Neighagra Falls

Zero walked through the portal as it closed behind him. He looks around and sees nothing but nature doing what doing does, and that’s being beautiful. He smiles softly as he breathes in the fresh air as this was one of this planet’s perks, and that’s having air that doesn’t smell like pollution or smoke.

He looks up at the waterfall, “Mom would’ve loved this…” He said to himself as he remembers the time when he and Neon were kids and their mother was telling them her experience when she went to see her first waterfall. It was just so breathtaking to him. “Wish you were still here with us… but I know you’re always watching.” Once he said that, he walked around, trying to feel that energy that Luna was telling him about as he did felt something raw but just couldn’t pinpoint it. He squats down and picks up one of the stones on the ground and makes it skip across the water.

Unknown to him, Celestia was watching him from the forest. She sees that he was in position as all he had to do was to tap his shoulder.

Zero sighed as it looked like there was nothing around here as he tapped the shoulder Luna touched so he could head back. At first it didn’t do anything, but once he tapped it again, a chain magically appeared as it wrapped itself around his neck, choking him into submission as another one appears and wraps around his ankles. He grunts in pain as he tries to unwrap the chain, but it just gets tighter as he tries to loosen the tension by pulling as hard as he can, straining himself as he leaves a little gap between his neck and the chain. Before he can say anything, he hears someone clapping as he looks to see Celestia, slowly clapping as she walks towards him. “You may be smart Zero, but not smart enough…”

“Celestia? What the hell is going on?!” Zero said, hissing in pain as he glares at Celestia, who tightens the chains, making him struggle even more.

“It’s over… you just think because you won the trial, talk with the sirens, and go behind my back that you’re this being who does things your way. You see, I watched you work since the day Twilight told me about you… come to understand your motivation.” Celestia got closer to him, looking at him with no emotion. “Once you’ve gained enough power, you will do what Slade did and kill everypony I know and love. You act like him. Feel like him. And your powers are just like his as well…”

Zero continues to glare at her as his eye flashes purple, storm clouds begin to gather around them. “I am not the villain of this story. I do what I do because I have to protect my subjects…” Celestia said as she looked at the bomb behind him and connected the chain to it as it says thirty seconds. “Our time is up. I’m sorry Zero, but I won’t have you doing what Slade did.” As soon as she said that, Zero felt himself being pulled as he looked behind him, seeing the bomb rolling into the deep end of the pond as he looked back at her, lightning flashing down next to them. “Until we see each other again in the afterlife…” She turns her back to him as she summons a portal and goes through it.

“CELESTIA!!!” Zero continues to grip on the chain as he uses his other hand to grab the ground to pull himself out as he feels his ankles submerge in the water. “YOU DUMB BITCH! I WAS GOING TO APOLOGIZE TO YOUR SORRY ASS!! I THOUGHT THIS PLACE WAS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP?!” He shouted, making her turn her head to him. She just looked at him as the portal shut. Once she was gone, the bomb pulled on Zero harder as he roared in anger, trying to keep himself on the surface, but once the bomb reached the deep end, he sunk down into the water. His eye flashes brighter as purple lightning flashed all around the area as it destroys part of the forest.

Zero continues to struggle as his scar on his back grows more as it glows brightly. The bomb was now fifteen seconds. Zero continues to roar in anger as he starts remembering everything that happened to him in his life and remembering his father’s words. “When the going gets tough. You just gotta keep pushing. Push till you can’t, because that’s what winners do.” His father told him when he was younger. The bomb finally touches the bottom of the pond. Once it did, it pulled Zero close to it and wrapped even more chains to keep him there as it was at ten seconds.

Celestia stood on her balcony and looked at the time and back towards Neighagra Falls location. “Ten… nine… eight…” Zero tries to break through the chains as he keeps using his EMP attacks to disengage the magical chains, but to no avail. “Seven… six… five…” Celestia sees purple lightning striking down multiple times as Zero continues to try and break free, “Four… three… two…” Zero lets out one final powerful EMP and lets out a primal roar as he gets enveloped in a white light. “One.”

Celestia sees a massive white sphere as at first there was no loud explosion, but just like that, it condensed into a small ball. The power of it made the clouds swirl around it as it lets out the loudest explosion ever heard by any pony as a huge mushroom cloud, towering over Canterlot and even the highest mountain in Equestria. It could be seen from some parts of the world as the ponies in Canterlot, PonyVille, Cloudsdale, The Crystal Empire… they all could see the mushroom cloud and even heard it.

Azeroth

Dragon Lord Torch was having the best time of his life with all of his comrades and females around him. “To another great year boys! Lets…” Before he finishes his sentence, his daughter Ember, flies into the chamber. “EMBER! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT COMING IN HERE UNANNOUNCED?!?” He shouted.

“Jeez you don’t have to shout! But come look! There’s well… something.” Ember said as she waited for her father and his friends to follow her.

“Now what is so important that…” Torch’s eyes widen as in the distance, he sees the massive mushroom cloud. “What in tartarus is Celestia doing?”

Ember looks up at her father and back at the mushroom cloud. “So what is that?” She asked.

“Heck if I know. But it’s probably just ponies being ponies… lets head back inside shall we?” Torch said as his comrades and the females all agreed and headed back inside the cave as Ember stayed outside and continued to look at the strange cloud.

Kirna

Blueblood sighed as he got up from bed, stretching out as he felt something was wrong. He opened the screen door and stood out on the balcony as he was on the top floor of a hotel. “You okay sweetie?” A female voice said as she yawns, wiping her eyes as she wraps the sheets around her and walks over to Blueblood, hugging him from behind and kissing his shoulder.

“Not really… I just feel like something’s wrong.” Blueblood said as he kissed the kirin’s forehead softly, “Go back to bed Autumn… I’ll be there shortly.”

“You better or no cuddles.” She said as she pecks his lips softly before heading back to bed. Blueblood stayed outside for a bit as he looked and saw the giant mushroom cloud as his eyes widened.

“What the fuck?”

Phobos

Inside of a high-tech facility, sirens were on their computers, pulling up each major rulers reaction to the massive mushroom cloud in the continent of Equus. Sammael was watching everything from his screen as he wondered why the rulers aren’t worried about this as he rubs his chin, “My lord…” A marine kneels beside his ruler as Sammael looks at him.

“What is it?” He asked, drinking his wine as he pulled up a holograph and measured that the blast had to be at least fifty-five to sixty megatons, maybe even more.

“The queens have said to come see them… they also said if you don’t, you’re sleeping on the couch.” The marine said as a few others snicker a bit, only to stop when Sammael glares at them.

“Alright then, make sure you collect as much data on this event. I want to know the cause of this, understand?”

“SIR YES SIR!!” All the sirens shouted as he took his leave to see his queens. Sammael makes sure he looks good and smells good as he walks into the elevator and presses a button. He listens to the corny elevator music for a few minutes before finally reaching the floor. Once the door opens, the marines stand at attention as Sammael walks pass them.

“The queens are waiting in the garden, my lord…” One of the marines said as Sammael nodded as he headed to the garden.

Athena and Scylla sat in the garden, waiting for their husband as they tended to the flowers and fed the birds that like to visit their garden. “When we want sex, he gets here within seconds.” Athena stated as she fixed her hair, “Why did we marry an idiot of a demon like him sister?”

“We married him because he’s such a hunk…” Scylla said, earning her an eye roll from her sister. “But we married him because he’s a good mate, cleans, one of the demon lords, and a fantastic father to our three girls.”

“I guess, but he’s still an idiot…”

“He’s our big idiot.” They both giggle as on cue, Sammael walked into the garden.

“You called my loves?” Sammael smiles softly as his wives walk up to him and hugs him, giving him pecks on the lips. “How are my two lovely girls doing?”

“Good.” They both said in unison as they let go of their husband.

“That’s good, but still. Do you girls need anything? Because the marines told me you two wanted to talk to me about something.”

“Mhm, we wanted to talk to you about why you’re so interested in those two humans? Especially the one named Zero.” Scylla said as she holds her finger out as a little bird lands on it as she gives it kisses and nuzzles.

“We know why for one of them since that one is fucking our daughters…” Athena said as she saw her husband’s face darkened. “But the other one… Zero. What makes him special? To me, it sounds like he’s just a wannabe Slade and you know how that went. What happens if he tries to kill you?”

“He’s still weak and has a long time till he reaches my level.”

“Tirek said the same thing and look at what happened to him…” Athena sighed and looked down, playing with her fingers. “I’m sorry for overthinking, but from what you and Kiryu say about him, he just sounds like Slade to me. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind, but for now, he’s just another Slade.”

Sammael just smiles softly and wraps his arm around Athena, pulling her close to him. She blushes and pouts as he goes to do the same thing to Scylla, who just giggles. “Well don’t worry about him okay… him and his brother won’t be able to even get to Halo… let alone this continent without getting shot at.”

“I’m not worried! I really want to meet him and his brother one day. She’s the one who’s worried.” Scylla said, pointing to her older sister, who turns red.

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!!”

“Are too!!”

Sammael just laughs at the two arguing like children as he thinks about that massive mushroom cloud and wonders if Celestia caused it, or Zero.

Tartarus

Abaddon sat on his throne, waiting for someone as the throne doors opened. He looks up from his wine and sees his three demon lords walking in and kneeling in front of him, “Hello father… you summoned us?” The female hybrid asked as she looked just like Sammael.

“It’s good to see you too, Lilith. How are things in your sector?” Abaddon asked his daughter as she looked up at him.

“Everything is running smoothly, just those pesky hellions ran through again.”

He nods and looks at the other female hybrid, “And your sector Ishtar?” He asked, sipping his wine.

“Like Lilith, my sector’s doing fine… but unlike her I actually managed to get rid of my problems.” She said as she and Lilith glared at each other, making Abaddon sigh as he looked at the inferno.

“And yours Marauder?”

“Well…” Marauder nervously said as he played with his fingers, “I might’ve drunk a little too much and…”

“And you caught a whole block on fire… again.” Abaddon finished as the demon lord nodded. “Be careful next time and please, don’t over drink.” Marauder nods as Lilith and Ishtar get done arguing as they both look back up at Abaddon. “But on to more important matters…”

“Is it about that human you told us about father?” Lilith asked.

“It is… his power is growing nicely, but he still needs time to do what Slade didn’t do a long time ago.” Abaddon got off of his throne and walked over to the window and looked out, seeing his kind doing their daily routines. “I want you all to watch him. Go get Sammael as well…” Without even questioning him, they all vanished into thin air as Abaddon smiled to himself. “Soon, his time will come…” Far out in the distance, on a mountain were the skeletal remains of Tirek, the fifth demon lord and embedded in his skull was the Crucible Blade of the Demon Lords. Instead of the blade being a normal red or blue, it was black. It glows eerily as it discharges a black electrical field.

Somewhere off the coast of Equestria

A changeling was on the beach when he saw the explosion happen. He quickly buzzes back to the hive as fast as he can, flying past the thick trees and bushes until he comes upon a huge opening where a massive structure could be seen in the middle of nowhere.

The guards see him and let him through as he goes past many rooms and chambers. He lands, breathing heavily as he runs the rest of the way to the queen's chamber where he busts through the door and trips in front of his queen. “You better have a good excuse for barging in here runt.” She said, looking down at the runt guard who gets back up.

“Sorry Queen Chrysalis… also, my name is Thorax…”

“I DON”T CARE! STATE WHY YOU ARE HERE BEFORE I FEED YOU THE ARACHNIDS!!” Chrysalis yelled, now glaring at the guard who was getting on her nerves.

Thorax trembles in fear as he nods and shows her the pictures he took, “I was at the beach when I saw the explosion happen… maybe Celestia is up to something…”

Chrysalis looks at the pictures and stays silent for a bit as she mumbles, “You did good Thorax…”

“Did… did you just say my name?” He said, smiling happily as Chrysalis blushes a bit.

“LEAVE!!” She yelled as the male changeling quickly left. Once he left, a massive shadow formed in the corner of the room as fierce, glowing green eyes stared at Chrysalis.

“If I was in charge, I would’ve killed him on the spot…” The shadow said.

“If you were in charge, you would’ve been defeated by the Elements. Plus, they’re my subjects. Not yours.” Chrysalis stated, glaring at the shadow that took form into a tall, dark and muscular pony. “And if you try to hurt him I will end you Sombra…”

Sombra just chuckles and walks up to her, “You bugs don’t scare me. But you’re lucky I’m weak and in need of a partner to claim what is rightfully mine… my Crystal Empire.” He thinks back to when he enslaved every pony under his rule while Chrysalis was thinking about the day her and Thorax met when they were just larvas.

Neighagra Falls

A day has passed after the explosion as the entire area was a complete wasteland. The only thing that survived was the waterfall, but even then, it still took a beating. The pond that was there had a bit of water in it, but it began to steam up and boil. After a few minutes of that, a purple lightning bolt strikes down as the area inside of the pond glows an eerie dark purple.

Author's Note

One more chapter before the epic two-part conclusion of Arc 1. I am working very hard to give you guys a great read since I'm going to be uploading both parts on the same day so look out for that. Also, I'm sorry that these chapters are small.

Again, thank you all for coming by and reading the story. Like or dislike, and please comment down below on what you guys think will happen during the two-part conclusion and beyond.

Athena sounds like Windowmaker played by Chloe Hollings in Overwatch

Scylla sounds like Midnight played by Elizabeth Maxwell in My Hero Academia

Lilith sounds like Fenneko played by Katelyn Gault in Aggretsuko

Marauder sounds like Richtofen played by Nolan North in the Black ops Zombie series

Ishtar sounds like Uriel played by Mary Elizabeth Mcglynn in the Darksiders series