Unity: A Tale of Arcadia

by Kieva Lynn

Book Five: Chapter One

Book Five: Third Law Ascendent

Chapter One

XXXXX

Macintosh and Bethany had fled the park along with a large group heading to the closest shelter. They didn't stay with the group long though, splitting off as it passed Beth's home. Inside, Mac quickly shucked out of his tuxedo and was searching for anything he might use as a weapon, while Beth went upstairs to change out of her dress. Mac wasn't surprised when, just ten minutes later, she returned carrying a rifle and dressed for battle.

"Not sure that's the best idea, what with you pregnant and all." Mac said.

"I know, but what choice do we have? Besides, baby's in danger right now either way."

"Knew you'd feel that way... Still don't have t' like it." Mac sighed. "So what's our plan?"

"Neither of us belongs anywhere near the real fight." Beth replied, thinking of the battle with Chrysalis. "But I'll bet we can help out somewhere else with the grunts."

"Then let's get started." They kissed, and headed back out into the battle. From Bethany's house they went south, headed generally in the direction of the nearest hidden shelter entrance, hoping to possibly help anyone still trying to reach the shelter. But by this time nearly everyone was either already in hiding, or determined to stand and fight. Smoke was beginning to fill the air, and the sounds of gunfire echoed through the town.

Finding no one, they passed by the shelter and continued south. Before long, they came to the south town wall. Atop the wall were Sheriff Tucker, Midnight Steel, and several other members of the town guard. They were operating one of the salvaged Mor-Tax heat rays, using it along with more traditional weapons to hold at bay a massive swarm of Orcs, Gremlins, and Gumm-Gumms. Given that these enemies were protected with the same enchanted armor the Quiet Darkness had bestowed on all of it's troops, the enchantment enhanced rifles were actually doing more damage than the alien weapon, which the Sheriff was mostly using to melt the ground beneath the attacker's feet, slowing them down and killing unarmored gremlins, but little more.

"They've not seen us yet." Mac whispered. "How can we use that 't help the Sheriff?"

Before Beth could answer, a familiar voice said "Like this." Trixie popped up between them, wearing a microphone headset and horn aglow. An illusion of a large frightened crowd appeared, running into view around a corner, and screaming at the sight of the enemy army. Attention drawn, over half of the Orcs and Gumm-Gumms gave chase. Once they were out of sight, Trixie spoke into the microphone, "Bert, Now."

With a roar of it's engine, Bert's Hummer burst into view. He drove around dangerously close to the back row of the remaining soldiers, steering with one hand while using the other to throw his improvised bombs into their midst. Lacking a magical component they did no actual damage, but the explosions did throw the soldiers into disarray. Tucker and his men capitalized on this, taking down many more of the soldiers, and opening a path for Mac, Beth, and Trixie to join them.

From the top of the wall, Trixie created another illusion, making it appear that they had all fled along the wall, and the remaining troops gave chase. With the path clear for the moment, Bert returned, parking at the bottom and climbing up to join the others, a large heavy satchel on his back.

"Mornin' Sheriff, heck of a day." Bert said as he reached the top of the wall and laid the satchel at his feet.

"You said a mouthful Bert... We've gotta decide how to proceed now that our guests are gone." Tucker said.

Trixie said "We'll need to decide fast. We've got maybe thirty seconds before that illusion disperses and they figure out they've been had and come back."

"That's what the bag's for." Bert replied. He knelt down, opened it up, and started pulling out more bombs. "Trixie couldn't help me with this, she doesn't know the spells... Think you can put some explosives enchantments on these Steel? Maybe they'd actually work better then."

"You've got it!" Midnight Steel answered, and his horn began to glow as he enchanted the bombs.

"That'll help a lot." Mac said. Then an idea occurred to him. "Any reason we can't enchant the heat ray too?"

Tucker said "My understanding is, that it's what Durban and Gillas did with the ones on their airship. Seems to be working to." He pointed to the far side of town, where the ship was effectively blasting away at Changelings. "But I guess it has to be enchanted crystals with an energy weapon, and we don't have time for that."

"What's the difference?" Beth asked.

Trixie said "With projectile weapons you can just enchant the ammo. With an energy weapon you have to keep a flow of energy going into the weapon all the time. That would tire out even the strongest unicorn really quick. Still... Bert, you bought them too right?"

"Right here." Bert answered, and produced a lightning jar patterned after the one Twilight had made from his supplies.

Trixie said "I can do this enchantment, and I already did. They're primed and ready, but we need a Pegasus to charge them up."

"Looks like you're gonna get the chance." Tucker said, noticing a trio of guard Pegasai approaching. The pegasai landed, and the leader stepped forward and saluted to Tucker and Steel. "What have you got Swift Wing?" The Sheriff asked.

"Sir, the Bearers and Trollhunters are engaged with Queen Chrysalis. The Akiridion royal's bodyguard also arrived and wounded her. After that, a ring fell through a portal in the sky and seated itself perfectly on the Queen's horn, after which... I'm not entirely clear what happened sir, but I did hear the wizard Gandalf say that out true enemy has used the ring to possess her."

"So we've got the big kahuna right here now?" Bert swore.

"It sounds like this is gonna get ugly." Beth said. "So we're gonna need all the firepower we can get." She held up one of the lightning jars. "Can you charge these?"

"Easily." Swift Wing answered, but then a terrible keening began to echo the sky.

"What the hell is that!?" Beth exclaimed.

"There!" Mac shouted, pointing. A large group of spectral entities was flying high above the town, winging about in a circle. Then they began to break off and dive towards the streets below.

"Windigoes!" Trixie gasped. "This just got even worse..."

XXXXX

Back at the park a fierce battle was underway. Within seconds of Gandalf naming their new foe, Jim and Dash had charged in, ignoring cries form the others to hold back. Jim struck from the right, swinging his sword at the Darkness' neck, while Dash struck from the left, wingblades aimed for the center of it's body mass. Both weapons were met with shape shifted shields that both blocked their attacks and knocked them back.

Even as Jim and Dash were knocked away, the Darkness was also launching another assault. A sphere of pure black formed on Chrysalis' horn, negative energy that was fired out in a blast of destruction that forced everyone else to flee as it chased them about the area. Additional orbs were formed and fired off, and there was little room to run as they seemed to be everywhere.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Claire ran together, east out of the park itself and down a wide street with one of the orbs right behind them. As often as she could the unicorn turned and fired blasts of magic back towards the orb, but while several of them hit, they had no effect. "Claire, what about your staff?" Fluttershy asked, "Can you open a portal in the orb's path!?"

"Let's try it!" The girl turned and used her staff to do as Fluttershy has suggested. The orb hit the open portal a moment later, and vanished into it, but in the process Claire fell to her knees crying out in pain.

"Oh my! Claire!? Claire what happened!?" Rarity gasped.

"I'm not sure... When they met... I dunno, it was like the orb was eating the portal instead of going through it..."

"I'm so sorry it was my idea!" Fluttershy said.

"No don't apologize, it did work at least..." Claire slowly got back to her feet. "Let's find the others."

'The others' were having their own problems. Like Rarity, Twilight had quickly discovered that unicorn magic was simply absorbed harmlessly into the black orbs. As were shots from bows and other weapons created from the armor. "This is hopeless!" She said to Gandalf and Applejack as they ran together, "Even if we all get together we can't use the Elements yet since we wasted them on that failed shot at Chrysalis! And even then, what if these things just absorb them too!?"

"As they almost certainly would." Gandalf said, "These are balls of pure entropy. But 'hopeless?' Nothing is hopeless my dear."

"All is hopeless!" The Darkness cried out, "All that is will fall to emptiness!"

"That's why it's startin' with us!" Applejack suddenly realized. "It wants Singularity out of the way since it saves people!"

"Of course!" Twilight and Gandalf said together, then Twilight added "But it doesn't help us any."

A few seconds later they met up with Starswirl, Pinkie and Toby, also fleeing from an orb, and Jim who still wasn't entirely back on his feet. The two groups piled together, tripped up over each other, and fell to the ground. The two orbs collided and cancelled each other out in a burst of light and heat.

Rainbow Dash fluttered to the ground with them as they got back to their feet, and Rarity's group joined up with them a few minutes later. They were sheltering in an alley. "Why hasn't it come after us?" Fluttershy wondered.

"I suspect our friend Varvatos is keeping it busy." Gandalf said. "But even a warrior such as he will not last long against this foe. We need a plan."

"But what plan?" Twilight wondered. "It'll just absorb anything we throw at it like the orbs did."

"But 't what limit?" Applejack wondered. "Meybe we can, I dunno, overload it, like overwaterin' a plant?"

"Or maybe we can trick it into throwing more orbs at us," Toby said, "Then lead them back into hitting it. I mean, the orbs cancelled each other out right?"

Twilight was nodding slowly. "Both sound plans in theory... Though I seriously wonder if-"

She was cut off by a deep voiced bellowing, and the sight of Varvatos flying high through the air, clearly having been knocked away from the Darkness by a powerful blow. Based on the arc, he would land around two miles away, survivable for one so tough but what mattered at the moment was that the alien warrior was out of the fight.

Then the Darkness itself appeared at the head of the alley, staring directly in at them. "All is lost... All is dust... All is void..."

"No!" Twilight exclaimed. "I'm not listening to your lies again! There is hope and meaning in the world! And we will stop you!"

"You will not listen? You will not yield? Then you will die!" The Darkness blasted out again, dozens of smaller orbs, that all converged on Twilight. She ran, while the others tried to stop the orbs. A few of them collided and cancelled out, and a few more were absorbed by Claire's portals (To her great pain.) Twilight tried teleporting clear, but no matter where she went the orbs pursued. Even with her skills in bouncing from place to place, the sheer number of orbs made the end result inevitable: Twilight appeared atop the peak of a house, and before she could port away again, three orbs converged on her location.

"Twilight!!" Everyone shouted in horror as the orbs struck the unicorn all at once, and when they had cancelled out she was gone...

Comments

[Venerable Ro]

Huh, Sauron never struck me as a nihilist, I wonder what this thing is?

And now Twilight's been Taken, very inconvenient that.

[Herald of Opera]

"Not sure that's the best idea, what with you pregnant and all." Mac said.

"Honey, it's a rifle and you'll be a closer target. The baby will be fine."

[badninja]

I wonder if this will lead to Twilight gaining something far more important? I wonder who can help...

No...

That couldn't be...

If they are here...

Thinking back to a part near the end of Unity, living machines. Could they be refugees from that great war, “Until all are one.”