Twilight Daylight: Dawn of Equus

by thedarktome

Chapter 30 - Arcadia vs. The Old Guard

Author's Note:

Sorry for the wait. I've been incredibly busy with work. Here's another one. I hope all is well with everyone else.

Dawn pointed ahead of the group. "The bridge is right up ahead. Once we—"

An explosion suddenly shook the platform and facility they were in. Dawn stood steadfast and held her ground. Loose rocks and pebbles from the walls fell free and rained down on them and the Aquatas.

Before they could continue, another explosion, much closer, shook the walkway.

"Oh crap!" Flurry held on to the railing as it creaked and groaned. Oh buck. Those waves down there looked a lot closer than they were.

Looking back down their army, Flurry witnessed the flames expel from the same hallway they took to get here in a large cloud, soon followed by Arcadia, who jumped over the railing.

"Aunt Twilight!!" She shouted.

The wind carried her up over an Aquata in progress, where she grabbed a chain to slow her ascent to a stop.

"Run!!" Twilight shouted. "Now!! Go!"

Her attacker speared through the flames, a black dart angling towards the darkened sky. Thinking quickly, Twilight let go of the chain and allowed the wind to blow her to the side out of harm's way.

They passed her. But it was close enough they still swiped a small blade across Twilight's cheek, cutting open a bright white line on her skin that revealed the magic beneath.

Twilight seethed and jumped on the deck of the Aquata as it dangled and swayed with their motions. Her attacker flipped in the air and landed in front of her. She was wearing older Psera military gear that fully covered her body. Twilight recognized the wear, the crest of an older Fire Family that ruled in Psera's name. Her wings were weaponized. Wrapped around her hooves were projectiles. The Guard of Old Psera.

Twilight remembered reading of them years ago when studying Psera's military history. There was little reference to them, but just enough for Twilight to put the pieces together. Despite the Elite Guard's advanced weaponry and tactics, they still moved in teams. But the Old Guard moved individually. Performing assassinations during the Gold Wars. One soldier would storm an entire battalion and still come out on top, leaving no survivors.

However, that were decades ago. Who was she? The program was deprecated. Any Old Guard's gear was stowed away from all eyes in Psera, specifically here in Serl in their archival department.

Arcadia looked back over her shoulder, watching their army scuttle their way for the paths leading to the other side before turning back to her attacker.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Oh Arcadia. You don't recognize me?" Arcadia's eyes slowly widened in realization as she finally revealed herself.

"...Molten?"

It was Molten Ice. But, then again, it wasn't. She was clearly injured beyond repair. The skin on the right side of her face was burned off, her left eye was missing and instead filled with a blackness she wouldn't dare look into. Each step taken was aided with a limp, and responded with a step away from Twilight.

"All Hail Narmeelah, Arcadia Nova. I'm happy to see you again."

"What happened to you?"

"Your magic destroyed Psera, Arcadia. I was killed in the destruction. But the Goddess of All brought me back. You would know what that's like, wouldn't you?"

She stopped walking forward and stood on her hind hooves, staring down Arcadia.

"Why are you wearing that armor?"

"Tsk tsk, Arcadia. Despite your ruling of Psera, you still have much to learn of our history."

"I know of the Old Guard."

"Right, of course. But did you know..." Molten flapped open her wings. "That I was their Frontline General?"

Oh buck.

Molten flapped her wings and rushed forward, kicking Arcadia into the door of the Aquata's entrance. She yelped before she was flipped over Molten's back and thrown into a cannon face-first.

She landed on her back staring up to a sky beginning to rain. Small droplets pecked at her fur. The winds would grow more tumultuous. She could feel it.

A sharp blade entered her sight. Gasping, Arcadia rolled out back onto her hooves before Molten sheathed the blade into where Arcadia's head was seconds prior.

Ever the opportunistic pony, Arcadia sailed her steel shoe into Molten's cheek, throwing her head to the side and followed up with a kick to her face.

Molten followed the momentum of the hit to whirl back around with a hoof raised. Three cables shot out of her sleeve past Arcadia's head and impaled into the steel wall behind her. The cables attached grew taught pulling Molten forward.

She slammed her rear hooves into Arcadia's core, kicking her off the Aquata and onto another down below. She slammed onto the deck and quickly rolled back to her hooves. It was obvious what was going on. For one, Molten's eyes weren't in that color. They sure as Tartarus didn't have stars in them. Narmeelah resurrected her as one of her soldiers.

Molten's attention was focused on her, not the army attempting to cross the facility. Which means Narmeelah wants her. Not the others.

"Hala shee, Arcadia," Molten said. She flapped her wing over the edge of the Aquata, sending down more of those explosives.

Arcadia quickly turned around and ran as fast as she could before they could land. One by one, they exploded the deck of the Aquata. Ripping apart the steel, annihilating the cannons, and snapping the chains that held it aloft.

The explosions brought their army to a stop. They could make out Arcadia on its deck running as fast as she could before jumping off the back and dancing once more with the wind.

"Uh oh," Dawn whispered.

The chains holding the Aquata finally snapped. It dropped from above and fell upon another that also lost it's grip. Together, they fell upon the bridge they needed to get across and exploded in a massive shockwave that shook the walls of the facility.

The Elite Guard jumped in front of Dawn and covered her body at the front of the line before the impact could fling her off her hooves. As much as Dawn hated their overprotective nature, she was glad they were there to watch her, First Light and Flurry.

Good news, she was alive. Bad news, their means of escape was now obstructed by an ignited Aquata, rocks were beginning to fall around them, and Arcadia was in combat by an unseen individual. Their situation certainly flipped for the worse quickly.

"What do we do?" Flurry shouted.

"Time to act like a Queen," First Light suggested.

Right. Dawn referred to one of her guards. "Locate another way around!" She ordered.

Without a salute, the Elite Guard flew from their position into the air. The likelihood of them finding one in these conditions were slim to none. But for the sake of all of Equus they had to try.

Upon landing on another Aquata, Arcadia rolled into a standing position and held up her hoof, blocking the blade Molten swung upon her gear.

Swiveling around, Arcadia used her rear hoof to kick Molten's blade to the side. Thinking quickly, she swept her wing beneath her hooves, putting Molten on her back. Then pounced on top before she could rise.

"You will not win, Molten!" Arcadia shouted. She stared deep into her star-filled gaze. The ones put there by Narmeelah. They were lifeless, just as the person they belonged to.

"I don't have to win." Molten twisted her body, shifting Arcadia off her body and rolling away to her hooves. She raised her hoof, with a single dart poking out of a launcher hidden within her suit. "I just need you out of the way."

Without so much of a second thought, the dart expelled from her through the air and into Arcadia's chest. Followed by a second one, then a third.

"MOM!!!" Dawn screamed.

Arcadia stumbled back before falling to her hooves, clutching the darts and head bowed. Molten dropped back to all fours, casually walking up to her opponent amongst the collapsing destruction of the shipyard.

"Oh, Arcadia," Molten said in the voice of Narmeelah. She stopped in front of her. "You are an intelligent being. One of the most smartest beings in any world or reality. Not the smartest or strongest, not by a long shot, but you are one of the few I see worthy of respect. You have learned so much and used that knowledge to better your society. But there is one thing you have yet to learn."

Molten leaned down to Arcadia's ear and whispered. "Humility."

Was she giving up? She wasn't moving! Why wasn't she moving?! Dawn turned to the Princesses.

"Why aren't you helping her?!" She shouted.

"Arcadia wants us to watch out for you," Celestia. "She said that she could handle this. You're our number one priority."

Before Dawn could give the order to attack Molten with as many soldiers she had, her Elite Guard returned with their report. Smalls pointed up in the air.

"There!!" She shouted. Above the battle was another level with an emergency exit, leading into the next site. If they could fly up there they could escape! Alas there was fire and falling materials creating a dangerous situation for any creature wanting to rise into the air.

"You're wrong, Molten." Arcadia tilted her head back up, staring into Molten's gaze with eyes illuminated with power. "I have experienced loss and pain as much as you have."

Arcadia gripped one of the three darts in her chest and yanked it out. The hole was filled with a white light. So bright, it illuminated Molten's face. She held up her hoof to keep it from her sight.

A second and third was yanked out. "I'm sorry, Dawn. I'm going to have to kill your grandmother."

"You will do no such thing!" Molten shouted. She swung a hoof for Arcadia's face. It was knocked aside by Arcadia's who followed it up with a hard hit to Molten's chest that pushed her off her hooves onto her back.

"You may have served for many years, Molten." Arcadia slowly walked over Molten's body, glaring her down with eyes aglow with power and magic. "You may have fought in the gold wars and against Zebras far and wide, but me?"

A large chunk of loose rock from above fell down behind Arcadia and into a hanging Aquata, hitting the Aquata they were on. In a fiery explosion, they were launched into the air. The two spread their wings, grabbing onto the air.

But not once did Arcadia lose sight of her target.

"I have fought against GODS!"

A single flap of her wings launched Arcadia into Molten, sending them both over crashing waves onto another Aquata while their army was quickly evacuated.

Dawn was lifted by Celestia and settled on her back and with a single spread of her wings, she and many guards battled against the wind and rain threatening to knock them back down. Alas, they continued.

Arcadia and Molten landed on the last Aquata, positioned at the end of the facility leading into the ocean. Arcadia quickly rose to her hooves and slugged Molten hard in the jaw, sending her muzzle to the side followed quickly by a whirling kick to the ribs.

"I have towered over Maheera!" She dodged a hit from Molten Ice and darted beneath her hoof to Molten's rear. With a swing of her wing, Molten was swept off her hooves.

"I have towered over Nightmare Moon!" She grabbed Molten's rear hoof and swung her towards the end of the Aquata. She rolled across the deck to a stop at the edge. Rain fell on the both of them, lightning flashed through the sky. Thunder rolled through the facility. Wind threatened to blow their spectators off their hooves.

"Get the Queen to the entrance!" Dawn was quickly ushered as fast as possible. Through the flames, wind and rain they ran until she was guided safely inside with the rest of the army.

"Make sure Arcadia gets out!" Dawn ordered. "Without her, the plan upends!"

"And I will tower over Narmeelah!!" Arcadia reached up and grabbed one of the dangling chains used to support the Aquata's construction process.

She ran to Molten and flipped over her, wrapping the chain around her neck in the process. She dodged a swipe from Molten's blade and kicked out her front hoof before slugging her across the face.

Almost there, she almost has her. She tightened the chain around Molten's neck and pulled her close into her face. Bruised beaten, surely a walking corpse, Molten spoke her words.

"You will lose against Narmeelah," Molten whispered.

"I don't care if I lose. She just can't win."

Firmly, she shoved Molten off the edge of the Aquata, screaming on her way to tumultuous waves before turning and walking back into the destroyed facility. The chain ran and ran past her head before it went taught. Molten was surely gone this time. Had to be.

A sting of pain directed Arcadia down to her chest, where she was impaled. She peeked into her suit to see the point of puncture. There were three rips in her flesh expanding with small cracks. She needed that healed. What were in those darts?

"Arcadia!" Twilight looked up from her suit towards the pathways. Cadance and Luna were watching her from up there. Waiting for her return. Another Aquata fell from their chains and into the sea in a fiery explosion. They had to leave now.

"On my way!" She spread her wings, ready to take off, unbeknownst to the hoof that slapped back on the ledge. She didn't see it. Couldn't see it.

But Cadance did. She gasped and pointed.

"Look out!!!" She shouted.

Arcadia looked behind her at the same moment Molten pounced over the edge of the Aquata. Her neck was snapped. Head at an unnatural angle. Most of her limbs were broken. How was she still alive?! Hooves spread, teeth barred, she charged for Arcadia who posed into a fighting stance.

Suddenly, a shot of violet magic pierced into Molten's coat, forcing her back. Followed by four more that pushed her off the ledge where she grabbed hold. A final shot hit into her hoof, forcing her into the sea. This time, hopefully, for good.

Twilight gasped and whirled back to the facility. They weren't supposed to be using magic!

"No magic!!" She shouted.

Cadance and Luna looked around. But it was only them.

"That wasn't us!" Luna shouted back.

What? Before Twilight could question it, the chain holding up the Aquata they were on fell from the support beams above. That was her cue to go. She opened her wings and flew up to the path, regrouping with Cadance and Luna.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I don't know, but it wasn't us," Cadance replied. The three of them looked around before a voice from above called out.

"Al'sheena!!!" They tilted their heads back, looking up towards the top of the facility where Serl truly lied. A pony was peeking down from that rocky ledge holding a rifle. They had on a white lab coat and what appeared to be a tinfoil hat.

"Pa'hal?!" Twilight shouted back up.

"Al'sheena, calleum!" Before Twilight could respond they ducked back out of sight, likely heading to the same city they were going.

"What did they say?" Luna said.

"That we have to get out of here." Without turning back they retreated back into the facility. The Aquata Twilight and Molten fought on finally snapped, falling into the ocean with the rest of them.

---

From her place in the rune, in the middle of a fallen Cop surrounded by her army, Narmeelah opened her eyes and smirked. The moment Molten finally perished and she lost touch, sbe knew where they were. As suspected, they did enter in through Serl.

"So," she whispered. "That's where you are."

Comments

[Wakijima]

woah amazing work

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

What the actual f*** was Molten!!!???