MYTHIC KNIGHTS: New Beginnings
EPISODE 1: Rising Dawn Part 1
WRITTEN BY ZAK KAYES and KATHRINE HAWKINS
In the land of Equestria, there exists a plethora of stories and legends that have been passed down from generation to generation. Some are myths: telling of fearsome creatures, daring adventures, and battles of epic proportions. What makes a legend is the story behind it and what makes the story are the heroes behind it. What makes a hero comes from within, the courage inside to stand up for what’s right. Every night, we listen to our heroes tell us their stories and legends. We listen to our heroes, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, recall stories spanning thousands of years. Those stories they tell, they have lived them. And one such story is a story I can tell Luna and Celestia enjoy telling. It’s quite a popular one. And now it’s my job to tell it to you all. Who here has heard...of the Mythic Knights?
QERRAVALE -- 1000 YEARS AGO...
Far to the south of Canterlot, in uncharted territory, sits the kingdom of Qerravale. A home to ponies of all kind, the village held a
majestic castle that stood as a tribute to their King: King Dominus. All was well in the land with trade routes established and an established economy that kept everyone happy. But all that changed once archeologists unearthed a tomb miles away from Qerravale containing an ancient scepter named the Aether Scepter. Believing it to be an item to protect his kingdom from invading forces, Dominus slowly began to change from peaceful king to malicious dictator. Celestia and Luna learned quickly that Dominus was soon becoming drunk with power and immediately left to deal with Dominus...but not before sending in a little reinforcements…
High above the sky, a dragon dove through the clouds and let out a mighty roar, it’s roar resonating through the area to gather the attention of the soldier’s below. Perched on top of the dragon’s neck was a humanoid figure in a red and white suit of armor, wielding a double ended lance in one hand. Looking down upon the battle in the village of Qerravale and the stone castle surrounded by the thick black smoke of the fire around it, she clenched her fist in anger.
“It appears we are nearly too late.” said the dragon. “Corona, Domius will be unlike anyone you have ever faced. Are you sure you wish to face him?”
“He must be stopped, father,” came the reply. “It doesn’t matter if I’m ready or not, I will face him and I WILL stop him.”
The dragon nodded, slowing his descent and seeing the castle in the distance. “I will aid the townsfolk. Beware his scepter and do not lose sight of your mission.”
Corona nodded and raised her lance, preparing herself. Rodion turned himself around and Corona dove off of the dragon, spreading her wings and gliding down to the roof. She could see strange spider like pony hybrids guarding a centaur with a crown and cape. She landed on the ground as the centaur with the crown turned around, his eyes blood red.
“...so...this is who the princesses send to try and convince my to not invade their precious kingdom: One Knight. ONE...Knight.” Dominus chuckled. “You must wish for an early death if you are to challenge me.”
“I will see you fall and the lands freed from your tyranny!” Corona replied.
Dominus laughed, raising his scepter and making the jewel atop it glow a dark violet. “You are naive to hold such a foolish belief. Equestria will be covered in a rain of blood from fallen heroes...starting with you!”
A beam of dark energy from the scepter aimed itself at Corona but she was quick to raise her sword and deflect the beam, charging into battle. Dominus fired more beams towards Corona but she swiftly ducked and swayed her frame to avoid them. Emboldened by her dodging abilities, Corona moved in closer, intending to attack him directly. Dominus watched her and brought up his scepter to block. His attempts to counter her strikes left him open to be attacked and Corona capitalized on the window of opportunity. She slashed into his armor till he knocked her back. Charging in, he swung his scepter to create a wave of dark energy that Corona barely managed to dodge. Dominus smashed his hooves into Corona’s face to stun her before grabbing her back the neck and throwing her to the other side of the roof, crashing into one of the pillars. Though stunned, Corona rolled out of the way as Dominus slashed into the pillar, slicing it clean in half. Somewhat battered but still not broken, Corona forced herself to her feet again, and readied her lance.
“Come now,” taunted Dominus. “Is that really the best you can offer to me?”
Corona smirked, swinging her lance and suddenly unleashing a wave of fire towards Dominus. She leapt over the wave and spun her body around, hailing fireballs down from above him. Dominus looked up at her and simply stood still, letting the fireballs hit him at full blast. Corona flipped over the small explosion that happened, feeling somewhat accomplished, until the smoke cleared and revealed Dominus standing there virtually unscathed and smirking. Without a moment to react, Dominus turned and shot a beam of dark energy at Corona. She screamed out in pain against the beam and sliced it away with her sword. Dominus chuckled and suddenly charged in, slamming his fist into the Knight and then grabbing her by the leg, swinging her and smashing her into the ground. He jumped back and raised his scepter, making strange circles of arcane music appear around Corona. They fired spheres of dark energy at Corona from all angles, paralyzing her. He was about to continue his attacks before he was interrupted by a blast of fire from Rodion.
“Corona!” he yelled. “Keep fighting! They’re on their way!”
“SILENCE!” yelled Dominus, turning and thrusting his scepter forward to unleash a blast of dark energy that struck Rodion in the chest.
“RODION!!” Corona screamed, darting over to him immediately.
Using this as a distraction, Dominus immediately dashed forward and slammed into Corona, sending her skidding back. Swinging his scepter, Dominus charged in and hit slash after slash into Corona. As best as she could, the strikes were too fast for her to counter and she could only stand there, feeling the dark energy try to invade through her suit. Jumping back, Dominus let out a roar and summoned a larger arcane circle, aiming it for Corona. Too dazed to attack, Rodion could only watch Corona be enveloped by a blast of dark energy, causing an explosion on top of the castle. The force sent Corona flying off and slamming onto the ground several stories below. Laying there, battered, Dominus jumped down and slowly moved forward towards her, stalking her.
“I knew it. Not even one Mythic Knight could try to best me. Your father should have chose a far better soldier.” Dominus smirked, pointing his scepter to her. “Your journey ends here--”
Two beams of energy rocketed from the air and slammed into Dominus, stunning him. Two ponies burst from the sky towards Dominus and hovered in the air across from him.
“You think your little Element stones can stop me!?” laughed Dominus. “I AM KING DOMINUS! AND I WILL BRING FORTH AN AGE OF DARKNESS THAT YOU CANNOT HOPE TO STOP!”
The two ponies listened no longer and raised their arms. summoning six jewels beside them. They began to glow and wrapped the ponies in a shield. Dominus roared, raising his scepter and firing a charged beam of darkness at the shield but to no avail. And before he could react, a powerful beam of light shot forth from the pair and engulfed him, encasing his body from the hooves up in stone. Corona slowly got to her feet and stared at the statue, dazed but alive. The dark blue alicorn trotted over to the statue and narrowed her eyes at it.
“Not so tough now, are you?” she taunted, nudging the statue with her hoof. “Spare me the speeches, Dominus. You can’t harm anyone anymore now.”
The lighter, pale pink alicorn came and stood beside her. “Sister, enough. He cannot hear you in that state. Let us not waste our time or energy in mockery.”
Though annoyed, the other alicorn nodded and turned away but not before sticking her tongue out at Dominus and trotting over to Rodion and Corona.
“Are you alright, my child?” asked Rodion, leaning his head down to Corona’s eye level.
Frowning, she forced herself to her hooves and said irritably, “I am well.”
“Thank you,” the blue alicorn started, “for buying us the time we needed to gather the Elements. My...apologies for doubting your abilities. No one alive today I know of has stood up to Dominus and lived to tell their tale. You should be fortunate to still be standing, young one.”
“I was clearly inadequate,” Corona replied. “It took the Elements of Harmony to subdue him… I have failed as a Knight.”
“The only failure you would have faced Corona is if your efforts were in vain.” said Rodion, turning his head up to the shorter alicorn’s sister. “...there was really no option left at this point for him, was there Celestia?”
“I’m afraid there wasn’t,” she answered. “He was beyond reason and forced our hoof. Again, thank you for buying us the time we needed. This would not have been a success without you both.”
“I would have enjoyed seeing your lance go through his face however…” chuckled the shorter alicorn. “Alas, such fantasies must remain fantasies. Sister, we must take him to the Tomb. I believe we have a very special wing for this one.”
“You worry me sometimes with your love of aggression sometimes, Luna,” Celestia remarked. “Let us take care of Dominus. I only pray our spell will hold him.”
Rodion bowed his head in respect, and Corona did the same.
“With Dominus gone, our job should be a little easier.” said Rodion. “His followers will have no one to turn to at their most vulnerable state.”
“Yes, and that will make it far easier to subdue them,” Corona agreed. “We shouldn’t leave them be. This is a good opportunity to bring true peace to Equestria.”
“Then let us do so.”
~!~!~!~3 YEARS LATER…~!~!~!~
And so for three years, peace was restored throughout Equestria. Corona and her father, Rodion, were able to round up most of Dominus’ lackeys and imprison them all within the Tomb of the Fallen. Try to imagine all the evil in the world, all the has-beens and the would bes, all the monsters and demons come to ravage the land and bring forth their reign of terror...imagine all of them trapped within ONE tomb. The Tomb is the one place you do not want to end up in. 3 years have passed since Dominus’ defeat and the ponyfolk have moved on. They have no reason to feel unsafe or scared...until one day...
Deep within the Everfree Forest, three figures made their way towards a large stone pillar. In the cover of darkness, one could only make out their silhouettes as they stopped a few feet from the pillar, examining the inscriptions riddled all along it’s ancient stone.
“Brother, are you sure this is a good idea?” asked a smooth, calm, masculine voice. “I know what our plans were when we came here, but this seems like a very half-baked plan.”
“Of course I am.” replied the other deeper voice. “With his help, we’ll have this pitiful land in the palm of our hands within hours!”
“And if we cannot control him like you assume we can?” the first pointed out. “We both know what he did three years ago. How can we hope to contain and control that kind of power?”
“You won’t,” said a third distorted voice, gruffer than the other two. “And I would advise against trying to tame the untamable, Tirek. Your brother, Scorpan, is wise to cast doubt.”
“We should abandon this plan, Tirek,” Scorpan pressed. “We can find another way. I’d just as soon not risk our lives.”
Tirek scoffed. “Do not be so naive, brother. You were quick to dash the plan since it’s first mention. I trust our fearless Black Knight to return us the favor by showing us the way...won’t you?’
The smallest silhouette, a humanoid creature with sleek black armor, broke away from the other two and examined the pillar.
“Ah Celestia...you always did enjoy the use of such powerful arcane magic.” said the Black Knight. “Perhaps you should have paid a little bit more attention to your superior mentor. Within every wall, there are always…” his fingers went up to touch a certain part of the pillar before stepping back, drawing his sword. He raised the dark red blade up and watched it start to pulse with violet energy. “...cracks.”
He swung his sword towards the pillar, seemingly slicing through it. For a moment, a complex white seal appeared in the air, but crackles of that violet energy sparked within it, causing it to shatter.
Scorpan sighed. “I suppose there’s no going back now,” he lamented. “I just hope you know what we’re doing, brother.”
“The seal is down.” said the Knight. “And I would hurry. It will only be a matter of time before the Princesses are alerted towards the disturbance.”
“How can you possibly know all this?” asked Tirek.
The Knight sneered under his visor. “Because she used me to make this prison. Now go.”
Tirek rolled his eyes and looked down to where the pillar where stood. Once it had been cracked, a large hole opened up several feet away from them. The very earth beneath their feet began to tremble and soon a blast of dark energy escaped from the hole, knocking back Scorpan and Tirek. They fell back from the attack and when they looked up, their eyes widened. Arising from the hole...was King Dominus. No longer in statue form, he looked stronger than ever with crimson electricity expelling from his armor. Dominus let out a mighty roar while Tirek and Scorpan looked on.
“...who has freed me?” he demanded.
“At last we meet.” said Tirek. “I am Tirek, the most powerful entity known in all of Equestria! And for setting you free, I ask you to join my quest in conquering all of this world!”
There was silence before Dominus found himself laughing heartily. “Surely you jest! I have absolutely no idea who you’re supposed to be! Am I to expect this other creature besides you wishes to do the same?”
Scorpan nodded, though he remained silent. His disapproving frown spoke volumes, however, and Dominus found himself laughing again.
“Well now, you seem to think it foolish to have freed me,” he said. “It’s only foolish if you think I would ever follow your whims.” His body sparked, and the area around him was filled with a violent storm of dark red lightning. Just before a blast of focused energy shot at Tirek,
Scorpan stepped in front of his brother and cast a potent shield spell, protecting them both. Dominus smirked.
“Hmm, not as weak as you seem. That should have incinerated the both of you, even with a shield spell.” He chuckled. “You two amuse me greatly. Tell me, how would you like to partake of the plans I have for Equestria?”
“...YOU have?” Tirek snorted. “Perhaps I should--”
“BROTHER!!” Scorpan interrupted. “Are you fully mad? We stand before the most powerful threat the land has ever seen! Do you wish to get us both killed?! Be silent for once in your life and listen!!”
And for once, Tirek chose to.
“I can see which of you is the intelligent one,” Dominus commented. “Now then, as I said, I have plans for Equestria. I was denied what should have been mine, and I intend to collect. Before that, though, there is something that must happen.” He made a gesture with his hand, and a magical projection of the sun and the moon appeared.
“King Dominus?” Scorpan said.
“The very first thing I will see is the end of the ones who bound me,” Dominus continued. The projections lowered to his palm, and he clenched his fist around them, shattering them into pieces.
~!~!~!~
And this is where I come in...
A large crowd of ponies had gathered up into the Baltimore mountains, most of them being pegasi, as they overlooked the valley below. It was a warm morning for some and the pegasi had done their best to clear the sky for a race that many of the ponies had been eager to see. For down in the valley, 4 ponies were in the midst of a race. They dashed and twirled their way throughout the rocky valley below, each effortlessly avoiding each obstacle in front of them without losing speed. Each of them wore strange backpacks with two thrusters behind them marked with a green lightning bolt symbol.
“AAAAND WE ARE ON THE FINAL LAP!” yelled one of the announcers from a makeshift commentating booth near the edge of the valley. “We can see the final four racers clearing the Devil’s Loop and here they come to the final lap! It’s Stratos at the rear with Black Mambo in 3rd, and the two who have been neck and neck with one another: Jet Grind and Zephyr Rayne! This one’s gonna be close folks!”
At the front, a blue pony with a navy blue and electric yellow mane rocketed ahead of the lime green and chracoal black pegasi right next to him, the blue pony wearing goggles on his forehead while the other wore the goggles on his eyes.No matter what the blue pony tried, the green one would be right there next to him.
“Not gonna happen this time, Zephyr!” yelled the green pegasi. “Guess who's got enough juice for a Nitro boost!?”
“I’d love to see you try that again, Jet!” replied Zephyr, keeping his eyes on the path in front of him.
With a growl and a swift kick to the face of the blue pegasi, Jet gripped the handle on his backpack and pushed a button on the top of it. “Maybe I will!”
“Oooo a risky move from Jet! He’s going for the Nitro!” yelled one of the announcers. “If he nails this straight shot, we’re looking at the new Valley Champion!”
Zephyr veered to the side after taking the kick to the face, rolling in the air and passing Mambo and Stratos.
“Jet, wait!” yelled Zephyr. “You shouldn’t push it--oh who am I kidding, he’s going to screw himself over anyway.”
In the front, Jet’s backpack activated and a green burst of fire expelled from the main thrusters. Jet let out a whoop of excitement as the boost sent him rocketing forward. But only seconds after the boost initiated, Jet began to lose control.
"W-WHAT!?” exclaimed Jet. “COME ON! STAY IN CONTROL!”
“That’s too much nitro for one go!” said the announcer. “Jet’s falling behind!”
And all while watching this, Zephyr immediately placed his goggles on his face. Upon doing so, he took in a deep breath and gripped onto the handle. Through his goggles, time seemed to slow down. The world around him began to slow and turn to gray. He could see Jet flying out of control back towards him and after he swerved out of the way, he pressed the button. Feeling the Nitro start to stir in his backpack, he focused and noticed three yellow lines in front of him, each moving in different directions. He saw three different flight patterns before his eyes before seeing a line lead straight to the finish. Angling his body in just the right way, he felt the world return to normal and he suddenly rocketed forward thanks to the nitro.
“Zephyr’s going for it!” gasped the announcer. “Can he make a near impossible shot!?”
Seeing Jet about to collide head on with him, Zephyr bent his back and corkscrewed around him. Riding out the boost in the straightest line he could, he turned around the last corner and rocketed right past Stratos and Mambo to the finish. The crowd that had gathered stamped the ground in excitement and cheered on as Zephyr flew into the air, gliding with the momentum from the nitro.
“BY CELESTIA, WHAT A COME BEHIND VICTORY!” said the announcer. “FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS, STILL THE VALLEY CHAMPION: ZEEEEEEEEEPHYR RAAAAAAAAAAYNEEEEE!”
Oh yeah...music to my ears...
He eventually twirled in the air and flew back down to the ground, landing neatly by the crowd and having his friends come over and congratulate him.
“YO, THAT WAS SICK ZEPH!” said one of his friends, a unicorn with a flashy red mane.
“How did you do that, man!?” said a grey pegasus nearby him. “You won by like a freakin split second!”
“Wasn’t the first time.” chuckled Zephyr. “Always root for the underdog.”
“You oughta let some of us win for a chance.” said a voice behind Zephyr, belonging to that of Black Mambo. “You’re crazy, man.”
“Crazy is my middle name.” said Zephyr. “I had a clear shot and I took it. Who would I be if I didn’t take risks?”
“Normal?” replied Mambo, resulting in the two of them laughing.
“That’s what you always say.” said Jet, approaching from behind. “And every time, I call bull. NO ONE can make those comeback victories. Ya keep falling behind and then when I get this close to winning, ya sneak up behind and steal a victory!”
“Well Jet, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were accusing ol Zeph here of cheating!” said Stratos.
“Course he’s cheating!” exclaimed Jet. “This happens EVERYTIME we race!”
“Sounds like you’re threatened by me.” said Zephyr, putting down his backpack and walking to Jet. “Normally I’d be all up for a rematch but I got things to do. And don’t think I haven’t heard what you say about me. If you’re really as good as you say you are, then do me a favor: prove it and stop wasting my time.”
Jet went silent and simply sneered at Zephyr before flying away silently. Zephyr watched him before shaking his head and turning to Mambo and Swift.
“Same time next week?” asked Zephyr.
The two nodded and Zephyr smiled towards the two of them.
Stratos and Mambo were the first two who DIDN’T want to pummel my face into the ground when I started racing with them. Strato’s a nice guy, he’s been doing this a little longer then me and he’s always got my back. And Black Mambo, he’s got the muscle AND the speed to keep me on my toes. He helped train me to get better, even helped me get over a bad injury with my wing. So that--...wait, I’m supposed to be somewhere aren’t I? Oh crap...SCHOOL! We’ve got a field trip at the museum! If I hurry, I’ll make it in time!
~!~!~!~
At the Baltimare National History Museum, a group of ponies gathered around the outside of the museum by a large fountain. It appeared to be a gathering of students on a field trip, several of which wearing backpacks and others discussing various casual topics. Off to the side stood a unicorn and an earth pony. The earth pony stallion was tall and lanky, with pale orange coat, grey eyes, a small goatee, and had his orange and black mane and tail kept short. The unicorn mare was of average build, with a pinkish-red coat, silver eyes, and pink and black mane which was just shoulder-length, though her tail was fairly long. Her clothes marked her as having a distinctly funky fashion sense. The unicorn stallion they stood with had a light blue coat and a darker blue mane and tail, both longish and well-kept. His orange eyes shone with intelligence, mixed with a touch of mischief.
“Eeeeyep, he’s late.” said the yellow pony, a touch of southern in his voice.
“Well what a shock,” the mare remarked sarcastically. “Best racer on the circuit, but he can never be on time for anything!”
“Alas, the troubles of a double life.” chuckled the yellow pony. “The guy lives, breaths, and sleeps racing. Wait, can you sleep race? Like with your eyes closed? Duuuude, that’s insane!”
“I could if I wanted!” said a voice from behind them.
The two turned to see Zephyr standing there with his backpack, goggles around his neck still. The mare frowned at him.
“EY!” exclaimed the yellow pony. “There he is. We were just talking about ya!”
“Good things I hope, CJ.” said Zephyr, trotting over and bro-hoofing his best friend.
“Took your bloody time getting here, huh?” she grumbled.
“Uuuuuuh, maybe?” said Zephyr, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Come on Serena, would you rather I have not showed up at all? I actually remembered this time.”
“I guess that’s at least a step up, yeah,” she admitted, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Yeah, I remember this one time he showed up and just like passed out in class!” laughed CJ, looking at Serena who gave him a look, “But at least he keeps his grades up like us?”
“Something like that.” said Zephyr. “Let’s get going, I bet we’re in for a borefest.”
CJ and the other stallion quickly stepped backwards, away from Serena as her horn flashed quite violently. Zephyr almost immediately shrank, realizing he had, once again, shoved his hoof in his mouth.
“You… little… sonuva…” she stuttered.
Yeaaaahhh, not a good idea to piss off Serena Charmer. She and CJ are the two coolest people I know besides Mambo and Swift. Serena just so happens to be the best student in our grade, totally not because of her looks AND her brain. She’s usually the quiet one when it comes to her studies, I think she likes her schoolwork a little too much. Just don't call her a teacher’s pet or she’ll put her spells to use in a way that will uh...sting, after a while. And as for CJ, well the guy’s a nutball. CJ brings the brains, I bring the wit, he brings the nachos. He’s surprisingly intelligent, despite the persona he puts on for most people. He’s the best friend you’d want if ever you needed cheering up but put him in a fight and that’s where he usually folds. You know those guys who like to taunt their opponents then a few seconds later INSTANTLY regret their decision? That’s CJ. CJ stands for Cheddar Jack by the way but only his mom calls him that.
“Soooo, what’s this field trip for again?” asked Zephyr.
“I’m glad you asked, Zephyr.” said a deeper voice from behind Zephyr. Said pegasus turned around to see their teacher, Professor Aeon, standing behind him. He seemed to have moved a good distance away from Serena’s anger fit.
“...hoo boy.” murmured Zephyr quietly before turning to face the professor.
“If you and the rest of the class would like to follow me, I’ll show you.” said the professor, motioning with his hoof.
Joining the small herd of students, Zephyr followed them into the museum. The museum was the biggest and most illustrious building in Baltimore since it’s inception and within the halls were various exhibits describing different cultures and historical finds. The group made their way through the west wing, exploring the Crystal Empire, before finally arriving at one of the newest exhibits: Qerravale. Two banners rested next to a portrait of what used to be King Dominus before he turned evil. Guarded by a force shield stood a pedestal with a large piece of parchment contained by a force field.
“Oooh!! I’ve been dying to see this exhibit since they announced it in the papers!!” Serena squealed excitedly.
CJ snickered. “If only she was excited like that around boys…”
“This particular exhibit,” started Professor Aeon. “is for the kingdom of Qerravale, a land since perished since it’s King, King Dominus, succumbed to the Aether Scepter’s control. We lost a powerful figure upon his defeat but it was due to not just our two Princesses, it was also due to one warrior: the Red Knight.”
“As in like...the Mythic Knights?” asked CJ.
“That’s just a fairy tale.” said Zephyr. “The Mythic Knights are just a story.”
“On the contrary Zephyr,” said Aeon, “The Mythic Knights are as real as you and I are. If it weren’t for the Princesses and the Red Knight being able to stop Dominus, the land of Equestria as we know it would be cast into a new age of darkness. What we have here are two tapestries showing the Red Knight and the dragon she called her father. The Red Knight’s identity has never been revealed to this day but it is believed that this Knight was a hybrid of unicorn and dragon. A Dragocorn, if you will.”
CJ shuddered. “How does that even work? Like the dragons HUGE and she’s like...yeeeaahh…”
“Genetics work in mysterious ways, CJ.” said Serena.
Zephyr rolled his eyes and shook his head before craning his head and looking over to the map.
“And what about that piece of parchment?” he asked. “What's so important about that?”
“Ya know from over here, it kinda looks like a used snot rag.” remarked CJ.
Both Zephyr and CJ let out an “Owch!” when they felt something dope slap them in the back of their head. They turned to see Serena holding her fan with her magic, glaring at them.
“That...’snot rag’ is an important piece of history!” exclaimed an annoyed Aeon. “Perhaps if you paid more attention in class, BOTH of you, you would learn something. So, does anyone know what this map is from what they covered in Monday’s reading?”
Serena’s hoof immediately shot up and Aeon nodded to her. “It’s the Map of the 5 Sacred Artifacts. Celestia and Luna found these items of immense power and scattered them across together because when they were brought together, one could use them to achieve feats of good or feats of evil. Each artifact is powerful on it’s own, like the Crystal Sabre or the Book of Grancaster. But if someone were to bring them together, they would achieve a level of power that could rival even our own princesses.”
“Very good.” said Aeon. “No one quite knows what these artifacts can do individually but our princesses have done a very good making sure they stay hidden. I would one day love to see those artifacts up close and to see them each brought here so the world may marvel at their magnificence...but the risk of having all 5 of them in one spot is too high.”
While the professor rattled on about medieval lore, CJ and Zephyr had moved off to the side and decided to look at a replica of the armor the Red Knight wore.
“Ya gotta admit,” said CJ. “Even if this ain’t real, it’s a pretty good story.”
“Lots of people like stories.” said Zephyr, examining the suit. “You could tell a good one like this to your kids and make them believe they are safe.”
CJ turned to Zephyr, looking at him seriously for once. “But like, it COULD be real? Right? There could be more than one Knight. I did a bit of reading and it said there’s supposed to be something like 5. Who do you think they were?”
The blue pegasus shrugged, a seemingly bored expression on his face. “Could be anybody. I bet they were all royalty or something. They wouldn’t pick just ANYONE to take on this kind of responsibility.”
“That’s pretty cool though!” said CJ. “I mean, if I got the chance, I’d be up there kicking demon flank left and right! Wouldn’t you?”
Zephyr thought for a moment, looking up at the helmet. He was about to say something until the sound of an explosion from nearby the lobby startled both CJ and Zephyr. This quickly got the attention of the professor and their bookworm friend, and the four of them hurried to see what the commotion was. The lobby was filled with a dust cloud, and folks were scrambling, trying to get away from whatever had caused it. Squinting his eyes, Zephyr snuck closer to see what was going on.
“Zephyr! What are you doing?!” Serena said a little frantically. He ignored her and made his way through the dust cloud, trying to find the cause. Before he could blink, he suddenly found himself pinned against a wall by the throat.
“Where is it?!” a strange voice demanded. Finally shaking his head clear, Zephyr looked down and saw… he didn’t even know what it was. It looked like a he, like some sort of malformed, twisted anthropomorphic pony. The only word his mind could come up with for him was demon.
“I said where is it?!” she demanded once again, slamming him into the wall once more.
“W-Where’s what?!” Zephyr choked out.
“Get off of him!!” Serena screamed, running to them and firing a spell at the demon-creature. The sudden attack made the demon drop Zephyr, and Serena quickly grabbed his arm and started pulling him away.
“Serena?! What are you--” Zephyr asked.
“Run you idiot!!” she snapped, still pulling him along. “You’re fast! Use it!! Move!!”
“Come on, hurry up!” CJ called.”I dunno what that thing is, but I wanna put some distance between it and us!”
Zephyr looked over his shoulder and saw that the demon had turned its attention to others, attacking them and demanding to know where it was. He pulled his arm free from Serena’s grip and stopped, making her stop as well.
“What are you doing!?” she asked.
“That… thing is attacking those people! Someone has to try to stop it!” he replied, pulling his goggles out of his pocket.
“Are you kidding?!” Serena yelped. “What the hay do you think you can do?”
“The best I can,” Zephyr replied, putting his goggles on and turning towards the demon.
Okay...probably not the best idea I’ve ever had.
The demon, after shooting beams of dark magic from his hands, eventually turned to the pedestal with the map. His snarl turned into a sinister grin as he approached the pedestal and smashed the force field, breaking it open. The demon gripped the map in his hand and held it like a scroll. Zephyr decided to run from the other side of the room out of the demon’s vision and gathered upon enough speed, leaping into the air and twisting his body into a kick to the demon’s face. This stunned the demon and made him stumble back. Not wasting anytime, Zephyr focused his energy and he once more felt the world slow down around him.
“Okay ugly, let’s see how fast you are…”
Seeing the demon try to swipe at him, Zephyr rolled to the side and sprung up, jabbing his hoof into the demon’s face, making him drop the map. Zephyr tried hitting punches as hard as he could to the demon’s face but they seemed to do little damage. Sensing another attack, Zephyr began to dodge the demon’s magic beams, sensing them before they struck him. Zephyr went for cover behind one of the statues and quickly grabbed one of the sword’s on the wall in his mouth.
“Alright, not the smartest move, but it’s all I got right now…”
Luring the demon to fire a beam at the statue, the resulting attack created a dust cloud and an opportunity for Zephyr to strike. Unfortunately, with little to no sword skills, his first attack was countered by a solid punch to the face. Not only did Zephyr drop the sword, he was sent flying back into the wall. The demon grabbed Zephyr by the throat and snarled at him before turning around and hurdling Zephyr across the hallway. The pegasus slammed through one of the glass cases and rolled on the floor, barely moving. He tried to force himself to his feet but was unable to once he felt a foot slam onto his back and pin him to the ground.
“Puny pony…” the demon said with a chuckle.
Zephyr looked around frantically but was unable to do anything with the foot nearly crushing him on the marble floor. He struggled to break free but realized once his attempts were in vain, he braced himself for impact. The demon readied both his fists and was about to slam them straight down on Zephyr’s head before a large fireball slammed into the back of his head. The force knocked the demon away and allowed Zephyr the chance to look over to see where the fireball came from. What the pegasus saw...was Corona: the Red Knight! Standing there with her lance in one hand and a raised hand holding another fireball, Corona began to slowly approach the demon.
“W-what the…” Zephyr looked to the Knight and then to the armor nearby the Mythic Knights exhibit. This was indeed the real thing.
“Leave this beast to me.” she said, helping Zephyr up before secretly shoving something into his pocket. “Get to safety and DON’T argue with me.”
Zephyr nodded, taking cover by running up to the second floor. He ran towards one of the exits but paused, seeing Corona and the demon start to fight and clash with one another. Hesitating, the pegasus quickly raced out of the area to find his friends. Corona watched the demon in front of him.
“Must we continue to fight all around the city, Cassius?” asked Corona. “I grow tired of your countless attacks upon the innocent.”
“Innocent, guilty, they are only prey to me.” said Cassius. “Where. Is. The. MAP!?!”
Corona spun her lance, ready to attack. “Come and get it!”
Cassius roared and charged like a bull straight towards Corona. The knight watched her foe closely before leaping up and spinning, slashing into the back of the demon. She rolled upon landing and twisted her body around, swift strikes finding their mark against Cassius’ tough hide. Cassius tried swiping at Corona but she moved like a blur, swiftly dodging each of Cassius’ attacks and parrying when necessary. She leapt backwards and unleashed a barrage of fireballs upon Cassius to hurt him. The fire made Cassius roar out in pain and he retaliated by shooting out beams of dark magic from his palms. Corona spun her lance in a circle to create a shield, blocking the beams from getting through. The lance absorbed the energy from the dark magic and Corona pointed the lance towards Cassius, firing back the energy. Cassius was quick to run from the magic, leaping away from the destructive beam as it sliced through some of the exhibit. Zephyr meanwhile had made it outside and regrouped with Serena and CJ.
“Oh thank Celestia you’re alright!” said Serena, checking over Zephyr. “What were you thinking just running in and trying to fight that thing off!?”
“That thing’s really strong.” said Zephyr, panting quietly. “He threw me around a bit but I distracted him.”
“Distracted?” asked CJ, clearly confused. “Dude, what the heck is going on?!”
“I’ve got to make sure that guy’s alright!” said Zephyr, turning around and running back into the museum. Serena and CJ both looked at one another but chose to do nothing.
Corona went crashing through one of the walls of the museum, skidding on the ground as she collided against the other wall, slumping slightly. Getting up, she rolled out of the way of Cassius slamming his fist into the wall. She saw her lance laying a few feet away from her and quickly ran over to the wall across from her, running up and grabbing one of the tapestries. She leapt onto Cassius and dumped the tapestry upon him to blind him. Using this time, she ran over to her lance and turned hitting a series of powerful strikes to Cassius and then charging her hands, unleashing a fire beam that sent Cassius flying. Corona groaned and dropped to one knee, using her lance to support herself. The battle had left her fatigued, especially from getting thrown like a ragdoll. Taking a chance to breathe, she didn't expect Cassius to suddenly charge and charge his shoulder into Corona, sending her flying and slamming into a glass case against the wall holding weapons. Cassius chuckled to himself, slowly approaching his prey before pausing, hearing the sounds of sirens approaching. Grumbling, he clutched onto the scroll in his hand, deciding to leave the area as quick as he could.
“Ughh…” moaned Corona in pain. “That could have gone better…”
She forced herself to her feet before looking around for an exit, limping over quietly towards one of the doors. At the same time, Zephyr ran into the area and spotted Corona heading out of the exit. As she stumbled out to the alleyway, she eventually collapsed onto the ground. Zephyr raced over and looked her over, noticing the figure begin to change from bipedal to four legs.
“...a pony? I better get him out of here before others come looking.” asked Zephyr, looking around before trying to pick her up in his arms, taking to the air with Corona in tow.
~!~!~!~
It wasn’t a very long flight for Zephyr back to his home, grateful that his parents were both out of town for the weekend on a business trip. His home was apart of an apartment complex and his room was near the top near the back, his bedroom having a balcony with a view of the city. Carrying Corona on his back, Zephyr landed on the balcony and opened the door to his room, taking her inside and placing her on the bed. As he wa about to leave to get some water for the mysterious hero, he noticed that the pony became enveloped in red light. When the light died down, the suit was gone, and before Zephyr laid a very beautiful mare. Her coat was a dark orange. Her mane was short, in an asymmetrical bob-cut and deep purple. Her tail was also short, the same dark purple but with a streak of orangish-pink. She wore a black and purple vest. Zephyr was rather amazed by how lovely she was, but what caught his attention the most was her ears. They were rather large for pony ears, oddly shaped, and the tuft of fur on the tips of them looked pointed and sharp, almost like spines.
Looking down at the mare and observing her weirdly shaped ears, he moved his hoof down to touch her cheek to see if she was alright. No sooner had his hofo touched her, her eyes shot open and she grabbed Zephyr by the hoof, shoving him onto his back and leaping onto him, pinning him down onto the floor with an arm on his neck.
“Who are you?” she hissed. “What do you want with me?”
“WOAH WOAH!” Zephyr yelled, struggling against the arm against his neck. “IT’S ME, THE DUDE FROM THE MUSEUM YOU SAVED! CHILL!”
She blinked, then slowly released him. “I remember. Where are we? What am I doing here?”
Zephyr coughed, sitting up slightly. “Ugh, geez you’re strong...you’re at my home. Well, my parent’s home but my room. You like passed out after fighting that freaky demon thing so I brought you back to my place. There were police trying to figure out what happened. I figured you’d be safer here? You look like ya got the crap kicked out of ya.”
Nodding, she stood up and looked around. “Where’s the thing I gave you? You didn’t lose it, did you?”
He blinked. “...thing?”
She ignored him and began looking about. When she turned back to look at Zephyr, she noticed something sticking out of his vest. Without a second thought, she reached right into his pocket.
“H-Hey!! Personal space, lady!” he protested.
Continuing to ignore him, she pulled her hoof out, a scroll of parchment in it. Her motion also caused her to accidentally pull out the goggles, which she carelessly tossed aside.
“HEY!!” Zephyr jumped to grab them, just barely managing to save them with his wing and looking to Corona with a glare. “Look, I don’t know who you think you are, dressing up like some fairy tale hero and taking on that freaky thing, but how about you--”
“Be quiet,” she answered. “You have my thanks for your help, but your part in this is already over. I’ll be going now. Forget you saw me, and forget what happened here. It’s better that way.”
“Yeaaah, not going to happen.” said Zephyr. “Why did you shove that thing into my vest? That demon thing got away with the map didn’t he? My professor said it was some map about Artifacts? So that’s my first question. Second, where did you get that costume? The armor is in the museum, how can there be two more?”
“It’s none of your concern, so don’t poke your nose where it doesn’t belong,” she replied, tucking the scroll into her pocket. “I’ll be going now.” She turned and headed out the door and out of sight.
“Then I guess I’ll just tell go and tell the police I know where you are then!” said Zephyr, turning and getting ready to close the door, smirking.The sound of thundering hooves came rushing back at him, and Zephyr found himself, once again, being pinned by the throat.
“You will do no such thing, boy!!” the mare growled.
Zephyr this time looked up at her. “Then what are ya gonna do? Kill me?”
Hey crystal blue eyes flared, and for a moment she looked as though she just might. Then she dropped Zephyr with a frustrated growl. “You… What is it you want? What are you trying to gain?”
Once more, Zephyr brought himself to his feet. “I already said what I want: answers. Because right now, that stuff I saw you do with that stick you had and shooting fire and...pretty much EVERYTHING that just happened at the museum, that can’t be real. I thought museums were just supposed to create stories out of old stuff.”
“.... the artifacts and armors you saw at the museum were replicas,” she said after several minutes.
“So does that make you the genuine Red Knight?”
“Unless there’s an imposter of me, than yes.”
Several questions raced through Zephyr’s head before he settled on one. “...what’s your name? I’m Zephyr.”
“It’s… Corona,” she answered.
“Why did you give me that scroll, back in the museum?”
“It was the only way to protect it at the moment. I was never going to leave it with you, that would have put you in danger. I was going to collect it from you as fast as possible, but by bringing me with you, it saved me the trouble of tracking you down,” she explained.
“...so...why did that demon want the map so badly? Is this the real thing?”
“It is, and I could care less if you don’t believe a word I’ve said,” Corona replied, frowning. “The longer I linger here, the greater the chance you and your family will be in danger so it really is best if I go now.”
“Then let me help you.”
“No.”
“I was able to fight that demon thing on my own for a little bit.” said Zephyr, giving her a serious look. “Any one else would have ran.”
“You were getting your flank kicked left right and center,” she countered. “The only reason you’re still alive is because of those enchanted goggles of yours. And yes, I know they’re enchanted. I can smell the magic on them.” She looked at them. “Time manipulation. Powerful stuff. It makes the time of anyone who wears them go faster, making everyone else seem slower to them and allowing them to move at almost inconceivable speeds. Dangerous when used for too long in one go.”
“I only use them when I absolutely need to.” said Zephyr.
She raised a skeptical eyebrow but said nothing. “At any rate, you are not coming,” she said firmly.
“And what’s to stop me from following you then?” he said. “After saving my life like that, I want to see exactly how real this Mythic Knights stuff is. With that demon going after ya, if he finds you, you won’t have any backup in case things get too hot. And even if you leave, I’m going to follow. You won’t be able to shake me.”
“What makes you think you could keep up with me?” she scoffed. Zephyr smirked and lifted up his goggles, making her growl again, her eyes seeming to take on a more serpentine appearance for a brief second before returning to normal.
Zephyr casually leaned against the window. “You said it best. Time manipulation. No matter how fast you fly, I’ll be right there. And I get the feeling that you don’t have any time to waste. So what’s it gonna be? Who needs this map so badly?”
Corona’s eye twitched in frustration, but she sighed, knowing he was right. “The princesses need this map secure, that’s who. I was assigned to collect the map and bring it back to my master, and we were to bring it to a secure location.”
Nodding, Zephyr leapt out of the window and took to the air, flapping his wings and looking down towards Corona.
“Lead the way.”
~!~!~!~
“Whooooaaa!!!” Zephyr yelped as he fell face-first on the ground.
“Oh yeah, watch your step,” Corona said sarcastically as the stepped by him.
Zeph frowned at her. “Sheesh, and I thought wearing the goggles was trippy… That portal was freaking weird.”
The pair had stepped out of a portal that Corona had conjured after Zephyr had coerced her into letting him come with. Standing back up, Zephyr looked around to see they were now standing in a ruined city. His eyes widened.
“Where… are we?” he asked.
“Welcome to Querravale, or rather, what’s left of it,” Corona answered.
Zephyr’s eyes scanned the area. “Isn’t this the White Tail Woods?”
“Yes, in an area that’s been concealed by a spell. Most ponies can’t even perceive that this place is here,” she replied. “Come on, it’s this way.”
Following her lead, Zephyr kept looking around. To him, it looked like a ghost town. He was half expecting things to change around him but as they traversed through the city, they eventually ended up at a cavern on the west end, guarded by a force shield.
“Rodion! I’m back, and I have it, plus a busybody tagalong,” Corona called.
From the darkness, Rodion came into the light. In 3 years, his appearance had seemingly not changed. Zephyr’s cockiness seemingly vanished and he stepped back. His ears flattened and his eyes widened as he looked up to the dragon.
“...what the…” said Zephyr, speechless.
“Zephyr… meet my… father,” Corona said.
“...holy crap, he’s real,” said Zephyr. “Ooohhhhh...kay.”
“You sound surprised, child,” said Rodion. “Corona, who is this pony?”
“He was at the museum when they came for the map. He tried to fight the demon came for it. I… I will admit that he helped me as well by getting me somewhere safe when I was vulnerable,” she said through clench teeth.
Rodion said nothing at first but then decided to smile. “What is your name, young one?”
“Zephyr Rayne.”
“Thank you, Zephyr,” said the dragon, opening up the shield and allowing the two to pass through. “Corona, would you mind making some tea for our guest? I must see the map for myself.
“Very well,” she replied, giving him the map and brushing past Zephyr without so much as a glance.
“You will have to forgive my daughter,” started Rodion. “She hasn’t been in contact with many other ponies around her age. She is prideful and whatever you must have said to her to convince her to take you back here, I commend you.”
Zephyr nodded and took the chance to look around the massive cavern. Part of it had been transformed into a large library, containing books and pedestals holding various artifacts.
“...I can’t believe all of this is real.” said Zephyr.
Rodion chuckled. “Yes I know that discovering that old tales have truth to them is quite the shocking experience, but those stories are as real as this old dragon you’re looking at.”
Corona came back with a tray, a teapot and three cups balanced on it. “I made the peppermint tea, hope you don’t mind,” she said as she set it on a table nearby.
Zephyr moved over to the table and sat down slowly on the cushion, looking around quietly. Corona trotted over to one of the pedestals and placed the map on it.
“So what is with the map?” he asked.
“It’s pretty much what was advertised,” Corona said. “It has the locations of the Artifacts.”
“If you were at the museum, I assume you know the tale of the Artifacts, correct?” Rodion asked.
“...we didn’t exactly go through it in detail, no,” said Zephyr. “We just glossed over it. Crystal Sabre, something about supreme power--”
“Someone told you and you didn’t pay attention,” Corona interrupted, giving him a deadpan look. Zephyr chuckled nervously, a hoof going up to rub the back of his head. She sighed. “Tell me again why you think you can help?”
“Corona, please,” Rodion soothed, placing a gentle claw on her back. “Not so long ago, King Dominus ruled Querravale. He was a tyrant, and a power-hungry one at that. The Knights were personally formed by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna during that time to protect Equestria. He wanted Equestria because we had the location of the Artifacts, in this map. The Artifacts are potent magical objects that give their bearers power, naturally, he wants them. Unfortunately, the only Knight that exists to stand against him now is Corona.”
“Yes, but I have been doing well enough,” she said. “I have trained extensively since that day, Rodion, and even you can see I have come far since then.”
“Yes, but no one pony is an island, Corona,” Rodion replied. He turned to Zephyr. “This young stallion has already demonstrated he has great courage and determination. I wonder… what would you say to the thought of becoming a Knight yourself, Zephyr?”
Zephyr’s eyes widened. “Say what now?”
“WHA… But… FATHER!!!” Corona stuttered.
“Corona… please be calm now,” Rodion said, giving her a firm look.
“Rodion, I have worked perfectly fine alone. I don’t need a partner!” Corona argued.
“You do, even if you cannot see that,” he answered. “A solitary warrior is forever in danger. You would do well with a partner. Provided, of course, somepony is willing.” He turned back to Zephyr. “Zephyr? What would you think? You’ve already seen the sort of things you would be dealing with. Could you handle that? Would you be ready to put your life in danger for the sole purpose of protecting others?”
Zephyr looked down briefly, thinking. “Well, considering I do insane racing down in the valley and live for the thrill OF being in danger...count me in!”
Corona scoffed. “Thrill of danger. How oolish. This is serious, Rayne, not some adrenaline junkie’s fantasy. If you aren’t going to take it seriously, why should we bother--”
“Corona, let’s let the crystals decide,” Rodion interrupted. She huffed.
“Crystals?” asked Zephyr, curiously. His attention was brought to a strange tablet holding three crystals. “Oh. Those crystals.”
“These crystals can see into your soul, feel your spirit. Stand before them and proclaim who you are. They will determine whether or not you are to be a Knight,” Rodion instructed.
Nodding, Zephyr trotted over cautiously to the crystals and examined them closely before standing up straight and clearing his throat.
“Um...my name is Zephyr Rayne! I’m a pegasus and the fastest racer this side of Baltimare! I’m the Valley Champion and I--”
The crystals flashed brightly, glowing a brilliant white. Slowly they began to cycle through colors. Finally, they each turned a different color. One red, one yellow, and one a glowing green.
“...is this good or bad?” asked Zephyr, looking to Corona and Rodion.
“Interesting…” Rodion remarked, examining the crystals. “You are reckless, very much so.”
“I could have told you that,” Corona muttered.
“But you are also fairly compassionate. And you are courageous, deeply courageous by the glow of the stone,” he continued, ignoring Corona’s snark.
“And that’s....good right?” asked Zephyr curiously before noticing a gemstone suddenly appeared in front of the pegasus, glowing navy blue. “...is this…?”
“The crystals have seen within you. They have approved,” Rodion answered. “Take the gemstone, and claim your power as a Mythic Knight.”
Zephyr examined the gem and then looked back to Corona. “...there’s no turning back after this, is there?”
“No,” she growled. “You’re one of us now. Take the damn gem.”
At first, Zephyr wasn’t sure if he should have. But eventually he turned his head and took the gem in his hoof. The glowing of the stone suddenly intensified and the light itself began to spread along Zephyr’s body. He stood still and held his head up, letting the light take over and in a few moments, the light died down, and he looked down to his arm, noticing that a bracelet had attached itself to his hoof, holding a glowing blue gem.
“...woah.” was all he could say.
“Welcome Zephyr Rayne, Knight of Ice,” Rodion said formally. “Welcome to the Mythic Knights.”
Zephyr took in a deep breath then looked over himself, then down to his bracelet.
“So is there like some kind of secret identity creed I need to follow?” he asked.
“We can bring you up to speed on that later, but for right now, we still have something to worry about,” Corona said, looking over to the map.
Zephyr turned to walk over to the map before stopping, suddenly sensing something and touching his head. “Ack...I’m seeing something, what’s going on? Why am I seeing Canterlot?”
“Oh no… I sense it too,” Corona said. “We need to get to Canterlot, quickly. Something is wrong there.”
He nodded then looked to Rodion. “I’ve got her back, don’t worry. Who knows, I may be able to show her a thing or to.”
“Don’t be cocky, Rayne,” Corona said. “This will be your first experience as a Knight. Keep your head down and follow my lead.” She waved a hoof, and a portal opened before her.
Zephyr paused. “Again? Do we have to? That thing almost made me puke.”
Corona frowned and grabbed him by the scruff of his vest. “In!” And she shoved him unceremoniously into the portal before stepping through herself.
~!~!~!~
Things in Canterlot’s business district had been fairly quiet throughout the morning and afternoon. Ponies had been casually walking around, conversing with one another, and eating at some of the cafes with their friends. But the tranquility as disrupted when Cassius emerged from a nearby alleyway, wielding a longsword in one hand. He observed his surroundings and turned to the attention to a large blimp on the horizon where a party was being held.
“Bingo…” he chuckled to himself before turning to the plaza of the district.
Aiming his hand towards the fountain in the middle of the plaza, he let loose a dark magic beam which exploded against the fountain, immediately causing panic within the area. Laughing, Cassius ran into the area and started to terrorize the ponyfolk, sending wild beams of dark magic all around to disorient others and destroy his surroundings.
“Mythic Knights! Come out and play!” bellowed Cassius.
A fireball caught him in the back of the head, making him turn around angrily. Corona and Zephyr stood there, both looking ready for a fight.
“Typical demons,” Corona said. “Can’t be bothered trying to send a proper invitation, so they have to go be loud and obnoxious.”
“It is very rude, I must say,” Zephyr continued.
“What the--...YOU!” yelled Cassius. “You’re the pony I threw around like a ragdoll at the museum!”
“The one and only, Zephyr Rayne, baby!” said Zephyr, leaning his body down. “And I’m gonna lay the smack DOWN on your demon hide!”
“Don’t be stupid, Rayne. We play this smart, not reckless,” Corona whispered to him. “Remember, the idea is to get him out of Ca--”
“Yeah, yeah, kick his flank and make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone.” said Zephyr, looking to Corona. “Shouldn’t be too hard, right? Now...how do I bring out the armor you had before?”
“Watch and learn, rookie,” Corona raised her arm, her own bracelet glowing with a bright red gem. “Mythic Knights, Unite!”
Cassius watched, confused, as Corona raised her arm up. Her entire body became enveloped in fire and a shield protected her as the fire vanished. She stood up on her hind legs and her body structure began to change, fitting into the humanoid suit of armor from before. Standing at the ready, she summoned her lance and got into a battle stance.
“‘Oh now that’s sweet!” said Zephyr, jumping up and down excitedly.
“Hurry up, you half-wit,” Corona snapped.
The blue pegasus nodded and raised his arm up. “MYTHIC KNIGHTS, UNITE!”
The same process that occurred with Corona happened with Zephyr only instead his body was wrapped in ice crystals. Once the ice faded away, he was wrapped in a suit of navy blue and silver armor. Standing straight up, he felt his body change and a surge of energy rush through him as he extended his hand and summoned a short ice blue sword the same color as his gem.
“Woahhhh kay!” said Zephyr, looking around. “This is gonna take some getting used to!”
Corona grumbled, rolling her eyes and proceeding to charge into battle against Cassius. The two collided their swords against one another and Cassius overpowered Corona, knocking her back and shooting out a dark magic beam. She backflipped out of the way and knelt down, zipping forward with faster than usual speed to deal strikes against Cassius’ chest. She hit 4 of them, ducking under his fists and clubbing him in the face with the handle of her sword to make him stumble. Zephyr charged in from behind and leapt over Corona, plunging his foot into Cassius’ chest and sending him slamming into one of the carriages nearby. Cassius quickly got to his feet and stared at both the Knights.
“Ya think two on one is gonna stop me?!” he roared.
“Huh, I didn’t know demons could count.” remarked Zephyr with a snicker.
Cassius let out a roar and charged quickly at Zephyr. The pegasus brought up his sword to block Cassius but with little sword skills to use, Cassius found himself disarmed and backhanded into a wall. Corona shook her head and leapt onto Cassius’ back, grasping the sides of his head and turning up the heat. The demon growled in pain and eventually shook off Corona. Zephyr rushed in with his sword and struck Cassius a few times before leaping back to avoid a strike and blasting Cassius in the face with a frost beam. Cassius stumbled and struggled to get the ice off, giving Corona enough time to grip her lance and extend her hand, summoning a circle of arcane magic.
“Hold him still!” she yelled. “This oughta beat him!”
Zephyr nodded, shooting blasts of ice onto the ground to freeze Cassuis where he stood. The dragocorn began to spin her lance like a flag twirler, watching the tips of the lance ignite and create a fire circle.
“KRONO BEAM!” she exclaimed.
Pointing her lance in front of the arcane circle, the beam fired into the circle and suddenly magnified, becoming much larger and wider. The beam ripped through Cassius but once it passed, Cassius was still standing. The only difference being though that his armor was cracked.
“Yeesh, this guy can take a beating.” said Zephyr.
Cassius chuckled and suddenly shot out two dark magic chains from his wrists, forcing them to look onto Corona and Zephyr’s necks. Electricity poured through them and shocked the two Knights, slowly draining them of their energy. Using the chains, Cassius suddenly began to spin like a tornado, in turn spinning Corona and Zephyr through the air and slamming them multiple times into the ground and surrounding buildings. He even slammed the two into each other before flinging them high into the air and leaping up, hitting them both with his fists and sending them crashing down by a blimp station. Corona was the first to get to her feet and charged in with a flying kick, hitting hard punches as best she could to Cassius before he countered and hit her with a solid punch that sent her skidding back.
“Is that all you have for the mighty Cassius!?” said the demon, his laughter bellowing through the area. “You can't defeat me so easily! You can’t even beat me period!”
“Then I oughta put you on ice, sucka!” yelled Zephyr from behind.
This time, Zephyr was quicker with his sword and could sense Cassius’ strike sooner than usual. The two clashed swords and Corona joined in, the two of them working together to try and stop Cassius. Corona and Zephyr backflipped away from beams of magic and Corona blasted Cassius with a fire beam to try and stun him. The blast sent him crashing through one of the wooden stations nearby the large blimp with several ponies inside. Cassius grinned and grabbed the rope tethering the blimp, jerking it back with his hand and shaking it to disrupt the engine. Turning away from the Knights, he fired a beam of magic at the engine to cause it to fracture.
“DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!” yelled Corona, readying her lance. “Zephyr! I’ll get the blimp, you handle Cassius!”
“You got it!” he said.
Zephyr, seeing Cassius about to jump for the blimp, aimed his hand up. Taking in a deep breath, he felt time slow and he suddenly leapt upwards, aiming a powerful kick with his boot covered in ice to Cassius’ stomach. As Cassius was sent hurdling downwards from the blast, he crashed through one of the cafe’s, hitting the back of the wall. Cassius was quick to charge once more but Zephyr brought his sword up once more to block the demon and quickly stabbed Cassius in the chest with the blade.
“Let’s see how you like my Blizzard Blade now, beasty!” exclaimed the pegasus.
The stab started to freeze over Cassius’ body and he struggled against the ice until it completely froze him.
“Now,” said Zephyr, taking the blade out from the demon, “...PERMAFROST!”
Running his hand on the blade to make it glow bright blue, he suddenly leapt back several feet and zipped forward in one beautiful motion, slashing Cassius’ head clean off. Zephyr turned and watched Cassius’ body suddenly shatter into pieces and vanish.
“...holy crap, I just killed a demon.” said Zephyr, staring at the ground where Cassius had died. “...AWESOME!”
Corona meanwhile had rushed up to the blimp’s location and attempted to steer the blimp towards the valley. Grasping the tethering ropes, she used her enhanced dragon’s strength to pull. The force of it was still hefty, and it was extremely difficult. Corona felt her grasp slip a bit, and wrapped the coils of rope around her arms, pulling with all her strength. Slowly, after many agonizing minutes, the blimp began to slowly turn towards the valley. Gradually, she was able to direct the huge thing to safety, and managed to pull it low enough for the ponies on it to get out. Tethering it to a few trees to keep it from drifting away, she turned back towards the city and hurried to Zephyr, believing he couldn’t really handle the demon alone.
What she was surprised to see was Zephyr flying over towards her and landing neatly on the ground by her.
“WOO!” he said. “Now that was intense! We just totally did that!”
SMACK!!
Zephyr winced when Corona smacked the back of his head. “OW!! Jeez, what was that for?!”
Before Corona could say something, they heard the sounds of cheering and applauding coming from the blimp. Zephyr turned to hear the sounds and he put away his sword, looking at them.
“And THAT is how we do it!” said Zephyr, posing for the people cheering. “You guys alright?”
“Stop showboating. We need to get out of here,” Corona hissed.
Zephyr gave a bow and smiled, trotting away and taking to the air. The two flew silently back to the plaza and landed. When they were out of sight, Zephyr took his helmet off.
“Oh...my...WOW!” said Zephyr. “Did you see how awesome that was!? I mean I wasn’t as good as you but damn, we made a great team!”
Corona frowned, but slowly her expression became neutral. “...maybe it won’t be so bad to have a teammate, so long as you stop trying to showboat like you were today.”
“Why not?” he said with a smile. “I’m having fun with this! I’ve never felt this kind of power before. Would you rather I be stone faced and silent all the time? That wouldn’t be so boring.”
“The middle of battle is not the time to try to get cocky,” she lectured. “You have a lot to learn about being a Knight!”
Zephyr walked right up to Corona. “And YOU need to learn to loosen up, miss Corona.”
The conversation stopped when the sounds of armored hooves galloped their way. A small troop of soldiers stopped in front of them, lead by a handsome silver-colored stallion with white and mint-green hair and a small goatee. Zephyr became nervous. This was the royal guard. Corona, however, just stepped forward.
“Can we help you, Captain Amity?” she asked.
“I was alerted to a disturbance down in the plaza.” said the captain. “And once I heard word of a knight in red armor, I wanted to see for myself what’s going on.” He then turned to look towards Zephyr. “Though...I was unaware there was a Blue Knight.”
“It was a recent thing,” Corona said. “Captain Amity Faith, meet Zephyr Rayne, the Knight of Ice.”
Zephyr, for once showing respect, bowed his head towards the captain. “Not to worry sir, we took that freaky dude to school and saved a blimp from exploding on the ground.”
“And in the process caused quite a ruckus throughout the plaza by destroying public property.” said Amity.
“Well if somepony had stuck to my plan to get that demon out of Canterlot to where we could tear it apart without worrying about things like that…” Corona snapped, turning to glare at Zephyr.
“We’d like for you two to come with us.” said Amity, stepping aside to show a small chariot for two. “The princesses wish to see you.”
