Wherein The World Changes Part 1
The Party of One circled Themaresa twice before finding a suitable site to land on. Once on the ground and secured, the drawbridge lowered, allowing Pinkie Pie and the rest of the Returners to disembark. Zecora and Rarity were there to greet them.
“Thank the stars you are all alright,” Rarity said, resisting the urge to run up and hug them.
Pinkie Pie held no such restraint.
She charged forward and wrapped her hooves around Rarity and Zecora’s necks. “Me too! We got out of there just in time.”
“Wonder… ful,” Rarity gasped out.
Fortunately for Rarity’s lungs, Pinkie Pie let go and ushered a pony from the group to step forward. Doctor Whooves trotted up, a frown firmly in place. His gaze lifted, taking in the sight of the demolished town. Sighing, he looked away, taking a few seconds to compose himself. “I… I didn’t find out what the Emperor was planning until it was too late. I barely had time to get everypony out of the capital. But, well, it wouldn’t have mattered in hindsight.
“He’s mobilized the IAF. He had this all set up and right under my bloody nose. They didn’t even look at us twice when they took off.”
“Wait, wait,” Rarity said, cutting Doctor Whooves off. “What’s the IAF?”
“The Imperial Air Force.”
Rarity blinked. “Air force? As in, they can fly?”
“Yes.” Doctor Whooves shook his head, waving off any further questions. “Look, can we get everypony together so I can explain this once?”
“There is a place that we can stay,” Zecora said, gesturing a hoof towards Themaresa. “I will explain everything we’ve been through on the way.”
Nodding, Doctor Whooves followed after the zebra, Pinkie Pie and the rest of the Returners doing the same. They had just reached the first of the destroyed buildings when a figure stepped into view, its massive frame dwarfing anypony around him. It took one look at the remains of the home before lifting a fist and slamming it into the ground. The area around the structure trembled with enough force to knock over the rest of the house, sending wooden beams and paneling crashing all around.
Doctor Whooves stopped short, his wide eyes taking in the creature now bending down to pick up the pieces. “You!” he shouted, pointing a hoof at the figure. “You’re one of those bastards that broke into my lab!”
Turning to regard the pony, Gigas arched an eyebrow. “I did?” He scratched the back of his bald head, the pile of debris before him forgotten. “Huh, don’t remember that.”
“You broke that esper out of its ice prison, you dolt.”
Gigas beamed and smacked his fists together, creating a miniature shockwave. “Oh, yeah! Hurt like the dickens but got Tritoch out of there. You saw that, huh? Didn’t notice ya.”
Doctor Whooves turned to Zecora, giving her an exasperated look. “What in the blue blazes is an esper doing here? What is going on?”
“The mission was to find them, doctor,” Rarity said. “And we did. They promised to help us fix up the town and then stop the Empire.”
“Yeah,” Gigas seconded, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Gonna pound them something good once Sombra gives the word.”
Doctor Whooves stared up at the esper, his face contorting into a mixture of emotions too complex to identify. He settled on a hard look that made even Gigas fidget. Snapping his head away, Doctor Whooves stomped past the esper, heading deeper into town.
“What’s his problem?” Gigas asked as he watched the pony leave.
Applejack looked away. “His niece died when you attacked the city.”
A silence followed. Gigas opened and closed his mouth like a fish, but no words came out. He looked down at the pile of building remains and absently kicked at a wooden board. “Oh.”
“It is why this war needs to end,” Zecora said. “There are some things might and magic can not mend.”
“Yeah,” Gigas muttered. He turned away from the equines, busying himself with sorting out whatever looked salvageable from the wreckage.
Leaving him to his work, the Returners hurried to catch up with Doctor Whooves. They found him talking with Rainbow Dash, who seemed relieved at whatever he was saying to her. Before they could inquire, Rainbow Dash shot off towards a still-intact building.
“What’s gotten into her?” Pinkie Pie asked.
Doctor Whooves regarded her, his eyes weary. “I just got done telling her that General Trixie had nothing to do with what transpired.”
“Uh, okay, but what does that have to do with any—”
“Finally, you peons see reason!”
All eyes turned to the source of the noise, the building Rainbow Dash had entered. Even with the walls muffling her, there was no mistaking Trixie’s distinct voice. She burst out of the house with an explosion of ice particles, caught sight of the group of ponies, and marched over to them. Rainbow Dash came up from behind her, a stupid grin on her muzzle.
Trixie wasted no time giving the gathered audience an earful. “If this is how you treat your allies it’s no wonder you have no friends! Where do you get off imprisoning me like some lowly grunt?”
It took great restraint on Zecora’s part to resist rolling her eyes. “Regrettable it was to put you on ice, but it was necessary until we learned you could play nice.”
Trixie gave Zecora a flat stare. “You’ve been saving that one, haven’t you?”
She let out a whoosh of air as Rainbow Dash slapped her on the back. “Oh, lighten up, Trix. You’re out now and that’s all that matters. Besides, all you did was sleep, anyway.”
A loud cough caught their attention before Trixie could answer. “While I’m glad we got that all sorted out, where are the others?” Doctor Whooves said.
A look past between Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Zecora, and Trixie. As one, they motioned towards a small cluster of trees situated on the village outskirts. Doctor Whooves blinked at the complete silence and even Pinkie Pie had a troubled look.
Spotter finally broke the silence. “What? What is it? Is somepony hurt?”
“Yes,” Rarity said with a sigh. She headed towards the trees. “Very hurt.”
The young colt pestered Rarity as the group followed her, but wouldn’t elaborate further. As they drew closer, a pair of espers, one humanoid but with pale yellow mechanical plating for a body and the other just a skeletal upper torso of a human covered in black rags floating in midair, took notice and blocked their path. “THIS AREA IS OFF LIMITS,” the robot-like esper said. “GO BACK.”
Doctor Whooves bristled and made to retort, but a quick application of magic from Rarity snapped his mouth shut. Ignoring the stallion’s struggles, she adopted a bright smile and beamed at the guards. “Sirs, if you could pass along a message to Twilight, her friends from Vectorlot have arrived. I’m sure she would be most pleased to meet them.”
The floating esper shook his bony head. “We don’t care. Sombra told us to follow Miss Sparkle’s orders and that’s what we’re doing.”
Mustering her resolve, Rarity batted her eyelashes, preparing a new persuasive speech.
A quiet voice beat her to it.
“Golem. Zone Seeker. It’s okay. You can let them through.”
The two espers looked behind them, finding Twilight Sparkle standing there with a forced smile. Golem and Zone Seeker shrugged and parted, allowing the group access.
Rarity wasted no time and ran up to Twilight and laid a hoof over her shoulder. “Darling, if this is still a bad time, we can—”
“No. No i-it’s fine. I—” Twilight stopped to swallow, and continued on. “It’s hard, but I need to press on. Maybe… maybe all of you here can help.”
“Sure thing, Twilight,” Applejack said, coming to Twilight’s other side. “Whatever it is, I’d be glad to help.”
“Thank you, Applejack. I’m really glad you and the others are okay. It’s a huge relief, it really is.” Twilight turned her head, her eyes drifting to the grove of trees beyond. “Come on. I have something to show you.”
The ponies followed as Twilight led them to the grove. Voices could be heard within, but nothing discernible. Once past the trees, the Returners beheld a large pile of carefully arranged rocks. Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were laying down more rocks, forming a wide oval over a dozen hooves across. Fluttershy lay down at the base of the pile, arranging a bed of flowers before a grey stone tablet. Hesitantly, the group moved to where Fluttershy sat, getting a perfect look at the tablet.
It read, “Here Lies Maduin. Loving Husband and Father. May He Rest in Peace.”
Applejack and Shining Armor’s jaws dropped once they finished. They both looked to Twilight who had her eyes closed and head bowed.
“He… he’s not really buried here,” Twilight said, her voice catching. “He’s bonded with me, but the others said it would be nice to… to honor him with this monument. I-I hope you like it.”
Applejack, Shining Armor, and Pinkie Pie surrounded Twilight at once, finding space to wrap her up in a hug. Twilight sniffed and laid her head against the warm bodies supporting her.
“Oh sugarcube, I’m so, so sorry,” Applejack said while stroking the unicorn’s back. “If ya need to cry, there’s no shame if you do.”
Pinkie Pie nodded, giving Twilight a small nuzzle. “That’s right. It’ll make you feel better, I Pinkie Promise.”
“What they said,” Shining Armor added, mirroring Applejack’s actions. “I completely understand.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said, voice heavy with emotion. “But I’ve cried enough. I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. But… but could you hold me for a little bit longer?”
They did, for as long as she needed it.
.o.O.o.
Some time later, after paying Maduin’s grave its last respects, the reunited group of Returners gathered in front of the Party of One, enjoying a picnic provided by Pinkie Pie and her crew. Even the Themaresians and espers joined, though Twilight had to plead for the magical creatures to show up. A few suspicious glances were given to the odd, and often times scary, looking espers but no hostile actions were taken by either side. Once the food and drink passed around, nobody paid the other much mind and enjoyed the festivities.
Pinkie Pie, speaking through a microphone, said, “Oh! Oh! Everyone! We’re all having super-duper fun here, but I just wanted to direct your attention for a minute to some members of my crew that helped make this yummy meal! Girls, come up and take a bow!”
A trio of earth ponies, all a light shade of grey, came up next to Pinkie Pie. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet my sisters. Limestone, Marble, and Maud. They’re all the bestest sisters a pony could ask for! C’mon, don’t be shy. Say hi!”
Limestone Pie gave crooked smile and waved. “Hiya.”
“Mhm,” Marble Pie said, cringing away from all the faces staring at her and using half of her mane to hide her muzzle.
Maud Pie stood still, looking out across the crowd with a dispassionate expression. “Hi.”
“Aren’t they a hoot? If any of you have any questions or problems, don’t be afraid to ask them what’s up!” Dropping the mic, Pinkie Pie bounced into the audience and helped herself to the provided buffet.
Seizing the opening, Trixie took up the microphone, causing a brief whine of feedback that had some covering their ears. “Not to sour the feelings, and mood, and whatever friendship manure you want to call it, but Trixie thinks it’s time we figure out our next move. Doctor Whooves, you said you managed to discover what Blueblood is planning? Explain, as the Emperor only told me to come along.”
Heaving a heavy sigh, Doctor Whooves trotted up to Trixie, who levitated the microphone next to his mouth. “It’s simple, really, and quite ingenious. His goal this entire time was to get through the barrier separating our world with the esper world. He sent you, Zecora, and the others to find the espers that attacked the city and then put them in danger. Blueblood figured that if they were able to break the barrier once to save their friends, they could do it again. It just so happened that he was correct. The moment the espers came through, he dispatched the Imperial Air Force to get there quickly and secure the opening.
“He’s after something called the statues. I don’t know—”
“PREPOSTEROUS!” Golem shouted in his metallic voice.
Doctor Whooves and the rest of the Returners regarded him and the rest of the espers. “Why do you say that?”
Bomb took the opportunity to float upwards, the normally grinning red balloon no longer smiling. “What he means is that even going close to them is suicidal. I don’t know the whole story, but we’ve been told since the end of the War of the Magi to never disrupt them. Doing so would cause a disaster unlike anything this world has seen.” His grin returned, along with a more jovial tone. “But don’t worry! Sombra will make sure they are safe. He should be taking care of those fools right now and bring back their heads.”
The sentiment was shared by the other espers, who cheered and whooped.
Grinding his teeth together, Doctor Whooves said, “Even if that’s true, you miscreant—”
“What he’s saying—” Trixie interrupted, snatching the microphone away “—is that we should be ready in case the worst should happen. Trixie proposes we use the airship to head to the Sealed Gate and make sure the IAF are taken care of. That should at least make it easier on your leader and give you a chance to get back at the Empire one last time. What say you?”
“You want us to fight against your own kind?” Zone Seeker asked, shrugging his bony shoulders.
“‘Fraid so, sugarcube,” Applejack said, hanging her head. “We’ve been at odds with the Empire for a while now. Thought we had finally gotten through to them, but looks like Blueblood’s determined with this whole conquer the world thing.” She quirked an eyebrow and looked around the gathered Returners, noting an absence. “Where’s Mayor Mare? I thought she’d be with y’all.”
Doctor Whooves grabbed the microphone from Trixie. “She elected to stay in the Empire to continue the rebuilding. Your chocobo friend stayed with her as well.”
Her cheeks puffed in annoyance, Trixie ripped the microphone away from Doctor Whooves once again. “So, now that we are all accounted for, are we in agreement?”
Ifrit pushed his way to the front, towing over the ponies holding the impromptu conference. “Not all of us are here. Tritoch is missing. Where’d he go?”
“We don’t know,” Twilight said, looking away. “He took on one of those big machines by himself and that’s the last we saw of him.”
Scoffing, Ifrit shook his head. “Figured he’d run off the moment he got the chance.”
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash flew up and into his face, forcing the esper to back up. “Just what’s your problem, anyway? Last I saw, Tritoch whooped your butt good. I bet he’ll mop up that tin can and get back here any minute.”
Ifrit swiped at Rainbow Dash, but the pegasus darted out of the way. “I’m getting real tired of you ponies getting up in our business!”
“Please stop!” Twilight cried, putting herself between Rainbow Dash and Ifrit as best she could. “Fighting against each other won’t help us!”
“Bah, I’m not going to waste my time here any longer.” Ifrit turned to the crowd, sweeping his gaze over his esper brethren. “I’m heading back. If any of you are with me, then we’ll show these ponies what espers are really made of.”
“But we can do this togeth—” Too late, as Ifrit and the rest of the espers took off. In seconds their forms were nothing but tiny dots of lights against the sky.
When they were fully gone, Rainbow Dash heaved a sigh. “Great, now we’re back to where we started.”
Applejack poked Pinkie Pie, gaining her attention. “Hey, is the airship all set?”
“Sure is!” Pinkie Pie said. “We worked extra special hard to get everything in tip-top shape.”
“Great, because we need to catch up with them and make sure what happened to Vectorlot doesn’t happen again.”
“You… you think they’d do that?”
“At this point, I’m not willing to chance anything.” Applejack gave Pinkie Pie a nod. “Get ‘er ready. We’re leavin’ as soon as possible.”
The Party of One captain saluted smartly. “On it! C’mon girls, let’s get to it!” Pinkie Pie rushed up the airship plank, followed by her sisters.
Facing the rest of the Returners, Applejack said, “All of you, get ready as best you can. We can’t afford to let this stupid war go on anymore.” She tilted her head towards the ruins of Themaresa. “Too many are counting on us.”
“And what about us?” Starlight Glimmer said, a cross look on her muzzle. “You’re just going to up and leave us while our homes are still destroyed?”
Applejack sighed, closing her eyes. “I promise we’ll come back to fix your town up. But we gotta stop whatever it is Blueblood and Gilda are up to.”
Giving a disgusted noise, Starlight Glimmer swiftly turned her back on her. “I’m tempted to say don’t bother. We go to all the trouble of hiding ourselves away and then you bring the war right to our door anyway.” With that, she headed back to the village.
Nopony had the heart to try and stop her.
Rainbow Dash, her muzzle set in a determined frown, patted Applejack on the back. “We’re going to win, AJ. We’ve been through a lot and we’re still alive. We’re going to get through this one too.”
“Thanks, RD.” Applejack held up a hoof, which Rainbow Dash happily bumped. Raising her voice to the others, she said, “Alright, y’all. Get ready for another rodeo!”
.o.O.o.
Minutes later the airship took off, heading back towards the Empire’s continent. The Returners used their time readying their gear, preparing potions, and practicing their magic. It was as the Party of One reached the open ocean that Twilight Sparkle jerked up from her sitting position, startling Spike, and rushed to the side railing. She stared out towards the looming continent of the Empire in the distance, her mouth set in a pensive line.
“Twi, what’s the matter?” Spike said, running to catch up to her.
“Something’s wrong…” Twilight reached up and rubbed her horn. “I don’t know what it is, but… it’s like the world is groaning in pain.”
By now, the other Returners scattered across the deck took notice. A second later, those that were esper bonded began to fidget.
“What the…?” was all Sweetie Belle got out before a rumbling from the earth below interrupted her.
Everyone ran to the side, watching with shocked expressions as the island holding the Sealed Gate shook and convulsed. Entire mountains began to break apart and crumble while the shoreline churned with waves larger than any had ever seen. With horrified amazement, the Returners heard a series of cracks that sounded like bones snapping next to their ears. Unable to tear their gaze away, they witnessed the slow and agonizing process of a piece of the world being violently ripped apart.
However, even that paled to what happened next.
Defying the very laws of nature, the island began to rise out of the water.
More thunderous cracks came, but anypony close enough to bear witness to the spectacle hardly noticed. Higher and higher the island rose, the water underneath it spilling into the gap left behind with such ferocity that anything caught within would surely die. Enormous chunks of rock fell from the still rising island, stripping away entire plains and mountains within seconds.
Pinkie Pie darted down the stairs, returning moments later with a telescope. She adjusted the settings then raised it to her eye. She stopped when a glint near the very top of the island caught her attention, zooming in on the spot. A minute later, she exclaimed, “I see Blueblood and Gilda! But.. what the hay are those things?”
“What?” Rainbow Dash asked, her wings flapping anxiously. “What do you see?”
“They seem to be next to three rocks… no wait. Not rock—
“Oh. My. Gosh!”
Pinkie Pie lowered the telescope and jabbed it towards Twilight. “You better take a look!”
Swallowing, Twilight took the offered telescope in her magic and positioned it properly. After a few seconds of searching, she found what had set Pinkie Pie off.
“Oh dear. The statues.”
.o.O.o.
“Yes!” Emperor Blueblood cried, dropping any hint of royal bearing. “At last!”
Standing next to him, Gilda could only stare. “Unreal…”
Towering over the pony and griffon, a trio of stone figures sat at equal distance to each other. Silhouetted against the open sky, with motes of magic floating between them, were two large ponies with horns and wings rearing up against the third figure. This statue bore the resemblance of a huge serpentine dragon, with sharp scales covering its body, two outstretched claws as though it were reaching out to the two ponies, and a mane covering its head and back that would have been billowing in the wind had it not been petrified. Its jaws were open in an angry roar, revealing rows of teeth capable of tearing through anything like it where tissue paper.
“This is power!” Blueblood continued to crow to the world. “With these, nothing can stop me from taking my rightful place as supreme ruler.”
“Heh, gotta say, I thought you were full of it,” Gilda said, coming out of her awed state. She walked forward, only to have a white hoof bar her path.
“Don’t touch them! Disturbing their alignment could destroy the world.”
Giving a cross look, Gilda folded her claws. “Then what good are they? I didn’t abandon my home and come all this way just to sit and stare at a bunch of overgrown lawn ornaments.”
Regaining his composure, Blueblood regarded the three statues. “Give me some time. With our forces in place, we’ll have plenty of it for us to figure out how best to use these.” So saying, Blueblood’s horn began to glow.
.o.O.o.
The deck of the Party of One buzzed with ponies preparing themselves to board the floating island. Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood at the bow and whistled sharply to gain everyone’s attention.
“Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do!” Applejack said. “It’s plain and simple. We’re going to fly this here airship right up to that floating continent thingy and jump on it. Anything that gets in our way, we blow outta the sky. Nothing else matters besides getting to Blueblood and Gilda and stoppin’ them from using those statues.”
Pinkie Pie pumped a hoof into the air from her position in front of the wheel. “I’ll do the flying!”
“And we’ll do the shooting,” Limestone Pie said, standing next to Maud and Marble, a blue cannon set next to each of them.
Applejack nodded and turned to the others. “Any of you that can cast magic can back them up. Don’t hold back.”
A chorus of cheers answered her.
“Hope you aren’t afraid of heights, because we’re gonna get some altitude!” Pinkie Pie cried, pulling sharply back on the wheel. The airship rose at speeds many considered impossible for such a large vehicle. Clouds parted away, creating a vortex of air at the end of the ship that formed two trailing contrails of condensed mist. Within seconds, the airship breached the top of the cloud bank, revealing a sea of puffy white.
Straight ahead, the Floating Island drifted among the clouds as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Less natural were the hundreds of dots flying around the island.
Doctor Whooves raised a telescope, dropping it a moment later. “The IAF and the espers are already there and fighting.”
“Then let’s join the party!” Rainbow Dash said, her wings flexing in anticipation.
“Oh, I like your thinking!” Pinkie Pie pulled back a lever and the Party of One accelerated.
The Floating Island came up faster than anypony expected. One minute it was a large hunk of rock at a distance, the next it took up the entire sky. The small dots became discernible shapes, with mechanical flying contraptions and espers of every shape and size shooting at each other with lasers and magic alike. The IAF machines consisted of three main parts, a central open cockpit where the pilot sat and two oval attachments with propellers pointing upwards. The helicopter-like design allowed them to dart in the air like a hummingbird. The cockpit also sported two claws attached to its undercarriage and the Imperials put them to good use, grabbing hold of anything to fling at the opposing espers.
“Incoming!” Spotter yelled as a squadron of IAF crafts broke off from the fight surrounding the island and came straight for the airship.
“Sky Armors and Spit Fires!” Doctor Whooves said as he ducked for cover.
Rainbow Dash bristled and flared her wings. “Hey! Nopony takes my partner’s name like that!” She readied to take off but the pegasus with the blond mane standing off to the side and watching the conflict with an awed expression caught her eye. Rainbow Dash zipped over to her and tapped her flank. “Hey, Derpy, right?”
Derpy Hooves turned to the voice and smiled brightly. “That’s me!”
“Your lightning magic was pretty good against machines last time. Let’s get up there and knock ‘em out. I’ll cover ya.”
Derpy grimaced, eyeing the approaching IAF warily. “Um, I’m not sure if that’s—”
“C’mon!” Not waiting for Derpy to finish, Rainbow Dash grabbed hold of her and jumped into the air. With a mighty fling, Rainbow Dash tossed the other pegasus right at the enemy. “Go get ‘em!”
Screaming like a filly, Derpy covered her eyes, unwilling to see the end come. She felt pressure build up within her core and then a release like a thousand lightning bugs exploding from her body. After several seconds of not being shot, she peeked out from under her hooves.
Two wisps of smoke greeted her vision. She spotted movement below, catching sight of two Sky Armors plummeting to the ground.
Derpy let out a whoosh of air as something impacted her back.
“Nice one!” Rainbow Dash said, slapping Derpy’s back again. “Your magic broke up their formation. Now we and the others can pick them off easier. Now we’re the predators!” So saying, Rainbow Dash took off after a lone Spit Fire trying to get back to its squadmates.
Blinking at Rainbow Dash’s retreating form, Derpy struck a thoughtful pose. “Predator? Hmm, kinda like timberwolves. Yeah, I think I can do that!” She braced her hooves against the ground, entering a pounce stance.
Then reality reminded her that there was no ground and she fell.
A frantic flap of wings reoriented herself moments later. “Uh, maybe a griffon would be a better choice.”
.o.O.o.
Despite Rainbow Dash’s word, the IAF’s broken formation allowed the aircraft to surround the Party of One like a swarm of bees. They unloaded their payloads at the balloon, looking to score a critical strike that would bring the airship down.
Unfortunately for them, the Returners had ways of protecting themselves.
A pink bubble of magic surrounded the entire balloon seconds before the IAF’s shots could shred it. Shining Armor grimaced, saying through clenched teeth, “Now, while they’re open!”
The crew wasted no time opening fire upon the distracted Sky Armors and Spit Fires. Impacts of high speed confetti and pies splattered against their hulls, painting them in colorful and tasty confections.
Every Returner dropped their jaw.
“Why are you firing party supplies at them?” Rarity asked, her tone completely devoid of emotion.
“Well, duh!” Pinkie Pie said, rolling her eyes. “This is a party machine, not a war machine. But look at how more festive they all look, am I right?”
“Oh, for the love of…” Trixie ran to the edge of the deck and aimed her horn. “Anyone that can use magic, fire!” She blasted a chunk of ice at a Spit Fire just at it began to reorient itself to fire at softer targets. The ice crashed against its right propeller, freezing it instantly. With only one functioning propeller, the Spit Fire flipped end over end, sending it careening into a Sky Armor. The Sky Armor managed to recover, but the Spit Fire was soon among the clouds below.
Following Trixie’s example, the magic users unloaded on the rest of the squadron. Spike and Applejack compensated for a lack of magic with aurabolts and breath attacks. Soon, the sky above the airship became a spectacular fireworks show as both Empire and Returners traded shots. A war of attrition commenced, the IAF throwing everything they had against Shining Armor’s shield while the Returners whittled down their numbers.
“Just a little longer!” Pinkie Pie called over the din of battle. “We’re almost to the island!”
“Good, because I’m not sure how much longer I can last!” Shining Armor yelled back.
An impact underneath the ship sent the Returners tumbling to the deck. Luckily, Shining Armor maintained his shield, but the attack on the remaining IAF faltered, allowing the Empire to fire with impunity. The ponies hastily got back to their hooves but another impact sent them back down.
“Rainbow Dash!” Trixie screamed at the top of her lungs. “Take care of whatever’s hitting us!”
A rainbow blur shot down from above, zipping under the hull faster than the eye could blink.
Seconds later, she popped back up. “Uh, there’s something… curious down there…”
The others didn’t have to wait long to learn what she meant by that cryptic statement. The sound of buzzing wings, like that of a bee, could be heard rising in pitch. With no fanfare, a creature with the bottom of a hornet, and body of a bear rose up and roared at the Returners. Coiled around it was a purple sea serpent with half a missing mustache.
“YOU!” the serpent and Applejack exclaimed at once.
The serpent gave a hiss. “I should have known my new home would be destroyed by you.”
“What are you talking about?” Applejack said, throwing up her hooves. “Why are you even here?”
“That!” The serpent pointed a claw towards the Floating Island. “I was resting peacefully and then it just rises out of the water. I barely made it out alive. This bugbear helped me escape. Now my friend and I are going to make sure none of you make it out alive!”
“Okay…” Rainbow Dash drawled, eyeing the new duo with a cocked eyebrow. “AJ, I don’t know what’s up with this guy, but is it okay for me to start wailing on him?”
Applejack gestured lazily at the serpent. “Be my guest.”
With no further prompting, Rainbow Dash drew Thunder Blade and charged. She slashed at the pair but the bugbear deftly dodged out of the way. The serpent lashed out with its long tail, forcing Rainbow Dash to fall back. The bugbear moved in while the pegasus was off kilter, ready to plunge its stinger through her chest. A stream of fire brought it up short and a follow up gust of wind nearly made it drop the serpent.
Orienting itself to face the threats coming from the airship, the bugbear roared and dove down. It dropped the serpent onto the deck, allowing it to swipe freely with its claws at anything that moved. The Returners split apart, some surrounding the serpent and the others firing at the bugbear.
“You should have stayed out of this,” Applejack said as she delivered a punishing array of kicks to the serpent’s scaly body.
The serpent retaliated by sweeping the earth pony’s legs with its tail, but Applejack nimbly twisted herself away. “I wanted to stay out of this, but you blasted ponies won’t leave me alone!” He lunged at her with snapping jaws, narrowly missing biting Applejack in half.
“It’s not our fault!” Twilight pleaded, even as she rolled out of the way of a claw swipe.
The serpent didn’t bother answering, instead slithering from one pony to the next, trying to lay a decisive blow.
Meanwhile, the bugbear attacked seemingly at random, its movements sporadic, causing many attacks aimed at it to miss. Rarity stifled a curse as her barrage of needles zipped past the bugbear’s wing and nearly tagging Rainbow Dash by mistake. “Sorry, darling! Oh, this brute has the most outlandish colors. They clash in all the wrong ways.”
“Stop commenting on its looks and just kill it already!” Rainbow Dash hollered down to her. She flipped and came at the creature head-on. It saw her coming and growled in challenge. Rearing back, Rainbow Dash slashed hard with Thunder Blade, scoring a direct hit against the abdomen of the bugbear. The beast roared in pain and withdrew to the space outside the deck.
The serpent broke off its own attack and slithered up to it. “Let’s stop fooling around and take care of them.”
The bugbear seemed to understand and picked up the serpent. It then began to spin, using the serpent's weight to build momentum. The Returners watch on, preparing for whatever the monsters planned. They didn’t have to wait long as the winds picked up around the spinning duo. With surprising accuracy and agility, the pair spun towards the deck like a demonic top, whipping tornado strength winds at the Returners.
Fire, ice, wind, and electricity blasted towards the manufactured whirlwind but the power behind the gusts proved stronger. All attacks sent towards the creatures deflected elsewhere, leaving the pair unharmed. The bugbear and serpent ripped their way past, faster than anyone could react. A cry of surprise and dismay were all the ponies could get out before, one by one, they were flung off the sides of the airship.
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Okay, that was funny!
So, off to the island in the sky. This should be good.
And then this doucher shows up...
pbs.twimg.com/media/CbuMxqbUUAAXlH-.jpg
7195395
Thanks! I'm happy with that one, too.
7195760
Better than good!
7196326
All in good time.
7178728
Heh, I'll have to check that out at some point.
Thanks for reading and enjoying!
7196326 Hmm, Gotta admit, Steven Magnet and a bugbear is a pretty good equivalent, no?
Awesome as always guys.
7200606 Oh yeah. It definitely makes sense in context. Especially since Steve's the de facto Ultros in this thing.
Hey the pies sisters I was wondering they will show up ever since their first introduction in the first season but never mentioned their names until season 5 well maud was named in season 4 but still 😅
To be fair Starlight even if we didn't bring the war the war is going to come towards you anyway Blue Blood ironically is probably looking for blood
The rest of the returners made it to the island to meet up with Zecora and Rarity tell them what happened the Ambush and the deaths of most of the espers including Maduin and Twilight wanted to make a memorial for her father after that everybody have a little nice picnic well until they needed a battle strategy the face of the empire but the espers would not listen so they went their separate ways so the others had to fine Prince blue blood and Gilda but what they found was the floating island with the three statues so Pinkie Pie decided to fly to the island but they've been attacked by both side and it looks like but they have an incoming monsters The Serpent and the bugbear and they attacked the returners and basically World Wind them off the ship so I wonder how they're going to get to the island