Wrath of Grogar

by Israel Yabuki

A Glimpse of Hope

Author's Note:

Here's another chapter to my story. I hope you all enjoy it. Big shout-out to my good friend TheShadowKnight for helping me out, be sure to follow him for a job well done. And as always, thank you all for your patience and support, stay tuned for more and brony on.

The entire group, including Eternal Flames, stood there in disbelief to see their old friend standing in the room, face-to-face. "It… It can't be, how are you alive?" Eternal asked, trying to approach him.

All of a sudden, the Inferno in front of him started laughing sarcastically. “Alive? I’m not alive… After all, I’m dead… because of you.” He replied in a dark tone.

"W-What did you just say?" Eternal asked, making sure he heard that right. "Inferno, look. I know I made a mistake back then, but I'm going to make it right. I'm going to bring my old friend back… the man who I acknowledged as a brother… and I still do. Please, try to understand," Eternal tried to persuade.

“Really! Well, you weren’t like that when you joined Grogar, the very demon who murdered my father and destroyed MY LIFE!!!” Inferno shouted, echoing throughout the chamber. “And for what? Just so you can get back at one pony who murdered you as a child! Going so far as to destroy your home, your family, and our friends… Including the one mare you loved!” He stated while he began walking towards the young prince.

Eternal didn't realize that he was backing away until his 4th step. "Inferno, I know I've done some horrible things and I'm sorry. I should've made better choices, but all that I did was give into my hatred and almost killed what's most important to me. But I promise you, I won't make the same mistake again. Just trust me on this and we can be a family again! I can't afford to lose you again!" he extends his hoof out.

“Trust… You? Trust you?! TRUST YOU?!!! I had trusted you before, I shattered every bone in my body for you, I bled for you, I willingly sacrificed my life for you!” Inferno shouted. “And yet… You took my trust and threw it away, just like you did when you tried to kill me back over at Grogar’s castle!”

"No! No! Please! I'm sorry! I beg your forgiveness!"

“IT'S TOO LATE FOR SORRY!!!” Inferno shouted as he then drew his swords.

"I didn't want it… to come to this…" Eternal paused, looking down at the ground in shame, his tears flowing. "...but… whatever it takes. I will show you that I'm not the same ruthless tyrant I was tricked into being anymore!" Eternal looked back up, his horn lighting up in a red aura. "Even if I have to shed my blood to prove it." At that moment his horn was surrounded in a brighter red aura, shaping it into a kind of sword horn.

The two stood still for a while before Inferno charges forward and delivered a downward slash at Eternal, who blocked the attack. He swung his sword horn to force Inferno off of him, then charged at his enraged comrade. Inferno does a backflip to avoid him, landing on his four hooves before he and Eternal were engaged in another stand-off.

Inferno remained driven by his hatred for his former ally causing his demise. He charged at him again, but this time, Eternal deactivated his sword horn and charged straight at him. Inferno slashed at him with his sword, but Eternal leaped overhead with a frontflip, then followed it up with a leg sweep and then a double-kick, sending Inferno flying.

But he quickly caught himself in mid-air and landed perfectly on all fours, coming straight at Eternal Flames once again. The prince turned around and watched as Inferno slashed and him with his sword some more, but he kept dodging, trying to keep himself from getting hurt. But then, one of Inferno's attacks got him on his shoulder, almost at his neck. Eternal grunted and backed off.

"ETERNAL, NO!!!" Sunset shouted in panic. "Luna! Please, stop them!" The moon princess stared down in shame, shaking her head left and right.

"There is nothing I can do to stop this fight. Eternal has to finish it on his own," Luna stated.

“She’s right. That there is not the Inferno Blaze you truly know; he’s merely but a construct of Inferno’s rage. This chamber has an enchantment to force whoever enters to experience their worst fears. For Eternal, he fears that he will never be redeemed, so the chamber forces him to see his best friend scolding him and blaming him for his demise.” Moises explained.

"Seriously?! Isn't that a little… overkill?" Flash asked, worried.

"There's nothing else we can do but to watch, Flash. I know it's unfair, Eternal's doing this, not just for Inferno, but all of us. I don't want to see him hurt, but we have to consider how he feels about all this," Halo explained.

As they all wait outside of the chamber, the two stallions inside continue to duel without anything holding them back. Inferno was still gaining the upper hand with his sword, leaving slash marks on nearly every part of Eternal's body.

All he keeps doing is backing away and trying to dodge. "I can't… keep dodging… forever. Gotta… think of something. But what?" Eternal asked himself, panting heavily.

"Quit jumping all over the place and hold still so I can hang your head on the wall as my trophy, you damn traitor!" Inferno snapped.

"No… I'm not giving up! The fate of our worlds could be at stake! If I give up now, who'll be there to look after my friends and family?" Eternal stood his ground, though barely able to keep his footing steady.

"Tough talk for the heir of a demon lord,” Inferno said, and then all of a sudden, he places his swords away in their sheaths. “Then tell me… Will you be willing to risk your very life for them?” He added while tilting his head towards the entrance of the chamber where the others were.

"With… Without a doubt!" Eternal replied, heading over towards Inferno, slowly building up speed and lighting up his horn.

"Then this is where it ends… FOR YOU!" Inferno draws his sword once again and slashes at Eternal, but then he vanishes at the last minute. "What the?! Where'd you go, you coward?!"

"Surprise…" Eternal whispered from underneath Inferno. He realized too late and felt Eternal kick him upwards into the air, then felt Eternal leap up towards him and land a right hook to his face, sending him down to the ground before landing in front of Inferno, panting heavily.

"Damn it… I should've… seen that coming! Damn you…" Inferno grunted. "Go ahead. Finish me off, already."

Eternal approached him and then… he offered his hoof. "I won't allow that to happen. Because we're not enemies… we're friends… allies… brothers. What do you say?" he asked. Though his body stung from all the sword slashes, he still had enough strength to offer his friend a helping hoof… which soon put a warm smile on his face.

While Inferno had not responded; however, he took Eternal’s hoof and looked up to him. His expression was different and so were his eyes. They were the expression and eyes of the friend that Eternal once knew.

“Guess I was right to trust you… Brother.” He said before his entire body started to fade away before he vanished into thin air.

"The task is complete… you have passed the test," a voice echoed throughout the room. Soon, the moon gem above shined brightly and floated down towards Eternal Flames. He grabs it in his magic aura and stares at the legendary gem. "Take heart, for you have proven your worth. But remember… the trials you face in the future will prove to be far greater than you can handle on your own. Now… venture forth… and good luck… Eternal Flames."

The voice then faded away and right afterward, the room began to shake and rumble, the floors beginning to crumble. "Uh-oh. Quick! EVERYPONY, WITH ME!" Luna exclaimed. Eternal ran towards his aunt. She lit up her horn and soon, everyone was teleported out of the cavern.

"We're NEVER… doing that again," Flash commented.

"I'm with you on that, Flash," Halo said, who was shooked up from that experience.

"The important thing is we got the Moon Gem. So now, we just have to find the 5 demon crystals and we'll have everything we need to bring Inferno back," Sunset said.

"Easier said than done. We still have a titan demon to worry about. Speaking of which, do you think the girls alright? I mean, we did leave them alone back at our world with that monster," Flash pointed out.

"Monster? You mean there's more danger?" Luna asked.

"I'm afraid so, Princess Luna. But that's exactly why we also need the Moon Gem. Hopefully, it'll give us a fighting chance to hold off the monster and save our friends," Sunset said.

"Very noble, but the question is can your sweetheart use it? Though you managed to obtain it, the power inside it is still poisonous to anything demonic." Moises said.

"He's got a point. I think it's better if you guys use the Moon Gem. I'll stick with whatever demonic powers I've got left," Eternal said.

"What do you mean? Are you saying you're running low on demonic powers?" Halo asked.

"Makes sense. When your friend here used his magic to grab the gem, it weakened his demon blood inside. And once it runs out… you'll be mortal again," Moises said. "But something tells me you won't take it easy after that."

"Afraid not. He's not gonna stop until he's gotten the job done," Flash said.

"Then, what are we waiting for? We've gotta go back home, now! The others might be in terrible danger for all we know," Halo urged.

"Alright. Sorry to chat and run, but we'll come and visit you after we've sorted out this mess. Thanks for your help, Luna, Moises," Sunset said.

"It was my pleasure. Now, go. Your friends need you," Luna urged. After giving the moon princess one last goodbye, the group left the entire library and travel throughout the castle to find the mirror portal.

---

Meanwhile, back in the city, the rest of the group had been chased throughout the city by their monstrous fiery foe. Splitting up had done them no good; they tried leaving many obstacles to slow him down, but that failed, too. They tried losing the Titan Demon by taking turns in alleyways or any backways in the city, but its amazing agility and brute force allowed it to crash through some of the buildings.

The ruckus wound up stirring the attention of the U.S Army and gave the group some time to escape from the monster. But it only slowed it down for a little while and left behind more U.S army casualties.

As for the Demon Crystals, Rainbow Dash was able to hide them in a secure location at one of their secure places before rejoining the group. And after a while, they all met up at Canterlot Mall, the place where they would sometimes hang out. With over 50 to 100 stores in the building, the mall was theoretically a maze; a perfect place to hide from a 9 ft tall demon.

After hours of running, the group hid in a mattress store where they could take a breather and rest their legs.

"The big guy is seriously persistent! Does he ever run outta juice?" Blazing Waters asked between breaths.

"Not with all that demonic rage fueling him," Rainbow replied.

"I… don't like… saying it… but… for the first time… I'm pooped," Pinkie panted.

"Hopefully this place is big enough to keep that monster busy. And hopefully, we're well-hidden enough to rest up for a while," Copper Plume said, slumping down on one of the mattresses.

"Ah don't think Ah can run another step. All this scamperin' 'round, scramblin' through the city has tuckered me out an' now Ah'm hungry," Applejack said.

"We haven't had anything decent to eat for 6 whole hours," Frostbite said.

"6 hours? Ugh, no wonder my stomach's eating itself," Israel groaned, rubbing his stomach.

"Well, we could always send a couple of us out there to find some food," Fluttershy said.

“I concur. We can’t keep going on with this without having a delicacy to eat.” Rarity stated.

"I agree. I need some food right now," Lightning said, rubbing his rumbling stomach.

"Let me go. I can get us the food while you guys rest," Heat said.

"And I'll tag along to keep you safe. It's too dangerous to go out there alone. Plus, with my telekinesis, I can probably ward off the monster if it spots us," Twilight said.

“Alright, but I don’t want you getting hurt, okay?” Heat replied.

"Don’t worry, I won’t,” Twilight responded.

“Do hurry back, darlings. We don’t know how long that demon brute finds out we’re hiding here.” Rarity informed them.

"We will. Thanks, Rarity," Twilight said. She and Heat then left the mattress store and snuck through the mall, walking silently as they could; doing all they can to avoid being detected.

The Titan Demon was on the first floor, lurking around and growling, trying to find its next victims as usual. Heat and Twilight could hear its angry roars echo throughout the building, believing that the beast was having difficulty finding them.

“Guess coming here wasn’t a bad idea,” Twilight whispered, softly.

"I agree. What's the nearest restaurant?" Heat whispered.

"The food court's not far from here. And if I had to guess, I'd say the burger joint should be the closest one," Twilight whispered. “It’s right next to the taco joint.”

“Of course. The two best meal joints had to be near each other.” Heat replied quietly.

The two silently sneak to the food court, taking a few stops once or twice to ensure that their footsteps weren’t making any increasing sounds. And in no time, they reach their destinations. "Okay, I'll go and grab some food from the taco joint, you get some burgers," Twilight instructed.

"Fine by me. Just make sure you stay hidden if that thing shows up," Heat replied. Twilight nodded and head inside each of the restaurants.

In the Taco joint, Twilight headed into the kitchen area where she might have some luck with finding some fresh tacos the cooks might've left behind during the pandemic. But when she got inside, she heard a small commotion coming from the backroom of the joint. It almost sounded like a few people are having a conversation.

She got curious and headed into the back room to see what was going on, but kept her head down low if they were hostiles. After checking inside…

"GET OUT!" a female voice yelled before said girl threw a food tray in Twilight's direction.

Twilight ducked her head down to avoid the tray, and in a quick move, she used her telekinesis to grab the tray in midair before it made contact with the floor. The science girl let out a sigh in relief as if she had just dodged a bullet.

"Do you have to be so loud?" Twilight whispered loudly to whoever was inside. Right from under the tables, Twilight saw three girls pop their heads up, revealing themselves. Twilight recognized them as the Dazzlings that Sunset told her about in the past. Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk. "You! What are you girls doing here?"

"Aren't you the brains or something? Or are those glasses just for show? We're hiding here, why else would we be here?!" Aria snapped.

"Shhhh, okay, but tone it down! There's a demonic monster out in the mall!" Twilight shushed.

"Monster?!" Sonata exclaimed before cowering under the table.

"Shhh!!! I told you to be quiet! Do you want that thing to find us?" Twilight shushed again. "How long have you girls been here, anyway?"

"About 3 days, ever since the entire city had been evacuated. So I and these two had been laying low here for a while, living off everything this building has to offer.” Adagio replied. “However, before this, all happened, we heard about the event happening at the ruins. With you and your friend’s macho showdown with Grogar himself.” She added

"It wasn't a cakewalk, that's for sure. We barely managed to defeat him and… well, I'll tell you later, but first, why don't you come with me over to the mattress store with the rest of my friends so you can rest there," Twilight offered.

“Really?! Do you think we would come with you willingly? After what your friends did to us a year back?! I don’t think so!” Aria replied.

"Listen, I know we got on some bad terms, but we don't have time to argue when there's a demonic adversary out there waiting to kill us. What's more important? Your pride or your life?" Twilight asked.

"She's kinda right, Aria. We're not gonna last long in here once all the tacos are out. Maybe, we should leave with her.” Sonata proposed.

“Well, I only have one opinion… I DON’T GIVE A SINGLE SHIT!!!” Aria shouted at Sonata. So loud that it echoed throughout the mall.

On the first floor, the Titan Demon was stomping through every store, growling furiously from his failed efforts to locate his prey. Until he later heard the echoes from Aria’s shouting, which caught his full attention.

Twilight, at this point, lunged at Aria and covered her mouth… or at least she tried to. "Shhhhh, I told you to keep it down! You're gonna get us all killed! What the hell's the matter with you?"

“Please, it’s not like it can hear us,” Aria stated. Until she was proven wrong when the four of them could hear a loud booming roar echoing across the entire mall and could hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Uh… not to sound like a know-it-all? But… I think it can hear.” Sonata exclaimed.

“What… was… that?” Adagio asked while starting to feel a bit frightened from that roar. Twilight glared at Aria and with all her frustration taking over, she slapped Aria across the face.

"I told you to keep it down, but you just wouldn't stop shouting like some spoiled, rotten brat and now you're gonna get us all killed!!!" Twilight said, gritting her teeth, staring at Aria with her angriest death stare.

The rumbling noises grew louder until eventually, the door leading to the kitchen area was pulled clean off. Lo and behold, the Titan Demon spotted its prey. The girls backed away against the wall with nowhere to run or hide. Luckily, the monster was too big to fully fit in and could only fit one of its arms through the doorway.

Even so, the girls couldn't get any closer, otherwise, they'd be toast. "Okay, I believe you! Just do something to stop this freak of nature!” Adagio shouted.

"I can't do anything, my telekinesis can't even lift something that huge!" Twilight panicked.

"That's what she said," Aria uttered.

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES, YOU LOUD MOUTH!!!" Adagio shouted in anger.

"Do something, please! I don't wanna die! I haven't even gotten to taste the Hot-Cha Taco Supreme yet!" Sonata pleaded in tears.

The Titan Demon roared at the girls as it reached out its arm to try and capture one of them. But before it could even graze one of them…

"Hey! Johnny Blaze! Over here!!!" a male voice called out. The monster backed away and turned around, finding Heat Blitz outside in the center of the food court. "You wanna dance with someone, dance with me!" he shouted. The Titan Demon growled and chased after Heat.

“HEAT!” Twilight called out for him as he led the demonic beast to the other side of the mall. A great sense of worry grew inside of her.

"GET OUTTA THERE! NOW!!!" Heat yelled out.

“Who is he?” Adagio asked.

“My boyfriend!” Twilight replied.

Adagio looked shocked from hearing that. “Really? Woo, you picked a fine one.” She responded.

"Thanks, but let's get outta here while we still have the chance!" Twilight urged. This time, the Dazzlings didn't even argue and just followed Twilight out of the taco joint and in the direction of the mattress store.

Meanwhile, with Heat, the monster was catching up with him quickly. As he ran, he sees up ahead a mall balcony that leads down to the first floor. At that moment, Heat had a clever idea popped into his head. "Come on, you overgrown candle! Catch me if you can!" Heat taunted, despite his lack of energy.

The Titan Demon eventually caught up to Heat and swatted him so hard he knocked him 25 feet away from him. But he was far from through with the young man. He chased after him some more while Heat was barely able to spring back onto his feet and bolt further down. Even when he was nearly out of breath, Heat managed to get to the glass railing of the balcony and there we turned around and watch the Titan Demon charging forward; and he waits for the right opportunity to make his move.

Once the monster was only 5 feet away, it leaped at Heat with its entire body weight behind it. Heat took this chance to leap to the side and watched as the Titan Demon crashed against the glass railing and fell 4 stories below, hitting the ground hard.

After jumping to the side, Heat crawls towards the edge and looks over it to see the Titan Demon’s body lying lifeless on the first floor. However, Heat knows that the demon was not dead and it would eventually wake up soon. And he knows he nor everyone else are not sticking around here when that happens.

With the little energy he has left, Heat ran off, navigating through the mall and heading in the direction of the mattress store. There, his friends, along with his sweetheart, were all shocked to see Heat in his current state. He had a couple of slash marks on his cheeks and his shirt. The monster had somehow drawn blood when it swatted at him. He limped over to the group, exhausted and worn out before falling to the ground.

Twilight rushed over to him in worry and helped him up onto his feet and leading him to one of the mattresses in the store.

“Heat, are you ok?! What happened?” Twilight asked.

"I'm… I'm okay. But that… that thing packed a punch. It slammed me quite a ways when it chased after me. I'll… I'll make it." he panted. Twilight helped take off his shirt to check for any other injuries. It looked like the monster might've bruised his ribs. As for the slash marks, he's lucky they're not deep. Twilight then heard the sound of his stomach rumbling loudly

“How did you managed to escape the Titan Demon?” Frostbite asked.

“I didn’t. I lead it to one of the mall’s indoor balconies and tricked him to run off the edge and plummet 4 stories below.” Heat replied.

"That means we're safe… for now, at least," Fluttershy said.

"That was one hell of a risk ya took back there. But we're glad yer back," AJ added.

"Also, did you guys manage to find food?" Israel asked.

“Nope, but we found them,” Twilight said before turning over to the doorway and kept her volume down as she called out. “You can come in now,” she said.

And after a quick second, the Dazzlings walked into the store, making themselves known to the others. When the rest of the girls saw them, they immediately gave the three death glares.

“What the heck are they doing here?!” Rainbow asked, quietly.

"Hiding… Like we are right now. But they've been here for 3 days," Heat intervened.

"And it was this one who almost got us killed with her big, fat, loudmouth!" Twilight gestured to Aria Blaze.

“How was I supposed to know that there was a demon monster in the building?!” Aria rebutted.

“Well, she did keep telling us that there was a demonic monster in the building,” Sonata informed her.

“I know that, Sonata!” Aria responded.

“So… Never thought that these troubled times would end up forcing us to cross paths again.” Adagio stated. “Although, I am curious as to why Sunset Shimmer isn’t with any of you.”

"She's probably with her boyfriend or something, but we don't know where," Rainbow said.

"It's possible they might be looking for the Demon Crystals, too," Blazing replied.

“Didn’t ya forget? She, Eternal, Flash, and Halo are back in Equestria searching for the Moon Gem.” Applejack informed them.

"Hey, that's right! The Demon Crystals aren't the only things on the list!" Copper agreed.

"But that does beg the question: if they get the Moon Gem, won't it leave Eternal Flames in a weakened state?" Pinkie asked.

"She's got a point! Demons can't handle any kind of power that comes from the moon because of its purifying energy! I just hope Eternal didn't touch the thing," Twilight said with concern.

"Who's this… Eternal Flames?" Adagio asked.

“And what the heck are you talking about Demon Crystals and Moon Gems?” Aria asked out of curiosity, too.

“And who are these boys with you?” Sonata asked as well.

"Don't panic, but… we're the missing boys from 3 years ago. We were all under Grogar's control and became his elite soldiers… or in his case… slaves. We also happen to be the girls' sweethearts as well." Israel explained.

“Oooh, you girls have been busy while we were away,” Sonata replied.

“You still haven’t answered the rest of our questions,” Aria responded.

"Eternal Flames was the former Demon King and is now our ally… as well as Sunset's childhood friend, turned boyfriend," Heat explained. “And from what we learned from the Sunset, he’s also the son of one of Equestria’s rulers.”

“Wait? Are you saying that this Eternal is a prince? And Sunset is dating him?” Adagio said.

"Yeah, why?" Heat asked.

There was a long pause until, "...That lucky little bitch!" Adagio exclaimed.

Everyone was surprised by Adagio’s reaction, but not more so than Aria and Sonata.

“Whoa, did not expect that,” Aria responded.

“Ooh, sounds like Dagi is feeling a little jealous,” Sonata stated.

"Shut up! I am not jealous! I'm just disappointed how Sunset can be so picky about her boyfriends since I thought she was dating Flash," Dagi replied in denial, blushing.

“Well, you missed a lot, Adagio.” Pinkie stated. “And a lot has changed. Plus, some people in the brony fandom hate shipping Flash with Sunset, or even Twilight.”

Adagio was left confused about what Pinkie said. “What?” She responded.

"It's Pinkie Pie, sometimes, she just spouts random stuff we don't know about. It's best not to think too much about it. It can hurt your brain," Copper said.

“What’s the matter, Adagio? You feeling lonely.” Fluttershy asked out of curiosity.

"N-No, of course not! W-Why would I be lonely?" she tried to deny.

“Really? That’s not what you said last 3 nights ago, Adagio. You were crying on your bed, complaining that you’re never gonna meet a boy perfect for you.” Aria stated.

"J-Just shut up! Are we gonna keep talking about my love life or can we talk about why do you all need Demon Crystals and Moon Gems for?” Adagio said.

"Good point," Rarity replied. "Well, the Demon Crystals are demonic artifacts that can enhance the abilities of certain individuals. But the power coming from them is demonic, so anyone with even the slightest darkness within them is empowered and corrupts them. Heat Blitz was one such victim when he grabbed one of the crystals with his bare hands and almost tried to choke one of our friends."

"And the Moon Gem is said to be a gem with pure moonlight energy radiating in and out of it. It could have similar effects to the Demon Crystals but with fewer consequences," Heat explained.

“We didn’t ask what they do. We asked what do you all want to use them for?” Aria stated.

Of course, it left all of them silent and stunned for a while, which left the Dazzlings confused and curious. After minutes of silence, Applejack was the first to answer.

“We need them ta bring back a friend of ours. He’s also a friend of Eternal’s, well at first he was supposedly his bodyguard.” AJ replied.

“So you’re gonna teleport him here from whatever he’s from?” Sonata asked.

“No… He’s dead.” Heat replied.

The Dazzlings were now left gasping and shocked from what they heard.

“He sacrificed his life to save Eternal and me, along with our world and Equestria. And we’re trying to bring him back.” Heat explained.

“I… I…” Adagio tried to speak, but she could not. These girls had brought nothing but trouble to her, Aria, and Sonata. And just hearing that one of their friends is dead, she instantly felt sympathy for them, even though she doesn’t wish to.

Aria was a bit stubborn, but she felt awful for the Rainbooms. And she felt guilty that she didn’t know that a friend of theirs had passed away. She had conflicting emotions going through her head.

As for Sonata, she expressed her emotions more than the other two. She felt utterly sad for the group’s loss and felt complete sympathy for them.

“We’re sorry for your loss. We… didn’t know.” She responded to the group.

"It was a tough time for all of us. But Eternal was the one who was hurt the most. Inferno was like a brother to him and he's been constantly beating himself up for getting him killed," Lightning Burn said.

"None of us expected him to make such a bold sacrifice. But as soon as we've collected all of the crystals and the Moon Gem, we'll finally bring him home," Twilight said.

“Um… Not wanting to make to intrude, but… What was he like?… this Inferno you all know.” Adagio asked.

“And from what Sunset told us, he was an outlaw back in Equestria. And he called himself, ‘The Shadow Knight’, Equestria’s deadliest assassin. And a demon hunter.” Rainbow explained.

"He was a skilled fighter for one thing. He was also pretty distant from others. But over time, he slowly opened up to some of us, even showed how caring he can be and so devoted to others,” Fluttershy said.

“He’s also a poor soul. He lost everything back in Equestria and was framed fer a crime he didn’t commit, so he was forced on the run.” Applejack added.

“But he always seems to know when to do good for others, and he’s risked his own health time and time again to ensure our safety.” Twilight proclaimed.

"He sounds like a real hero," Sonata commented.

"He was. And we have our friend Starlight Glimmer to thank for helping him come out of his shell after showing so much affection to the boy," Rarity said.

“But after his death, Starlight never showed a single smile. No matter what we tried to do to at least make her feel happy again; her broken heart is beyond repair until we bring Inferno back.” Pinkie stated.

"There, there, Pinkie," Copper said, comforting his sulking sweetheart with a nice hug.

"Again, we're sorry you lost your friend," Sonata said, feeling sorry for everyone.

"Thanks for your sympathies, Sonata. Anyways, why don't you girls take a rest here and--" Fluttershy said before her stomach's rumbling interrupted her.

"Say no more, I'll go and look for some grub for us, this time," Rainbow said.

“Do it quick. We need to leave. The Titan Demon may be unconscious for now, but I’m not sure for how long.” Heat stated.

"You got it. I'll be back before you can say "Demon," Rainbow said confidentially before using her geode's power to bolt out of the store and off into the food court where she breezed through most of the restaurants and then came back in just 7 seconds with a handful of bags of food.

The Dazzlings were shocked by this.

“Yep, we missed a lot,” Aria said.

"What matters is we got more food!" Sonata said happily.

"Yep. Don't fret, everyone. There's plenty for everybody. I've got burgers, hot dogs, tacos, pizzas, submarine sandwiches, french fries, and some water bottles to rehydrate us," Rainbow said proudly.

"Dashie, you are a lifesaver," Blazing said.

"Yeah, good job, Rainbow," Heat added.

“Thanks,” She replied.

“Alright, now that we have food, can we leave this place please,” Fluttershy spoke.

Before anyone could answer, they all could hear the Titan Demon’s angry roars echoing from the first floor. Seems that it finally woke up.

“Looks like we might have to,” Israel stated.

“No, wait. Listen.” Twilight said.

Soon they could hear the demon’s heavy footsteps echoing in the mall, although they sound like it’s moving away from where they are. Soon the sounds start to die down until they cannot be heard anymore.

“He left the mall…. I mean he just left.” Rarity said.

“Guess he learned his lesson when Heat forced him to fall off the balcony.” Frostbite proclaimed.

“Or maybe somethin’ else drew his attention.” Applejack replied.

"But what could that Titan Demon be interested other than us?" Rainbow asked.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Twilight said.

“Well, as long as we get a chance to rest and eat, I don’t care what he’s doing right now,” Blazing stated.

"Whether that's our empty stomachs talking or not, he's right. I'm starving. Let's eat," Aria said. After their little chat, the group sat at the mattresses and munched down on their meals.

---

Meanwhile, with Chrysalis and Celestia, the two women had arrived at the Canterlot Mall, only to be surprised to see it in shambles. "Goodness. Uh, Chrysalis, if you'd like, we can postpone our shopping until this place gets fixed, or if you're feeling adventurous, we can just get your new clothes now." Celestia offered.

"I've seen messier, so why not," Chrysalis said.

“Splendid! Then let’s not waste any more time.” Celestia stated as she grabbed Chrysalis’s arm and drags her inside the building as the two women ran through the hallways of the mall. "Looks like a tornado hit this place. But, nothing the construction workers can't fix once everything cools down in the city and everyone comes home. Why don't we start with the JCPenny's over there?" she suggested, pointing to the 2nd store on the left.

"Whatever floats your boat," Chrysalis replied.

Celestia chuckles at her statement.

“Oh, you are enjoyable. I like ya already.” She said as she walked into the store.

Chrysalis was stunned by what Celestia said. But more so when she felt her heart skip a beat after Tia said that and she doesn’t notice that her cheeks turned pink. She shook her head and felt very confused.

‘What is wrong with me?’ She thought to herself. 'This should not be happening to me! I never showed any emotions other than what I'm used to.' Chrysalis' eyes just wandered from Celestia to the ground, then back to Celestia again, then at the store and back at Celestia once more, her mind was trailing all over the place. It's as if nothing makes sense to her anymore.

“My life is a mess.” She whispered to herself as she follows Celestia into the clothing store. The two women browse through the empty store for any clothes that might appeal to Chryssie. Celestia then stopped at the women's clothes and found a couple of cute clothing outfits and showed them off to Chrysalis.

"What do you think of these, Chrysalis?" Celestia asked, showing her a black and green dress and a teal dress.

“Uhh… It’s… nice?” Chrysalis replied.

"Alrighty. OH! And look at these?" Tia said excitedly, running towards some more clothes and picking them out and showing them to Chrysalis. "I think these will suit you wonderfully, don't you think?" she asked with a slight giggle.

“Uhhh…” Chrysalis tried to find words to reply.

“Oh look there’s a changing room nearby. Why don’t you try these on.” Tia added.

"A-Alright then," Chrysalis nodded. Celestia pulled her over towards the changing room and showed her inside one of the stalls before waiting outside for Chrysalis to come out with her new outfits.

After a few minutes, Chrysalis appears out of the changing room, wearing a gray sweater with a black high neck tank top over it and wore a blueish-green skirt with high thighs on her legs and dark aqua blue shoes.

"Wow… you look… you look… ADORABLE!!!" Celestia exclaimed, hugging Chrysalis happily, giggling in excitement.

“Thanks,” She replied.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I have something that would go well with your new outfit.” Tia stated as she reaches over to a display stand with a variety of hair brooches and picks out a sky blue colored flower brooch with light cyan colored leaves. Then she carefully places it on Chrysalis’s hair and then steps back to see how it looks on her.

“What was that for?” Chrysalis asked.

“Oh, nothing… except it makes you even more beautiful,” Celestia replied. Now Chrysalis could feel her face heating some more after hearing her praise.

“...” She could not say a word. She was left speechless. No one back in Equestria has ever called her beautiful. Let alone hugged her in such a manner. In doing so, this strange sensation in her chest started beating. And now this left her with even more curiosity? What was it and why is it doing this every time she's near Celestia like this?

“Uh… I… I… T-t-thank you.” Chrysalis stuttered in response.

“Say now that we found your new clothes, and we have plenty of time. Why don’t we go around and explore the place and have some quality fun while we’re at it.” Tia proposed.

"Fun? What kind of fun?" Chrysalis asked.

“Well, there is no one in this place, and all the stores just so happen to be abandoned. Which means we have this whole place to ourselves and we can do whatever we want.” Celestia explained while she had her arm around the back of Chrysalis’s neck and hugging her close. “What do ya, say?” She asked.

"Hmm… very well. I've got nothing better to do," Chrysalis said.

“Excellent! Now… Lets… get… WILD!!!" Celestia exclaimed in excitement.

'Wild? What does she--' Chrysalis thought before Celestia took her by the hand and pulled her off to the hardware store across from the JCPenny's. There, Celestia went and grabbed a couple of tools like a crowbar, a power drill, and some bolt-cutters.

Chrysalis didn't get what was the woman planning; although, she can’t help but feel very anxious about Tia's idea of "fun".

“W-what are you planning?” She asked her.

"Let's just say, I've had some lousy luck at the arcades when I came here sometimes. I even got cheated out of some of the crane games, so I'm gonna… take back some of what they owe me. And to make sure no one's watching us… I'd like to operate in the dark. Help me find the fuse box that's linked to this entire mall," Celestia said with a devious smirk.

Chrysalis was incredibly shocked by this new side to Celestia. And the strangest thing was that she can’t help but find this… very intriguing.

“You… Are an evil person,” Chrysalis said before she too had a devious smile on her face. “And I like it.”

"Glad you think so… Chryssie," Celestia replied with a wink.

Chrysalis felt flustered but in a good way. And soon, the two women ran out of the hardware store and searched all over the mall for the main power source. It took some time to find the electric room, but they managed just splendidly. Naturally, they had to break down the doors using the tools they had on hand. Once inside, Chrysalis did the honors by turning off the power, including the cameras.

Now the mall was easy pickings for the two wild devil girls. Their first stop… the arcade. Chrysalis smashed open boxes containing money while Celestia stole some of the cash in them before smashing up some of the crane games.

"This is what they get for cheating me out of my favorite plushies!" Celestia said before she turned around and smashed up a few other arcades games; especially going far as pushing one of them over on its side. Tia then turns to Chrysalis and hands her a crowbar.

“Wanna give a swing to these arcade games? It’s very good for relieving any stress kind of stress you might have.” She asked while handing Chrysalis the crowbar she had. Chrysalis took a glance at the crowbar, then stared at one of the arcade games that had the same pink-ish purple color as a certain unicorn mare she knew. One look was all it took to fuel her rage and take her anger out. She rushed off, screaming menacingly as she smashed one of the arcade games with so many blows, it was even beyond recognition, let alone beyond repairs.

Celestia was astounded at Chrysalis' ferocity when she smashed the game like that. She was beginning to like her more and more as much as she was growing a bit scared.

“Woah. That is a lot of anger you kept inside. So… How do you feel?” Celestia asked the woman in front of her.

"I… I feel so… GOOD!!! Perhaps we should smash something else while we’re here. If this world was in tatters more often like this, we could even hit up more places! Perhaps another arcade machine, or set furniture on fire, or rob a bank!” Chrysalis replied randomly, getting all too excited.

“Okay, I think you’re overthinking a bit,” Celestia responded. "I'm all for having a fun time, but I don't think we should go that far and rob banks. But I do like your enthusiasm."

"Glad you think so. Were you always like this in previous years?" Chrysalis asked.

"I do remember being… rebellious in my youth. My mother would scold me for being out so late, but what can I say? I was a crazy kid back then. I've been keeping my inner demons locked away for so long that I eventually let loose. And you know the result," Celestia said.

“Well, maybe now is your time to finally let loose and don’t have to worry about any consequences,” Chrysalis stated. “Right?” She added.

“Hehe… Yeah, I guess it is. Although, it would have been more enjoyable if this whole town didn’t have that ‘Apocalypse ’ atmosphere to it.” Celestia replied.

"You're right about that," Chrysalis chuckled.

“Well, shall we explore this place more and see what else it has to offer?” Celestia proposed.

“Oh… yeah,” Chrysalis replied with a devious smile. And of course, the two dangerous women went to every other store in the mall, finding what else they could destroy or spend some quality time together. But what they didn't know is that the group in the mattress store could hear the sounds of stuff breaking.

In the hallways of the mall, Chrysalis and Celestia were racing with shopping carts which they stole from the clothing store; both were acting like children having fun, laughing and giggling as they did.

Soon, they both took a wrong turn and crashed into a wall as they both rolled across the ground until they were flat on the ground; with Chrysalis laying on top of Celestia as they continued to laugh and giggle from that crash they had. Soon their laughing starts to die down slowly when they make eye contact with each other.

Chrysalis soon felt her heart begin to beat ever so fast when she sees Tia’s cute expression when she giggles, and her cheeks begin to blush.

Tia, on the other hand, found Chyrssie’s flustered expression to be quite enjoyable and can’t help but giggle even more. But soon the part-time school principal became enchanted by Chrysalis’s eyes… her… beautiful green eyes.

"Chrysalis… I honestly mean this; you're incredibly beautiful," Celestia said, mesmerized by Chrysalis' beauty.

"U-Uh… thanks. You're the only one who's ever called me beautiful," The former Changeling Queen replied, sheepishly.

“Well… uh… maybe everyone you met in your life is blind to see that. But I can show you what it's like to… y-you know.. to be loved,” Celestia replied, anxiously.

Chrysalis’s cheeks turned even redder and her heartbeat became even faster than before. “I… I…” She tried to find words to reply, but she was completely speechless.

The two women stared into each other’s eyes, having a silent moment with one another. Not noticing the group of teens that were standing 5 feet from them, watching them have their tender moment.

"Ahem!" a male voice said. The two women jolted, sitting upwards before looking to find the young teens watching them… and one of them was a very disappointed son, arms folded and glaring intensely at the principal. "I hate to ruin the moment… mom. But what the hell do you have to say for yourself for wrecking the mall like this?!" Heat asked in a stern tone.

“Uhhhh… I… Got bored?” She replied, anxiously.

“Also, who’s the pretty lady?” Pinkie asked suspiciously.

"Uh… girls, t-this is Chrysalis. She's… a brand new friend of mine. I accidentally bumped into her on my way home when I was driving and nursed her back to health." Celestia explained.

“Wait, you ran her over? Great, we’re gonna get sued.” Heat stated.

“Calm yourself, boy. She and I are cool.” Chrysalis responded.

“And not to be rude, but… Were you two having a moment before we showed up?” Israel asked.

"Uh… we were. And… listen, Heat. I know this looks bad, but…" Celestia tried to explain, until she saw the injuries on her son's face and body, gasping in horror. "Heat, what happened?! Who's done this to you?" she asked, going over to check on him; with her Mama Bear mode fully activated.

"I was attacked by that monster that's on the loose. That thing's getting stronger and faster the longer it roams out there. Whatever it sees, it kills. And I almost lost my life today," Heat said,

Shocked from this information that he gave her, Celestia pulled Heat into a tight hug and not even daring to let go.

“Oh, my poor child. That is the last time mommy is letting you walk into town alone.” She stated.

"Mom, not in front of the others!" Heat whined, blushing.

'Hold on, did my ears deceive me, or did he just call her "mom" just now?' Adagio thought. "Uh, Heat Blitz, was it?" she asked, getting his attention. "You just called Celestia your mother, does that mean you have a brother named Eternal Flames?"

"Yeah?" Heat said, quirking an eyebrow. "But my brother's been missing for weeks, I don't know where to find him. He and my dad got in a nasty fight about what he thought was best for my brother and tried to force his company onto him. He got so mad that he just… snuck out and left without a trace," he explained.

"O-Oh, I see," Adagio said.

"Why are you asking him? Are you developing the hots for some mystery man?" Aria asked.

"Hey! No fair! I should be the one to ask him out!" Sonata whined.

"Silence! Both of you! I don't need to take this right now!" Adagio snapped.

"This ain't the time to be talkin' 'bout relationships! We gotta get outta here or that monster will come back to git us!" Applejack shouted, breaking them up.

"Uh, what she said. If you saw the size of that monster, you'd run for the hills like we've been doing for hours! That monster chased us nonstop throughout the city!" Rainbow said.

"Very well. But you might want to let your families know where you are and tell them you'll be staying with me.” Celestia proposed.

“Please tell us you have a vehicle outside because I cannot bear to run another mile again,” Rarity asked. "My poor, aching feet are killing me."

"I do, but I can only carry 3 of you," Celestia confirmed.

"Heat's too injured to walk home and that monster might attack out of nowhere, so Heat and I will tag along for protection. Rarity, you can come too, if you're too exhausted from running," Twilight said.

"It's fine by me.” the fashionista replied.

“Says you. What about the rest of us?” Rainbow asked. A question that had everyone think as well. Leaving everyone silent, until Fluttershy walked over to a window which showed the parking lot outside and soon she sees something and then informs the others.

“Ummm…. What about that?” She asked as she pointed out the window.

Everyone walked over next to her and look out the window to see an abandoned large RV parked outside the mall parking lot. Seeing this made everyone relieved and happy.

“All praise for RV dealers!” Copper Plume proclaimed.

"Amen to that. You take Twilight, Heat, and Rarity and we'll take the RV," Israel said. "Applejack, since you're experienced in driving trucks, you should operate behind the wheel."

"Fine by me. Everyone, follow me!" AJ said. Their plan is now set in motion and Celestia and Chrysalis leave the mall with Twilight, Heat, and Rarity. Meanwhile, the rest of the group followed AJ out into the parking lot and reach the RV. AJ looked through the window and666 saw that the RV had the keys in the ignition. "Fellers, lady luck is on our side."

AJ then opened up the door to the RV and everyone else came in with her. They all took their seats on either the RV's couch, table, and on the comfy bed. AJ started the ignition and followed Principal Celestia to her house.

Once they all drove away from the area, an extremely pissed off Titan Demon was stomping out of the mall; its body engulfing more flames and its yellow eyes glowing even more as it’s temper had reached a whole another level as it lets out a loud, mighty roar that echoed throughout the entire city of Canterlot.

Meanwhile, with Sunset, Eternal, Flash, and Halo coming out of the portal, the hairs on Eternal's body stood way up and he felt the intense anger and wrath of the demon. He stood in place, his whole body trembling.

"Hey! What's the matter?" Sunset asked.

"...This anger… it's strong. Very strong! We've got to find the others, quick! That fiery beast is close and it's bloodthirsty!" Eternal said, looking shook up.

“Okay, but we don’t know where they’re at?” Halo replied.

"Do you have some sort of...ability to track down demonic energy?" Flash asked.

“Our friends don’t have demonic energy. Besides…” Sunset stated as she pulls out her cellphone. “We have phones.” She added.

“Oh, right… I forgot.” Flash responded sheepishly.

Sunset dialed her friends on her phone and waited for them to pick up. Finally… "Hello?" she heard Fluttershy say on the other end.

"Fluttershy? Are you okay, is everyone alright?" Sunset asked.

"We're okay, but we had an encounter with the Titan Demon. It attacked us and almost made Heat Blitz one of its victims!" Fluttershy informed.

"What?! Is he gonna be okay?" Sunset asked.

"He's okay. He's with his mom now. We're heading to Celestia's house to take shelter from that thing, what about you? Is everything okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"We're fine. We managed to find the Moon Gem with a little help from some friends. Did you girls find any Demon Crystals?" Sunset asked.

"We managed to find 2, just 3 more to go," Fluttershy said.

“Good, message me your location so we can arrive there soon. Take care of yourselves.” Sunset stated.

"We will. And be sure to tell Rainbow Dash that Eternal's with me and not out there trying to kill you so it'll shut her up about it," Sunset said.

"That, I can do. See you later," Fluttershy said before both girls hung up.

"What was that all about? What's Rainbow done this time?" Flash asked.

“Nothing important. Right now we need to head over to Principal Celestia’s place before the Titan Demon finds us. Let’s just hope that the Moon Gem can make us blind to it.” Sunset stated.

"I hope so, too," Halo said. The group of friends then head off, following Sunset to Principal Celestia's house. During their travel, they heard the sound of gunfire, as well as the monster's ferocious roar.

"Sounds like our fiery fiend's found some company," Eternal said.

"Or maybe they found it," Sunset said. The group continued their way down the path and then turned the corner, seeing a couple of military vehicles parked in the middle of the road and U.S soldiers firing their machine guns in the distance. "Go, go, go! Let them handle the monster!" And the group did as they were told and kept ongoing.

---

While everyone was heading for Principal Celestia's house, Sombra had searched the perimeter of where the 3rd Demon Crystal was. He found it inside a building in the chairman’s office under the big desk inside a briefcase. And right now, Sombra is traveling by dark crystals, carrying the package to Light Ray.

'Light Ray, the mission is half complete. I've got the 3rd crystal and I'm bringing it back to you,' Sombra said through telepathy.

"Perfect. 3 down, 2 to go.” Light Ray replied through telepathy.

'What should I do with the remaining 2 those girls collected?" Sombra asked.

"You can easily get the last 2 crystals, but they might go and check on them, so get your little demonic friend and lead him to them. And remember… leave… Sunset… out of this. Do not allow that thing to kill her."

“What does this Sunset Shimmer mean anything to you? Why do you wish only for her health and not have her die with her friends.” Sombra asked.

“That’s something beyond your curiosity and always will be. So you should not question my orders, period. After all, Sombra… I’m the one that pulled you from the dark pit… And I can send you back without hesitation.”

"...Fine. But what if she's with the group?"

"Bring her to me… That'll make things easier."

"...Very well," After receiving his orders, Sombra ventured off in the direction of where the Titan Demon is located. "It'll only be a matter of time… all in good time," Sombra said to himself.

---

"SHOOT IT DOWN! SHOOT IT!!!" a soldier shouted. In the district where the monster was, the soldiers kept firing at it, trying to wear it down, but the bullets just seemed to bounce off and make the titan demon angry. It roared, trying to cover its face, and then made a reckless dash for some of the soldiers. They jumped out of the way and watched it collide with one of the bunker trucks, almost knocking it on the side.

The soldiers kept firing at the monster, even tossing flashbangs at it. But this only made it even angrier. And to top it off… it seemed to grow larger, reaching 9 ft tall. It turned around and stared down at the soldiers, growling. Some of the soldiers backed away, just to fire at the beast from a safe distance.

It roared again and slammed its fists to the ground, causing an earthquake, and then shot fire right from underneath the ground. The temperature from the fire shooting from the ground was hotter than a solar flare.

"GANG WAY! GANG WAY!" one of the soldiers shouted when they heard a heavy tank driving towards the monster. The other soldiers cleared the line of fire and waited on the signal.

"FIRE AT WILL!!!" the commanding officer shouted. Right away, the tank operator fired the cannon and made a clean hit with the monster, knocking it back in the explosion. But it quickly got back up and ran towards the tank and grabbed the cannon part of it and lifted the whole thing off the ground. Although it struggled to do so, it barely managed to slam it back down over its head, rattling the soldiers inside. It then began smashing its fists into the tank, shattering most of its parts.

"Nothing can stop this thing, we're hitting it everything we've got!" another soldier said.

“The only option left is a goddamn nuke!” a second soldier replied.

"Are you mad, soldier? There are still some people in the vicinity. You want us to bomb ourselves to kill it?!" the commanding officer asked.

“I’m just pointing it out!” The soldier shouted in response, right before the Titan Demon jumped right next to him, towering over him before bringing both its arms upward.

"LOOK OUT, SOLDIER!!!" the commanding officer said, pushing him out of the way while the demon slams hard on him instead.

"SIR!!! Damn you, you son of a bitch!" the soldier said before firing at the monster's head. Without even turning to him, the monster grabbed the soldier's arms and hoisted him above the ground, and stared him dead in the eyes, growling. "For the land of the free, you bastard!" he said to his executioner. The monster then bore its claws and slashed at the soldier, then slammed him down on the ground before stomping on his body over… and over.. and over… and over again. His body was completely squashed and bloodied up beyond recognition.

"Lieutenant… N...No!" the commanding officer grunted in pain, reaching out to one of his fallen, brave soldiers. Just then, a strange black crystal shot at the demon, confusing the commander. "Wh...What?" he asked.

The monster turned quickly and noticed a man in a black hoodie. The soldiers couldn't tell who it was under the hood, but that didn't stop the monster from chasing after him. The hooded figure ran off, leading the monster away from the soldiers, allowing them to lick their wounds.

"Sir!" one of the other soldiers called out, helping his injured commander. "Sir, are you gonna be alright, should we go after it?"

"N-No! We head back to base… and… bring our fallen comrade with us… He sacrificed his life… to save mine. Gather as much of him as you can and put him in a body bag," the commander said, still hurt from the attack. The rest of the soldiers saluted him and then helped the dead soldier into a body bag before returning to base.

---

With the soldiers retreating from the battle, most of the group had finally arrived at Principal Celestia's house to settle down, save for Sunset, Eternal, Flash, and Halo. And of course, after Sunset called Fluttershy earlier, she gave Rainbow Dash the message that Eternal was with her and not out in the city.

Despite that, Rainbow remained skeptical. For all she knew, Sunset could be lying to cover for her boyfriend's guilt while he's out on his rampage. She never really heard his voice in the background. But she said nothing to her friends so they wouldn't have to deal with her annoying hubris.

"So, this is where your principal lives, huh? A rather nice place," Adagio said.

"Her husband and Heat’s father runs a rich company, so they did have the money to afford a good home like this,” Twilight replied.

"So, where is the father right now?" Aria asked.

"I don't know and I don't care. That bastard drove one of my boys away with his hubris and selfish ambitions instead of letting him find a career for himself!" Celestia said sternly. "He's not the same man I fell in love with anymore. He let those repulsive boarders get to his head about his business and he tried to get my oldest son involved in it, too!"

"If he's that foul, then maybe you'll get lucky if that monster running around town puts him down for good," Aria said.

"Aria, that's not very nice. He may sound like a mean and nasty guy, but deep down, he's still their father," Sonata said.

"Hello! Real fathers don't force their ambitions onto their kin an' make them run away! Ah say, that feller needs a good smack upside the head to teach him manners," AJ said.

"Is he that bad?" Frostbite asked.

"From what we've gathered, yes. It's gotten so bad, they split up. Celestia may be a principal, but she's a mother first," Twilight said.

"Thank you, Twilight. At least you guys understand my situation. As for you, Chrysalis, thanks for showing up in my life and helping me vent out my frustrations. Perhaps after this whole pandemic is over we can settle down and grab a coffee together," Celestia said, smiling at the former changeling queen.

“Uh… hehe… S-sure.” Chrysalis stuttered in reply.

Soon Celestia walks out of the room and into the kitchen, to grab refreshments for everyone while they wait for Sunset and the others. Once the single-mother and school principal walked out of the room, Chrysalis then lets out a gasp for air as if she had to hold her breath for hours and she was clenching onto her chest as she felt her heart beating fast yet again.

"Hey, is it me, or is Chrysalis acting strangely around Celestia?" Copper whispered to Pinkie.

"She's clearly in love with her, silly-willy, but don't say it out loud, the walls have ears," Pinkie whispered back.

“Heat is not gonna believe it when he finds out she's got the hots for his mom,” Copper whispered in response to Pinkie’s statement

"What are you two talking about?" Heat asked.

“Nothing!” Copper and Pinkie replied.

"Uh… right," Heat said before everyone heard knocking on the door.

"I'll get it," Blazing volunteered. He quickly went for the front door and opened it up, but outside… no one was there. "That's odd… must've been a prankster." He then closes the door and is about to take a seat when he heard another knock on the door. Blazing turns around and opens the door again. Nobody was there. "Okay, this is just getting ridiculous," he said, annoyed as he closed the door… again.

This time, he waited for the right moment to open it up, and then… he opened it wide, catching a hooded man off-guard. "YOU!!! You think this is a--" Blazing said before the man cut him off with a black crystal barrier popping out from the ground. He stumbled back and hit the floor.

"Blazing, you okay?" Rainbow asked, running over to him.

Chrysalis, on the other hand, instantly knew who is the hooded man, and her eyes widen in shock as to what he was doing.

"I'm fine, just pissed off, that's all," Blazing replied, She helped him back on his feet and looked out the door, seeing the dark crystals dispersing and retreating into the ground, only for the black-hooded man to disappear. But then… the rumbling started again. This time… it was much… MUCH bigger.

As the rumbling continued, Celestia rushed into the living room, confused and anxious about what was happening. “What’s going on? What is that rumbling?” She asked.

"Oh no! Not now! Not now!" Fluttershy said, panicking, curling up into a ball.

“How does that damn thing keep finding us!?” Frostbite shouted.

“It didn’t find you,” Chrysalis responded in a remorseful tone of voice. “It was… lead here.” She stated.

"Wha… Wait, that would explain why that hooded man was here! Crap, we've got to evacuate the house and fast!" Lightning said, slightly panicking.

"Well, I hope we can do it in time because that monster is a few yards away from us. But it doesn't look like it knows where we are exactly," Israel said.

“But where can we go? There’s no other place left to hide!” Rarity stated.

"I don't think we have a choice anymore… There's only one solution: we fight to escape!" Rainbow said

“Dash, have you lost yer marbles!? We all have seen how strong that monster is and how dangerous it is! Fighting is the last option we use!” Applejack responded.

"You got a better idea?" Rainbow asked.

"I got one… but it's pretty risky," Israel said.

"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked, worried.

"You'll see…" Israel said before breathing in deeply and bolting out of the room and shouting like a lunatic in the streets, getting the monster's attention.

"IZZY!!! NO!!!" Fluttershy shouted quietly.

"HEY THERE, BIG GUY!!! IM CRAZY, I'LL BE TRIPPIN'!" he shouted all coo-coo, obviously gaining the monster's attention.

The monster roared and chased after him as a means of distracting the thing. "He's off his rocker to get that thing to go after him!" Applejack said in shock.

"Maybe, but he's buying us some time! Let's go! We'll get him after we're safe and sound from that thing!" Copper said.

The group hesitated at first, but they didn't want to let this chance go to waste. "Alright, but we retrieve Israel afterward! I don't wanna lose him again!" Fluttershy said. The whole team nodded in agreement and left the house. The group headed in the opposite direction of where the monster was chasing their friend but kept their sprinting as quiet as possible. They couldn't take the RV and risk gaining the monster's attention with the sound of the engine starting.

As they were all running, Chrysalis halted for a second before turning her head towards the direction behind her. Back before, she never had cared for others, but for some strange reason, she felt like she cannot allow the boy’s life to end.

“What am I doing?” She asked herself as she mumbled a spell incantation and soon a small glowing green orb forms in her hands and then she has it levitating into the air. Then she mentally has it flying in another direction.

Meanwhile, in the other direction from the group. The Titan Demon was gaining upon Israel, who was nearly out of breath. The large demon swiped and attempted to grab him while they were running. Israel was starting to believe that this was it for him; however, fate decides to spare him. Out of nowhere, a glowing orb floats in front of the ferocious monster and makes it chase after it instead of Israel.

No longer hearing the Titan Demon chasing behind him, Israel stops to catch his breath and turns around to barely see the monster in the distance and the mysterious glowing speck that it was chasing.

"Where… W-What?" he asked before slumping down on his behind, panting heavily. Confused as to why the demon grew tired of him and when chasing after a glowing orb. Just then, Rainbow Dash zoomed right behind him, helping him back up on his feet.

"Don't ever do something that crazy again! You could've been killed!" Rainbow said.

"Perhaps you don't know me so well… but CRAZY… is my bread and butter!" Israel panted between heavy breaths.

"Whatever, just come with me," Rainbow said before bringing him back with the others. After they left, a dark hooded figure watched the whole scene and then slammed their fist against a brick wall in anger.

"Curses! I was so close! No matter, they’ll lead me to the crystals and when they do, I’ll release the ‘dog’ on them once again. " Sombra grumbled silently before disappeared into shadows.

"You gave us all quite a scare, you reckless knucklehead. Even Fluttershy was worried about you, too," Rainbow said.

"My bad. I just wanted to give you all a chance to escape from that big palooka," Israel said, feeling a bit guilty.

"Well… it worked for the most part. But next time, I'll be the distraction. I'm way faster and can make a clean getaway," Rainbow said.

"Okay… And uh… where did you hide the crystals?" he asked.

"I'll tell you later, but right now, let's just get out of here before demonic King Kong decides to come back for another playdate,” Rainbow stated.

“Wait! We need to warn Sunset. They don’t know that the house isn’t a safe-haven anymore.” Pinkie responded.

"I'm on it!" Rainbow said, getting out her phone. She dialed Sunset's number while Pinkie helped with Israel. Rainbow waited anxiously until Sunset answered.

“Rainbow, why are you calling me? Me, Eternal, Flash, and Halo are just about a block away from Principal Celestia’s house.” Sunset said.

"Change of plans, Sunset! Some freak show in a hoodie lead that monster to Celestia's house, we've gotta find a new place to take shelter! Let's meet up at the school and decide where to go from there!" Rainbow suggested.

“The school? We were just there!” Sunset groaned over the phone.

"I know, it's a pain, but we don't have any other option! Unless you wanna meet outside the Sugar Cafe as a better option," Rainbow suggested.

“Ok, we’ll regroup at the Sugar Cafe and then we head over to the school. Sounds like a plan?” Sunset proposed.

"Sure. See you there," Rainbow agreed before hanging up. "Pinkie, tell everyone--"

"Already taken care of," Pinkie cut her off before handing Israel over to Rainbow and bolting off towards the group, letting them know where to meet Sunset and the others.

"Copper's girl in action… he sure is lucky. I dunno how he can tolerate Pinkie's unpredictable nature, really," Israel commented.

"Yeah well… that's love for ya. And they've got big plans for when they turn 18. I have a pretty good feeling what they plan on doing," Rainbow implied, chuckling.

"IZZY!!!" Fluttershy shouted, running over and hugging the crazed loon. "Do you realize how dangerous that was? What were you thinking? Wasn't losing you once to Grogar enough?" she asked, tears running down her face, both crossed and sad.

"I… I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I was just… I… I never wanted you or anyone else to get hurt. I thought I could create a distraction long enough to give all of you a free getaway," Israel said remorsefully, hugging Fluttershy back. "Listen… if it helps, I won't try anything that stupid ever again, okay?"

"O… Okay," Fluttershy whimpered, still hugging him tightly, never wanting to let go. This adventure was becoming more and more dangerous for everyone and who knows what else is in store? They can only hope, things won't get far more worse from them on…

As the adventure continues...

Comments

[HaloKnight999]

What an adventure on this chapter, and never think Chrysalis will be a love interest to Celestia after all that. I wonder how far can we all run from the monster since we now the target of interest.

Great work and as always, brony on

[Israel Yabuki]

10606964
thank you

[Red nova]

Looks like the human version of heat might get chrysalis as a stepmom and im starting to suspect that the titan demon is the human version of eternal flame also its nice to see the three sirens