ES: Devastation = Domination

Chapter 4: Success & Failure

“Fall seven times. Stand up eight”

The bronze unicorn paced his study in front of the three mares that sat in front of him all three wearing confident smiles.

“Let me get this straight” Vendetta said in a placid tone. “You three, just walked up to the Midsummer Theatre stage. Got equipment. And just sang?”

“Yup!” Sonata said still beaming a smile.

Vendetta stared in silence pacing the floor once again. “You three just walked right up there and sang? That was it? No, complaints, no questions? Just walked up there sang and now in less than a day you three have a quarter of Manehattan under your control?”

“Is this really that hard to believe?” Adagio asked as three stallions carrying drinks for each siren emerged, walking into the room. “We are the most powerful beings in Equestria.”

“You were the most powerful beings in Equestria” Vendetta said flatly.

“Not for long. Not if things keep going as smoothly as this” Aria said taking her drink and dismissing the stallion with a wave of her hoof.

Vendetta simply continued to stare in silence. The disbelief still present as he watched the three musical creatures casually take their drinks and act like all of this was just a simple walk in the park.

“How long do you plan to stare Vendetta? If you want we could take away all your problems with just a-” Aria stopped catching that insidious look that they’d only seen once before when the stallion had appeared before them.

“If you want. You can try it, but the consequences will be dire” he said calmly. The purple siren backed off shooting the bronze unicorn a look as she continued to drink her smoothie.

“Now” he said returning to his normal calm state. “I never expected you three to be so...aggressive and take the initiative, like this.” Adagio’s chuckle drew the stallion’s blue eyes towards her.

“What can I say. When we want something, we stop at nothing to get it” she said with a smile that only made her words seem more menacing.

“Believe me when I say I’ve noticed” Vendetta said, recalling how when he had returned from business in Trottingham, to find posters of The Dazzlings spread all over through almost half the city.

Upon his return home he had not only come to see ‘new’ servants filling his house, but a taco stand just in his backyard because Sonata had so greatly desired a taco at the time. It was still there, even now as we speak.

A knock on the door disrupted the diplomat’s momentary reminiscing. Vendetta turned to find Ingrid standing in the door.

“Master Detta, there is mail waiting for you at the door.” Vendetta smiled. “I’ll be there in a second.” Ingrid nodded and with a slight bow returned back to her duties.

“Expecting something important?” Sonata asked.

The stallion merely replied with his smile broadening as he began leaving the door. In a few seconds the bronze unicorn had reached the large silver door to his home’s entrance and standing there waiting for him was a pegasus holding a letter in her mouth.

“Here’s that message you were expecting Mr.Diplomat” the mare said with a smile as Vendetta took the mail away from her in his magic.

“Ms Doo, I thank you greatly for bringing this mail to me so quickly. I can always count on you when it comes to your deliveries.” The cross-eyed pegasus merely smiled more her chest puffing out with pride.

“Once again thank you so much and please Ms Doo, you know how embarrassing it is to be constantly called that” he said as he heard the clicking of hooves coming down the stairs towards them. “Especially when I have guests.”

Derpy merely smiled giving the stallion a playful shove before waving goodbye and speeding off to her next delivery.

Once gone the stallion simply closed the door levitating a letter opener as the three siren sisters descended the stairs towards him.

“So what’s this important message?”

Vendetta remained silent ignoring the trio as he pulled the letter out of its envelope and began to read. Seconds after he had finished reading the bronze unicorn looked up at the siren’s with the widest smile they had ever seen, well aside from Pinkie’s back in the other world.

“You going to share with us what you read anytime soon?” Aria asked.

“Oh I am, and you’re going to love this” he replied cheerfully. “You see while I was at Trottingham I met a mare-”

“Ooooh” Sonata said with a giggle. “Detta’s in loo-” Vendetta’s hoof silenced the arctic blue siren from saying anymore.

“Please let me finish” he said with a dull look.

She nodded.

“Excellent.” His smile returning once more he continued. “I met a mare who’s a Dj, goes by the name Vinyl Scratch. Lovely equis really, fun at parties but I digress. This mare has a club that she’ll be attending in  Fillydelphia in two days and me being a very suave gentlecolt” he said running a hoof through his slick-back mane, also earning Adagio and Aria’s eye rolls continued.

“I asked her if she wouldn’t mind hosting three singers in her show and she said if you three performed well enough she’d let you in on her radio broadcast around Equestria, which would be occur in about a month prior to her rave.”

Adagio stared in complete shock. Aria looked just as exasperated and Sonata, Sonata was so giddy with joy that she ran right up to Vendetta and hugged the stallion.

“Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!” she squealed.

Vendetta smiled returning her embrace. “Your welcome.”

Adagio who was still in a slight daze, couldn’t help but grin. “Yes. Thank you for this opportunity. I suppose having a diplomat around surely does have it’s perks.”

“I’ll just take that as a compliment.”

“It is don’t worry” Adagio said with a smile, turning her attention to the now composed Aria the siren couldn’t help but let her grin widen.

“With this we’re guaranteed victory.”

Twilight Sparkle sat in the confinements of her library, reading book after book. Since Hailstorm’s talk with Discord the two hadn’t talked much recently and it was starting to bother her how he would spend minutes just staring at the portal leading to his home.

If the young alicorn was being honest there were times when she did slightly upset with the stallion. The guy was just a mystery, one she couldn’t solve since there was no pattern to the way he would act. Being calm, funny and well mannered one day. Being serious, intractable, and showing profound knowledge on issues she’d never even considered. She frowned.

“Being broken, fragile, and scared the next, yet still being stoic because he still had this dumb sense of not wanting to get others involved with his problems”, she sighed.

Spike had also seem to grow extremely worried about the stallion as well, voicing his own concerns on Hailstorm the previous night after they’d had dinner and gone to bed.

“I’m worried Twi. The guy can’t keep this up much longer! And when he can’t what will happen to him then? You saw how Dash looked back there when we barged into the room. I’d never seen such confusion and fear mixed into that daredevil’s face in my entire life!” he said holding his tail.

“It’ll be alright” Twilight had said to him. But in truth she wasn’t even sure if it would be alright.

Lifting her eyes and looking at the vast diversity of books in her library Twilight sighed once more. They still had found nothing in finding a cure for the curse. But then again when she thought about the Princess would have used it a long time ago if there had been one to begin with.

NO! she mentally yelled at herself. I can’t give up! This my friend we’re talking about here.

“But still-”

No! Twilight’s conscience argued. You’re the Princess of Friendship, if you give up on a friend now you’d never forgive yourself! Besides you’ve faced worse. You’ve fought Nightmare Moon and defeated her with the elements, faced off against Discord with your friends and turned him to stone with the help of your friends! You beat Tirek! The monster that had seven times as much magic as any normal alicorn! *With** the help of your friends! Now go out there and help, him to!*

“Yeah!” Twilight said feeling invigorated by the pep talk she’d given herself. Then she had an epiphany. Slapping a hoof to her face she growled. “I’m such an idiot! Why didn’t I think about that before hand!

“Hailstorm” she called to me from my seat in the common room.

“Yeah” I responded wondering what could possibly have her so happy, so early in the afternoon.

“Are you feeling sleepy?” she asked as she came out of the library, when I shook my head she frowned. “Darn.”

“Darn?” I asked surprised. “Do you like seeing me suffer? What is that a kink now?”

Stomping a hoof Twilight snorted in an annoyed manner. “This no time for jokes Hailstorm!”

I wasn’t joking. That was a honest, genuine question if you ask me.

“Why do you want me asleep?” I asked getting up from my spot and trotting over to the alicorn who was now doing an anxious dance like she had to use the bathroom.

“No time to explain. I’ve got to get the girls, be back in a flash!” she said, and with an overglow of her horn the strange mare disappeared from my view in a flash of lavender magic.

With a confused look I moved back over to my sitting spot in the common room, directing my gaze back at the portal, still feeling something was missing.

“That was weird.”

Adagio sat in her room looking out over the city of Manehattan. “It’s quite beautiful isn’t it?” Sonata said trotting up to her sister who was still staring out her window.

The siren merely nodded. “A lot has really changed in the time we’ve been gone. The one good thing being we don’t have to worry about Starswirl.”

“That’s true” Sonata said then remained silent for a bit. The eery silence not going unnoticed by her sister.

“What’s wrong?” Adagio asked turning to face Sonata, who was now rubbing her arm in a slightly nervous manner.

“I’ve been thinking Dagi.” I should just be glad Aria’s not here for this, Adagio thought as her sister continued.

“Now that we’re back in Equestria. Shouldn’t we be concerned of...her, if she finds out?”

“Princess Celestia?” Adagio asked, which her sister nodded. It was a good point, since their exile the mare of the sun had grown in both popularity, wisdom, and power since they had last met a millenia ago. And during their times outside the three sisters had heard stories about the past events regarding Luna’s banishment as Nightmare Moon and the mare in the moon’s return from insanity.

At the same time they had also heard Celestia’s moments of weakness. A particular example being one that a pony who had attended the new Crystal Empire’s rulers’ wedding, and how Celestia flat out lost in a fight of raw power against the Changeling Queen.

Adagio walked up to her sister and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Everything will be alright. Celestia can’t hurt us, as long as we keep it low, make sure the fights between other ponies don’t transcend anything too extreme. If we keep a low key then we won’t have to worry about her and her sister.”

Sonata nodded feeling a bit better she smiled a bit. But it wasn’t as strong as it usually would have been. “What is it now?” Adagio asked. Just as Sonata was about to speak Aria walked in.

“I’m pretty sure she’s concerned about that girl and her friends. We can’t ignore the fact that there may be versions of them here as well. And who knows if they’ll use those Elements to take care of us like they did last time” Aria said with a scowl as she finished her sentence.

Yet another good point.

“Well Adagio? Do you have any ideas on that major problem?”

Staring between her sisters the brilliant gold mare remained silent as she contemplated their circumstances. They had two days before they were able to gain another group of servants in Trottingham. Before then they’d need enough magic to make sure they’re voices were effective in capturing such a large crowd’s attention. But at the same time they couldn’t have every pony in Manehattan causing a fight and drawing in royal attention, especially if those Elements were used on them it would surely spell their defeat.

And she wasn’t willing to go back to that prison a second time for another thousand years or more.

A thought popped into her head. Making that confident smile return to her face, “For now we’ll just do as planned remain discrete while  we gain more magic. And with Vendetta’s help that shouldn’t be a problem-”

“What about the Elemental bearers? If we lose to them then that means-”

“I know what it means Aria” she replied coldly. “And if it comes to that then we’ll have no choice.”

“What do you mean?” Sonata asked.

“We’ll have to take them out of the picture, as we drain their magic.”

“We tried that before!” Aria snarled slamming a hoof on the ground. “And look where it got us! We spent four months even worse off than when we even got sent to that world!”

A hoof slamming the marble floor silenced the purple mare instantly as she shot a venomous look at her older sister.

“You didn’t let me finish Ari” she replied calmly.

“The day we have our broadcast. When we have our broadcasting across all of Equestria” Adagio said a sly smile spreading across her face. “We have all under our control hunt down the bearers of the elements. And then...” the pendant on Adagio’s necklace glowed along with her sister’s pendants.

“They’ll be under our control.”

“Wait you’re saying that if we pony-up we could somehow manage to cure Hailstorm?” Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded.

“Then why the hay didn’t you say anything before!” Rainbow Dash said getting up in Twilight’s face, staring her down.

Placing a hoof on the mare’s chest and pushing her back at arm’s length she said “It didn’t occur to me alright? I didn’t think it would really work since this was a curse. An ancient one at that. One that didn’t even have a cure” she said dourly as Dash huffed and turned her back to the mare.

“Rainbow Dash, please!” Rarity said. “You cannot blame Twilight for not thinking of it sooner. It merely slipped our minds, much like it slipped yours as well” the posh mare pointed out.

Rainbow cringed.

“Fine” she said after a few seconds of heated silence. “Where is he?”

“Back at the castle I left him there with Spike” Twilight stated as the group began trotting out of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Are you sure this will work Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, with concern etched into her words. “I’m not trying to destroy any hopes we have but-” she stopped, her voice growing quiet and steady.

“What if this doesn’t do anything but make things worse?”

Stopping rather abruptly Twilight looked back at Fluttershy, determination in her eyes. “We have to try. I can’t just sit there and watch a friend in need suffer like this anymore.”

“Then what are we standing around here for!” Pinkie asked on her hind legs.

“Let’s get a move on ladies!” she said pulling out a whistle from her mane the pink pony blew into it as hard as she could before ditching it and breaking into a gallop towards Twilight’s castle.

The others who were left behind each nodding with a confident smile as they followed after their friend, all feeling just as determined to put an end to this ordeal.

*** ***** ***

I am so bored.

It had been almost an hour and thirty minutes since Twilight left and the fact that I knew how much time had passed since then without even having a watch on or clock in sight just spelled out how truly bored I was.

“Spike!” I called out only to have my own voice return to me in mocking jibe.

“Spike!!” I tried again, no reply. Was he asleep?

“What’s wrong lonely?” a familiar voice said in ear. A grimace soon formed on my face.

“Misery.”

“Yes, darling?”

“Don’t call me that she demon!”

“You say the sweetest things. I could just kiss you, if I could get my body back that is.”

“Not interested” I stated firmly.

“But-”

“Not. Interested.”

“You should be” a deeper feral voice replied. “Soon enough we’ll be all that’s left to keep you company boy. And you’re going to need to get used to the idea of having us around. We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Go suck on a lemon” I replied rising to my hooves, now seeing Spike appearing from his room.

“I’ll be sure to make you some lemonade” Anguish commented with a laugh, making my grimace worsen.

“Are you alright?” Spike asked rubbing an eye as he stretched. “You look real mad.”

Quickly changing my disposition so it was more friendly inclined I opened my mouth to speak. But any words that would have come out were drowned out by the sudden sound of the front door being thrown open followed by the clicking of hooves on Twilight’s crystal like stairs.

“Hailstorm!” Pinkie said rushing towards me.

Bracing myself for the squeeze of a lifetime I kept my eyes shut like I was about to meet my fate. But nothing happened.

Opening one eye I could see Pinkie staring at me with a small reassuring smile. “Everything’s going to be alright now” I heard her say.

“What?” was the only word I could get out before realizing that the group of mares were now surrounding me on all sides. Then in a sudden flash of light they all powered up into their Elemental forms.

“What are you guys doing this time?” I asked as I shielded my eyes from the blinding light that radiated off the mares.

“We’re going to help you?”

“By blinding me with your weird magic?” I didn’t get a response.

“Ready girls?” Twilight asked, all nodding. Spike who was now fully awake stared in utter confusion by the sudden turn of events.

“What are you guys doing?” he asked, no one responded.

Twilight focused on me. She could feel it. The dark magic, the chaos mixed within. And deeper within all of it she could feel one extremely powerful force and another smaller one beside it. Both made her shiver.

Her eyes glowing white as she floated into the air, her friends eyes also glowing the same white I watched as a rainbow glow surrounded them. Then hit me with a full force.

I couldn’t believe that at this very moment I was getting hit by rainbows. And feeling this much pain. By rainbows nonetheless.

Although I had seen them use the elements in my dreams I never thought it gave villains such a horrible feeling of pain or at least in my case it did, as the light continued to hit me with a full force.

“It’s not working!” I heard Rarity say.

“More power!” Rainbow Dash said. And so they did, doubling the force and in turn doubling my pain. I let out a scream of pain that pierced the room and the heavens.

“We’re hurting him!” Fluttershy said.

“Twilight we need to stop!” Applejack said.

“NO!” Twilight demanded. “We have to do this, it’s the only way!”

“Foolish girls” Anguish said in my head. “They do not know what they trifle with.”

Instantly I felt that familiar burning sensation in my hooves as what felt like a black paint slowly started spreading around my body. As the darkness enveloped me, I head Spike gasp in horror as what he had seen before began making it’s appearance for a second time.

I could no longer move from both pain and some other force that now took over, as the black surface now covered a large portion of my body.

“STOP!” Pinkie screeched and suddenly the pain was gone. My eyes were still closed as I continued to grunt from the pain in my body, hearing the safe clicking of hooves on the floor. The darkness that had been consuming my body and changing the color of my coat, nearly completed covering my face.

“Hailstorm?” Twilight whispered fear in her voice, enough fear that I could literally picture her expression.

“What’s happening to you?”

Before I could speak. The darkness covered my face. Then I felt a force, rip me out of my consciousness as it took over in my place.

“I’m not Hailstorm” the deep voice said. My irises now red instead of brown. “I am Anguish” the dragon within my body said. “Tis a pleasure to meet you, bearers of the elements. I hope you enjoy your peaceful time for now.

Feeling a nasty smile form on my face Anguish continued. “Because you can’t get rid of me as easily as you hoped.”

"Then that means." I heard Twilight’s voice say in a disheartened tone.

“Yes.” He nodded. “The Elements of Harmony failed. You all failed. And now your failure will bring your end” he smiled. “Your welcome.”