El Turnia: Becoming Fire *DISCONTINUED*

Chapter 15: Being Lost and Defeating Father

I ran. I ran so fast I didn't think I could ever stop. My father trailed after me... or what used to be my father, now he was just a shell of his old self, controlled by Time Warper, only a servant, a slave, a piece in his game of evil with no more opinions, feelings, or a mind of his own, and now he was trying to kill his own daughter without caring who she was. I was scared. I didn't know how this could ever end. What could I do? How could I make it end? I was supposed to defeat him, but how could I? He was my father and I wasn't powerful, I wasn't strong, I was just a runaway! Running from everything, I thought that could be the answer, that if you ran enough you'd someday reach your oasis, your paradise where everything was perfect, but now it felt like I would never have mine.

"You can't run forever, give up!" my father called after me breaking my chain of thought. "You will be destroyed!"

As I was drawn back to reality I looked behind me, my father was gaining on me, I had to go faster, I needed a way to escape! That's when it hit me.

I'm an idiot! I'm an alicorn! I can fly!

I readied my wings as we reached the end of the alley and then I started to run faster and faster, my wings moved up and down, I bunched my muscles and I jumped. My wings worked and I was carried into the night sky.

"Good thing I don't have to run!" I called down mockingly and my father's eyes glowed in anger as I laughed at my easy escape.

I ignored him and flew towards the castle, but there was a problem... I had no idea where it was. It was nighttime, the sky was dark and I couldn't see a thing. I'd run so far yesterday and not paid any attention to where I was going and now I was lost.

Time Warper paced back and forth on the cold stone floor of the castle. He had broken through the castle guards weak line of defense and  him and his army were now in control of the kingdom, he had done it, he got his revenge and he got his rightful place as ruler of this land, but he wanted more. He wanted to take the world and bend it to who it should be, how he wanted it. A voice sounded behind him and his mind jumped back to the present. 

"Sir, the princess has escaped King Aura!" it said. "Should I send out the troops sir?"

Time Warper turned around and addressed the figure that stood before him. 

"She may have escaped for now but I'm not giving up... yes send out the troops, she may escaped one of us but she can't defeat an army!"

I stopped and looked around.

Frick! I'm lost. This isn't going to be that easy after all.

I sighed. I wracked my brain for an answer but none came. I hovered and waited, there had to be a way what if I-

Bam!

My wings spiraled out of control as something barreled into my side knocking me out of the air. I crashed to the ground and collided with hard cobblestone. I winced as I opened my eyes to see what had attacked me. My father walked towards me his horn glowing.

Oh yeah, he's a unicorn. He can teleport. Great.

"You can't get away this time princess!" he smirked. "You're trapped like a rat!"

"What do you mean I can just go.... that... way." I said as I turned around.

Glowing yellow eyes shown out from the darkness and ponies stepped out of the shadows. A whole lot of ponies. An entire army. Grandmother's words rang in my mind.

Those missing ponies! The ones that went missing five days ago!

Time Warper had taken them, he had taken them and made an army. He had tested it out on the Jewel Empire before he launched it upon his true goal. El Turnia and me. I gulped, the hypnotized army walked towards me. It was as if they had the same mind they walked step for step and their faces wore the same blank expression. My heart sank, there was no way I was getting out now. I scrambled up and looked hopelessly around for an escape route, but there were none and I was trapped.

"Give up princess!" the army spoke as one. "There's nowhere to run!"

They walked closer spreading out to surround me.

"Y-you can't stop me!" I tried to sound confident but the tremble in my voice gave me away.

"Why not?" my father towered over me menacingly. "You're trapped and alone! There's no way you can win!"

As he said this I began to believe him, but then I heard a voice.

"I'm here Gloria, you're not alone!"

My mother's soft voice echoed in my mind as I stared at my father.

"No." I said.

"No?" my father repeated.

"You're wrong I'm never alone!" I yelled. "And I can win!"

I felt my mother beside me and I felt strong. I gazed at my father, I could see that he didn't agree with me, but that didn't matter. He was no longer my father, he was dead to me and there was nothing I could do to change that. The army suddenly looked up in surprise. The stars were glowing brighter and growing bigger, they seemed to move soaring and shifting around in the sky as if they were waking up for the first time in many long years. I stared up in amazement as the stars flew down from out of the night sky and surrounded me in their shining light. Time Warper's army took a step back clearly afraid of this new force. The stars came closer to me and as they did I heard voices. I heard my mother's voice, my father's voice, and Christilia's voice. The spoke to me, encouraging me to go on and fight and that's when I knew I would never be alone, not in a million years. I strode towards my father. Even though his eyes were blank I could see the fear shining in them from below the vale of gold.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted as I got closer to him.

"Defeating you." I answered. "Once and for all."

I'm sorry father.

I planted my hooves on the ground and glared at the figures in front of me. My father stepped back and so did the army. My horn glowed, they stepped back, I raised my head ready to strike, they lowered theirs in fear. Then it happened all at once. A blast came from my horn, the army screamed, and before he was swept away I swore I saw my father's eyes clear for just a second and stare at me and then he was gone. I stared they were gone, I had done it, but in that moment I felt neither triumph or relief, I just felt empty. That army had once been simple ponies with lives and families and now they were... dead, I stood up. More would be dead  if I didn't find Time Warper and defeat him. My mother's voice guided me and I found my way back home.