BPT: The Coup of Avarice

by Wolven5

Chapter 11. Beginning of the End: Fury

The standoff grew ever intense with each passing moment, as the newly-formed Knights of Harmony bared their swords at the blade of the fallen Duke Buck Cheap of House Avarice, the Lord of Lords.

"We will give you one last chance, Duke Cheap," Midnight called out to him, "Stand down. Remove that armor now, and you will be shown some leniency."

"Surrender? When I stand on the precipice of absolute rule?!" Cheap scoffed as he held his halberd menacingly. "I think not..."

"So be it!" Midnight responded, "But when this is over, remember that we gave you a chance. In the words of the great Equestrian Knight, Sir Grand Hoof, who was my grandfather... Count up your sins!"

"AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!" Cheap roared as he launched himself forward, halberd raised, with a burst of thunder!

"SCATTER!!!" Midnight shouted and he and his friends split up, avoiding Cheap's assault as he impaled the ground where Midnight had been standing.

This didn't escape the knights' notice as they all realized, He's targeting Midnight/me!

Cheap immediately turned his gaze towards Midnight, as a familiar surge of power concentrated to the visor of his helm and unleashed a concentrated energy burst at him. Midnight shadow-dove, collapsing into shadowstuff, easily avoiding the attack, and disappearing for the moment. Growling in annoyance, Cheap turned his eyes to the others knights and moved in to attack Big Mac.

"Stand tall, Stone Edge!!" Big Mac called out, raising his sword with his hoof, and everypony gasped to see it flash with light as it became a somewhat heavier sword, its blade shimmering red, the crossguard gold, and an ornament on the pommel shaped like the green apple of his cutie-mark, and a round golden shield, about the width of a chariot wheel, emblazoned with Mac's cutie-mark, a green apple sliced in half surrounded by twinkles. Sword and shield floated in Big Mac's empowered magical green aura, the shield rushing forward to block off Cheap's halberd before the sword arced overhead towards Cheap's face.

The duke made no attempt to defend himself and everypony cringed to see Mac's sword bounce off Cheap's helm with a spray of sparks of metal clashing with metal.

"Pierce the heavens, Skystrike!"

Everypony looked towards Thunderlane as his sword burst with electricity as it became a bow, its length encircled with a lightning pattern while each end was shaped like a feathered wing, though it lacked a bowstring. This didn't matter as Thunderlane took flight, his bow in hoof while he positioned his free hoof just so, and everypony watched in awe as electrical energy sparked and gathered around Thunderlane before it all concentrated as Thunderlane pulled his hoof back, the energy forming a line of crackling energy along with an arrow of lightning!

"Mac, out of the way!" Thunderlane warned as he took aim.

He looked to the red stone pulsing on the chest plate just below Cheap's neck, and there it was - The one tiny little chink in the Aegis Armor, a hole no wider than a coin slot on an arcade game.

"Ergh, I wish I'd practiced more... but here goes!" Thunderlane took aim, the lightning arrow crackling excitably... before he released!

Big Mac jumped away and Cheap saw the arrow coming! Scoffing he raised his halberd... and struck the arrow away, causing it to dissipate and vanish like static!

"En garde!" Blueblood rushed forward and made a thrust, only for Cheap to knock his sword away and lash out with his halberd again, which Soarin had already zoomed in to block the attack, protecting Blueblood. Cheese Sandwich bounced on his own tail (don't ask how) and hurtled through the air, somersaulting with his sword, making him into a spinny orange disc of hurt coming Cheap's way!

Chuckling, Cheap simply sidestepped out of the way, causing Cheese to crash while Midnight leapt out of a shadow and raised his wings, manifesting tendrils of solid shadow to lash out and ensnare the duke. Cheap growled as Midnight's shadow tendrils held him in place... for the first couple of seconds, before Cheap started stepping back, and Midnight was stunned by how easily Cheap was now dragging him along!

"Damn... uh, guys? A little help!" Midnight strained as he struggled to keep his shadow tendrils solid.

Taking aim again, readying another lightning arrow, Thunderlane concentrated, praying his arrow would hit its mark this time, with Cheap occupied with Midnight.

"C'mon...!" He released!

But Cheap noticed, raised his bladed wings, and gave a gale of a flap, the force of wind breaking Midnight's concentration, which caused his tendrils of shadows to disperse like smoke while the arrow was embedded into the ground where Cheap had been. Hefting his halberd, Cheap flew at Thunderlane, who raised his bow to protect himself, only for Soarin to come in and meet Cheap's blade with his own.

"You're a persistent one," Cheap chuckled condescendingly as he traded more blows with Soarin, who was shocked by the force of each strike that he barely held his sword against them.
"Too bad you're fighting a losing battle!"

"Funny, I was just gonna say the same to you!" Soarin started flying literal circles around Cheap, creating a tornado, "Midnight, Blueblood!"

"Right!" Midnight and Blueblood concentrated and launched as many Magic Arrow spells as they could straight in rapid succession into the tornado as soon as Soarin got out of harm's way.

However, even within the spiraling dizzying turbulence of the tornado, the Magic Arrow spells pinged harmlessly off Cheap as he struggled to regain his composure.After a short while, Cheap dropped out of the tornado, moaning and loopy as he forced himself to stand still and let the dizziness wear out.

"GET HIM!!!"

All six Knights roared as they lunged forward and brought down their weapons upon Cheap, who buckled from the combined force along with his still-disoriented condition. Growling as he finally focused his mind, he snarled, "Get... OFF!!!!"

He lunged up, spread his wings, and lashed out his halberd, sending the knights flying in all directions before falling all around the courtyard. Seizing his chance, Cheap lunged upwards and span around, his wings extended, and feather-shaped blades shot out in all directions.

"TAKE COVER!!" Midnight shouted as he raised his wings, cloaking them with solid shadow to shield himself. Macintosh hurried over to Blueblood, raising his own shield to protect them, while Soarin and Thunderlane managed to sweep Cheese Sandwich up and out of harm's way. Every feather-blade struck with considerable force. To Big Mac, it felt like being on the receiving end of his own apple-bucking, when all of a sudden it stopped.

Midnight made the mistake of lowering his wings to see what was going on-

*ZACHOOOM*

-only to be blasted by the energy beam from Cheap's helm, which blew him through a nearby wall in the courtyard. Although his armor took the brunt of the blast, Midnight knew this was going to bruise, as he slowly pulled himself out of the rubble, groaning in pain with every move.

He heard hoofsteps and looked to see Cheap coming his way, his halberd held menacingly, "You seem in distress, young prince... As an act of mercy, I shall do you the favor of putting you out of your misery!"

Cheap raised the halberd up to deliver the killing blow, only for Midnight to taker a deep breath... and SCREAM!!!

From the hospital, Twilight could hear her husband's sonic scream as she gazed out the window of Princess Celestia's hospital room, which gave her a fine view of Canterlot but not a clear perspective of the castle courtyard. Though it worried her, that sounded like a scream of defiance, not of desperation. She turned to look at her old mentor, who was resting. After she, her friends, and Firestorm had rushed the Royal Sisters to the hospital, the staff, led by Doctor Miracle Cure, immediately got to work in stabilizing the sisters.

To everypony's relief, after a medical scan spell, Doctor Cure assured them that Celestia's foal was fine, though she was badly beaten up and her wing would have to be held in a sling for some time. Luna would be fine, as well, and after the medical staff had done all they could, they had taken the Sisters to their hospital rooms for them to rest.

Though she wanted to go out there and help her husband and the rest of the boys, Twilight felt she was needed here, in case something else went wrong. Sighing, she decided to go see the girls and as she stepped out of the hospital room-

"Oof!/Ow!"

Twilight stumbled and looked up to see a Royal Guard with a soft orange coat, his mane and tail were two tones of sapphire blue, and his eyes were cornflower blue.
"Oh, excuse me, Your Highness! I didn't see you."

He held out his hoof, and Twilight accepted it, allowing him to help her to her hooves, "It's alright, I really shouldn't have been hurrying out without checking to see if someone was coming."

"If I may ask, Princess, you look a little worried," the guard pointed out with a concerned smile.

"It's... My husband and friends are out there fighting a maniac!" Twilight fretted, "A maniac wearing a magical suit of armor that practically makes him invincible!"

"Heh-heh, you don't need to worry about Midnight, Princess," the guard assured, "He's the Element of Faith after all. If you believe in him, there's nothing he can't do."

"Do you... know Midnight?" Twilight asked the guard.

"Let's just say... him and me? We go way back, and we're still pretty close," the guard shrugged, "But my point is, Midnight is all kinds of amazing, but there are times he can make decisions that are just stupid. That's why he needs his friends to stand by him, to believe in him, to make sure he doesn't lose his way. Kinda like how he keeps you close to his heart."

Twilight was a little speechless at this guard's words and was about to ask his name-

"Well, gotta go," the guard walked on down the hall, "still go patrols to do. Hope I helped, Princess!"

Twilight watched him a moment before smiling and heading down the other way, whispering, "You really did."

Had she watched the guard for but a moment longer, she'd have seen him turn pale and fade away like a wisp of mist.

"EEERRRRRAAAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!" Cheap roared as he raised his halberd, calling a storm overhead, and the knights looked on in horror as the storm lashed out lightning bolts that struck randomly throughout Canterlot, causing destruction as well as terror, given the distant screams of panic.

"He's gonna destroy Canterlot!" Cheese pointed with his hoof.

"We have to stop him!" Midnight looked to his friends, "Surround him and when I give the signal, we attack together!"

They all nodded and rushed forward, taking up positions to surround Cheap, who was too busy concentrating to summon his storm. Their eyes all quietly turned towards Midnight, who held up three of his primary feathers, counting down 3 - 2 - 1...

He signaled, and they all charged, roaring as they raised their blades, only for Cheap to easily notice as he began spinning his halberd above his head, creating a powerful gust that caused the knights to all skid to a halt, wary of whatever Cheap was up to next. Unfortunately, this created just the opening Cheap needed as he pulled his halberd back...

*WHISSSSHLASH*

The sound of metal striking metal and then a splatter of liquid struck terror into their hearts as they looked again and were stunned to see Cheap had struck Midnight in the chest with his halberd!

It had been an upwards strike, first hitting the lower left side of Midnight's barrel, and then slashing up across his chest towards his right shoulder. His blood still flew through the air before it splished upon the pavement, his sword clanging upon the ground, and Midnight was sent tumbling across the courtyard, leaving a haphazard trail of blood... until finally he came to a stop, lying prone on his side, his blood beginning to pool around him.

"Too easy..." Cheap snorted in satisfaction.

"MIDNIGHT!!!!!" they screamed, standing in utter shock to see their leader, their friend, their brother, so easily struck down. Turning their gazes back to Cheap, they prepared to charge again, their swords poised...

He laid there, every breath searing his barrel with agony, feeling the warmth of his life slipping away, struggling to keep his eyes open. Was this it? All he'd been through, all he'd suffered, all he'd lost, everything he'd sacrificed, every step on the journey that was his life, it was all to die here? At the hooves of a megalomaniac? To fail his nation? His people? His friends? His family?

...My Twily! he thought in heartbreak as his world started to go black, No... no! It can't... it won't end like this!!

But then he felt a soothing breeze blow across his body, and when he blinked, he saw he was no longer in the courtyard... but in Whitetail Woods!

"What the...?" Midnight uttered when he realized he was no longer in pain!

He looked down at his chest and was disturbed to see the wound was still there, still bleeding. Okay, this is getting freaky- Wait... My armor! My sword, my helmet!

Midnight was completely naked of his armor and his sword was gone. Seeing as he no longer felt in any pain, he slowly tried to move, and when he felt no pain as a result, he dared to stand up, and nearly stumbled, feeling pins and needles in his fetlocks. Groaning in annoyance, he stamped his hooves to regain sensation, which made the numbness go away, but strangely, he didn't feel his limbs as he normally did. It wasn't a sensation of numbness, more like... his sense of touch had been dulled.

Looking around, Midnight saw that though this looked like Whitetail Woods, he had a feeling it really wasn't. The sky above was cloudy and dismal, there was a chill in the air, and he finally realized he could see his breath every time he exhaled.

"This place feels...!" he whispered before stopping himself from finishing that sentence, suddenly having an idea of where he was. "No... no!! This can't be- I can't be...!"

Before he could fully freak out, his sharp ears picked up a sound, a sound that made him freeze in growing terror. The sound of hoofsteps!

Midnight began to shake, was it the Pony of Death? Was he here to drag him kicking and screaming into the Spirit World?!

"Hey there, buddy."

...

...

...

That voice! Midnight froze in utter disbelief, unable to bring himself to look over his shoulder. It can't be...!

"Aw c'mon, Blaze, ya gonna say hi back or am I gonna have to come over there and give you a noogie?"

It absolutely sounded like him, and the feeling in his heart was unmistakable, that finally Midnight could bear it no longer. Slowly, he turned around, and there he was.

A pegasus stallion, orange like the sunrise, his mane in two tones of sapphire blue, his eyes blue like a cornflower... and his cutie-mark! A two-toned blue shield with a yellow lightning bolt, and finally, that cocky smirk on his face.

"...Flash?" Midnight managed to utter out.

"Hey, Midnight. Long time no see," Flash Sentry smiled warmly.

Author's Note:

The phrase 'Count up your sins' and the mentioned character Grand Hoof were borrowed by Banshee531

Comments

[Southern Wing]

Wasn’t expecting that to happen. good chapter. was suspecting that it was flash when twi bumped into him.