Advent 1: Breaking Stuff
Written by: Necroesphere
No Editor
.....
Space
It is amazing.
And full of danger.
“Come now, Chaotic, it was all in fair fun.” Necroesphere explained, putting his hand on the table while waving the other about. “How was I to know that lighting that spell would really destroy Luna’s game system?”
“You said it yourself that it would fry and electronics!” Chaotic facehooved, leaning on the table. The duo were sitting in a coffee shop, in the downtown district of Canterlot. They were drawing some attention, not because of their conversation, but because of their ranks within the royal guard and the size of Necroesphere.
Many ponies weren’t used to seeing the 7 foot tall warrior around in town on his own. Or talking with anypony as if it were normal. “I thought your systems ran of magic. I remember distinctly that you stated that before as I took apart a system that one day.”
“But most of the parts still run off of electricity! You are lucky Luna decided to forgive you and not kick your flank out on the curb.” Chaotic shook his head, levitating his coffee up. “Do you have any idea how much you probably broke?’
“A good 500 bits worth of stuff,” Necroesphere speculated, popping a knife out from his wrist. Chaotic glanced up before returning his hoof to his forehead. “Where is the fun in life if you don’t end up breaking things?”
“Knowing you have money to fall back onto!” Chaotic flailed his legs a bit, making Necroesphere chuckle at the response. “You do realize that is coming out of your wallet, correct?”
“I can easily fix it... if Luna let’s me back into the castle,” Necroesphere sighed, balancing the knife on the end of his finger. “I could probably sneak in when she is attending to the court actually. I think that may work well.”
“And when you break more stuff?” Chaotic sighed, taking a swig from his cup. “What do you plan to do then?”
“I swear, I only seem to break stuff around you, man.” Necroesphere chuckled, the knife now twirling between his fingers. “And I’ve been around the block a lot longer than you have. I would think Luna knows how important having me around would be.”
“Like you were any help during the changeling invasion at the Royal Wedding.” Chaotic scoffed. “What was your excuse for not being there? Banshee’s in the Everfree? Banshee’s are just folklore, Necro, nothing more.”
“Tell that to the ones that still scream at night,” Necroesphere responded gruffly, just flicking the knife up and down now. “And where were you? Oh, right. Stuck in a 24 hour game of Skyrim with no definite end in sight for you. Seriously, those things will rot your brain if you aren’t careful.”
“Like you don’t take the opportunity to play when you can. Luna has shown me your secret lair where you keep all your electronics. I must say, it is a nice setup.” Chaotic chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Not as impressive as mine however.”
“I don’t know about that, CN,” Necroesphere chuckled, flicking his left gauntlet. A small screen appeared, text rolling across the hologram. “At least I don’t drop my connection. And never lag once. You don’t seem to understand what I have rigged up inside my room. I have the best connection on the internet that nopony else will ever know.”
“Right, and this explains your 20 death streak in League of Legends earlier?” Chaotic joked. Necroesphere flicked his screen a bit, the text moving around a bit as he looked over it. “So, I guess I should ask? What were you trying to do when you broke the 360?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out.” Necroesphere joked, closing his screen. “Her Xbuck was making the most awful sounds and was heating up a lot faster in a shorter period of time. I was simply attempting to analyze and repair without opening the hull. I cast the wrong spell, a simple mix of a phrase, and poof. EMP.”
“Right, what did you switch around?”
“Arcane with Waste,” Necroesphere said casually.
“How the...”
“In my language, the difference between the two is a single syllable.” Necroesphere responded before he continued to be baffled. “So, that would explain how it ended up breaking.”
“And do you think Luna would see a difference to this?” Chaotic sighed, taking another sip of his coffee.
“Probably not. Unfortunately, I’ve done worse on Equestria. Has Celestia ever told you about the time I met Princess Molestia and confused the two?”
“Oh my word.” Chaotic Note laughed, slamming his hoof on the table. “What did happen?”
“Let’s just say that I was under a waterfall trying to get the smell off my armor for almost a month. Seriously, I’ve had an easier time cleaning my armor after slaying a dragon. But Molestia...” Necroesphere shuddered, getting up from his seat. “Well, night court will start in a couple of hours, and I need to plan a route back into the castle. And Luna is probably going to be looking for you soon, so best to get back.”
“You going to be on EE later tonight, after you fix the 360?” Chaotic asked, downing his coffee and getting up from the table as well.
“Probably, though if Luna catches me, I’m sure I’ll be dead. Figuratively of course.” Necroesphere responded, stretching a bit. “See you later.”
“Yeah, see you.” Chaotic waved as Necroesphere jumped up the side of the building, clinging to the third floor window sill and launching himself farther up. Many ponies down below gasped and were stunned to see him moving so fast vertically, though to the warrior, it was nothing more than walking.
“What a showoff,” Chaotic sighed, walking back towards the castle. The crowd that had silently been watching began to disperse, the scene ended between the two. Necroesphere seemed to disappear in broad daylight though Chaotic was easy to track.
…..
“Are you sure, Zerva?” Swarm hissed, planting his axe in a rock. The two stopped their run, the ground shaking to a stop as Swarm pulled his axe free. The mammoth armored being dripped from his mouth, acid dripping to the ground. “Necroesphere is here?”
“I can sense him, or at least the shadows tell me he is here,” Zerva cursed, readjusting his cape. “His power is low, probably because he is hiding from us. But, we shall see who is the best.”
“What is this planet, Zerva?”
“Something called Equestria, Swarm. Patience.” Zerva clicked, reaching out and touching a tree. “Something is coming.” A howl pierced the air, glowing red eyes tracking Swarm and Zerva’s movement.
“Wolves?” Swarm chuckled, leering at the red dots. “Bring it.”
A timberwolf growled again, this time from behind Zerva, who rolled and sent a volley of daggers flying in it’s direction. There was a thud and a whine as Zerva pulled, strings dragging his kill forward.
Swarm swung his axe around, splitting another who had jumped at his rear. Within seconds, the attacking pack was decimated and the ground littered with wood. “Those things offered no true fight,” Swarm cursed, acid dribbling from his face plate. “Let’s find something that will.”
“With Necroesphere around?” Zerva hummed, putting away a massive claymore. “Neigh, Swarm. We bide our time and wait for Galax to arrive. Then, this planet shall fall.”
“Yes, you are right.” Swarm hissed. The two laughed, not spotting four small fillies running away. The red capes disappeared behind a tree as Swarm glanced their way.
“Something wrong?”
“No, nothing. Thought I heard something,” Swarm shrugged, hefting his axe over his shoulder.
“Then come, we have much preparation.” Zerva cackled, stalking the opposite direction. Swarm cast one more glance before turning away and following.
In a nearby bush, Pen Brush glanced through the branches, making sure the two were gone.
“What was that?” Applebloom whispered, poking Pen.
“They kind of told us,” Pen responded, pulling back from the bush. “Zerva and Swarm. They said something about Necroesphere and Galax. Who are they?”
“They sound... scary,” Scootaloo gulped, farthest back. “Let’s not try to find them.”
“Wait, didn’t they say something about Necroesphere not being on their side?” Sweetie pointed out. “It sounded like it.”
“Then, we should probably find him.” Pen pointed out, casting a glance back at the wood pile. “Why were we out here again?”
“Uh... Somethin’ bout adventurers or another?” Applebloom muttered. “Didn’t expect them timberwolves to be out. Those two probably saved our lives.”
“Yeah, but they also said ‘this planet will fall’ also,” Pen whispered back. “Let’s get home to Ponyville and go see Twilight. She is bound to know who Necroesphere is.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Sweetie responded. The four took off into the trees, heading for home. To warn their friends of the imminent threat to all of Equestria.
…..
TL looked up from his monitor, glancing out the window of his ship, The Knight. CaB looked up at him, the small care bear robot seeming cudley for the moment. The stars shone brightly as the ship sat in satellite of Equestria.
“Something doesn’t seem right, does it?” TL asked his companion. Getting to his hooves, he strode to the main cabin and activated his consoles. He activated his recon probes, noting that there was a new object in the solar system. A small ship that was radiating heat like crazy. “What is that?”
“Friend?” CaB stated, buzzing slightly.
“I don’t know, CaB. I don’t know.” TL mused, glancing out his ship’s main viewport. “Get us connection to Celestia and Luna. The need to know that something may be on planet. Something alien.”
TL picked up his keyblade, sighing as he felt a coming battle.
Advent 2: New Problems
Arc 1: Darker Skies
Written by: Necroesphere
Editor: None
Prereader: None
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Robert Frost/ Fire and Ice
“Necroesphere! What are you doing in my room!?” Luna shouted, though Necroesphere didn’t respond to it. He flicked his middle finger, a screwdriver popping out of his wrist.
“Good evening, Princess Luna,” Necroesphere commented, his hands moving in rapid patterns, the game system in front of him changing constantly. “This will take me about 20 more seconds. Was there something you needed?”
“Why are you in here?!” Luna smacked the side of his helmet, hurting herself in the process. Necroesphere remained unphased as he picked up the 360, giving it a look over. “Wait, you did fix it?”
“Yes, like I said earlier I would,” Necroesphere sighed, rising to his full height. He was almost able to touch the ceiling, need he only reach up to do so. “Were you planning to play something, or were you looking for me specifically?”
“Actually, I was looking for you,” Luna replied, motioning towards the door. A unicorn stood, his bronze armor a matte finish that almost blended him into the shadow he was in. “This is Black Paladin, a personal guard of mine. As well as a friend to the Elements of Harmony, same as you are.”
“Nice to meet you, Black Paladin,” Necroesphere reached his hand out, attempting to shake the ponies hand. Paladin swatted it away, walking over to stand beside Luna. “I assume there is more to it than just that. Why are you searching for me?”
“We have received reports of something big near Ponyville. From Twilight herself actually,” Luna explained, pulling a letter out of Paladin’s bag. Necroesphere took it, reading it over carefully.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am writing at the urging of my friends, Pen Brush, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. They are telling me a strange story that really disturbs me, because it involves Necroesphere in it. We both know that he is powerful and anything that involves him tends to lead to trouble. Pen Brush claims that two giants were in the Everfree Forest (why they were there, I will find out later) and slayed a pack of timberwolves within seconds. Normally, I wouldn’t question what goes on in that forest, if it wasn’t for the fact that she had overheard the pair.
What I’m writing is a direct quote from Pen. “With Necroesphere around? Neigh Swarm, we bide our time and wait for Galax to arrive. Then, this planet shall fall.”
I have no idea what that means, or who this Galax is. But those two seemed to know who Necroesphere is. I don’t know if there is danger coming or what I should do at this time.
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle
P.S.: Pen says their names are Zerva and Swarm.
Necroesphere dropped the letter, his hand shaking as he stared down at it. His vision blurred until his only point of focus was his palm. A small sphere of energy grew inside of it as Necroesphere battled in his mind, attempting to come up with the correct words to use.
“Necroesphere, are you alright?” Luna asked, as the paper hit the floor. Necroesphere looked up, his movements happening faster than Luna could see. “What’s going on? Do you know what Twilight meant in her letter?”
“Yes...” Necroesphere struggled to keep his voice calm, a slight his escaping. Luna took a step back, Black Paladin stepping in front of her. Necroesphere balled his hand into a fist, stopping the energy as he stomped towards the balcony, looking up at the moon. It didn’t help stop his rage, but it helped keep his mind focused on one thing for the moment.
“Lord Necroesphere,” Black Paladin spoke up. Necroesphere didn’t turn, keeping his focus on the moon. “I am taking a team to investigate this threat to Equestria. It is my wish that you remain here, in case you are working with these beings. I mean you no disrespect, but we cannot rule out that you may be working with them.”
“Working with them?!” Necroesphere roared, turning around and closing the gap in a second. He hefted Black Paladin up by his chestplate. “Those beasts have killed thousands in cold blood, neigh, millions! Their master, Galax, is no better. I swore to take my revenge on all three of them when I finally had the power to do so!”
Black Paladin gasped for air, slamming a hoof into Necroesphere’s breastplate. He dropped the unicorn, turning back to look at the moon. Paladin coughed, catching his breath as he drew himself back up. “I am sorry to not understand how this must feel to you,” Paladin apologized, wheezing. “However, I wish you to remain and watch over Princess Luna. Chaotic Note shall also be staying with her.”
“No...” Necroesphere growled, turning his head slightly. “I will go after these two alone, before they cause any more trouble.” Taking a jump, Necroesphere dove off the banister, metal wings launching from his back as he soared off into the night.
“Mistress,” Paladin looked back at Luna, who merely shook her head.
“Get me Chaotic and Red,” Luna merely stated, walking towards the banister. “Necroesphere is losing control of his sanity. And this time, we may not be so lucky with the Elements of Harmony containing him anymore.”
…..
Pen Brush glanced up, seeing something flash in the trees. She was sitting in her bed, reading a story that she had gotten from the library when she had visited. In the story, the heroine, Daring Do, was having a standoff against her rival. She had been peacefully reading from the comfort of her home as the weather outside turned sour.
“Pen, can you please come downstairs!” Her mother called out as lightning flashed. Pen leaped out of her bed, turning on a light using her magic.
“Mom, is something wrong?” Pen asked, stepping into the family room as another flash of lightning went off, followed instantly by a deafening burst of thunder. Pen screamed, dropping to the ground and holding her hooves over her head in protection.
“Shh... It will be alright, sweetheart,” Her mother comforted. Pen glanced up, her mother’s violet hair filling her vision. “It’s just a bad storm.”
“It wasn’t scheduled though,” Her father sighed, looking out the window. He stretched his grey wings, his mouth turned down from his usual grin. “I’m going to contact Rainbow Dash, if this doesn’t let up.”
“Be careful, dear,” Pen’s mother cautioned, moving her daughter to the sofa and wrapping her in a blanket. Another peal of thunder tore through Ponyville, shaking the ground this time. “Where would this have even come from? The sky was clear until only a few minutes ago. Now this storm has swallowed the town.”
“That’s it, I’m going!” Pen’s father growled, grabbing his raincoat. “If this get’s any worse, go to the Library or Town Hall. Both are protected by magical lightning rods. Promise me that.”
“Of course, dear. Please, stay safe!” Pen glanced up as the wind shook the house as her father opened the door. Rain flew inside as he forced his way out, closing the door with him. “Pen, get your rain gear and some things in a bag.”
“Mom, what’s going on?” Pen asked, shaking slightly. “Is everything going to be alright?”
“Don’t worry, dear,” Her mother smiled down at her, “Your father will take care of everything. We will be just fine.”
Pen looked out the nearby window, spotting the same glowing light as before. It seemed to be a small bug, though that didn’t make much sense to her. When did a bug fly in a storm, or even light up.
“Hurry, Pen,” Her mother urged. Pen moved to get up, noticing the light enter the window. The next instant, her house exploded.
…..
“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” Churro stated, taking a bite of his popcorn. He glanced over at Artemis, who was sitting at the table with him. “Looks like Ponyville is being wracked by storms.”
Artemis didn’t respond, keeping an eye on the weather patterns from the train window. “This isn’t good,” Artemis growled as the train made a stop as soon as it entered the rain. “This is the work of dark magic, not nature. I can feel it. What about you Market? Sense anything?”
“Not really, but it does seem quite odd,” The rogue stated, pulling his wide brimmed hat up. “What say we go see for ourselves what is going on? This train isn’t going anywhere soon.”
“I’m game,” Artemis smiled, grabbing his keyblade, Oblivion. “Coming, Churro?”
“Nah, I’d rather sit here and watch the fireworks,” The strange pony said, taking a bite out of a sandwich this time. Artemis’s mouth gaped open, noticing that there was no more popcorn or even the bucket that had held it. “Have fun you two!”
Artemis waves, walking off the train followed by Market. The rain pelted them as they made their way towards the town of Ponyville. They gasped as a bolt of lightning struck the town, a massive explosion following suit.
“What the...” Market gasped, grabbing his hat as the wind attempted to snatch it. Artemis strengthened his grip on the keyblade, gritting his teeth. He met Market’s eyes, before taking off towards town, sprinting.
“There is no way that was natural,” Artemis cursed as they crossed the town line, the first building beginning to sprout up around them. “No way in Tartaros.”
“I can see the flames from here!” Market gasps, pointing to the sky. Artemis stopped, noticing they were in the next street over. He heard a strange sound of metal hitting metal, but he didn’t stop to think about it.
“Come on, Market! Let’s see if we can help,” Artemis growled, running through an alley. When he came out on the street, a pile of rubble nearly fell on him as a building collapsed from the fire. “Dear Celestia!”
The street was in chaos, ponies screaming and running about in terror. Buildings had caught fire from the blast and the blaze was spreading fast. There were a few who were walking about in a complete stupor, most in their sleeping attire. Yet, the thing that sent a shiver of terror through Artemis was the three giant beings fighting in the street.
“What are they?” Market wondered out loud, losing interest in everything else. The purple one swung a scythe in one hand, blocking the black one’s claymore. The third, a green behemoth, brought a battleaxe down behind the purple one. He countered, catching the axe with a sword that he held in his left hand.
With a quick spin, the purple armor sent the other two away, stopping as soon as they were sent back. He aimed the point of his scythe at the black armor. “Zerva! Swarm! Why are you here?!”
“Please! Like you haven’t figured it out, Necroesphere?” The black armor scoffed. He held the claymore in one hand, resting it on his pauldron.
“I have many ideas, Zerva, and all of them would work,” Necroesphere growled, jumping into the air as the green armor attempted to swipe his legs out. Artemis shook his head, barely noticing the movement.
“Come on, Artemis,” Market said, pulling his free hoof. “We’ve got to assist the civilians. That Necroesphere guy seems to have the situation under control for now. If we need to, we can distract one.”
“You’re right,” Artemis sighed, “Let’s check the first house that was hit.” He glanced around, spotting the crater where the lightning had struck, though he wondered at this point if it was truly lightning.
The front of the house had been completely been blown away, the roof having caved in on the second floor. Artemis cast a light spell in order to help his see better as he moved past the charred remains of the house. “Why isn’t this on fire?” Market asked, stepping carefully over a beam.
“It probably burned itself out, at least on this house. And the rain helped keep it down. I don’t think we will find anypony here though.” Artemis sighed, the entire house charred black. It was impossible to tell what color the wallpaper had been. He kicked something that could have been a cabinet, a metallic thud resonating.
“Er... what was that?” Market asked as more lightning flashed. There was a roar as something large smashed into the ground. “What is going on out there?”
“I don’t think we want to know what those three are up to, but this is something that requires some attention.” Artemis dusted off a part of the box he had just kicked. He brushed back ash, revealing a name plate. “TARDIS? What is a TARDIS?”
“Hey, let me out!” A voice called from inside the metal box. “I can hear you talking.”
“As can I,” A second voice called out.
“Be quiet you!” The first responded.
Artemis shook his head, slightly confused how this box had survived a lightning strike. He found a handle and pulled it, the door to the pod opening. A bright light flashed at first before dying down as the door slid open. A filly jumped out, shaking slightly as she glanced around.
“What happened to my house?” She asked, her voice shaking as well. “Mom! Mom!”
“I’d say it was that lightning,” The filly said again, though this time her voice was deeper, definitely male. “And your mother… wasn’t so lucky. I was trying to save you both.”
Artemis shook his head, unsure of what was going on for the moment. “Er… did you just talk to yourself in two different voices?”
“Er…” The filly looked up, both voices seeming to speak at once. “We can explain.”
“Do it later!” Market shouted, jumping out of the way of a fireball. “Those three are tearing up town. The Elements of Harmony are joining them, but nothing seems to be looking good at this point.”
Another beam shot by before a body crashed into the house. It was Necroesphere, his weapons impaling themselves into the wall next to him. “Ouch,” He cursed, ripping his weapons out of the wall and standing back up. He glanced over, noticing the three. “Get out of here. Now!”
“We can help you,” Artemis stated, standing in front of the two others. “At least, myself and Market can. I don’t know if this filly is in any condition to fight.”
“I can fight,” The filly stated. “And my name is Pen. Pen Brush.” She bumped the TARDIS, the machine shrinking down and hiding in her mane. “I’ll get those two. I’ll make them pay for what they did to my home and my mom!”
“No, run!” Necroesphere growled, shooting off into the night. Artemis followed him, along with Pen Brush and Market. They ducked as a swarm of birds flew past, their squawking a torrent of noise.
“Ready girls!” A pony shouted, farther up the street. “Stand back, Necroesphere!”
“Wait, Twilight! Don’t-” Necroesphere yelled, being blown back by the shockwave as the Elements of Harmony activated. He skidded to a halt near Artemis, picking himself up and holding his side. “No…”
“You two have destroyed enough. It is our duty to get rid of you and bring Harmony back.” Twilight stated, rising into the air with 5 other ponies. Their eyes glowed as a sphere of light swallowed them. A rainbow shot at the two beings standing in the street, weapons leveled at the six.
“Now!” Zerva cackled, leaping out of the way. “Eternal Darkness!” He hovered in air, a wave of shadows covering him and creeping forward towards the six, who were floating helplessly as their attack was countered by a storm of birds that were stopping the beam. “Your little trinkets shall be no more!”
The shadows encased the six, the light attempting to fight back. Necroesphere launched himself forward again, only to be stopped by Swarm, who tossed him into another building. “Oh, poor kid. You are going to regret fleeing from us!” Swarm hissed, bringing his axe down.
“Enough,” Artemis shouted, his keyblade knocking the axe off course. He flipped around the pole, landing on the helmet of the beast. “I’m not going to sit back any longer and let you win!” He slammed his weapon down, denting the helmet before jumping back. Market ran forward, two blades whipping out as he cut at the legs of the beast.
“Gah, insolent bugs!” Swarm cursed, attempting to cut at Market. His attack was stopped by the TARDIS as it slammed into him. He was sent back, crashing down the street before rolling to a stop.
“Nice shot, Pen.” Artemis smirked, readying himself for another round with Swarm. “Necroesphere, go help the girls!”
“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Necroesphere murmured, tapping at his gauntlet. “White Knight form!” He was swallowed by a flash of light, causing both Swarm and Zerva to focus on him.
“Stop him, Swarm!” Zerva hissed, still in midair. “I have almost won.”
Swarm rushed forward, bringing his axe down at the flash. He was stopped by a white kite shield before a blade cut through the shaft of his axe. A boot sent Swarm backwards into a building, leaving a gash in the earth. Out of the light was a new being, in white armor with a golden trim. A 4 sided star was on his pauldrons and head crest, and his tattered cape was made whole, a bright gold.
“Heaven’s Light!” The being shouted, runes glowing around him. He pointed his sword at Zerva, a massive burst of light catching him, cutting off the shadows. Zerva cried in pain, landing in the ground under massive pressure. “Yield, Swarm.”
Artemis stared slack jawed at the entire change of the battle by a mere form shift. If that was still Necroesphere, he had changed the outcome of the battle in seconds. And totally stopped the two others who had been giving him a hard time before.
“Why wasn’t he doing this earlier?” Market whispered, sheathing his blades. “Don’t you think he would have done that first?”
“Unless it is putting a great deal of strain on him to hold the form?” Artemis responded, keeping an eye out for Swarm. “Wait, you don’t think the other two can do the same?”
“Hurricane form!” Swarm shouted, the wind picking up in intensity. He slammed into Necroesphere, holding him against the wall. “You think that form will save you now?”
“Not really, but it never hurt to try.” Necroesphere chuckled, slamming his blade through the faceplate of Swarm. The beast staggered back, dropping Necroesphere as he ripped the sword out of his head. “Good thing that wasn’t my good sword.”
The blade that had been put through Swarm’s head was completely corroded, only the hilt remaining. Swarm cursed as acid spilled from the hole in his face. Artemis found the entire sight to be a bit too much, looking away as the being howled in pain.
“What is going on with him?” Pen asked, continuing to look on.
“I’d say he was made completely out of that acid,” The other voice stated from Pen. Artemis sighed, drawing his own blade and looking at where the Elements of Harmony had been trapped. They had dropped to the ground, seeming to be unconscious but breathing.
“Come on, you two… er… three,” Artemis said, drawing his blade. “Let’s go save the girls. And make sure Zerva can’t get them.”
Market nodded, rushing forward and kicking Zerva upside the helm as he attempted to stand. The black armor hissed, daggers flying out at the trio. Artemis reacted first, casting an aero spell that deflected the daggers, sending them flying around the street.
“Swarm! We are leaving now!” Zerva hissed, drawing his claymore and slamming down between Necroesphere and Swarm as they dueled.
“But-” Swarm attempted.
“We can’t win with Necroesphere’s new allies,” Zerva stated, turning to Necroesphere. “You win this round. Guardian of Light.” Zerva spat, though he had no mouth in his helm to do so. The spittle hit the ground, killing the plant life that was left around it. Artemis glanced back up, only to see the two enemies gone.
“Did you two…” Artemis looked at Pen and Market, who only shook their heads. “Glad it wasn’t just me.”
“What are we going to do now?” Pen asked, the adrenalin drained from her system. “What should we do now? You two aren’t going to leave me alone, are you?”
“Nah, but we are about as stumped as you are,” Market responded, looking up. “Seems like the storm is lifting.”
“That’s only because those two are gone,” Necroesphere called out, walking towards the three. “I thank you for your assistance on the matter, but that storm was black magic conjured by Swarm. They may have ran for now, but I can sense their master drawing closer to Equestria. You three, come with me. But first, we must tend to the Elements of Harmony.”
Necroesphere walked past the three, who stood speechless as the golden cape fluttered past them. Artemis unfroze, following Necroesphere who was taking huge strides. “Was that the max strength of all three of you?”
“Hardly. The three of us barely scratched the surface,” Necroesphere grumbled, pulling a sword out of the ground and returning it to his belt.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Artemis chuckled, dissipating his keyblade. “Right?”
“I wish kid,” Necroesphere sighed, kneeling down next to Twilight. He placed a hand to her neck, an aura surrounding the pony. “Hmm… just unconscious. Good.”
“Weren’t they all wearing necklaces?” Market speculated, walking up with Pen. Necroesphere looked around, before shooting up. “Uh… what?”
“Where are they?” Necroesphere hissed, turning around. “Where are the Elements of Harmony?”
“Nnn…” The blue pegasus grunted, dragging herself up. “Uh… What happened? I feel like I got thrown through twenty dizzytrons.”
“Rainbow Dash, where are the Elements of Harmony?” Necroesphere asked, rushing to her side in a blur.
“Necroesphere… Is that you?” Rainbow asked, rocking back and forth. “Must have been a really strong storm to knock me out.”
“Do you not remember what just happened?” Necroesphere asked, holding a hand out in front of the mare. “Anything?”
“Gah!” Rainbow shouted, holding a hoof to her head. “Make it stop! Make the pain stop!”
“Get away from her!” Artemis threatened, drawing his keyblade. “What are you doing?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Necroesphere stated, moving his hand closer. “Rainbow, the pain is just in your mind. Don’t focus on it. Focus on the light of my hand instead. The Darkness can’t hurt you any longer. Your friends are alright as well. Do you understand me?”
“Necroesphere, help!” Rainbow cried, tears streaming down her cheeks as her eyes rolled back into her head. “I can’t see anything. I can’t… I can’t.”
“Calm…” Necroesphere touched her back, energy dissipating as Rainbow slumped into his other hand. “Gods. This is not good. I need to clean them of any residual poison that Zerva may have left in their systems. I also believe the Elements were destroyed or captured. Either way, they will never be able to be used again.”
“So, what do we do?” Pen asked.
“We go back to the castle… And prepare for war.” Necroesphere sighed. “A long… long war.”
.....
“CaB, what is that?” TL asked, gazing out the nearest window. From his perspective, it looked like a star approaching the planet but it was too small. And the entire concept didn’t make sense. “Is that a ship?”
“Processing… Designation: Golden Battle Cruiser. Unknown race and user. FoF: Undesignated. Course of action… establish comm link.” CaB responded, small beeps coming from him. “Shall I open a channel of communication?”
“Go ahead, CaB.” TL stated from his chair. He leaned back, unsure what was going on. He had received a message from the surface and confirmed with his own eyes a massive storm that looked to be hurricane size. But that made little sense as weather was predominantly controlled by the creatures on planet.
“Error. Error. Comm channels jammed. Heat rising from ship.” CaB beeped. “Possible weapons system.”
“Oh great. CaB, get us out of here!” TL shouted, activating the ships controls. “Get to the CIC. We may need to fight back if we can’t get away from them.” CaB scurried off as TL gunned the engine, deciding it to be best to head to the planet surface before anything shot him into the void of space.
A beam of light shot past him, a shot from the cannon of the cruiser. He wasn’t sure if it was just a warning shot or if he had moved as they had initiated the firing solutions. He didn’t really care as he threw the ship into a spiral to avoid another shot. “CaB!”
“Firing.” The care bear said. The ship’s main battery spun, opening fire at the other ship, though as it got close, the shots seemed to be stopped by an energy field. “Reported hit. No damage to ship.”
“CaB, prepare for descent through atmosphere. It’s going to be bumpy,” TL growled as The Knight hit the upper atmosphere. CaB came back in, jumping into a chair and strapping himself in. As TL prepared for landing, something struck the back of his ship, hard.
“Caution, accelerating through atmosphere.” CaB stated as TL attempted to find out what was going on. He glanced out a window, noticing a rather large blade out it. “Enemy personnel attached to ship hull.”
“Oh great…” TL cursed. “Get to the life pod!”
“Not yet, you don’t…” A voice cackled. TL froze, turning his head towards the door to the rest of the ship. Dominating the frame was a single being, adorned in golden armor with a red trim. “I’m pleased to meet you. My name is Galax, and I shall be your death.”
TL spun, keyblade appearing in hoof as he stood ready for a possible battle. “How did you get no board?”
“It was simple, really. Your ship could never outrun mine. And I was simply on my way to the surface anyways. Now, are you ready?” Galax drew forth a single scythe, the blade looking similar to a dragon’s wing. TL swallowed his fear, drawing his carbine and firing off shots.
“Weak!” Galax shouted, scythe spinning as he deflected the shots. He drew his own side arm, a pistol that was nearly the size of TL’s head. With one deafening shot, TL was thrown backwards as he used an air shield to block the attack. CaB leapt forward, scratching at the front of Galax’s armor.
“CaB, stay back!” TL said, starting to sweat as the ship was burning as it descended in atmosphere. “Get to the pod!”
CaB ran off, leaving Galax alone with TL. Something that seemed like a bad situation. “Are you a coward, boy?”
“No, why?” TL blinked, not understanding the question.
“Suicide is the cowards way out,” Galax sneered, his scythe swinging around. TL whipped his keyblade up, stopping the weapon in his opponent’s weapon, though he was thrown away by the force behind the impact. “Say goodnight.”
“How about good morning? Pearl!” TL summoned three light orbs, blasting Galax, who shrieked in pain. TL dived past him, tapping fastly into the control panel. When he was satisfied, he jumped through the door to the second escape pod, closing the door and launching as Galax attempted to get him.
As he flew through orbit, he watched as his ship exploded, along with the enemy on board. It broke his heart, though it was also better knowing that the menace, Galax, wouldn’t be leading any army against Equestria. “CaB? Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” The care bear responded.
“Meet me in Canterlot. We need to discuss things with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, immediately. Were you recording?” TL typed away at the escape pod controls, setting course for a field below Canterlot castle.
“Yes. Would you like me to save?” CaB queeried, the radio crackling slightly.
“Please. We don’t want to lose that information.” TL responded, leaning back in his chair as he replayed everything in his head and thought about what he was going to say. This was going to be a long day. A long, long day.
