Chapter 2: Gabriel and Satan
Emily woke up on her silken bed in Jupiter's castle in Olympus. It had been a rough night, as she had nightmares of the promiscuous oaks dying slowly, screaming in pain. Looking back, she remembered Agent PS and all the scientists back where area 51 was. Emily shivered at the thoughts of the clones. Jupiter had brought them into Olympus, but he created a whole new reign for them to live in, so no other Olympian had to find out about it. The scars were too fresh in her mind, and Emily could feel the flame rumbling deep inside her. Emily took a deep breath, and calmed herself down, and looked to her side. The magnificent, winged stallion Pegasus was standing over her, glowing viciously in the darkness of her room.
"Hey, Pegs..." yawned Emily, stroking Pegasus's soft head.
Pegasus nickered softly, and sat down, and put his wing over Emily. Smiling, Emily stroked his large, beautiful wings. Emily began to think of Cupid. He was gorgeous, and always managed to impress Emily with his looks every time. Even though Emily's crush on him was well dead, it didn't stop her from blushing every time she saw his beautiful face.
Clambering out of bed, and dawning her beautiful silken dress, Emily walked with Pegasus through the long tunnels that made up Jupiter's palace. Once they were at the entrance, Emily climbed onto Pegasus's back, and the stallion spread a-wide his huge wings, and took flight. Emily looked over the night-time Olympus, and saw the creatures that walked, played, and worked by starlight alone. Emily glanced upward and saw the star-studded sky. She instantly spotted Chrysaor and Joel flying not too far away. Chrysaor was Pegasus's brother, and although at birth they fought, now they loved each other. The great winged boar flew alongside Pegasus, and Joel looked over to Emily, and grinned.
"So, how did you sleep tonight Em?" Joel grinned, clutching tightly onto Chrysaor's neck.
"I was ok, but I seem to keep getting this strange dream." Emily replied, with half the enthusiasm of Joel.
Joel's right arm was made of Olympian silver, since he lost his actual arm in a fight against the gorgons. Vulcan had fashioned an arm for him and it worked just like a normal arm.
"What's this dream about?" Joel asked, his eyes glimmering with excitement.
"It's just... Do you remember the scientists and agents of Area 51?" Emily began.
"Hm, oh, you mean the people Jupiter turned into trees?" Joel replied, raising his finger up to his mouth.
"Yeah, I've been having dreams about them bleeding to death, screaming in unimaginable pain..." murmured Emily from deep I her thoughts.
A heavy silence filled the air, and the only sounds were the soft murmuring of the night creatures from Olympus below them.
"Hey guys!" spoke a voice from behind them, making them both jump, "What's up?" the voice turned out to be Paelen the Magnificent, flying using his sandals that Mercury had given him.
"Oh, nothing. Emily has been having nightmares again." Joel chuckled softly, but quickly turned it into a cough once he looked at Emily's angry glare.
Paelen was the thief of Olympus, and although his thieving days were far behind him, he couldn't help burglarizing every now and then. He had stolen numerous pieces of metal from Vulcan, and stolen numerous other goods. He once worked up the courage to try to steal Jupiter's crown, but failed miserably, and ended up in jail for two months.
There were some impatient snorting and nickers from Chrysaor and Pegasus. After a few minutes of awkward silence, they touched down near a large willow tree, that was formally known as Agent T. Gently climbing down from Pegasus, Emily walked up to the tree. The leaves around shivered in a wave.
"Why, hello everyone." the tree spoke.
"Hi Tom." smiled Emily, gently kissing a leaf.
"Hey, Alexis, it's Emily!" the former CRU agnet called up to the sphinx.
Suddenly, something leapt into the air, and flew round the tree a few times, like a cat stalking prey, and the touched down. It was Alexis, the sphinx. She has the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the top-half of a woman.
"Why, hello Emily, I didn't expect to see you here at such a late hour." Alexis spoke kindly, rubbing up against the bark of Tom, "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"Nah, we're fine. Em just got a nightmare is all." Joel replied enthusiastically.
"Hm, but it is quite late. Do you want to have a little bit of ambrosia up here? I have plenty to spare." the sphinx offered kindly.
"That sound ni-" Emily was in the middle of talking, but was cut off by a large explosion coming from Olympus.
All of the group's heads shot round to see smoke rising from Jupiter's castle. Pegasus reared onto his hind legs, and kicked the air angrily, and without Emily on his back, he began racing forward.
"No, Pegs, wait!" Emily desperately ran forward, in an attempt to catch up with the stallion.
The flame bubbled up deep inside of her, and she began running as fast as Pegasus, if not, faster. Tears rimming her eyes, Emily quickly leapt onto Pegasus`s back, just as he took off. Not far behind them, Chysaor and Joel were taking off, follows by Paelen commanding his winged sandals to carry him through the air.
They were quickly on the scene, and were surprised to see Gabriel and Satan himself, fighting in Olympus Plaza district. The ring of their two swords, made them look like the exact opposite of each other. Gabriel, being an angel of Olympus and all, had a beautiful, Olympian silver sword, decorated with the most beautiful rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Satan on the other hand, being a devil, his sword was made of twisted, gnarled metal. Satan flapped his huge dragon wings, to try and get the advantage of height, but Gabriel had the same idea. It soon turned into a huge areal battle of swords. No other Olympian dared step into the fight, as they didn't want to end up like Satan.
"I was a fool to think you`d change!" Gabriel growled, tossing Satan away, and putting in a strike.
"I'm the ruler of the underworld, what do you expect?! Me to crawl down and lick your boots!" Satan snapped back, parrying his strikes, and slipping in his own.
Satan`s strikes caught Gabriel off guard, and Satan grabbed, and crippled his left wing. Struggling to stay in the air, Gabriel did his very best to put up a fight. Satan easily parried his blows, and grabbed his other wing.
"Say your prayers..." whispered Satan into Gabriel`s ear, and crippled his other wing.
Maliciously, Satan tossed Gabriel like a rag-doll through the air, striking him with his fists as he flung him.
Unable to take anymore of this, Paelen ordered his sandals to go after Satan. The sandals quickly obeys, and flew straight towards Satan. Apparently, Satan, the seer of everything, did not see this coming, and Paelen got in a punch across the face, before Satan dropped Gabriel, and went for him.
"That is the last mistake you'll ever make!" snarled Satan, swinging his gnarled blade at Paelen, but Paelen neatly dodged every blow, "Sit still you pathetic worm!"
"I'd rather not!" Paelen used his power to stretch body parts, to stretch out his hand flat, and he caught hold of the blade, and easily took it from Satan.
Roaring with anger, Satan swiped for his sword, but it was too late. Paelen has tossed it to Emily, who caught it easily. Paelen was too busy looking down, to notice Satan recovering from the sudden shock of loosing his most prized position, and was coming for him. Satan punched Paelen so hard, that the sandals stopped flapping. Paelent plummeted to the ground, and was quickly caught by Joel. Gabriel, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Gabriel was too far to be caught by any of them, and he was lying in a heap at the bottom a crater.
Satan's eyes beamed around, looking for his next fight. His eyes stopped on Emily, and a vicious grin adorned his face. Satan swooped down, and grabbed his sword, and retreated into the sky again. Pegasus whined and stamped the ground with his golden hooves.
"Language, now, Pegasus!" teased Satan, tossing his sword from hand to hand.
Satan raised his hand, and everyone apart from Emily was blown away. Satan then clicked his fingers, and Emily could no longer move. Struggling to move, Emily's mind was telling her to run far, but her legs would not respond. Satan kept his hand held up, to keep everyone away, and he kicked Emily down. Furious whines from Pegasus filled the air, as he tried to get to Emily, but couldn't. Tears fell down Emily's cheek as Satan lowered his hand onto the hilt of the blade, and held it like a claymore.
Satan's sharpened shoes dug into Emily's skin, turning the beautiful white dress, a blood red.
"Satan! Stop this right now!" came the booming voice of Jupiter, "Release the Flame of Olympus now!"
"Hm, so.... She is the Flame of Olympus....." Satan looked down onto Emily's face, which was now soaked with her explosive tears.
Gently, Satan lowered his blade to her neck, "Say nighty, night!"
Suddenly, loud whines of Pegasus filled the air, as Pegasus shot forward. Satan had exquisite reaction time, but Pegasus's was better. Pegasus easily kicked Satan down, and held him. Satan could easily overpower them, but Joel, Alexis, Chrysaor, and Paelen were on him. The others were still incapable of reaching them, so Emily was forced to do one thing. Emily noticed that she could move again, she sat up. The flame burst onto her left hand, and she walked up to Satan's head, and sat on her heals.
"You deserve this fate. I, and many others are sacrificing to destroy you once and for all...." Emily raised her burning palm to her tears, and Satan struggled as much as he could to try and get free, but to no avail.
Emily took a deep breath, and set fire to the tears.......
Everything flashed white, and the faded screams of Paelen, Joel, Alexis, Pegasus and Chrysaor filled the air. Soon, everything faded to black....
"Emily!" spoke a strong, deep masculine voice of a pure-white stallion, "Emily, wake up!"
Suddenly there was a huge explosion, and the stallion rushed over to the crater. "Joel, Joel! Joel wake up!!!"
There was two more explosions, and the stallion rushed over to them, "Brother!!! Brother, wake up!!!! *gasp* Paelen!!! Wake up!!!"
There was one last rash, and the stallion rushed over to that, and looked down, "Alexis!!! All my stars! Are you ok?! Wake up!"
The stallion took them all out of their craters, and laid them in a neat row, and unfolded his wing over them to keep them warm.
"Wake up... Just wake up.... please..."
Chapter 1: The Screaming Orchard
Applejack woke up to the sound of screaming. Momentarily stunned, Applejack sat in her bed, her eyes wide. Once she had recovered, she dashed over to the window to see what was happening. Applejack peered out over the orchard, but all was still.
Eh, it was probably just the wind blowing... Applejack shrugged, and went back into bed.
A huge gust of wind blew, and the screaming was once again heard, but almost ten times as loud. Applejack raced over to the window again, but again, nothing was there. Determined to find who was screaming, Applejack sat by the window, waiting for the screaming to call again. It never came.
Convinced she was going crazy, Applejack trotted back over to her bed again. Another gust of wind blew, and the screaming continued.
Applejack stormed outside and shouted across the wide orchard, "Ok, who ever ya'll are, stop screaming!"
Once Applejack was convinced that she had stopped whomsoever from screaming, she went back into bed, and promptly fell asleep.
In the morning, Applejack trotted downstairs, and sat at the table for breakfast.
"Ya'll hear the screaming last night?" Applejack couldn't resist asking.
"Nope." Big Mac replied simply.
"Really, I could hardly get to sleep 'cause of it. But, when I looked nothin' was there. Has anypony ever heard of screaming trees?" challenged Applejack stubbornly, trying to prove her point.
"Nope." repeated Big Mac, giving Applejack an odd look.
"Um, Applejack, are ya'll sure it wasn't just a dream?" queried Applebloom in her high pitched voice.
"I'm not sure Applebloom, I think it was more than a dream... I swear I heard the orchard scream." Applejack replied, unsure as how to put it.
"Well, I'm sure there's a liable reason for this..." Granny Smith put it before this moment became too awkward, "Breakfasts served."
Granny carried in a plate full of apple turnovers, apple pies, apple pancakes, and apple cereal.
"Few, I'm hungrier than a squirrel in Winter Wrap Up!" Applejack commented, beginning to eat the variety of apple foods.
Once breakfast was over, Applebloom went off to school and Applejack and Big Mac went out to buck the apple trees. Challenging Big Mac, Applejack began to buck as many trees as she possibly could.
"Yeehaw!" cheered Applejack, bucking more apple trees, making the apples drop down, "I think I'm winning Big Mac!"
"Nope!" grinned Big Mac, racing to more trees, and pummelling in their trunks with his hind legs, "I do believe that, since I have a stronger body-" Big Mac bucked another tree, "-I'll be able to take on more trees!"
"Don't you use your fancy mathematics on me!" snapped Applejack stubbornly.
Angrily, Applejack bucked another tree, and her hooves sank deep into the trees strong bark, but instead of nice, hard would staying in place, but instead, the bark crumbled away under her hooves. Deep, crimson blood splattered along the bark, and up Applejacks forelegs, making her falls back.
"W-what the hay?!" cried Applejack fearfully.
Big Mac raced up to Applejack, and checked her for any wounds, then turned to the blooded tree.
"What..." murmured Big Mac speechless.
The blood poured down the tree trunk, and turned the soil around it crimson red. The wind blew softly, and a very loud scream came from the bleeding tree. The screaming soon calmed as the bleeding clotted and a scab appeared. The apples still on the branches turned rotten.
Their jaws hanging open, Big Mac and Applejack quickly grabbed a broken, bleeding tree limb, and raced back to the large barn house. Practically breaking down the door, Applejack raced in, and slammed the bleeding limb onto the table. Looking in shock, Granny Smith began to look at the small bleeding branch carefully.
Granny Smith looked up, with a grim expression on her face, "Get Twilight..."
"My, my my? What is this!?" Twilight cautiously poking at the branch, and taking a few samples from it. Carefully, Twilight added certain acids and alkalis to the wood, just to see what would happen. Twilight then placed a bit of normal wood underneath a microscope, and zoomed in on it, "Hm... I'm unsure if it is a plant or animal cell... It's too jumbled up..."
"Is there any way for you to find out?" Applejack murmured, looked down on the still-bleeding branch.
"Maybe, but I'll need a little more time than this..." Twilight replied, her eye still on the plastic of the microscope.
Once Twilight left, Applejack couldn't help but pace around. She didn't feel like bucking apples, after the bleeding tree incident, and didn't want to go again until she had gotten to the bottom of this.
Applejack stepped outside, and sat on a small patch of grass outside. Gazing up into the clear, blue sky, everything was normal. Pegasus ponies were flying around, moving the clouds around, the sun shining brightly. Nothing was wrong, but why did it feel that way to Applejack?
Shaking her head, Applejack trotted inside again, and saw Granny Smith continuing on her huge blanket which she had started working on since the first Apple Family Reunion. Coming to think of it, Applejack would have to cancel this one due to the bleeding trees. She didn't want the risk of her relatives to never return to them from fear that the trees were alive. Applejack gulped deeply. This would mean having to tell Applebloom that she can't see her favourite cousin, Babs Seed.
Applejack's mind swirled with all of these questions, eating away at every other thought like termites, slowly taking over her brain.
"Um... Granny Smith..." began Applejack, pausing, trying to get her words into order, "Do ya' think it's at all smart as to... know... Cancel this Apple Family Reunion...?"
"Don't be talkin' rubbish youngin', just 'cause a little incident like this, you want to wait 200 moons just for the next family reunion?" Granny Smith's point was very valid. Why should she cancel it all over a tiny incident like this?
"Yeah... your right Granny, I guess I'm just worried about the family, is all..." Applejack looked down to her hooves.
Smiling gently, Granny Smith hobbled over to Applejack, and lifted her chin up, "Now, ya'll listen here, just because of this, you shouldn't worry at all... It's nothing, a little mishap.. nothing big at all..."
Applejack smiled gently, and puffed out her chest in a resilient way, "I wont let you down, Granny Smith!" and with that, Applejack leapt up the stairs to begin planning the new Apple Family Reunion.
Applejack stayed up late that night planning, and awaiting the evening gusts, and the new screams that came along with it. But, something was wrong. There was no breeze, no screams, and not even any stars. Something was wrong- very wrong -and somehow stopped almost the flow of time itself! Beginning to panic, Applejack leapt outside, and looked to the sky. To her great relief, stars shone brightly on the very centre of the sky. Trotting silently back up into her room, Applejack gently sat her chin on her windowsill, and stared outside, into the crisp, cool night. The trees were at last silent, and there was a small, cold breeze blowing across the land. Sleep-powered dizziness began to eat away at Applejacks thoughts, leaving her drowsy, and hardly able to think. But Applejack was determined to make this THE best Apple Family Reunion yet...
... that is, if the trees don't bleed again.
Applejack woke to the sounds of knockings on the door. Applejack waited a moment, before getting up and trotting down the narrow stairs. Once at the door, Applejack undid the large bolts holding the door firmly closed.
"Oh, hey Twilight." greeted Applejack after opening the door.
Standing aside to let Twilight in, Applejack smiled warmly at the lavender unicorn as she trotted inside. Twilight's face was distorted with confusion.
"Is something wrong, Twilight?" Applejack asked in a concerned manor, allowing her unicorn friend to sit at the table.
"It's that tree sample. I ran some tests on it, and it came out geometrically stable!" Twilight hurriedly spoke.
"Geometrically what-now?" Applejack tried to process this, but failed.
Twilight rolled her eyes, "It means that, that tree that bled, was actually a pony! It makes no logical sense!" Twilight put her hoof to her lip as she remembered reading a book about mythological gods, "However... I remember reading a book on the topic. Jupiter, the god of all gods, has the power of turning ponies into different objects. But, it said that when Jupiter is angry with ponies, he turns them into promiscuous oak trees, or in this case, promiscuous apple trees. It is said that those trees feel everything, and are conscious of their past life. If a branch breaks they bleed, their bark is like breaking bones, and, it is also said, that when the wind blows through the leaves, you can hear them scream in pain."
Applejack sat, her mouth wide open. So THATS where the screaming was coming from! Not anypony inside the apple orchard, but the apple orchard itself! This was hard to process for Applejack, but she soon understood it.
"So, your saying... My apple orchard... are all ponies?!" Applejack spoke her thoughts aloud, "But... I've bucked those trees for years, and not a single one of them has bled!"
"Maybe... maybe something has triggered it. Maybe something has entered here that shouldn't have!" Twilight yipped joyfully, hitting her hooves together excitedly, as she loved finding solutions to things.
Applejack and Twilight trotted outside again, and looked over the apple orchard. The leaves where covered in dripping sap, and the branches gently swayed in the morning breeze. It seemed so... normal... It was hard to believe that the orchard Applejack knew and loved, was simply a torture house for evil ponies.
Suddenly, the sky darkened until it was pitch black, and in front of them, a large, silver line was drawn in front of them. It opened up into a huge black circle, with only the void on the other side. Applejack cautiously circled it, but no matter where she was, the circle always turned to face her, and Twilight too. But when Applejack was looking into the circle while facing the orchard, she could see ponies screaming in untold pain, inside tree-shaped cells.
Applejacks eyes widened, and she brought her hoof up to her open mouth.
"What, what is it?" Twilight raced over to Applejack, and saw the same thing.
Before they cloud get a proper look at the ponies trapped, they were blown apart and away by a humongous roar, that echoed all around Ponyville. The roar took everypony by surprise, and knocked out most of the barely-conscious ponies. The ground shook below Applejack's and Twilight's hooves, making them topple over like dominos. They barely got time to get up, before a huge, crimson-red dragon leapt out of the void, and onto the barn house. Luckily for Applejack, the roar woke the apple family, and they got out just on time.
The huge dragon lifted itself from the rubble and turned to Applejack and Twilight. It leaned it's huge head back, and blasted fire into the still-black sky. The instant the fire turned white-hot, the sky turned to daylight again, and the dragon spread a-wide its humongous, holed wings, and took to the sky. It took huge chunks of cloud out in a single flap, and it was already soaring into the orchard. When it was about to land, something shot right through it's wings.
"Don't you dare!" cried Rainbow dash, making the holes too big for the dragon to fly, and made it crumple to the ground, "You wont hurt Ponyville no further, beast!"
The dragon reared back in reply, and swatted her from the sky, and threw her to the ground. Twilight and Applejack screamed at the same time, "RAINBOW DASH!!"
With one broken wing, Rainbow Dash tried her best to fly back. She collapsed in front of Applejack and Twilight, and the other three elements of harmony joined them quickly.
"Oh, my sweet stars!" cried Rarity, almost fainting at the sight of the horrifying dragon as it tore away at the apple trees, "What an ugly beast!"
"Um... Twilight..." Fluttershy's voice was shuddering uncontrollably with fear, "H-how are we going to beat this dragon?"
"Yeah, I mean, its not like we can throw a party to improve this things mood!" put in Pinkie Pie.
"I know. But we have something that could easily beat this dragon!" Twilight and her friends lined up to face the dragon, "We have, the elements of harmony!"
Suddenly, the elements appeared on the mane six, and began to glow. Beams of that specific colour shot forward, and tangled up the dragon.
And after it has thoroughly been tied up, the element of magic glowed, and a beam shot from her, and hit the dragon, and made it shrink and change shape. Once it had completely changed shape, Twilight levitated the new being back to the ground in front of where the void portal was. But, when twilight went to push it back into the void, she noticed the void was gone. The portal must have closed without their knowing!
The beast woke up, and brushed dust off of it. It was a very peculiar beast indeed. It's body was that of a crimson dragon, the one it was, but instead of the long neck leading up into its huge head, it was the neck and head of a pony, the tail was that of a blackbird, the eyes of cats, and the wings of a hawk.
"My, my, you do put up a fight." spoke the beast in a charming voice of a mare.
"Who, and what, are you?" snapped Rainbow dash, gritting through the pain of her broken wing.
"Me? Surely you must have heard of my in the legends?!" replied the beast, her head tilting, "Hm... very well..." the beast stood resilient, her head held high, "My name, is none other than, Spirlair!"
The mane six's eyes flew wide at the name. Spirlair was the goddess of transformation, and it is said that she blessed those who treated her with respect by transforming them into higher beasts. But turn against this vicious goddess, and she would turn you into a stag, and eat you alive.
"Wow.... I never, ever, EVER seen anything quite like you!" Twilight's jaw dropped as she walked around Spirliar, taking in all of her details.
"Um... Are you sure she looks as good as you imagined her?" Rarity rudely put in, making Spirliar's light green cat eyes narrow at her.
"I say that she's quite a pleasure to meet, once you get past the fact that she's a mix-and-match creature, but who the hay am I to judge you!" Applejack quickly corrected her comment before she upset the goddess.
"Uh, rarely have I never met a bunch of ponies as disrespectful as YOU lot!" Spirliar spread a-wide her huge hawk wings and flew off.
Twilight face-hoofed, and turned angrily to Applejack and Rarity, their heads hung in shame, "Do you know what you have just DONE!?! You have upset the goddess of tranceformation! That's like walking up to Celestia herself, and calling her a useless pony, and a rubbish leader!!" Twilight growled and rubbed her forehead angrily.
"Sorry Twi..." Applejack murmured, her head low.
"Terribly sorry...." Rarity ducked her head.
Suddenly, there was a huge flash of light, which blinded all of the ponies in Ponyville, and something fell from the sky, and crashed violently into the ground.
