THE FORCE OF HATRED (2019 with MLP Version)

ACT NINETEEN

Raven snarled as her tentacles flapped around

“She’s gone full-demon!” cried Cyborg “We’ve gotta calm her down or she’ll--!”

Too late! Rave let out a snarling growl that sent shockwaves all across the dome, knocking everyone off their feet and out of the air!

The infected ponies were not the least bit scared, still under Yami’s influence and caring only to kill everyone, no matter what shape or size, plus, Raven’s rage was seriously energizing their hate-power higher than ever!

“Okay, I am officially freaked out here!” whimpered Discord.

Raven glared at the infected ponies. “You want hate?!” she growled in an double-voice, “Well, have all the hate you want!”

She extended her tentacles, ensnaring Applejack and Pinkie, and throwing them hard into Rainbow and Fluttershy, and they collided into Rarity and Starlight!

Robin was freed from Starlight’s grip and fell to the ground.

“Robin!” cried Starfire as she zoomed to his side.

Robin was okay, but he was more concerned with Raven; she was out of control!

She snarled and moved closer, swinging her tentacles at the infected ponies, striking them all mercilessly, especially Rarity for killing Spike!

Altogether, the infected ponies gathered their ever-growing power together, and unleash an extremely powerful blast at her.

Raven’s eyes glowed and she conjured up a huge dark wall, and due to her excessive demonic powers, it was able to take the blast.

Raven snickered. “My turn!” and she fired powerful waves from her four eyes at the ponies, forcing them to scatter about.

“Raven, Stop!!” shouted Robin as he rushed in, only for Raven to spin round and lash a tentacle at him, knocking him back towards the others.

The cave was collapsing harder than ever as boulders began to slam into Starlight’s barrier.

“That’s it! We’re dead! Just dig a grave for us!” wailed Discord.

Starfire smacked Discord across the face.

“Thanks, I needed that.”

“Raven’s not protected by the hate.” said Cyborg “Maybe we can try and hold her down.”

“Well why didn’t you say so in the first place!” snapped Discord, and he donned a desperado outfit, complete with an enchanted lasso and everything.

“Time to rope this here cattle!”

With a toss of his rope, he ensnared some of Raven’s tentacles.

Twilight, still hurt, was able to use her magic and ensnare the remaining tentacles in a binding of light.

Raven growled and began to make a fuss.

“Take her!” shouted Robin as he rushed forth, with Starfire, Cyborg and Terra following him.

The infected ponies saw their chance and prepared to attack.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” sneered Terra and she made all the rocks rise up high like a solid thick wall, cutting them off!

The angry ponies pounded and hammered at the wall, and prepared to blast straight through it.

Their strengths were intensifying due to Raven’s raging fit.

Robin fired his grappling line around Raven trying to stop her from fussing, which only seemed to make her madder, and she fired large blasts form her four eyes, which Robin was barely able to dodge, and the blast grazed and burned his left shoulder.

Starfire yelped for him, but despite the burning agony, Robin managed to maintain his grip, ensure Starfire to hold Raven down with her alien strength, exposing her neck.

“I got a shot!” Cyborg shouted, and aiming carefully he fired from his left arm the tranq-dart intended for Beast Boy into Raven’s neck.

All at once, the drug took effect and Raven began to simmer down, down, down. Her tentacles slithered back up into her and vanished, her extra eyes faded away, and she shrank down to normal, sleeping like a log.

“She’ll be alright now.” said Cyborg.

“Thank goodness!” sighed Starfire.

KAPOW!! The infected ponies burst through Terra’s wall, and all six of them looked pretty steamed and fired up.

“You’re dead!” growled Starlight.

“All of you!” added Rarity.

The other four ponies roared and growled, when suddenly they all began to look woozy as if they would pass out. Even Starlight’s barrier was starting to weaken.

“What’s wrong with them?” wondered Terra.

“Maybe they’ve had a little too much?” suggested Discord.

Robin took note of this.

Suddenly, the ponies all collapsed, and the emblems on their heads went dark, and shattered.

Yamimakai could sense this! “No! They’ve been set free?!”

The ponies all lay on the ground, and Starlight’s barrier totally vanished, which caused the debris to start crashing all around everyone, and Twilight and Discord were too tired to teleport anyone, let alone put up any new barriers, now after the long battle!

Discord couldn’t even try to warp the rocks to make them into things harmless after being beat up so much!

Terra tried all she could to steady the quakes, but it was far too much even for her to handle!

“We are doomed!!” cried Starfire.

“That’s what I’ve been saying all along!” shouted Discord.

Suddenly, one of the large, square rock panels on the floor began to shift, and out spewed several magical waves that grabbed the heroes and the unconscious infected ponies, dragging them all down and in, all just before the cave collapsed all around, burying Spike’s corpse!

The gang were dragged down, down, down a secret tunnel by the magical pulls, and they all landed, poof, on a soft landing pad like a big cushion!

“Yo! Where are we?” asked Cyborg.

Before anyone could answer, a group of ponies wearing large, brown, and ragged robes, with hoods over their heads stepped forward.

They were who brought the friends to wherever they were, and motioned everyone to follow them.

Still, the heroes didn’t know whether or not to trust them, as they could not see their foreheads for any signs of the Hate Emblem.

One of the ponies, the largest one, stepped forth towards Twilight and looked down upon her.

In a soft voice she spoke familiar words to her…

“Sunshine, Sunshine,
Ladybugs awake.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up and she recited,

“Clap your hooves,
And do a little shake!”

The tall pony pulled off her hood to reveal Cadance, and the rest of the ponies were unicorn guards under her command.

The two shared a loving hug, with happy tears in their eyes.

“I thought I’d never see you again!” cried Twilight.

“I’m so happy you’re safe! I’m just sorry we couldn’t get to you sooner, but the barrier was blocking our way.

We know everything that’s happened.” She paused and looked a little downhearted “…Everything.” implying she knew of Spike.

A moment of silence followed.

Twilight dreaded to ask her next question, but, “Shining Armor, is he?”

Her sister-in-law sadly and slowly shook her head.

Twilight felt her heart sinking low and breaking down the middle. “No! No, I won’t believe it! I--”

Cadance embraced Twilight as she softly began to cry.

The other heroes said nothing, all feeling heart-broken for her.

The fallen ponies began to awaken.

“What’s happening?” asked Starlight.

“Why do I feel like a heard of cattle’s trotted on my head?” added Applejack.

Raven began to awaken too.

Candance then lifted the distraught Twilight onto her back and told everyone to follow her down the long series of tunnels and walkways leading deep into the bowels of Equestria.

They emerged in a place that made everyone gawk in astonishment.

“This is a complete underground civilization.” said Robin.

Indeed it was…

This place was almost exactly like Ponyville above, only all the buildings were made of stone, complete with special farms to grow food, waterfalls that made rivers running through the town to supply them with drinking water, and at the head of the village was a large stone palace that stretched very high up.

Many ponies and other creatures from above seemed to inhabit the place.

“What is all this?” asked Fluttershy.

Cadance explained, “This is The Ark: a network of immense caverns to serve as refuge.

It was always feared that the land would succumb to great disaster, and the ancients who built these caves felt it would be necessary to create shelters and alternate living arrangements to protect the populace.

This place was always kept, but never needed, until recently, and the secret was kept within the royal family of Equestria throughout the ages.

Some had been safely evacuated down here, but many more are still up on the surface, either in hiding, enslaved, or worse!”

“Incredible.” remarked Twilight.

“It’s beyond incredible.” said Terra.

“We’ll be safe here, for some time, I should hope.” said Cadance. “Yamimakai doesn’t know about this place, but eventually he will. I can just fear it.”

Meanwhile, in Yami’s palace in Canterlot…

The palace had lost its elegant grace, and was now a nightmarish fortress-- dark, creepy, and all those who hadn’t been killed were forced in slavery, and kept under close watch by the dark soldiers.

Their fear amused and fed Yami’s malicious powers as he ran things from the throne room.

One of the soldiers was reporting to Yami himself. The creature spoke in unusual growls and hissing which only Yami could understand.

“That’s enough. Leave me!”

The soldier bowed and left as told, while Yami sat on his throne drumming his fingers sinisterly.

“So, they managed to escape, and the dragon was the only one eliminated.” then he snickered “My suspicions are now confirmed.”

He has suspected for a while the lack of populace in Equestria, and many civilians not counted for and inducted into his slavery.

Now he knew there had to be some secret involved, but he didn’t dare bother to go looking for it, and he had no need.

“Those fools will be certain to come after me, and when they do…” he snickered softly “I’ll be sure to give them a proper, hateful welcoming!

Hah-Hah…!”

After a good long rest, and time to heal, as well as few introductions and that, Cadance treated the heroes all to a good feast.

Twilight was most horrified to learn that Shining Armor had been killed, and Flurry Heart too.

Cadance explained that after she had escaped from the palace, the devastation of the loss of her husband distracted her, and Flurry Heart was knocked loose from her carrier.

She tried to rush to save her baby, but some of the Dark Soldiers had seen her falling in midair and shot her with their firey blasts blowing her up in midair!

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Poor Cadance never felt so devastated in her life. She barely had any strength left to escape, but her heart was forever broken!

Poor Cadance couldn't help but shed tears of woe, and Twilight joined her, having lost her niece and brother just like that.

Everyone felt devastated for the two, but Rarity, she felt worse than anyone at the table, and didn’t feel much like eating. She just stared down at her simple plate and all the vegetables, grains and fruits seemed to form into a picture of Spike.

“Rarity…” said Applejack “You should eat. You need to build up your strength for the big battle ahead.”

Rarity cringed hard as her tears began to fall, “I can’t!” she sobbed “I just can’t!”

She buried her face in her front limbs and wept softly but miserably, because she knew-- she had killed Spike!

“Rarity, come on!” Starlight said trying to comfort her “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yeah, if anyone’s to blame it’s that mean Yamimakai!” added Rainbow “He brainwashed us all, and he’s going to pay for it! That’s a promise!”

Rarity didn’t feel the least bit better as she still felt too guilty, and... “What difference will it make?” she cried “…Spike, Celestia, Luna, all the rest… they will still be gone, forever! Nothing we say or do will change that!”

What really hurt her most was when she felt herself breaking free of Yami’s control, because of Spike kissing her, which brought all the memories on.

Only too late did she realize just how truly special he was to her.

“Oh, Spike…! I’m so sorry!!” She continued to weep.

The poor mare, she didn’t feel like fighting, or eating, or even wanting to live anymore. She just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Pinkie was weeping as well, “I’m going to miss that poor little guy, and every-pony else too!” she blew her nose in her hankie.

Fluttershy shed a single tear.

Starfire couldn’t stand to see all these pretty ponies cry.

“I understand how you all must be feeling,” she said to them “But we must be brave and strong if we are to stop the evil and avenge those who are lost.”

“Believe me,” said Cadance “Nothing would please us all more than that, but the creatures down here haven’t much hope to give.

Yamimakai has already been considered the most fearsome, most deadly enemy ever to appear in Equestria. So incredibly ruthless and lusting for chaos, even our best forces were unable to take him down, and met with their ends!

His hate is so strong, and the fear and hate we show only makes him stronger!”

“…And that’s what we’ll use to beat him.” said Robin.

Everyone turned to face him, and Robin then said “Instead of trying to use love and reasoning, we’ll fight fire with fire-- let’s give him… all the hate he could ever need!”

“What?!” snapped Rainbow “Are you-- have you gone-- …That is just crazy!”

“It’s beyond crazy! It’s totally crazy!” added Pinkie.

Discord held up a cuckoo-clock from out of nowhere, and its chiming cemented his thoughts as well.

The Titans were inclined to agree, but Robin insisted “No, this could just be the key we’re looking for.”

He began to explain…

“We know that hatred, fear, and chaos make Yami strong. Spike even tried to use love and compassion to help Rarity back to normal, and it almost worked.”

He stopped and looked at Rarity. She merely rubbed her eyes, but was willing to listen.

Robin motioned to all the ponies that were infected by the hate, “I think the reason you collapsed was because you overdid it.”

While the ponies couldn’t really remember much as it was all a bit of a blank to them, the others did note this.

Too much of anything, even Love or Hate, was not always a good thing, especially for one person.

“I think I get what you’re saying.” said Cyborg “We challenge Yamimakai, make him use so much hate that he may overload and blow himself out, and then maybe we can try and at least disarm him.”

Terra thought silently to herself, “If that works, we may be able to connect with Beast Boy’s inner goodness.”

She pictured poor Beast Boy, sitting miserably in a realm of darkness, which made her feel guilty knowing she was partly responsible for the fate he was in.

Raven had to interject, “Um… I don’t mean to point out the obvious here, but does anybody realize how insanely risky this is?”

Cadance agreed with her, “Yamimakai is surrounded by his army of Dark Soldiers, and they are just as ruthless as their master!”

“I see…” said Starfire “Even if we were to successfully break through any and all barricades, the odds would not be in our favor when we confront the evil itself.”

Twilight felt ready to pound the table at all the improbabilities and frustrations that lay afoot. “If we only had the Elements of Harmony, they could go a long way in this battle!”

Cadance stood and clapped her hooves together twice at one of the guards.

He bowed and went off, and returned with a small chest, which Cadance levitated in her possession, and opened it to reveal…

“…The Elements!” cried Twilight.

“No way…!” exclaimed Applejack.

The other ponies were astounded, and the Titans gazed at the artifacts in awe.

Cadance explained, “Ever since The Forces of Hatred began to their massacre, after I fled from the Crystal Empire, I feared The Elements would be in danger as well, so I ordered my allies in Ponyville to seek them out and remove them from The Tree of Harmony, before ordering them to The Ark.

Though The Tree of Harmony has been destroyed, The Elements are here and safe.”

“But you just said they won’t be able to help us.” said Terra.

Cadance shook her head, “I was merely expressing my doubts and concern.”

Twilight agreed, “Even with The Elements, it’s still uncertain if they plan will work, but they can go a long way to helping us.”

“Then we’re agreed.” said Robin “…We go.”

Everyone nodded, and while Discord seemed worried, he wasn’t about to let his friends get trounced.

Rarity still looked rather weepy.

“Rarity?” said Twilight.

She wiped her eyes and her features changed, “I’m with you. I swear, in the name of all those lost, that monster will regret the day he ever returned to Equestria!”

She especially thought of Spike, and how pleasing it would be to avenge him.