Chapter Ten: The Prophecy Holds True, The Mare in The Moon Arrives! Bage tries to Fight the Nightmare!
Chapter Ten: The Prophecy Holds True, The Mare in The Moon Arrives! Bage tries to Fight the Nightmare!
"...And that's the story of my entire life! Well, up until today. Do you want to hear about today?" Bage let out an audible groan. How could a dragon come up with such a long-winded tale when he had never done anything noteworthy?
"Oh, yes, I would love to hear about today!" Bage resisted the urge to fly off and blow up a mountain. Fluttershy's intense interest in Spike's life was exacerbating the situation. If he had to endure one more discussion about the drake, he felt he might reach a breaking point and unleash his frustration by causing significant damage to a building. Luckily, their arrival at the library was the perfect distraction from the continued conversation.
"Oh, it looks like we're here! Sorry, but we should really get settled in. We've been walking around for a while, so we're really tired. Isn't that right, Twilight?" Twilight eagerly nodded, showing she too was desperate to get away.
"Yep, very tired. So if you'd excuse us, we'll see you later." Fluttershy looked a little hurt, but she waved goodbye all the same.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." Fluttershy apologized while shrinking back into her mane.
'Oh damn it, now I feel bad,' Bage thought to himself. He hadn't meant to make her feel bad. "Look, it's not that you're causing us trouble, it's just that we've had a long day and we're irritable. So, I'm sorry." Fluttershy seemed to perk up at that, peeking out from her mane.
"Oh, I understand. It's actually time for me to go home and feed my animals. But, um, do you think I could talk to Spike some more, later?" Bage was about to say 'no' but looking into her eyes made him feel even worse, so he just nodded. Fluttershy smiled, producing another 'squee' sound, and trotted off.
"Well, that could've gone better, how about we head inside and-" Twilight started, but Bage grabbed her shoulder.
"Hold on. There's a whole bunch of energy signatures in there. Let me head in first." Bage crouched down, since the door frame barely reached his chest, and opened the door. The inside was dark, and sounds of shuffling could be heard. He crouched-walked through the doorway, with Twilight following close behind. Upon standing up fully, the lights flicked on, and a near-deafening shout of "SURPRISE!" made him jump. It looked like almost everypony in Ponyville was crammed into the library, and they were all staring at him with mixed looks. Some were curious, and others were a little afraid. "Uh, hi?" Immediately, his vision was filled with a wall of pink, and two bright blue orbs filled his vision.
"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?" Bage drew a blank for an answer, so just went with something simple.
"Uh?"
"I'll take that as a yes! See, I saw you and Twilight land partway into the last chapter, and then you came up to me and said "Hey, what's going on?" and I was like GHUUUUUH, and then I ran off 'cause I knew you were new since I'd remember meeting a saiyan, and then you got here and you were like "There's a bunch of energy signatures in there" and I thought that you were gonna ruin the surprise, but then you didn't and I was like 'PHEW' and now we're here! SOOOOO, welcome to your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!" Pinkie took a big breath and zoomed off, leaving Bage in a state of shock.
"Wait, how'd you know I was a saiyan? What do you mean by 'chapter'? What... how... huh?" Bage spluttered, and Rainbow Dash flew up to him.
"Aw, don't think about it too much, she's just Pinkie Pie. It's best to just go with it. Here, have some punch!" She pushed a cup into his hands, while he felt his brain melt. After that, the party went along smoothly, at least until Twilight poured herself a cup of hot sauce. He realized that the ponies of Ponyville were pretty used to partying until the odd hours of the night since none of them seemed to be tired after nearly six hours of straight dancing.
Twilight had retreated to the upstairs bedroom, presumably for a bit of peace. Bage, on the other hand, got to know the ponies they had met that day. Rainbow Dash seemed to be pretty eager to get to know him, asking him to show her ki blasts and such. Rarity was intrigued by his armor, asking what it was made of and who designed it. Considering the nature of it, Bage simply said it was alien armor and left it at that. He couldn't really hold a conversation with Pinkie for very long, since she made his brain hurt. Applejack was impressed by how strong he was, asking if he'd be willing to help out on the farm when he had the chance. All in all, he found Ponyville to be a welcome change from the stuffiness and uptight nobility of Canterlot. He might ask Celestia if they could stay in Ponyville if things went well with Nightmare Moon, that is. Eventually, it was time for the celebration, and everyone began to head to the town hall.
Bage kept his eyes on the moon, noticing four stars converging behind it, and with a flash the image of the Mare in the Moon vanished. Bage felt his heart drop into his stomach. 'Shit, that's not good. We're out of time, and Twilight is still her reclusive, friendless self. It looks like I'm going to have to kick an Alicorn's ass and try not to kill Luna in the process' Bage began formulating a plan, as he walked into town hall. He sensed Celestia's energy and felt it up in Canterlot, as well as a second darker energy. 'So, she bee-lined it for Celestia, then? Figures she'd want her sister out of commission, before focusing on the rest of Equestria.' Suddenly, Celestia's energy vanished, and Bage felt his anger rise to the surface. He looked to the moon, to see another mare image, this one taking on a more colorful tone. 'Ok, so she's not dead, Nightmare Moon just went for the turnabout is fair play routine. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.' He felt Nightmare's energy rapidly approaching Ponyville and braced himself for her appearance.
'Wait, what about Sunset?' Bage focused on Sunset's energy, and grit his teeth. Her energy was extremely low, meaning she had tried to fight Nightmare Moon on her own. He fought the urge to race to Canterlot, knowing that if he left, Ponyville would be defenseless. 'Sorry hot-head, but you'll be fine for a while.'
Bage focused on the mayor, giving a little speech and welcoming the princess, but when the curtain opened, no Celestia. He tightened his grip on his arms, knowing what was about to happen. With a sudden surge of dark energy, a cloud of blue smoke converged on the balcony, condensing into a pitch-black alicorn, with a mane of stardust. 'Hello, dark and broody.'
Bage Power Level: 37,500
"Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces. To think, you would task one of your strongest to defend your precious Celestia, and to no avail." She spit Celestia's name like it was poison. Rainbow Dash shot off the ground, pointing an accusatory hoof at the Nightmare.
"What did you do with our Princess?!" Applejack grabbed onto Rainbow's tail, just barely holding her in place. Nightmare Moon chuckled and flared her wings out.
"What, am I not royal enough for you? Does this crown mean nothing to you all?! Did you not see the signs? Do you not know who I am?!" Bage decided that now was a good enough time as any, and lifted off the ground.
"Yeah, I did. I've been waiting for this day for a while. Remember me?" Nightmare glared at him before a look of recognition washed across her features.
"YOU. The Saiyan who dared reject my offer. So you wish to challenge me then?" Bage cracked his knuckles, grinning.
"Challenge you? No, I'm gonna kick your ass back up to the moon, emo." Nightmare Moon paused at that, unsure what an 'emo' was, but shook her head regardless.
"Very well then, Saiyan. Show me your power, and we shall see if you are stronger than the unicorn who fought me in Canterlot." Bage flared his ki outward, smirking.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I'm gonna kick your ass ten times harder for what you did to her. When I'm done with you, a millennium on the moon is gonna seem like a pleasant vacation." Bage looked down at Twilight, jerking his head toward the library. "Hey, go find out about the Elements! I'll keep darkside here busy!" She nodded and raced off, being tailed by Applejack and the others. Rainbow stayed behind for a bit, looking up at him.
"Show her who's boss, Bage!" She knocked her hooves together and sped off.
"I take it you and the unicorn that fought me are close? Perhaps I should have brought her with me then, to show you what happens to those who defy me." Bage rolled his eyes, cracking his neck.
Nightmare Moon Power Level (Full Moon; Midnight): 38000
"Just shut up and fight me already!" He punctuated his statement with a ki blast, sending Nightmare Moon to the ground. "I know your type, you'll just start talking about your power and your actions as if that's gonna intimidate me." A beam of magic shot toward him, forcing him to dodge.
"A cheap blow, attacking me before I was ready! Have you no pride?!" She demanded. Bage laughed, shaking his head.
"Lady, you have no idea of what saiyan pride is like. Now show me what you can do." Nightmare scowled, baring her fangs.
"Your arrogance will be your undoing, saiyan!" She flared her wings and shot toward him with a speed he hadn't expected, knocking him through the wall of the town hall. He crashed into the ground outside, rolling to the left to avoid a pair of hooves slamming into him. He jumped to his feet, catching a hoof thrown at his face. "You shall now face the full power of the night! I will not be bested by an ape!"
Bage grabbed her leg and threw her over his shoulder, and started channeling energy into his hands. 'I'm glad I figured out how to do this. Maybe I can damage her enough to get her to retreat.' Right as he thought this, however, he saw Nightmare Moon dissipate into smoke, which zoomed off into the distance, toward the forest. "OH COME ON, I WAS JUST GETTING INTO THAT!" He watched the cloud disappear, frowning. "That was such bullshit. Get me all pumped for a fight, then just leave, villains suck." He flew off toward the library, before noticing Twilight and the others racing toward the forest, and facepalmed. He stopped and changed course, knowing that they'd probably need help.
--------------------------------------------------
Bage touched down behind the group, catching the tail end of a conversation. "Cause everypony whose gone in, has never come out!" Rainbow Dash waved her hooves around, clearly trying to instill a sense of unease.
"Right, like a forest is going to be that much trouble." The group turned to look at him.
"Oh, Bage, thank goodness you're alright. What were you thinking, challenging Nightmare Moon like that?!" Rarity exclaimed as if chastising him. Bage just scoffed, waving her off.
"Please, as if she could do anything to me that would actually hurt. I'm fine, and she didn't even stand her ground. She ran off just as things were getting good." Bage pouted, "I was just getting warmed up too."
"So she's a chicken then? Maybe she saw how strong you were and got scared!" Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, reveling in her own humor. As they headed deeper into the forest, Bage felt a tremor in the ground. Just as he realized what was going on, the ground gave way beneath them. He jumped up off the ground, and immediately jumped into action, grabbing Pinkie Pie and Rarity before they could slip over the edge. He noticed Applejack grab ahold of Twilight, and trusted her to keep her safe. As he landed in the chasm below, he saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash safely float Twilight down, while Applejack parkoured across the rocky outcrops.
"Well, that happened. YOU RAN OFF FROM OUR FIGHT TO COLLAPSE A CLIFF, YOU BAD DREAM BITCH?!" Bage yelled out into the woods.
"Bage! Language!" Bage looked down at Rarity.
"What?"
"I said, LANGUAGE!" Bage continued to stare at her, confusion evident on her face.
"No, I get that. What do you mean?" Rarity just gaped at him, surprised.
"You just swore! And in the presence of mares, no less! Have you no shame?!" Bage held back a snort of derision.
"Oh, that. I swear all the time, what's the big deal? Celestia doesn't seem to mind. Even Twilight's used to it by now." Twilight responded with a nod, and Rarity was even more surprised.
"You mean to tell me that you swear even in front of royalty?! Are you truly so barbaric that you would spew your dirty words in Princess Celestia's presence?!" Bage just nodded, which caused Rarity to faint.
"I don't know what her problem is, I've been swearing around Celestia since we first met. She seems to find it a welcome change from the stuffy nobles treating her like she's some sort of almighty goddess. Now if we're about done, we should keep going." Bage picked Rarity up and set her on his shoulder, and they set off. It wasn't long until they came across another issue; a manticore. Bage could tell that fighting this thing wouldn't be right, being that he would probably kill it with even a weak punch, so he let the others handle it. He was surprised, though, when Fluttershy was the one to overcome it. Apparently, it had gotten a thorn in its paw, somehow. "How'd you know what was wrong?" Fluttershy just smiled.
"I didn't. Sometimes you just need to show a little kindness." Bage pondered that, as Rarity began to stir on his shoulder.
"Oooh, what happened?" Bage set her down in front of him.
"You found out I swear like a Frieza force soldier and fainted. Then Fluttershy managed to tame a manticore. No biggie."
"Oh, I see." Suddenly it seemed like all the light just vanished, leaving them in near pitch-black darkness. "OK, never mind." Bage produced a ball of ki in his palm, using it to try and light up the area, but it didn't help beyond a foot or two in front of him.
"I think I stepped in somethin'," Applejack muttered, and Fluttershy screeched. "It's just mud."
"Not what she screamed at, Applejack." The trees around them had taken on nightmarish faces, seeming to growl and swipe at them. "Really? She's attacking us with trees? What next, a depressed sea serpent?" As the rest of the group were screaming in terror, Pinkie Pie took a different approach.
"Snrk HAHAHAHAH!" She was laughing at the trees.
"Oh good, she's gone nuts." Twilight and the others stared in confusion as Pinkie Pie collapsed into a fit of laughter.
"Don't you all see? ♬ When I was a little filly and the sun was going down..." Bage groaned.
"Please tell me she isn't..." Bage muttered.
"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown..."
Rarity rubbed her brow, "She is."
"♬ I'd hide under my pillow
From what I thought I saw
But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way
To deal with fears at all,"
Of all the things Bage thought he'd have to deal with, a song wasn't even on the list. "Then what is the way?"
" ♬ She said, "Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall
Learn to face your fears
You'll see that they can't hurt you
Just laugh to make them disappear. HA HA HA!"
"Oh yeah, great plan," Bage muttered until he saw Pinkie literally cause a tree to go back to normal... by laughing at it. "Oh for the love of..."
" ♬ So, giggle at the ghostly
Guffaw at the grossly
Crack up at the creepy
Whoop it up with the weepy
Chortle at the kooky
Snortle at the spooky, And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... hahahaha... heh...
Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!" The rest of the group joined in on the laughter, and Bage had to admit, the whole situation was a little funny.
-------------------------------------
"OH COME ON, I WAS KIDDING!" The group found themselves stranded on the other side of a surging river, the raging water caused by a sea serpent thrashing around in misery.
"Oh, of all the horrid things that could happen, this is truly the WORST!" Another thrash of the serpent's tail sent a colossal surge of water over the group, drenching them to the bone. Bage spewed a stream of water out of his mouth and surged his ki to dry himself off. The others didn't have such a luxury.
"Hey, uh, serpent guy? What's all the fuss about?" The serpent craned his neck down to look at them, before pointing to his facial hair.
"Well, I was just relaxing here on the river bank, when suddenly this cloud of mist shot by, and ripped half of my mustache off! Now I look simply horrendous! OHHOHO!" Bage felt his eye twitch.
"Seriously, that's what all the fuss is about?" Rarity stared at him in horror.
"Why, of course, it is. How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales." The serpent nodded, waving his hands around.
"Oh I know"
"And your expertly coiffed mane!"
"OH, yes I know!"
"Your fabulous manicure."
"Oh absolutely!"
"All ruined without your beautiful mustache. This simply won't do!" She walked up and actually ripped off one of the serpent's scales, causing him to yelp, before sheering off her tail and using her magic to affix it to the stub of a mustache on his face. "There, now it looks better than ever!" The serpent admired his reflection in the water and shrieked with joy.
"OH MY, It looks simply incredible! OH, how could I thank you!" Twilight had an idea.
"Could you help us cross the river?"
"Oh of course, here." The serpent used his long body to make a series of steps across the river, waving them a grateful goodbye.
"Rarity, you're tail!" Fluttershy pointed out, but she shrugged it off. Bage could see the pain in her eyes though.
"Oh, it's quite alright, darling. It will grow back in time, besides, short tails are in this season!" Bage rolled his eyes.
"The mustache would have grown back too, you know?" Rarity just scoffed.
"And how would we have gotten across, then?" Bage simply lifted off the ground.
"Three of us can fly, and I'm strong enough to have lifted all of you to the other side." Rarity seemed to deflate at that.
"oh."
After a few minutes of walking, they came across a broken rope bridge, over a chasm. On the other side stood a castle that looked like it had seen better days. "There it is! The ruins that hold the Elements of Harmony! We made it!" Twilight charged forward, despite the others telling her to wait, and she nearly fell into the chasm if Bage hadn't rushed forward to catch her.
"You sure have a knack for almost plummeting to your death, you know that?" Pinkie Pie peered down into the chasm, seeing that the bottom was obscured by fog.
"Now what?" Rainbow Dash spread her wings.
"Duh." She flew off to the other side, dipping down to grab the other end of the rope bridge. Bage just shook his head. 'Once again, we could have just flown over.'
He looked up to see Rainbow Dash being approached by a group of ponies he was certain weren't there a minute ago, and judging by the energy he felt, they were just extensions of Nightmare Moon's magic.
He couldn't hear their conversation from the other side of the chasm, which he found odd since he normally had pretty decent hearing. Without warning the fog thickened, shrouding the other side from view. "Oh crap." He realized he couldn't sense Rainbow's energy anymore, and he assumed the worst. Just as he was about to charge over and intervene, Rainbow flew through the fog and tied the bridge off.
"See? I'd never leave my friends hangin'," She said as she landed, and struck a pose. Bage let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He decided to just fly over the chasm, since he didn't trust the bridge to support his weight, especially with his weighted gear.
"Uhm, why didn't you just use the bridge?" Rainbow asked, and Bage just smirked.
"I'll show you, by taking off this chestplate." He proceeded to unhook it and set it down on the ground. "Now try and lift that." Rainbow Dash grabbed the shoulder pads of the armor and strained, not even budging it.
"JEEZ, what's this stuff made of? Lead?!" As she huffed and groaned, Applejack came up to investigate.
"Oh come on, now, don't tell me yer havin' trouble with that? Let me show ya," Applejack offered, and she grabbed the armor. She strained to try and move it, nearly going red in the face as the plate resisted her every attempt. "HOOboy, this thing's heavier than a lead rockslide. How d'ya walk around in this thing, Bage?" He walked over and hoisted it up, slipping it back on like it was a bag of feathers.
"I train in this thing, I don't even notice it anymore." Bage just grinned at the looks on their faces.
"If you three are done, could we search for the Elements now?" Twilight's annoyed voice called out from inside the castle.
"Yeah, yeah, calm down, I was just making a point." As they made their way into the castle proper, Bage couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He hadn't sensed Nightmare Moon in a good while, and now he couldn't even sense any energy outside the castle either, as if something was blocking his senses. He looked around cautiously, prepared for anything. He kept a close eye on Twilight and the others as well, ready for Nightmare Moon to pop out at any moment.
"Look, the Elements! We've found them!" Twilight raced up to an intricate-looking structure, resembling a solar system of orbiting planets around a larger orb.
"Hey wait, there's only five, wasn't there supposed to be six?" Rainbow asked.
"The book said: when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed." Twilight walked around the structure, inspecting the orbs.
"Now what in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked out loud, and Twilight shrugged. Bage cleared his throat as he flew over to the structure, and proceeded to flick Twilight's horn. She grinned sheepishly and levitated the orbs off of their pedestals.
"I have an idea, but I'm not sure it will work. Stand back, everyone. I don't know what will happen." Bage watched as she charged her horn, straining to push as much magic into the stone orbs as possible.
"Come on now, ya'll. Give her some space to concentrate. You too, Bage." He snorted but hovered back a bit. As Twilight's horn took on a near-blinding glow, a massive swirling vortex opened up above her, sucking her and the Elements into it. Bage shot forward and flew into the vortex just as it closed, flying out into another room.
"Oh, great. Now where are we?" A menacing laugh echoed throughout the room, as Nightmare Moon's ethereal mist condensed into a cloud, and she appeared.
"You are in the astronomy tower, a place I spent much of my time in, back before my banishment. And now it shall be your grave, saiyan." Bage scowled at the dark alicorn in front of him, cracking his knuckles.
"Sweet, now I can finish what I started. Make a break for the Elements, Twilight. I'll keep her busy." Nightmare Moon cackled, and she charged toward him. He met her halfway, bracing his arm up against her horn. As they fought for dominance, Twilight made her way around, hunkering down near the Elements. "You know, Celestia told me about Luna. Told me how she got like this. She even asked me not to go too hard on you. It seems like she still cares about the sister still in there. The one you corrupted and made into a monster. I wonder if she can hear me." Nightmare Moon growled, struggling to push back against Bage's strength.
"Arrogant little whelp. Celestia is blinded by her naivety, foolishly believing that she can save her precious sister. Luna is gone, consumed by the darkness in her own heart! There is only the Nightmare now, and I shall bring about night eternal!" Bage frowned slightly, not wanting to believe that.
"I'm not so sure that's true. If Luna really was gone, why did you spare Celestia, instead of just killing her? Was it just to give her a taste of what you went through? Or was it that you just couldn't bring yourself to kill her, because Luna still cares about her sister, even after a thousand years?" Nightmare Moon gave a guttural shriek, blasting Bage back into a pillar. He looked up to see her charging at him and he dipped to the side before she could impale him. "Listen to me! You don't have to do this, I know Luna is still in there. And she should know that eternal night is a death sentence for the entire planet! You'd doom everyone and everything to a slow, cold extinction!" Bage grabbed Nightmare Moon, looking into her eyes and searching for some semblance of understanding. He saw a faint glimmer, almost imperceptible. A glimmer of regret, and shame. "I can help you if you'd just let me! Please, just let me help you." He could see her struggling, almost as if Luna and the Nightmare were battling each other. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, as she glared up at him with rage.
"You cannot sway me with words, saiyan. I will win, and the night will last forever! Even if I have to grind your corpse into dust!" She jumped toward him with unimaginable speed, and he couldn't move in time. He felt a sudden extreme pain in his chest, as her horn stabbed into him, narrowly missing his lung.
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
1,032 users online
1,627,351 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Why do I feel like that you keep making Bage super weak on purpose, and make the weak ass ponies "highballing" so much!?
11757329
Because having him win every fight without trying would be boring, and there'd be no challenge? Do you expect him to just win because he's a saiyan? I can't throw out all sense of story progression for the sake of Bage being a super powerful saiyan. Otherwise it gets dull, dry and predictable.
11758000
yes
Nice integration of storylines.
11769690
What is?