Nebula's War

“Azure!” Anamir cried and ran to help her fallen commander. As she approached, however, she nearly fainted; Azure’s face was blackened with soot, and even worse, his horn had been blasted to pieces, leaving nothing but a two-inch stump that spat tiny golden sparks. The others soon followed, gathering around Azure and crying over his prone figure.

“Your bodies are beaten and your commander is dead.” Nebula announced. “I’m giving you one last chance to surrender before I kill you!” Jacob turned a baleful eye on Nebula and growled menacingly; as the crowd around them watched in terror, Jacob grew into his fearsome werewolf form.

“I’ll take my chances.” Jacob growled, and Nebula shook his head.

“Pity. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to kill you all in front of these innocent bystanders.”

“You won’t.” Azure groaned as he lifted himself into a standing position; everypony, especially Nebula was amazed to find that aside from his missing horn Azure was completely unscathed.

“But that’s impossible!” Nebula choked. “I killed you!”

“No you didn’t,” Silver remarked. “You only blew up his horn. See how he’s walking and breathing? Dead things don’t usually breathe.”

“Shut up.” Azure said, as he picked up one of his swords in his mouth and the other in his hoof.

“That does it!” Nebula shouted. “ATTACK!” Both parties charged at the same time: Azure made to attack Nebula, but was brought up short by one of his soldiers.

“You were a fool to return here, Azure Night!” The soldier laughed in Ossium’s voice. “Now you will face my wrath!” Eclipse, Night Shade, Nox and Vesper flew around Nebula’s head, listening for the telltale sound of a spell being cast and dodging at the last second. Anamir leapt upon a second soldier, who snarled and reared as Anamir tried to wrestle him to the ground. Silver flew toward a third soldier who jabbed a long, menacing dagger, and tried to jab him in the eye with the end of his staff.

“Well, you’re a cut above the rest!” Silver remarked. Melody and Chiarascura thrust their daggers at a pair of menacing soldiers, who laughed as the wounds sealed themselves in an instant.

“Give it up, kid!” Laughed the first soldier. “You know your weapons can’t hurt us!”

“Give up while you still can!” The other chimed in.

“Don’t listen to them, baby!” Melody shouted. “Stand your ground!” All of a sudden, a pained howl rent the air; Jacob was lying on his back with a spear lodged into his shoulder. He thrashed and whined as the largest soldier walked up to him, chuckling darkly.

“Bad move, Jacob.” Malum taunted. “You went wolf to defend your friend, and now everypony can see you for the hulking, bloodthirsty beast you are.” Malum was surprised and a bit confused to see that Jacob was smiling.

“Well… that makes two of us.” Jacob groaned. Before Malum could say ‘what’, Aaron flew down and plunged his silver dagger into the beast’s back. Malum’s howl of pain could be heard all over Canterlot, and the sight of him turning into a giant white wolf could be seen all over Equestria.

“Are you okay?” Aaron asked as he removed the spear from Jacob’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay in a minute.” Jacob groaned. “Come on, let’s go help the others.” But as they turned around, they heard Azure shout,

“NOW!” and everypony unsheathed their gleaming silver daggers. Ossium screamed as Azure’s dagger pierced his breastplate, and an instant later his disguise fizzled away, revealing Ossium’s true form as a red-eyed skeleton. The guards on the sidelines gasped, the civilians in the city screamed and EagleHeart broadcast the unmasking across the nation. Over the next sixty seconds, all of Nebula’s lieutenants were revealed: Lacerta roared as Anamir stabbed him in the shoulder, and his scaly body was put on display for all to see. Aaron sneaked up behind Atramento, who was still trying to disembowel Silver and stabbed him in the leg, showing a hairless stallion with a mess of black tattoos. Cornu and Ignis were the last to fall, suffering from wounds inflicted by Eclipse and Vesper’s silver daggers. Finally, it was down to Azure and Nebula, who circled each other maliciously.

“Give it up, Nebula!” Azure growled. “I have your ‘rooks’…” He pointed to Malum and Lacerta. “Your ‘knights’…” Ossium and Atramento winced. “And your ‘bishops’.” Nebula’s eyes fell on Cornu and Ignis. “And once I topple the ‘king’, that’ll be checkmate.”

“Oh yes, very clever.” Nebula scoffed. “But I suggest you surrender while you still can. You’re fighting a losing battle, Night!”

“Not by my count!” Azure shot back. “Your demon lieutenants are revealed, my friends still stand I withstood your so-called deadly spell!”

“I had no idea those abominations were masquerading as my most trusted allies!” Nebula cried. “And you’ve lost your precious horn, so you can’t use magic to defend yourself!”

“I don’t need a horn to defend myself, much less kill you.” Azure growled, and tackled Nebula to the ground.

“You’re a maniac!” Nebula cried. “Guards! Guards, protect me!” However, the guards did not rush to Nebula’s aid, or move at all. They stared at the demons that were still moaning in pain, then to ‘King Blueblood’, and came to a momentous agreement.

“I don’t know who’s right or wrong,” said Flash Sentry. “Maybe you knew that your elite strike force was composed of demons, maybe not. But I do know this: you can take care of yourself.” The soldiers nodded in agreement.

“I-insubordination!” Nebula shouted while trying to subdue Azure. “I’ll have you hanged for this!” But Flash did not waver, nor did any other soldier, and Nebula knew he was on his own.

“This is for Princess Luna.” Azure growled, as he stabbed Nebula in the chest. Nebula’s roar of agony could be heard across Canterlot, and the sight of his disguise wearing off could be seen across the nation. Where King Blueblood had once lay, there was now a tall, slender stallion with crimson eyes, a magenta mane and cobalt fur that was covered in glowing cracks.

“Now everypony knows your secret.” Azure growled. “My friends broadcasted this battle across the nation, so everypony sees you for what you really are: an imposter, a despot and a monster.” As he stood up, Azure spat on Nebula’s face.

“It’s true!” a soldier cried. “He’s an imposter! Let’s get him!” The soldiers charged at Nebula, who was muttering ‘no… no…’ under his breath, until…

“NO!” A wave of energy radiated from Nebula, powerful enough to knock the soldiers to the ground and send Azure flying. Nebula slowly got to his hooves and glared at Azure, looking more dangerous than ever before. “I’ve come too far to give up now!”

“Die, monster!” a soldier roared, and charged at Nebula with his spear at the ready. However, before he had run ten feet, Nebula loosed a shaft of crimson energy that reduced the soldier to ash. Another soldier cast a spell at Nebula, but a second shaft of energy blasted a hole through his chest, and he fell to the ground in a heap.

“No, I’m not King Blueblood,” Nebula announced. “But I’m still the most powerful being in the world!” More soldiers charged at Nebula, but he struck them down with a flurry of deadly spells. “Well, as long as you’re broadcasting, I have a message for Equestria: obey me or die! I’m tired of being a kindly diplomat, only using magic when absolutely necessary. Celestia sat on her flank while her soldiers did the work for her, and look where it got her! Well, no more! I will enforce peace and tranquility upon this world, and anypony who objects will DIE!” Nebula fired yet another spell, and six soldiers fell to the ground screaming as their skin and muscles melted away, revealing pearly white skeletons. “As for you,” Nebula glared at Azure. “When I’m through with you, you’ll beg for the sweet release of death.” Nebula winced as he pulled the silver dagger from his chest. With a wave of his horn, Nebula summoned bandages from thin air, which wrapped themselves around his chest and stemmed the flow of blood. “Funny, I can still feel my heart beating.” Nebula taunted. “I guess you just missed it by an inch.”

“Well, if at first you don’t succeed…” Silver said as he and the others flanked Azure. “Try, try again.”

“Come on, everypony!” Anamir shouted as she pawed the ground. “We’ll tear him apart or die trying!”

“Together, as a team.” Melody said, and grasped Chiarascura’s hoof.

“For Equestria!” Aaron cheered.

“Oh, how inspiring!” Nebula laughed. “The brave heroes are standing up to the evil tyrant when all hope is lost.” He lowered his horn, which was once more glowing crimson. “Inspiring, but stupid.” But just as Nebula fired his spell, an emerald green shield appeared out of thin air and deflected Nebula’s spell back at him. Nebula leapt out of the way just before the spell blasted a hole in the walkway.

“What’s going on?” Nebula cried.

“Sorry we’re late, everypony.” EagleHeart said as he galloped onto the scene. “Trixie and I had some loose ends to tie up.”

“And Trixie couldn’t bear to stand by while there are villains to thwart.” Trixie added.

“ENOUGH!” Nebula shouted, and fired a spell that knocked the silver daggers out of everypony’s hooves. “Do you think I’m an idiot? I know that demons are weak to silver, although I didn’t expect you to figure it out! The point is, your daggers are gone, which means you’re no match for me!” He fired off another spell, which was deflected by Trixie. Azure clenched his jaw around his sword, Anamir and Aaron notched their arrows, the bat ponies gripped their daggers and Jacob bared his fangs.

“Small odds are better than no odds at all.” Melody growled, and as everypony charged at Nebula, Melody and Chiarascura felt a hoof on their shoulders.

“Guys, I know this sounds insane, but I have an idea!” Silver said, and whispered into their ears. Melody and Chiarascura exchanged nervous looks.

“Well, I hate to leave our friends alone,” Chiarascura sighed. “But it’s worth a try.”

“Let’s do it.” Melody asserted, and together the trio spread their wings and flew away. Meanwhile, the team was slashing, piercing, biting and bludgeoning Nebula within an inch of his life.

“Keep it up!” Azure shouted. “If we keep hitting him he can’t cast spells, so he can’t fight back!”

“You got it, boss!” Jacob yelled as he clawed at Nebula’s chest. Nebula tried to fire a spell at Jacob, but Anamir fired an arrow into his shoulder, and the spell fizzled away. Nebula tortuously healed from every wound inflicted by Azure and the others, until a dark shadow fell over them. Azure looked up and saw a massive black storm cloud, which was being pushed across the sky by Melody, Chiarascura and Silver.

“Run for it!” Silver shouted. “And cover your ears!” While Nebula stared up at the sky, everypony else ran for cover. An instant later, the entire courtyard was blanketed with white light and an earthshaking ‘KRAKAKOOM’ as a massive bolt of lightning came down upon Nebula’s head. As the smoke cleared, everypony saw that the topiary had been reduced to matchsticks, the statues were loose gravel and there was a massive smoking crater in the center of the courtyard.

“Is he… dead?” Vesper asked, and inched closer to the crater.

“If he’s not, he’s very mad.” Aaron squeaked.

“Don’t let down your guard!” Azure commanded. “Don’t give him an opening!” Right on cue, something from deep within the crater stirred; Nebula was alive, and while the lightning had burned most of his body away, his bones and musculature were slowly repairing themselves.

“Nebula!” Azure shouted. “Tell us where the Princesses are and we’ll end this quickly!”

“N-never!” Nebula gagged. “I haven’t… come this far… to be b-beaten up by y-your pathetic m-militia!” Azure rolled his eyes.

“Surrender, you son of a whorse!” Azure cried. “We have you surrounded and outnumbered!” At that moment, Nebula looked up into the sky and smiled.

“He’s smiling.” Silver gasped. “Guys, he’s smiling! That’s not good!”

“And neither is that.” Melody said, pointing into the sky behind them. As Azure turned, he saw hundreds of changelings, dragons and griffons flying toward Canterlot from all directions. As the creatures reached the courtyard, they landed on the charred grass and stood at attention, their black badges glowing and their glassy eyes unblinking. Azure’s team drew closer but did not retreat as Captain Flare of The Dragons bowed graciously at Nebula’s hooves.

“You just HAD to say he was outnumbered, didn’t you?” Silver groaned.