind on.”
“I am nothing like those other changelings you have defeated!” Scorpio shouted with malice in his voice. “I am on a much higher level than any other poison master in the world!” As he said that, he pulled out small throwing knife from his cloak and threw it at Shark, who dodged it with ease, before noticing a shuriken following behind the knife very closely.
Shark used his magic to deflect the shuriken, sending it flying back towards Scorpio, who stepped aside to dodge it.
“You amateur!” Shark shouted. “Lemme show you how to really use a throwing weapon!” Shark detached the claw on his left forehoof and threw it at Scorpio with his magic. The sharp weapon was flying at a high speed towards the other changeling, who quickly ducked and rolled under the claw to avoid being hit. “Nice try, but how ‘bout this?!”
Scorpio turned around to see the claw flying back towards him and quickly enveloped it with his magic. Both he and Shark began fighting for control over the weapon. Shark’s magical aura dissipated, and Scorpio quickly attached the claw to his own hoof before turning around in time to block Shark’s incoming lunge.
Shark slashed at Scorpio a few times, each of his attacks by deflected by the claw on the general’s left forehoof. He pulled back and readied himself for a powerful thrust, when Scorpio quickly fired a beam of magic at him. Shark dodged by jumping over his opponent and attempted to slash him from behind.
As he swung, though, Scorpio swiftly spun around and ducked to avoid the incoming attack. He countered by delivering a powerful kick to Shark’s stomach, sending him flying backwards a few feet through the air.
Shark finally stopped when he made contact with a tree behind him and groaned as he rubbed his head. But that wasn’t all… A sharp pain passed through his back, and when he tried to get up, he felt his back stinging badly.
“It seems to be my win,” Scorpio said, his horn glowing green as something was forcefully pulled out of Shark’s back. Shark watched as a small shuriken levitated past him and over to Scorpio. “You remember this, don’t you? I coated all points with my poison… Soon, you will find it rather hard to move. And within half-an-hour, you’ll be dead.”
Shark’s eyes widened and he clutched his chest tightly as he felt his breathing becoming heavier, and his temperature increasing. “… Half-an-hour?” he asked, receiving a nod from Scorpio. After a few moments, his grin returned to his face. “So, I’ve gotta kill you before then, in other words.”
“… I’d recommend not moving. Otherwise, the poison will spread faster throughout your system, and you may not even last ten minutes.”
“Don’t underestimate me!” Shark shouted, pointing his clawed hoof at Scorpio. “I ain’t no ordinary changeling! Stupid stuff like this poison won’t slow me down! You say I won’t last ten minutes? That’s fine… ‘cause it’ll only take five minutes for me to wipe the floor with you!”
Gemini yelled as he charged towards Luna, his tomahawk raised high above his head, only to once again be knocked back by a devastating blow from Luna’s hoof.
Gemini fell down onto his back, dropping his tomahawk to the ground and clutched his nose tightly. “OWWW! Geez, lass… you sure have one heckuva kick.”
“Wouldst thou please refrain from calling me that? It is disrespectful. My name is Luna.”
“I once had a cat named Luna,” Gemini said as he jumped up to his hooves. “It don’t quite feel right, naming you after my pet cat. You’re far too pretty for that.”
“Luna is my name,” Luna said firmly, staring at the changeling with an unamused look on her face. “I recommend that you start taking this fight more seriously.”
“And what about you?” Gemini asked, stretching his forehooves into the air. “You say I’ve been messing around-”
“We never said that.”
“-But you have don’t try to take me out despite the openings I give ya. Quite the honourable lass, aren’tcha?”
“Honour has nothing do with it,” Luna said. “I am merely being cautious. I considered the possibility of this being a ploy, whilst you wait for me to lower my guard so that you could spring your trap… However, now, I am convinced that you are simply an idiot.”
Gemini let out a loud belch, bringing a look of disgust on the princess’ face, and then grabbed his tomahawk with his magic once more. “Well, my Gym teacher always told me to warm up before you do some kinda physical activity. Trouble is, I fell asleep on the way to the battlefield, so I never got a chance to stretch my hooves on the chariot ride here.”
“… So, you were simply warming yourself up?”
“That’s right. If ya want, I’ll let you do some stretches with me before we begin.”
Luna watched in shock as the changeling before her actually began to do squats, right before her very eyes. She wasn’t sure if he was an idiot, or a complete moron, but he was definitely one of those two things. “C-Cease this foolishness at once!” she ordered, employing the ‘royal Canterlot voice’ as she did so. “This is war! And this… this is a battlefield! It is no place for your silly little games!”
Gemini, a little shaken up from being on the receiving end of the royal Canterlot voice, stopped doing his squats and took a few steps back from Luna. “Sheesh, alright then, lass. No need ta bust an artery about it. If ya want me to stop, I’ll stop… Just don’t blame me if one of us gets a leg cramp in the middle of the fight.”
“We shall be quite fine, thank you,” Luna said in a strong tone. She watched as he levitated his bag over to himself and gasped when he pulled out a second tomahawk.
“Alright then… Both my babies are here together. That means I’m ready.” Gemini’s face suddenly hardened, and became much more serious, as he narrowed his eyes in Princess Luna’s direction. “Also, they won’t rest until they’ve tasted blood.”
In a flash, the changeling was gone, startling the princess, who quickly began scanning the area for his presence. She saw caught something moving in the corner of her eye and quickly shot lightning from her horn in that direction.
“Well that’s a neat trick,” Gemini said, sitting on top of a rock to Luna’s right. She quickly turned around to face him and erected a barrier to block the two incoming tomahawks. “Tell me, how d’you shoot lightning – real lightning – without a storm cloud?”
“… A trick I learned from an old friend. One whom I wish never to see again.”
“That so? I’ve had plenty of them. I usually try to avoid ‘em, but for the most part, they always come to me, seeking trouble. Lord Odysseus plans to create a world of peace. A world of unity.”
“A world of forced togetherness, using fear as a means to achieve a false sense of peace.”
“Call it what ya will, lass, but personally, if it means I no longer have ta kill someone ‘cause of their petty grudges against me, then I’m all for it. Tell me, have you ever had to visit the family of a fallen comrade and tell them that their loved one had died, and the only thing you could bring back was something they wouldn’t even get to hold on to?”
“… We have,” Luna said, lowering her barrier and firing multiple balls of energy at Gemini. The changeling jumped up into the air to avoid each one and then landed on the ground in front of Luna. “Such is the life of one who wishes to protect their country… Their loved ones. They risk their lives, knowing fully well that they may die any day. Their families know of this too, but even so, it is never easy to deliver such grim news to my subjects.”
“If there were no conflicts in the first place, there’d be no need for soldiers, and no need for you to take on such a heavy responsibility.”
“But that’s just a foalish fantasy. No matter how much we may want it, peace can never truly be obtained.” Luna closed her eyes, and used her magic to form an image of Equestria’s insignia: two alicorns, one white and one black, chasing each other around in a circle, with the sun above the moon in the centre.
“The thing about us mortals, Gemini, is that we are all different to each other. All unique. Not one living thing in this world, neigh, in this universe, is the same as any other living thing. We all have our own ideals. Our own beliefs, our own personalities, and our own minds. It is because of this that society can progress. We can work together. If we all thought the same way, we would simply stop at the first problem that arose. But together… together, there’s no problem that can’t be overcome.
“Unfortunately, because we all think differently, conflicts arise. It is the nature of all living things to defend their beliefs, sometimes even violently. Sometimes, ideals may contradict each other, or cause misunderstandings. And, sometimes, one form of life may be afraid of another, because they do not understand it.”
“Right, hence the changeling genocide all those years ago.”
“… Exactly. So you see, the only way to truly achieve peace and harmony, between all living things, is to make everyone think in the same way. But then, if we do that, then society will simply… stop.”
“Yin-yang, right? There are stories of how too much evil will rot the land, but too much good will also destroy it. You need to find the right balance, but even then, the scale will always tilt to one side.”
“That is an adequate way to put it.”
“That’s why you an’ your sister lock the Elements of Harmony away. Save ‘em only fer the most dire of circumstances.”
Luna narrowed her eyes. “If you understand, then why do you still follow this foalish plan?”
“It’s as you said,” Gemini began, his tomahawks levitating up to either side of his head. “Everyone has different beliefs, and I believe that you’re wrong! I believe that, given enough time, false peace can become real!”
Gemini’s tomahawks thrust through the air, racing towards Luna.
Scorpio growled as he was once again on the run from Shark’s relentless pursuit. For the past two minutes, Shark had been moving at speeds unlike anything the poison expert had ever seen before.
It made no sense to him; Shark should have been getting slower, not faster. How was his opponent able to move at such speeds, when the poison should have been quickly spreading throughout his entire system, causing it to shut down?
“GAH!” Scorpio shouted as he felt a sharp string in his abdomen. He tasted iron in his mouth and spat the blood out onto the ground. “W-What?!”
“Burns, doesn’t it?!” Shark asked, grinning as he towered over his opponent. “Out of curiosity, those needles earlier… they were coated in that poison too, right?”
“O-Of course they were! What abo-” It suddenly hit Scorpio, and he let out a panicked gasp as he recalled how Shark had dealt with the two waves of needles thrown his way. He deflected them, with his claw. “D-Don’t tell me… the reason you’ve been getting faster rather than slower is-”
“That’s right. I’ve slowed down, alright, but so have you.” Shark cackled as he saw his opponent’s face turning pale. “That poison got on my claw, and you’ve been wearing it for quite a while now.”
“I-Idiot! Even if that’s the case, it was only a trace amount, and it was on the outside of the claw!”
“So what if it’s only a trace amount? As long as it makes contact with your open wounds, that’s all it takes, right?”
“What open wounds?”
“You didn’t notice? That claw’s a little big for you. When you were deflecting my attacks earlier, a good deal of them got to your hoof. I made sure the injuries were light enough that you wouldn’t notice them, while you were distracted by trying to follow me.” Shark laughed as he saw the look of fear on Scorpio’s face. “Also, I made sure that some of those needles got under my claw, too.”
“You… You planned this?”
“Well, this was one of my plans,” Shark said. “I told ya, I’ve had experience fighting poison users. And, in case you hadn’t heard, I’m the one who defeated Razor Tooth.”
Scorpio took a huge step back, only to be followed by Shark, who seemed to be towering over Scorpio as the latter’s legs started to shake. “Y-You defeated… General Razor Tooth?”
“That’s right. I know a thing or two about reading the flow of the battle, meaning that I can come up with many strategies on the spo-” Shark stopped suddenly, and his confident look of assured victory suddenly became a look of horror. He let out a loud scream and clutched his chest tightly. “D-Damnit! The poison’s… got this far already?!”
Shark quickly fell down onto the floor and started to flail as he screamed in agony. Scorpio simply watched in bewilderment for a while, until Shark’s movements stopped, and then, after a few stunned moments of silence, he let out a low, quiet laugh.
The laughter built up slowly, eventually filling the clearing with laughter that echoed through the air as he looked down on Shark’s body. “Too bad, Shark! You had me scared stiff for a moment there, but it seems you were just too sure of your own abilities! And now, I can go and chase down your two friends! Just as soon as I take the antidote…”
Scorpio reached into his cloak and pulled out a small green bottle with his magic. He started to unscrew the cap, when a sudden sharp pain in his chest caused him to stop. He stood still for a few seconds, simply staring at the bottle as he felt his body growing cold, and then lost his magical hold over the small green bottle.
Shark picked it up with his own magic and slowly rose to his hooves, his sure grin now back on his face. “I told you, I’m the one who defeated Razor Tooth. I can read ahead many steps into the battle, and I’m damn good at analysing my opponent, too.” Shark finished unscrewing the cap, and Scorpio could only watch in horror and Shark drank all of the liquid inside. “You’re the type who’s concerned about the safety of his comrades. That’s why you drew me all the way out here and told your partner not to interrupt your battle.
“Also, Alexander says that Odysseus isn’t the type to take risks. That’s why I figured it was a safe bet you’d be carrying some antidotes to your poison around with you. Even if not willingly, Odysseus would make you carry some around as a precaution. The trouble is, I have no clue what that antidote would look like. Hence, that little act just now.”
“P-Please…” Scorpio pleaded weakly, stretching out his hoof as far as he could. “T-The antid-dote… Please… give it to me…”
Shark threw the emptied bottle behind him and used his magic to remove his claw from Scorpio’s hoof. He ripped off a portion of Scorpio’s cloak and used the cloth to thoroughly wipe the claw down, making sure to remove the poison that was on it.
“Too bad. If you were fighting one of those ponies, you’d probably have been allowed to live.” Shark pulled his other claw out of Scorpio’s chest, and the poison master could only let out a gargled yelp as he slowly fell to the floor, blood pouring out from his wound and from his mouth at a fast rate. “But as for me… when I fight, it’s to the death.”
Shark turned away from Scorpio’s body and looked in the direction that would take him to the battlefield. However, before he could take off, he sensed something moving towards him. He turned around, but was not fast enough to deflect the incoming smoke bomb moving his way.
Shark quickly held his breath and backed away as soon as smoke started to fill the area, but he had already inhaled some of it before he could get clear. Once the smoke had cleared, he could see Scorpio’s body, laying stiff on the ground with one of his hooves outstretched.
“D-Damnit… The bastard… used the last of his strength to…” Before Shark could finish his thought, he fell down face-first onto the ground, his eyes growing heavy as he felt himself losing consciousness.
Luna yelped as one of Gemini’s tomahawks pierced her right foreleg, and then again when it was pulled out just as quickly as it was brought down in the first place, leaving a trail of blood in its path. Gemini swung again, but this time, Luna used her magic to shield herself, blocking the attack. She then spun around and delivered a powerful buck to the changeling’s abdomen.
The changeling flew backwards a bit but managed to right himself in the air. He took flight and was soon followed by Luna, who was charging magic into her horn.
“Lass, I gotta say,” Gemini started, panting as he spoke, “You are one tough mare. If ya don’t stop, I might really fall for ya.”
“We are flattered,” Luna said, firing her spell at the changeling, who used one of his tomahawks to shield himself against the attack, “But We have previously wed a changeling in our past. If you wish to woo me, you would have to one-up him, and believe me when I tell you that he was quite the charmer.”
“Eh? Really?” Gemini asked as quickly performed a barrel roll to his left to avoid Luna’s next attack. “Never heard of a pony marrying a changeling before. Except, y’know, those changelings that took ponies’ places.”
“The act of a changeling taking the place of a pony without their permission was strictly illegal. We were disgusted to hear how many of your ancestors violated that taboo.”
“Well, can’t really blame most of them,” Gemini said with a shrug. “For the most part, ponies refused to give their love to the changelings. They had to do something. Granted, some of ‘em took it a bit far…” Gemini’s face suddenly became grim. “But then, at least they didn’t commit genocide.”
Luna gritted her teeth and prepared another spell. “True. Both ponies and changelings have committed terrible crimes. We can see that, yet we still fight. ‘Tis foolishness, don’t you think? The only way to resolve these matters, is at a table-”
“You tried that, Princess Luna,” Gemini said in a tone far harsher than Luna was expecting from the ridiculous changeling. “You even married a changeling yourself, as a show of unity between our two races. And just look at how it all ended.”
“… Allow me to make one thing perfectly clear,” Luna responded, glaring daggers at Gemini. “I did not marry Starswirl the Bearded as a political affair. I loved him, with all of my heart.” Luan fired her spell directly at the changeling, who once again blocked it with his tomahawk… Only this time, he couldn’t keep the spell at bay with just one. He quickly used his other tomahawk for support, but was still pushed slightly backwards by Luna’s attack before he could push it away.
“Starswirl the Bearded… You married that guy? And yet, you’re still okay with what Celestia did to his legacy?!”
“You mean writing him down in history as a pony, and even giving him a false life story?”
“She completely rewrote everything about him, from his birth to his death! She covered his six hundred and seventy or whatever years of life with a whole family tree that never existed! All because, despite the fact that she ordered the changelings dead, she still wanted to keep the knowledge that he gave your country! Knowledge he shared because he believed a unity with you was possible!”
“That’s why our sister did it,” Luna said, focusing more magic into her attack. “Starswirl honestly believed, as much as we did, that peace between ponies and changelings could be achieved. He shared that knowledge with us, because he wanted us to use it. To unite our two races! He wanted us to use his spells for good! To bring peace and prosperity to our land!
“Destroying those note, along with his lineage, is something that even my sister could not do! It would be spitting in the face of all that he sacrificed to help us create our peaceful country!”
“You’re the same as her!” Gemini shouted, using his magic to push Luna back against a tree. “In the end, no matter how much you say you want peace, when it comes down to it, you’d sooner forsake us all, in order to save your precious little ponies!”
Luna’s eyes started to glow white, and then her body began to glow with the same dark-blue aura as her magic. “That is correct,” she said, surprising Gemini. “That is because I am a pony. I was born a pony, and I shall always be a pony. And as such, I will do whatever it takes, make any sacrifices, and carry whatever burdens… to protect my little ponies!”
Luna’s aura exploded from her body, blasting towards Gemini who let out a loud cry as he tried to hold it back. However, it didn’t take long before his tomahawks shattered to pieces under the pressure and he received the full force of the magical attack.
An intense dark-blue light filled the area, and only began to die down a few minutes later. Luna descended slowly towards the ground, carrying the unmoving body of the changeling general on her back. As soon as she made a clear landing, she lowered the changeling to the ground and examined him with her magic.
“You shall live,” she said to the still-breathing changeling, before looking down to the severed forelegs sitting below his shoulders. The sealed wounds sizzled as the last of Luna’s magic around the changeling’s body dissipated. “You shall live, but your days of fighting are over.” She cast one final spell, summoning large roots from the ground that wrapped around the changeling’s body. “We shall come back for you. Until then, you are to remain here.”
And with that, Luna turned around and began galloping as fast as she could into the forest.
Luna finally found the clearing where Shark and Scorpio had taken their battle after searching for just a few minutes. Although she could no longer feel Shark’s presence, she had detected a familiar scent in the air that led her to them. After landing, Luna quickly trotted over to Shark’s body. She scanned him with her magic and let out a relieved sigh. “As I thought, you have indeed been poisoned… but luckily, the poison is a weak one, and can easily be removed from your system.”
She cast a spell to summon roots from the ground, holding Shark down firmly as she lowered her horn towards him. “Now, this will hurt. A lot. But it will remove the poison from your body.”
Luna’s horn lit up, and a few seconds later, Shark began to let out a series of murmurs. The murmurs grew to groans, and then to screams as he tried to flail about, ultimately failing to move at all under the large roots that pinned him to the ground.
“Just a little longer. We shall not allow you to die.” After a few more minutes of Shark screaming and ordering her to stop, using a few words that she had recalled were outlawed one thousand years ago, she finally pulled her horn away and released her magic. Shark slowly settled down and went back to sleeping peacefully as Luna released the roots that held him down.
She cast a quick barrier around him and then took off once more into the forest, galloping as fast as her legs would allow her to. ‘That barrier will protect him for now. We must hurry now and reach the battlefield, with all haste!’
Odysseus had to repress his excitement as he watched the battle unfold. The battle between two of the world’s most powerful fighters: Princess Celestia of Equestria, and Queen Chrysalis of the Changeling Kingdom.
It was clear who was in the lead. At least, for a while, it was. But when Chrysalis suddenly used that forbidden spell of hers, he actually considered that she may win.
“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, not taking her eyes off of the battle, “Shouldn’t we like, y’know, go out and there and help her?”
“We shall wait for now,” Odysseus told her. “We are here as a last resort. If it appears that our sister is about to be defeated, then we shall jump in. But if we rush in too early, then we risk the chance of getting caught up in their battle. And trust us when We say that you’ll need more than the Elements of Harmony to survive our sister’s magic.”
‘That, and Celestia still isn’t weak enough yet. I want to see how much Mother can injure her. If I can kill both the Elements and Celestia in this fight, then the war will be over before I can even start it.’
“I-I’m just g-glad we’re f-f-far away from the b-battlefield,” Fluttershy said, trembling as she lay down on the ground behind the other ponies, her head held in her hooves. Rarity was sitting beside her, stroking her friend’s mane to try to calm her down.
“What do y’all reckon they’re sayin’?” Applejack asked after the two rulers had lowered to the ground and simply stood face-to-face for a while. Their mouths were moving, but the group was too far away for them to hear anything.
“We shall use a scrying spell to listen in on them,” Odysseus said, his horn lighting up as he closed his eyes.
“Chrysalis, what are you talking about? I haven’t ordered the deaths of any changelings since that decree was signed all of those years ago! And as for Odysseus, he’s not dead!”
‘Not good!’ Odysseus thought as he suddenly shot up.
“Sister is losing power. She’s desperately trying to bluff her way out of this, but the changeling queen isn’t buying it.”
“You serious?!” Rainbow Dash asked, suddenly jumping up into the air.
“Quite,” Odysseus answered. “We must move in and use the Elements of Harmony. Now!”
The six mares all nodded, though Fluttershy more reluctantly than the others.
“Follow our lead. And quietly. We can’t alert her to our presence until we’re in position…”
The six mares followed Odysseus closer to where the two rulers were stood facing each other. Once they were in position, they aligned themselves in a similar manner to when they had defeated Discord.
“Do you honestly think that such a pathetic lie would work on-”
“NOW!” Odysseus shouted. The two rulers turned to face them and stared with their mouths agape as they witnessed the six Spirits of Harmony, each adorned with their respective Element, floating up into the air. “Elements of Harmony: take aim, and fire!”
A mere second after Odysseus gave the order, a bright rainbow shot forth from the six gathered mares and reached high into the air.
Celestia and Chrysalis could only watch in shock as the beautiful yet fearsome force suddenly curved down, making its way quickly towards the changeling queen.
Chrysalis was powerless to stop it, and fear had completely halted her movement. There was no out, it seemed…
“MOTHER!”
The rainbow collided with a changeling, but not the one that it was meant to. Chrysalis watched in horror as a male changeling resembling her late son floated in the air before her, crying out in agony as the rainbow drove itself into him. The base of the changeling’s hooves began to turn to stone, and it quickly worked its way up his body, reaching his thighs, his abdomen, his neck, and finally, it began to cover his head.
As the rainbow disappeared and six mares lowered gently to the ground, none of them were quite sure as to what had just happened. The now-petrified changeling in front of Chrysalis fell down onto the ground, creating a loud thud that resounded through the air as it did so.
Chrysalis examined the face of the petrified changeling, which was frozen in what appeared to be a look of pain and fear. She could even see tears running down his face that had also been turned to stone.
“My son…” she whispered, her breathing increasing as she felt her emotions rising up once again. “Alexander… No…”
Odysseus was taken aback by the sudden intrusion, but quickly recovered from it. “Elements of Harmony, once more!” Before he could finish the order, he sensed movement to his right and quickly turned around to find a changeling charging towards him, wielding a sabre in her magic. “G-General Mystic?!”
“PRINCESS LUNA!” Rarity shouted as she watched the changeling slashing repeatedly at the Princess of the Night, forcing her to move backwards.
“Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow Dash shouted, but was stopped by a sudden wall of green flames. The changeling stopped her attacks and stood perfectly still as she glared at ‘Luna’. Rainbow Dash attempted to soar higher but was stopped by something pulling on her left hind leg. She turned around to find three Royal Guard ponies pulling a chain.
“Sister!” Odysseus shouted, turning to face Celestia. “We have come to assist yo-”
“Knock it off!” a voice called out. Before anyone could make any attempt to locate the source of the voice, a blade was pressed against Odysseus’ throat. Another changeling had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, and this one was now holding Odysseus down, pressing her longsword against his neck. “Not one move. Otherwise, you’ll lose your head.”
Odysseus shook on the spot and gritted his teeth in anger as he tried to make sense of the situation. Of all the things, all of the ridiculous scenarios that could have bewildered him… this one just made no sense at all!
“Victoria…”
Around them, everyone watched in shock as more changelings began to fill the area, each one focusing on the captured ‘Princess Luna’ and her captor.
Among them, one stood out to Odysseus. “And Elizabeth is here, too?”
“That’s right,” Elizabeth said, using her magic to draw out her spear. “Prince Odysseus, you are under arrest for high treason!”
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victory.
i50.tinypic.com/ofugx5.jpg
Oh no not Alexander.
Love it whenever self-rhiteous deuche bag's plans fail. Especially Odysseus.
Poor Alexander
i hope the effects on alexander can be reversed, and even though odysseus is finally revealed i am worried about his ace in the hole. mainly twilight
Alexander? Alexander do you read me?! ALEXANDER!!!!!!
Whoa!
Checkmate?
So that's what the sisters have been up to this entire time...
I'm surprised it worked. I would have thought that putting Twilight under mind control would mess up the whole "harmony" thing and severely reduce their powers.
1872542 It's too early to assume that. I get the feeling Odysseus is gonna do something desperate...
1875952 If he kills twi There will be hell in a hand basket to pay
. especially since she remains the most innocent of the group besides fluttershy when it comes to violence.
uhh... cliffhanger guys, he still has another boss form
1876209 I think it's worse than that seeing as she's still under his control...
1876369 damn.
they better kill him immediately or twi will probably be forced to do something stupid.
1876378 I'm afraid it's probably too late for that. In the time it would take them to kill him he could order her to kill herself or to blow up the surrounding area, which would kill not only her, but most likely the other elements...
1876388 true unless chrysalis could clear her head of that. which I think she could.
however I wonder If celestia got ahold of twilight and commanded her to stop. maybe that would break his hold?
1876405 Or maybe Aura, as unlikely as it is... no, too obvious, having the little Princess do it...
1876424OOh maybe we should see if the elements could do it? considering the girls just used them they are supposed to cure the users from current ailments even the spell. maybe the elements cured her that would be both easily explained and most likely unless the author believes the elements of harmony are just trinkets of power that act as instant cockatrice gaze to all foes without any other benefits.
I seem to recall something about Luna's medical practice being rather Outdated... Ouch!
This is incredibly anime holy hell
Getting some Inuyasha vibes...