Colours of Dusk

by AlphatheGriffin17

Rejoined

Twilight stood with her fellow princesses in the open fields around Ponyville, the Everfree Forest at their backs. She could see the town off in the distance. Empty, she knew but she didn't want this battle spilling over there if they could help it.

All four of them looked off into the distance. They knew he would come to them. They knew what to expect, both from their experiences and what Celestia had told them of the powers of each Beast. They just had to wait.

Twilight couldn't help but tremble. Remembering their last encounter with the rogue alicorn, what had happened… what they had lost…

She felt the gentle touch of a wing. Cadence, smiling gently at her.

"Don't worry. I'm scared too," she said. "But we're not alone."

"No, we are not," added Luna. "On this day, he will live up to his name and fall."

Celestia said nothing, but her determined expression and posture gave Twilight some measure of confidence.

Luna turned her eyes skyward and frowned.

"What is that?"

Twilight looked too. She had to squint to see, but she could see it. Something white, glimmering in the sky.

Celestia stared at it, then her eyes widened.

"Move!"

All four princesses scattered to avoid the bombardment of Wrath beams that scorched the spot where they had stood. They took to the sky, but they kept on coming.

Celestia raised her halberd, darting this way and that. But a beam came straight at her. She raised a shield, but was still sent careening away by the ensuing explosion.

"Sister!"

Luna tried to get after her, but was cut off by another beam. Then another when she flew back. A third singed her armoured leg and she cried out when another inches past her wing. She fell from the sky, spinning in the air.

"I'll get her!" Cadence called. "Twilight, go!"

"Cadence wait!"

But her sister-in-law was already speeding away, diving after the Night Princess. Twilight tucked her legs in closer, shrieking as white hot bolts blasted past her. Acting on her first thought, she teleported.

Panting heavily, she realised where she was. Right outside her library. The safest place she knew. But it wouldn't protect her. Not from him.

A shadow fell across her from above. She didn't even dare to think it was her fellow princesses. She could hear the rattle of his armour, even from down here.

Fallen Soul floated gently down. His blade was drawn and the dark holes of his helmet fixed on Twilight.

"Taking one such as thee into battle," he remarked. "Does she truly know no shame?"

"You're one to talk about shame!" she shot back. "All the hurt you've caused, the suffering you've created. You're… you're evil!"

"As thou doth say," he replied. "But we know why we are here, Twilight Sparkle."

His sword levitated to his side. Twilight pushed down her fear and readied her staff.

"Let's finish this!"

She struck first, firing spell after spell. He used Sloth to let them phase through him while he ran at her. She blocked his blow with the body of her staff, teleporting out of his reach and behind him. He dodged her next attack, retaliating with a Wrath bolt. She buckled, even with her staff reinforcing her shield spell.

He charged for her again, striking the borders of her barrier with his sword. It shattered instantly and she fought desperately to block his strikes. Even then, they scraped against her armour and she only just got away.

"Thou art young, Twilight!" he proclaimed. "Thou hast seen battle, but always with aid and the power of the Elements! Now, thou art alone and reliant only upon thy talents and skill. Adapt or die!"

She teleported away from more Wrath blasts, hiding behind a house. Her legs were trembling, but she did her best to ignore it. He was right. She couldn't just fly away and hide. She needed to do something.

Her eyes flickered to her staff. Of course! With her alicorn magic plus this, there was barely a spell she couldn't do now and she had a whole array of weapons to hand.

She reached into the library with her aura, immediately recalling where every book was stored. She summoned as many of them to her as she could, flying about her in circles.

She scanned one, a history book on ancient Pegasi. She recalled a particularly difficult spell she never would have tried before: a transubstantiation enchantment. The book's pages flew open and the words literally spiralled off the pages, forming into a spectral squadron of pegasus warriors. Ink brought to life by magic and her mind. They charged at their foe, but he was already cutting through them. Envy appeared in a burst of green light behind him, and within moments whichever warriors Fallen wasn't engaging himself had turned and began fighting one another.

So Envy's power even worked on magical constructs. Twilight really shouldn't have been surprised, but she still scowled at the sight. Maybe if she tried something with less emotional intelligence…

She picked another book, a bestiary. This time, a swarm of parasprites answered her call, immediately flying forward and swarming upon Fallen. They were like the ones she'd altered so long ago, and they began to chew on his armour and weapon. They managed to get some good bites from it, but he once again turned intangible with Sloth to escape from the swarm, then used Gluttony to gorge himself on their energy.

She had to smile at the next book she picked. An enormous, four-wheeled form was summoned from its pages, honking its horn and slamming into Fallen before he could react. With a loud whirring and shifting, it stood up on two legs with a blaster in one hand and a glowing energy axe in the other.

Optimus Prime charged Fallen Soul, firing as he went. The first few shots struck the alicorn before he could recover, but he quickly used Gluttony to absorb the rest. He blocked Prime's swing before flying up and summoning Greed. The snake coiled around Prime, reducing him back to ink that splattered to the ground.

Fallen looked at Twilight from his elevated position, then at the library. In a flash of red light, Wrath appeared behind him. The wolf glared towards the tree and opened its mouth.

"No!"

But Twilight knew she couldn't stop what came next. An intense beam fired from Wrath and the tree exploded. It burned in place, flaming pages flying everywhere. Thank goodness she'd made sure Owlowicuous wasn't inside before the start of all this.

But seeing the place that had been her home for so long, a repository for so many stories and information… gone in an instant.

"A pity," murmured Fallen. "I commend thy resourcefulness, young one. Even if it forced my hoof to act in such a way."

"Stop saying that!" she shouted. "Stop saying you're being forced to do this! Stop acting like you don't have a choice! You're the only one doing this! This is your fault!"

"Thy anger is showing. Good." His blade raised again. "It will make this more engaging."

Twilight cast a spell before he could move. It turned the ground beneath him to mud. He used Greed to free himself, transforming the mud into spikes which he fired at her. She disintegrated them with a quick blast, blocked his incoming swings and sent out a shockwave to keep him back.

She jabbed at him with the sharp end of her staff, going for where holes had been made in his armour. He deflected her blows, summoning Greed while he did. It coiled around the flames of the library, creating tongues of fire that slithered straight for her. She gritted her teeth when they singed her, but called upon icy winds to dispel them. Greed moved among the winds and she felt sharp pain when it turned the snowflakes into razor edged discs.

She teleported again, wincing from the cuts that found gaps in her armour and the singes against her fur. But she didn't have time to recover before more of Wrath's bolts shot at her. She shielded herself out of reflex, but they struck relentlessly and one of them got through when the shield broke.

Pain seared across her chest where it struck, leaving the armour that protected her like slag. She cast a spell to cool it down, but Fallen was already charging, sword ready to run her through. She readied a counter spell too late and the sword's point went straight for her neck.

But it bounced off with a clang, even though it struck an exposed part. A glance down at herself revealed to Twilight that her fur had become… crystal?

"Get away from my sister-in-law!"

Cadence soared from above, casting a spell on Twilight with her own staff. With her horn, she summoned spiked crystal from the ground. Fallen withdrew from them as the crystal spell on Twilight ended. A few of her wounds had also been healed.

"I've seen to Luna, she should be fine. She'll be with us soon," she said quickly. "I didn't have time to check on Celestia, but I don't imagine she'll be kept down for long."

"I hope not." Twilight looked across at their enemy. "Cadence… he's so strong."

"And? So what?" Cadence smirked and raised her staff. "Screw him."

She plunged the staff into the ground. A crack ran along it towards Fallen and he only just flew into the air in time to avoid the massive spike that shot up.

But Fallen only worked her attack to his advantage. The snake of Greed worked its power on the tower of crystal, but instead of transforming the crystal itself, yellow beams of transforming energies refracted and shot out in all directions.

Walls of houses turned to acid that splashed onto the streets, forcing them to fly. The straw thatched rooftops became sharpened needles that shot after them. Combining their magic, the two cast a powerful shield and Cadence destroyed the crystal into dozens of shards. She brought them to surround her.

"Two can play at that disco ball game!" she shouted. "Twilight, now!"

Twilight cast destructive bolts at the crystal shards. Cadence directed them so they created a devastating light show, all of it aimed at Fallen. A few of them struck, but Twilight ended it just as he summoned Gluttony to drain their energy.

The boar vanished in a flash of red, and both of them immediately braced themselves behind another barrier just in time for more of Wrath's blasts. Even with their combined energy, they could still feel the strain from the bombardment when Fallen came dashing in.

He struck Cadence in the face with his armoured hoof and slashed at Twilight. The sword bit into an exposed bit around her knee but she caught it on her staff. She swung it around and it struck his helm, but didn't deter follow-up stabs. Two glanced off Twilight's armour but one got her other knee.

A protective crystal barrier appeared on her body again and Fallen was hit in the face by a crystallised hoof from Cadence.

"That's quite an impressively sized weapon you have there, Fallen." Cadence jabbed with her staff. "Not compensating for something, I hope?"

"A juvenile insult. Believe me, Cadenza," he replied with a countering cut. "I have little to compensate for."

"That's what they all say." They locked blade against staff. "I'm married by the way, before you get any ideas."

"Then I shall be certain not to leave thee a widow!"

Fallen broke the lock, but his swing was interrupted by a blast from Twilight. Their enemy staggered, the pair of princesses pressed the advantage.

The two pressed the attack, casting and jabbing where they could but Fallen kept pace with them like he wasn't even trying to.

"Formidable, both of thee," he said when he blocked two staff strikes with his sword. "I expected nothing less."

He struck back with a strength they didn't expect. This time, Twilight got the punch while Cadence got a slash near her shoulder. Both were sent tumbling away, Cadence's blood trickling to the ground.

"Cadence! Are you-?"

"I'll be fine." Her horn glowed and the bleeding stopped. "See? Good as new."

She winced a little when she put weight on her leg, but kept a shaky smile.

"Come on. Don't tell me you're giving up that easily."

Despite the anxiety she felt at seeing another so close to her in pain, Twilight managed to find it in her to return the smile.

"Not a chance," she said.

Twilight struggled to stand while Cadence leaned on her staff. Fallen was making for another attack. The two in-law siblings locked eyes and nodded.

With another healing spell from Cadence, they spread their wings and took off towards their enemy. Unbeknownst to them, something small and metal skittered onto a nearby building. A single red eye watched the fight unfold, very closely.

---

Fallen's attack had done more than split up the princesses. It had also given his allies a way into the Forest, clearing away many of the dense trees and overgrowth and forming a crude path. Taking advantage of this, the six were making their way towards the castle ruins. Uninhibited by the fear local residents had towards the Forest, they were able to advance with swift progress.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the ruins proper. The rope bridge had been severed, but this was only a minor concern for most of them. Selena, Edge and Sting simply flew across. Snick and Slash threw out knives attached to ropes, pulling them taught and running across. Osteo took a running jump and cleared it in a single bound.

"Now, you're showing off," remarked Selena.

"Merely exhibiting my natural ability in a situation that required it," he returned. "Though you may be impressed if you wish."

Selena shrugged. She looked to Snick and Slash. The twins gave each other a look. Both moved their hooves in a 'so-so' gesture in response.

"Sorry, Osty," said Selena. "Looks like you're going to have to try a little harder than that."

"I am not cursed with the burdens of Pride. I have no need to satisfy my ego with the opinions of others." He paused, then nodded to the twins. "Your own abilities are of great note, however. I would relish the chance to fight you both."

Snick held a hoof to her mask's smiling mouth in a silent giggle, while Slash waved her hoof like she was silently saying 'oh, stop it, you silly colt.' Selena couldn't help but laugh a little at the display. She felt eyes on her and saw Edge was watching them. He returned her stare blankly, but just for a moment, she could have sworn he looked almost… amused.

"All of you, pay attention," Sting hissed. "Our enemies could be hiding anywhere."

"Spoilsport, though you're not wrong." Selena inhaled deeply. "I do smell… something. But I can't quite pin it down."

"We will proceed. But Sting is right, we must be focused," said Osteo. "They have had time to prepare and could strike from-"

A resounding boom interrupted him and sent them all scrambling for cover. Thick pink smoke rose from where the shot struck, obscuring them all from view. More shots echoed out, hitting the ground with whizzes and pops.

Snick and Slash, never parted for long, found each other quickly. They pressed against the castle wall, near the edge of the smoke. Their keen eyes were already scanning about, looking for where the shots came from. A tower up the right, approaching the castle.

They sprinted for it, whipping out their grapples and tossing them up the tower. Not pausing a beat, they gripped the ropes and scaled vertically, silently but swiftly approaching the top. They knew who to expect in there. The pink pony they'd actually had a lot of fun with. They were looking forward to seeing her again and finishing her off properly.

They jumped up the last part, pulling out their grapples and stowing them away. Their knives grasped the edge of the crumbling tower top, hoisting themselves up. There she was. They'd come up right behind her, still firing down. The blasts would mask any sound they made. She wouldn't even see them coming.

They crept along, timing it with when she fired. Their knives were bared. It almost seemed a shame to do this to her. In their own way, they had enjoyed her company. But they'd get over it. They always did.

They were close now. Their blades were poised. Snick would strike her back. Slash would get her throat. Quick and simple.

Then, the pink pony suddenly turned and grinned.

"Hi guys!" she greeted. "Were you gonna surprise me? Aww, that's nice of you. Well, I got one for you two!"

The twins barely had time to register that she'd somehow detected them when something whacked Slash on the head, making her careen into her sister. That something was a bamboo staff, held by a staunchly determined zebra.

"I see you two are back for more," she said. "You'll find I'm not as easily snuck up on as before."

The twins shared a quick glance. Beneath their masks, they smiled. Secretly, they had hoped for something like this. Snick felt bad about not finishing the zebra off properly. They had been in a hurry when it happened, but they could take their time now. Slash liked the pink one's jokes. She was eager to hear more of them before she slit her throat.

Their blades flashed. Zecora spun her staff and Pinkie angled her cannon. She fired, forcing the twins to separate again, Zecora darting for Snick while Slash danced around Pinkie's follow-up blasts. Oh yes, this would be fun indeed.

Elsewhere, Cutting Edge had darted into the sky, flying above the smoke and the blasts. The mechanical part of his brain was quickly able to determine where the shots were coming from. He angled his own blaster to fire, but something slammed into him with force, dragging him back across the gorge into the Forest.

His metal hooves struck what had hit him, forcing it to let go and enabling him to get his bearings. It was the griffin from Ponyville. She was armed and armoured. He immediately began scanning for structural weak sensors told him he could penetrate it with concentrated fire and the spear could be broken easily enough with application of strength.

"Hey Edge!"

A voice that rang familiar in his mind made him turn. Something sharp cut him across the organic side of his face forcing him back. The griffin took the opportunity to strike him with a blow on the blunt edge of her spear and he had to dive under the slash from the pointed end. Both his organic and metal eyes found the speaker. A mare with a rainbow coloured mane, also fitted with armour and wing blades, one of which was stained with his blood.

Something made him stop. He… he knew her. Not just the metal mind of him, but the other part. The part the metal mind kept down. The part that felt both angry, but also… what was that? Guilt? Shame?

"There it is," she said. "You recognised me before. I knew you did. Come on, you gotta snap out of it! Whatever Tube's done to you, we can fix it. I know you don't wanna do this."

'Don't want'. Like he had a choice. But he did. Yet he didn't. He had to fight them. Yet he wanted to stop. Was… was that real? From the part of him beneath the metal mind? It had to be. Had to be…

That part managed to push up through the metal. It was like being dragged under quicksand, but it managed. Enough to let him speak. But even that was difficult. That part also brought up something else. This pony's name.

"Da… Dash." His voice buzzed now. He hated it. "Can't… can't… stop. Help… help me…!"

"We're gonna help you, Edge," she promised. "And you can stop, you're doing it right now! Come on, man, come on!"

"No… too… too much…" he gasped. "Please… kill… kill me…"

"What?" Her eyes widened in shock. "No, I'm not gonna kill you! Even you don't deserve-!"

"Must… do it… must… must kill or… or…!"

It was too much. The metal mind pushed that part of him back down. It pressed on him, reasserting its coldness. It knew the beings before them were its targets. That they had survived before. That would not happen again.

It powered the blasters on its legs and fired. The targets were already flying away, moving for cover in the trees below.

"Alright, talking's failed!" the griffin yelled. "Come on, Dash! Let's put an end to this guy!"

Rainbow hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Guess we have to. Alright, G, on me! Let's show him we mean business!"

At the castle, two others managed to find their way through the smoke and into the castle itself. Osteo and Selena pushed through into the entrance hall. Four passageways branched off to their left and right, along with a grand staircase that split off into two.

"The others," Selena said, glancing over her shoulder. "Should we wait?"

"They can fight for themselves," said Osteo. "We must press on with our task."

Selena hesitated for a moment. Though it wasn't what she had intended, she had developed a certain fondness for her peculiar companions. Not all of them. Tube was a self-absorbed twit, Grace's mannerisms and lack of scent unnerved her slightly and the less said about Fallen, the better. But they weren't all like that. The twins especially were good company and even Osteo had his moments.

But she couldn't let sentimentality cloud her. She'd cut ties with such things long ago, when it was clear nopony would offer it to her. It would all change soon, though. For all of them.

Her heightened hearing picked up noise. The sound of hooves, coming from behind one of the walls. She got Osteo's attention and jerked her head silently towards it. He nodded and moved to investigate. He reached out, pressing his ear against it and tapping the wall with his hoof

No sooner had he done this, the entire wall rotated around, taking him along with it.

"Osteo!" She hurried to the wall, tapping it herself. Nothing happened. "Osteo? Can you hear me?"

Then, her nostrils picked up a scent. One that she recognised and that made her turn. Stood at the top of the stairs were just the pair she'd been hoping to see. Rarity and, looking much taller than when she first saw him…

"Spike." Selena put on her best smile, flashing her fangs. "I was wondering where you were hiding."

"I'm not hiding anymore, Selena. I'm right here, we both are," he said. "You don't have to do this anymore. Just give up."

She laughed. "And why would I do that? Because you asked nicely?"

"Please, Selena. You can't really think that this is a good thing you're fighting for. These guys have hurt people, killed them!"

"What does it matter?" she hissed. "We've come too far for anything else. Don't forget what I told you back in Transylmania, Spike. They'll turn on you because of their fear as well. It's only a matter of time."

"Not for me or for any of us," said Rarity. "Spike is our friend and we will never fear him for what he is but cherish him for who he is. I'm sorry for what you've had to live with, Selena. It won't be easy, but perhaps we can help you."

Selena's lip curled in distaste. "Very good. You almost sounded convincing."

"Selena, please," added Spike. "Don't make us do this."

She frowned at him. Why was he so stubbornly naïve? It was almost endearing. It made her pause for a moment. But only for a moment. She knew what giving in would mean. There was blood on her hooves and she knew it. She only had one option. Besides, she could handle them. She had the potions the doctor had given her to control her… changes…

She could already feel them, beginning to crawl up from inside her. She would take one now, but they also stifled that strength. She needed it if she was going to defeat them. She'd just have to be quick.

"You know what my answer is." She inhaled the scent of their blood and lowered herself to the ground. "Now, let's pick up where we left off!"

She charged across the room, dodging Spike's fireballs and scaling along the wall. She pounced from it, claws out and fangs bared. Oh, what a rush!

It only took Osteo a moment to recover his wits. A slight moment of disorientation, but nothing he couldn't handle. Part of him felt bad for leaving Selena alone, but that was no fault of his own. Regardless, she was strong enough to handle herself. He just needed to get his bearings.

He turned to find a long corridor. His heartrate quickened when he spotted two figures at the far end. The earth pony Applejack and the buffalo calf. He allowed himself a grin. Yes, he had a mission to complete, but he also had a fight to finish. This time, he wouldn't be interrupted.

"I had hoped to find you here," he said. "You have seen fit to arm and protect yourselves."

"Sure have," said Applejack, hefting a hammer. "Ya ain't gonna knock us around like last time."

"Indeed not," added the calf, pointing with her mace. "I will see to it you're made to answer for the buffalo you've killed and others you've hurt."

"Then our battle will be even more satisfying," he replied. He cricked his neck, his bones creaking as they reinforced themselves. "Come then!"

The pair charged. So did he. He could feel his heart pumping, the blood rushing through him. This is what he lived for. This is what drove him!

Then, he heard a sound. A click. The pair skidded to a halt and he saw them smirk. He realised his mistake, just as the floor in front of him fell away and so did he, down a deep pit.

The fall didn't even hurt him. He was in darkness, but that wouldn't deter him. He wasn't held back by such fears, nor was he perturbed by being trapped. Every trap had a way out. He just had to find it.

He scanned the space around him. The pit was too high and too steep to climb out. He moved around the space, tapping the walls. The first three were solid, but the fourth made a hollow sound. A corridor outside. There was a small hole in it, large enough for a hoof to fit. A place to focus his strength.

Strengthening the bones of his foreleg and shoulder, Osteo rammed the spot. The first one cracked it. The second saw him shatter it entirely. He brushed debris off his shoulder, noting the series of torch holders in the shape of pony's legs. No doubt this castle was full of similar mechanisms.

So, a fight that would test his wits and his strength. Excellent! They certainly didn't disappoint. He set off down the hall, carefully listening for them.

As for the remaining member of their party, he had hidden himself as a disguised rock the moment the smoke obscured them all. He had watched while they were all picked off or had their attention diverted, until relative silence fell. Sting, former commander of the changeling Swarm, crept into an alcove to evaluate his next move.

He had been waiting for a chance such as this. While they were all distracted, he would find Samore and take her away from here. Away from Fallen, the princesses, everything. He just had to find her first.

Sting became aware of movement nearby. He morphed into a bush, watching carefully. It was the Pegasus whose form he'd taken to capture the Wrath host. He smirked at the memory. She'd been so easy to trick and subdue. Perhaps she would help him again.

"Oh my," she murmured to herself. "I-I really hope everyone will be okay. M-Maybe I should go and check on the princess. Make sure she's okay."

Sting could hardly believe his luck. He didn't even need to do anything. She'd take him straight to her. Maybe part way, he could take her form again and get in close. There'd no doubt be a guard of some kind. It would be perfect.

He waited until she moved off, going around the back of the castle. Then, he followed after her, sticking to the shadows.

Meanwhile, far in the Forest, something flashed in a burst of light. Far enough from either Ponyville or the Castle and with other more immediate concerns, it went unnoticed, though it was closer to the latter than the former. Within the darkness of the many trees, the light went just as quickly as it arrived.

Something was left in its place. That something settled in and waited, like one of the many predators the Forest held. Watching for just the right moment…

Comments

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Fallen, you jerk! You will not take our princesses like you took Discord! Go Team Princess!

And so it has begun. I feel so bad for Edge. He may have been a jerk at first, but I feel genuinely bad for him now. Probably won’t happen but I hope Tube falls before he does. I just feel like Edge won’t make it out of this alive either.

Spike and Rarity rematch with Selena is going about how I expected it would. The conclusion of it is something I don’t have a prediction for. Not one solid one anyway.

And Osteo still scares me. lol his freaky bone powers are kinda cool though. He’s a tank.

Oh crap! Run Fluttershy! Freaking run!