Episode 42: Creepy Castle
EPISODE FORTY-TWO
On a typical morning in a large city, the people would just go about their business-- going to work, hanging out, or kids enjoying their summer holidays.
Some would even duel just for the fun of it.
Suddenly, the skies grew dark despite the clear and beautiful weather.
“What’s going on?”
“Look up there!”
That’s when they appeared-- the Malefic rifts in the sky.
“What are those things?”
“I don’t like the looks of them.”
These rifts opened all over the world, and grew larger by the hour, and the darkness began to spread.
Even Flash Sentry didn’t like the looks of the eerie openings in the sky and given all he had seen in the past before he knew this could only be the works of something evil and magical.
“Twilight…” he murmured thinking of Princess Twilight and the other girls. He could only hope they were all okay.
Meanwhile, Sci-Twi began to awaken. Her vision was very blurry… because her glasses had fallen off. “What happened?” she groaned softly as she felt around, finding her glasses, and putting them on…
Once she could see, she was surprised to find that she was behind bars, locked in a cell in a dungeon.
“Hey!” she cried as she ran up to the bars, and she could see that she wasn’t alone. All the others were unconscious in cells along side her own.
“Everyone, wake up!” she hollered.
Everyone slowly began to awaken.
Rainbow held her head, “What hit me?”
“Kori?” called Dick.
“I’m here!” his wife called.
Pinkie stood up and brushed the dust out of her hair, which was now hanging down in loose threads rather than all poofy.
“Is… is everyone alright?” called Vic.
“I think so.” answered Cadance. “But where are we, and how did we get here?”
She and the others suddenly remembered, and Dick then remembered too. “Raven…! She was turned into a card!”
He searched all over himself, but he couldn’t find Raven’s card anywhere.
Sci-Twi checked herself, and looked through all her pockets, but both Princess Twilight and Spike’s soul cards were missing. “Oh, no! Not again!”
Rainbow checked her pockets, but neither Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, cards could be found. “Where did they go?!”
Cadance couldn’t find Luna or Shining Armor’s cards either.
Suddenly, Terra the idea, “The Prince Brothers! They must’ve done all this. We’re inside their castle.”
“Geez, what gave you that idea.” Gar grumbled to himself.
Indeed, the cards were now in the hands of the Prince Brothers, all eight of them.
It was the Prince Brothers that were responsible for this-- bringing everyone to the castle and imprisoning them in the dungeons deep below while they were unconscious from the teleportation smoke.
“Do you think it was wise to do this?” asked Loki.
Rubeus nodded, “It was more than feasible. Those last two duels we observed gave us an incredible amount of power.” he referred to Gar and Raven’s duel, as well as Sunset and Pinkie’s.
“Besides, I really see no need in waiting for them to storm our castle. It would be much easier if they were at full strength for what’s about to happen.”
Loki hesitated, but he did agree.
Celestia walked over and looked down at all the soul cards on the stone table. She looked at all the pictures of the “Poor, helpless fools.”
“You traitor!” Spike barked up at her. “How could you turn on your friends like this?”
“Spike, stop!” Twilight cautioned him.
“No, I won’t! Look at her! How can she be on their side? She’s turned her back on all of us—her friends! Even her own sister!”
Celestia blinked, “Sister?” Then she looked down at Luna’s card, and her inner emotions began to go crazy as her memories started coming back again.
She could see old memories of when she and Luna were kids, playing with dolls, or sports, making their way through school, college, and becoming educators-- but they were always there for each other.
“Luna?”
Spike looked up with hope in his puppy-eyes, and Twilight suddenly got the drift. “You’re trying to get her to remember the love and goodness, so she’ll snap out of it.”
Suddenly, a large hand came and slammed down on both of their cards. “That’s quite enough!” growled Loki. “I’ll not have you brainwashing my queen like this.”
“She’s not your queen!” protested Twilight. “And it’s you who brainwashed her. Don’t you see that she doesn’t really have feelings for you, nor does she share your desires for evil?!”
Celestia, snapping herself back into her evil nature grabbed Twilight’s card and threatened to throw it, “Does this look like I don’t…?”
“No!” Loki shouted, grabbing her arm stopping her. “As much as these pests annoy me too, it is important we keep them safe for our plans.”
“Indeed.” agreed Rubeus. “Speaking of plans, I wonder how Sunset is handling her situation.”
Then he thought quietly, “It was wise of us not to transport her here. She may be strong now thanks to Z-Arc’s power, but I am still not convinced she has tapped into it’s full-potential.
As soon as she has, the real fun begins.”
Sunset was more than outraged when everyone disappeared. Now she had no one to duel, yet.
“Curse those royal idiots!” she fumed at the mountain in the distance. “They always were ones to ruin a good time of enjoyment.”
She looked up at the rifts in the sky. “Soon they’ll open wide enough to engulf the world, and I’ll have all the opponents and victims I could ever dream of…!”
Her patience not withstanding, and her lust for more action, more destruction, more victory, made her decide. “I can’t wait that long. I need to duel, now!”
She looked towards the mountain again, at the palace perched atop. “Of course!” she felt “What finer way than to storm the castle. I’ll duel everyone and everything that dares come my way, and I’ll eventually reach their majesties.
Oh! It will be such a thrill to overthrow those fools like I should have done. Then I will take my rightful place as the most powerful warrior every, and every world known will be mine to rule and challenge.”
Not wasting much more time, she bound for the mountain. Rather than rely on Malefic trickery to storm the castle as she was up for a challenge to boost her strength and stealth.
Rainbow pulled and tugged on the bars of her cell all she could, but it was no use. The bars, though rusted were still good and strong. That, and her hungry stomach growling didn’t make it any easier.
“If I don’t get something eat soon, I’ll waste to nothing!” she complained.
Many of the others felt the same way, especially Kori with her nine stomachs!
Vic tried pulling on the bars, but they were too strong even for him to pull down. “I guess we’re busting out of here another way.”
He popped off one of his fingers showing a mini blowtorch which he planned to use to melt through the bars.
“Vic, don’t! Your power-cell…!” Terra cautioned.
“I’m open to other suggestions.” Vic snarked.
Gar scoffed and already had an idea to open his own cell. He removed his belt and began to use it’s long, and unusually strong buckle notch to pick the lock of his cell. “Good thing I played loads of escape rooms.” he said to himself.
Suddenly, there was a small chime ringing.
“What’s that?” wondered Cadance.
Everyone stopped what they were doing waiting for… whatever was about to happen.
Then, the central circular floor panels went down in the floor like elevator lifts, and they came back up with tables of full-dressed meals for everyone. Each meal was the same, including a bowl of warm brother with egg noodles. A rare-cooked steak, with mashed potatoes on the side. A small bowl of salad with all the trimmings. A basket with bread rolls, a gravy bowl, a tall glass of ice-water, and even pudding cups on the side.
Rainbow practically drooled at the sight of such a meal. Everyone else was confused.
“They’re feeding us?” asked Dick. Every sense in his body was quaking with bad suspicions, especially considering the last time they were all lured in by food it turned out to be a trap.
Vic gave a huge sniff, “Smells fine… maybe a little too fine!” he was feeling weak in the knees. He couldn’t resist and began to move in to take a bite.
“Vic don’t!” cautioned Terra “What if it’s another trap!” but Vic and Rainbow had already dug into the feasts.
“Soooo gooood!” Rainbow sighed.
“…And each bite only gets better!” added Vic.
Seeing as it all seemed okay, and that everyone was starving to death, they couldn’t help but dig in themselves… most of them anyway.
Pinkie didn’t touch a morsel or even go near her table. She was still looking down in the chops, remembering how she lost her duel to Sunset, but it wasn’t the loss that was eating her up, but rather how she was unable to reach out to her friend, even with her best dueltaining.
“I couldn’t do it.” She murmured softly. “I couldn’t save her, not even with my best smiles and my best friendliness.”
She almost felt like crying, but Rainbow walked up to the cell window. “Pinkie, come on… we’ll save her. I don’t know how, but we will.”
She remembered how when Sunset used to be naturally wicked, and they all band together and helped save her from herself by showing her friendship and kindness. “It worked before, and it’ll work again!”
Pinkie wasn’t so certain this time. “We’ve never faced anything like Z-Arc before. Sunset’s dueling is way brutal.”
Kori and Dick had to agree, remembering getting trounced before too. They both felt lucky not to have been turned into cards.
Sci-Twi put her eating utensils down. “Well, I’m not going to give up. I mean, even being locked up in this cell, if I had given up I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
She recounted how she was able to overcome all odds and defeat Karle-- her own evil creation. She even remembered the rules of gamming; “One is only a true master when one can overcome themselves.”
“We’ve all been through a lot and there’s still more coming at us. So why quit now?”
Everyone seemed to be finding their confidence again, including Pinkie, but the only one who felt different was Gar. He didn’t seem the least bit willing to jump in the band-wagon, let alone even eat the food he was presented with. He just continued to pick at his cell lock.
“Gar?” Terra called softly to him. “What about you?”
“What about me?” he answered gruffly.
Even after all the trauma, all the misery, all the negativity between them, Terra was stilling willing to show mercy to Gar and trying to warm up to him. “…We could use all the help we can get.”
Gar only scoffed, “You’re all delusional! Still on this kick about friendship being your true motivation? Face it: It’s because of friendship that we’re even in this situation in the first place!”
Features began to harden.
“Look Gar!” snapped Dick “I’ve had just about enough of your grouchy, and miserable attitude towards us. We’re all in danger, and so are our friends, but unlike you, we actually care about them enough to help!”
Gar stopped picking the lock and snickered, “That’s rich coming from you, Grayson. You claim you care, but where was all this when you drove Jump City into the ground because you only thought of yourselves?”
Dick, Kori, and Vic felt guilty strikes in their stomachs.
“And don’t even start with me by saying that you’re trying to make up for it. All your efforts to this point have only made things worse… for yourselves, and the people supporting you!”
He referred to how their failures in the tournament led to the remaining populace of the decayed Jump City to banish the former superheroes; never wishing their return.
He also referred to how many of the Equestrians were fighting in the name of friendship, and yet they lost and paid the price by being turned into cards.
Even just recently, when he beat Raven and turned her into a card, it wasn’t as if he had a choice in the matter because she was the one who challenged him-- yet Dick and the others still looked more as if they were all against him for being the true monster.
“Some friendship!” he mocked. “You look at me as a monster, and then you act as if Raven did nothing wrong in her own conquest.” he paused “…Or should I just assume you sent her after me? I mean you hated my guts a long time before all this happened, why shouldn’t I believe it now.”
“How can you think that?!” sneered Kori. “We’d never support Raven in what she did, but the point is--”
She was cut off by Gar, “The point is… Friendship and Love do nothing but make you weak and hold you down!!
They look like the paths to glory and rich lives, but they are really nothing but a bunch of lies for people to use so they take advantage of you.”
“STOP IT!!” shouted Rainbow. “You may hate friendship, and while I can understand why, that’s no excuse for you to treat us this way!
You’ve done nothing but bust our chops about our skills and our ways of life ever since we first met back at the arcade. People try to be nice to you, and you bat them off like flies, and you put down everyone you defeat like some entitled bully who thinks that just because he hasn’t lost, he owns the world!
Well, here’s a reality check: You don’t rule anything, and you certainly aren’t an inspiration to look up to!!”
Still unmoved, Gar only chuckled, “You sure get worked up. I guess Friendship really is your ultimate weakness.”
The Titans growled, the Equestrians were outraged, and Gar were all showing their angers.
Only Terra finally shouted out “STOP IT!!!!!” He shouting reverbed so strongly, the entire dungeon shook, and all the chains rattled. Even the soups and the water drinks vibrated.
All eyes fell upon Terra who was panting heavily. “I can’t take it anymore-- all this fighting, all this anger, and hating each other.
It’s bad enough Raven already tried to destroy Gar… but look at the rest of you; you’re all still determined to one-up each other when we all should be working together and get out of this predicament!”
Everyone fell silent, and while they debated over whether or not to believe that Gar finally picked the lock and his cell door swung open. He pocketed a couple of bread rolls before stepping out.
“He’s free!” cried Cadance.
Rather than just take off instantly and leaving everyone behind. He stood where he was looking at everyone, and the finally he stepped before Terra’s cell and began to pick the lock. Much to her and everyone’s astoundment.
“Gar?” she said to him, but he just continued to pick the lock and didn’t say a thing. He didn’t stop until she was freed, and then he proceeded to Rainbow’s cell.
This prompted Vic to stop eating and get back to his burning through his cell bars until he was able to slip through, and then he proceeded to Dick’s cell.
Soon everyone was free thanks to both men, but hardly anyone knew what to say towards Gar.
“Don’t get the wrong idea!” he cautioned them as he put his belt back on. “I helped get you out, just like a did a few other things for you… We’re still not friends.
You’re all on your own now.”
Then he began to walk down the dark tunnel of the dungeon until he vanished into the darkness.
Terra’s heart sagged heavily again. She shut her eyes tightly supressing her growing sorrows.
Vic checked his power-cell, and he was deeply concerned. “I’m nearing fifty percent. I guess I used up more juice than I thought.”
Cadance felt worried for him and asked, “Are you going to be alright?”
“I should be, as long as I don’t push myself more.”
Everyone stood ready to venture forth.
“It’s time!” said Rainbow.
Dick agreed, “Time to confront the Prince Brothers and end this madness!”
With that, everyone headed down the dungeon hallway, arriving at a small stone stairway leading to an open door at the stop.
“Gar?” Terra called up to the door.
“HEY GAR!!” Pinkie called up, but then Rainbow covered her mouth. “Keep it down! You want to alert security?!”
“I don’t think there is any security.” said Cadance, and she had a point. There were no guards posted in or around the dungeon.
Just looking up ahead, there were at four separate corridors to take.
The castle sure seemed dark, even with the torches lining up high on the stone walls. There were large smooth columns of dark marble sticking halfway through them, and long carpets too.
Other than that, the fortress seemed all but devoid of signs of life. No guards, no servants, not even a rat or a spider. The place was so quiet, that the echoes of the winds howled along the paths.
“Ooooo…kaaaaaay.” said Vic. “Some castle.”
The Prince Brothers were well-aware of the prisoners escape as Rubeus snickered, “They’re doing just as we hoped.”
Loki chuckled, “We’ve already set everything up. It won’t matter where any of them run off to, and if they think they are safe from being turned into cards within the palace walls, they are sorely mistaken.”
Celestia tapped her finger nervously trying to keep her temper cool. “I’ve never been so bored!” she grumbled. “I’d like to head on down there and duel those fools myself.”
She looked down at her duel disk, remembering the spell cast on it. Then she remembered, “The spell only prevents me from leaving the castle.” with this in mind her eyes narrowed into an evil gaze.
Loki soon looked back to talk to his beloved, only to find she was gone. “Celestia! Blast! She’s galivanted off again! I’m going to have to be far more strict if I am to show her who master around here.”
Rubeus shook his head in dismay, but really Celestia’s wandering off was of no concern to him.
“Nothing must upset my plans. I’ve come too far now to let it all slip away.”
Rainbow looked between the four corridors. “Any idea on which way we should go?”
Nobody had a clue. Terra was more concerned on figuring which way Gar went.
“Let’s just pick a way and get moving.” suggested Vic. “We can’t just stand around here.”
Everyone agreed and headed down one of the corridors.
“Good thing we had something eat.” Sci-Twi joked.
The hallway seemed to stretch on for quite a way, until finally the group emerged in yet another intersection with more paths to take.
“Oh, great.” groaned Rainbow. “If we’re lucky we’ll find even more ways around this place.”
Suddenly, The Dark Trio... came marching in, one from each of the three other pathways.
“Well, well… looks like we have some house guests.” teased Sapphire.
The team’s features hardened.
“We’ve been waiting to see you three again.” sneered Dick.
“Well, that makes some of us.” hissed Violet.
Rainbow got straight to the point. “Where are the Prince Brothers? We’ve got a little score to settle with them.”
The trio didn’t answer, but just snickered.
“You better answer us!” demanded Pinkie.
“You want them…?” teased Khaos. “…Then catch us!” and he and the others ran off down different hallways.
“Let’s get them!” shouted Rainbow.
“Wait!” called Kori “It could be a trap!” but many of the group had already taken off down the different hallways…
Terra and Pinkie chased Violet…
Vic and chased after Sapphire on his own…
Rainbow and Dick went after Khaos…
…Leaving Kori with Sci-Twi and Cadance.
Sci-Twi palmed her forehead in frustration, but then she thought, “We may as well split-up and go after them. There’s no sense in staying here.”
The others agreed, but just as they were about to make a break for it, there was a loud crash, and the castle shook.
“What was that?” asked Cadance.
“Sounds like it came from outside the castle.” replied Kori.
Sunset had reached the mountain and had already made her way to the top where the enormous castle now lay before her.
“There’s got to be a way in!” she growled “Then again, I can just make one.”
She began to using her Malefic Magic to blast at the stone walls hoping to break them down, but she hardly made so much as a dent; the stone was very strong, and reinforced with strong Malefic alloy.
“Ha!” Sunset scoffed “I love a challenge. They can’t seriously think they can keep me out forever.
So, she continued to fire at the walls, which caused more tremors.
The other groups felt the quaking as well, which caused them to lose track of their target’s, and the trio managed to slip off into the darkness again.
“Ah, man!” groaned Vic. “He’s got to be around here somewhere!”
The others all felt the same. They had no intention to let the trio get away this time, not while they were so close to bringing the curtains down on the enemy for good.
Suddenly, Pinkie and Terra came to a large doorway at the end of the hallway.
“You think she went through there?” asked Terra.
“Only one way to find out.” said Pinkie, and with a mighty wail, she charged at the door, kicking it wide open… and she fell down a dirt slope, and crashed into… a tree.
“Pinkie!” hollered Terra. Then she looked up, and realized the entire room was a massive forest, with trees, shrubs, a quiet river, and a couple of small waterwalls… but still in eerie darkness.
There weren’t even any animal sounds, not even any crickets.
Pinkie got up and brushed herself clean, and was just as astounded by the surroundings.
“Wow! Who’d have thought the Malefic World had forests like this?”
Terra wasn’t so sure it was Malefic or not from all the previous experiences, but she came down the hill to join Pinkie… the door they came through was suddenly all blocked off by a wall of thick, thorn-covered vines.
“We’re trapped!” cried Terra.
“Oh, yes you are!” Violet’s voice called out, but she was nowhere to be seen. “That’s what usually happens when you just rush into action before stopping to think.”
The girl’s angers began to rise, and Pinkie began looking up, down, and every way around. “Where are you?” she asked.
Violet’s voice only snickered, followed by a rustling in the nearby shrubs.
“Aha!” gloated Pinkie, and she readied to dive into the brambles.
“Pinkie, wait!” called Terra, and at that very moment, out from the bushes. emerged large wasp-like insects buzzed angrily.
“EEEEEEK!!” squealed Pinkie.
Terra was creped out too. “Run!!”
The ladies ran through the forest with the nasty bugs on their tails.
Then there was more trouble ahead…! A giant plant-monster with teeth, tentacle and a sickening screech frightened the duo, forcing them to dash off before they were grabbed!
Finally, they emerged in a large clearing in the center of the forest, where Violet was sitting atop a throne made from a hollowed tree and covered in thorns on the sides.
She sat there laughing at the two ladies. “…Did my pets scare you that much? I’m so glad I had this room installed. It really brings out the nature of my power and appearance.”
The bugs and plants swarmed around the ladies, but Violet called them off. “Now, now, my pets, they’re mine to deal with. Their majesties did leave strict orders.”
The creatures backed down and slunk back into the forest.
“What do you want with us?” asked Pinkie.
Violet snickered as she leapt down from her throne, and the throne magically vanished.
“Duh… I want to duel. So who’s up first.”
“I AM!” both ladies insisted at the same time.
Then they looked at each other and said at the same time. “NO, I WANT THIS ONE.”
Startled that they kept repeating each other, they paused and then said again, “I WANT THIS ONE.”
They growled at each other in frustration with this speech annoyance, but Violet only laughed at how silly they looked.
“This is so amusing.” she then glared at the two. “Why don’t we make this easy-- I’ll take the both of you on together.”
The ladies gawked at her.
“Why not? After all, the sooner I take you both out, the quicker I can do what their majesties told us to do: Separate all of you, and then duel you out to ensure you’ll never interfere with our plans.”
Terra and Pinkie stood wide-eyed, finally realizing the trap they and the others had fallen for.
“You set us up?!” Pinkie roared. “I hate being set up!”
“Oh, please…” scoffed Violet “You make it so easy. You all could’ve just not followed me and my comrades, but resistance is obviously not your forte.
Now let’s get on with this.”
She readied her duel disk. “You two will share life points, a field, and everything.”
Terra sighed, “Looks like we’re in this together, Pinkie.”
Pinkie agreed. “We’ll both look out for each other, and we should be able to crush her and get out of here.”
Violet laughed. “You obviously don’t remember that I’m stronger than I was before. I would have made cards of your other comrades if it weren’t for Z-Arc’s power!”
“Z-Arc?” said Pinkie, and she was instantly reminded of her failure in dueling Sunset.
Terra cautioned “Pinkie, don’t lose focus! We can’t let her taunt us like this.”
“Oh? Like you’re one to talk…” sneered Violet “You’re still thinking of your boyfriend.”
Terra’s head jerked up, and she did think of Gar just then.
“Oh, I’m sorry… I forgot…” Violet mocked “He’s not your boyfriend. You didn’t want him, and now he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want you. How sad…”
How Violet knew all this wasn’t nearly as outrageous as how her mocking made Terra feel--outraged, frustrated, and still a bit crushed and guilty.
“Don’t you talk about Gar that way!” she growled.
“Ooh… I struck a nerve.” laughed Violet.
Both Pinkie and Terra were flaring up with seething rage, and really wanted to take Violet down hard.
“Let’s toast her!” insisted Pinkie. Terra agreed, while Violet could only snicker with evil glee, and she thought silently, “These twits still don’t get it, but they will soon enough.”
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I love it so far. Good work.
11543970
I just wish it were finished... SOOOOOO MANY other things I wanna make.
11544007
Don't worry man, you will. How you holding up?