Chapter 15: Bowling for Narcists

Chapter Fifteen: Bowling Over Narcissists

"Any luck, Fluttershy?"

Twilight hovered five paces from the steepled roof Fluttershy stood on. The camomile-yellow colored Celestial didn't answer. Her blue eyes were closed in meditation and brown cloak's hood mostly obscuring her face. Unlike her six partners, Fluttershy chose a simple dark brown cloak instead of heavy metallic armor. She preferred her place as the healer and didn't see a need for anything that slowed herself down.

"Fluttershy?!"

Twilight chose a middle-ground between speed and protection. Metal bracers and shin guards, her silver crown, the rest was hardened leather she could mend with a basic spell. She didn't delude herself. She was good at fencing and so chose a thin rapier as her weapon, but she was more acedemia than military.

"No. They're still not listening to me."

Fluttershy gave a frustrated squeaky answer as her hood fell away and bubblegum pink hair spilled over her shoulders. She loooked up into the storm-filled sky and watched birds both small and massive fly in wide circles around New Canterbury.

Every time a soldier, officer, or knight dared get close to the palace a horde of the birds would swoop down and attack until wounded too much to move or running the opposite direction. Three officers lay bleeding in the street where the birds wouldn't allow passage.

A colorful blur dove again and again towards the fallen guards. Every time it tried to save them a giant falcon or silver-feathered shreek would dive to intercept.

The prismatic blur landed near Fluttershy and slumped onto the slanted shingle roof. The celestial in light cobalt armor panted and wiped sweat from under her short rainbow mane as she looked up with her magenta eyes.

"Twi, are these birds normally this fast?"

Twilight sighed and responded to Rainbow dash.

"Yes, but never this aggressive. They're only territorial in mating season. Nothing about this is natural. They're obviously being controlled."

"And it's very strong. Stronger than Sombra." Fluttershy meekly added.

The sound of pounding hooves and a war cry made the three look down to the street. Lady Jack was in a full sprint despite her heavy black armor and tower shield. The three injured officers were eighty paces away yet she only increased in speed. Cobblestones cracked and brick walls splintered as she barreled in blindly.

At thirty paces the birds began to dive. A three meter long Raven crashed into her shield and bounced to the side before crashing into a nearby storefront. Others didn't have the same chance. A freak wind blew around the officers and threw two more giant birds off to the side. Smaller, faster attackers were met with fist-sized kegs of gunpowder with lit fuses.

Lady Jack shrugged off the explosions and rushing wind. Nothing stopped her from reaching the offers and wrapping them up in her free arm. Her eyes were glazed over and feet unsure by the time all three were thrown over her shoulder.

She clenched her teeth and ran away from the bird's chosen territory before dropping them behind a house. She fell onto her knees and held herself up by clinging to the strap of her shield.

Fluttershy jumped from the roof and drifted down on gold wings that appeared for only as long as she needed them. They faded into golden sprites as she ran to AppleJack.

"Help them first, Shugar."

Applejack gasped out her words. Fluttershy gave a timid nod and manifested her wings once again. Her gold feathers spread over the three officers. Sprites of gold felt like snow from her wings. Where the small points of light touched flesh mended. She quietly thanked Celeste that none of the injuries were too deep. Her magic could mend, not restore.

Fluttery knelt over every wound and bruise she could make out carefully before raising up and taking out a thick bar wrapped in paper from her cloak. Applejack took it eagerly and bit into the paper, tearing a chunk of the dense nutrient bar, swallowing paper and all.

"You could at least unwrap it."

Applejack snickered.

"More fiber the better, Flutter-Butter."

Applejack rose up to her hooves and stuffed the rest of her bar under her chest plate for later.

The wind swept across and nearly knocked Fluttershy off her hooves. From above, a purple haired Astral landed alongside a fully pink jester in leather. Rarity and a bomber's bandolier wearing Pinkie Pie joined the two with their own sort of smug grins.

"Rare, want-a make a bigger whirlwind and light it on fire?"

"Absolutely not!"

Fluttershy clenched her fists and stared PinkiePie down.

"Just Kidding!"

Rainbow dropped from the roof and wrapped an arm around Fluttershy. The blue Celestial leaned in and nuzzled her cheek before pulling her chest to chest. Rainbow was a tomboy by heart, but she never failed to comfort the sensitive yellow mare when needed.

"What we need is a distraction."

Twilight began speaking as she drifted down to her friends, her horn and wings fading once her hooves met the ground.

"Rarity, I want you to cause a whirlwind in the opposite direction of the bird's flight. That should throw them off long enough for us to rush in by hoof. AppleJack, go ahead and eat the rest of that nutrient bar.

Ravencroft smiled as the palace gates opened for Ecclestia and her former servants. The six were covered in rolling opaque smoke that wafted behind them. Only their eyes glowed from the haze that formed femine shapes of different heights and builds. The slender and tall Twilight took the lead, her solid purple eyes smoldering. The far more built AppleJack walked behind Ecclestia with both of the queen's wings gripped in her talons, prepared to rip them off her back if she tried to fly away.

The dragon Twilight walked to RavenCroft's side. Ecclesia looked on with a hollow defiance. Only the delusion of some undefined hope kept her from mentally falling apart.

"I want to give you a choice."

RavenCroft began.

"Accept me. Resign your will and accept a collar, or…"

Applejack gripped her wings tighter. The other five gripped one of her many horns and prepared to all pull in a separate direction.

"They rip off the sources of your power. I'll have them start with pulling your wings out by their sockets. Then your horns. Finally, they'll pull out every talon. I'll even mend all your wounds so you don't die. Why bother that when I could just sell you to a depraved collector?

So…"

The wind switched from clockwise to a violent counterclockwise. Above his head his airborne army began to helplessly tumble about in swirling air masses as a shrill youthful voice cackled from the distance.

"Toot toot, Motherfucker!"

Pinkie Pie sat on top of Applejack's shoulders as the Mundane mare plowed forward blindly behind her tower shield. Tugs on top of the shield helped Pinkie steer her friend into the path of most destruction, which was exactly where Ravencroft stood.

The other four clung on like the world's most ridiculous conga line, or the world's heaviest Kite. The two Celestials kept their wings open enough to catch the wind and keep the team's 'caboose' in the air as a fiercely blushing Rarity kept her horn brightly manifested and casting a powerful wind spell.

RavenCroft had a God's power and the mind of an old mortal. He didn't manage to dodge the door-sized plate of granite and reinforced steel AppleJack called a tower shield. His bones and the Tap device attached to his back shattered as he was thrown forward like a sack of broken glass. The dark power that granted him artificial youth drained from him as old wrinkles returned deeper than before. His deep blue eyes faded into cataracts as they sank into the hallows of his withered face. The darkness itself did not fade. It found a new home in the seven dragons. Their wispy bodies took on a more life-like shape, almost flesh and feather.

Ecclestia attempted to take advantage of the distraction by spreading her wings and spring into the air. In that moment of excitement she forgot her Applejack had talons firmly gripped. The Earth Dragon in sulfur-colored smoke didn't tighten her grip, but didn't let go either. The sudden launch of the Queen was enough to pop her wings out of socket and send her flailing back onto the ground. She rolled on her side and reached out for her Twilight. Her talons sank into the purple iodine smoke to feel black bone and a chill so deep her nerves failed to notice before the damage was done. She pulled back her hand with a palm blackened with frostbite.

“Please, My pupil…”

She croaked out her words from a throat growing dry and rough. She could feel scales sluffing off as stolen years drained from her. The light she siphoned off her ‘daughters’ was gone and this demonic smoke wouldn’t allow her to drink it in. She sought any sort of empathy or compassion yet found nothing. They didn’t look down on her as each stepped over her crumpled body. It was as if she were not there. Only the spiteful dry laugh of an equally withered black stallion flowed her way, and that essence was a bitter unwanted meal.

She lowered herself to lesser beings. She first tried to raise onto her feet but fell lame onto the ground the two times she tried. Her claws grasped onto cobblestones in the street as she dragged her boney mass to the Equis.

“Girls, let’s show these dragons the li…”

Twilight cut herself off as she saw Ecclestia dragging herself and her useless wings closer. She reached out feebly with cheeks stained with tears. Her hollow eyes pivoted to the most tempting morsel.

Fluttershy cupped her muzzle with eyes as wide as they could be. Her fear and her compassion fought as the Queen of dragons begged for her help. She stepped forward and let her wings glow warm as morning light. She lowered to one knee and extended her hand. The withered white talon inched closer as Ecclestia dragged herself with the other.

A bastard sword came down between them and cracked a stone in the street. Fluttershy jumped back with a loud squeal as Sunset pulled her sword free and glared down at the Dragon Queen. Her green eyes cast emerald glimmer across Sunset’s armored crown as they burned.

“She only takes.”

She pulled her sword free and walked over to Twilight without speaking a word to Ecclestia. Not even a string of hissed out curses swayed her. Her hand reached out and cupped Twilight’s cheek. Green eyes that still burned emerald flicked over every feature she could see on the purple mare.

“Stop, I’m fine!”

Twilight let out a laugh as she returned the gentle touch and kissed Sunset on the lips.

“I’m a grown up Queen Regent, Sunset.”

“About that…”

Sunset’s smile said everything. Twilight looked towards the castle and knew Celestia was finally back.

“Thank Celeste.” Twilight sighed, “I’m not ready for the Queen life, besides, now we-”

“Have things to take care of first?”

Sunset cut her off with a smirk as she looked over at the Six dark versions of themselves. The dragons merely stood as if waiting for orders. They didn’t seem at all threatening until one looked down. The smoke that swirled over their forms browned the grass and eroded stone.

“We show them the light, as usual.”, Twilight said confidently.

“No, not this time.” Sunset replied. “Light would just make them angry. Their whole life has been light. Besides, it would feed that thing down there. Let’s show them how to handle the balance. Just like you showed me, after you kicked my ass.”

“Then let me go first.” Twilight said with a somber tone. She looked into Sunset’s burning eyes to see a new element coursing through her. That same light began to glimmer on her own. It reminded her of the early years before she knew her friends. Those many early years reading books and hungrily learning. None of it was ever for power or fame. She didn’t want to be loved or even bothered, she only wanted the wonderfully uncomplicated life of a scholarly hermit. She was alone and that suited her just fine.

Others tried to help her, or ask her for help. It just irritated her. The irritation became rage and the rage became a cold indifference. Then, one year before the Night of Scars, her Mistresses sent her off to begin a library in some lowly hick town south of the capital. Little did she know, her true mission was to face Celestia’s banished sister and revive the Elements.

Her inner introvert remains to this day. She loves her friends and now opens herself to others, but her skepticism and detached rationalism still has a place in her life. Light and Dark live in us all. It’s all in how we use them.

Twilight turned to approach the dragon of purple smoke and offered a hand.

“Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle.”

A silent moment spread into an awkward stare. Finally, the dragon took her hand.

“Hello, my name is DawnBreaker.”

The smoke drifted away on the wind and left behind a cervine creature with tall pale lavender antlers and soft feathers that draped over her bright doe eyes like the canopy of a weeping willow. Soon came the other five, all with that green glimmer in their eyes. Fluttershy hugged TwistingLeaf, Applejack grasped the forearm of Jackfruit, Rainbow Dash gave BismuthFlare a high-five, Rarity kissed the top of Raidence’s talon, and PinkiePie gave PinkFlesh a ‘wet-willie’.

Ecclestia looked on with bitter frown as she was utterly ignored. Almost ignored. RavenCroft managed to squirm his way to her as she looked on at the thirteen talking and laughing as if nothing terrible had ever happened. The winds and the birds were now gone, the dark clouds only wisps in a setting sun.

“We deserve each other, you know.” Ravencroft snickered out.

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck you too, dear.”