When Chaos Stirs, A Tale of Two Worlds
Chapter 23: Chapter 20- To Kill a Goddess
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I have been waiting to write this section for a looooong time…I had this planned since the prologue, and have been building up to this moment; The Ultimate Life Form vs. the gods of the sun and moon, Chaos vs. Harmony, the long period of conflict about to be resolved. Now the time has come to prove their power…Only one will come out on top.
Grab some popcorn and a can of Dr. Pepper, it's going to be a wild ride!
But first some words from our commentary…Because your voice matters.
Sniper red: I know you and everyone else was a little disappointed with the mobsters, but…I found that to be the best route of that section. Rainbow may have been angry at the God Father and his henchmen, but she didn't really have time to attend to them. When she got out of that room, she had to fight the robotic Ursa Minor and just right after that rescue Sonic from himself. Besides, the God Father is in custody of the Royal Guards if you read back; they'll deal with him.
Olivia : I would call that a coincidence.
Iliekbuttsex: Yep! This is the next chappy, my friend! XD
Psychochiken: Thank you for your voice…I read your profile, and I'm going to use my statics to speak out.
I've been bullied too when I was in school, and let me tell every single one of you; it hurts…I shared a couple of stories on my profile.
Putting the story aside just for just a moment, let me take this time to say that you are not alone. There are kids and parents out there just like you fighting the same problem, and they're not going to rest until every single student understand the consequences of bullying. But even with the rallies, the speeches, the meetings, bullying will not stop. Teachers can't stop it, principals can't stop it, and God knows that the school board and every government branch can't stop it…The only person that can stop bullying is YOU.
If you're being bullied, don't stand in silence; speak up! Talk to teachers, talk to the principal, talk to your own parents, talk to the school's councilor, talk to anybody you can get for help…I know that officials and staff are prone to failure. If that's the case, shrug off the damages done and press onwards. If someone is slamming you against a locker, shrug it off and press onwards. If someone is sending an offensive text message concerning you, shrug it off and press onwards. If you have to get on a bus and put up with insults, punches, kicks, and betrayal of your own friends just so they can save themselves from a looming crowd; Shrug it off and press onwards. They can cuss you out, beat you, and just about every inhuman thing the human imagination can conjure, but simply know this. No matter what happens, they can never break you. The worst thing you can do is simply quit…If you quit, they have won.
If you see someone else being bullied, stand between them and the victim; stand against the evil that's oppressing your brother or sister. Make sure you stand by them every step of the way, share the suffering together and brace the storm together, because every storm never last an eternity.
"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." Romans 5: 3-4 ESV
School only last for a couple of years or so. Death is eternal.
Now, with giant red curtains rolled back and a film playing…Enjoy.
During a cloudy day in a little town that's been established on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. A lone stallion was making a long wondering journey to a parent's house while carrying a yellow folder in his mouth, his light armor gently clanking as it brushed against his body. Stars and stripes were plastered on his chest, a fine solider he is; outranking most of his brothers and Captain Shinning Armor's most trusted commander. He was given an assignment all have prayed to never do during their career.
With a very deep sigh and a weary heart, he knocked on the front door; waiting for several nerve wrecking second until the door finally pulled open. A mare greeted him, surprised to have somepony as recognized as him pay a visit.
"…Can I help you?" She politely asked.
"I'm Commander Green Star," He simply answered, knowing he can't sugar coat this in any way, "I need to have a word with you."
Confused, she stepped aside and let the built stallion trot in. A small gray colt, maybe no older than seven; was sitting on a couch enjoying a carton of orange juice. His brown mane was cut short, but his tail pooled behind him; not being touched by any kind of sharp instrument. When he saw the commander taking off his hat, he immediately hopped off the couch to let him sit. His mother took a seat on a wooden chair in front of him…Even with his rough façade, she can tell he was nervous; despair and grief clearly visible on his face.
"I-I don't know how to break this to you, mam." He began. Even after going through rigorous military training, just simply speaking was becoming too much to bear. He remained silent, his eyes wondering to the floor.
"Yes?" She asked nervously.
With another long sigh, he looked up; staring her dead in the eye, "…You husband is dead."
The commander could hear the mare's heart tearing itself apart, "What?"
He stood up and gave her the papers, sitting back down with front hooves supporting his head. The colt standing beside them just stared at him, his mind completely shocked.
"He was…In a retrieval mission in the Leafy Jungle just this morning," He explained, not even daring himself to look up, "I just got report that there's been attack on our search party; just a handful of survivors managed to escape with their lives. An investigation team arrived and found your husband stabbed in the chest by some kind of glowing shard…He was long gone before we could save him."
The mare began to choke up, dropping the papers to the floor carelessly.
"I'm so sorry," The commander continued; this is one task no guard should ever have to carry, "He was a brave solider, always putting his brothers ahead of himself."
The mare broke down, her knees hitting the floor as she fell forward from her seat. Tear after tear soaking the document, the room drowned by the mother's loud crying. The commander simply stood up from his seat and walked to the door; there's nothing else he could do. The little colt followed him, his eyes becoming wet.
"Y-You're lying!"
The commander opened the door and walked through, shutting his eyes as he closed the door with a click.
"YOU'RE LYING!"
He scratched on the door in front of him with his hooves, helplessly trying to get through as the knob was two body lengths above him, impossible for him to reach. His mother stood up and slowly walked over to her only son, barely able to speak as she wrapped her hooves around him in a tight embrace.
"HE'S LYING, MOMMA! DADDY'S NOT DEAD! HE CAN'T BE DEAD!"
His mother held him closer as he continued to scream from the top of his longs…At that moment, the colt completely broke down, his body going limp as he cried out loud with tears soaking his cheeks.
"DAAADIIEEE!"
Celestia and Luna were sitting on their thrones with stacks of paper floating in front of them. They just got word that Fillydelphia came under attack just an hour ago, and they've been having to sign and approve policies frantically to give the city whatever aid needed. If this was a small town it wouldn't be a problem; since the only official she had to speak to was the mayor and maybe with the town's law enforcement, but with a metropolis like Fillydelphia, so many departments and ruling government bodies that one city that's it's impossible to address just the mayor.
"If my guards weren't so outstretched of finding that one emerald," Celestia frustratingly mumbled while signing a bill with her magic, "I would have that man in chains by now."
Suddenly, a letter appeared in front of her in a puff of green flames. She immediately inscrolled and read it, sighing in relief as she wrote a reply.
"Sonic has found the third emerald." She happily announced, "Right in the mist of Fillydelphia."
"This is good," Luna commented, "Shadow only has two and Sonic has three…That only leaves two left to be discovered, and our guards are homing in on the sixth emerald."
The double doors in front of them rushed open; Captain Shining Armor galloped frantically to them and quickly knelt.
"You're highnesses! We must evacuate you two to the bunkers!"
"What's the situation?" Celestia asked the captain as the princesses stood to their hooves, "Another attack by Dr. Eggman?"
"No, you're highness!" He shouted, "It's HIM!"
Several guards threw themselves towards the mad hedgehog as he wildly thrust his chaos spears in his immediate surroundings. Every guard that came near was sliced, blood gushing from their stomachs and chest as they hit the ground. Citizens and nobles ran for their lives, several guards already lying in a pool of gore on the streets and rooftops. Shadow was just at the palace gates, several white coated towers and buildings looming over him as he progressed through countless of guards. Several elites and unicorns took positions in the watch towers, pointing their horns at the rampaging hedgehog below.
"READY!" An elite shouted.
Every guard at the windows pointed their horns at him.
"FIRE!"
All at once, they discharged; Dozens upon dozens of small red beams streaming forward at Shadow; hitting him at every direction. Immediately, the hedgehog jumped up and curled his arms and legs in; a clear red shield covering him in midair. The lasers hit the shield in every direction, not a spot on it wasn't covered by a laser shot. Electricity began to shoot from it as Shadow began shaking inside, then suddenly; the shield shot outwards in a violent pulse. Guards that were unlucky to be near him were blown away; hurled against walls and buildings with a sickening crack. With the laser shot repealed, Shadow teleported before they had a chance to fire again.
"Sir, he teleported!" A unicorn asked while searching from above.
"Keep your eyes peeled!" The elite shouted at him, "He could reappear anywhere!"
Suddenly, he and the more guards in the room hear a ping echo in the room. They instantly looked around, knowing that distinct sound from anywhere…He was somewhere in the room, waiting for the right time to strike.
"I-I-I don't see him!" A guard shouted, trying not to panic as he charged his horn.
"Keep it together, stallion!" The elite shouted at him, "We're going to-"
They suddenly heard a guard's last scream before he dropped to the floor. When they spun around, they saw him lying in a pool of blood with a chaos spear stuck in his head.
"We have a pony down!" One shouted.
"I said keep it together!" The elite shouted again, the other three beginning to get nervous. No matter how much they looked, they couldn't find him, "We're not going to let that thing get the better of us!"
It wasn't even a second until a black blur zipped across the room, hitting a guard and slamming him against a wall. They looked and saw a guard's body slumped against a wall, his stomach crushed; the concrete and steel wall behind him dented beyond repair.
"Uh, k-keep it together!" The elite shouted again, shaking in his steel boots, "W-w-we just need to keep together! Keep it together I say!"
The elite and the only guard in the room began to circle the room, determined to stay at their post and take this hedgehog down-
*SHING!*
A chaos spear suddenly struck in the middle of them, missing the guards by inches.
"I…I can't take this!" The guard shouted.
"Wait!"
The guard galloped to the door with his life, pulsing it open and rushing to the hallway. The elite watched on in fury that this coward would abandon his mission until a yellow beam suddenly consumed the hallway, roaring by the room and disintegrating the only escaping guard…The elite began to panic, hyperventilating as he swiftly turned his head to every direction in a vain attempt of finding him. Seconds turned into minutes, every sound that came through the walls made him jump.
"Sh-show yourself, you coward!" The elite shouted at nothing, "…Please."
The guard has been wondering around for a minute and still didn't see him. He kept looking around in a state of sheer terror, slowly backing himself to the open window. Suddenly, a pinkish flash popped in front of him.
"Get away from me!"
The elite shot a fire ball, but were quickly retaliated by a swat of a chaos spear. Shadow emerged from the darkness, sneering at the lone elite as he slowly stepped closer to him.
"…Have a nice trip."
Shadow threw his hands forward and blast him clean out the window.
The guards outside watched in horror as an elite fell helplessly to the ground, hitting the ground with a sickening clank by his armor. An elite called his stallions together into a tight bunch, butting their horns together and taking aim at the watch tower.
"FIRE!"
Their horns glowed and a wide and violent pulse boomed outward. It struck the tower at full force, shaking the ground as it slowly leaned to one side.
"FIRE!"
The group fired again, this time knocking the tower to the street below. The building crumbled to a cloud of dust, rubble and debris flying through the air. The guards heard a sudden ting in front of them, but blinded by the dust flying in the air.
"CHAOS SLASH!"
A dark-purple slash suddenly shot out of the debris, zooming just right over their heads and crashing into three watch towers behind them; slicing them clean off then several houses behind them. Before any of them had a chance to move, the building came crashing down on top of them; crushing all who were unlucky enough to cast a teleportation spell. Shadow leapt out of his cover and headed straight for the palace. The steel gate that has stood between Royalty and the common for thousands of years fell like a pile of bricks when he thrust his palms forward.
"You're majesties!" Captain Armor pleaded, bowing his head in respect, "The few guards that managed to escape from his grasp say that he's more powerful than Discord himself! If he manages to defeat you two, Equestia will fall!"
Celestia's sincere and kind gaze didn't flinch an inch as the Captain pleaded for them to retreat to the panic rooms with the rest of her staff. Luna kept her eyes upon the double doors, eyes blazing and sparks of magic flickering from her horn.
"It's the lives of your men that I'm concern for." Celestia addressed him, putting a kind hoof on his shoulder, "I want you to order the Royal Guards to retreat to the panic rooms underground."
His eyes widen in shock, "but-"
"He's our problem, Shining Armor." Celestia spoke, "I don't want to see any more casualties by the hands of this creature."
The captain deeply sighed. The palace walls began to tremble as a loud blast erupted.
"That's an order."
Shining Armor stood, with his head still bowed before the princess, "At you're command, you're majesty."
An elite galloped as fast as he could to the Royal Court, metal clanking respectively on the title floor as he pulsed the double doors open. He saw hundreds of guards standing by, spears ready and horns charged for the looming threat that was to come. To his surprise, Celestia and Luna were still seated to their thrones with Captain Shining Armor sitting by them.
"Shadow has infiltrated the palace gate!" The elite shouted to his superiors.
Shining Armor galloped to him, "Order your men to retreat to the panic rooms underground."
"...But-"
"Now!" He shouted.
Not questioning his commander any further, he knelt down and charged his horn; emitting a weak invisible pulse that covered the entire city. The hundreds of guards that stood in the room began to gallop to the stairs leading underground. The door flew open, more guards and a handful of elites galloping towards their brothers at the command of their brother. In a matter of moments, the room was completely deserted. The only left stand in the room was the princesses and the Captain of the Royal Guard. The palace shook again; more violent and sudden as crumbs of rubble began to drip from the ceiling.
"...You should be going." Celestia said to him, staring at the door.
Without another word, he took off towards the stair case; galloping down and following his fellow brothers to the underground bunkers below. The palace shook again, threatening to buckle the foundation of the building. They heard a blood filled scream beyond the door, a deep voice booming throughout the palace.
"CELESTIA!"
A yellow beam suddenly blew from the door way, arcs of green lightening swirling around outer edges as it roared to the two princesses. Thinking quickly, they charged their horns and shot up a bright-white screen in front of them. The beam hit the beam full on, exploding on impact and causing the green lightening to ricashaed wildly to the sides. They held that screen with strain, but somewhat manageable with their majestic powers. Then the beam died and the smoke cleared, a lone figure was floating in mid-air; his arms outstretched with three glowing orbs floating around him. The princesses sensed so much power radiating off of him, far more power than Discord could ever dream to muster. His pupils were glowing red, narrowed and furious as the mid-day sun.
"You're time has come to die!" He hissed, drawing even more energy from his three emeralds.
The princesses sneered at him, not willing to show any kind of weakness. Luna had to hold herself back from recklessly attacking him; defense was the best stance at this moment. The only thing standing between them and the raged hedgehog was that screen, and her magic is needed to keep it up.
"YOU COME IN TO OUR KINGDOM AND KILL OFF OUR GUARDS IN A FIT OF RAGE!" Luna shouted, "IT IS YOU THAT DESERVES THE HANDS OF DEATH!"
"Your solders were stupid to stand in my way!" Shadow shouted, floating uncomfortably closer, "Their deaths were already decided the day they chose to serve you two! I will free this kingdom from your grasp!"
Celestia stomped her hoof down, "Look around you, Shadow! This destruction was caused by YOU. YOU alone!"
With a flash of anger, Shadow threw his palms forward and shot forth another powerful beam. The screen successfully absorbed the shot.
"You tricked my other to join you!" Shadow screamed, "You will not trick me!"
"You're diluted!" Celestia shouted, "Everything was just fine until you appeared!"
"Fine!?...FINE!?"
The palace began to shake violently as the floating Chaos Emeralds embedded themselves into Shadow, "SEEING PONIES STARVING TO DEATH ON THE STREETS IS FINE FOR YOU!?
Adding on to the already mounting energy on him, Celestia and Luna felt a sudden burst of energy radiating off of him. As vain as it was, Celestia tried again to explain.
"You're being tricked...You're somehow seeing all these things and we're not. Someone put an illusion spell on you."
Shadow can feel his anger building up inside of him. The princesses are trying to trick him as they did with Sonic, and they think he's foolish enough to buy it?
"I'M NOT STUPID!" Shadow shouted, "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DECEIVE ME! I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR KINGDOM; I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU TWO!"
"SPEAK OF WHOM'S GIVING YOU THIS INFORMATION!" Luna roared.
"I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS KINGDOM'S HISTORY!" titles and marble began to fall from the ceiling, "I'M GOING TO FUFILL MY PURPOSE OF PUTTING THIS BACK INTO PLACE!"
He was just about to charge head on to the defensive screen until something suddenly caught his attention. Through his diluted, he saw a glowing light suddenly appearing beside the princesses. When he looked closer, he nearly dropped to his feet.
It was Maria.
She didn't look healthy, though. Her body was covered in bruises, wearing worn out rags that barely covered her skin. She was skinny, really skinny, not even enough fat to hide the rib cage poking out of her stomach. Tears were running down her eyes, staring at Shadow with a pleading stare. Celestia and Luna saw his moment of hesitation. He was staring at something with wide eyes, but couldn't see what he was seeing.
"…Help me." The girl coughed.
Shadow only stared at her, his mind overflowing with emotions, "Maria?"
"…Help me." She coughed again, wheezing with every breath.
Little to everyone's knowledge, Discord was sitting high above the clouds above them; pulling on the strings of the puppet below…He could only stay above them for so long without being felt by the princesses, but he only needed a second to pull this cruel stunt off.
"W-what are you doing here?" Shadow asked, "Where did you come from?"
The Maria puppet didn't seem to hear him at all. She staggered forward, her brilliant blue eyes gleaming with tears, "…Help me."
She collapsed on her knees, her body dangerously swaying from left to right.
"W-what's wrong with you!?" Shadow desperately shouted.
She collapsed on the floor, her body slowly evaporating like vapor.
"…Help me."
The puppet disappeared just like that. Celestia and Luna looked on in great confusion; something has taken place within Shadow's mind to have caused him to suddenly halt, and to suddenly close his eyes.
Suddenly, they felt energy building in him again…But something was different, this was darkness they felt. Fear and despair suddenly washed over them like a title wave. Slabs of the roof suddenly slammed to the floor, the wall around them giving in to the massive amount of energy building around this hedgehog.
"Teleport with me, Luna!" Celestia shouted while charging her horn; letting the screen drop, "We'll have to deal with him outside!"
Luna wanted to argue but found herself dispersing in a sudden of light as Celestia teleported herself and her sister out of the palace…The last thing they saw before teleporting was Shadow's blazing white eyes.
Celestia and Luna watched in horror as their beloved palace violently implode itself towards a small, yellow sphere floating inside. With a terrifying cry, the sphere exploded outwards; arcs of green lightening zipping above the city as the floating hedgehog slowly floated towards the skies. Even with the princesses a mile away from him; he can still see them staring at him from the streets. He shot his arms and fists outward, a white circle forming behind him as hundreds of white shards floated around him. With a flick of his hands, the shards rained upon the city; small fiery explosions tearing buildings and markets apart chunk by chunk. Celestia and Luna took to the skies, weaving their bodies and teleporting frantically to dodge the deadly rain. Once they honed in on him, they split; Celestia take one side and Luna taking the other. They charged their horns and fired a beam at him, but Shadow effortlessly dodged by teleporting away from them. His energy was building, a constant incline of Chaos Energy coursing through his body. Princess Celestia hovered herself in front of him, even with the presence of fear thick enough to send everypony in Canterlot running to the underground bunkers, she stared him dead in the eye.
"…For thousands years we have kept peace in this kingdom, and forever more will we sustain it."
Celestia's body began to illuminate a pure white glow. The clouds behind her slowly faded away, revealing a bright orange sun that gently blanketed the earth with its warmth. With a gentle push up, she aligned herself with the Celestial body behind her. Suddenly, and to even Princess Luna's surprise, a bright long double edged sword; longer than the princess herself, began to materialize itself. It was razor thin; one could barely see its blade when looking at it from the side. Imprinted on this mighty blade was the sun and the moon, side by side; glowing its yellow and dark colors. When this sword took shape, it suddenly split itself with a loud ching; one half of the sword levitating itself to Luna while the other stayed at Celestia's side. With just a few ponies staggering below trying to find cover, they looked up at this magnificent sight in awe. Even with Shadow's constantly charging energy with his three emeralds, they felt peace washing over them; as if destiny itself was revealing herself.
For Shadow, not for a second did his rage subside; not for a moment did this sight shook him. With his eyes blazing white and fur illuminating its dark and red colors, he slowly reached to his wrists and clicked his golden rings off his wrist and ankles, his accessories free falling down to the pavement and hitting it with an ominous clank. His body began to tremble, almost going to a full seizure as thick arcs of green and yellow lightening streamed from his hands and feet.
"GRRUUAAAAAA!"
A violent and powerful magnetic pulse shot from his body, every building immediately below him was instantly crumbled by the sudden pressure. Celestia and Luna was blown back by, but stood their ground against this menace. A yellow magnetic field surrounded him.
"The deaths of our solders will not go unchecked!" Celestia shouted.
"OUR CITIZENS WILL LIVE IN HARMONY ONCE YOU'RE DEFEATED!" Her sister shouted with her, her sword hovering close by her and poised to strike, "THE KEEPERS OF THE SUN AND MOON WILL PROTECT THIS KINGDOM FROM THE LIKES OF YOU! NOT NIGHTMARE MOON! NOT DISCORD! NOR EVEN CHRYSALIS COULD PREVAIL AGAINST HARMONY! YOU WILL FALL LIKE THE REST OF THEM!"
He formed two chaos spears in his hands, which suddenly grew by his untamed power. It expanded four feet behind him, like long sharp electric machetes being held by a psychotic killer.
"I AM THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM!"
Knuckles reared his fists back and struck the tree with as much precision as he could, hitting it dead center and with just enough strength to shake it. He looked up and saw the apples snapping off from its roots, dropping carelessly to the ground. He put his gloves together in anticipation; is this it? Is this the day he will finally knock down every apple in one punch?
A little smirk crest across his lips as he saw the last five apples shake. One by one, they fell to the floor…Expect from one.
Knuckles held his breath as it wiggled, so unsteady and fragile, ready to snap off at any moment. After several seconds, the apple stopped moving all together; remaining stuck to the tree. After practicing for so long to prove to Applejack he can do a perfect punch, he still couldn't knock those apples down.
He growled and stomped his foot on the ground, about to march to another tree until he saw the cow pony bucking a tree; knocking down every single apple perfectly.
Seeing her about to knock another tree, he quickly zipped to it and punched it; knocking just some of the apples to the ground. He propped himself against it and put on his smirk; a rare sight back home, but very common in Equestia.
"Can ya git out tha way?" Applejack kindly asked, avoiding eye contact with him.
"What? No 'thank you's?" He playfully frowned.
She shooed him out the way and bucked the tree, knocking down the remaining apples, "I'm kinda busy here."
She's been busy since they got back from Fillydelphia. The strangest thing to Knuckles was that McIntosh already bucked plenty of Apples during their trip; she didn't necessarily have to work today.
"You've been bucking apples since you got back," Knuckles grunted, putting the playfulness aside and addressing her, "I think you should wind down a bit and rest."
She trot to another tree and bucked it as hard as she could, "I like workin'; releases frustration."
"Frustration?"
Applejack winced, already have said too much. This was just the few times she cursed her element, "Uh, yea...Just frustrated from exhaustion."
Knuckles didn't raise any more questions. He knew she'll never tell a lie, but it won't stop her from not telling the whole truth. Whatever her problem is shouldn't be his business, and if she has something to hide, he can respect that.
But it upsets him to see her frown.
"I heard Granny Smith is baking the family a batch of apple fritters," Knuckles said with a grin, "Bet I can eat more than you can."
Applejack glanced at him just for one second, her expression completely blank but stern. A well put on façade if Knuckles says so himself.
"…No thanks." She deadpanned.
Suddenly, arks of green lightening shot across the sky; striking a nearby tree and setting it ablaze. Applejack and the echidna jumped back.
"What in tarnation was that!?" Applejack shouted in fright.
Thinking quickly, Knuckles climbed a nearby tree and gazed over the horizon. He saw three bright figures floating above the city…Wait, that couldn't be.
"Put out the fire while I gather the others!" He shouted while jumping down
"Whut's goin' on!?" Applejack shouted in panic.
"No time to explain, just go!"
After several intense waiting for someone to make the first move, Princess Luna called the first shot of war with a quick lunge of her blade. With a keen eye, he parried the sword with a well time sweep of his empowered Chaos Spear and hurled it at her, black and red electricity forming around its tip. She quickly teleported and reappeared right behind him. Before she even had a chance to swing at him, he zipped away; completely ignoring her and charging straight for Princess Celestia. His movement was lightening quick, in just a blink of an eye; she found her face just inches from his, holding his two extended Chaos spears back with her levitating sword. Even while holding the sword with all the magic she could muster and using her wings for support, it was just doing enough to hold the hedgehog back. Luna fired a dark lightening at him during the struggle, but was dodged by zipping backwards. The lightening stuck a watch tower in his place, instantly blowing it up. With momentum on his side, Shadow charged at Celestia again; swinging and lunging his deadly spears at her with extreme precision and speed. With her sword ready and her wings protecting her front and sides, she defended herself from the borages of attacks. With a ten second time period, Luna saw nothing but slashes and teleportation as they tangled in close combat. The fight was quick, it was impossible for the naked eye to keep up with their quick movements. At one point they locked weapons, pushing against each other to try to gain an upper hand. Celestia pushed her wings in front and with a powerful gush of wind, pushed him away with a flap of her wings. Shadow reared his spears back.
"CHAOS SLASH!"
With a powerful swing, thick waves of darkness roared through the air; hundreds of them roaring through the air towards the princess. The sky was covered in slashes, slicing through clouds upon clouds. Luna teleported in front of her, casting a thick shield to protect her sister as well as herself from the attack. Each strike shook the thickly coated shield, threatening to give way at any moment in the barrage of slashes. Shadow teleported from behind, stabbing the already overworked shield with his two large Chaos spears. Celestia charged her horn, waiting for the right moment to hit him with a powerful spell. When Shadow finally shattered the shield with a well place stab, Celestia immediately fired; a bright flash emitted from her horn as Shadow was knocked several meters back in the air, a large white circle spinning in front of him. Luna teleported herself and Celestia out of the way of the remaining Chaos Slashes. Shadow continued to soar, unable to recover as the white circle continued to spin; somehow holding his powerful chaos energy at bay within himself. Suddenly, two large white orbs shot out of this circle, revolutionizing around him until the circle disappeared. Before Shadow had time to react, the two orbs slammed on him; exploding with a magical fire engulfing the hedgehog. The flames danced on him, swirling around his body and burning every inch of his body mercilessly. His deep, terrifying screams could be heard from miles. As soon as the flames subsided, he found Princess Celestia surrounded by a ball of fire, charging right for him. Before he had a chance to move, a hoof grabbed hold of his neck; pulling him in the ball and choking him as the intense flames burned his body. Celestia levitated her seven foot sword, bringing it down on the pinned hedgehog. With a free hand, he blocked the fatal strike with a single Chaos Spear; just inches from his face. Suddenly, he found his blocking hand being crushed by a magical grip. Celestia charged all the magic she could to her horn, trying her best to get his hands to slip from his defense. Shadow has found himself being burned, choked, pinned, and crushed by this princess. It seemed bleak, his strength and energy was depleting by the second, and at moment his hands would give way to the pressure…He didn't come all this way to be killed by this tyrant.
He didn't come this far for the purpose of his creation to go unfulfilled.
Anger built up inside of him, his body illuminating his dark and red colors brighter and brighter by each second. Suddenly, with a deafening boom; his body shot out a thick sphere of yellow and red electricity. The blast knocked the princess violently, sending her helplessly towards the city. Her body slammed into a thick slab of concrete behind her; leaving a large dent as she tumbled to the ground. With a war cry, Luna soared with her sword levitating by her; her white eyes homed in on the floating hedgehog. Shadow parried her lightening quick slashes with his Chaos spears. For just a split second, Luna left her chest expose, and it was all Shadow needed to gain the upper hand. He swiped his weapon at her, making a deep cut mark on her chest with electricity seeping through her wound. She yelped in pain, knocking her back several meters in recoil. Seeing his chance, Shadow teleported away from her and threw his palms forward.
"CHAOS BLAST!"
The next thing she heard was the sound of a yellow beam roaring towards her. She had just enough time to summon a quick shield before it slammed into her. The shield was just powerful enough to hold back the attack, but it sent her flying to a nearby building; landing right next by her sister. Celestia may be down, bruised and scratched from the intense fight, but she's far from out.
"His power matches our own," Celestia coughed, standing back up on her four hooves.
"EVEN AS I CAN SEE THAT OUR OPPOSITION IS WEARING!" Luna boomed, her eyes still blazing white as she sneered at the floating hedgehog. He was heaving; his scratches slowly sealing themselves by the power of the Chaos Emeralds, "HIS PRECIOUS EMEARLDS CAN'T LAST HIM FOREVER. I CAN FEEL HIS PRESENCE DEPLITING BY THE MINUTE!"
Shadow hovered over them, his hands and feet outstretched with cracks of lightening spurring out of his body. The princesses could feel the anger radiating off of him…He wasn't done, oh no! Just from the murder in his eyes he's going to fight them to the death.
"YOU THINK THIS IS IT!?" He screamed, "YOU THINK YOU HAVE WITNESS THE POWER OF CHAOS!?"
Celestia and Luna charged their horns and fired small red laser beams at him. Shadow threw his hands forward, letting the beams hit the palms of his hand. The force dragged him back several feet, but he held his stand; completely ignoring the excruciating pain shooting through his hands. The small beams he was withstanding was the same kind of beam used when Luna tried to slice him in half when he was stealing the Element of Magic. The princesses teleported and reappeared in the air, hovering by each other and staying close.
Suddenly, a dark aurora surrounded him as Shadow drew up his two enhanced Chaos spears. His three Chaos Emeralds were at full capacity, fueling the hedgehog with all the power they could muster from their core.
"THIS…ENDS…HERE!"
He lunged his two Chaos spears behind him, a bright spec of light illuminating as they made their mark. Celestia and Luna looked closer and saw the two spears tearing against something, but it looked like they were tearing against nothing. At that moment, they realized what was about to happen.
"CHAOS RIFT!"
Sonic was running as fast as he could to Canterlot, air whiffing around him as his signature blue barrier formed in front of him; the trees and hills became nothing but a blur. His friends were long behind him, but this was too urgent to wait for them. With three emeralds embedded in him, only he can challenge him.
Suddenly, a bright white flash covered him; a pulse of energy washing over him. He quickly looked over the city and saw a bright floating speck of light illuminating over Canterlot. It was an unnatural glow, a kind of glow that darkened everything else in its surroundings, even when the sun was blazing in the heavens. He stopped for just a moment to observe.
He noticed while staring at the strange light, the clouds above him began to form and deform before his eyes; zipping across the sky, appearing and disappearing over the horizon. Looking to his sides, he saw the trees irrationally changing colors. One second the leaves were green, another second the limbs were stripped, and at another second it was orange. He felt his emeralds giving off a strange energy, as if they were protecting him from this strange effect. He boomed ahead and ran to the city as fast as he could, speeding way over the sound barrier…Surely Shadow wouldn't go this far.
Celestia and Luna watched as Shadow ripped through the empty space behind him, pulling out his extended Chaos spears with a yank; Shadow teleported immediately before he was sucked in. Before the princesses was a wide open gape, inside this void was a tight consolation of stars; colorful stray gases painted the space inside. A violent gush of wind rushed by them, pulling the two princesses inside this gaping void; they teleported away before they became too close to be sucked inside. For just a second, Luna glanced down at the city below. Thousands of ponies were zipping through the streets in a blur; buildings that were once destroyed reappeared and disappeared before her very eyes. For one second, she saw no city at all at the side of the mountain as if it didn't even exist; then reappeared again. For a couple of split seconds the rooftops were covered in snow; then melted faster than she can blink. She and her sister realized what was going on around them.
Time itself is being distorted, wildly traveling through future and pass.
They beat their wings harder, keeping themselves as steady as they could with the rift behind them trying to pull them in. Celestia levitated her majestic sword by her side, poise to strike.
"You're willing to cut a hole in the fabric of space just to fight us!?" The white alicorn shouted.
"I WILL ERASE YOU TWO FROM EXISTANCE!" Shadow screamed with a venomous voice, "EQUESTIA WILL NEVER REMEMBER ITS SUFFERING ONCE I'M DONE!"
"THIS ACT OF FOOLISHNESS WILL THREAT THE EXTISTANCE OF LIFE ITSELF!" Luna screamed, "YOU'RE TRYING TO SAVE THIS KINGDOM YET THREATING TO DESTROY EVERYTHING WITH IT!"
A dark aurora surrounded the hedgehog, sneering at the princesses with blazing white eyes.
"I'LL TAKE MY CHANCES!"
In a flash of light, he charged; his two extended Chaos spears held vertically in front of him. Celestia met this charge by teleporting her sword in front of her, blocking the two spears from cutting her in half. During their struggle, Luna teleported to the side of him; firing a powerful black lightening volt at him. Shadow teleported, dodging the volt and reappearing behind Celestia with a raised spear. Her sword block his stab just in time, and she counterattacked by swinging her horn in front of him; unleashing a powerful white beam at point blank range. With no time to dodge or teleport, it completely covered him; violently pushing him back several feet in the air. She held that beam as long as she could; feeing his power depleting rapidly inside. She managed to hold it for a half a minute before her horn became exhausted. When the beam cleared, she suddenly saw a violent Chaos Blast heading right for her. She managed to summon a screen to block the attack. The beam hit it with a loud boom, knocking her back but managing to hold the screen up. When she looked back, her eyes widen in terror. The void was coming up to her fast, pulling her in and ready to devour her.
"Sister!" Luna shouted, just dodging a swipe form Shadow.
Celestia charged her horn as fast as she could, then teleported right before touching the void. She was hyperventilating; literary feeling death brushing against her back right before teleporting. Luna managed to land a well time sword strike on Shadow, throwing him back several feet before recovering in midair. He was panting, his Chaos Emeralds becoming weaker and weaker by the second. His fur was dimming, his eyes still white, but not blazing. Celestia and Luna weren't holding up much as well, they were exhausted; their magic close to their limits.
"Just a little more and we'll have him!" Celestia huffed to her sister, readying her sword.
Luna glanced back and gasped. The void was becoming bigger and bigger by the second. By the time the void was created and now, it already doubled in size.
"WE HAVE TO FINISH HIM NOW AND SEAL THAT RIFT OR ELSE TIME ITSELF WILL BE DISTORED BEYOND OUR REPAIR!" Luna boomed; zipping upward with a powerful gush of her wings, "HOLD HIM OFF AS LONG AS YOU CAN, SISTER!"
"Where are you going!?" Celestia shouted for her.
"CHAOS SLASH!"
Celestia didn't hear her answer as she teleported, dodging the slash and reappearing on the top of a watch tower, several meters away from hedgehog and the ever growing void. She was becoming exhausted; just a simple teleportation spell was making her horn ache. Shadow, with the last bit of Chaos lingering inside of him; held his chaos spears high in the air.
Celestia may not be about to see anything, but she definably felt something powerful radiating off of him. A loud roaring thunder crackled above the hedgehog; thick arks of lightening traveling between the empty spaces of the clouds zipping above him within their own time. Shadow closed his eyes, readying himself for the last attack he's going to execute on her. Celestia saw a lightning storm violently erupting above him, and then suddenly, a barrage of lightning bolts rained upon him; repetitively striking his two chaos spears. Electricity shot cracked through his body; he screamed, excruciating pain shooting off throughout his entire body as he became electrocuted.
But no pain can ever outmatch his hate for Princess Celestia…Nothing.
With his teeth clamped together, heaving and huffing as he brought his two chaos spears in front of him.
"CHAOS LIGHTENING!"
With a loud crack, a thick scream of bright red lightening shot from him; roaring through the air and heading straight for her. Celestia, exhausted and pushed to her limits, summoned the most powerful shield she could muster and braced herself for impact. The storm stuck the shield at full force, wildly shooting from the sides and revolutionizing around her. She strained; her horn feeling like fire as she pumped all the magic she could to keep her shield up. Exhausted, she collapsed on her knees; struggling to keep her head up and horn pointing up ward. Shadow, draining the last bit of energy from the Chaos Emeralds; kept his lightening on her for as long as he could. He could see her shield fading, slowly losing its color until he could see her inside struggling for her life. Shadow strained to keep his lightening up, his body ready to give way from exhaustion. Even with his Inhibitor rings off, unleashing everything in him; he could already feel the side effect of using so much energy at a short period of time. Suddenly, as he was about to stop; heard glass shatter. Shadow unleashed everything he had, smoke covering his line of fire as red lightening crackled wildly on her location. He held his attack for several more seconds until he could not muster any more energy. He slowly floated towards the ground, landing on the watch tower she was on. Completely drained of his strength, he knelt; watching on in anticipation as the smoke slowly cleared. Shadow wanted to see her lifeless corpse laid out before him, beholding his victory over the all-powerful Alicorn. When the smoke finally cleared; his eyes widen in surprise.
She was missing.
Barely able to hold himself up, he searched; scanning left and right for her.
"Where…Are you!?" He shouted with his eyes still white, but slowly returning to its natural state.
Suddenly, beyond the growing chaos rift; a bright gentle light shinned above him. When he looked up, he saw the moon hanging high above the sky, showing its brilliant radiance upon the face of Equestia. This was surly a strange occurrence, because the sun was out in full view as well. Even with time itself distorted; they moved as naturally as nature itself. From the corner of his eye, he saw two figures flying towards the two celestial bodies. They stopped and hovered in mid-air, their hooves fully extended outwards. The swords they possessed slowly came together until it made a loud click. The sword, now combined; slowly levitated until it positioned itself in front of the sun. It cast a shadow over the hedgehog, almost like it was targeting him. He couldn't move, he was too exhausted to move; his emeralds completely drained and his own energy used to the last drop. Shadow looked up and saw the moon slowly moving towards the blazing sun. After a second, the moon aligned itself with the star…A full lunar eclipse.
With the sword floating in front of the celestial bodies; a wide dark beam shot forth. It didn't roar, it didn't boom, it didn't make a hint of sound, it simply shinned on the exhausted hedgehog. When it hit, he opened his mouth to scream, but no voice rang out. The last bit of his energy slowly drained from him, and that eclipse was the last thing he saw before falling unconscious.
Sonic, leaving a long dust trail behind him with his iconic blue trail; boomed through the city gates. Along the streets, he saw nothing more but random colors of blur; ponies zipping faster than anyone could blink. The chaos rift above the city grew bigger and bigger by the second, ripples and pules blowing out the dark void. Sonic took to the rooftops and jumped from building to building; it was way too dangerous to take the street with thousands of ponies blurring his path.
After wall jumping and landing on a tall building, he looked up and saw Luna hovering next to the void; her horn glowing with shimmering power in an attempt to fix the damage caused by Shadow. She was greatly wounded, a deep slash slowly bleeding across her chest and several bruises and scratches marked all over on her body. Her efforts may have hindered the rift's growth, but was greatly struggling.
"Luna!" Sonic shouted from below.
She opened her straining eyes and saw Sonic slowly floating upward, his three emeralds revolutionizing around him.
"Back away from the void!" He told her, his three emeralds beginning to spin in front of him.
Luna wisely hovered well away, letting the hedgehog hover close in on the dangerous void. As soon as her magical grip let go; chronic noises screeched, the void greedily ripping through the sky. Sonic through quickly and slowly levitated to the void, his emeralds spinning ahead of him until the heart of the void became the center of the three emeralds. The shinning emeralds spun faster and faster, almost looking like a ring by its speed until a flash of light illuminated from the emeralds. Sonic and Luna shut their eyes for just a moment, and when they opened them…The void simply vanished.
The three emeralds slowly stopped rotating and freefell, lightly hitting the pavement with a clink. Sonic jumped from the buildings and gathered the emeralds. Luna was in complete disbelief, even though she may be exhausted; her magic can raise the moon on a whim, and couldn't fix that void by herself. These three emeralds sealed it as if it was nothing. She kept a straight face though; hovering towards Sonic and landing by him. They quickly looked around and found the streets deserted, no more distortion, no more zipping ponies, and no more irrational change of seasons. Time itself restored back to its natural state. It was as if the rift never took place.
"I'm impressed, Sonic," Luna quietly commented while staring at the sky, the moon slowly settling over the horizon, "My power alone would never be able to seal that rift."
"Where's Shadow?" Sonic urgently asked her, but respectively.
She simply pointed to a nearby watchtower. Sonic instantly ran towards him, running up the tower's wall and landing on its top. He instantly saw the black hedgehog lying flat on his stomach, eyes shut and his three emeralds sprawled out around him. The emeralds were drained of their lustful color, but while Sonic was looking over the unconscious body; they slowly began to regain their color. Up above, Luna alone with the worn Princess of the sun hovered to him. As soon as they touched ground, Princess Celestia instantly dropped to her knees; her heart beating on her chest from sheer exhaustion.
"It was good thing I teleported you before your shield cracked. Huh?" Luna noted with a small smile.
"Even more so…with the eclipse," Celestia complemented, her breath short and constant.
Sonic was checking over the hedgehog and noticed something big about him.
"His Inhibitor rings are missing." Sonic mumbled, turning to the princesses, "Can I ask you two one question?"
Luna was giving Celestia the support she needed to stand up right, "Yes?"
"Did you two see Shadow take off the golden rings on his wrist?"
The princesses looked at each other for a moment, "When we were in the Royal Court, we did notice him taking something off his hands and ankles. Why?"
Sonic began to run to the huge pile of rubble where the palace once stood, "It's kind of important."
He took off out of sight, using his three emeralds to help dig through the hunks of marble and bricks; either spin dashing through them or home attacking the pile. Princess Luna and Celestia approached the unconscious body, cautious to approach. Luna took in a deep breath.
"What could have possibly driven this creature to this point of madness?"
The princess of the night took a few steps closer to him, carefully supporting Celestia by letting her slump over her back. The sun princess studied Shadow intensely, eyes narrowing on him as if studying.
"He's…Under a powerful delusion spell." Celestia coughed, "I can…Feel it from here."
The princess tried to stand on her own but was quickly caught by Luna.
"Rest," Luna said to her, "The reformation spell won't work if the hedgehog is unconscious."
They suddenly heard a series of gallops from below. When Luna cast an eye down, she saw Twilight and the others looking up at her. The lavender unicorn and Rarity charged their horns and teleported her friends and the rest of the party to the watch tower to her. They saw the wounds on the two princesses, Princess Celestia struggling to stand on her four hooves from complete exhaustion. They saw just a glimpse of the city while running towards the direction of the rift…So much destruction in so little time; even the robotic invasion couldn't compare to this.
"…He did this to you two?" Twilight asked in a quiet voice.
It didn't make addressing her any easier when she saw blood trickling down Luna's large slash wound across her chest.
"Those three emeralds gave him the necessary energy to challenge us." Luna answered, "We sensed more energy from him than Discord and Chrysalis combined. If my sister and I haven't cooperated in the fight, he would have easily defeated us."
Rainbow hovered over the unconscious hedgehog, sneering at him with daggering eyes, "When he wakes up, I'll make him wish he was never born!"
"He's under some type of spell, Rainbow." Luna called to her, lowering her back to keep Celestia propped, "As soon as he regains consciousness I'm going to cast a reform spell on him…We'll see if we'll get some answers then."
Just then, they heard a faint boom behind them. Luna glanced back and saw Sonic jumping from the streets to join them on the watch tower.
"Sonic!" Amy called with glee, rushing over and giving him a much needed hug, "You're all right!"
Sonic struggled a bit to get out of her grasp. He looked over to Rainbow and saw her scratching her head and staring at the sky. They haven't told her about their relationship, and according to pass incidences when she thought he was 'cheating' on her; they're not planning to.
What she doesn't know won't kill her. Right?
"Yea, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Sonic sighed; just anything about being in danger will wad her panties in a bunch. Confident about him handling anything; sure, but seeing so much as a paper cut is enough to travel half the kingdom for vengeance.
Sonic walked over to the unconscious Shadow with his four golden rings in hand. When Tails saw the four objects in his hand, he jumped back in shock.
"Shadow took off his Inhibitor rings!?" He frantically asked.
Luna's ears perked up. What is it about those rings that are so important?
"If I may ask, Sonic," Luna spoke up; she became a little relieved when Celestia began to stand on her own, but very much exhausted, "What is the significance of those rings?"
Sonic began to click the rings open, which was a very tricky task since he never handled them before, "These rings were made to restrict him," He took in a deep breath to pull one of the rings open, "They absorb a fraction of his Chaos Energy to keep him stabilized and under control. When these rings are off, the energy inside of him build inside of him endlessly dangerously."
"So when he took those rings off," Luna explained to herself, "He literary gave it everything he had."
"That and the risk of his own life." Sonic added, "If Chaos Energy builds up enough in him he'll rupture."
When he finally managed to open the golden rings, he carefully grabbed Shadow's arm and slip his hand through the Inhibitor.
Suddenly, as Sonic was about to clamp the ring to his wrist; Shadow's fingers began to twitch.
"Shadow?" Sonic called.
His feet began to slightly stir, just shifting out of position.
"He's awake!" Amy shouted.
Low grunts vibrated from his throat, his breathing became apparent. He slowly lifted his head up, a small fang poking out of his lip.
"No, Shadow; take it easy." Sonic pleaded.
He struggled to stand up, but his twin kept a hand pressed against his stomach.
"Listen to me!" Sonic raised his voice, "You need to rest!"
Sonic was suddenly pushed off. When Shadow opened his eyes…They were blazing white.
"GRAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Princess Celestia didn't have the strength to run, to defend, or even the time to react when he charged. A dark yellow aurora surrounded him, hitting Celestia at full force as they flew out of the tower. The next thing Celestia felt while being tackled and plummeting to the ground was a very sharp pain on her stomach. Her screams were drowned out by Shadow's war cry; his deep, bloody scream echoed for miles from the city. Twilight, Sonic, Princess Luna, and all of the others watched in pure horror as they saw blood trailing from the two soaring through the air. Sonic instantly ran after them, running along the deserted street. They soared for a half of minute before plummeting back to earth, and when they plummeted; Sonic heard a very sickening thud.
He ran as fast as he could to their location. When he arrived, he saw a small market stall completely crushed and a small dust cloud around the two figures. Shadow was standing right over her, a Chaos Spear summoned and hovering right above her.
Before the enraged hedgehog could mercilessly stab her, Sonic zipped and tackled him to the ground; pinning his hands against the floor and knocking his weapon out of his hand.
"Let me go!" Shadow shouted, "I must save this kingdom!"
Twilight and Tails was the first to arrive on the scene; seeing Sonic struggling to keep Shadow on the floor and the alicorn lying flat on her side.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight called.
She galloped to her side, and nearly panicked when she saw a constant stream of blood pouring out of her stomach.
"CELESTIA!"
Twilight charged her horn and used whatever she knew to treat it. The blood slowed somewhat, but with just the spells she knew, it'll be impossible for her to heal it. Suddenly, a series of flashes erupted in front of them. Twilight saw Captain Shining Armor, dozens of elite, and countless of Royal Guards galloping towards her.
"MEDIC!" the Captain screamed in shock when he saw the princess fatally bleeding out, "MEDIC!"
Several guards rushed to Twilight's side and immediately charged their horns, focusing their magic on that wide gaping hole on her stomach. With the help of the guards, they managed to use their magic to stop the bleeding, but had to keep their magic focused on that wound to keep it clogged. Twilight let another guard take her place and galloped to Celestia's side…The princess was fighting to keep her eyes open.
Meanwhile, Knuckles along with the rest of the group arrived with the golden rings and the other three emeralds. Shadow managed to knock Sonic off of him, running towards the crowd of guards that surrounded the wounded princess. Before he had a chance to strike, two elites spun around and violently held him down with their magic.
"You will all PAY!" Shadow shouted, his eyes still blazing white.
Sonic rushed over and pinned his hands against the floor.
"Somebody get the inhibitor rings!" Sonic shouted behind him.
Amy ran up and immediately began to clamp the rings on him, starting with his wrists then working down to his ankles. It was a struggle, but the pink hedgehog managed to clip his rings back on him. Shadow didn't let up one bit, his energy was now controlled, but that didn't stop him from struggling. As strong as the two elites were, they had to exercise every bit of their magic to keep him subdued.
Luna flew in, seeing the guards treating the princess to the best of their extent, but she had another priority to fulfill before running to her aid. Seeing Shadow struggling against Sonic and two elite guards, she slowly trotted to him, lowering her head and readying the spell to lift him of his curse. Shadow yanked and strained all he could when he saw the princess of the night looming over him, but helpless to stop what was coming. With the spell ready, she gently tapped his head with the tip of her horn. He suddenly froze, his blazing staring straight ahead at nothing…Then nothing at all when he closed them.
Sonic, Luna, all of their friends, and almost every Royal Guard watched nervously as Shadow's body began to relax. When he slowly opened his eyes, he checked his immediate surroundings. They was no smog hovering above the city, no fire raging ravaging the buildings. They were no skeletons, no starvation, no persecution…Nothing as he once saw. The only thing he saw was a few trails of dead guards littering the streets. He remembered as clear as day taking their lives.
"Shadow?" Sonic called.
He hung his head down, completely ignoring everything around him. What could have led to this? What could have possibly drove him to cause so much destruction?
"Are you O.K?" Sonic asked.
Fighting Luna, Wiping out the entire changeling colony, and killing so many guards in sheer rage. Become his dark counterpart and almost killing the princess of the sun, almost wiping out life itself with a chaos rift.
"Shadow!" Sonic demanded, "Answer me!"
It all came back to him now.
"…Discord." Shadow whispered, clutching his fist together with his breathing becoming heavy.
Sonic leaned a little closer to him, "Huh?"
Suddenly, Sonic was blasted away by a white shard; a direct hit, hard enough to knock his three emeralds off of him.
"Shadow!" Tails shouted in shock.
The hedgehog teleported frantically, collecting an emerald every time he appeared. When the three emeralds were collected, he teleported to knuckles and kicked him; knocking him on the ground and dropping the emeralds. Shadow, with six emeralds in possession; teleported away.
"What is he think he's doing?" Knuckles screamed.
Luna, who was close enough to catch his energy signature, teleported after him, disappearing in a blue mist of smoke.
The princess of the night reappeared in a middle of a dessert, standing on a tall rock that over looked a sea of shifting sand. She took to the skies and immediately scanned her location; it didn't take her long to find him.
The very first thing she noticed was energy…Masses of it, more energy than she or her sister have ever witness since birth. It rang through her body; just being near its source was more than enough to make her tremble. Then she saw him, just immediately below. He was floating, six glowing Chaos emeralds circling around him. The sand bend to his will, shifting out his way, everything that wasn't rooted to the ground was floating with him. Powerful hurricane like winds blew around him, dust and sand kicking and flowing at will. His spikes were immensely glowing; enough to blind someone if one was too close. He was floating towards something, something that was frantically hovering away from him. Its body was that of a snake, mismatched horns poking out of his head. Luna took a closer look at the mysterious figure...It couldn't be.
Discord felt his heart beating against his chest, his once grand puppet turning against its owner with a vengeance. Shadow hovered closer to him, his crimson red pupils glowing more intense by each second; narrowed and staring deep within his inner being.
"W-w-w-wait! Shadow!" Discord pleaded, "What are you doing!?"
"I'm going to tear you apart, Discord!"
His emeralds spun faster around him, faster than any naked eyes could track. Luna felt another surge of power rushing through her body. Shadow hovered above him, his teeth clinched together and a stare of an enraged killer.
"Oh, Common!" The draconequus pleaded with his paw and claw in front of his face, his voice trembling, "It was all fun and games, a joke, just something to have a good lau"
"UUUAAAAHHHHHH!"
Luna teleported the heck out of there, not wanting to see the rest of this fight. As Shadow screamed in pure furry, a golden orb began to form around him; slowly expanded then suddenly exploding out ward in a brilliant explosion. Discord was instantly consumed, feeling every fiber of his body being ripped and to little pieces, his body parts dissipating in thin air. His screams of pain were never made a sound.
As soon as Luna teleported back to Sonic, a loud explosion suddenly boomed, shaking the ground with a force so massive that it caused a small earth quake beneath them. The ground shook, the buildings around them threatening to give way. The group as well as the guards sighed when none of the buildings collapsed, but what they saw over the horizon made their jaws dropped. A large mass of fiery clouds formed, mushrooming its way towards the heavens. A mixture of gold and red lightening arced wildly from this mass, striking the nearby clouds and causing a change reaction to occur. This violent storm that was caused by this explosion last for several minutes before settling down, and that mushroom will remain for several days to come.
Every physical thing around Shadow ceased to be. Any nearby rock and plant for hundreds of miles away was disintegrated; even the sand immediately below him was gone. What this explosion left was a large crater, a deep crater, a crater so wide that it covered a quarter of the desert, a crater so deep that it goes on for miles into darkness. Sand at the edge of this crater slowly began to seep in like a water fall. It will be generations before this crater will be completely restored by nature.
It was a good thing this didn't take place nearby any kind of civilization.
Shadow, still hovering with his six Chaos Emeralds still circling around him, checked his immediate surroundings. Discord was gone, there was no way any living thing could have survived that blast; He FELT Discord lament before dissipating into nothing. With a small and satisfied smile across his lips, he flew across the dessert. He was traveling several times faster than the speed barrier, and it took him minutes to find the end of the crater.
Suddenly, while Shadow was flying through this desert, he heard laughing; a demonic, joyful laughing. The hedgehog stopped and scanned his surroundings, but saw nothing. The laughing continued until Shadow recognized that voice.
"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" He boomed at this voice, "YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO BE DEAD!"
Discord's voice continued to laugh inside his head until he politely cleared his voice.
"Unfortunately, my little hedgehog…You have the wrong element."
Author's notes
Wow! That was a pleasure to write! My favorite chapter so far in this story!
Readers, this was supposed to be shorter than planned, I'm talking like just 5,000 words shorter…When inspiration hits, that's it! You're at its will!
Deadline…As always, one or two weeks.
About the bonus…Due to word length, I will have to split the viewer request bonus to multiple sections. Like I'll do one's idea in one bonus and do another in another bonus. Each one is almost 10,000 words long!
And one more thing I would like to say…I have a very close friend of mine writing something for fiction press. I'll let you know when he or she gets done; it's a real interesting piece of literature.
God bless.
Harry.