Ch. 11: A Rescue…with a Price
The sun was just touching the horizon outside of the old palace ruins within the Everfree Forest. Inside, Princess Celestia and Lady Arceus lied upon a large pile of red velvet pillows decorated with golden suns and Shakespearean comedy masks. The Alicorn still has the orange chains on her to keep her from escaping. Several red chains, adorned with the Darkus Emblem, bound the Alpha Pokemon, preventing her from blasting her way out. They are also keeping them from using their magic, save the spell Celestia needed to lower the sun so that Luna could raise the moon, and the spell Arceus uses to keep the Pokemon World balanced with Giratina, so that the dead couldn't go back and torture the living. Apparently, they're unaware of the limit of Discord and Razenoid's spells on Marvin and Dialga. As a matter of fact, they're unaware of Marvin and Dialga's true forms until Discord and Razenoid explained it in front of them. Discord did too good of a job making the Martian look like a true Unicorn Pony until he told everypony and everyguardian his secret. So did Razenoid making the Temporal Dragon look like a true Dragonoid until he told everypony and everyguardian her secret.
As the Alicorn and her guardian struggled to get out of their chains, Celestia sensed the familiar chaotic presence of her opposite. So did the Alpha Pokemon as sensed the familiar chaotic and evil presence of her opposite.
"Coming, my succulent little creampuff," Discord called to Celestia sweetly. The princess looked up to see him step out from behind a pillar a few feet from her. If she wasn't bound up, she would be giggling at the sight of him. He has on a bright green bathrobe decorated with yellow punctuation marks. He was also holding two martini glasses in his hand and tail. The one in his hand has chocolate milk with a chocolate-covered strawberry skewered by a toothpick. The one in his tail has white wine topped with white rose petals.
"And I'm coming as well, my adorable little cupcake," Razenoid called to Arceus sweetly. She looked up to see him step out from behind a pillar, a few feet away from her. If she wasn't bound up also, she too would be giggling at the sight of him. He has on a pitch-black bathrobe decorated with green question marks. He was also holding up two martini glasses in his right claw and tail. The one in his claws has fruit punch with a chocolate-covered peach skewered by a toothpick. The one in his tail has white wine topped with rose petals.
"Hope you don't mind," Discord purred to Celestia as he floated over to her. "I wanted to slip into something more…comfortable." He then slithered his tail around her shoulders before holding the martini glass before her. Razenoid then did the same with Arceus.
"We also figured you two might like a refreshing drink," he added before he and Discord each took a sip from his own glass. Celestia and Arceus just smiled a little before each taking a small sip of the wine.
"Was it really necessary?" Celestia then asked him.
"Yes, really?" Arceus then asked Razenoid. Their two opposites only arched eyebrows at them in confusion.
"What? We were only being humorous hosts," Razenoid explained.
"Besides," Discord added, "Ya gotta admit that the bathrobes are—"
"I meant kidnapping us like you just did back at Ponyville," Celestia explained.
"Indeed," Arceus concurred. "Doesn't that seem a little... overboard?"
"Oh, that?" Discord replied. "I thought it was good. Ya gotta admit that the self-moving chains binding you was a good touch."
"Hey, I'm a Demon of Chaos and Evil," Razenoid stated with a shrug. "You can't just expect me to kidnap you the old-fashioned way, could you? You have to admit though, the Darkus Chains binding you and draining your powers was good touch."
"True, but you could have just kidnapped us from my castle," Celestia teased with a flirty smirk.
"She has a point," Arceus chuckled with a flirty smile.
"Nah, too cliché for me," Discord explained. "Besides, you know how your sister gets about me ever since I got out last time."
"Same here," Razenoid explained. "You know how Giratina gets about me ever since I got out last time also."
"Point taken," Celestia and Arceus answered with a laugh.
"But you do know also that Marvin, Dialga, and the others will come to save us," Celestia then added
"That's we're counting on, mon amore," Discord purred before pressing his lips gently into hers, while Razenoid pressed his lips gently into Arceus's.
Celestia simply smiled before returning the kiss. She knows this is all part of Discord's plan. All he's trying to do is get Marvin and Twilight together. Even though things won't go his way and they'll rescue her, at least he will succeed in getting the two lovers together, but alas, a certain Pyrus Dragonoid might not allow it to stand...
Arceus simply smiled before kissing Razenoid back. She knows this is all part of Razenoid's plan. All he's trying to do is to get Dialga and Drago together. Even though things won't go his way and they'll rescue her, at least he will succeed in getting the two lovers together.
Their kisses would have lasted longer…had Kaa, Mewtwo, Genesect, and Hiss not barged in.
"Bosss, the Poniesss and their Guardiansss a—Oh, my!" Kaa cried when they saw the four entities kissing. As they broke apart with surprise, Hiss lowered his cap over his blushing face, while Genesect's eyes whirred as he lowered his head, scratching his cannon awkwardly. And Mewtwo simply covered Kaa's eyes with an awkward blush.
Well, that was humiliating, the Pokemon thought to himself as he and the others felt Discord and Razenoid glare at them.
"We hate it when you four barge in like that," Razenoid growled. "Well, what is it about the Ponies and Guardians that you had to ruin our alone time?"
"They are heading thisss way," Hiss answered, still blushing and not looking up at them.
"The Martian Commander and his Temporal Dragon are leading them." Genesect added, also embarrassed still. Celestia and Arceus then turned to their flirty abductor.
"I guess they wish to fix what they has done," the High Princess stated matter-of-factly.
"Looks that way," Discord stated with a shrug.
"Oh, well," Razenoid sighed. "It was fun while it lasted." With a snap of Discord's fingers, the glasses and bathrobes vanished. He then turned Celestia over gently and floated over her, their bodies touching slightly as Kaa and Hiss hid away. Razenoid also turned Arceus over gently and floated over her, their bodies touching as Mewtwo and Genesect hid away as well.
"Just to make it more convincing when they come to your rescue," Razenoid purred as he nuzzled into Arceus's neck. Discord grinned as well as he nuzzled his muzzle into Celestia's neck. The princess and Lady simply purred in reply at the gentle feeling. It only lasted for fifteen seconds before the doors burst open.
"Get off of them, you sick maniacs!" the familiar voices of Marvin and Dialga yelled at them. Discord and Razenoid looked up at them with sinister grins to see the Mane Six, the Circle of Guardians, Spike, Skyress, and the Commander and Captain's four friends also with them.
"Marvin," Discord greeted the Martian kindly, "glad you can drop in. You have to excuse yourself for the bad timing; I was cuddling with my filly here." Marvin gritted his teeth as he scraped his hoof into the stone floor.
"Dialga," the Lord of Evil greeted the Queen of Time kindly. "So glad you could drop in. You have to excuse yourself for the bad timing. I was cuddling with my Pokemon here." Dialga gritted her teeth as she flared her wings and scraped the stone floor with her talons.
"The Princess is not yours, Discord!" he growled. "She belongs to all of Equestria! And we're going to help save her!"
"Indeed, Razenoid, the Lady is not yours!" Dialga growled. "She belongs to all of Equestria! And we're going to help save her as well!" Discord and Razenoid frowned at them in reply as they stood up from Celestia and Arceus.
"Jeez, Marv, Dia," Discord groaned at them with a glare. "Why do you have to be such a stick in the mud?"
"Yes," Razenoid added with a tsk-tsk-tsk. "That's no way to make a good impression on Twilight and Drago." Marvin and Dialga really lost it that time.
"DON'T YOU DARE INVOLVE THEM!" they yelled, firing a crimson blast and a powerful torrent of roaring silver flames at the Draconequus and his guardian. However, Discord dodged the blast, and it hit the far back wall with a BOOM! Razenoid deflected the fire easily with a shield of Darkus energy.
"Whoa, touchy, are we?" Razenoid asked the enraged Unicorn and his equally enraged Dragonoid.
"Alright, fine," Discord said calmly. "Just don't get your skirt thing and your sail in a bunch." He then clapped his hands, and Kaa and Hiss slithered to his sides, while Razenoid snapped his claws, and Mewtwo and Genesect rushed to his side.
"Take care of the others," Discord said to them.
"But leave the black and blue ones for us," Razenoid added.
"If you wanna take me on, then fine," Dodgers replied, taking a fighting stance. "I'll have you know that I've—"
"We were talking about Marvin and Dialga, ya bozo," Discord explained flatly.
"Oh…" the duck replied. "Right…" Marvin and Dialga then got ready to fight the Draconequus and Darkus Bakugan but blinked with surprise when Twilight and Drago stepped up beside them
"You mess with Marvin, you mess with me, too," Twilight said to Discord with a glare.
"And a Guardian's duty is to always protect their charges... even if it costs them their lives..." Drago growled as he drew the Flare Blade and Flame Shield, fire burning from the mythic weapons.
"Twilight—" Marvin started.
"Drago..." Dialga started.
"I know it's dangerous, but trust us," Twilight said to him with a smile.
"We've faced him before," Drago added, "and they were the ones who walked away with bruises. We'll fight him together." Twilight then placed her hoof on Marvin's gently, and he smiled in return. Dialga smiled as well when Draco placed his claw on hers.
"Alright, but if Discord so much as touches you," Marvin said to Twilight, "I get the first hit."
"And if Razenoid so much as touches you," Dialga added to Drago, "I rip his head off."
"Deal," they chuckled.
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Discord cooed, holding his hands at the side of his cheeks.
"You're already getting along like two pairs of sweethearts," Razenoid concurred. "And me without a camera."
"Uh, bosss?" Hiss said. "You do know of course that we have to fight them, right?"
"Yes..." Genesect muttered.
"Whatever," the two superiors replied flatly. The two snakes and their dark guardians then charged at Twilight and Marvin and their guardians, who quickly ducked before running towards Discord and Razenoid. And the battle began.
As Celestia and Arceus watched from the sidelines, Twilight, Drago, Dialga, and Marvin fought Discord and Razenoid while the others fought their chaotic minions. The two snakes didn't put up much of a fight. Not only were they hopelessly outnumbered, but also the Ponies and Queen Tyr'hanee were too fast for them. Even when they struck at them, the female fighters would quickly dodge them. Before anyone could say "Holy Toledo, Batman!" Kaa and Hiss were tied up in tangled knots and dizzy.
Mewtwo and Genesect proved a much better challenge; Mewtwo blasting Psystrike everywhere while Genesect kept on switching his drives and blasting the Guardians and Palkia with powerful Ice, Fire, and Water type Techno Blasts. But, they were outnumbered and outgunned as well. Before anyone could say "Gotta catch 'em all!" Mewtwo was lying on the ground, unconscious from Helios's Fragonard Cannon, while Genesect was smashed into the wall, his purple armor smoking from Taylean's Twin Leaf Grenade.
Meanwhile, Discord and Razenoid were putting up a much better fight with Twilight, Marvin, and their guardians. Discord was using monsters made of sweets to fight the two Unicorns, from gingerbread Manticores to candy cane cobras. Razenoid fought furiously, slashing with his massive claws while blasting hyper-powered Darkness Destructions everywhere. Twilight and Marvin fought back with their magic, while Drago and Dialga fought back with their firepower. The monsters and Razenoid's powers were tough, but the four of them are tougher. Marvin and Twilight soaked the Manticores with milk shooting out of their horns, and they kicked the cobras so hard, the candy cane creatures shattered into brick-sized pieces. Discord was putting up a good fight, however, because he has summoned so many monsters that the two Unicorns couldn't reach him.
Meanwhile, Drago deflected Razenoid's beams with the Flame Shield, before piercing the Darkus Beast's armor with his sword. Dialga pounded him with Temporal energy torrents from the diamond in her chest. However, thanks to his massive armor and enormous strength and power, the two Dragonoid's attacks were inflicting minimal damage to the enraged Darkus Beast.
After Kaa and Hiss got tied up and their guardians were defeated, the others turned to see Twilight, Marvin, and their guardians fighting the candy monsters and the enraged Razenoid. Quickly, Dodgers and Cadet rushed forward to help their companions…only to crash right smack into some iron bars.
"Ow…" they said in unison.
"Sorry, but this fight is between the six of us alone," Discord said to them with a sinister grin.
"No backup," Razenoid added with a cold smirk.
"I really hate those guys," Dodgers groaned before he and Cadet fell backwards to the ground. The others just watched outside of the bars as the two Unicorns and the two Dragonoids fought the monsters and Razenoid on their own. They appeared to be growing tired, but Twilight and Marvin never stopped fighting them until every single monster was a pile of mush or crumbled peppermints. Razenoid staggered backwards, several small cuts covering his body, while a couple of burns from Dialga's Roars of Times covered his body as well. However, Drago had cut in the wing, while Dialga was hit with a Dark Destruction. The four of them then turned to Discord and Razenoid with pants in their breaths, sweat on their faces, and determination in their eyes.
"Now we have you two to deal with, Discord and Razenoid," Marvin said, him and Dialga standing up straight like soldiers and scraping his hoof into the ground and flaring her wings.
"Any final words before—AUGH!" Dialga started before pain shot through her. Pain shot through Marvin's body as well, and they fell to their knees. Twilight and Drago rushed over to their sides, fear for their friends in their eyes.
"Marvin!" Twilight cried, holding the Martian with tears in his eyes.
"Dialga, what's wrong?" Drago cried as tears streamed down her face.
"Long story short," the smiling Discord answered, pointing at the window to show that the sun had just set, " their time's up." He then burst into his signature laughter while Razenoid flashed his claws and roared in triumph as ribbons of blue, yellow, and green light wrapped around Marvin and Dialga's bodies. Before the ribbons consumed their heads, Marvin looked up at Twilight with tears in his red eyes, and Dialga looked up at Drago with tears in her eyes too.
"I love you…Twilight," Marvin whispered before the lights blocked his eyesight from her and pain consumed his body. It was the same pain he felt when he turned from Martian to Unicorn, only the transformation's in reverse.
"I love you... Drago," Dialga whispered before the lights blocked her eyesight from him and pain consumed her body. It was the same pain she felt when she turned from Pokemon to Dragonoid, only the transformation's in reverse.
At least I got the chances to be with you, they thought in unison as they held back their screams of pain. They don't want their beloveds to hear their cries. It will only pain them, and that's the last thing they want to do to them right now. They held it in for as long as they could. Just when they thought they couldn't take anymore, the pain stopped and the lights vanished. Marvin then looked himself over to see that he has returned to his true form before looking down in despair. Dialga did the same and looked down with despair once she saw that she was in her true form.
Behind Marvin, Twilight, and their guardians, the bars vanished to let the others rush over to them. The Ponies and their Guardians (save Twilight and Drago) stood in front of Princess Celestia and Lady Arceus to protect them as Dodgers, Cadet, Queen Tyr'hanee, Palkia, Skyress, and Spike rushed over to Marvin, Twilight and their guardian's side. Discord and Razenoid then turned to Twilight and Drago, who watched Marvin and Dialga's friends help the Martian and the Temporal Dragon up with sad eyes.
"Apparently," Razenoid said to them with a smile, "they never told you that the spell was temporary. And it can only be permanent if they kiss you and you return it before the sun sets on the third day…which happens to be today." Twilight and Drago turned to him and Discord with both pain and anger in their eyes.
"Just leave him alone!" Twilight yelled at Discord, her horn glowing magenta and tears flowing down her cheeks.
"YOU AS WELL, YOU FREAK!" Drago bellowed at Razenoid in fury and pain, his body flaring with an intense and powerful Pyrus aura as tears flowed freely downs his face. Discord and Razenoid stood back and turned to see the Ponies and their Guardians protecting Celestia and Arceus. Once again, they have them beaten because they had reached the limit of their powers and needed to recover. They had used too much from all those sweets monsters, the Darkus energy attacks, and the bars.
"Fine," Discord sighed in defeat, "but don't think winning Celestia and Arceus back will make them a Unicorn or a Dragonoid again."
"So it looks like you're stuck with having a Martian and a Temporal Dragon for a boyfriend and girlfriend," Razenoid added. "Have fun!" And with a snap of Discord's fingers, he, Kaa, Hiss, and their guardians were gone in flashes of light. The rescue party then removed the chains from Celestia and Arceus, and they all headed back to Ponyville. During the journey back, Marvin and Dialga looked up to see the stars appearing in the night sky…and felt their hearts break at the loss of their beloved Twilight Sparkle and Titanium Dragonoid.